This time last year the delightful Hat Fitz and Cara were riding high. They’d toured Europe, receiving great acclaim for their wonderful Wiley Ways album, and had then come home excited for the album’s Australian release and tour. Wiley Ways reached the top of the Australian Blues Charts (it stayed firmly in the charts for 12 months), and received rave reviews all round. To top things off, Hat Fitz & Cara’s shows and festival appearances were attracting large, often sell-out crowds. It seemed that Australia as a whole had finally caught on to the charm, wit and wonderful musicality of the wee lass from Ireland and the big, bushy Queenslander.
Then in December 2012 Cara was involved in a near fatal car accident, not far from the home she shares with life and musical partner Fitz. A driver pulled out in front of her while she was travelling at 70kms an hour, leaving her with nowhere to go. Fractured ribs, a damaged 9th vertebrae, a sprained back and neck and substantial frontal lobe bruising, along with a whole world of pain, brought the progress they had made to a grinding halt. But Cara was lucky to be alive, and they were grateful for it. Together, Cara and her gentle giant Fitz tackled the doctors’ & specialist appointments and the resulting legal wrangling, while keeping their family fed and afloat.
The dynamic duo had to cancel plans for another Australian tour, and also had to weigh up whether or not to return to the UK in June of this year, where they’d been invited to headline the Sark Folk Festival and perform at the London City Festival amongst other invitations. Fitz and Cara bit the bullet and made the trip – managing to fulfil their tour commitments with the assistance of pain killers, cortisone injections and gritted teeth. The trip was made more worthwhile by picking up new European management, with the pair signing on with Alan Robinson from Manhaton Records.
On returning home, Fitz and Cara retreated back to their rural hideaway to rest and for Cara to undertake yet more surgery, this time on her wrists to tackle the carpal tunnel damage which was a further complication from the car accident. There was concern that the damage would cruel her chances of returning to the drums. The pair kept their spirits up though, determined to keep on. They wrote new songs, performed a handful of local shows with a drummer hired to fill in for Cara, and continued on with Cara’s seemingly never-ending rehabilitation. They also started to plan for the recording of their next release.
Almost exactly one year after the accident, Hat Fitz and Cara are delighted to finally be able to announce a short run of shows in New South Wales for January 2014. They’ve aptly called it the “Fighting Fit” tour. They’ll be playing tracks from Wiley Ways, alongside other favourites and they’ll be introducing new songs to audiences which they’re really excited about. Cara says that they can’t say too much more about the new album just yet, but that you can expect to hear them explore some exciting new directions. They warmly invite all their NSW friends and fans to come along for a catch up and celebration. What are you waiting for? On your bikes!
FIGHTING FIT JANUARY 2014 TOUR DATES
Thur 16 Jan – The Camelot Lounge – Marrickville
Fri 17 – Sun 19 Jan – Thredbo Blues Festival – Thredbo
Wed 22 Jan – The Brass Monkey – Cronulla
Thur 23 Jan – Narooma Quarterdeck Marina – Narooma
Fri 24 Jan – Milton Theatre – Milton
Sat 25 Jan – The Basement – Sydney
Sun 26 Jan – Live @ No. 5 – Bellingen
Tickets to all shows on sale now. Please check websites for more details.
www.hatfitzcara.net