Accept no imitations.

Hmm.

I guess I should be flattered.

Last Tram Home presents...#5

Sorry for the short notice- it took a while to get this one all squared away:

LAST TRAM HOME PRESENTS... #5 featuring:
YIS: over educated brat rockers, no doubt 'busting out' their hit track ''Terry Black's Rubbish Bins'', or whatever it's called.
Wrong Turn: two young men with a hundred years of playing experience behind them.
Cash Savage & the Last Drinks: there is no last drink on the Last Tram Home.
And of course me, playing a load of my tatty old Australian vinyls til 3.00am.
Old Bar, 30 July, doors at 8pm, $10 entry.
This will sell out, as usual, so you may want to get there early. And buy me a beer, perhaps.

Richmond Station special.

Guh. How could I forget this?


Graveyard Train, Melbourne’s own chain smashing, foot stomping, horror country pioneers are launching their third album "The Drink The Devil and The Dance" at the Corner Hotel on Friday the 23rd July. Special guests on the night will be Melbourne rockers the Dacios as well as the psychedelic bluegrass crooning of Little John.

The album’s out on Spooky Records, of course, and you can snag free downloads of the single ‘Mummy’, as well as another track, 'Run, Billy, Run' right here.
And if you happen to be passing the Rochester Castle in Johnson St. Fitzroy, anytime soon, do stop and admire the striking artwork currently adorning an unused billboard on the side of the building.

Full house.

For various reasons, I won't be able to get out and enjoy any of the rich salty goodness thats on offer this weekend- but if I could, I'd hit all of these, hard.
My favorite improv squawkers, Aktion Unit , along with my favorite acid-tinged psyche outs, the Paul Kidney Experience, are launching a split CD at the Old Bar on Friday, with a couple of friends:

Special things are planned. That poster is a pretty good visual representation of what you can expect- mushrooms, vaginas, fluffy clouds, etc. etc. etc.

There's the chance to contribute something back to the local music community on Saturday, when the Oldie (again) hosts a benefit for 3CR's "Burning Vinyl".

Little John, Matt Bailey, Sianna Lee and Danny Walshe start things off from 6pm (this is the quieter part of the evening, setting the mood as the sun sinks low)... And then: Lamefoot, Howl At The Moon, Matt Sonic and The High Times, plus head-turning headliners The Toot Toot Toots rocking out the second half of the night.
Every cent of the $10.00 entry goes straight to the station, by the way.

And on Sunday, the 6th annual "Wash Winter's Willies Away With Whiskey" is on at the Tote.

The list of artists this year once again features a wild variety of Melbourne’s current crop of great alcohol inspired acts- Clinkerfield, Brothers Grim & The Blue Murders, Chris Altmann & Que Paso, Little John, White Elephant, Tracy McNeil, The Re-Chords, Roller One, and The Bakersfield Glee Club.
Clinkerfield frontman Jimmy Clinkers is just recently back from an overseas break, and is ready to play for a hometown crowd again. These things are always a bit special. And a bit drunken, too. Be warned. Enjoy.

Ben & Bodies.

Bodies say they recorded their album in one night, and mixed it in six hours- Eddy Current, eat your hearts out. They are launching it at the Arthouse on Friday, with their buddies Fourteen Nights At Sea, Buried Horses and the Spinning Rooms:

That's a very reasonable $8.00 at the door- and an extra $10.00 gets you a copy of the album, too.
On Saturday, why not make the effort and actually go to the Tote, to see Gentle Ben and His Sensitive Side, down from Brisbane for one show only?

Support comes from Precious Jules and Nathan Hollywood's new project, Romance, a two piece electronic thing. I think this is only their second show, and I'm kinda keen to get along and check them out.

Do you know this man?

If not, you may soon.
That's Patrick "Paddy" Donovan, erstwhile music writer for the Age, and now the first CEO of Music Victoria.
I think he'll find it a tough change to make initially, despite the level of public support and interest live music in this town currently enjoys. Political bodies can be notoriously difficult to navigate, and this one has a widespread brief, too. But Paddy's got plenty of ideas, and plenty to say for himself, and he knows what he's on about, too, so I reckon he's way ahead of the public service pack already. Personally, I wish him all the best, and hope he does well.

Gig of the year?

Probably.
Kim Salmon (in Precious Jules mode), Joel Silbersher (backed by the Baggage Handlers), and...Mark Lanegan. In a room with about 150 people.

Damn, it was good.

Late-week rush job.

Some good stuff on offer right now. But I am short of time, so will keep this brief.
Anyway, there's a big night on at the Old Bar:

What's that, 10 bands for $10.00? Bargain.
Or you could try going up the road a bit to the Bendigo for some rockabilly- a recent change of management means it's not as shit as it used to be.

I do like them Greasy Hawaiians.
If culture is your thing, you can take a bit of a trip down memory lane- which may or may not be terrifying, depending on whether or not you are old enough to remember the sharpies' 70s heyday:

Sam Biondo presents:
Skins n Sharps exhibition 2010
Relive Melbourne’s 70s sharpie culture with a spectacular new exhibition of vintage fashion, artefacts, photos, art, music and footage on display. At Kustom Lane Gallery 8 Luton Lane, Hawthorn. Open daily from 12 noon to 6pm free admission
I myself will be attending what sounds like the gig of the year on Saturday. If you are there, I will see you there. If not...then I won't.

No winter blues.

Hmm, after last week's blowout, pickings are kinda slim this week. But not to worry.
Hobart's Native Cats are at the Birmy, with their buddies the always-excellent Super Wild Horses and the always-unpredictable UV Race.

Not sure what that costs, but it'd be worth a look. And you can pick up a copy of the Cats new album at the show, too.
Otherwise, you can catch up on your Tim Burton big screen experiences, at ACMI.They are having a retrospective of all his movies in conjunction with that exhibition that's on there right now. I actually saw "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" at a cinema once, for some unknown reason.

A couple of things.

Well, that Community Cup was fun.

That's me telling off a photographer, for snapping me while I was asking that homeless guy for a cigarette. And I got to see my old mate Phil Bryant (of the Corpsegrinders) dressed as a woman. And the right team won, too- the RRR/PBS Megahertz got up by one point.
Also- I have recently been asked to get involved with a new blog hub thing, you gonna get it. So (most) of what goes up here will also be found there, alongside a bunch of other folks' stuff. Mostly music based, mostly Australian. It's a cool idea, and there are no ads or fine print. If you have a blog, drop them a line.