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DECEMBER 2008

POLAR BEAR TRAIN

Want a life-changing experience? Ride the Roots On The Rails Polar Bear Train! It's a week on a train with Fred Eaglesmith and band, Jon Dee Graham, Gurf Morlix, Andrew Hardin, Washboard Hank and Lance Loree with a bunch of nature-loving, good fun Fredheads. Add getting amongst polar bears and you'll be hooked.

This was an amazing week, riding from Winnipeg to Churchill, Manitoba in Canada. My luggage and guitar were lost for the duration, but I was sure glad my self made it on board!

We left Winnipeg Sunday evening and I quickly learned I was surrounded by those riding for the 5th time! I now understand why. There's something incredibley addictive about living on a train. To summarize the experience does no justice, but it's essentially this:
You're on a slow-moving train, and slower as the perma-frost begins, being fed great food in a pink dining car by gorgeous girls whilst snow-covered Xmas trees in a winter landscape slide by, performing in the show carriage, partying in the various party carriages, jamming in the box-car, being wow-ed by the Northern Lights, painting bears, drawing bears, drinking wherever/whatever (thanks to Brian for bringing Milo) and being rocked to sleep whilst the tracks sing. Add constant swaying to all of the above, unless of course the trains stops for some unknown reason and nobody cares anyway. Time becomes redundant. Schedule? We arrived in Churchill 13 odd hours late. Who cared?

WE SAW POLAR BEARS! At one point there were 7 in our field of vision. Beware - they are hungry. It's end of summer/fasting season - it's dinner time. The bears are waiting for the Hudson Bay to freeze over so they can travel to where the seals are at. Yep, healthy, nutritious slow food. We spent all day traveling slowly in a purpose-built Tundra Buggy with its huge diesel engine and enormous tires for moving over snow and ice. For the Aussie readers, a tundra is like the outback but covered in snow and freezing temps. It was -9C and the snow was blowing sideways.

I've posted a lot of photos on my Myspace and Facebook pages. You'll see the closest I would hope to come to a polar bear, and you'll see Mama and her 2 offspring. We smell like lunch to them so they have no fear in approaching the buggy and wishing for a can opener. Hello top-of-the-food-chain!

 

BEAR TRAIN DREAMING
I can't measure the whiskey
been spilt on this train
I can't count the wobbly legs
Doors swing open
slide bang shut
All for the love of Fred

Creaks like a boat
Clucks like a chook
Sings like a girl in the night
Silver serpent
bear us along
to the land of Christmas white

Churchill or bust
give or take 20
on the shifting ice of time
So sing us another
slosh me a whiskey
and rock me down the line

© Audrey Auld


Train Tracks:- I've posted some music clips on YouTube. The gigs onboard were amazing. The jams were hilarious - to hear Fred Eaglesmith sing 'You're Having My Baby' is a rare and precious moment. Jon Dee had been in a serious car wreck 3 months prior and was traveling with broken vertebrae and ribs!

I miss my train family. We were all swaying internally for days afterwards - much like sea legs...

[Thanks to various train-riders for sending me their photos. Without my luggage I had no camera, and yes I got my stuff back!]

CHEZ MEZ HOUSE CONCERT
Camille and Stuie played a wonderful show in our home on Halloween. We had folks from Canada, Virginia and North Carolina, plus some great Nashville musicians for a post-show jam that played into the wee hours.
There's a clip on YouTube of Cam and I singing our favorite song together "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry". It was a magical night. Stuie and Cam are really funny and so relaxed together on-stage. It was a big joy to have them stay with us. What a treat to awaken each morning to the sound of Stuie picking guitar!

'POVERTY LINE' VIDEO CLIP ON YOUTUBE
In the tradition of Reckless videos, here's one with the chicken poop left on!
My pal Linda McRae adds her wonderful old time banjo picking to my new song 'Poverty Line'. Yes, it's the bailout blues. Starring Gypsy, Cora and Linda's Elfie - thanks girls for not eating our chooks.

Thanks to Mez for his virgin music video work, and thanks to James for the chicken wrangling!

WOULD YOU LIKE TO HOST A HOUSE CONCERT?
House concerts provide the perfect environment for the ultimate intimate acoustic experience.
I would love to come and play a concert in your home.
If you're interested in hosting a house concert email me (audrey *at* recklessrecords.com) and I'll give you details.
It's a great way to create a spontaneous fun concert in your neighborhood.

Happy Christmas everyone!

Audrey x

 

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