Andrea's Blog 24/4/09 Hi Everyone, Just hit the pause button on ‘Berlin Love Story’ - the Blog for a minute to let you all know what is happening with ‘Rental Property’ - the album. Today is the official release date in Germany! Whihee. I am very excited that it will now be on the shelves and the radio waves over there. This week Rachael and I travelled across the big land that is Deutschland visiting radio stations and recording acoustic sessions which was great fun. On Monday, I visited Radio IV 88,8 in Berlin and spoke to Jürgen Jürgens and then headed over to Radio IV Spreeradio to chat to Gabi Kleinau and Yagaloo. The next day Rache and I, our two guitars and George from Dramatico Germany started our radio tour: First up was SWR1 with Jörg Walter in Mainz. You can hear this interview and acoustic session on Sunday at 8pm. Then we drove to Ludwighafen where we met the guys at RPR . Wednesday we headed over to Bayern 3 where we did an interview and acoustic session with Dagmar for the Newcomershow and in the afternoon visited Sigi at Radio F Nürnberg. This portrait will go on air on the 14th May at 7pm. I am sure all of these sessions will appear on the different radio websites for all of you who don’t live in Germany. I will try and post the details of when these specific interviews as soon as I get the details. Thursday morning we were invited to do a set at Radio Regenbogan in Mannheim before driving to Cologne for our last session with WDR for their ‘Musikclub’ segment. All in all it was a great trip and everyone was so hospitable and lovely. These interviews also gave me the opportunity to practice my German, which is coming along. I still have to answer the more complicated questions in English and sometimes speak a special language which Gail Tufts has made famous called ‘Dinglish’ (a mixture of Deutch and English!). Rachael, George and I drove across some gorgeous German countryside and sampled that delicacies at all the truck stop cafés along the way. I don’t think I have ever drunk so much strong, black German coffee. Sometimes I had so much that I would start to play what became known as the ‘caffeinated’ version of a song. Poor Rachael had to reign in the tempo on a few occasions! One of the highlights was staying in Heidelberg for a night. It was such a stunning little town that I really hope to revisit one day. The three of us ended up in a typical Beer house where Rachael took the plunge and tasted a weisse wurst (a typical white sausage not for the light-hearted or for a vegetarian like me) and we sampled some really nice dark wheat beer. Another highlight was going inside the cathedral in Cologne. I have been to the city before but have never had the opportunity to go inside this magnificent church. It was just lucky for us that WDR2 was right next door! Thanks to everyone in Germany and Switzerland who has already bought the album. I hope you are enjoying it. Love and Sunshine, A x

Andrea's Blog 20/3/09 Hi Guys, I hope you have been enjoying ‘Berlin Love Story’. I’m having a lot of fun writing it. I just wanted to update you all on some more ‘album’ related things. Well the good news is that the album, which I can now reveal is called ‘Rental Property’ is finished. The proof was delivered to me in the post a week or so ago. I must say, it took a while to register that it was all done and that I was holding a copy in my hot little hands. Thank you to all the people who made it all possible and poured so much of their artistry and skill into it – you know who you are. It is very much the calm before the storm at the moment. I feel like I am in the starting blocks waiting for the gun to go off. In the next few weeks I will begin promoting the album in and around Germany. The plan is to release the new single ‘Alibi’ in Germany and Austria on the 24th March in anticipation for the album release on the 24th April. On the 30th March, I will be giving the first of my album showcases in Zurich. This showcase is a public showcase with most of the audience members being prize winners. I am really excited about this gig as it is quite unusual to have a ‘public’ showcase. Almost always showcases are ‘closed’ gigs (as will be the case the following evening in Munich) with the audience consisting mainly of industry people. Fear not though my friends, we are working on putting some gigs in the diary as soon as possible. Another reason I am excited about the showcases is that I will once again be re-united with my fab band – Oroh, Rachael and Rocco. I have really missed them. As far as the UK and the rest of Europe is concerned, I can’t confirm any release dates just yet. I will be able to soon though. So stay tuned. As I write this, I am sitting in the kitchen at my laptop. The sun has been pouring through the window the entire day. God bless Spring! Spring was the friend I thought would never visit and now look….she has arrived! I think I should go out and meet her in Tiergarten. Stay cool, Andrea x

Hey Guys,

Just a short blog this time to inform you that ‘Berlin Love Story’ is officially up and running! Yay! Just go to the link berlinlovestory.com and follow the first instalment. Oh and be sure free to pass the link on to all your friends!

Bags of sunshine, A x

Well, I have clicked my heels three times and find myself once more in Berlin! Someone has taken a pin and pricked the holiday bubble I was floating around in and it is now full steam ahead with reality, 2009, and most importantly the album – which I can now officially reveal is called ‘Rental Property’.
The final mix is being pressed at the moment (Aghh!) and yesterday the team at Dramatico and I settled on a final version of the CD booklet. I must say, the realization that we have actually made an album that will sit on the shelves in a music store (and hopefully leap off the shelves into peoples heads), really sunk in when I stared at the artwork on my computer. It was quite a surreal experience and very exciting.

I know that when the question of the album’s release date came up on tour I told everyone that it would be January. I have to apologise for that. It is quite unbelievable just how long and involved the process is. It seems that we are looking at releasing a brand new single at the beginning of April and then releasing the album at the end of May.

The other news is that I will soon be starting another blog which will run alongside this one. Will let you know the exact launch date when it is decided. The blog will be called ‘berlinlovestory.com’- named after a track from the album. The idea is that it will focus specifically on Berlin…my impressions of it, its musical hot-spots, the things that inspire and infuriate me about it. Generally, I will try and shed some light on what it is like being the new girl in this old classroom of a city. If any of you happen to come from Berlin, please feel free to suggest any places you think I MUST explore - bars, venues, parks, record stores etc.

I am currently reading all about David Bowie’s time in Berlin . Apparently, he shared a flat with Iggy Pop here in 1976! Now can you imagine that household?! I think the subject must be seeping into my subconscious because last night I had the most vivid dream about him:

I was on Summer holiday, got lost somehow and stumbled across a tent on a beach. Inside was a stage where Bowie was performing a new show. Anyway, I saw him from a distance backstage and he gave me a big wave. The next minute I was asked by the director to come inside the tent and sit with the creative team while Bowie did a dress rehearsal. The director pointed to a couch and told me that that was the only place left to sit…..’you can sit there’ he said ‘as long as you don’t mind sharing it with David when he is not on stage’.

I know it is supremely boring hearing someone else retell their dreams…but I thought it was kind of entertaining. I suppose Freud would say that the couch may well be a metaphor for Berlin………

A x

Hi Guys,

I hope you all had a very merry Christmas and saw in the New Year with a bang. I can’t believe we have arrived at 2009 already! My diary still has that delicious smell of freshly printed virgin paper. The days of the year are staring back at me, daring me to tattoo them with a gig, a release date or more travel. Hopefully, the next time I get on a plane or a ferry or a bus to perform it will be with my new album in tow!

Speaking of the album, I can tell you that Mike and I arrived last week at a final mix that we are both really excited about. Over the last months Mike, Steve (Dramatico’s engineer), and I have lived with each stage of the mix (kind of like a flat mate!), building or excavating the sound scape gradually until we ended up with what we thought was the perfect structure in which to house each song. It was quite hard with this album, as each track is so different in it’s style and feel. We really wanted to resist the trend to paint an overall colour over all the tracks and instead chose to see each song as it’s own separate entity. I hope you are all going to like it!

I apologise, but I still can’t tell you a definitive release date, but promise to let you know as soon as I do.

The television is on as I write this and I am listening to the unmistakable melody of Barack Obama’s oratory. Every time I witness an historical event like today, I can hear my Dad’s voice reminding me to crystallise the moment, to breathe it in and hold my breath for a little longer than usual. I remember the breath I took when the Berlin Wall came down, when Princess Diana died, when those silent planes cast their shadows over the Twin Towers. Watching the events in Washington today was like watching someone turn the tap of optimism on and usher us all to stand under its shower. Magic!

Keep your messages coming; I love reading them.

Andrea x

I’m back to the good old-fashioned written blog now that the tour is over – no more live dance demonstrations or shots of catering or brandy glasses! As is always the case after you come back from being ‘on the road’, I was a little lost for about a week. I love the structure of being on tour and being constantly in motion. Once again you have organise your days yourself and sleep in a static bed and readjust to your own boring cooking (which can, at times, be as uninspired as a piece of vegemite toast!).

It has been a good opportunity to do some writing though and I have had another ‘project’ which has been quite consuming. This project in a word is ‘Berlin’. It has for some time been my second home but it has now officially become my first home, which is scary and exhilarating all at the same time. I know the city quite well already as I have spent a fair amount of time here in the past, but I have never before considered myself a permanent resident. We are experiencing a true German winter at the moment which perfectly suits the festive season. There is no better city to be in at Christmas than Berlin – there are those famous Christmas markets, trees being sold on every corner, lantern-lit streets and endless arrays of buttery treats (I just realised that that rhymes – sorry). I have been the proper German Frau and have taken up baking as my new hobby. There is nothing better for the soul that filling your house with the smell of freshly baked stolen and liebkuchen! When I am not baking I am playing the guitar (the Neighbour luckily plays the piano accordion so has no real grounds for complaint), running around Tiergarten (the big stadt park here – Rufus Wainwright actually wrote a song about it on his last album – Release The Stars), or hiding out in the second hand record stores around Nollendorf Platz. I have decided that records are the way forward. Reflecting on the current ‘downloading climate’, I realised that I actually missed holding an album in my hands and appreciating it as a piece of art (some album art work is exquisite). The other day I found an old Dylan album, Blood on the Tracks and bought The Very Best of The Lovin’ Spoonful (a great record to dance barefoot to).

Anyway, better go. Please keep the messages and feedback coming and enjoy the ‘silly season’.

Andrea x

Hi Everybody,

Just discovered that I can write a blog on myspace (I am sorry, I am always a little slow on the uptake when it comes to technology!). In case some of you don't know, I do try to update my video blogs on my website fairly regularly, but I will try and keep up with the written one also.

I am currently in Glasgow as part of a three week UK tour supporting Katie Melua. I must say the band and I are having a ball. The band, incase some of you have yet to see them in action consist of Rachael Wood (guitar and vocals), Rocco Webb (drums) and Oroh Angiama (Bass). The tour has taken us to so many cities I had never visited before - Sheffield, Manchester, Nottingham, Newcastle and now Glasgow! By day, we travel all together with our tour manager Simon and our backline dude Ivan in a little splitter, watching movies, philosophising, eating mini chocolate bars and generally having a laugh. It is kind of like being on a family holiday except we have a surreal half an hour every night where we play in front of thousands of people. Thank you to all the people who have listened to us and responded to warmly to our music so far. I must say, you guys have rocked! I'm really excited about playing in Glasgow tonight. I have never been to Scotland before, let alone played here which is weird because somewhere in my history, a fair way down the family tree, there is a connection to Scotland. We pulled over at a service station today and I found a MacEwan (my surname I'm guessing was once spelt that way!) tartan scarf. Very exciting.

Anyway, better stop rambling and get ready for the gig! Will write again soon,

Andrea’s Blog 13/8/08

Well, the good news is that the album is pretty much done! Mike Batt (my producer) has worked tirelessly in the studio shaping and colouring each track and I think we have ended up with something unique and exciting. I suppose the thing that struck me first was how different all the tracks were from each other.

At this stage the first single from the album - 'Candle in a Chatroom' - is due for release in about a month (will let you know that final date when it has been confirmed). I will be doing some industry showcases in September before going back on tour with Katie as her support in October/November. I apologize to all the people who were expecting to see me on tour this month. There was a collision of commitments and too much work to do in preparation for the album release. I promise to make it up to you!

I hope all those in Europe are enjoying the summer. Keep your comments coming - your feedback is really so helpful at this stage!

Andrea x

Well, we on the last week of the KM tour. It seems to have flown by. I am looking towards the end with a mixture of sadness and excitement. Sadness, because it has been such an incredible, surreal journey and excitement because I am looking forward to staying in one place for longer than a night and sleeping in a bed that doesn't move (although I must say I now have my moving bunk sleeping technique well and truly honed!).

We have playing in some fascinating venues and I have been to so many new cities. Last week we were in Poland – we played gigs in Warsaw, Gdansk and Poznan. The gig in Warsaw was at the Congress Hall – beautiful, historic, theatre with opera balconies and red velvet seats. We were lucky enough to have a day off in Poznan. None of us had been there before and at the end of our stay we were all convinced that it was a real hidden gem – beautiful architecture, good food, friendly people. Quite a discovery.

The other night we played in Ljubljana – my first taste of Slovenia. What a lovely crowd! And tonight we are in Milan. I must say I was so pleased that we got to come to Italy. The food, the wine, the coffee!

Have been doing quite a bit of writing this week. So many observations to put to music. Katie and I even found time to do some more writing together yesterday which was a lot of fun. I find it so much more enjoyable writing with others – someone to bounce ideas off and vibe with.

Getting really excited about the last gig at the Royal Albert Hall. My first ever gig in London! My parents are flying out from Oz to see it. I haven't played them anything so it is going to be a big surprise for them.

Thanks for all your comments and thank you also to those of you who have put footage up on You Tube! Hopefully, the album will be close to completion within the month. All very exciting. Will keep you posted….

Andrea xox

Andrea’s Blog 8/4/08

There have been so many ’firsts’ in the last few weeks that I might as well add this one to the list! My very first blog! I have officially been on tour with Katie and her band now for two whole weeks. It has been a steep learning curve and I have very much been the tour ’rookie’. I over-packed, chose the most undesirable bunk bed (incidentally the top one closest to the back lounge – the hangout for overactive insomniacs!) and bought a bag full of novels that I optimistically thought I would get through! Oh well, sometimes you have to learn by doing.

After a fairly surreal and frightful first night in Tours (I forgot to check my battery pack was turned on) and some early teething problems with the in-ears (these tricky little devices we use instead of monitors on the stage) I seemed to get more and more relaxed with each new city. This was helped immensely by the very sweet and generous audiences in France (Tours, Strasbourg, Amneville, Roubaix, Lyon, Montpelier, Geneva and Paris) and the cities in Germany we have visited so far, Erfurt and Hamburg. I know it is asking quite a lot from an audience to sit and listen to an ’unknown’ artist sing a set of brand new songs they have never heard, so I thank you all.

I had a few people asking about my album and if they could hear some of the songs I played again. Although they are rough mixes, I have put four samples on Myspace. All the writing for my album is pretty much done (although you can never say that as new ideas continually flow) and we laid down the band for each track at Air studios before the tour. I have also laid down some final vocals but will have to wait until after the tour to complete them. At the moment we would like to have the album finished by August. Will keep you posted on that.

As you might have guessed, I love lyrics and storytelling. I like to think of each song as a separate story. Music gives a story its landscape and its colours. I think that a message or a comment wrapped in music reaches a listener faster than words alone. Kind of like express mail. That is why music is so powerful and why I love to write it.

I am enjoying a day off today before going to Stuttgart to play tomorrow. It really is the most exciting adventure and a real buzz visiting so many places for the first time. I am looking forward to indulging in a large proper German beer!

Thank you for all your messages,

Andrea x