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.

Distant shores.

A bit of a mixed bag on a fairly quiet weekend, but there a few gems.

Beaches are playing their last show for a few months at the Tote on Friday 27th March- one of them (Alison, I believe) is taking some time out to travel. This looks pretty good:

On Saturday, a couple of old hands are out and about- Conway Savage is playing at Pure Pop Records at 6.00pm, while later in the evening- though I'm unsure exactly when- the Primitive Calculators continue their run of low-key reformation shows at the Rear View Gallery, 244 Smith St. Collingwood. That kicks off at 8.00pm, and is a bargain at only $5.00
On Sunday things will get fucking noisy for a while on the southside. Might be a good time to head over to Yah Yah's for the last of Nathan Hollywood's residency gigs.

Better late than never.

Being the sensitive and caring kind of guy I am, I was thinking about International Women's Day this weekend just past, when I realised that the Melbourne music scene are celebrating a week late.
Yes, ladies, the most handsome men in town are playing for your pleasure this weekend.
On Friday 13th, at Ding Dong, Rowland S. Howard plays with the Stabs and Nathan Hollywood*

Rowland's band for this show includes J.P. Shilo on bass and Mick Harvey on drums. This is definitely worth a look. $12 on the door.
Then, on Saturday at the Espy, there's an Aarght! Records showcase of sorts, featuring New Orleans duo Quintron & Miss Pussycat, Eddy Current Suppression Ring and UV Race. I do not know why there is no poster art for this event- here's a picture of Quintron instead:

* nb- Hollywood is actually quite handsome, so I'm told.

Nathan Hollywood

I've had this CD for a couple of weeks now, and it's very good indeed.
Dark, moody, country stuff, with an echoing sense of melancholy that is not specific to any place- it could be coming from the Mexican desert, the Australian outback or the Norwegian tundra.
Anyway, he's launching it tonight at the Northcote Social Club, with the Kill Devil Hills. Get there, if only to see someone play the saw on stage.