I’ve spent some time up in Arthurs Pass over the years, working, playing, adventuring, singing, writing, walking, hoping, praying, believing, drinking, chopping, sitting, cleaning. First eastern gig out of chch was there, second album recorded there, gathered some stories, some I’ll tell forever and some I’ll never breath a word. You never feed the keas but its nice to see them getting all curious at you. Smartest biggest parrot in the world I heard once. One season of writing one particularly big and bold parrot came strolling through the open door of the cabin and walked around and eyeballed me then walked out. He ended up doing the same thing every day, so much so I figured he was there to make sure the business of song writing was the only business getting done, cause any other business you do that isn’t the business of song writing is only bound to fuck upn your head and your heart. So I kept it 100 and the kea caused me no bother, in and out, check it out, simple as. I called him Jerry Jeff for one of the gods and our friendship has stuck firm to this very day. So much so most Kea I see I call Jerry Jeff, praying it’s the same ol’ guy. He had an eye not to be fucked with and as he was a creature that could take your eye anytime he wanted that was a pretty sound course of action, so I take ‘ol Jerry Jeff seriously and try and keep the song writing up in my head and the business somewhere else entirely, often to my detriment.
One time me ol’ dog diesel went running at a gang of kea sitting on some river rocks, he bolted straight at em, within seconds they were in the air and gunning for him, so he turned tale and they chased him back in to the truck.
“Messing with Jerry Jeff, is not the kind of business you want to get into dog”
I took his silence as agreement.
Anyways I was playing down in okarito last Friday night and Jerry Jeff and a pal showed up and started sounding off on the roof of the place, obeying the 5th commandment of folk club THOU MUST SING ALONG.
It was good to hear, I don’t know if Jerry Jeff will make it up to Taupo next week at the Acacia Bay Hall, nor to GRRUNK Fest the next day, nor to our Xmas Xtravaganza (now with Xtra Tess Liautaud and C-City blues queens, The Blues Mamas featuring Izzy Miller Bell and Susan Leigh Grant) on xmas eve, but he might and if he doesn’t I’m sure y’all’ll be in fine lung.
You can get tickets for everything at www.adammcgrath.net/shows
Ps
After about two years since its release, against all odds Dear Companions is finally up on all streaming things, all the income raised from such gos straight to our dear late record father and Brother Paul Huggins family, so you better go stream that shit quarter of million times each! A day! Or not its all good.
Keep Faith, Viva Paul and Viva Jerry Jeff and Viva You!
