Transit of Venus

If you can’t see the video above, please click through to http://transitofvenusproject.com/vidblog7/ to watch

Have been playing a bit of Amperzahn stuff on the acoustic lately, even video’d a song for you guys.  In my pyjamas. Because when you are a grown-up you can do whatever the hell you want.  The pyjamas pants with skulls on were a present from my sister Michelle (the other Michelle) to my boyfriend (this does make more sense if I told the whole story, but I won’t) and I STOLE them for myself muh huh huh haaa!  And rather irrelevantly, not only do Plum Green and I have THE SAME FAVOURITE MONKEY OMG (cotton top tamarin) but we also BOTH WEAR PYJAMA PANTS WITH SKULLS ON THEM OMG!  I think we might be twins separated at birth.

I am right now, this very second, at a place called ‘Meal Station’. Not in my pyjamas, I recorded the video yesterday actually.  Meal Station is a place I honestly really dislike eating.  They routinely stuff up my order, and not just in the didn’t understand what I ordered kind of way, but in the completely lost the order form I’d filled out kinda way, or they made my dinner then left it sitting in the kitchen for half an hour till it went cold and I started nagging for it kinda way. The only reason I come here is its the cheapest place I know that has wifi. I can get a nasi lemak and coffee for way less than the price of a coffee from star bucks. And added bonus I can spy on the fish people as they walk past and if I’m really lucky, maybe even have lunch with my own pet fish person Matt. So here I am, with my nasi lemak, my coffee ais and Mr Macbook, redownloading the bits I’d missed from Nosferatu so that I can finish putting it together for the special people on the mailing list. I’m sorry it’s taking so long. Really it’s not my fault. I blame the government. And aliens.

I made an amazing discovery this week. Sambal (some kind of malaysian food of the chilli paste variety) is very good on toast. Much better than vegimite, marmite, peanut butter, nuttella, jam, or any of the other toast topping I usually avoid like the plague.  For years I’ve been eating plain marge on my toast because I hate most spreads, but now my life is complete.

In other news about me and my life and such important things, I have band practice tonight with Moe’s band The Velvet Aces.  Gosh, Auckland peoples, do you remember how hard I was on people without transport or good gear who wanted to be in my band?  Now I’m one of those persons myself. With no car, and no amp, begging for rides and catching the train and stuff.

And and and Amperzahn. If you don’t know Amperzahn, check out www.myspace.com/amperzahn I think the site is still up.  I’m thinking re-union show next time I visit NZ. When sorting out junk on computer I’ve been watching the vids from our last reunion show and it looks like so much fun *squeee!*  If you run into Michelle Klaessens, Tory Staples, Joshua Smyth and or Josh’s stunt double Anthony Corban, tell them to start practicing the Amperzahn tunes!

Well, now my download is finished, I can get on with stuff yeah? Yeah. Yes. Yeah.

Bye bye!

Not just Feb but over halfway through the damn shortest month of the year!

I guess with time flying like it is I must be having fun.

So this is just a kind of general update. I’m still computerless so I’m typing one thumbed on my iPhone. It’s slow going, but at least it leaves me a free hand to drink my coffee haha

Nosferatu: Second mix is waiting for me to download and reveiw (Thanks Dave!) but not only do I not have a computer but the one I have been occasionally stealing is playing up. I know, excuses again… Anyway it will be ready when it’s ready so thank you for your patience and I shall take it as a big compliment that I am being nagged about it!

Malaysia: The weather continues very very warm of course! I’ve probably been complaining about the weather too much, I do that where ever I am. I hate all weather and can’t wait to move to the moon where there is none.

Been trying to learn a bit more Malay, it’s very slow going. I think I’m getting old, my brain picks things up a thousand times slower than it did ten years ago. Most of the words I know so far are food, which isn’t a bad thing

There are many animals about the place where I stay… Spooky crows that peer in the windows and turn into bats at night, geckos that giggle from behind the toilet when you go in the dark at 3am, Squeasel (half squirrel half weasel) who is shy and sweet and has a bushy tail, a fantasmical collection of crawling and flying insects and arachnids of various degrees of ickishness, scarred and deformed piratical one eyed stray cats, and the large rodents perhaps responsible for the felines missing eyeballs.

Music: Ive been playing a bit here and there. Still only done the one live performance, should probably get my A into G and do some more.

Recently recorded some session guitars on a track for friends Loco and Moe. It’s a Malay language rap track, and besides the fact that it’s completely different from any of the rock stuff I usually do, I really love the song! I must learn the vox so I can cover it next time I’m in NZ

Playing session guitar for Moe in his band he’s putting together. Will keep you posted on how that goes.

Gosh when I get my computer I’ll be able to easily link to everyones websites and stuff eh? I want to do a blog about some of the cool Malaysian music I’ve come across so far, but it will have to wait a bit…

Well, that’s the latest quick and random update from me,
Keep in touch!
<3 K xxx

My first night out in Malaysia last night, went to VIMA, which is the Voize Indie Music Awards. It was a good introduction to the scene here as I got to see samples of a variety of different acts. My camera had flat batteries and my iPhone camera is pretty useless in low light so I don’t have any pictures sorry! Met some cool people and had a pretty fun time considering I was in wisdom-tooth-induced agony haha. (Still am. Stupid teeth grrrrr. Never mind, they’ll be better in a day or two, they always are.)

Still playing a bit of acoustic guitar, working on some new stuff and some old. Fired off a few mix notes for Nosferatu the other day, hope to get that finished and done with soon!

Wanting to to a website upgrade after a conversation I had with Abby from Etch mag just before Christmas. Need to get a computer before I can do that though. Also want to finish sorting out some merch stuff I’d started on last year. Moving countries has disorganized me quite a bit!

Kicking myself that it’s halfway through January already. Must get more done already!

And on that note, I shall return to my guitar.

Keep in touch,
<3 Kristie. Xxx

Well, having a few net problams so I’m not sure if this will work but let’s give it a go.

I’m in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Have a ground floor apartment in a complex a short LRT ride from the city where I’m living with my fiance Matt and my son Joey. The weather here is much warmer than NZ though thankfully the burn-time is slower, I can actually go outside without being an instant lobster!

It’s pretty different here than NZ apart from the equatorial climate. Getting used to using public transport (I miss my car!), another language (I’m really slow at learning Malay), a whole new world of food to explore (awesome!!!), and of course being so far away from friends and family.

Not having proper net access is driving me a bit batty but I’m sure I’ll get that sorted. In the meantime I’m relying on my phone. When I get net and computer sorted I can have more of a proper listen to the first mix of Nosferatu, put together some mix notes for Dave and hopefully get that moving along towards something you can listen too.

2009 was a pretty good year for me, Transit of Venus released first EP, first music video, and of course doing music for first silent movie which was a big undertaking in it’s own right. Two days into 2010 I’m not sure what this year holds in store, but I’m sure it will be awesome!

Take care, keep in touch.
<3 K xxx

With Nosferatu out of the way we (the Team Nosferatu ToV line-up) are all back to our normal every day lives.  Sort of.

I am hurriedly trying to get a bunch of stuff done before I relocate to Malaysia in 20 days.  Mr Tory Staples is working hard with Jester Underground and is now playing drums for Decortica, Mat Boshers awesome band.  Mat is, um I dunno I haven’t seen him since the show.  Same with Marcel who is probably doing something really interesting that I don’t know anything about.  I imagine it involves his band Battle Circus and their upcoming album.  Plum Green is working hard making amazing things happen for her band. Plum Green and the Dandy Men have a gig at the Dogs Bollix on the 19th of December, you should come along!

Michelle Klaessens from The Rock Factory did an awesome job of recording the audio from the Nosferatu show (at the same time as doing a great job as soundie!), and it’s now in the hands of Dave Edtmaier (Miscreant Recordings) for mixing.  I’m really excited to watch this along to the movie when it’s finished as I’m sure watching and listening is a completely different experience than watching and playing.

Transit of Venus Project has a new mailing list thing going on. You can sign up on our website www.transitofvenusproject.com I’ll send out an email about once a month, not too often to annoy anyone but often enough to keep everyone informed of anything they might need to know. This is the list you need to be on if you want a free copy of the Nosferatu audio recording when it is ready.  Also, when you sign up you get sent a link to download a free copy of Meatmarket.  This list, is the list you need to be on if you want to hear only the important things without sifting through all the babble I write in blogs and on twitter.  You know, the bits about toast and toenails and other such rubbish. Ok, maybe I lied about the toenails. But you know what I mean. The parts where I just start rambling on and on and on about whatever thoughts happen to pop into my brain at the time.  Like, you know, today I made these beautiful perfect delicious poached eggs for brunchternoon-tea. The whites were firm and non-slimy, the yolks were congealed gold on the outside but the inside was filled with orange hot melty awesomeness that poured out onto the toast when I cut into it.  I had just taken the first bite when the phone rang.  I won’t say who it was, but lets just say that by the time I managed to extract myself from the conversation my fantabulous poached eggs were stone cold and I was very very sad about this.

I think that is all I have to report today.  Hope you’re not all going mad leading up to the festive season, enjoy yourself, drive safe.

<3 K xxx