Once I began gigging with
my new Electro-Voice (EV) EVERSE 8 it become apparent that a microphone stand
for my mobile phone (with the EV QuickSmart Mobile App installed) would be
great. I asked Uncle Google and it seemed like the Hercules DG307B: Universal
Tablet/Phone Holder would be perfect.
Sometimes I sit down at
gigs and operate my BOSS VE-8 Acoustic Singer, by hand, instead of using the foot
switches. I thought a microphone stand tray, for the VE 8, would also be
useful. I wanted the tray as small as possible and the Gravity GMATRAY1 Universal Microphone Stand Tray filled my requirements.
So once again, it was
off to Mega Music, my local music store.
Unfortunately the
clamp on the Gravity GMATRAY1 was too small (only just) to fit the bottom
upright of my mic stand. After some thought, I decided to make my own tray using
a second Hercules DG307B. So it was back to Mega Music who quickly exchanged the
Gravity GMATRAY1 for a Hercules DG307B.
I made a tray to fit,
using a Black Chef Inox Cutting Board (from Spotlight) and two Riley Nylon
Midget Black Fairleads (RM168BLK) (from my sailing spares box). The fairleads
created a front & rear edge to the tray. The DG307B tablet holder clamps
provided a sufficient edge at each side of the tray. The breadboard dimensions
are 250 x 400 x 12 cm. The 12mm was the perfect depth to fit the tablet holder
clamps and one single cut across the board was sufficient to create a made to
measure tray for the BOSS VE-8 Acoustic Singer (217 x 161mm).
I have been an Electro-Voice (EV) girl
since 1996, when I purchased a 100M amp and two SX100 speakers. These days,
gigging takes me to smaller venues, some without power. I was delighted to find
the EVERSE 8 in my "what to buy" research.
My first gig with the Everse 8, at La Chiquita Cafe in Fremantle
I am not someone who likes to fiddle with
sound; when I find something I like I stick to it. With this in mind I went
through each FX in turn and selected my vocal and acoustic guitar sound.
I only found two quirks with the EVERSE 8:
When recalling a preset, or if you switch
the device off and on, any level above 10dB is set to 0dB.
The speaker volume cannot be saved in a
pre-set.
Once you know about this, happy days.
I found out, by accident, that my android
phone connects to the EVERSE 8 without Bluetooth turned on. This makes sense to
me, no phone calls broadcast to the world if you forget to go to flight mode.
I wrote the song, Have You Ever Been
Before, as a tribute to The Porongurup National Park, home of Castle Rock and
Granite Skywalk. Porongurup National Park is a beautiful part of the world in Mountain Country in The South West of Western Australia.
During my career years, I spent many a long
weekend recuperating and resting my soul at Porongurup. Porongurup has always
been my go to place for peace and tranquillity. In 1997 I was lucky to find my
own piece of paradise, a small cottage, at the foothills of The Porongurup
Range.
On Wansbrough Walk towards Nancy Peak
One day, while I was walking along the
Wansbrough Walk trail, on my way to Nancy Peak, I found myself humming an
original tune and it was there that I wrote the lyrics "Have you ever been before, where the mountains rest the soul and
the trees grow tall. Let the silence soothe your mind, and you'll find there's
no reason to count the time." From that moment the idea for my song,
Have You Ever Been Before, was born.
To sing, Have You Ever Been Before, on the
porch of my Porongurup home, for Play Music On The Porch Day, was a magical
experience, I hope you enjoy this song.
Devil's Slide - Porongurup National Park
Have You Ever Been Before One day in seventy eight I
met a man His name I don’t remember. We were sat by a river It was spring, late
September. He had the time to listen, And his eyes they did
glisten And he took my hand and held
it close and he said. “Have you ever been before Where the mountains rest the
soul And the trees grow tall? Let the silence soothe your
mind And you’ll find there’s no
reason To count the time.” There is little time to
contemplate The beauty of life at the
end of each day. I long to watch the world go
by And enjoy the sight of a
bird at play. I know instead of all this
greed, Food and shelter is all I
need, But it’s hard to change to a
life I don’t understand. Yes I think I hear the call To where the mountains rest
the soul And the trees grow tall. Let the silence soothe my
mind And I’ll find there’s no
reason To count the time. When he stood up to leave I saw his face was lined and
weathered. He picked up his walking
stick And reached for his old dog
who was tethered. He knew where he was going He’d been that place before, And he looked back o’ver his
shoulder And said once more. “Have you ever been before Where the mountains rest the
soul And the trees grow tall? Let the silence soothe your
mind And you’ll find there’s no
reason To count the time.”
CopyrightJane Laws1996 Unauthorised
copying, public performance, broadcasting, hiring or rental of this song
prohibited.
Fremantle Harbour Bound is one of my
maritime folk songs, it is a story about being at sea, for a very long time,
and finally sailing towards home.
However the song goes much deeper than that
and reflects upon my own personal journey of finding my way to live on the
shores of Fremantle. All of my adult life I have connected to Fremantle, to the
history, to the culture, to the port, to the people. Although I have been a
member of Fremantle Sailing Club since 1987, the different roads I have chosen have
never led me to live in Fremantle.
Then the winter of 2022 came along and it
was either "now or never" and my partner and I sold up and moved to
Fremantle. The song, Fremantle Harbour Bound, came to me while I was musing
with my guitar on a stormy afternoon while we were in the throes of moving.
Erik Kowarski, renowned Perth improvising fiddle
player, recorded and produced my first album, Gypsy Traveller (released in 2000.)
It was wonderful to team up with Erik again for the journey of recording Fremantle
Harbour Bound. Erik's beautiful fiddle has added a haunting touch and nautical
flavour throughout the song; thank you so much, Erik.
The Fremantle Harbour Bound video was
filmed aboard my yacht, Ambience, in the waters around Fremantle. With only two
of us onboard, we found the on-water filming a memorable challenge. Trying to
look after Ambience, each other, other water users, and filming is a day we
won't forget in a hurry.
Way back in 1996, when I wrote the song,
Seaflight, (a tribute to Perth teenager, David Dicks, who was sailing solo and nonstop
around the world), Fremantle Sailing Club life member, Gran Hickling, asked me
if I could write a song about the sailing club. Gran would ask me every time I
saw him, which was, at times, every week. I used to just smile and muse to
myself, "what could I write in a song about our club." Then last
year, when Fremantle Harbour Bound came along, as if out of nowhere, I thought
to myself, this is the song that Gran always wanted me to write.
Fremantle Harbour Bound
I am Fremantle Harbour
bound, Around the sound, around
the town. A west bound wind will
bring me home, Away too long, I am
harbour bound, Fremantle Town.
Will you forgive all that
has gone before, So I might live in peace
upon your shore. And in my mind I hear a
distant call, I'm harbour bound,
Fremantle Town, Fremantle Town.
I am a mile away from
nowhere now, Do you hear me sigh? Do
you hear me shout? And do you hear me sing
The Lord's Prayer out loud? Away too long, I am harbour
bound, Fremantle Town.
I am Fremantle Harbour
bound, Around the sound, around
the town. A west bound wind will
bring me home, Away too long, I am
harbour bound, Fremantle Town.
Copyright Jane Laws 2023 Unauthorised copying, public
performance, broadcasting, hiring or rental of this song prohibited.
