Friday, August 31, 2007

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.

Monday, August 27, 2007

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.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

This weekend

Well, there are a couple of options. I'm busy on both Friday (BBQing) and Saturday (birthdaying), but you probably aren't.
Johnny Casino is back in town, and both shows are free.

Saturday's show features the Ooga Boogas in their last Australian show before their American tour. Yes, really.


While Actor/Model have managed to get a babysitter, and will be launching their new CD at the Tote with support from the mighty Kamikaze Trio among others, including DJing by Matt from the Stabs. Should be a good night.

On Sunday I will be hungover. Don't call too early.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Just too fucking busy

Look, I wrote a great Seminal Rats piece for the I94 Bar last week, AND I'm more than halfway through a long La Femme piece AND a huge Lethal Weapons feature for I94 as well, AS WELL AS doing a few bits for Mess And Noise (albeit under a different name) AND I saw the Double Agents at the Espy on Saturday, AND I went out for dinner on the Melbourne Restaurant Tram for dinner tonight. I'm cooking BBQ at a good friend's 50th birthday party at the Tote on Friday. It's my birthday on Saturday, and I may be out of a paying job in a month.
So, yes, I'm still here, but a tad distracted. OK?

Friday, August 03, 2007

Research coincidence

While doing some research on that "Lethal Weapons" LP mentioned below, I was looking at the site for the Australian Chart Book, compiled by David Kent from his Kent Music Report, and was surprised to see who was in the sample page given:

Not only did "Radios Appear" spend 18 weeks on the commercial charts back on it's original release in 1977, (with the overseas version putting in another month, almost a year later) the "Soldiers of Rock'n'Roll" audio documentary also snuck in there for a week too. Who'd have thought it?


click on that chart sample to enlarge