Made it to New Zealand!!

Made it to New Zealand!!! we're at the start of the dateline...so a day ahead of most everyone! (First to see the sunrise.)

We made it to the airport in time... after having my van break down the night before on my way to my 331 DJ gig. (Stacy, my dancer, helped me through that... and Raymond, my lead guitarist, joined in at the end of the night to help me get the van home... got it running again, but it totally quit 3 blocks from home so the 3 of us had to tow in through alley-ways the rest of the way using my big old tow chain. this all at 4 am...and having to be at the airport by 1 pm the next day!!
so I slept well enough on the flight...(as well as one can sleep cramped into an airplane seat for 16 hr's!! (13 hr's from LA)

While in LA, we visited two friends during our 6 hr layover. and they took us to Venice Beach. took photos...will upload them next blog.

The weather here in NZ is early spring... rain today, but has been sunny and cool. (Cold at night...but not too cold.) Matthew (Madmat, my NZ promoter, and sub bass player for the tour,) and his husband Eddy's house is where we're staying. it's BEAUTIFUL!!! on a hillside in a valley on the ridge over Wellington. We can just see the ocean through the vortex of the valley. (mor pix next blog.)

Last night I performed a pre-tour gig at the Hummingbird. midnight till ...2 am? 2 sets. just me and my electric, and Matthew plugged his bass into the PA to join me .

The Hummingbird is a restaurant during the day...and turns into a bar and hang-out place late night... so an interesting crowd... not all expecting someone like ME to suddenly set up on a created stage, and perform... but after the first set kind of cleared out the people who were not expecting the show, those who stayed, joined the ones who came by FOR the show and the second set, which went over very well. A nice way to start the tour with this unadvertised solo special gig.

the Official Tour starts Thursday (Wed early morning for those back home in the US) at the San Francisco Bath House. http://www.sfbh.co.nz
and we'll go from there for the rest of the gigs, and the other cities.

Till then I'm in rehearsals with my NZ back-up band, and enjoying New Zealand in Wellington.

When I get back home Sept. 4th I have a DJ gig at 'Nick and Eddy' (somehow I'm going to need to figure out how to get my records and turntables there and home without the van!! (till I get that fixed of course) so please drop over...I'm going to see if I can score a good NZ vinyl or so while here to bring home for my DJ set(s)

OK gotta scram... more later, and I'll add PIX soon.
Venus

(PS Thanks to everyone who signed up to our e-list and made it to our in-studio invite-only performance/party !! Lovely!)

2 New Songs

OK... tonight by midnight tonight: (8/9/08), I'll have posted two new songs that I've just finished mixinging and recording in NY with Super Buddha, (my producers; http://www.myspace.com/superbuddha.)

I'll be posting them on my Myspace site: http://www.myspace.com/atphvenus.

They'll be up for just a while for listening to ONLY till I have them available for download and purchase in a few weeks once I return from New Zealand.

-Venus