To be quite honest I had not heard of Cat Power before my father (David Virgin) revealed to me that he would be supporting her in her East Coast Tour of Australia. Dad being a well respected underground legend was chosen specifically by the promoter as his music was seen to compliment the Cat Power performances perfectly. All I knew of Cat Power was that she was some cool folky chick with an eccentric approach to songwriting and performing.

Now this was before our good friends over at Metalica helped put an end to widespead file sharing and we were still enjoying the free music utopia. (Metalica were foremost in the fight against free music downloads) So I promptly did a search on KaZaa for Cat Power and within seconds I was downloading a number of her tracks. This also was before high speed internet was widely available so it would be hours before I would actually hear the songs.

I put the kettle on, rolled a cigarette and waited. I sat there watching as a little blue bar spread across the screen from left to right corresponding to the percentage below it. I didn't know what to expect, I had been disillusioned by so many promises of "exciting new artists" and new bands that "you just have to hear", as far as I was concerned the best music had already been written, recorded and performed.

97%, 98%, 99%, file transfer complete! A song called "He War" was ready for me to hear. I double clicked the little icon and my media player burst into action. I approached Cat Power as I approached any new artist with a low expectation, jaded by a decade or two of what I saw to have had slim-pickins' of quality music. The song began. Hmm, interesting, not something you hear everyday. The music was lazy, but perfectly in time, not bad. I'll save judgement for when I hear her vioce. Oh wow, my eyebrows now raised far beyond there usual positions. I don't think I have ever heard a voice that is so powerful yet so vulnerable. One more test, the lyrics, I pricked my ears and listened. Vague, nonsensical yet familiar, I'm not sure what she's singing about but I'm sure I've experienced these feeling before. The song ends, perhaps there is hope for modern music after all, she seems to have embraced the history of music and successfully added something new.

While I was listening to "He War" another song had completed it's download. The song was called"Cross Bone Style ". Could "He War" have been a fluke? Was this her one good song? Was I getting my hopes up just to realise that the rest of her music was mediocre? My fears were quickly put to rest within the first 10 seconds of "Cross Bone Style ". Wow, there is indeed hope for music. I spent the rest of that night eagerly awaiting each song with childish glee. Song after song downloaded, cementing my respect for Cat Power.

As usual I was either playing guitar with or being guitar technician for my father, David Virgin on this east coast tour. So it had, of course, occured to me that I may be able to catch a glimpse of Chan Marshall of Cat Power and maybe even say a quick "hi". But never could I have imagined what was to happen at "The Tivoli" in Brisbane. As usual it was my job to carry my father's gear and ensure that his guitar was in tune. We arrived at "The Tivoli " quite early and settled into the modest green room. There were bottles of bear sitting in a box full of ice, we enthusiastically helped ourselves. The time flew by and before we knew it it was time for the first of three acts to play. They were a French band called Women and Childen, and had a kind of 60's, phychadelic Velvet Underground sound, they were quite good. I was watching from back stage when I noticed some movement coming from the room that was to be occupied by Chan Marshall herself. People were hurrying around, and I noticed Chan Marshall sneak into her green room. A surge of exitement travelled through me. It was only moments later that she reemerged from her room and walked towards me and began waving to me to join her in her green room. I looked behind myself and all around at who she was really waving at, surely it wasn't me. Yet I was the only one standing there and I began to walk towards her and into her green room. It was like stepping into Andy Warhol's "Factory", between 8 and 12 of the coolest looking people I had ever seen were calmly drinking bear, smoking cigarettes and sharing what seemed to be the coolest conversation ever. Me being only 17 years old at the time Chan Marshall seemed to take an almost motherly shine to me. Her maternal instincts went into overdrive as she made certain I got my fair share of the pizza that had been delivered earlier. I began to speak with her about music, life and pizza in almost equal measure. Cigarettes were smoked, beer and pizza were consumed and Chan Marshall was speaking with me with a kind of ease that you would normally associate with conversation shared between old friends. But for me it was more than a familiar chat between musicians, for me it was a kind of awakening. I was being exposed to my own dream, I was standing in a room where dreams were being lived out, where possibilities were endless, where only metres away 800 adoring fans were wetting their underwear in anticipation of Cat Power's performance.

Then suddenly came a sharp reminder of my duties, Women and Children had just finished and I had to set up for David Virgin's set. I quickly said my goodbyes to Chan Marshal and her possie of impossibly interesting people. I took one last look at that smoke filled room and swore that one day I would be there again but with one difference, those 800 adoring fans would be mine.

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