Fandom An Unexpected Journey...The story of this blog.

Five years on we are still in the same place...with no bootlegging and piracy policy from Alan Doyle and The Beautiful Gypsies. Alan continues to distribute pirated and bootlegged content from other people but not his own from Lynda Elstad or Lynda Here. Because it is not his content doesn't make it alright to distribute and support pirated and bootlegged content. This particular content that was shared by a fan and circulated by Alan Doyle by Lynda Here on her YouTube site Between The Rock was found by someone else and she just pirated or allegedly stole it for her own site as she has for other Alan Doyle related content. 

Thank you to all the people who visit my blog. If you don't know the original story here it is...I will be taking a break for a while as I have other interests that need my attention. I have one post left to complete and that is how musicians are making a living these days.

Lyndahere And A Beginning Revised...published on 8 January 2013...

This is the story of an American woman Lynda Elstad (@Lyndahere) following a Canadian musician/singer Alan Doyle and the band he plays with Great Big Sea from Newfoundland. It is a story of a woman who has followed the singer/musician and the band for over 12 years writing, photographing and filming about her efforts with little regard for the privacy and rights of the singer/musician and band or the integrity of their work. The aim of this page originally was to raise awareness of music piracy, stalking or “criminal harassment” laws, copyright and privacy laws in Canada, and to raise awareness of the obsessive fan behaviour associated with Alan Doyle, Great Big Sea and other celebrities in Canada.

My first introduction to Great Big Sea was through the Australian actor Russell Crowe. I followed Russell Crowe on Twitter and he regularly talked about the Canadian band Great Big Sea and the singer/musician Alan Doyle. The movie Robin Hood introduced me to the brilliance of Alan Doyle and Great Big Sea. To be honest I fell in love with them through watching illegally recorded videos on Youtube and most probably those of @lyndahere. I saw an illegally downloaded recording of the song ‘Where I Belong’by Alan Doyle about his native Newfoundland and I was a fan. I have since bought albums, gone to concerts and met the members of the band. I also listen to other Canadian bands such the Barenaked Ladies and The Once Band and a range of other music.




But for every fan like me won through illegally recorded poor quality homemade videos how many are lost and how much money do musicians and artists lose. I don’t particular enjoy videos of live recordings where women scream and talk and love the sound of their own voice more than the musicians and artists they pay to watch. They continually breakdown and the sound is poor and I am out of there. I have become fussy about what I watch with limited time and money. It is has only recently that I have begun to gravel with the moral and ethical implications and the impact that illegally recorded videos can have on musicians and artists including financial lose. It is not just financial lose but spending time away from their family and their children as they have to travel more. In my research I found that Canadians are the biggest computer pirates in the world. The fact that Canadians are among the biggest computer pirates in the world downloading billions of dollars of illegal material including music makes Great Big Sea’s success with traditional music more remarkable.





In the seven months since I started this blog I have read a lot articles on the Internet, books and viewed other sources. They have included information on subjects that arise for example ticket scalping, trading in bootlegged material, cyberbullying, blogging, the paparazzi and others stated in the original introduction on music piracy, copyright and stalking. I have also included some responses to posts on Twitter from @lyndahere.

I have recently started reading research articles on celebrity worship syndrome and different types of fan behaviour including trolling, fandom, groupie behaviour, bootlegging in the movies, and phone hacking. Some topics for example, how musicians and artists communicate with fans via social media such as Facebook were started and I have to return. I have also explored a range of resources including songs, photographs and some very old yet fascinating articles from magazines like the Rolling Stone, Time and the New York Times that provide a historical context for examining fan behaviour. Recently a range of rock and roll stars have released their biographies which provide a look at fan behaviour from their point of view some of which I am currently reading.

The topics are endless as well as fascinating. While the initial blog was started to raise awareness of negative fan behaviour it has extended way beyond that. It has extended way beyond the fan behaviour of @lyndahere with her words and actions inspiring further research only for me to find that she is part of range of people who are involved in my opinion a range of behaviour not always positive towards musicians and celebrities they profess to love. I want this story on the record.

In the ten months I have written this blog the philosophy of what I wanted to write about has changed as I have explored music piracy and in particular bootlegging. I believe it is okay to bootleg some songs in a performance for personal use or to put them on YouTube. I have seen many fine bootlegged videos by fans on YouTube. What I disagree with is the same person travelling around boitlegging entire concerts and putting them up on YouTube week after week without getting a license or permission from the musicians and artists concerned and with little regard for the content or quality of the video. I don't believe putting bootlegged videos in competition to concerts professionally filmed for specials and promotions presents any musician or artist in the best possible light no matter what the reasoning is. I believe in educating people about what they are watching and working towards a sustainable music future for the musicians and artists themselves and the fans. I hope this blog has achieved this in particular educating and raising awareness about music piracy. Thankyou to all the people who visit the blog.

Oh...and nothing replaces seeing a band live...in particular my favourite group of Canadian guys Great Big Sea...

It has been a year since I started this blog. I have learnt a lot about the world of music. Perhaps the best thing I have done was to travel to Newfoundland and see Great Big Sea in front of their home town. The visit gave me a greater appreciation of Newfoundland and the music tradition that comes from there. This blog has never been about Great Big Sea, their music or Newfoundland. It is my journey as a music fan through the world of music and the fans that I have come across. Many of whom have brought much pleasure and knowledge to my life as Great Big Sea and Newfoundland music has. Much of what I learn't therefore has remained private to protect those people. It has also been about raising awareness of music piracy and bootlegged live recordings mostly through using education and research. I am not against the regular concert goer who records a couple songs but the amateur professional bootlegger that bootlegs the same music endlessly with little regard for quality or quantity or the wishes of those involved.

Update

Wow I have nearly reached 100 posts on my blog. I have really enjoyed researching and writing it. Most of all I have learnt a lot about fans and fandom. My focus recently has been on what other fans have written and those whose jobs it is to review concerts for a living. Mainly because of other commitments in my life and also they are interesting too and are part of the story. Being a fan in today's world requires us to be skilled researchers if we are to get a full and an interesting picture of what is happening with our favourite musicians and artists, the events they are involved in and to participate in the fandom. To participate fully in the fandom requires knowledge. Much of our knowledge is fed directly to us through the main methods such news services, social media and the musicians and artists themselves. Or we can go out and find the real story. So much of the real story now is shared by fans themselves. I am interested in what people write and how they present the information to the public using other methods other than bootlegged videos for example slide presentations that let the images do the talking. I am always interested in a full and inclusive story rather than a partial biased story. I will return to all the things that make fandoms wonderful and not so wonderful in the near future when time permits.

Update number 2

A lot has happened over the last couple of months for Great Big Sea and their fans. The Great Big Sea XX tour rolls on throughout Canada and the US and is slowly coming to an end. The last announced concert is in Canada on New Year’s Eve and should be a wonderful finale. Alan Doyle’s documentary Boy on Bridge premiered on CMT in Canada and band member Murray Foster made comments on Twitter about illegal downloading and the impact of YouTube on music.

The big announcement however, was original Great Big Sea member Sean McCann has decided not to tour with the band anymore. The announcement left many fans disappointed. Fans flooded social media sites thanking him for all the pleasure he has brought us and the music he has shared. It was obviously a very difficult decision for him to make, in particular since he has a young family not to travel anymore. As fans we will miss Sean, wish him all the best and will continue to support him in whatever decides to do.

With Sean McCann leaving Great Big Sea and the rest of the members taking an extended vacation to pursue other interests I am also thinking about the future of my blog. Any fandom culture is constantly changing with the events that affect the creators of the fandom and in our case Great Big Sea. As a member of the fandom it also impacts on my blog. Not all Great Big Sea members feel as strongly as others about such issues as bootlegging and music piracy of their music.

Musician’s and artist’s thoughts and opinions on topics like piracy and bootlegging are also constantly changing as we found out with Murray Foster's comments on illegal downloading and the role of YouTube in music on Twitter. His perspectives are different now than when he was a young musician playing in a band called Moxy Fruvous. Many fans think because a musician or artist takes one particular stance on a topic like piracy and bootlegging their opinions are not allowed to change over their career. Murray was very brave to state this considering what a hot topic piracy and bootlegging is in our fandom. In Great Big Sea all the members feel differently about this at least in public anyway.

My opinions changed for a brief period on piracy and bootlegging and gave me an opportunity to explore why people pirate. When Alan Doyle’s Boy on Bridge documentary aired in Canada on CMT, @lyndahere took the moral high ground and anti piracy stance for once saying she would not pirate it. She was rewarded by Alan Doyle on Twitter. However, her bootlegged videos have never been acknowledged and responded too by Alan Doyle, Bob Hallett and Sean McCann.

Shortly afterwards @lyndahere announced on Twitter her friend Dr Christina Templeton in St John’s Canada had a recorder that was always ready to record anything@lyndahere@cristinatownie DVR? Please?MT @erinsulley Tonight @OutoftheFogTV bring you an interview with @alanthomadoyle and @bobhallett circa 2010. However, @lyndahere would not be doing the dirty deed herself because she was on the road in America and Canada following Great Big Sea. Another pirated copy of an Out of the Fog TV appearance by Alan Doyle promoting his solo album Boy on Bridge in 2012 was uploaded on her Youtube site AndPassionateKisses.

Piracy and bootlegging isn’t something that appeals to me but I do enjoy watching some personal homemade videos of people’s experiences. I basically can’t be bothered with illegal downloading, the ethical and legal consequences, the poor quality of sound and the risk to my computer. Legal material is cheap for me and the money goes to the musicians and artists. It is interesting though why people pirate. I don’t want to do it even though I will not be the coolest kid on the block. My blog will continue to focus on bootlegging and piracy even though some of the members of Great Big Sea have relaxed their stance for the time being. As @lyndahere warned she is always ready to record whatever with little regard for the consequences of the actions for those involved including herself.

Liz Smith

'I still have a bit of work to do on what photos and videos I did get last night. The light from where I was sitting was low for non-flash photos but I did get a couple of descent shot particularly ones that included guest performers….

There are a few videos with low or no drums that I might put up or maybe I’ll just go with snippets all to further wet the appetite for and perhaps increase the viewership and sales of CMT special and most important of all Alan’s Boy on the Bridge solo album…@lyndahere Between the Rock and A Hard Place 16 February 2012 on attending Alan Doyle’s ‘Live at the Revival’.

In May 2012 @lyndahere bragged about filming a performance of Alan Doyle and his band that was for a documentary/special (Live at Revival) on Twitter and made available the results of her efforts to members of the public. She undermined the quality of the documentary/special and began to make money from Alan Doyle’s hard work before he had finished and edited it and provided spoilers prior to the screening in May 2012. She recorded and released his music before it was officially due to be released on May 15 2012 with no apology or regrets. The audience were selected for the filming of the documentary/special and was part of a competition held. She probably used a fake account and name to gain access then abused the conditions of entry for example, no filming. The conditions of entry were not available at the time of this story.

@lyndahere wrote on her webpage…I know this is going to disappoint some folks who would dearly loved to be at the tapping but I‘ve finally decided not to put up any more videos yet. The songs are beautiful and wonderful and that makes the decision so difficult. I will not risk anything however small that could interfere with how Alan wants to debut his songs. @lyndahere Between The Rock and A Hardplace webpage 22 February 2012.

I remember reading Twitter tweets from @lyndahere sent to Alan Doyle and her followers advertising the results of her filming without the slightest consideration for what he wanted. While most of these now seem to have been removed from the Internet there is evidence in the Twitter tweets of Great Big Sea fans that this was done.

On her webpage @Lyndahere states “Alan Doyle’s music must be heard”.

@lyndahere does not realise it is important not only for artists who just want to get their music heard there are others who need to make a living, who have families to support, a house to pay off and children to educate. They are also paying their own superannuation contributions for their retirement. All this while staying true to their hearts, doing what they love to do write and perform music. They of course want their music heard. @Lyndahere offers considerable advice based on no qualifications and experience in marketing music or any other products. She has criticised him for not being fast enough in supplying people information while in fact she has been unable to show constraint. She thrives on an imaginary competition with him and Great Big Sea for the release of information about their activities.

To be honest it is difficult to know how poor quality homemade videos and photography influences the public to buy artist’s CDs and their ability to sell tickets to events. I don’t think most artists would mind a fan taking a few pictures or videos for their own personal use in the once of a life time concert. However, most would object to a serial stalker who has attended hundreds of events constantly flooding the Internet with poor quality videos and photography that undermine the integrity and quality of their work. @Lyndahere brags on her webpage “But I am not making all the videos public, not yet. No point in saturating a market when there still some Boy on Bridge tickets left now unsold is there? I am a good little free-market American who understands the laws of supply and demand quite well”. It is a good sign people are being selective about what they will watch and how they will spend their time and money on the Internet as some of her videos have had relatively few hits. It is a reflection of her poor quality work rather than Alan Doyle’s music.

Alan Doyle And The Beautiful Gypsies Tour Posters…From the summer of 2017.

Alan Doyle And The Beautiful Gypsies are playing a number of festivals and concerts throughout the Canadian summer. 

I love music posters and in particular those for large festivals and concerts so I have decided to keep a copy of some of those here. 

My favourite poster is from the K-Days concert in Edmonton, Alberta on the 24 July, 2017. I hope you have enjoyed them as much as I have.

These photographs of posters are from the official Alan Doyle Facebook account. No copyright infringement intended.

Catching Up With Sean McCann…An interview and review (2017).

I must admit it has been a while since I have listened to any of Sean McCann’s new music or read any interviews and reviews from his current shows. I recently read an interview and review of a recent concert at the grand re-opening of the Meaford Hall which Sean McCann circulated on his official Twitter account.

In this interview prior to the concert at Meaford Hall called "Sean McCann Raidates The Joy of a Man Awakened" published in meafordlivemusic.com on the 27 April, 2017, Sean discusses the usual, for example leaving Great Big Sea, his journey into sobriety, and getting back to the basics of the music business and making music. For a musician who has allegedly seen the ‘light and truth about his time in the popular Canadian band Great Big Sea’ I am a little confused about his comments from a fan perspective. In this article the writer quotes him as saying “it was pretty much impossible for the other band members Bob Hallett and Alan Doyle to carry on without him. But it was something he had to do.” Recently in New York four members of Great Big Sea had a mini reunion at one of Alan Doyle and The Beautiful Gypsies' concerts and from all accounts was a success. It is well documented Sean has used legal action and his continued role as shareholder in Great Big Sea to stop any further activity by the other two founding members.

Along the way Sean has often taken a dig at how fans were listening to music and attending concerts. Sean states “He began to see the big arena shows as something of a cheat for the audience… He hates to see concerts where people are not even listening, too busy taking selfies on their phones. And he considers big arena shows to be antithetical to good quality music, “I will never play a hockey rink again,” he says “It undervalues the audience.” Instead he seeks out smaller venues, festivals and concert halls where the audience is there to listen and there is the real opportunity to share something meaningful with the audience. As his own manager and booking agent, it's an element of quality control that is in his own hands and he makes the most of it.” There are not too many interviews I have read now or in the past where Sean doesn’t take a dig at someone including his former band mates or fans.

If fans thought huge arena shows and festivals were cheating them in any way they would not pay for them. How fans choose to spend their time during a festival or concert should be entirely up them, as long as they don’t infringe on the rights and enjoyment of the musicians and artists and other fans. From my experience of researching music concerts on social media it is the fans that attend large events that share less on social media than those who attend smaller concerts because they are often too far away from the stage to take good photographs or videos. Most of the coverage of large festivals and concerts are by professional online music sites.

Sean’s comments are interesting about large festivals and concerts who pay large fees for music acts and where fans fork out large ticket fees often over several days (plus accommodation and travelling expenses). It was those festivals and concerts (and there were plenty during his time with Great Big Sea) that set him and his family up for life and now give him something to fall back after he has decided to take a different road career wise. Now Sean is telling fans they allegedly were cheated. It is also the phones, videos and pictures taken by fans at smaller venues that Sean has constantly turned to when he needs a little bit of publicity and or a video or two to promote his new music and shows. How is using a phone at a small venue different to a large venue?

Recently Sean circulated this review from his official Sean McCann Sings Twitter site about the Meaford Hall concert. "Being Alive With Sean McCann" by Bill Monahan published at
www.meafordlivemusic.com on 8 May, 2017. I found the review really interesting for many reasons but particularly with the comments that he seems to be coming to terms playing Great Big Sea music. “One of his most moving stories was about his participation at Shaun Majumder's annual concert called The Gathering, held in the town of Burlington, Newfoundland. It was just after he had broken up the band and he wasn't feeling too good about the thought of singing any Great Big Sea songs. But he encountered backstage a woman who had been following the band for years and she changed his mind, at the same time changing his life. I'll leave it to him to tell you the rest of the story (which he does so well) when you see him in concert (which you definitely should do) but this “angel” made him realize that “anger is the enemy”, a lesson everyone would benefit from learning”.

I have copied the review below for those fans interested. I have edited it for copyright reasons. No copyright infringement intended.

"Being Alive With Sean McCann" published at www.meafordlivemusic.com on 8 May, 2017. Review by Bill Monahan of Sean McCann in concert at Meaford Hall, May 5, 2017.

So the question is, when a pivotal member of one of Canada's best known party bands, celebrated for its drinking songs, decides to get sober, leave the band and go out on his own, filled with an overwhelming enthusiasm for abstinence, what kind of concert can you expect? On Friday night at Meaford Hall, Sean McCann, formerly of Great Big Sea, provided the definitive answer…Parteee!!

The concert, from the moment he came dancing out on stage to the encore when he and accompanist Chris Murphy walked singing through the audience, was an endless ode to the joy of being alive.

Well maybe not entirely. The opening song, though stirring, was a grim sea tale in the true tradition of Newfoundland, where an ebullient life meets daily with the dangers and tragedies of the sea. Sean walked across the stage, down the steps and stood on the floor in front of the stage, daring to open his concert without the benefit of amplification. “Can you hear me?” he asked the hushed audience, “I'm going to start here.” And he sang a cappella, “Safe Upon the Shore” the title song from Great Big Sea's 2010 album, about a girl who asks the sea to return her sailor safely to her. Seeing him floating on a spar washing in toward her, she “thought with bliss how she would kiss the lips she did adore” only to discover as he came closer that he was a corpse.

One thing's for sure, Sean McCann has landed safe upon the shore after his painful parting from Great Big Sea and conquering his alcoholism. The concert was a great big celebration of resilience and courage and most of all, the power of love. And if that sounds all a little too sober, it was the opposite, with every song set in that alternatively rollicking and heartfelt style that characterizes the music of Newfoundland. Throughout the concert he had the audience singing along. And they were so into it, when he sang a line from the old chestnut “You Are My Sunshine” just as a little aside, the audience immediately and without urging sang the entire song. This was indeed a communal celebration of life, the kind of thing that Meaford Hall (“built from love” he said) is built for…

The music was wonderful. Sean occasionally plays some delicate finger-picking but he usually revs up his acoustic guitar with fast strumming, and multi-instrumentalist Chris Murphy added beautiful textures to every song in a way that dressed them up very nicely.

While he didn't take it to extremes, and he certainly didn't preach, Sean made it clear how sobriety has improved his life and he had a little story to tell about each song. He told us how producer Joel Plaskett convinced him to include the last drinking song he wrote, “Red Wine and Whiskey”, on his “recovery” album, “Help Your Self” because it too was part of his story, and the anecdote added context to emphasize the power of alcohol dependency expressed in lines like “A dry life ain't worth living / The desert grants no Ease / So I'll sink into the Ocean / And drink the 7 Seas.” The rest of the songs in the concert proved that the opposite is true.

One of his most moving stories was about his participation at Shaun Majumder's annual concert called The Gathering, held in the town of Burlington, Newfoundland. It was just after he had broken up the band and he wasn't feeling too good about the thought of singing any Great Big Sea songs. But he encountered backstage a woman who had been following the band for years and she changed his mind, at the same time changing his life. I'll leave it to him to tell you the rest of the story (which he does so well) when you see him in concert (which you definitely should do) but this “angel” made him realize that “anger is the enemy”, a lesson everyone would benefit from learning.

Near the end of the second set, he asked for requests and dozens called out song titles. While teasing us with “whatever you want, I'll sing it for you,” he shook his head and said no to every title he could make out, finally giving us a very nice rendition of Johnny Cash's “Ring of Fire”. He had a request of his own, to hear a song from Chris Murphy. Chris borrowed his guitar and sang “Finally Coming Home”, the title song from his own album. Chris is from Kingston, Ontario but everything about him, his pennywhistle, his accordion, his bodhran and his songs sound like the maritimes. His album was produced in Cape Breton by famed musician J.P. Cormier. Chris is a member of the Celtic/Folk quintet Turpin's Trail, worth keeping an eye out for (be sure to catch them if they come to Meaford Hall)…

Music Lovers, Concert Goers And Social Media…Some good advice.

This article was shared by the New York Times about how those people with a passion for music and going to music concerts should be careful engaging in Facebook quizzes such as “10 Concerts I’ve Been To, One is a Lie” as they can threaten their online security.

The New York Times wrote an article that was circulated on social media '10 Concerts' Facebook Meme May Reveal More Than Musical Tastes' by Christopher Mele and Daniel Victor and published on the 28 April, 2017 about the security risks of participating in Facebook quizzes. They write “Privacy experts cautioned it could reveal too much about a person's background and preferences and sounds like a security question – name the first concert you attended – that you might be asked on a banking, brokerage or similar website to verify your identity”. The article offers good advice in particular for social media and Internet users and should consider the consequences of what they share online.

This is certainly true. While many organisations do use security questions and they contain music preferences and related activities they now allow users to write their own questions which can contain only knowledge they will know.

Of a greater concern to me as a social media user but not mentioned in this article is how Facebook’s dominance and control in social media is growing and their account can now be used to log on to any one of a range of social media sites such as Instagram and Pin Interest. If a Facebook account is hacked then the security on a range of accounts can be compromised.

The article was edited for copyright reasons. No copyright infringement intended. I have circulated the full article on my Google + page for those interested.

"10 Concerts‟ Facebook Meme May Reveal More Than Musical Tastes" by Christopher Mele and Daniel Victor, published in The New York Times on 28 April, 2017.

It's all fun and games until someone's password security question gets hacked.

A meme making the rounds on Facebook asks users to list 10 concerts – nine they've attended and a fabricated one – invites others to identify the fake one.

But the post – “10 Concerts I've Been To, One is a Lie” – might also be an invitation to a midlevel threat to your online privacy and security experts said.

The meme, which surged in popularity this week, is the kind of frivolous distraction that makes up social media interactions, similar to other viral memes, such as the Ice-Bucket Challenge.

Privacy experts cautioned it could reveal too much about a person's background and preferences and sounds like a security question – name the first concert you attended – that you might be asked on a banking, brokerage or similar website to verify your identity…

Mark Testoni, a national security and privacy expert who is chief executive of SAP National Security Services, said in an email that he recommended exercising, “vigilance bordering on a little paranoia” in online posts.

“We need to understand how we interact can disclose not only specific details but patterns of behaviour and often our location, among other things,” he wrote.

Alec Muffett as software engineer and security researcher, wrote in an email that he is sympathetic to polls like the concert question. “They are cute a little bit of fun, you learn new things about your friends, and sometimes you get a surprise or two,” he wrote.

“There are certainly also polls that are geared towards collecting information which could be used to fraudulently 'recover' an account,” he added.

He said companies, government and other groups rely on so-called authenticators, such as “What is your mother's maiden name?” Such answers are not true authenticators, but are facts.

“The usual aphorism is „Your password should be secret, but "secrets" make really bad passwords"- especially when they are discoverable or guessable facts,” Mr. Muffett wrote.

Mr. Kaiser agreed. In cases where the answer to security questions are easily obtained – what high school did you attend? – it's best to make up an answer, even if it's not as easy to recall.

He said his advice about online quizzes and memes was not meant to be a killjoy, though he encouraged social media users to consider the consequences of what they share.

“People always have to have their eyes wide open when they're on the Internet,” he said. “It's the way of the world.”

Russell Crowe, Alan Doyle and 'The Musical' Album…Now available for pre-order.

So do yourself a favour….

As Russell Crowe fans are aware he announced on his official Twitter account and other social media accounts Instagram and Facebook where they could pre-order the album and provided links.

Although the album is available digitally, and on CD and vinyl through the usual range of sources (Google Play, ITunes and Amazon) I chose to pre-order through Google Play (Australia) my preferred digital site for music, television and movie rentals.

I couldn't see where the four songs were available for me to listen to for free, so I bought them separately. The songs that were available to me were by Russell Crowe 'Everything I Touch', Samantha Barks 'Should Have Got To Know Me', Scott Grimes 'Out Of Range' and Alan Doyle 'Fight Another Day'. Although I bought a copy of the Crowe and Doyle Songbook 3, a lot of his music has been available through YouTube for free via an excellent range of professionally made videos that bring me so pleasure. So paying the extra eight dollars wasn't a hardship.

I was immediately impressed with the quality and diverse range of songs. This album is going to be amazing. My favourite song so far is Russell's 'Everything I Touch'. Russell's voice just sounds amazing and the lyrics are beautiful and relevant too. “No one will ever love you quite as much as I love you. No one will ever love you quite as hard as I love you.” I have included a copy of the words copied from Russell's official Facebook page below.

So do yourself a favour… and pre-order this album. There is a link provided to sites where you pre-order the album from a range of sources including Google Play, Itunes and Amazon on Russell's and friend's official social media accounts or just log on to your own account, search and order. I can't wait for the rest of the album to be released on the 16 June, 2017.

The screenshots are from the official Twitter and Facebook accounts of Russell Crowe. No copyright infringement intended.

Russell Crowe And 'Remedy'…Throwback Thursday.

A couple of years ago Russell Crowe recorded the song ‘Remedy’ with Marcia Hines for her album ‘Amazing’. With Russell and the Indoor Garden Party crew about the release their new album ‘The Musical’ I thought it would be great to share this song from a couple of years ago as it reminds us what a diverse performer Russell Crowe really is.

I have included a copy of an article written in the Australian newspaper, The Sydney Morning Herald in which Marcia Hines talks about how she approached Russell to join her on the new album. “Hines approached long-time friend Crowe when making the album last November to join her on the duet, and he agreed after hearing the track in a "gracious and generous" move, Hines says”. Russell and Marcia first collaborated in 2005 on the song ‘Testify’.

There are two official videos for this song one in cartoon form and one in black and white. I have circulated both of these on my Google + page for those interested fans. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.





“Russ Le Roq returns: Hear Russell Crowe’s new duet with Marcia Hines.” By Sarah Thomas from The Sydney Morning Herald published on 7 March 2014. (No copyright infringement intended)

Russell Crowe teams up with Marcia Hines for a track on her new album, Amazing.

The hype swirling around Russell Crowe's $130 million biblical epic Noah continues to build, but that's not the only new release the Kiwi actor has on the horizon.

He's returned yet again to his first love, music, teaming up with Marcia Hines for a track on her new album, Amazing.

In the track Remedy, the two play a warring couple with Hines giving Crowe a hard time for not calling her. Hines approached long-time friend Crowe when making the album last November to join her on the duet, and he agreed after hearing the track in a "gracious and generous" move, Hines says.

"He's an all-rounder and it's cool that he has a passion for music," she says. "I hope audiences love hearing it as we loved doing it."

She says the track is about a tormented, rocky love affair and Crowe encouraged them to "take it to the max" on the ad-libbed banter that features between the arguing duo.

"The track is about loving someone in the way that makes you tremble and gives you aches and pains, you know the deal," she says.

The pair recorded the song in three hours at Free Energy Device Studios in Camperdown. Crowe is also to direct and star in the video in a few months time, she says.

The pair first collaborated in 2005 on the song Testify, which appeared on the 2005 album My Hand, My Heart by Russell Crowe and the Ordinary Fear of God, introduced by trumpet player Stewart Kirwan, who played in bands with both Hines and Crowe. The pair performed Testify at the AFI Awards that year.