It's a hell of a way to kick off a New Year & whilst I wasn't actually the one getting hitched, being part of the bridal party & all which goes with it, means the weeks leading up to the big day tend to all merge into one.

The weather for the big day was upgraded throughout the week, from 31C to 36C & eventually all the way to 42C! Wearing a three piece suit with tails was probably not the most desired attire, but I'm sure it will look fantastic in the photos, even if we're all a little red in the face!



The wedding itself went a billion times better than the rehearsal a couple of days earlier. Lines were remembered, the flower-girl was perfectly behaved & I think everyone at least mouthed the words to the hymns, even if there was no sound attached!

The bride made her own dress & those of her bridesmaids, matched perfectly in a lovely shade of pink with pearl jewellery. For the photos after the wedding ceremony, we bumped into no less than four other wedding parties with the same idea down by the Torrens River. One of the parties had the grooms wearing the brightest of orange ties & by some tragic lack of taste by the bride &/or her mother, the bridesmaid dresses were made from the same lurid orange. It was enough that no one was paying attention to the bride, as she faded into the background in comparison.

The reception was a smallish affair at Ayres House & was nice & formally informal, until the best man, who gets nervous when public speaking, broke into song & brought the house down with a Sinatra-esque performance.



Thankfully, there was a lack of disasters which seem to propagate around weddings. It may be a case of the minority which gain the biggest reputation, but there's always the niggling feeling that something will be catastrophically wrong. Apart from a shoe issue for the groomsman & a car which broke down post reception, it could not have run smoother!

We stayed at the hotel where I work & had a wedding party breakfast before the married couple headed off to the airport & somewhere exotic.

Overall, a marvelous event for two great friends.

 

First things first - What the hell was John Mayer thinking when he decided to put a cover of Robert Johnson's "Crossroads" on his new album?!?

For some reason I was upset when he covered Hendrix on "Continuum". I'm not one of those people that thinks it sacrilege but it's such a major call to take one of your hero's works & then stuff it into the middle of your own album. Thankfully, it was a good version, but it still should have been a b-side & not part of the main record.

John's version of Crossroads confounds me. It sounds like a homemade recording rather than being finely polished in the amazing studio setup he blogged about throughout the making of Battle Studies. The drums have no soul which caught me offguard as Steve Jordan has one of the most eccentric styles around. Then you get to the fuzz of the guitar, which just doesn't work & then you get the recording of the solo over the main riff done through a loop pedal! Why, oh... why?

The worst thing about this, is one of his YouTube posts has him jamming with Steve in the studio with this very tune & it is phenomenal. (I think it's called "sidetracked" under his YouTube page). The tone, the solos & the drums are all completely seamless. It's the kind of playing from John which I could listen to endlessly. He has abilities in which I'm happy to admit my jealousy, which then begs the question at the top of this post.



Anyway, I'm still working my way through the rest of Battle Studies & at this stage I won't comment. I'm hoping some of it starts to grow on me soon because although it's early days, it's not looking too good!