22nd December 2008:
We hope you all had a wonderful Solstice yesterday, and are happy to introduce our new MySpace sites: myspace.com/caitlinandsika and myspace.com/sikarose. Even more ways to connect and enjoy our music!
3rd July 2008:
We're excited to bring you some new links to our music:
PondLife is our UK music download company; where you can listen to clips from 8 of our albums.
This You Tube clip from Being Goddess features a mantra from Caitlin's album Laxmi's Dream.
You can also enjoy us performing One World LIVE at
the Prana Festival, Coromandel, 2007! This clip from the festival features Sika's great dance track Tipi Trance, in the second half of the video.
1st July 2008:
Mid-winter and here in NZ life has slowed down to a lovely relaxing pace. No more concerts until mid September, so time to focus on the new CD that we are recording together. Yes! At last the long awaited CD is being created and in an amazing way, because it's being recorded in our own studio, powered by our Micro-Hydro system. In other words, the electricity that powers the entire studio is generated from the stream that flows merrily through our land. Now that's amazing. It feels incredible to have this form of electricity and to be completely off the mains grid. Ecological and peaceful. So the new album was recorded and engineered by Matt Tweed, of the 'Spacegoats' UK. His 'on the pulse' energy will undoubtedly add an exciting quality to the songs. It's great working with him.
At the same time as the Caitlin & Sika CD, I am also recording my new solo CD. This is a continuation of the Lightning Man story, with Didjeridoo, drums and a fat quiver of synths and special effects. With two CD's being 'born' a the same time there's never a dull moment in our lives.... Understatement of the year!
Both Caitlin & I are always extremely busy creating, whether it's music, art, writing books, building the house, taming wild horses and wild kids. Life is rich. The home space is nearing completion as we put the finishing touches to the interior of the mud-lined, straw insulated, barn that we are building.
Caitlin's days are full of Horse adventures. Using Natural techniques, she communicates with the spirit of her equine friends and when I watch them out in the fields together, they seem to be 'dancing' together. It's very beautiful. Our daughter is learning all these skills too and is a great example of what young children can do if they are given the skills to learn what they love.
I have been going to Australia several times a year to play music at the Mind Body Spirit festivals that are held in Sydney and Melbourne twice a year. It has been good for my spirit to return to Gondwanaland so often. The wildlife, trees, sounds and smells of Australia touch me deeply and trigger ancient memories for me. My music is inspired by those powerful Dreamtime experiences that so often come in my sleep or in such a subtle way that they go unnoticed until I play an instrument. Then, from some magical realm, the land and it's inhabitants sing through me and I realize the depth of my love for the country.
Whilst in Melbourne I worked more on the Gaia Film with our cinematographer. We are putting the finishing touches on the pre-trailer. It's expected that by end of August we will have this done and the joyous part can begin ... to gather the funds to create the full film. If anyone out there would like to donate funds to the cause, please get in touch with us.
So here we are in New Zealand, not England. Our usual migration pattern of flying to the UK for a summer of touring playing music at festivals and concerts is different this year. We have decided to stay in NZ this year, to plant trees, to save on valuable fuel, to create whilst the sap is down and the nights are long.
If anyone wants to know more about any of the subjects that Caitlin & Sika are involved in, please do ask!
25th June 2007:
It's a chilly winters morning and we are at home up on Magic Mountain, NZ. It's a time for creating and we've been working on several projects...
Two trips to Australia recently, to play at the Mind Body Spirit festivals, have re kindled connections with the Dreamtime and aboriginal people. We have begun work editing the Gaia film, with a fantastic nature film maker, from Melbourne. The first DVD will be used to generate money to make it into a feature film and educational curriculum. It's exciting to be composing music for the film world, especially to inspire positive changes on a planetary scale!
Energy is building for my new CD and we intend to start recording this very soon. As a follow on from Lightning Man, I will be using Didjeridoos, drums and flutes plus a few other unusual instruments to add to the Shamanic experience!
Shiva's Dance is selling well and the feedback has been wonderful, thank you all. We are inspired to make Sacred Mantras 3.
At home, the Hydro electricity system is getting closer to providing us with the power to run our studio and house. It will also power our 12 volt satellite to give us broadband, so we can reach out to the world from our retreat. Bridging the worlds!
Several horses are in foal and work building the corral is under way. This will make it easier to tame and work with the horses.
As always, the meditation of daily life is rich and meaningful and we give thanks. We wish you well in your life!
Keep thinking positive thoughts folks.
10th May 2007:
We are at the moment taking a little time off creating music and are busy making our home cosy and preparing for the winter. We are building a kitchen, earth plastering the walls and insulating the walls with our own sheep wool. As fast as Caitlin shears, Sika is stuffing the wool in the roof and walls and we are getting warmer by the minute!
Sika has actually taken a few days off and is at the Mind Body Spirit show in Sydney... we hope to frequent Australia more in the future and do our long hauls less often.
We are setting up our hydro electric system which will be a huge breakthrough for us to run the farm on water power.
Caitlin is offering singing workshops, sharing the importance of the healing powers of song, sound and mantras.
Also she is branching into making and selling natural bridles for horses, bitless and kind so a greater understanding between horse and rider can be experienced.
All the horses are in foal so it is going to be an exciting and busy spring.
Finally... a major flood has washed out the driveway so it is all hands on deck to dig ourselves back on track!!