Shalom Salaam* everyone,
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I hope that you have had a wonderful festive season so far…
Wow!
What an amazing tour the last few months have been… Thank you to all those of you that have come down to support.

During the tour, I took some time out in an afternoon before a gig & I had the honour of seeing Al Gore’s film, “AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH.”
It is a film that I believe everyone must see.
It is about us.
Right now!
And what our lifestyles are creating on our planet.
I like this film because, not only does it point out clearly & alarmingly what we are doing, but also, it has a positive, pro-active message..
So it’s not all doom & gloom.
As I said in the last newsletter, It is not a time to throw up our arms in despair (saying to ourselves & friends, “what’s the point?”), but rather a time for each individual (that is, everyone of us reading this right now!) to act quickly. Step by step in our daily lives.
It is us that is doing the damage
& so, it is us that can readjust our lifestyles & priorities to literally save our species on this planet.

Each of us is powerful enough to create the life we want.
To live our dreams.
And to correct our personal habits to undo the collective problems perpetuated by previous generations so that we don’t have to explain to our children & grandchildren that we were simply too lazy or too in denial to do something positive whilst there was still time to do something…

Why is it that so many people wait until something life-threatening happens personally to them or their loved ones before making the necessary changes to live life to its fullest?
As a collective, we can’t really afford to wait until our species is almost extinct to make the necessary transformations in order to simply allow future generations to live.

One of the best quotes I’ve heard - “I live simply so that others may simply live…”

Ok, on to the music…And to how I’m feeling personally about how it’s going…
My EP, Burning the Candle, has been selling really well at gigs, so the support there has been very heart-warming, but I must be honest here, it seems very few of you on my mailing list have had AUS$9.95 (roughly the cost of 2 beers) to show support for a musical creation that I’m very proud of making & sharing with you.

I want to be sincere with you, rather than say, “hey, everything is just fine & dandy” when it isn’t entirely, only then to have to stop doing my passion because I can’t finance it anymore…
I released the EP for many reasons;
Firstly, because I am compelled to share music – it’s my dream;
Secondly, to raise awareness about our planet & how essential it is to look within & open our hearts to truth;
Thirdly, so that it would be a very high quality product that is (without hesitation) affordable for everyone;
Fourthly, to raise funds to release the next album to be made completely from hemp & recycled materials for your listening enjoyment & the planet’s wellbeing…
Finally, to purchase a diesel van & run it completely on bio-diesel, because I’ve been living out of & touring around squashed in a station wagon, which is full to the brim with gear.

So, you see, I’m completely self-funded & I sincerely wish to keep making music for you, touring & communicating with you…

I have a beautiful 7 year old daughter.
I have this fatherly wish;- I have this yearning to show her (& others, if possible), in action, that you can follow your dreams & make a living from doing it…

But I need your help…
Even if only about 25% of you purchased this EP in the next month I’ll be able to afford to release the next album as an environmentally sound product & then come to your town in my bio-diesel run van & play music to you LIVE, without having to flip burgers for a living, or worse, join a top 40 cover band sporting a ‘80’s-metal-rock-god hairstyle!!! (Oi, that’s not funny! I don’t have that hair already! ehehe)

Jokes aside, I understand that many of you have had financial hardships of your own. Indeed, 2006 was a hard one on that level for many of us, but instead of shouting me a couple of drinks at the next gig (which is quite often free to enter), consider helping out & preventing another indie Aussie artist from disappearing by opening your web browser, clicking on the EP on my website & pressing purchase.

I’m generally a happy & well centered person, but lately I’ve been going through a lot of self doubt & been getting quite hard on myself emotionally.

I figure, that if I wasn’t honest & didn’t let you know & didn’t ask for your help, then I simply wouldn’t get any…
All one can do is ask, right?
After all, I am the one that always harps on about the importance of communication.

So enough of the save-the-beached-Nathan campaign…

If there is something you need, then don’t hold back, ask for help from the people you’re connected with – the worst they can say is “NO!”
Well, they could say much harsher things than that I’m sure, but you get the drift..

I genuinely appreciate your time & hope this newsletter finds you well & enthusiastic about 2007.

May you always speak your truth, walk your talk & live your dreams…(And if you can’t, then be easy on yourself. Take one step at a time.)

So deep peace & blessings to you all, enjoy the rest of the newsletter.
musically yours,
Nathan

Remember: You become what you practice most...

*Shalom (Hebrew: peace); Salaam (Arabic: peace) - both used as a greeting.