Just What is "The Real Thing" Anyway?

Russell Morris and his band at the
  Ballina RSL last Friday night

Hawking's o(r)bituary on page 8 and he was born in '42?-)

I bought my brother a ticket for his 50th birthday and drove him down to see Russell Morris play the Ballina RSL club last Friday night.

My brother and I like going down to the Ballina RSL club, but we've never been to a live gig down there before.
So, when I saw that Russell Morris was playing down there a week away from my brother's birthday, I saw a chance to kill two birds with one stone (although being a bird-lover, I'd never really kill two birds with one stone in "real" life;-) by giving him an early birthday present, and go and see a great show.

Not that my brother knew just who Russell Morris was, but I told him that he would recognize some of his older songs like 'The Real Thing' and 'Wings of an Eagle', as those songs were played on the radio when we were kids growing up ... sorry Russ;-)

Stephen Hawking Dies on Pi Day?!

Because of the passing of Stephen Hawking two days before the show, Russell was paying homage to Stephen by saying that we would be flying with Stephen though time as the now 42-year-old Russell (I think Russ lost count of his age 27 years ago somehow;-) would take us back and forward in time as we revisited some of Russell's hits and current songs.

Well, Russell may, or may not be 42 right now, but he has lost none of his musical talent over the years, and this guy pictured below sure plays a mean guitar.

I had seen Russell play the Byron Bay Bluesfest a few years back, where I got the chance to have a chat with Russell in the signing tent, and he told me then that he likes playing small venues around the country, and I can tell that he does, too.
Come and See The Real Thing Next Year: Byron Bay Bluesfest 2016 - Official Highlights Reel

Easter Monday at Bluesfest 2016

On my road trip to Tasmania in 2016, a track off Russell's 'Red Dirt- Red Heart' album titled 'Tiger Snake' was nearly the last song that I ever heard in this lifetime -

Road Trip #2.

As that was the song playing on my iPod shuffle when I nearly got slammed into the back of a parked bus on the freeway.
And while I never got to hear Russell's song 'Tiger Snake' or 'The Real Thing' come up on my iPod shuffle on our drive to Ballina and back last Friday, the last song to come on the iPod shuffle as I was dropping my brother off at his home was 'Bennelong'.

Bridges from the Past to the Future?

Probably a message for me in all of that, maybe?

And I see 'The Radiators' are playing at the same venue on April 20th.

I wonder if I should risk the drive down to Ballina again in April?-)

Heads?
It's Already Been 50 Years Since Mr. Eternity Died?!