Recommended listening.

This guy is indeed a goddamn legend, and it's great to see him clock up a milestone like this.


Neil Rogers Anniversary Special
Celebrating 25 years of supporting Australian music on The Australian Mood

A legend in Australian public radio, Neil Rogers celebrates 25 years of broadcasting an Australian music show on January 31, 2008. Tune in to Triple R for a three hour special featuring live performances from some fantastic Australian acts including Perry Keyes, Liz Stringer, The Darling Downs and Harem Scarem.

The Australian Mood showcases the best in local and Australian music playing both new releases and retrospective work. Over his 25 years of broadcasting there would be few Australian bands Neil Rogers hasn’t interviewed. His passion for Australian music has seen him involved in broadcasting, events, touring bands, managing bands including the Cosmic Psychos and playing bass himself for 15 years in The Bo Weevils.

You've got to love a DJ whose playlists range from the Lizard Train to Lisa Miller.
Available via streaming from 3RRR, Thursday 31st January, 7.00 til 10.00pm local time, for those of you who are out of town.

The old rogue.

I've mentioned Nick Cave here a couple of times previously.
By an interesting coincidence, the same week as I was considering going to the current exhibition on his life and works at the Arts Centre here in Melbourne, I was also doing some digging through the Honeysuckle archives- a vast underground complex, under a hillside in a secret location somewhere on the edge of town.
And I found this:

Hmm, they all look very young there.
Keith Glass, of Missing Link Records, gave me a few of these promo shots years ago. I got this signed after a show one night- at either the Ballroom or at Hearts, I can't quite recall. And I'm not sure why Mick Harvey signed it left handed, either. And no, it's not for sale- it's been framed and is now hanging up in my house.
I also found a couple of other interesting bits and pieces- more to come.

Greatest (non-blog) hits, part 1

Hello.
Here's something I wrote a few years back, for my good friends at Pyssedas Heavy Industrial.
It's the itinerary for the Melbourne- well, South Melbourne- leg of the Great Intercontinental Pub Crawl.
They run this every year- click that link to sign up for 2008.
Anyway, here it is.

1-Palmerston Hotel- cnr Kingsway & Palmerston Cres.
In the early 1860s Lord Palmerston amassed a fortune importing the famous “parmesan” cheese, which still bears his name, to Melbourne - this pub is a fitting tribute to a great man. Not to be confused with the Pink Palace, across Kingsway (which offers a "Saturday Special $49.00 nude hand relief", if you are running early).

2-Rising Sun Hotel- cnr. Eastern Rd & Palmerston Cres.
A taste of Deep South Melbourne in the famous House of the Rising Sun! The only things you will need are a suitcase and a trunk, apparently. Sin and misery on tap.

3-Cricket Club- cnr. Clarendon St. & Thompson St.
Memorabilia galore to admire here, where the Don used to come to get blotto and fight after every MCG Test Match. Important- actual crickets, grasshoppers, locusts etc NOT welcome in the front bar.

4-Lewis’ Emerald Hill Hotel- cnr. Clarendon St. & Raglan St.
A short walk down the yellow brick road of Clarendon St. to the Emerald. This is a quiet old-school boozer, so no mucking round. Drink up and get out. Now. You’re barred, the lot of you.

5-Limerick Arms- cnr. Clarendon St. & Park St.
A pause to compose a special Intercontinental Pub Crawl limerick. Or at least a rousing song, perhaps to the tune of the Spongebob Squarepants theme, which we can sing/bellow for the rest of the crawl.

6- Town Hall Hotel- cnr. Moray St. & Bank St.
This place has somehow slipped downhill from its original position and is now nowhere near the Town Hall! What's the story? 10 points for each correct answer, judges' decision final.

7-Bell’s Hotel & Brewery- cnr. Moray St. & Coventry St.
Huzzah for Bells Brewery, where they make the scotch! Och aye, laddie, we'll have a wee dram the noo...what? Oh. Sorry, no, apparently this is where beautiful beers are brewed by intelligent women, and vice versa. Dream on fellas!

8-Maori Chief- cnr. Moray St. & York St.
Nothing to report. Sorry.

9- Golden Gate- cnr. Clarendon St. & Coventry St.
Just how did a pub in Melbourne get named after a bridge in San Francisco? It’s a long, sorry tale, involving a gullible landlord and a fast talking American conman with a bogus title deed in his pocket. And a suicide. Don’t dwell on it.

10-George Hotel- cnr. Coventry St. & Cecil St.
Windows could do with a clean. Looks like a good place to stop and watch a bit of footy. Also has pub TAB for horse tragics.

11-Market Inn - cnr. Cecil & York St.
Another in the "Pubs of the Commonwealth" series, this is mainly English-ish, due to the current plague of backpackers. Why are there no Canadian or South African theme pubs? Don't those guys drink or something? Discuss.


12- Southern Cross, cnr. Cecil St. & Market St.
The antique Haig’s ad on the wall gives this ageing bloodpit a raffish air. Despite the chic new umbrellas & cafe seating outside, don't linger after dark.

Then onto tram 112 up Clarendon St. and into the city for the grand finale/vomiting etc.

13- International Backpackers, cnr. Flinders St & Spencer St.
Bit optional this one- but anyway, after avoiding hideous decapitation at the helipad, why not slip in here for a cheeky $2.00 pot? They also run a backpackers’ job agency here, so your dream career in apple picking or IT temping may be just around the corner.

14- Waterside Hotel, cnr. Flinders St & King St.
Ah, if these walls could talk…they would spout a load of toothless drunken gibberish, probably. Recently renovated, and now said to be murderer free.

15- the Joint, cnr. Elizabeth St. & Flinders Lane.
Last one standing is crowned Drunkard of the Year, and moves into the semi finals. Huzzah! Enter chorus, all sing "It's A Small World After All", curtains close.

Details:
Start- 12.00pm at the Palmerston. Trams 3, 5, 8, 16, 64, 67 & 72 from the city all stop at Domain Interchange, a block away. Don't be late.
Melways map ref. 2K H3

Timing- ½ an hour per pub. No arguments, no time wasting. Get in, get one down you, then get cracking, we have a long way to go today.

Food- you will need to eat something. Most locals seem to exist on a diet of focaccia & coffee, but there are many other options. The famous South Melbourne Market dim sim is in season, and is easily caught using a net or the traditional blowpipe & dart. All the pubs to be visited offer expensive potato chips in ridiculous flavours like gingered oyster or goat cheese & ketchup. There is also a pie shop. Remember that citrus fruits are illegal south of the Yarra.


salut!

Gig of the Year (so far)

One show only so don't expect to see this happen outside Sydney. Expect a few surprises along the way too. Did we mention the I-94 Bar is co-presenting with Lenny Flotski?

Nothing Grows In Texas

Rumours are afoot that the Sacred Cowboys may be playing out live in Australia again in the near future. The last visitation was Victoria dates only and hopes are high they'll make it further afield. 

"Cold Harvest" - an updated collection of their best stuff with the odd new recording thrown in - is out on Spanish label Bang! and well worth hunting down. 

Meanwhile, here's this clip of "Nothing Grows In Texas" for your viewing pleasure. 

NP: Died Pretty and Small Faces

Died Pretty's classic breakthrough "Doughboy Holiday" has been spending some time on the CD rotel at the I-94 Bar lately, as part of a swot to prepare for an interview with the always entertaining Ronnie Peno.

If you haven't heard, DP are back for the Don't Look Back series of retrospective festival shows, reprising "Doughboy" with that album's line-up.

There's no doubt "Doughboy" deserves its place as a classic amalgam of rock and roll, pop and psychedelica. DP had been growing as a live act in leaps and bounds, but this long player clearly placed them at the forefront of the Australian underground. Hugh Jones' production is strong and was friendly enough to grab radio airplay. The melodies in the best songs were arguably the band's best yet and of course the album spawned "D.C.", a masterpiece (although "Godbless" was my pick.)

The Peno piece is upcoming at the Bar this week, otherwise here are the DP dates. They're going out in tandem with Ed Kuepper who will reprise his own ARIA-winning breakthrough, the shimmering "Honey Steel's Gold".

Friday Feb 8th: Sydney - Enmore Theatre *

Ticketek: Online - www.ticketek.com.au or phone - 132 849.
Also online from www.enmoretheatre.com.au
Or in person at the Enmore Theatre box office
Ticket price: $ 55.40
(includes GST and booking fees - some transaction fees may apply)
* Also appearing Ed Kuepper performing Honey Steels Gold

Saturday Feb 9th: Brisbane - Tivoli *

Online: www.ticketek.com.au or phone: 132 849.
Online from: feelpresents.oztix.com.au
Plus Rocking Horse record store
Ticket price: $ 49.40
(includes GST and booking fees - some transaction fees may apply)
* Also appearing Ed Kuepper performing Honey Steels Gold

Thursday Feb 14th: Adelaide - The Gov
Venue-tix: Online www.venuetix.com.au or ph: 8225 8888
Direct from The Gov - phone: 8340 0744
Ticket price: $ 40.00 + booking fee

Friday 15th: Melbourne - The Forum

Online: www.ticketek.com.au or phone: 132 849
Ticket price: $ 52.50
(includes GST and booking fees - some transaction fees may apply)
* Also appearing Ed Kuepper performing Honey Steels Gold

Saturday Feb 16th: Fremantle - Fly By Night

Online: www.bocsticketing.com.au
Or BOCS ticketing - phone: (08) 9484 1133
Ticket price: $ 40.00 + booking fee

So what's this got to do with the Small Faces? Not much other than the fact that their Snapper Records re-issue of "Ogden's Nut Gone Flake" has been jostling with "Doughboy Hollow" for CD player time.

I scored the CD re-issue overseas last year and it underlines what a great band the Small Faces became around about this time. Nobody in England in 1967 – other than maybe The Kinks – did this rural-tinged, whimsical but rocking stuff so well. With the Small Faces, you had the bonus of Steve Marriott's distinctive, blues-schooled and turbocharged soul pipes.

History should be kind to the Small Faces but they sort of get lost in the wash. The bulk of the band went and teamed with Woodie and Old Rooster Hair and became The Faces; Steve went onto Humble Pie- and then off-the-rails. (I was going to say Marriott was a combustible character till I remembered he died in a house-fire.)

Of course "Itchycoo Park" spawned a whole crop of people over-using flanging as a production effect, but nobody's legacy is perfect. The Snapper re-ish includes 14 bonus tracks, out-numbering the original cuts by a good way. If you're going to do a re-ish, re-master it properly and give people extras as another compelling reason to buy it.

Klondike is Next Big Thing in Scotland

At the risk of wearing out the welcome, here's a review of the Klondike's North 40 album that had to be shared because it's so good. The author is Lindsay Hutton from Scotland, who used to run the wonderful Next Big Thing zine from the '70s/'80s. He now blogs here:


Klondike’s North 40 – The Straight Path (I-94 Bar)

The esteemed Antipodean info-portal is now a label and what better way to kick off such a venture than with Chris Masuak’s current outfit. I know that most of you folks of a certain vintage are familiar with this guy’s guitar slinging prowess. However, there may be readers that fell by here by accident so let’s address that possibility. Chris is the Australian Ross The Boss and Scott Kempner sort of rolled into one. His work with The Hitmen (Shock has just reissued two sets to prove it) and Radio Birdman is the stuff of legend. Heck, he was even on the Manitoba’s Wild Kingdom album. We’re not dealing with chopped liver here.

Several generations of rock’n’roll kudos are wrapped up in all this. Old and in the way but positively bustling with that trademark stringbending. “Recipe for Disaster” takes place in the good old Four Winds bar. A tale of a bona fide catastrophe. “The Straight Path” is a head-banging example of a man wearing his indulgences well. It might introduce younger folks to these at the same time as it pushes the buttons for those of us who miss those rolls in the thunder. BOC fans will find much to transport them back to their old haunt. Screamin’ dizbuster cocktails all round.

The place where this would work most effectively is presumably in a club, louder than hell in a churchlike environment. The surf/metal cut and shut of “Gershwin May Consider” is a prime example of what is and always shall be the holy grail of our raison d'être here at this cyber rag.

Cate's husband's Radio playlist Appears

You probably Cate Blanchette’s name better than that of her husband, playwright Andrew Upton, who’s working with his missus as co-director of the Sydney Theatre Company.

But did you know he was interviewed on Australia’s national ABC Classical Radio recently and 'fessed up that his favourite band of all time was Radio Birdman?

Here's the playlist for his interview:

Blind Willie McTell - Bob Dylan
Preludes and Fugues: Fugue No 4 in E minor - Konstantin Schubakov
Alabama - John Coltrane
Aloha Steve and Danno - Radio Birdman
The Sorrowful Wife - Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds

Guess the Dylan song was a no-brainer, considering his missus has played him on-screen.

"Chicks fucking dig us"

Happy New Year etc.

No, they’re not the Vines (these guys are from Melbourne and the plea has run in lots of forums, not just that one) but this is a band that obviously has no shame when they run a Help Wanted ad like this.

Chicks fucking love them, dig?

Q. Where would we be without the Internet?

A. Laughing at photocopied ads just like this on the noticeboard at Phantom Records.