I'm not sure

For various reasons, I'm not sure I want to do this any more.
If that matters to you, let me know.

New I-94 Bar Podcast up

Here's the Xmas Podcast from the I-94 Bar. Go here to subscribe via any numbers of ways, or listen using this embedded player:

Powered by Podbean.com

Oh and here's the playlist:

Intro

Pump Action - The Butcher Shop (The Butcher Shop - Bang! Records)

Cool Ways - Kevin K and the Hollywood Brats (Cool Ways - Rankoutsider Records)

The Expert On Everything - The Mess Makers (Wipe Your Face - Off The Hip)

No Love Remains - Mink Jaguar (…Again - Stop Records)

Christmas Eve - Deniz Tek (Equinox - Citadel Records)

Stupid Planet - Klondike’s North 40 (The Straight Path - I-94 Bar Records)

Streets of Amsterdam - The Hydromatics (The Earth Is Shaking - Suburban Records)

Looking For The Body - Roy Loney and The Longshots (Shake It Or Leave It - Career Records)

Live Girls - Six Ft Hick (On The Rocks - Spooky Records)

15 Hours (demo) - The Hitmen (It Is What It Is deluxe re-issue - Savage Beat/Shock records)

I Want My Woman - The Busymen (Distort All Levels - Turkeyneck Records)

Journey By Sledge - The Visitors (Visitation - Citadel Records)

Outro - Kevin Bloody Wilson

Oh, yeah

It's not all about me and the Hound this week. But having said that, there doesn't seem to be a great deal going on.

TheTri-State Lovers are launching their excellent (if sadly post-humous) album, "No Love" at the Tote on Saturday, with support from Digger and the Pussycats, the Ooga Boogas, and Jacky Winter, all for only $10.00, with a free BBQ thrown in.
There's a semi-literate review of the album here, by the way.

Also on Saturday, Spencer P Jones from kicks off a December-long residency over at the Edinburgh Castle , 681 Sydney Road, Brunswick, from 5.00 til 7.00. It's free, too.

I can't see there's much happening on Friday or Sunday though, and

the exhibition that features this picture of Mirka Mora's underwear doesn't start for a couple more weeks, sadly. Maybe stay in, do a bit of tidying up, send some Christmas cards out nice and early? Up to you.

Last word on the Greyhound?

Well, despite earlier posts and news, it looks like it's fallen through. From this week's local paper:

I got asked to leave the Hound at the end of the Sixfthick show in the front bar there last Sunday, by the way. The two events are not necessarily connected, of course.

Dead Moon rising

Word has it that Pierced Arrows - two-thirds of the legendary Dead Moon, surely the last word in DIY bands - are Australia-bound. Fred and Toody Cole broke up Dead Moon in 2006 after many moons (sorry) but reconstituted with a new drummer in Portland in May. Here's a taste of what they're up to in their new band, taken from a San Francisco show.

"I'm making $5000 baby - so screw you!"

That quote will be familiar to anyone with a copy of Metallic KO, half of which comes from the final Raw Powerr Stooges show. Here's proof that five-grand was indeed the Stooges' going rate.

ReV RuSSeLL (not his real name) of New York City started his music industry career working at the Michigan Palace in the early '70s and happened to souvenir this contract for a Stooges gig at that venue.

Now working as a guitar tech for a number of bands he'd rather weren't named, he saw the Stooges in all their decadent, burning-the-candle-at=both-ends, desperate glory an enviable 13 times in the Michigan area. The gig that the contract is for pre-dated his working at the Palace.

ReV RuSSeLL has been out to Australia as a touring band crew member and knew this piece of memorabilia would strike a chord.

Click on the document for a detailed look. Then drool at the thought of the shows he saw that you and I missed.

Halfway Round The World

Been a long time between posts but don't take it personally. The Barmaid and I have been holidaying overseas, paying a visit to London, France and Kruger Park in South Africa just to mix things up.

In London, I was lucky enough to hook up with an ex-flkatmate Captain Philpott, my Birdman-obsessed Pom mate Jelly and Carlton Sandercock of Easy Action Records. Pints of beer were consumed.

In Paris, we were scheduled to meet up with Eric and Vinz of Holy Curse only to spot them in the unfamiliar vicinity of the Picasso Musueum, running an errand for Radio Birdman, believe it or not. We went to a dinner party hosted by Vinz and his wife Sophie and populated by heaps of mutual friends, and I caught Vinz playing with Dimi Dero Inc the night after. Dimi Dero Inc supported The Drones on European and Australian tours in 2007 and will be back in Australia in March '08.

A side trip to expat Aussie Greg Bowen's Funhouse Pub in Morlaix, on the Brittany coast, was a diverting cultural experience (piss up.)

As for the African leg of the trip, visit the blog of noted Australian author and our hostsAfrica Man and his wife Africa Woman for details. Suffice for me to say that you've not lived until two lionesses have sprung up out of the grass 30m away from you while you're on foot and all wine, beer and spirits should always be a third of the price it is back home.

Closer to home, the Klondike's North 40 CD "The Straight Path" was launched via gigs in Sydney and Melbourne while I was overseas. Thanks to all concerned. The album is available in the I-94 Bar Shop and all good retail stores.

Further afield, lovers of Detroit music will doubtless be interested in The Metro Times' lkist of the Top 100 Detroit Songs here. These lists are always academic but this one does give a measure of the quality of the music that's come out of the Motor City down the years.

And in a similar vein, the next album from trans-Atlantic (that'd be Michigan-via-Sweden) soul big band The Solution is out on December 27. This is the band led by Hellacopters guitarist Nick Royale (behind the traps) with Scott Morgan on vocals. I've been lucky enough to hear an unmastered version and it smokes.

Pick a nerd and save the country

or something.
One excellent election night show: Mink Jaguar at Pony, with a few others

Or another- the return of Sixfthick over at the East Brunswick Club

The choice is yours.
Personally, I'd prefer to be down at the beach with Mirka Mora. It looks like a lot of fun.

She has great taste in swimwear, that's for sure.

This weekend- art or Ooga?

There are two interesting things on this weekend- unfortunately they kinda clash.
For those of an artistic bent, the Missing Chord art exhibition is being launched at the St. James Gallery on Friday.

An exploration of the rock n’ roll heart of Melbourne

The interaction between fine art and rock n’ roll is comparable to the intertwining strands of DNA. At times the brutish simplicity of garage rock n’ roll can seem completely in opposition to the exquisite works hung on the rarefied walls of a fine art gallery; yet the complex tones and textures of many rock and indie bands can seem completely at odds with the naïve Art Brut style of so many contemporary artists.
This exhibition explores that symbiotic relationship and draws together 11 indie musicians who are also accomplished artists in their own right. The broad spectrum of bands the artists are involved in is also reflected in the variety of media, which includes works on paper, mosaics, photography, drawing and painting.
The artists include Ben Montero (Treetops), Jim Murray, James Ratsasane (The Rumours/J Hawk), Si Francis (Wagons), Kirsty Stegwazi / Rene Schaefer (Hand Hell), Ned Larnach-Jones (Ned & The Meds), Alana Cromwell (Sir), Mikey Stabbs (The Currency), Shags (The Smallgoods) and Rui Pereira (ex-The Drones).

For those of less refined taste, the Ooga Boogas, Exotics and Frowning Clouds play at Bar Open on the same night.

It's meant to be the launch night for the Ooga's new single "The Octopus Is Back", but apparently they will only have 35 copies on sale (and ten t-shirts) so get there early if you want one.

Regardless, all things being equal, I also plan to celebrate the arrival of the warm weather by BBQing the first rack of ribs of the season. But you're not invited to that, sadly. Maybe next time.

UPDATE: After seeing an excellent set by Darling Downs in the backyard of Pure Pop Records, I finished this off- 3 kilograms of boned pork shoulder, smothered with home made BBQ sauce and given 3 hours on the Weber with plenty of hickory chips:

HOT: Kylie pre-release exclusive.

Where were you today at 10.00am? In a record company boardroom, being guarded by goons and listening to a preview of the new Kylie Minogue LP?

Don't ask me how I came by this, but I can assure you it is 100% legit. And 100% industry bullshit, at the same time.
And no, of course I didn't fucking go.

No Time Wasters

One of the few joys of Melbourne's street press is the fake classified ads that appear in Beat magazine each week- often they are the only thing I read, the same way Fred Negro's "Pub" comic strip is often I all bother reading in Inpress.
Regardless, the genius behind them has now collected a year or so worth in book form-drop him a line for a copy. Highly recommended. Some samples:







as ever, click to enlarge

Halloween and onwards

So I write this sitting in the deepening twilight, with a bag of chocolate frogs and some glow in the dark M & Ms at the ready, listening to Kopper's special Halloween Savage Kick podcast

but none of the neighbourhood kids seem keen.

Anyway, there is lots coming up.
Friday at the Espy sees the Lime Spiders headline a massive bill of local and interstate acts- the sort of bill you usually only see on New Year's Eve, and for only $15.00

On Saturday the Bakelite Age are launching their (excellent) new album, "Return Of The Magical Molerat" at the Tote.

While on Monday, Route 66 are holding Wolfcall 2007 over at the Central Club in Richmond


AND FINALLY on Tuesday (officially known as "Horse Day" here in Melbourne)Wagons are showing off their newie, "Curse Of Lightning", over at the Northcote Social Club.


phew!

Death of a download site

If you can't get your music illegally (technically speaking), get angry. This guy has some valid things to say about the need for a new music industry model.

Fish curves

I think this all perfectly clear, isn't it?

click to enlarge, if you must, pervert.
And while we're on the subject of lingerie, I am reminded that Spooky Records have just released "On The Rocks", the latest from Sixfthick. While they're over breaking things- sorry, on tour- in Europe, this makes an excellent substitute.

Get some.

How do you spell Wanker?

My Basque Country mate Juan of Bang Records spotted this. One for the guitar wankery fans and I can't see them getting a start on Juan's label:

Ed & the Drone Hats

Look, I know I go on about Witch Hats a bit, but trust me they deserve it. Last week's Tote show was excellent, as is their new single, "Before I Weigh", out now on In-Fidelity.
And you've got to hand it to a band who score a prestige support with the Drones for one big Melbourne date, at the Corner

and come up with their own poster:



My, Fiona Kitschin must be feeling flattered. Or should that be "flattened"?

Tomorrow (Friday) night sees a fairly special show by Ed Kuepper at the East Brunswick Club, as follows:

To celebrate the release of ‘Jean Lee and the Yellow Dog’, Ed Kuepper and the newly christened Kowalski Collective (Peter Oxley and Jeffrey Wegener), will take to the road for an extensive national tour. The EBC audience will be even more spoiled when the Collective extends to a seven piece with the addition of keyboard/cellist Jane Elliott and a three-piece horn section. Kuepper, of course, being no stranger to the use of brass having successfully experimented with the format for the Saints albums Eternally Yours and Prehistoric Sounds and using it as the centre-piece for his post-Saints outfit Laughing Clowns. And if that wasn't enough, at select shows, Ed Kuepper & The Kowalski Collective will play two sets each night. The first being a highlights package of past glories while the second set will see a run through of ‘Jean Lee and the Yellow Dog’ in its entirety.

I have a copy of "Jean Lee", and it is excellent. Details on this and more are here at the I94 Bar.

Do Some More Pop

More news from the Shock Records camp (the desk of Dave Laing, actually) and you know you're going to need this:

DO THE POP! REDUX CONFIRMED FOR DECEMBER!
Acclaimed collection of '70s/80s Australian Punk & Garage Rock to return in new 3-part series, while classic '81 & '82 albums from the great post-Radio Birdman/pre-Hoodoo Gurus band get the deluxe treatment.

2002's acclaimed collection 'Do The Pop! The Australian Garage Rock Sound 1976-67' returns in October on Savage Beat! Records though Shock under the name 'DO THE POP! REDUX'. Like the original collection - which received substantial acclaim internationally, including a full page feature review in 'Mojo' and a rave review from David Fricke in American Rolling Stone - the new set differentiates itself from other Australian punk and post-punk collections by following the unique high energy rock'n'roll sound that spewed forth here in the late '70s and '80s, following the lead of Radio Birdman and The Saints. The new project will be spread over 3 new double discs each released two/three months apart, and is set to feature over 150 tracks, none of which appeared on the original set in 2002 .

'DO THE POP! REDUX Part One' will kick off with the first ever CD release of a rare track from Deniz Tek's pre-Radio Birdman outfit TV JONES before showcasing THE SAINTS and BIRDMAN themselves (Birdman are profiled with the album's title track as well as a rare live track from one of their legendary Paddington Town Hall shows). Punk era acolytes including THE PSYCHO SURGEONS, THE SURVIVORS, THE VICTIMS, JOHNNY DOLE & THE SCABS and RAZAR follow, as do X, perhaps the only Australian band of the original punk era whose reputation rivals that of Birdman and the Saints in some quarters.

Part One then proceeds to revel in the rock'n'roll spirit that took hold in Australia at the turn of the decade, at the very time the rest of post-punk world was proclaiming rock dead. THE SCIENTISTS, THE FUN THINGS, THE SUNNYBOYS, THE LIPSTICK KILLERS are amongst the bands of this period, as are Birdman offshoots including THE HITMEN, THE VISITORS and NEW RACE. Rare tracks from Brisbane's THE 31st (fronted by Ron Peno) and Perth's ROCKETS will also be featured. Melbourne fans will be happy to note that their hometown, which wasn't represented on the original set because of its narrower focus, is represented by a number of punk era bands, including BABEEZ, THE CHOSEN FEW and even the legendary REALS, featuring Garry Gray, Chris Walsh and Ollie Olsen, recordings of whom have never previously seen the light of day.

Volumes 2 & 3 will follow, covering the multi-faceted garage rock scene of the 80s as it explodes out of Sydney and takes hold around the country, and ultimately around the world. Expect killer tracks from a range of bands big and small - from THE HOODOO GURUS, GAS BABIES and WET TAXIS to THE JOHNNYS, CELIBATE RIFLES and SPIKES -all of whom drew heavily on the influence of 60's and 70's garage and punk rock.

Hitmen re-issues out next week

November 2 is the street date. Shock have done a stunning job with re-issues of the first two albums ("The Hitmen" and "It Is What It Is") with more bonuses that a doomed Aussie telco with a dozen directors on the gravy train. Here's a little something to whet your appetitte.
Don't forget - the Hitmen are touring Australia in December and there'be be a preview live at the I-94 Bar as early as next week.

Can't say too much but...

The Don't Look Back offshoot of the All Tomorrows Parties festivals is landing in Australia. This is the series where a notable band reprises one of its best-loved albums from go to whoa. Local promoter Feel Presents has opened the Aussie franchise. Read more here and bookmark it as the announcements aren't far off.

Since 2005 Don't Look Back internaitonally has included The Stooges (Funhouse), Sonic Youth (Daydream Nation), Belle & Sebastian (If You're Feeling Sinister), John Martyn (Solid Air), Ennio Morricone (Classic soundtracks), Slint (Spiderland) and even Australia's own Dirty Three (Ocean Songs).

Can't say too much but let's say people will be pleasantly surprised by some of the acts treading stages again early in 2008.

The Eastern Dark live 1985

A missive juts lobbed from ex-The Eastern Dark bass-player Bill Gibson who put this up on YouTube, less than half an hour ago:

The only known live footage of The Eastern Dark, at the Caringbah Inn in Sydney on November 2nd, 1985, performing their single Julie Is A Junkie. Thanks to Gerard Saliba for the footage.

RIP James Darroch 1960-1986.

Enjoy it. I did - that night and again now.

The weekend?

Hmmm, a bit undecided, me.
I have lots to do (again) including a review of a pair of Hitmen reissues that run to 89 tracks all up.

Can those Jimmy and the Boys reissues be far away now, I wonder? Please, yes, please, soon I hope.

I may try and get along to the Old Bar for a while at least.

Otherwise it'll probably just be the Primitive night at the Tote, as mentioned below.

Inner Head Flight Royale (it's a podcast)

Get a load of the Inner Flight Head Royale podcast for some righteous Rock Action goodness. They run the gamut of all sorts of cool '60s sounds and the current one focuses on the Motor City. Download or strema it here.

The Playlist (and there's plenty more when this came from):

THE STRANGE FATE - Hold Me Baby
QUESTION MARK & THE MYSTERIANS - Girl (You Captivate Me)
THE SOUTHBOUND FREEWAY - Psychedelic Used Car Lot Blues
THE THYME - Somehow
THE BLUES COMPANY - Experiment in Color
THE MISTY WIZARDS - It's Love
THE ORANGE WEDGE - From the Womb to the Tomb
THE SCARLET LETTER - Mary Maiden
RARE EARTH - Magic Key
THE BOB SEGER SYSTEM - Tales of Lucy Blue
SRC - Daystar
ORMANDY - Good Day
THE MC5 - Kick Out the Jams
THE UP - Come On
THE STOOGES - Not Right
MAGIC - Keep On Movin' On
GRAND FUNK RAILROAD - High On A Horse
POWER OF ZEUS - The Sorcerer of Isis

Rock & roll insanity

Ever wondered just how crazy your fave rock & rollers were or are? Well, thanks to the good folk at Way of Life Literature’s Fundamental Baptist Information Service, you can refer to a handy list. For instance:

Pioneer rocker BILL HALEY’S records sold 60 million copies during his lifetime, but the money and fame did not save him from insanity. His return to Nashville in 1973 to film Just Rock and Roll Music was a fiasco. He was mean and violent toward his band, breaking furniture, and such things, and he “was run out of Nashville in disgrace” (John Swenson, Bill Haley: The Daddy of Rock and Roll, p. 148). On a European tour in 1979, reports came back that he assaulted fans and disrobed onstage. He became increasingly paranoid, depressed, and psychotic as the years passed. “Police would often find him wandering aimlessly after nightfall, lost on some remote country lane, delirious, incoherent, suffering from amnesia.” He moved into the garage, painted the windows black, and installed floodlights outside to ward off imagined enemies. Even to his own children he told wild tales about being in the Marines and being a deputy sheriff, though he had never done those things. Before his death he would visit restaurants and show the waitresses and various customers his driver’s license, telling them he was Bill Haley. “He died, out of his mind, in Harlingen, Texas, on February 9, 1981” (Nick Tosches, Unsung Heroes of Rock ‘n’ Roll, p. 108). He was 55 years old.

or this:

NINA NAGEN is a German rocker who sings “about God and flying saucers in an operatic punk howl.” She says that she saw her first witch sitting under the table when she was three years old. “At age 17 she had an ‘out of the body experience’ during an acid trip, at which time (she claims) that a representative of God named Micky ‘borrowed’ the body of the non-tripping friend taking care of her. Nina and God had a talk. Since that time, Hagen’s albums and life have been filled with her version of [the Deity]” (Creem, August 1984, p. 15, cited by Jacob Aranza, More Rock, Country & Backward Masking Unmasked, p. 87).

I particularly like the source cited in that Nina Hagen one. Full list is at that link above.

Nomads DVD on the way

Big news. Munster Records (in Spain) are releasing a DVD about The Nomads, a still sporadically-functioning band that was a reference point for anyone north of the equator who was playing so-caleld garage rock in the '80s.

So great was their influence that their records also made it down to Australia and everyone from the MC5's Wayne Kramer to Dead Kennedys singer Jello Biafra has paid tribute. Here's a preview and the sage words in brogue come from Lindsay Hutton, esteemed ex-editor the the Next Big Thing zine and keeper of the blog by the same name:

Gimme Primitive and stuff

This weekend sees the return of Gimme Shelter to the Exford, as well as a special birthday- hi Myles!

While the final Primitive for 2007 is on at the Tote next week, featuring Wollongong's the Unheard, Melbourne's favorite young punks Witch Hats, and a teenage combo from Geelong, the Frowning Clouds.
I may not make it, but I hear a rumour that the people behind Gimme Shelter and Primitive crew are planning to be back early next year, and hope to kick off with a bay boat cruise. Oh yeah.

In other news this week, it's been reported and confirmed that the freehold of the Tote has been sold for a sum in the region of $3.2 million. The current lease has two more years to run, so there should be no immediate changes.

I wrote a small piece on Gonerfest for the I94 Bar about a month back: it's here if you want a look- probably worth it for some of Rich Stanley's comments alone.
Well, the party is over but there is a bunch of live sound up, including all three Australian acts. Here's some ECSR , Digger & the Pussycats and Ooga Boogas tunes, and a taste of some of the shit hot US stuff that was on offer, like Greg Cartwright and the Final Solutions , who feature Jay Reatard in their number, as well as Jay solo.
Have a listen, go here for more.

Thanks to Jack Stands for all this, and to Eric for being such a nice fella.

KN40 not far away

You can pre-order it here.

The legendary Monks make it to the movies

Apparently, a rarely-seen German documentary about original beat-punks The Monks is making it to theatrical release in Europe.

If you don't know The Monks, do yourself a favour and track them down. A bunch of G.I.s serving in Germany in the '60s, they learned to play while in the military, got de-mobbed and signed to a local record company. To stand out from the crowd, they wore habits and shaved their heads, Friar Tuck-style. And played bizarre, over-amped beat music - with banjo as a lead instrument.

Here's the German theatrical trailer. Here's hoping the doco gets wider release or makes it to DVD.

My lethality is bigger than yours

Well.
A big day of kite flying and (dare I say it) deadline busting ace music journalism today.
Finally got the Lethal Weapons piece done and squared away, and managed to avoid a potentially nasty libel suit along the way too. You can read it here, at the I94 Bar , if you so wish. I hope you do, and I hope you buy the CD as well.
This weekend I have another massive job to wrap up, so will be keeping it a bit low key. I'm taking a chance- one fave, playing with a vague acquaintance and some other folks I've never seen.

Hand Hell are launching their new album, "Phonography" at the Tote, with support from Ninety Nine, the Stabs and the Holy Rose. Sounds good to me.
On Sunday, all things being equal I will be playing a rather drunken version of croquet. Pip pip!

Paging David St Hubins

Indebted for publicist Lou Risdale for another gem, this one a very Spinal Tap 1974 interview with Uriah Heep. The only thing missing is an exploding drummer.

Back online, Antipodean Screams, etc.

Well, we are back at last.
After a fraught week of moving house, getting a black eye (don't ask) and changing net service providers. Phew.
Lots to come- in the interim, have you heard this yet?

Just out on Off The Hip, 37 storming tracks. Get some!

While you were sleeping

Things have been sort of slow on the blog lately, due to the hectic pace of things behind the scenes.

At the I-94 Bar, we're knocking into shape interviews with Dom Mariani of The Stems and Richard Lawson of the Lime Spiders, whose bands are busy on the live and album front. Also in the works, an interview with Ed Kuepper.

There's a bit of new stock in the shop (probably online in the next day or so) ahead of a re-build and a heap of giveaways on that front.

Then there's the forthcoming debut release for I-94 Bar Records, the Klondike's North 40 album "The Straight Path", featuring Chris "Klondike" Masuak of Radio Birdman, the Hitmen et al. It's away being mastered with the cover art not far away. Expect more news in three weeks or so.

Demogate Drive and The Eastern Dark

Been looking for an excuse to plug Melbourne guitarist Matt Daley's live/demo music blog Demogate Drive and here it is. Bill Gibson has given Matt's audience a compilation of live and outtake material that never made it to The Eastern Dark's posthumous "Girls On The Beach (With Cars)" album. Grab it here and have a trawl through Matt's blog for some other choice stuff.

the return of La Femme

Yes, yes, I know the Celibate Rifles are in town this weekend, playing with the Double Agents at the Corner, and, yes I know that Sixfthick are playing their last Melbourne show before their European tour at the Rob Roy, but for my money there is only one show worth going to- the return of a rejuvenated La Femme.
I never saw them live back in their heyday, so I'm really looking forward to it. More details here at the I94 Bar. If you can't make the show, at least have a listen to the recently reissued album.

Thanks to Ian & Stuart for giving me that intro para, too.

One of my favourite things from the '80s

...were The Lyres, the Boston band that arose from the disintergration of DMZ. Featuring the singular talents of Monoman on vocals and organ, here they are doing "Don't Give It Up Now".

Buried Treasure from an ex-Vicious Kitten

One of the Gray brothers, Colin - late of Vicious Kitten zine and the 1990s Aussie record label of the same name - has entered the podcast arena with a live feed of great Australian rock sounds of the '80s and '90s. Buried Treasure is a (hopefully regular) feed of the likes of Hitmen DTK (with special guest Deniz Tek), Asteroid B612, the Screaming Tribesmen, all committed to tape in glorious mono in pubs in and around Sydney. Stream or download it here, drop Col a line.

Things to do

On Friday, Us v. Them features Pets With Pets,Children Collide and Witch Hats, whose debut album, "Cellulite Soul" is now due out in January. Pushed back from September for very good reasons that don't need to be discussed here. If I had an advance copy, I wouldn't talk about that, either.
Roxanne Parlour can be hard to find-here's a flashy little map, to go with the flashy handbill:


On Saturday, Gimme Shelter hits the Exford. A garage special, apparently.



Will that do? I've got a ton of work to get through, me.

oh Suzi Q...

Hmmm, not sure what's on this weekend, but I've got a date for Monday.

3RRR and Readings are delighted to present Suzi Quatro. Join us and the infamous Suzi as she shares her stories. Her book – Unzipped tells of the good times, the bad times and the crazy times. This is a rare opportunity to meet one of the original rock chicks!

Monday 10 September, 6.30pm
3RRR Performance Space
221 Nicholson Street, Brunswick East.
Tickets $5.00, includes a glass of wine.
Tickets strictly limited, available only from Readings Carlton shop.

From her first band, the Pleasure Seekers and their classic "What A Way To Die", through to her glory years at RAK, it all sounds good to me.

Farewell Tigers

One farewell show wasn't enough for Tiger By The Tail- they are doing another one this Saturday at the Tote.

LAST EVER SHOW-Tote front bar,Saturday September 1st 5pm-7pm
Playing two sets!!! Hi one and all. Yes its true Tiger by the Tail have called it a day and hung up our collective instruments. We will be taking a break and maybe getting back together at the end of this year to record. In the meantime James and Michael are playing and touring Europe with Johnny Casino and the Secrets, Daniel is reforming the original Sailors and playing with others and solo stuff. Dave has another band (Us vs Them) in the wings featuring Cris and Ben from Warped. Who knows when they will get it together to play. Cheers for your friendship, have a good one! the Tiges!

I'll miss them.

Constructing Fear and other entertainment

Aah, things are slowly getting back on an even keel round these parts.

On Friday afternoon I stopped by Missing Link Records to catch short in-store sets by the Stabs and the Straight Arrows. The Stabs played a good half hour or so of excellent all new material- they are heading out on tour soon, too. The Straight Arrows were running late, or had technical problems, or something, but managed a slamming twenty minutes of shit-hot garage punk.

On Saturday we got political. Well, a bit political anyway- Melbourne film maker Joe Loh has made a documentary about the recent changes to the law that oversee unions on building sites. Or, as the film's official site puts it: A documentary exposing the activity of an industrial inquisition targeting building workers across Australia. “Constructing Fear” shows how these workers are the front line in an attack on civil liberties that has implications for every Australian.
It was showing at ACMI, for only $10.00, and the ticket also got you into Cherry Bar later in the evening, for a show featuring Dynamo and Eddy Current Suppression Ring, who both contributed music to the soundtrack. The place was packed of course, with an odd mix of old school union types and the young ubercool. Both bands were fantastic. The song ECSR recorded for the documentary, "Devil's Demands", is available for free download from the site above, by the way, as is the film itself.

Anyway, I've got to get back to work on that Lethal Weapons feature mentioned below. Here's a bit of a taster- an eyewitness account by someone who was there at the time, and is still active in music today:

In the end it was a storm in a teacup. Suicide quickly dissolved, Mushroom retaining only the Teenage Radio Stars (who would later morph into The Models) and The Boys Next Door, who finished one album in which Mushroom were totally disinterested and were let loose to develop into The Birthday Party. All the bands moved on to the next stage of development and the scene flourished, particularly in Melbourne where it reached a kind of artistic peak from 1979 through to 1983.
Ironically the experience firmed our resolve about such issues and we proceeded to be staunchly independent for over 20 years, never again working with the Australian Music Industry.

You'll just have to wait to find out who that's from.

Saintly thoughts on a war with the Church

SBSTV (translation if you're overseas: the state and partially-commercially-funded TV network where English may not be the first language spoken) in Australia recently broadcast a documentary on the recording of the first Saints album. It was a mixed bag, with no real linear focus that didn't say much new. It did, however, feature some spiffing interview footage with the boys that I hadn't stumbled across before.


Last weekend, Ed Kuepper used his myspace to let looose a few thoughts on the whole package. No Ed, others did notice the lack of authentic soundtrack underneath the live footage from Paddington Town Hall (billed as "Live at THE Town Hall" - wtf?) and I'm still wondering why Jeffrey Weggener was billed merely as "a friend" of the band when he was one of the original drumers. Anyway, here's Ed's thoughts if you're not myspace equipped:

Saturday, August 25, 2007

some reflections on the saints doco

Watched the tele doco on the saints the other week, which as you all know was part of the greatest music of all eternity series. I felt a funny mixture of pride and slight unease when it finished and it was touching to see so many artists speak so freely and enthusiastically about my old band, especially when you consider no one had to pay them.

Anyway, after a couple of cigarettes, a glass of single malt and a few moments of quite reflection, I put it back into the past, where it probably belongs, and promptly forgot about it.

Then some days later, out of the blue the missus happened to stumble upon steve kilbeys blog about said doco and called out to me '' 'ere luv! It's lookin' like some blokes puttin' shit on yew an' yer good old mates'. The 'vibes' I picked up from her comment were so terrible and unnerving gentle readers, it was as if a lightning bolt had exploded smack dab into the heart of my carefully tended garden of inner tranquility.

I have to confess, I was initially inspired to write something in reply to his observations, but decided in the end, that arguing the validity or otherwise, of my old high school band was not going to be the basis of my first ever blog.

Anyone's entitled to an opinion I guess.

I also have to confess i didn't like much of that tepid, neatly anal little eighth-note, mincey 'new wave/new romantic' stuff that came into fashion a few years after the saints split, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised if its keenest adherents and their advocates, aren't too enamoured of me and my slightly more rough and tumble musical approach... but enough of that and onto the documentary itself.

I thought it was fairly good as an overall account- sure it didn't deal with everything, but then it was only 50 minutes long, and even I'm not that much interested in all the sordid goings on after the band split anymore.

It was good seeing the live footage again after all these years, though at times i did feel like i was watching my son on stage, which made me wish I could have given my younger self some good advice about certain things/people and their devious ways etc etc, but to be honest, I probably wouldn't have listened or believed it at the time anyway.

It did also become apparent that the original saints must be one of the most undocumented bands in the history of rock'n'roll. Hardly any photos, recordings and no videos exist of the three years prior to 1976.

I know we were even uglier than The Who but still....anyway I guess the people that did care about the band in those days were either too broke to afford the gear, or just not together enough... anyway those were different times certainly [kudos here to both Joe Borkowski and Tony Forde for their foresight]

The producers however made good use of the limited footage they had access to. It was a shame they couldn't get clearance for actual audio of the live radio birdman video footage they used.
Still, they managed to cover it ok with the snippet of instrumental saints stuff that they added under it - but it did strike me as funny because back in the day i thought the two bands sounded completely different, still do really. Anyway it's a small point and it was just a few seconds- besides I'm probably the only pedantic bastard that noticed

As an aside, I didn't like much contemporary stuff in those days but I did think radio birdman were a great live band and our only serious competition at the time.

Two things about the doco though....

Firstly, i was a bit disappointed that there was no contemporary interview with Ivor Hay,

Maybe Ivor declined to be involved for reasons of his own– I don't know- he is doing a roaring trade in environmentally friendly coffins these days, anyway i do think he would have added a valuable perspective.

Ivor was in it from the very start and was crucial to holding the band together, having at various times played piano, bass and drums- whatever was required really. Whenever we had problem keeping a fourth member, which was a lot of the time, Ivor would fill the vacant position.
Anyway it's questionable whether we would have lasted long enough to record without him.

Secondly, and a minor point maybe but I'll make it anyway because I am so pedantic, was the description of Jeff Wegener as 'friend' in the subtitle under his brief interview spot. I wonder who came up with that.

Jeffrey, for those of you not aware of this, was one of the earliest drummers in the Saints at a time when Ivor was playing bass. I remember this quite clearly as in fact it was i who encouraged him to take up the instrument and taught him how to play before of course, turning around, and heartlessly kicking him out of said band after we had a philosophical discussion about whether drummers should, or should not bother to turn up to rehearsals .

This is the deal folks, I've been friends [as have the others in the band naturally] but I've also been enemies with Jeff over the years, and I thought he should have had a more informative credit than 'friend'.

It kind of made him sound like the mate that helps carry the gear, buys you smokes when you're broke or listens to your problems when you're down.

Don't get me wrong, I really like those kinds of friends, but let me assure you oh wide- eyed and bushy- tailed innocent readers… Jeff doesn't actually do any of those things.

He does however work with/for me again these days, did play with Rowland Howard in the Young Charlatans, was a founding member of Laughing Clowns [the worlds greatest jazz punkers who didn't play jazz or punk], did a stint with Nick Cave in the Birthday Party and even played briefly in a later version of the Saints.

Admittedly, he has had long periods of musical inactivity due to personal stuff, but is still recognized as one of the more innovative/unique drummers around the place by those folk who listen out for that type of thing, and don't have their own axe to grind of course.

For instance musicians as diverse as Jim White from Dirty Three and Lindy Morrison of Go-betweens fame acknowledge him as a major influence. From my own perspective he can be both musically astute and literate, and in full flight is one of the most err …'kick-ass' drummers I've seen. He can even be engaging company when he's not totally insane, or driving me so.

Anyway, that'll be fifty bucks ,thanks Jeff

Ed Kuepper 24/8/07

So, for the record here's Steve Kilbey's blog entry that caused the Kueppers some mild annoyance:

i dont know what you want
its not even 8 oclock in the morning here
sunday morning coming down fast above you
i need to write something though
and fast
all day n night my mind is bubbling over with ideas...
muse : just show us the good ones
i watch show on the saints
except for one good song..
what a bloody awful racket!
and how amazingly like lord byron bailey speaks
muse : have you actually ever heard lord byron?
no, but i bet he sounded like bailey
ed was lugubrious as usual
wry and lofty
what strange rockstars these 2 were...
damo lovelock waxes v. enthusiastic
even nicky cave wades in with his top drawer praise
to hear these guys talk
youd think the saints were like
guitar weilding tchaikovskys or somethin'
opening up some huge new possibility in life
bobby forster
a man of impeccable taste i guess
goes so over the top
with his descriptions
of the 1st time he heard im stranded
electric pulsations going up his feet and spine
leaving him prostrate breathless
at this stage i says to the wife
an' you thought i was over-enthusiastic last week......?!
bradley sheppard from the goo-roos
is mystified by its eternal punk enigma
look the list goes on...
but what im really thinking
cos the saints
i admit to not understanding
in the parlance of shallow hollywoodesque cant
i dont get it
i didnt then
i still dont
i dont hate em either
theyre just outside my sphere of reference
(i used to have prehistoric sounds and it was ok)
and it occurs to me
that richard n marty both played with bailey
at different stages
but one thing you gotta admit
is that the saints had that raw sound
before most others
in the middle of the very confused 1970s
they were no namby pamby glam turkey like moi
i guess i jumped straight over punk
from glam to psychedelic comeback
in one fell swoop
like a knight on the chessboard
arriving at different places unexpectedly
actually i watch saints show
to re evaluate whether i would like staff-ish on there
is it a classic australian album album?
do i want a load of lumineries saying how great it was?
muse: i'd say so....
do i want to be on there raving on about myself?
muse : i bet you do....
do i want a load of mega successful hipsters
saying how they nicked everything from starfish?
muse: you might want it...but it aint gonna happen...
and you have no control
there i'll be
in a shiny empty recording studio somewhere
oooh look doris...its steve fucking kilbey
oh boris...he looks like one of the nine mortal kings
i dont like that silly beard
hes got a good suntan though boris
oh look there he is when he was still glamourous(sigh)
i wish hed stop going on about himself.......
......and saying all those big words
....and comparing himself to his betters
.....and smirking....god thats annoying
...and touching the silly beard
.....and dropping in foreign phrases like zeitgeist n je ne sais quoi
.....and looking bemused and self satisfied
.....clearing his throat before weighty pronouncements
.....rubbing his hands together smugly
.....long rambling answers full of tedious details
.....putting on his english n australian accents, i mean, which is it?
....hey doris
what boris?
the shows over
damn!
i wanted to hear that one good song!
which ones that ?
you know la la la dah dah
oh yeah
the one they did in that tv show
thats right
i wanted to hear what he said about that....
why wouldya.?...itll just demystify it for ya, dear...
ah youre right doris
youre so right

Yes, I'm afraid the entire Kilbey blog is written like a haiku with loose bowels.

At least the double CD of Church singles I'm spinning today is more coherrent(although some of the early lyrics still smack of Verlaine worship.)