Have You Ever Been Before - Porongurup National Park

 

Kangaroo and Joey

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.”
 
 
Copyright   Jane Laws   1996
Unauthorised copying, public performance, broadcasting, hiring or rental of this song prohibited.

Nancy Peak - Porongurup National Park

#PlayMusicOnThePorchDay #NationalPark 

#TreeChange #PeacefulPlace #Tranquil

#PorongurupNationalPark #Porongurup  #MountainCountryWA

#SingerSongwriter #IndieMusic #FolkMusic #MatonEM225

#JaneLaws #ErikKowarski

Maton EM100C-808 Messiah

My journey to purchase a new guitar, to compliment my Maton EM225 Dreadnought, began two years ago. I am not a collector of guitars. Until 2021 only two acoustic guitars have ever lived in my house, my first guitar, a "learn to play" Yamaha, purchased in 1974, and my trusted friend, my Maton EM225 (1996).

Trying out the Messiah at Kosmic Sound.

Two years ago the pickup in my EM225 developed a ground hum which could not be fixed even by Perth's best technicians. I thought I was destined to buy another dreadnought as I am a dread kind a gal. Then a chance discussion with a technician at The Rock Inn in Mt Lawley suggested that maybe the old pickup could be replaced with a new, state of the art Maton AP5 Pro. After discussions with Maton in Melbourne I said "let's do it." The AP5 Pro has breathed new life into my EM225 and opened up the opportunity for me to purchase a "different sounding guitar" as my new best friend.

For a couple of years I looked around and played many guitars from all over the world, but I always came back to Maton. In January 2021 Kosmic Sound had a great selection of Maton guitars for me to try out. I sat down in their practice room for two hours playing one guitar and then another. I kept coming back to the EM100C-808 Messiah. I was enjoying the beautiful chime of this guitar, the high notes sounded like a harp whispering on the wind; a very different sound to my dreadnought - exactly what I was looking for. The next thing I knew I was at the checkout and my 808 was in her flight case ready for the drive home.

Nothing like getting out in the bush and playing a few tunes.

Double the fun.

To say I am thoroughly enjoying my 808 Messiah is an understatement. I can seamlessly change from the EM225 to the EM100C-808 as the neck profile feels identical. At the moment I have the EM225 in standard tuning and the 808 in Double Drop D. My 808 has arrived just in time as I am working on recording my fifth studio album, Timing and Expectation.

I have just recorded my first song with my new 808, Help Me Free My Mind. In recent years songwriters have been encouraged to write songs about mental health to help bring community awareness to this most sensitive and important subject. I recorded the Help Me Free My Mind “lockdown video,” just as the sun was slipping below the horizon.

Every time I lay eyes on the Messiah I smile a contented smile. I think of picking her up and writing a song with her all the time. I bought the right guitar and every time the flight case catches my eye I think "Have flight case, must travel;" watch this space.

New album - due for release in 2022

Radial PZ-DI

It had been evident for quite a while that the piezo pickup, in my twenty year old Maton EM225 acoustic guitar, wasn't delivering the volume of sound I require at gigs with the 1/4" input plugged directly into the PA. This had been on my mind for so long that I nearly lost sight of the wood through the trees and thought of upgrading my guitar to solve the problem. Enter the Radial PZ-DI. This is the neatest piece of stage kit I have ever laid my hands on. Amongst other features, you can adjust the load to suit the pickup so it works well with my bass guitar too and there is enough sound colouring for my requirements with a variable low-cut filter that works like a charm.

This little box is so easy to use as all the input and output panel features are clearly labelled on top of the box so you don't have to keep picking it up if you need to make an adjustment. Of course I now have headroom beyond my wildest dreams; I should have bought a PZ-DI years ago.

Maton EM225 Truss Rod Adjustment

Jane with Maton EM225

After eighteen years, a truss rod adjustment on my favourite guitar was long overdue. I took her back to Just Music, the place where I found her in 1996. For only $100 the guys did a full service including a set of awesome Elixir strings. 

While I was hanging out in this great guitar establishment, I fell in love with the full bodied tone of an expensive Cole Clark guitar. Now my Maton is worried I may never look at her in the same way again. I keep telling her "nothing's going to change." I'll just think about the Cole Clark when I'm in bed at night; sweet dreams.