Most have had to do it at least once – and I don’t think it’s ever fun! But yes folks, I’m moving to a new home on the web. I’ve already moved most of the important things but all the pictures haven’t been hung in the new place yet. And then there’s that drawer that has accumulated so much random stuff over the years…I’ll just be closing the doors on some of the new rooms for now! But seriously, a new album (‘Walllfower’ out now) is a good excuse for a new website. I hope you’ll pay me a visit and check out the show calendar, photo gallery and all sorts of audio and video goodies.

Sorry WordPress, but I will be very happy to leave you behind (another plugin broken, seriously?). I’m over at Bandzoogle nowadays which is a musician-specialist website provider. But really you don’t need to know all that, you just need to know where to visit, don’t you? Well I’m at www.amandaeaston.com and I hope you’ll pay me a visit and help me warm up my new house. This will be the last Blog I will do here at my WordPress site (www.amandaeastonmusic.com).

To make sure we can keep in touch, please join the mailing list at the new site. I’ve got to admit that the audio visual word has largely taken over from the written one for me nowadays. But as far as regular updates go, I do a LIVE (YouTube, Facebook and Twitch) weekly hour long video diary with all the rants (as well as live performances) that these blogs usually contain. But I will continue to do some written blurbs from time to time, so please keep an eye peeled.

In the meantime, you can check out last week’s live diary below.

There is an open invitation to visit my new home on the web, anytime! So please come in, admire the funny doormat and just step around those boxes for now – welcome!
xAmanda

www.amandaeaston.com

December 14, 2020

Hi there,

Hope you’re doing well. I’m in the last stretch of my Pre-Order Campaign which – only if I reach my goal – will mean my new album will come out as a vinyl record.

Growing up, I bought most of my music on CDs but I grew up with a record player in the living room – as part of what my Grandma called the ‘radiogram’. I loved listening to their selection of records, which ranged from Broadway musicals to jazz and classical

I have released 3 EPs, 2 full-length albums and a handful of singles so far, all on CDs only (and digital). My upcoming album ‘Wallflower’ feels like the culmination of all the music I’ve made so far – it feels like the best work I’ve done, so to mark that, I wanted to release it on vinyl.

I don’t know exactly what it is that I love about the black lacquered thing – it feels more significant and momentous somehow. More work goes into manufacturing them, more work goes into the listening of the music on them and in our convenience-obsessed world, I like that there is something where a little extra effort is required, and rewarded.

Just by pre-ordering my new album ‘Wallflower’ for the next 3 days (until midnight of December 17 Sydney time) you can help me get this album out on vinyl. There are plenty of rewards on offer aside from the CD or Vinyl and you’ll receive the digital version of the album in teh next couple of weeks, which is about 2 months before it’s publicly released.

Details of the Kickstarter Pre-Order Campaign here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/amandawallflower/wallflower-amanda-easton-album with ‘kicks’ available from $AUD10.

I’d love to hear your thought on vinyl too. Any good memories? Or are you new to vinyl – it certainly seems to be seeing a resurgence!

All the best,

Amanda

To see more of my videos, please Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/c/amandaeaston?sub_confirmation=1

Hi there,

Hope you’re doing well. I’ve had a very busy week, with gigs here in Sydney starting to rush back in as our Covid numbers tumble. Seven gigs this week was very tiring but I’m finding it hard to say ‘No’ to shows after 2020’s enforced live music shutdown. It actually feels amazing to be back!

Most of the gigs I did this week were at Clubs – not the doof doof kind, but the type many Australians of all ages visit regularly…

Of course I’m talking about the RSL, a community club set up by the ‘Returned Services/Soldiers League’ to support war veterans. There are about 300 of these clubs around Australia and these, along with Bowling Clubs (Bowlos) and Leagues (Footy) Clubs provide a large percentage of live work for professional musicians. Many of them have fabulous auditoriums with great production and host a huge variety of live, regular events. What they also have is interesting carpets. 

One day, sitting around waiting for the drummer to check his kit at one such RSL Club, I happened to look down and really notice the pattern of the carpet. I took a photo and sent it off on Instagram, tagged #rslcarpet. I soon found out I wasn’t the only one who was a fan of what was happening under my feet at the local rissole. By the way, we Aussies call them ‘Rissoles’ because it is an entrenched part of our culture to call most people and things NOT by their official name (right Jacko? Red? Boofhead?).

This week we recognised Armistice/Remembrance Day so it seems appropriate to talk about our beloved RSL Clubs and the art you can experience beneath your feet when you visit one.

Every time I visit a club now I take a photo of the carpet and then share it on social media, to put a smile on your face and celebrate this uniquely Australian institution. And of course I am more grateful than ever to our Club Industry who have struggled through 2020 but are working extra hard to come back!

As well as the chat about RSLs in this week’s livestream I also play a preview video of my upcoming album Wallflower. Oh and please make sure you join the mailing list to get the exclusive free tracks. You can do that at this link:

www.amandaeastonmusic.com/freemusic.

All the best,

Amanda

To see more of my videos, please Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/c/amandaeaston?sub_confirmation=1

Hi there,

Hope you’re doing well in these crazy times. I am very happy to report that the trickle of work is starting to flow a little stronger for me here in Sydney, Australia. As our Covid numbers decrease, gigs are coming back and I couldn’t be happier about that.

Now I absolutely love the work that I do, but it is still that…WORK. It requires tonnes of preparation, skill, dedication and well, all the things that many people’s careers require. So why do people insist on not taking it seriously and regard it as ‘less than’?

No doubt you’ve seen the UK government’s recent badly conceived ad campaign, designed to encourage creatives to retrain into IT jobs:

Yes we know the Arts have been hard hit recently and even at the best of times it provides a very unstable living. But if someone has decided that a career in music or dance or any kind of creative pursuit, is what they want, they need to be encouraged…because a world without art is beyond beige – just unthinkable! I’m sure I’m not the only one that has relied heavily on music, film and more to keep me buoyant in these strange times of ours.

I think a lot of people assume performers are naturally gregarious people that jump on a stage and have confidence in abundance but I know of some well known singers that vomit backstage with nerves before almost every time they perform. And even the most self-assured among us can lose our mojo in the face of criticism or lack of support.

I believe most of us are a mix of different personalities depending on the situation. I was definitely a Wallflower as a kid and that part of my character still rears her head in situations that intimidate me. During these pandemic times, I have often felt like someone inside (often literally) looking out at the world rather than being an active part of it. A lot of the songs on my upcoming album (called ‘Wallflower’) reflect this.

‘Wallflower’ is due out early 2021 but I am sharing some of the tracks with my loyal email subscribers. The first free track will be sent out in a couple of days, so please don’t be shy, and jump on the list at:

www.amandaeastonmusic.com.freemusic.

Here is a behind-the-scenes look at the photoshoot for the new album art. You can hear one of the new songs on the soundtrack here too: https://youtu.be/2892yaIOM2Q

And you can watch the latest Vlog here, to hear the inspiration behind the new song, and more, at: https://youtu.be/P11CDEsFQ3U

All the best,

Amanda

To see more of my videos, please Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/c/amandaeaston?sub_confirmation=1

Hi there,

Hope you are doing well in these crazy times. I am loving getting back to gigging again, even though it’s not as often as I would like.

Before the world turned upside down, I’d say at least 50 percent of the live performance work I did was in tribute shows and the busiest/most popular of those was ‘Rumours’ – the Fleetwood Mac tribute show. My big confession is that when I first joined that band, I had very little love – or even knowledge – of this band. But don’t worry, that soon changed :).

I think my work in tribute shows has opened up my musical world and widened my skill set – and been an absolute blast along the way.

In this week’s Vlog I talk about singing covers and why that’s nothing to be ashamed of. And I perform one of my favourite Lady Gaga covers, since my ‘Gaga vs Me’ show is about to debut! (Tuesday September 15 at Claire’s in Surry Hills, Sydney). AND of course, the Lady has just won a shedload of awards.

You can watch the Vlog here: https://youtu.be/Cr1FXIAD3Js

All the best,

Amanda

To see more of my videos, please Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/c/amandaeaston?sub_confirmation=1

Hi there,

Hope you are doing OK in these strange times! We know music can lift us up when we’re feeling low. I’ve realised something else that works…other people’s embarrassing stories!

So, in the spirit of lifting yours, wanna check out the first song and video I ever released?! OK, it’s not that bad really, I just feel I’ve really moved on since then and looking back can sometimes be quite uncomfortable.

In this week’s Vlog I show you that first music video and talk about how it’s difficult to shake the initial perceptions people make of you…https://youtu.be/SUP9EVJ-q7U

But if I am embarrassed about that first release, you should see what it was meant to look like, because there was actually another, earlier, really mortifying version…Read this blog to find out what I’ve done with it: https://www.amandaeastonmusic.com/i-hid-my-old-self-under-the-floorboards/

Of course, we all have to start somewhere, don’t we? And looking back in embarrassment is a sure sign that you’ve had some growth and improvement. And…anything that makes us laugh these days has got to be a good thing!

All the best,

Amanda

To see more of my videos, please Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/c/amandaeaston?sub_confirmation=1