Carla Werner
I lost Jesus a long time ago. Rather, I left him out on a Wednesday night with the recycling because I wasn't getting much use out of him. I was doing my part (the praying and the kneeling and the getting fondled by the priest), but he wasn't doing his (delivering into my 11 year old arms my primary school crush). So he was gone.
Instead, I found Iva Davies, from Icehouse. Now, you may think I'm crazy, but he was the object of my obsession way, way back in 1987. Nothing too serious, mind you, but enough to bend the first of the Ten Commandments to the point of no return.
You'll be happy to know that Iva Davies didn't last long in my Jesus spot. I was a man of colours. Many, many colours, and some time in 1988 I went from being a bright shade of electric blue to silver and gold.
Bono.
By God, did that man not only fill my Iva Davies and Jesus shaped hole (oh, puh-lease!), he nestled right in there and ballooned it beyond all believable bounds. And he damn well kept the spot for over 7 years. The first commandment was well and truly shattered, now. There were minor transgressions against his rule, most noticeably Laetitia Casta, but nobody came even close to knocking off Bono.
Nobody until Jeff Buckley, that is. Even he took years before he became my new Jesus, such was the potency of Bono.
But blah, blah, blah, I'll skip the transition from Jeff Buckley to Radiohead (The Bends, oh my God, The Bends!) to Augie March and just concentrate on the latest member filling up my Augie March, Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, Bono, Iva Davies and Jesus shaped hole.
That person is Carla Werner. She's a New Zealand born and Sydney based singer songwriter that played around in the late 90's outside the cafes at Manly, before doing a few shows at The Hopetoun in 1999, which I was lucky enough to see on a few occasions. She had realeased a self titled EP and if you bought it at Fish Records at Bondi Junction, you could have asked her to sign it for you as you handed her the money. In 2000, some time after The Limpics, she left for Krankiland (her last performance before she left for the USA that I saw was a freebie at Martin Place during the Limpics, and even Kim Beazley, who inadvertently ambled through, went weak at the knees and had to sit down and gape at her and her voice), to get a better record deal. She was promptly signed to Columbia after an impromptu performance for its president.
After releasing her first album, 'Departure', touring the US with the Jayhawks, and doing some vocals for Paul Oakenfold's 'Southern Sun' single, she settled back in Sydney in late 2003, released 'Departure' in Australia played a few sporadic performances at The Hopetoun, The Sando, The Vanguard, The Annandale and where she kicked it all off all those years ago, Hotel Bondi.
Here are a few articles about her, so you can get to know what her singing is like. I can't come close to describing it other than to say she's got a very earthy, husky, woody voice and has been described as the female Jeff Buckley. I also just found a blog entry on Carla from Boudist, too. And a photo with her, the bastard.
She's playing at The Vanguard on Thursday 24th of Feb at 9pm. Tix at Moshtix. If you knew what you were missing out on by not being there, you'd crucify yourself.
I've been saved. Praise be to Carla and her Piccolo Song.
But there isn't a day I don't pray for forgiveness for the whole Iva Davies schemozzle.
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EDIT: Oooooh, since I wrote this last night, her site has been taken down and is due for reconstruction. I hope this is the start of her being marketed well, for a change.
Instead, I found Iva Davies, from Icehouse. Now, you may think I'm crazy, but he was the object of my obsession way, way back in 1987. Nothing too serious, mind you, but enough to bend the first of the Ten Commandments to the point of no return.
You'll be happy to know that Iva Davies didn't last long in my Jesus spot. I was a man of colours. Many, many colours, and some time in 1988 I went from being a bright shade of electric blue to silver and gold.
Bono.
By God, did that man not only fill my Iva Davies and Jesus shaped hole (oh, puh-lease!), he nestled right in there and ballooned it beyond all believable bounds. And he damn well kept the spot for over 7 years. The first commandment was well and truly shattered, now. There were minor transgressions against his rule, most noticeably Laetitia Casta, but nobody came even close to knocking off Bono.
Nobody until Jeff Buckley, that is. Even he took years before he became my new Jesus, such was the potency of Bono.
But blah, blah, blah, I'll skip the transition from Jeff Buckley to Radiohead (The Bends, oh my God, The Bends!) to Augie March and just concentrate on the latest member filling up my Augie March, Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, Bono, Iva Davies and Jesus shaped hole.
That person is Carla Werner. She's a New Zealand born and Sydney based singer songwriter that played around in the late 90's outside the cafes at Manly, before doing a few shows at The Hopetoun in 1999, which I was lucky enough to see on a few occasions. She had realeased a self titled EP and if you bought it at Fish Records at Bondi Junction, you could have asked her to sign it for you as you handed her the money. In 2000, some time after The Limpics, she left for Krankiland (her last performance before she left for the USA that I saw was a freebie at Martin Place during the Limpics, and even Kim Beazley, who inadvertently ambled through, went weak at the knees and had to sit down and gape at her and her voice), to get a better record deal. She was promptly signed to Columbia after an impromptu performance for its president.
After releasing her first album, 'Departure', touring the US with the Jayhawks, and doing some vocals for Paul Oakenfold's 'Southern Sun' single, she settled back in Sydney in late 2003, released 'Departure' in Australia played a few sporadic performances at The Hopetoun, The Sando, The Vanguard, The Annandale and where she kicked it all off all those years ago, Hotel Bondi.
Here are a few articles about her, so you can get to know what her singing is like. I can't come close to describing it other than to say she's got a very earthy, husky, woody voice and has been described as the female Jeff Buckley. I also just found a blog entry on Carla from Boudist, too. And a photo with her, the bastard.
She's playing at The Vanguard on Thursday 24th of Feb at 9pm. Tix at Moshtix. If you knew what you were missing out on by not being there, you'd crucify yourself.
I've been saved. Praise be to Carla and her Piccolo Song.
But there isn't a day I don't pray for forgiveness for the whole Iva Davies schemozzle.
---------------------------------------------------------------
EDIT: Oooooh, since I wrote this last night, her site has been taken down and is due for reconstruction. I hope this is the start of her being marketed well, for a change.
posted by Tony P at 5:09 PM
4 Comments:
Hey, it's the bastard here :)
Totally with you on Carla Werner. She's quite lovely.
Thanks for dropping by, Daniel :)
I'm really hoping she is currently making her second album. When I saw her at her Bondi show late last year, she made a couple of snide remarks about not getting the chance to.
Hi
Have to agree with your sentiments about Carla. I have been trailing around in her wake for ten years or so, hypnotised by her angelic voice. So much so that we eventually became friends. And i must confess that i am responsible for the photo of Daniel with her - I introduced them, hi Dan. Good to hear some other people share my passion for Carla's music. Maybe we can say hi at her next gig (M'Ocean 27/11/05 or Vanguard 5/12/05) and talk about how to spread the word about this little gem!
Those Carla dates are 24/11/05 at Mocean (too late!) and 7/12/05 at the Vanguard.
I did speak to someone just briefly after she had finished her Mocean gig who said they'd been following Carla around for about that time (and then ripped, deservedly, into the soundguy), maybe that was you Rach?! :)
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