Update Time!

The harp is here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There's a video showing me playing it for the first time on my facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/anactoriamusic/ 

AND... we are nearly there, the target is nearly reached, which means (nearly) I will actually receive your generous donations and will work my little bum off to send all your gifts! But there's still time, a few days left, and as I promised in the video I'm going to give you all a quick breakdown of some financial stuff, so you know where everybody's money is going:

The first $3000 will pay off the money I had to borrow to jump in and grab my beloved new harp off the second-hand market. But the total cost of the harp includng getting it here is as follows:

 - harp and freight :                         $5,242

 - customs taxes/charges :             $   638

 - qantas freight release charge:   $   106

 - quarantine inspection charge:   $      80

TOTAL:                                               $6,066           oooooh, nice number :)

My best estimate for completing the EP project is as follows:

 - remaining balance on recording/mixing fees : $1,600

 - mastering:                                                               $    500

 - printing (if I do the graphic design myself) :     $1,200

 - postage:                                                                   $    200

TOTAL:                                                                         $3,500

So, if my calculations are correct, that's about $6,566 that needs to be spent over and above the current campaign target ($9,566 in total), plus the rest of the year and probably until March of my time. Pheeewwww, you gotta really, really, really love being a musician! 

That is more than enough maths for me, now it's time for a science experiement. Let's see how far we can go towards that total amount in the next 5 days!!! Creating x=content posts multiplied by z=social media shares = y=heaps of pledges and a happy/busy Anactoria! Hang on, that's still maths. No hang on, that's neither maths nor science, but me revealing my ignorance of both.... 

But you get the idea. Music is my strength and I'm realising that community is too. This process is teaching me so much and filling my heart with gratitude for the support that is flooding my world. xoxoxoxoxo

My name is Anactoria (Tamlyn Magee) and it is my mission to perform a successul "harp transplant" - removing the one that doesn't work from my life and replacing it with one that will - so that I can continue to share my music with the world.

Deep breath.... 

                             Go.

Hello! I am writing from Mparntwe (Alice Springs), but soon to be on the road and heading back home to Candelo. I feel a small sense of urgency to get my story out there while I'm still physically located in this desert landscape... it feels relevant, you will see why. 

I set off to the desert with my beautiful 34-string Celtic harp carefully packed and strapped into the bus, ready to play a few shows in the Desert Song Festival (which is well worth a trip to the desert by the way). I will leave with the harp still carefully packed, but with the landscape of the hopes and dreams tied up in its strings irrevocably changed. I don't believe this beautiful instrument will see another show.

It is hard to explain what has happened, and the history of this harp, without going into great detail, too much detail for here (though I'd be happy to share the full story with anyone who is interested) - suffice to say, it has a history of breakages which have rendered it unplayable for the majority of its lifetime. It had been repaired and then, when that failed, rebuilt, before, on Sunday 10th September 2017, it broke again. The wood cracked and split in a severely damaging way, seemingly with no provocation - it seems the change in humidity was the main cause.

So - why should this unfortunate instrument mean anything to you? That is a tricky question to answer, because of the specific point I have reached in my musical journey; the point just before the release of my debut recordings, just before the playing of multiple shows presenting my new work for the first time, just before anyone but friends and family have heard my new name, just before the fruition of months and months (and years) of hard work, both in tangible realms and the realms of the inner world. Work which is intimately and intrinsically entwined with the strings of the harp.

So, the story of my broken harp will mean something to you if you interested in finding out what comes next for me, musically speaking. If you would like to lend me some support to carry on working, please read on...

ENTER >>> The Electric Harp

No delicate, bulky soundbox, much less sensitive to temperature/humidity changes, a lightweight harp ideal for travel. Since I am plugging in to use effects/loops/amplification most of the time these days anyway - I have decided that an electric harp is the answer to my prayers. A harp like this will allow me to keep working on the material I have created so far, but also give me the power to transcend previously reached sonic heights; the electric nature opens up a whole new world of effects processing capabilities and, much as I adore the acoustic sound of a good old fashioned harp, this is a direction that really excites me and I can't wait to start exploring and sharing what I find.

Here's where you come in - one of these babies, new, costs between $10 and $12K. But *fingers crossed* I think I have found the perfect harp second-hand in the US, and I can get in into the country for about AUD$6000. I have about $3000, but I need to raise the other 3! So please check out the rewards offered here and consider contributing to help me carry on, deeper and truer than ever, with this musical journey. 

Here's an example of how I have been using effects and looping:

This is the easy bit - if I reach my target of $3000, the entire amount will go towards the cost of a new (second-hand) harp! Any extra will go the same way.

This is the breakdown:

 - Harp itself - $3800

 - Insured shipping - $1200

 - Customs charges, taxes - $500 (approx)

There will be some pretty significant costs assosciated with final mixing, mastering and printing of the EP, so if by some miracle there is still money left over, it will go towards those costs. Finally, the harp will also need a case to be custom-made for it (unfortunately Lyon&Healy don't make one). I'm hoping I can get away with that for under $2000... as you can imagine, being a harp-player is an expensive job. I think that's why there's not so many of us...

Depending on how long it takes to get from my harp-less state to having a harp again, it may be quite challenging to regain the musical ground I have only recently claimed. There are new songs and new ways of playing that did not quite reach a consolidated state, and I will have to work hard to prepare for shows after such an untimely break. 

As I mentioned, there will also be a hefty sum to come up with to pay for the remaining work on my upcoming EP. It may be challenging for me to make this all happen, but I am confident that I can do it. So much has already been done and achieved, it would be crazy to turn back now!

If you have read this far then I will entrust you with this private link to my song "Stilts" that will appear on the EP. Bear in mind, this is unreleased and may not be in its final iteration, but as it is definitely the simplest song in terms of arrangement on the EP, it should be pretty close! : https://soundcloud.com/odetoanactoria/stilts-pre-release-preview

Sincerest gratitude and big love to you,

even if all you can donate right now is a tiny little simple prayer,