All hail.

Crazy times in the daytime right now. I'm just glad that today's earthquake didn't turn out to be much.
Anyway, I'll be looking for some downtime this weekend. Like this:

Howard was a founding member of Crime & The City Solution, These Immortal Souls and Pink Stainless Tail, as well as stepping in on occasional Birthday Party guitar duty. True to his pedigree, he will be backed by Dave Graney and Clare Moore who are “back in post-punk mode”. Supports by Stu Thomas (The Surrealists) and Bad Orchestra. Cost: $7 on the door.

Although, despite some questionable aims, as a stand-alone show, this has it's charms, too:

Mainly because I plan to throw Tim Rogers in the lion cage while the lights are out. Naah, just kiddin'.

Competition.

There's some stiff competition for your attention this Saturday.
At Pony, Spitfire Parade are simultaneously launching their debut album...and splitting up.

Which seems to me an odd way of going about things, but there you go. Support from YIS, Deep Where All Drown and the Sunday Reeds.

But then again... Kim Salmon and the Surrealists are taking an ATP-style run through their 1988 album "Hit Me With The Surreal Feel", over at the Northcote Social Club. And that has supports from Sydney's Holy Soul, as well as Witch Hats, who are playing their last show for a while.

For a change of pace on Sunday, the National Gallery of Victoria is hosting a "Last Day Of Summer" show. Being broadcast live on RRR, it features Henry Wagon, Beaches, Crayon Fields and Ned Collette & Wirewalker. And it's free.

Slow coach.

Well, it's been a while- their launch tour for "The Rise And Fall Of Goodtown" started back on 8th May- but I am finally catching the excellent Wagons for the first time since summer on Friday night.

The Oakleigh Bowls Club may not be the hippest place in town, but it's friendly, cosy (only 240 capacity, all sold out) and cheap. "Goodtown" is a great record, too, by the way- but don't just take my word for it.

And then on Saturday, there's this, at the Corner Hotel:

Please join Charles Jenkins and The Zhivagos for the
Blue Atlas Winter Ball, an epic night of entertainment as we welcome our special guests Clare Bowditch, Rebecca Barnard, Anna Burley, Abby Dobson, Spencer P Jones, Davey Lane,Tim Rogers, Ron Peno, Kerri Simpson, Cal and Van Walker along with the Blue Atlas Strings performing songs from the Charles Jenkins and the Zhivagos magnum opus "Blue Atlas".

Although I have an awful feeling that at a mere $20, that's sold out too.

If you have nothing to do on Sunday, why not head over to the Old Bar for their monthly garage sale? Admission is free, you can drink a couple of $10 jugs, and buy some crap that someone else is trying to get rid of.

God knows I still haven't listened to the four $1.00 CDs I got there last month.

Stuffed

Well, if I was a hot-rodding type, I'd be heading out of town this weekend, up to Newstead for this:

The idea of seeing the Hatchets, Ninetynine, Paper Planes, Bulls and the Stabs play outdoors, at night, with the kind of crowd I'm (perhaps lazily) assuming will go this is very, very tempting. But I'm not. So, moving on...

The Espy will be packed on Friday, and not just with an early crop of English backpackers. In the front bar, you can catch Deaf Wish, Brisbane's Vegas Kings, Kids Of Zoo and Pistons Misfire, with DJ Sam Kamikaze (aka Sam Agostino, of Kamikaze Trio & Digger and The Pussycats) before after and probably during the bands. And that's all free. While out in the Gershwin Room, you can see the Cosmic Psychos, the Spazzys, GUT and Mammoth Mammoth for a measly $10.00. $10.00!

Something tells me that hallway carpet is going to take a pounding.

Across town, at a newish place called Yah Yahs, Crystal Thomas and the Flowers Of Evil are launching their (excellent) debut CD:

It's at 99 Smith St. Fitzroy, and apparently is pretty OK. Supports from the Stu Thomas Paradox & Andrew McCubbin and the Hope Addicts. And as you can see, they'll be launching in Sydney and Adelaide over the net few weeks, too.

On Saturday I may go to this ridiculous thing:

which is on at Birrarung Marr, and sees a bank celebrate it's 150th birthday by sponsoring a half-arsed, semi-arty and patronisingly indigenously-themed mini festival in a park. But the awesome Wagons are throwing in a half hour set, so it may be worth a quick look.

Four way action weekend

There's a lot going on.

On Friday, The Double Agents play a farewell show at Cherry before heading off on their second European tour.

The Double Agents are bidding farewell to their beloved Oz, as they head off on their second sojourn to Europe in early June. Taking a stellar new line-up, regulars Dave Butterworth, Kim Walvisch and Chris Loughtman will be joined by Callum John Barter(Ancient Free Gardeners) on the skins and Dave Larkin (yes, he of Dallas Crane infamy) on bass guitar. Playing their blistering brand of garage country swamp in one final Melbourne show before heading to France, Holland, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Italy & Belgium, the tour will also celebrate the vinyl release of their last album “Seemed Like A Good Idea…” on prestigious French label Beast Records. Dave Larkin kicks off the evening with a solo slot before The Agents smack you across the face with a set (or two). ‘Tis an early show - done and dusted by 11:30pm. Expect their usual bar-rattlin’ shenanigans as well as a raffle of rare and unique Double Agents memorabilia to help raise touring funds.

See? It's an early show. So a bit later on Friday night, you can probably make it across town to see Sydney's Johnny Casino bring his Secrets to Bar Open in Fitzroy for a one-off freebie with the Shimmys and Midnight Woolf.

This is an opportunity that's impossible to pass up- did I mention it was free? Here's some YouTube of them doing "Cowboys And Indians" to whet your appetite, if you need it.
Then on Saturday, there's are two more excellent lineups. At Ding Dong:

Rowland's stick insect silhouette is a familiar enough sight around certain parts of town, but I haven't seen him play live for ages. And he's playing with Kes, too. I really shouldn't have to say any more- this is guaranteed to be intriguing, and entertaining.

BUT there's stiff competition from the Espy, where you can see Dave Graney & the Coral Snakes with the almighty Wagons, who are headlining if the relative sizes of the band names on the Espy's gig guide wall is anything to go by:

That's for free too, by the way. And no, I don't know who that bloke is.
Finally, on Sunday, there's an open day at St.Kilda police station in Chapel St., from 10.00 til 3.00, if you fancy it. All sorts of entertainment is planned- but I just want to see if my phone number is still scratched into the wall of womens' cell number three.

This (Easter) weekend

Apart from my usual annual Lindt binge, I think it'll be pretty quiet. There's that Witch Hats LP launch previously mentioned, and I may try to catch Wagons at Young & Jacksons on Sunday. They're playing for free, between 3.00pm & 6.00pm, if Henry and co. can figure out the dress requirements. I mean, they wouldn't want to show Chloe up.


















Next week, though, they will be starting their "Lightning Strikes Twice" tour. Tour dates in full:

Sun March 30: The Retreat, Melbourne

Wed April 2: Electric Light Hotel, Adelaide

Thu April 3: Edinburgh Castle, Adelaide

Fri April 4: The Pub, Bendigo

Sat April 5: National Hotel, Geelong

Wed April 9: Oxford Tavern, Wollongong

Thu April 10: Brass Monkey, Cronulla

Fri April 11: Woodport Inn, Erina

Sat April 12: Hopetoun Hotel, Sydney

Sun April 13: Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay

Thu April 17: Shark Bar, Miami Tavern, Gold Coast

Fri April 18: Bon Amici's, Toowoomba

Sat April 19: Sol Bar, Coolum Beach, Sunshine Coast

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!