Collaboration Creations..

The 'secret project' is Secret no more.. I have been working on this with the very talented Mel from Blackswan designs.. We have a couple of Collaboration Creations that will be available on the Amanda Palmer tour which starts this Friday in Wellington!

The Brooches are laser cut from acrylic and recycled rimu, the necklaces are on a black ball chain which can easily be cut to suit. They will be available on Felt in a few days - here *you can also contact through the felt site to pre-order..

Here are the dates one more time:
Amanda Palmer - NZ tour support.
Friday 12th March at Bodega, Wellington
Tuesday 16th March at Al’s Bar, Christchurch
Weds 17th March at The Kings Arms, Auckland

xoxox and see pictures below ;)
Hera

Maybe logical?

Hello! I thought it was time to share a new song.. I recorded this last weekend in sunny Akaroa while at a wedding (snuck into the bushes)

I'm not sure the name fits but its working title is Maybe logical..

The buskers festival was just magical! filled with the best kind of madness and lots of fun! Met some wonderful people and played music outside in the sunshine... Just over a week ago I played in Hagley park as part of 'Lazy sundays' summertimes concert series. It was about 28 degrees (celsius) and a beautiful day! so nice to see so many people out and picnicing!

This weekend I'm off to Golden Bay! playing at the Mussel inn on Saturday the 6th.. and The week after I'm going on tour with Amanda Palmer of the Dresden dolls! Here's the poster:

Also working on something I'm very excited about but can't tell yet ;) keep coming back or come to twitter! I can tell you it's a thing, not a song, and I'm collaborating with a very talented friend ;) this thing will around and about during the tour :)

Also.. come say hi on facebook!
will write more soon xoxHera

Happy 2010!

What a wonderful summer it's been here so far! I've taken some time off and been camping, diving/snorkelling and relaxing over the holidays, but full swing is about to start again :) - snorkelling.. what a great word!

Over the last couple of months I've been doing a lot of teaching, in Greymouth, Oamaru,Timaru and Nelson, and got to work with some wonderfully talented kids! Here are a couple of articles from my visit to Oamaru..



and a photo taken by the sea in Oamaru, by the lovely Donna Demente of the Grainstore gallery where I played - it's the most magical venue!

Coming up in One week! is the world buskers festival! and I'm taking part this year for the very first time.. it's also the first time there is music as part of the event so it will be interesting to see how that all clicks together. I have to admit I'm a little bit nearvous about this too because I've never busked really.. *except the very first time I went to the arts centre with my guitar at 14 years old, and Brian who was organizing concerts there, let me set up and play for 15 minutes busking-style to prove myself :) it was pretty wonderful and I've been playing there every now and then ever since as part of the arts centre.

For as long as I've been in New Zealand, I've been going to the buskers festival, there are always amazing acts from all over the world doing amazing and sometimes dangerous things.. I have so many memories from my childhood seeing performers juggle fire and pots, pans, eggs, swallowing swords, balloons, bending their bodies in mind boggling ways, and at the late night performances -all the jokes I wasn't supposed to get..

So I am very honored and proud to be taking part :) and if you happen to be in Christchurch (or for that matter if you're in the country - it's very worth seeing..) Come and help me prove myself again ;)

This photo from my childhood was photoshopped by HellZiggy on twitter :)

If you're not on twitter, come visit :) it's a lovely place and I post a lot more over there, mind you some unrelated things too.. like this picture of my wee kitten Freyja, she moved in a a couple of months ago and is adorable, her and Brian (my other Sphynx cat - he's in the Feels so good music video) are inseparable now, wonderful for him to have some company too..

her nails are not pink naturally, these are called softpaws and are little claw covers, especially good for Sphynx hairless cats so they don't scratch themselves. (they come off)

Also coming up at the end of February, I will be doing a show in the botanical gardens as part of 'Lazy sundays' summertimes concert series.. This one will be super special as I'm doing half the set with my brilliant guitar teacher and friend Keith Petch. We will be doing a 40 minute jazz set together. Fingers crossed for good weather (*my last summertimes concert was during a thunderstorm...) it's the perfect set-up to bring a picnic to and sit in the sunshine..

Anyway, am now off to rummage through some drawers and dig up some of my forgotten songs for the buskers festival (you can send me requests through twitter if you want to hear a particular song) I'll be doing an hour a day for 10 days, during week days very close to cathedral square by the wheat sculpture, and on weekends I'll be outside the art gallery. the schedule is in the live section here on the website, and also on the Buskers festival website here.
*click here to see what else is going on during the festival.

One more thing: here is a raw live version of a song I posted on youtube a few months ago and forgot to post here.. I think it's called 'Nothing but time' at the time it was untitled..

Bye for now...
a late new years resolution: more frequent blogging.. promise ;)

Love xo

A little more about the video..

Hello everyone, the video is finally ready and released..
I wanted to say a little bit more here, it's been a long time coming, and we had so much fun making it.. I want to send special thanks to Marc who made all the pictures move, he also built this website and is based accross the sea in Australia.. (warmer weather.. hrmph..) and Andie & Bronnie for all the hours and hours :) Here it is..

Directed by Andie Spargo, Animations by Marc Fairbairn.
Editing: Bronnie Howells, Filming: Sabin Holloway, Grading: Natalie Glubb, Book made by Cover to Cover, coat by Juniform. Many thanks to NZ on Air.
*All the photos used are actual photos from my childhood... xoxHera

*in case you aren't reading this from the website, here's the youtube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGROGsqyDlA

Wellington and the end of Winter

Winter is finally coming to an end. I must admit I'm not much of a winter person. I do get a lot of 'but you're from Iceland, you should be used to the cold..' but New Zealand winters are just so different. It's the in between that isn't right.. I looove winter when there is snow and proper dry cold, when you can come home to a warm house and keep winter outside.. but here it's also much colder indoors. What I do like about winter is snuggling up and staying warm, I have a big fluffy warm robe that's extremely popular with the animals, and as I write this, they are squashed up on either side of me, dreaming. I've been looking after Loki the dog for a while now but he's leaving very soon (and I will miss him) and I have my cat Brian /Brjánn.

Speaking of Brian, I must say he's entered into the 'New Zealand's next top cat model competition'. Someone sent me a link to that site and I kind of went 'mmph' until I saw it's a fundraiser for the SPCA and the lonely Miaow, which is a wonderful cause, so he's on the site :) you can see him here.

The Wellington concert was last weekend, and I had a wonderful time there, There was a story in the Capital times, and they put me on the cover poking my tongue out ;) *photo by Brian Harmon. I did the craft show there too, probably my last one, but it was lots of fun and filled with lovely people. They do Craft2.0 quite regularly in Wellington.

I've also taken part in quite a wonderful project as part of the Christchurch Arts Festival, which is on at the moment. It's called Slip. It's a collaborative knit and crochet project for the 'Winter garden' If you want to know more about it, have a look at the Slip blog, with lots of beautiful photos.. There are vines 'growing' around lamp posts in the square, and crocheted flowers 'blooming' on them.. you can even 'pick' a flower and take a little piece of the arts festival home with you.. It's such a lovely way to brighten up the winter :)

As you know, if you've been reading this blog, we've been working on two videos.. The Devil and me' video is officially finished! being graded at the moment and will be up online soon. But I'm in two minds about wether to wait a little. We have planned an intimate video release concert on Sunday the 16th of August (in just over two weeks) and I'll be playing some new material, and we will project the video onto the big screen. So if you're in Christchurch come along and celebrate with us :) it's been a magical process working with some very old friends. The video is directed by Andie Spargo (who has the coolest business card in the world and is brilliant.) and edited by the lovely Bronnie Howells  ...and the animations (don't want to say too much yet....) are done by Marc Fairbairn (who built this website and is awesome) And it's a bit evil or maybe more than a bit.. depends how you look at it ;)

Here's a photo taken at the Wellington concert, by Chris Marshall (thank you) - he is also a real mermaid which makes me endlessly jealous ;)


If you want to see more of my random pictures and updates, go to twitter or twitpic..

And here are some shots taken while filming 'The devil and me'
 
And finally, some photos of the slip project (you can view them larger on the slip blog)
 

The photo on the right is a before and after lunch shot, the flowers have been picked.. And a photo of what it says on the billboard in the square.. xox

Winter in Christchurch

 I can't believe it's been two months since I last wrote anything here! It's been a very busy time, although every now and then I've been twittering.. just quick short updates there, and sometimes completely irrelevant as you can see ;) But often pics of what I've been up to too..

New Zealand Music Month just finished, that was May. I've been all over the place teaching for the NZ music commission. Went to Dunedin and Timaru, and am teaching in Akaroa at the moment. Here is an article from the Dunedin Schools Rock day..

We've also been working on two music videos, one for the Devil and me, which is a NZ on Air production, and one for 'Upside down' from the Live album, which we've been having lots of fun with.. They are both in post-production at the moment being edited etc..

Here are some photos from the filming: 






I've also been working on something quite different, something I just accidentally fell into.. After I set up the site on Etsy, I met Lucy from Felt (a new zealand site for all things handmade) and registered there. And I somehow ended up a part of Craft 2.0 which will be on this weekend at the Our City O-Tautahi building. Saturday 6th June 11-3pm.  I was part of the Felt 'Sounds Crafty - NZ music month showcase' Click to read the interview..

So yes.. I will be at Craft 2.0 this saturday.. it's a free open event.. so come and see some wonderful things..! 


xox