DESCRIPTION:
A live performance from the MONA FOMA Festival in Hobart, Australia, January 2016. The music is improvised along basic themes that I use. I played in the intense summer sun inside a glass terminal. It was like being in a car in the sun with the windows rolled up. An interesting experience that I am thankful to have survived.

Due to the situation, I had to quickly set up my gear after the previous band. I tried to find a place to set the video camera up that was out in the audience, yet wouldn't get bumped or knocked over. Unfortunately, it appeared to have been moved a bit from how I set it, so that the focus is higher than I would like, making it impossible to see what I was doing with the Gongs & Bells on the floor. But you can hear the music and imagine what was happening.

As it was an active public ferry terminal, people moved about and there is often much background noise and chatter. This made it all the more challenging to stay focused while performing. That, combined with the heat, made it even more of a challenge. But as a musician, this is all part of being an active performer. And in the end, at least for me, it's all about the music, which looking back I'm quite pleased with.

As an artist, I'm always moving forward, so until I watched this video today, I hadn't realized/remembered what I played back then nearly 7 months ago. In reflection, much of what I played here became the genesis of my 'Stories We Tell Ourselves' album (https://gongtopia.bandcamp.com/album/stories-we-tell-ourselves). In fact, the whole MONA FOMA experience was a watershed moment for me. I hope you find it as interesting as I did when creating it. ~ MB