"Sun is shining, the weather is sweet. You gotta move your dancing feet." Bob Marley

Like the end of a biblical test, the perpetual dampness at this year's National ArtsFest is fading fast in the sunshine that began peeking out yesterday. Today it's blazing away delightfully! And after almost ten days of non-stop festivity, the fest-fatigue that has built up like a lego toy of tiredness, now makes way for that final, gleeful, fest-sprint to the finish! 

You have no idea how spectacular today feels! For many reasons! One - sun. Two - the good groove. Three - soon from festinos we'll be free! God bless em, they're lovely, and they fill our town with their happy arts adventuring every year, but I've almost had my fill of full. Being stuck in traffic jams -in Gtown - feels surreal. And a tad annoying. Yes, I know - I lived in Joburg. But at least there people take the gaps. Here, when you combine EC tractor-like snail's pace driving, with lost out of towners bumbling about to find their show venue, traffic flow becomes like trying to squeeze congealed honey through an eye-cream tube. C'est la fest!  

Now though, knowing that the end's in sight, festival's energy goes into it's final metamorphosis before cocooning for another year. It's an energy that in many ways is defined by the relieved joy of an end in sight, combined with a wistful yearning to experience just a little more. It's like knowing that now you can throw every log left in your energetic woodpile onto the fire, to burn baby burn in one last breathtaking blaze! Monday will come and so will rest.

Now though, you rock on with your strap on!

Soon I'll be finally visiting the Village Green - ArtsFest's legendary flea market for late-lunch in the sun, amidst the colourful stall-tents, the buskers, the performers handing out flyers for their shows in their own final push for box office revenue, festinos sun-ray flocking and kids having a blast in the play area. If Gtown was a jam jar, today would be the day where one more teaspoon of jam in there and the whole bottle would blow! Full of fest and loving it! Brilliant! As Ol Blue Eyes sang, "Beguiled and bedazzled are we."

And last night, SunshiP beguiled and bejazzled indeed!

To the Blues-loving Greeks amongst you, let me tell you that blues and bouzouki together are an unlikely, but tone-perfect pairing - the earthy tones of the Blues, with the bouzouki trills floating through them like a smile on an already beautiful face. SunshiP again swelled to six last night - with three magnificent musicians joining us - sax, percussion and bouzouki. Did we have them rocking! It's the biggest crowd I've played for yet, 200+, and their response was amazing! There's nothing quite like that feeling of a room heaving to your tunes - not a single person sitting down! Many afterwards remarked that I'm the happiest drummer they've ever seen - grinning like a cheshire cat. Well, I'm just thrilled to be there! By 40 I'd given up on the drummer's dream. At 43 I'm living it. So if it wouldn't intefere with me hitting the kit, I'd be doing flick-flacks back there! One last gig tonight - with two other fantastic bands. As Bob M would say, "It's going to be musseeve mon."

The fest final weekend's about to go into full-blown overdrive! And hopefully so will amps! Rock on festive fantasia!