Charity.

That's a nice word too, and what a coincidence that there are two worthy causes being addressed this week. The first one is on tomorrow:

Melbourne's music community has joined ranks to raise funds for local muso Dimitra Bucolo, who has been hospitalised due to complications from lupus. Dimitra has been performing since 1996 in various bands and solo projects in Australia and internationally, and is in need of significant financial help with her urgent medical and rehabilitation costs.
A gigantic benefit gig dubbed Dimitron: A Benefit for Dimitra is coming up at The Corner on Wednesday 1st December featuring The Drones, Zond, Hoss, Love of Diagrams, The Stabs, Kes Band, New War, Matt Bailey and Breathing Shrine, plus Eddy Current & Twerps DJs.

Just to make the night even more awesome, the great Dimitron Raffle has been announced with some mouth watering prizes to be won.
Dimitra was kind enough to play with Aktion Unit at the first Last Tram Home presents... show back in November last year. Here's wishing her all the best.
And then on Thursday:

After a few fairly painful if not downright agonising years, X frontman Steve Lucas has finally managed to get his crippling back injury operated on, but has been left financially crippled, so a bunch of friends are lending a hand. This would probably be worth going to for the Ears alone, I reckon, let alone Dollsquad, Brian Hooper and the rest.
If you can't make it along to either of these shows, you can still help out, by donating via Paypal- to Dimitra at dimitrafund@gmail.com, and Steve at slxaust@hotmail.com.
It's not a community unless you share, you know.

Two men...

 with a shared past are both playing this weekend.
Leaving aside the excellent prospect of Do The Robot playing with Ninetynine at the Old Bar on Friday, Brian Henry Hooper is launching a new album over at the Espy:

It's on Spooky Records, and despite having not heard it yet, I'd assume it is fucking great.

On Saturday, don't drink too much at that Sixfthick 15th. birthday show at the Tote- you'll need to be in good shape for Sunday evening, and the first show of Kim Salmon's month-long residency at the Old Bar:

33 years of music in a month of Sundays and not a song repeated!
Kim Salmon will focus his attention each Sunday in November - at the Old Bar, on a different musical combo featuring different aspects of his diverse career. One week you may expect to hear The Surrealists, another, The Scientists, another his latest avant guard musings and on another the rest - i.e. Beasts of Bourbon, Antenna, The Business and maybe even a riff or two from SALMON.
All that for $8.00? I'm there- in fact, I'm DJing after Kim's set.

Back in the saddle.

Well, as promised, back to business as usual.
Unfortunately, things seem a little quiet this week. But as always there are a couple of options.
One is this:

The Lovetones are launching their album "Lost", at Ding Dong tonight (Friday) with support from the Sandpebbles and the Priory Dolls. I haven't actually heard it but I reckon I'd go to this on spec.
Then on Saturday:

See the living legend himself Mr Brian Henry Hooper take to the stage of Yah Yah's on Saturday September the 18th 2010 with special guests Jules Sheldon & Yomi, the new project from Sailors & Swine's Billy McCabe. Entry is free and it all kicks off at 9.00pm.
I couldn't have put it better myself.

Travel time.

Well, one way or another I was always going to be on the road this (long) weekend.
For the first time ever, I'm booked in for Golden Plains:

There's a long and involved story about two friends getting me drunk and suggesting this would be an ideal way to get over my general dislike of festivals. Whatever, the line up was enough to convince me.
Who’s playing. This year’s lineup is brought to you by the letters “spirited”, “pirate” and “classic”.
PAVEMENT, DINOSAUR JR, DIRTY PROJECTORS, THE BIG PINK, MIDNIGHT JUGGERNAUTS, TAME IMPALA, SUPER WILD HORSES, OPTIMO, CALEXICO, MONOTONIX, GASLAMP KILLER, NASHVILLE PUSSY, JEFFREY LEWIS & THE JUNKYARD, THE CRUEL SEA, CRAYON FIELDS, RANSOM, ANDEE FROST, ROYAL HEADACHE, WOODEN SHJIPS, ANTIBALAS, CLAIRY BABY BROWNE AND THE BANGIN’ RACKETTES, SPACE INVADAS, JACK LADDER, SCATTERMUSIC SOUND SYSTEM, OPULENT DJs
Not all of that is essential, and there's a bit of rain forecast, but, y'know, so what?
If I was around, though, I'd be heading to Yah Yah's on Saturday night, where Brian Hooper is previewing tracks of his forthcoming album, accompanied by Mick Harvey and JP Shilo.
Odd how it looks like there's a name missing from that sentence.