Guess who's back!

...Back again!

Simon's back,

Shave a hen!

- Eminem

Probably...

It's been a hot minute since I last posted. Life got a bit hectic and unfortunately, I had to drop something. But I'm back and I have a new plan.

Nepenthe will continue, albeit with some changes. I enjoyed writing about music and how it's intertwined with my memories. It was cathartic and a good analysis of why I adore the music that I do. This will not change. I will continue to write these memories but not as frequent as what I once was.

From now on, i'll be splitting this blog into three categories...

Nepenthe.

Music/Band.

Life.

'Nepenthe' will be the OG blog that you are used to reading.

'Music/Band' will be writings about my band The Unset, the local music scene and the wider music industry. I have been the manager/booking agent for our band for some years. We have some wild and big ideas for what we want to achieve in 2021 with the band. I believe it'll be interesting to peek behind the curtain of how I/we do things regarding the way we implement our ideas and how a "local" band functions.

The third category is 'Life'.

I have a pretty hectic life.

I've become absorbed with journaling and I see this category as being somewhat a journal of my life, my personal goals and my philosophies about this crazy ride we are all on. To give you an idea of what i have going on at this moment in time...

I'm currently studying a Diploma of Building Design. I've been fascinated with architecture since high school. Last year I decided to bite the bullet and decided to study. I decided I wanted to have a career in something I was passionate about and this is the first major step towards shifting towards that career. I'm also the co-host of a music podcast called Altar of Noise, with my good friend Josh. This was started out of pure boredom during the lockdowns and has been quite an enjoyable experience. Much like the Nepenthe blog, it's pushed me to discuss my thoughts and ideas regarding music. We are going to continue this in 2021. I'm also the father of 3 crazy kids and partner to the most amazing woman. Trying to function to the high standard I hold myself, whilst trying to be the best father and partner I can be, leads me to live this frenetic life. I wouldn't change it for the world. I have a few personal goals that I also have set for myself for 2021. I'll be sharing those goals with you at some point also in an attempt to track my progress and hold myself accountable.

So as you can see, there will be some changes. These categories should make it easier for you to navigate what you'd like to read. I will be aiming to blog frequently, but only when it is necessary or when I have a story to share. Which as you may be able to tell by my chaotic life, should be pretty frequent!

Until then...

A presto puttane!

I’ll leave you with my list of 10 favourite albums of 2020. We done a special two part episode of this on my podcast Altar of Noise, where I discuss why I’ve chosen these albums. The other ten albums are in no particular order, and are some albums that just missed out.