Yonder via Waterlogged

The Dear & Yonder film showing at the Byron Community Centre was a successful night thanks to the organisers from Waterlogged events, keen logger Vanessa Thompson and her biz partner, artist Tracy Brown. Everything you'd love was there including film, music and art. One thing that was missing was Kath from 'food by Kath'. At the last one of these nights she homemade the fresh Chai and organic juice, but this time we missed her cause she was a lil' sick. Dallas Chong from The Grains turned up and played some cool acoustic while the 80 or so gathered guests listened in and checked out the art I had on display.



First up on the big screen was The Blue Yonder short film, which Mick Waters and I made back in 2004. Tracy introduced the whole show and then called me down to say a few words to the crowd about my film, which was cool cause I got to explain how and why the Blue Yonder short film came about. The short and sweet of it is; I released the Blue Yonder Short Film in 2005 as a companion to my book, Blue Yonder, a journey into the heart of surf culture.



I met Mick Waters through Andrew Kidman along the Blue Yonder discovery trail back in 2001. He was keen to document what I was pursuing with my book. We got together and surfed and talked. The loose idea we worked off was the true story of mine; believing in something enough to turn your back on the seemingly futile, and instead, open up to adventure and discovery. Six months later we ended up with a cinematic journey of surfing sequences, lifestyle images, voiceovers and some soul-touching music from Andrew Kidman. Film locations were NSW Central Coast, Byron Shire and Indonesia. The film is a revealing glimpse at one alternative surfing journey, that hasn’t yet finished. Surfers included are: James McMillan, Derek Hynd, Ozzie Wright & Andrew Kidman. contact me on macjimmymac@yahoo.com if you'd like a copy for $15 incl postage. Thanks Waterlogged :-)




filmgrabs from Blue Yonder




grommets selling my soul for me




Dallas Chong of The Grains

Dear and Yonder

Easter Saturday

This session was straight out front of my place. I can't say where cause the locals will blow up my letterbox. The waves were 4-6ft and there was the added buzz of having huge boulders right in front of every wave I caught. Lisa took the photos and I rode my 6'4 Darcy thruster with the snapped nose - it happened three days prior at this same spot when the bottom dropped out of a wave that I thought was a sure tuberide...I remember being perched in the lip on my feet in a super low stance and looking left, about 20 metres down the line. The wave was about 5ft and in the motions of going vertical and tubular. In my mind i was about to get tubed, meanwhile in reality the wave doubled-up, sucked-out and heaved forward. I was under the lip so I didn't get pitched, but there was no back to the wave, and to my absolute surprise I dropped straight onto the flats. The last thing my left eye saw was that circular tube rifling off without me. Not often you get a view from that far back in the tube. Probably the best moment of my session. I'll never forget it.

An Easter Friday at The Wreck

Wind was up from the south so Lisa and I headed to The Wreck. Lisa took photos I enjoyed surfing a few small waves. One tube was so small it clipped me in the forehead. It's always really cool at Main Beach of an arvo...the sun setting over the coastal mountains. Some locals call it Golden Hour for obvious reasons. The Indonesian guy in the band photo is always up there leading the way for any drum slappers that wanna join in and celebrate Byron Bay.













.

Harvest Cafe Artist Nights

Harvest Cafe at Newrybar, which is just in the hills behind Byron, has been holding dinner/artsist nights in conjunction with retrospect galleries in Byron Bay. Sometime Early in March before the opening of the exhibition El Mar Mi Alma (the sea, my soul) they invited myself, Alberto Sanchez, and Stephen Jones with tatiana Velasco, to talk about our lives and our art. The place slowly packed out and after an awesome meal via their fine food chefs and an outdoor barbie we were on. I was first up cause i had to bolt north and pick up my kids. Bree introduced me to the 100 or so people gathered and I began talking, hesitantly at first. As the minutes passed I actually began enjoying it because Bree asked me how I first started with my art, and that was perfect opportune for me to talk about being a kid, freedom, growing up in Cronulla, surfing, travelling, starving, writing, photography and painting. A couple other people asked questions too, which was really cool. I'd totally recommend Harvest for a meal too.




'sundaze' 2009


Harvestelmaretro

BOOTLEG

Dan Hannaford has a new CD out. It's called Bootleg and the cover and disc photo is one that I took of him at the Rails Hotel in Byron a few months back. The back cover photo is one I took of him after some beach strumming near Burleigh Heads. The song 'Try Try Try' is a cracker and one that I associate with.