Hello friends!

I know, I’m such a terrible blogger… But in my defence, it is soooooo hard to do these sorts of things whilst being on the road without a computer! waaaahhh. Nonetheless, I am typing you all a massively overdue update now, which hopefully your little eyeballs are reading with much anticipation

It has been 4 months since I left home to begin this solo music-playing, soul-feeding journey of mine! Can you believe it?! I cannot. Last time I wrote you, I believe it was Christmas and just the beginning of my journey. These last few months have flown by, with oodles of gigs in many places I had not visited before, but also some familiar ones too. I’ve visited Melbournetown quite a few times, up to Sydney, Canberra, the east coast (sooooo beautiful) and Tasmania for the first time ever. Here’s a quick briefing of a few experiences.

Canberra:
Unexpectedly awesome! I played a little intimate gig in the small town of Lyneham, supported by some local boys who call themselves ‘Lavers’. The venue was The Front Gallery & Cafe and it was oh so lovely. Good coffee (I’ve become addicted!) and great people. The owner took me under his wing, fed me some delicious food and allowed me do bond with his cute dog. I had a grand time.

Sydney:
Interesting. I found myself floating around Bondi for quite a few days. This was quite unexpected, as it is an assumed tourist town, accompanied by partying etc etc.. But my exploring side got the best of me and proved, that with a little time invested, any town can hold hidden beauties! I played a few gigs around town; received a ridiculous parking fine; undertook some desperate busking to assist with the payment of this; became involved in a campaign against the construction of a Woolworths/Coles; was incredibly inspired and musically driven to write some new material; and met my best friend.
I played some more gigs around Sydney also. I was lucky enough to support an instrumental Scottish Band called ‘Modhan’ at The Gaelic in Surry Hills. A couple of the band members are my long lost relatives (same last name!).

Melbourne:
Home. I spent a lot of my younger years in a little country town called Healesville. Each visit to Melbourne has drawn me back to this amazing place. I’ve made new friends, who are definitely keepers and have been thankfully exposed to the ever existent live music scene present there! I also spent quite a few of my days in St. Kilda- the home of amazing food. Oh man! I swear I spent more time shovelling food in my face then playing guitar! The Espy won my heart with its great sound and lovely people. I was so blessed to play a few gigs there in amongst my travels. I’ll miss it dearly.

South-East Coast:
Stunning! The south-east coast of Australia is truly beautiful. As a girl that adores the ocean, it was absolute heaven. I’ve been so blessed to be able to travel through such picturesque locations, sharing my music with the locals and making so many new friends! Tyres Beach, near Lakes Entrance, was a definite gig highlight. I played to a great crowd, was served amazinggggg food and spent the remainder of my evening playing tunes in front of a cosy fireplace whilst chatting to some awesome locals. Did I mention I was treated to 2 HOT SHOWERS in under 24 hours?! I felt like a queen. I’m slowly headed back up the east coast at the moment and am so excited for the gis to come. Tomorrow, I’m playing at The Moruya Markets, located on the luscious green banks of the Moruya River. I’m pretty sure I’ll also be eating the best pizza you will EVER taste. Win.

Tasmania:
New. Heading to this part of Australia was definitely a nerve-racking expereince for me. Boarding a gigantic Titanic-like boat at night time has never made it onto my bucket list. There is no questioning why… The boatride was rather unpleasent. I will leave the rest of that statement up to your imagination. Once I arrived in Tasmania, however, I was truly breathtaken. It was so refreshing to see how undeveloped this part of the world was. It’s basically just a giant mountain. I forced myself into a quick recovery from the boat trip and made my way over to Cradle Mountain. I endured the icey-cold air and rain through a 2 hour hike. A wombat sighting made every second count! This hike was one of the most beautiful I have ever experienced, with my end destination leading to Crater Lake (google it!). In amongst my other destinations were Hobart (gig at The Republic Bar where I was also lucky enough to see blues artist, Shaun Kirk!); Sheffield (stunning!); Deloraine; St. Helens; and my final surreal camping spot called Policeman’s Point.
I was nearly stuck in Tassi for 3 weeks, but that’s a story for another time. All in all, it was a wonderful experience. I got to run through a giant hedge maze!

If you have made it this far through my travel rant, I am very impressed and thank you dearly. This is only a snippett of the overwhelmingly awesome adventures I have had. I promise I’ll give more regular updates to spare you the pain! Thank you to each and every new appreciator of my music. I can’t wait to play for you all again soon. Thank you to all those who have been a constant support of myself, my music and this solo journey of mine. It means the world to me. I’m working super hard to make sure that it doesn’t have to end any time soon.

Stay tuned and please keep sharing my music!
If you’d like to see some photos of my adventures, click here

Candice xx

Hello there.
What better day to update you all on my adventures over this last week, than on the very first minute of Christmas Day?!
I know ‘they’ all call this time of year many things… the silly season, the season to be jolly, the season for depression etc. etc. But I like to call it, The Season to Love. Not The Season OF Love, because for many souls, love is rather hard to come by at this time of year- so I believe it’s up to each and every individual to share a little bit of their own love, even with a stranger.

I better tie this big ramble back to my Single Launch travels!! Well, on Saturday I found myself reluctantly driving back home to the Gold Coast after spending the most magical 5 days in Maleny and its surrounds. For those of you who don’t know, Maleny is located in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast, not too far from the Glasshouse Mountains. It is absolutely stunning and would be a place that I could quite easily call home. I played a few shows whilst in Maleny, followed by a gig at Sol Bar in Maroochydore on Friday night (so awesome!!). The music scene is pretty alive in little old Maleny, however, not quite what I expected- but this is a story for another time.

I wanted to share this with you all today, because as a stranger to this place on arrival, after what seemed like mere minutes, this ‘outsider’ feeling quickly disappeared. I think when you are aware of the capacity of love you are able to hold in your heart for people (in general), it makes life a little easier when it comes to ‘settling in’. Whether it be settling in to a new home, a new school, a new neighbourhood. Like-minded people attract, and in this case, mine and these other people’s minds were focused on just embracing the simplicity, yet complete effectiveness, of just ‘sharing the love’. I quickly made dear friends in this small town, who, in an incredibly short space of time, warmed my heart, shared experiences and taught me many new and inspiring things.

This post hasn’t exactly turned out how I expected it to… I thought I’d be going in to massive details about my waterfall jumping, crazy-long hiking, cockroach-infested adventures. BUT, I guess I’ll leave all that up to your wonderful imagination. In a nutshell, my first week of the ‘Whispers’ single launch tour was the best start to a new and exciting chapter in my gypsy life. I’ve spent the last couple of days being a mad woman around my family whilst I get the rest of my little van/home organised and packed. Tomorrow, following a scrumptious Christmas breakfast, I will hit the road again to begin my work at Falls Festival in Lorne, VIC. Oh, I cannot wait!

Merry Christmas, friends. Thank you for all your support and love this year. Watch this space every week for cool updates on my adventures!

xx Candice.

Oh my…
My debut single ‘Whispers’ is now officially available for physical purchase! YAY!!! Digital purchase on iTunes etc. will be available VERY soon, so please keep your eyeballs peeled.

All week I have been feeling the most overwhelming gratitude toward every single person who made an appearance at my ‘Whispers’ Single Launch last Friday. To those who couldn’t make it, my heart is still filled with thanks for the constant support you have all shown me. Thank you for believing in me and thank you for believing in MUSIC. Gov’s Espresso was simply the perfect venue, my dear friends Karl williams and Teagen Keith were the perfect support acts, and to those who attended- you were the perfect audience. It was such a wonderful evening with much to be celebrated.

In a mere few days I will be embarking on a great journey, travelling the east coast of Australia and the state of Tasmania for up to 5 or 6 months. With the recent independent launch of my CD, I feel so incredibly ready. I’m ready to learn, ready to breathe, ready to create, ready to experience, and ready to embrace the life of a lone traveler playing music.

Thank you again for the role you play in appreciating original music, from the heart. I cannot wait to share my musical travel stories with you all! Stay tuned for a list of tour dates VERY shortly!
Until then, please enjoy these photographs capturing a magical evening…

xo Candice

Hey strangers!
Oh, it feels like such a lifetime since I last took a moment to write to you all… life has been so craz-azy! But I’d like to think, in a GOOD way. As most of you know, I have spent the last few months chipping away at having something special to show you all. I had a wonderful time recording my debut single at Applewood Lane Studios & man, did I learn a lot! Recording definitely isn’t easy. But it was a road that I am so blessed and glad to have traveled down and cannot wait to re-visit again in the future (when my bank balance rises a little!).
I am super excited to share with you that I just had a listen to the final master of Whispers…eeeeekkk!! It’s all very daunting, sitting in a chair, trying to concentrate, while your own voice is blasting through the speakers- something I’m sure I will never get used to. BUT, maybe you guys will?? My music will be both digitally and physically available for purchase on December 7th, in the spirit of my Whispers Single Launch (click on poster for details). I hope ya’ll can come!
There are a few sneaky gig dates I have booked prior to the launch, along with a few surprise announcements coming your way! Thanks so much for bearing with me. I hope with all my heart that it’s worth it soon enough…

See you soon!
xx C.

Hello!

I am very super dooper excited to announce… *clears throat*… that I am currently recording my DEBUT SINGLE!!! It’s been a bit of a long time coming, but I can confidently say that this time around, I am ready.
Sometimes, it’s really hard to remember that we are all capable of standing on our own two feet, capable of making our own decisions, falling down and getting back up again. It’s all part of the learning process- this I’ve come to realise. But after what feels like a lifetime of relying on someone else to get me through, or relying on someone else to ‘make things happen’ because I didn’t have faith in myself, I have finally decided that I CAN do this on my own. It’s been damn flipping hard, and I have no doubt that it will continue to be. But it’s totally worth it. MUSIC is totally worth it.

For a while there, I was secretly ready to give it all up and go do a Psych degree at Uni… Oh boy…

In a nutshell, thank you to everyone in my life who has kept their faith in me. I hope to give you something in return VERY SOON! In the meantime, here a few photos of my recent recording time at Applewood Lane Studios in Fernvale. This place is magical.

Love. At The Palmy Cafe.

Butterflies…
Sometimes, this feeling is the worst. But in this case, it was the BEST.
Last night I played a few tunes to an amazing crowd at The Palmy Cafe and felt completely content. Not just content, but truly happy.

There was a moment between this small cafe space and I, that sent tingles down my spine. A moment that I owe to Jeff Buckley and his amazing version of ‘Hallelujah’.
I don’t know how to explain this feeling of mine, other than to say it felt like the entire world stood still and the only moment that existed was that one.

Thank you to every single person who made this moment amazing for me, and who has shown their support for my original music up until this point. For that moment, I will be forever grateful. Ellie Hopley, and Katia Demeester- you girls were beautiful. Last night was a true confirmation that pursuing my music career and embracing all that comes with it, is my ultimate calling.
I will be sharing some very exciting things with you all super soon!

xx

As part of the 2012 Surfers Paradise Festival, yesterday from 1pm till evening, Alison and Appel Streets were host to the OneWay Street Party. A celebration of the Gold Coast’s hidden array of original music, artwork, photography, fashion, food and culture. It was amazing- a rare occasion where the roaming crowds were given a chance to see the Gold Coast in a different light.

Among the many quirky attractions during yesterday’s hype was ‘The Magic Bus’- a bus-come-venue where I and many other talented musos were lucky enough to perform! It was a wonderful thing to see a small space occupied by so many people- young and old- appreciating live, original music.
Thank you to all the wonderful artists involved, and a big thank you to the crew of the Surfers Paradise Festival for putting on such an amazing day!
Looking forward to next year!

Aboard the Magic Bus

Karl Williams

The 21st June each and every year finds 450 cities across the globe celebrating and making music. I am lucky enough to have been a part of this year’s Fete de la Musique Brisbane festival for the third year in a row and as expected, I was not disappointed. Bec Laughton, Stormchasers and O’ Little Sister were 3 of many incredible artists I was fortunate enough to see sharing their music with the people of Brisbane (check them out!).
To be surrounded by music everywhere you look in a beautiful city is something truly magical.
Hope to see you all there next year!

I welcome you to my official website! Yep, that’s right, my very own page with rambles of my music, news and travels!

It’s all very exciting, and I’m super pleased to say that I have an inkling more exciting times are on the way. Fingers crossed! Keep an eye on the music page for gig updates and things of that nature.

So thanks a million for stopping by…stay tuned.

Candice.