Spring Tones

SPRING TONES

This should be a good day, totally worth going

Here's how it'll go:

Front Stage

6.45pm-7.15pm Woollen Kits - (buy their 7" you jerks!)
7.35pm-8.05pm Super Wild Horses (buy their 7" you jerks!)
8.25pm-9.05pm Ducktails
9.25pm-10.05pm Aleks & The Ramps
10.25pm-11.05pm Bachelorette
11.35pm-12.10am The UV Race (buy their LP you jerks!)
12.30am-1.10am The Dacios (buy their new cd you jerks!)

Back Stage

7.15pm-7.45pm Rat Vs Possum
8.05pm-8.45pm Songs
9.05pm-9.45pm Tiny Vipers
10.05pm-10.45pm Love Of Diagrams (buy their new cd you jerks!)
11.05pm-11.55pm Vivian Girls
12.15am-1am St Helens

Snowflake Room

8.30pm-9.10pm The French
9.30pm-10.10pm Children Of The Wave
10.30pm-11.10pm Mark Barrage
11.30pm-12.10pm Aoi
12.30am Hawnay Troof (this should be cool, Vice Cooler from XBXRX)

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In other news the new UV Race LP has just come out.

Melbourne people: Missing Link Records

Sydney people: Repressed Records

Spring Tones

SPRING TONES

This should be a good day, totally worth going

Here's how it'll go:

Front Stage

6.45pm-7.15pm Woollen Kits - (buy their 7" you jerks!)
7.35pm-8.05pm Super Wild Horses (buy their 7" you jerks!)
8.25pm-9.05pm Ducktails
9.25pm-10.05pm Aleks & The Ramps
10.25pm-11.05pm Bachelorette
11.35pm-12.10am The UV Race (buy their LP you jerks!)
12.30am-1.10am The Dacios (buy their new cd you jerks!)

Back Stage

7.15pm-7.45pm Rat Vs Possum
8.05pm-8.45pm Songs
9.05pm-9.45pm Tiny Vipers
10.05pm-10.45pm Love Of Diagrams (buy their new cd you jerks!)
11.05pm-11.55pm Vivian Girls
12.15am-1am St Helens

Snowflake Room

8.30pm-9.10pm The French
9.30pm-10.10pm Children Of The Wave
10.30pm-11.10pm Mark Barrage
11.30pm-12.10pm Aoi
12.30am Hawnay Troof (this should be cool, Vice Cooler from XBXRX)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In other news the new UV Race LP has just come out.

Melbourne people: Missing Link Records

Sydney people: Repressed Records

A good night, a good cause.

Hmm, there's a bit of a tussle for show of the week this weekend.
On Saturday, Sin City, Sixfthick and X are at the Corner. The combined power of these three will probably demolish the place, and at only $17.00, it's a bargain.

HOWEVER, that may leave you too hungover to do the right thing on Sunday, and head along to the Tote for the "Hold Hands!" public radio benefit.

A bunch of local labels- Mistletone, Unstable Ape , Chapter Music, Sensory Projects and others have combined to put together a massive bill of acts, with all proceeds going to support public radio stations in both Melbourne and Sydney- sorry, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth & Canberra. Merch and CDs from all the labels will be available. There is also soup involved. It all kicks off around 3.00pm.

Back with a big one.

I was prodded back into action by the massive guilt trip my mate Carbie accidentally laid on me last week. You don't really need to know the details- suffice to say that when someone who had recently read the whole of Last Tram in a single sitting asked me why it's not up to date, I blushed. Yes, blushed. Anyway...there's a massive weekend on offer, if you want it.

The Applecore festival, back in February, was great. Now comes the follow up- a live CD featuring all the bands who played is being launched over two nights at the Old Bar. That handbill is a bit out of date. In particular, Brisbane's amazing Do The Robot have been added to the line up, which now looks like this:

Friday, June 26
8.00 - 8.40 - Teeth & Tongue 9.00 - 9.40 - New Estate 10.00 - 10.40 - Thought Creature 11.00 - 11.40 - Actor SlashModel 12.00 - 12.40 - Deloris

Saturday, June 27
12.20 - 1.00 - Graveyard Train 11.20 - 12.00 - Super Wild Horses 10.30 - 11.00 - Rational Accademy 9.30 - 10.10 - Deadbeat Club 8.40 - 9.10 - Elizabeth Pistol Club 7.50 - 8.20 - Dead Forest Index 7.00 - 7.30 - Kid Sam 6.00 - 6.40 - Grand Salvo 5.10 - 5.40 - Milk Teddy
4.10 - 4.50 - Brother Man Dude Show 3.20 - 3.50 - Geoff O'Conner 2.30 - 3.00 - Do The Robot

Friday night is $10 and Saturday is $15. 100 CDs will be available each day/night for $2.

Sadly, Saturday clashes with the latest Mistletone Records extravagnaza- Castle Tones, which is on all over the Edinburgh Castle in Sydney Rd. Moreland:



Hmm, that's a bit pastel. But you get the idea.

If you have the energy on Sunday, there's a bit of a houseparty going on in the afternoon:


The Straight Arrows and Dead Farmers are pretty much guaranteed to make you late for work on Monday, or the very least ensure you show up with your ears ringing.

AMPivalent.

The time is nearing for the announcement of this year's Australian Music Prize winner. And that's all there is apparently- an announcement, due to made on Friday. I haven't seen anything about any sort of actual ceremony.
While the short list looks interesting:
Apocalypso – The Presets
Beaches – Beaches
Havilah – The Drones
In Ghost Colours – Cut Copy
Jungle Blues – CW Stoneking
Love Is Gone – Jack Ladder
Presque Vu – Tom Cooney
Primary Colours – Eddy Current Suppression Ring
Sympathy For the New World – Ross McLennan
they still leave me cold for some reason. Is it the lack of anything other than cold hard cash as recognition? The rumours of big-name politics behind the scenes? Their continuing failure to make any meaningful impact in the mainstream? I'm not sure. The Drones seemed to have parlayed their 2005 win into something, though I think that's more down to them, really.
Whatever. I hope ECSR win, though I expect to be disappointed.

Hell Summer.

...in more ways than one. Following on from my recent trip to Sydney, this week my day job had me spending some time up in the bushfire-affected area north of town. You know, I had always thought "scorched earth" was just a phrase. I know better now.
But enough of that.
Sadly, an impending relocation by guitarist/vocalist Kirsty Stegwazi means Melbourne scene veterans Hand Hell are calling it a day this week, with a final show at the Old Bar on Friday.

They were great at last week's Applecore festival. Get down if you can.

Speaking of festivals, the Summertones roadshow hits town this weekend:

Mistletone is one of the best labels in town, with a wide roster of local and international acts. As well as being great value, (that's what, 28 acts for $35?) this should be pretty special. I understand they will be taking over the entire Espy for the day. Rumours of a shuttle bus fleet to help Fitzroy coolsie scum find their way south to St. Kilda proved to be untrue, however.

If for some unknown reason you don't fancy that, well, Rosie Westbrook and the Leisuremasters are playing around the corner at Pure Pop Records, at 3.00 and 4.00pm respectively.

I have no idea about Sunday, but I do have Monday off, so no doubt some sort of shenanigans will be had.

A Pink Christmas.

A big line up at the Tote on Friday, when Stained Circles present a Deaf Christmas. Deaf Wish, the Pink Fits, Useless Children and more, with a BBQ thrown in, for only $12.00

I caught Useless Children last week at Roxanne- they are a bit awesome.

The mighty Fits are doing a couple of other shows while they are in town- and on Saturday afternoon, they may well prove to be the loudest thing to hit the Pure Pop backyard yet, before they head around to the Espy later on.

While later on Saturday, the Mistletone folks are hosting a bash at the recently opened Thornbury Theatre, featuring a slew of their finest acts, including this month's deservedly hot item, Beaches as well as favorites like Kes and Ross McLennan.

First 100 payers through the door get a free CD, too. If it's half as good as last year's collection, it will be worth getting there on time.

No pun, no fun.

Hmm, where to start?

On Friday night there is a special night on at the Tote:

A collective of bands are getting together for a series of gigs to raise funds for an operation for local musician Michael ‘Boof’ Hughes from the band Edward. Boof was in a near fatal car accident two years ago at age nineteen, which has left him permanently paralysed from the chest down. To raise money for cutting edge spinal treatment in India, the first in a series of benefit shows will be held at the Tote.

Which will be followed up toot sweet on Saturday when Sixfthick and Digger & the Pussycats do a two-backed beast of a single launch, with support from Little Athletics and Kretch.
Saturday is a bit problematic, actually- as well as the aforementioned, Dolly Rocker Movement are also doing a launch, just up the road at the Birmingham.



But I think overall I want to see the awesome Beaches launching their self-titled debut album over at the NSC:

I've had a copy for a couple of weeks now and have been playing it constantly. It's another excellent Mistletone Records release, a solid if somewhat late entrant for album of the year in my book.

Springtones

This gets it's own special little springtime post. Like a shy green bud...

Yes, the good folks at Mistletone Records have kept to schedule, and are presenting another in their series of seasonal showcases at the Tote on Sunday, from 3.00pm. You can see what it's all about, right there.

Anzackery

So, it's Anzac Day here on Friday, with a public holiday and all.
I'm not an ex-soldier, and so I don't have an excuse to spend the day with a bunch of friends drinking beer and telling war stories- or do I?

On Thursday night, the Sacred Cowboys play at the Northcote Social Club, with the Green Mist and the Poker Hearts. I'll probably skip that one in favour of the Cowboys' show at the Greyhound on May 2nd, actually. As long as I get along to one of them.
On Friday itself:

Mistletone presents the first in what will become a seasonal happening - Autumn Tones at The Tote on ANZAC Day, Friday April 25th.
This inaugural ''Tones'' event will feature a bunch of our favourite Melbourne bands who we reckon will help create a cosmic autumnal evening of epic proportions.
The lineup for Autumn Tones will feature Witch Hats, Kes Band, Beaches, Embers, The Ancients, The Sun Blindness+ djs Shags and Switchblade Sisters Sound System
Doors 5:30pm til late. $15 with free bbq.

Mistletone is a great local label, and it's good to see they've booked bands from outside their own roster for this, too.
Saturday? Who knows? But on Sunday I believe I am booked to play my annual game of Scrabble- and it's competitive Scrabble, at that.