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.

Production difficulties

Well, things got away from me earlier this week- here's a basic draft of the chatter that mattered. You'll figure it out, bright penny that you are.



Normal service will be resumed when I finish this bottle of red wine.

Cut Rate Masters

Well, them Cowboys did the business last night. Garry, Mark, Penny, Nick & Stefan pulled out all the stops. Here's the list:

Once again, I got grief from some ape-fucker idiot of a bouncer when I grabbed this, during "We Love You". Like, it's not as if the band need it at the end of the set- and anyway, there were three or four others dotted around the stage. This time round, Mr. Gray saved my bacon, by lurching off the stage, grabbing me in a bear hug and bellowing " Of course we do..." into my ear and the mike simultaneously. A dream end to a dream show.

Sacredsexstkilda

The Sacred Cowboys blow back into their spiritual home, St. Kilda for a one-off in the Greyhound back room, with support from the Exotics and the Frowning Clouds This is pretty much a must-see. If you never saw this band in their early 80s heyday you missed a real experience, some of which can be captured on their double CD “Nailed to the Cross”, just out on Savage Beat, with excellent liner notes.

Fans will be reunited with memories of their compelling combination of mesmerizing lyrics and swirling wall of sound guitars which saw them quickly become one of the hottest alternative bands on the scene back in the day, and a
major drawcard especially in hometown Melbourne and Sydney (where they found kindred spirits like The Scientists).
Something of a post-punk supergroup (with members drawn from the original line-up of Models and Suicide Records group The Negatives), The Sacred Cowboys gained instant notoriety when they appeared in '82, thanks to frontman Garry Gray's chainsaw wielding antics on stage. They played a wild, dangerous and completely unique brand of rockn'roll inspired by the artists whose material they covered, including SUICIDE, ALAN VEGA, CAPTAIN BEEFHEART, CRAMPS, VELVET UNDERGROUND, CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL and ALEX CHILTON.
A reconstituted Sacred Cowboys line-up will be playing a showcase of special Victorian gigs during their Australian tour in April/May 2008. Featuring founding members GARRY GRAY and MARK FERRIE with PENNY IKINGER on guitar, and the band's second phase 'Trouble From Providence' rhythm section of NICK RISCHBIETH and STEPHAN FIDOCK.

More St. Kilda shenanigans tomorrow night- Elbow Room launch their stage version of seminal dirty book “Venus In Furs” at Theatreworks in Acland St.

Venus In Furs inspired the diagnosis of a whole new category of sexual perversion. Since the 1800s, masochism has largely shrugged off its unsavoury reputation, attaining a kind of underground ‘glamour’. Today it has well and truly been embraced by the mainstream, its ubiquity obvious in the burgeoning popularity of all forms of fetishistic entertainment, particularly the recent resurgence of burlesque. In revisiting the original text, Elbow Room brings to the stage the source of an entire genre of sexual gratification and entertainment in a timely reminder of the continuing influence of Sacher-Masoch’s novel.

My 1970 edition of this is illustrated:

But not in as saucy a manner as you may expect, and it is still as dull a read as ever, regardless. What can be done with it onstage remains to be seen.

Note- if I could have been bothered I’d have put a segue in between those two, about the Sacred Cowboys playing “Run Run Run” live or something. But I didn't. Sorry.

post-Hats hangover.

Well, I did indeed end up heading over to the Tote on Friday, and I'm glad I did, for many reasons.
Witch Hats were excellent, in top form. They played a great set, drawn mostly from their "Cellulite Soul" LP, and did it in front of a pretty full house, too. If they can keep this up for the length of their forthcoming US tour they'll storm the place. Set details below, for any obsessives out there.Look, they spell "potato" right on their set lists.
I also caught Beaches , a five piece instrumental band who are about an inch away from becoming the best live surf/garage/psych combo I've seen in a long long time, and Kes, too. I've had trouble with "getting" Kes in the past, both live and on CD, but this time round something gelled. I got a copy of the new album from the merch desk,and it's on pretty high rotation right now.
So, yes, all up it was worth a long late night.
And then I found something a bit special to do on Saturday, and won my Scrabble game on Sunday. You can't ask for much more than that on a cold Melbourne weekend, really.

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.

Hey! If you leave spam as comments, I'll ignore you!

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Cherry Rock not so cheerful

An update on this year's Cherry Rock festival hit mail boxes all over town last night:

URGENT MEDIA RELEASE

CherryRock008 moves to
Palace Theatre
(former Metro, 20 – 30 Bourke Street, Melb)

The CherryRock008 rock n roll music festival proposed for this Sunday 20 April from 12noon to 10pm in AC/DC Lane and at The Cherry Bar has had to change venue due to a liquor licensing issue. The event will now take place predominantly at The Palace Theatre (the former Metro, 20 – 30 Bourke Street Melbourne) and slightly at Ding Dong Lounge (18 Market Lane, Melbourne).

Cherry Partner James Young said, "blah blah blah".

The ten major acts from CherryRock008 (Supersuckers, Raveonettes, Hitmen, Galvatrons, X, 6 Ft Hick, Legends of Motor Sport, Hell City Glamours, The Exploders and The Devilrock Four) will now play at The Palace Theatre between 3pm and 10pm. And super keen rock fans can see the hot up and comers (Zombie Sex Gang, Bring On The Junta, Tigernauts and Killer Birds) beforehand at Ding Dong Lounge between 12noon and 3pm.

All purchased tickets remain valid for this new scenario and tickets will be available on the Palace Theatre door on the day for $70.

The liquor licensing issue in question is quite boring blah blah blah.

The important bit:

New CherryRock008 Stage Times

Ding Dong Stage

12 – 12.30pm Killer Birds
12.50 – 1.20pm Tigernauts
1.40 – 2.10pm Bring On The Junta
2.30 – 3pm Zombie Sex Gang

Not AC/DC Lane Stage: Palace Theatre

9 – 10pm Supersuckers
7:30 – 8:15pm Raveonettes
6 – 6.45pm Hitmen
4.45 – 5:30pm Galvatrons
3:30 – 4:15pm X

Not Cherry Bar Stage: Palace Theatre

8:15 – 9pm 6 Ft Hick
6.45 – 7.30pm Legends of Motor Sport
5.30 - 6pm Hell City Glamours
4:15 - 4.45pm The Exploders
3.00 – 3.30pm Devilrock Four

Hmmm, it appears someone can't organise a pissup in a Melbourne laneway- that's quite a feat. The re-jigged playing times seem OK, although the Bowerbirds have lost their slot completely. We'll see, I guess, but spending seven hours in the Palace is not going to be as pleasant a Sunday afternoon as I'd hoped for.

Sixfthick poppin' cherries

Brisbane's finest, SixFtHick, hit town this weekend, for two shows.
First up, at Ding Dong, on Friday 18th, with Ben Corbett's side project, Gentle Ben and His Sensitive Side supporting

Then on Sunday 20th. they'll be gracing the AC/DC Stage at Cherry Rock 008.

If you can't wait until Sunday to see the Supersuckers, they are playing at the East Brunswick Club on Saturday 19th, with Dynamo and Nici Blue Eyes. If you are really keen, why not take the kids along to the 'Suckers instore at Route 66 in Prahran on Saturday afternoon, and introduce them to the scarey men who sing "Born With A Tail"?
Not a lot of other sideshows confirmed for other acts, though. I thought the Hitmen might have jammed one in, but apparently not. And I didn't look too hard for any Galvatrons shows.

Last Tram Home now has a webcam

Yes, a recent upgrade means we have the means to post live streaming video and snapshots.
What am I wearing right now? Pretty much the usual.

Don't get too excited, pervert.

This weekend- three nights of action.

Well, there I was all quiet and shit last night, and a whole mess of stuff popped up on the radar for the weekend. Good thing I rested up.
On Friday night, Cold Harbour are giving you the chance to get your very own "wooo-hoo!" recorded for posterity, along with a few of their songs, at the Greyhound, where they'll be playing two sets for recording as a live album.


Then on Saturday, Gimme Shelter is running from 9.00 til late at the Exford

My idiot sheet says:
$3 entry 9pm-10pm
$6 entry 10pm - 2.30am
9 - very late

AND on Sunday, there's a kinda special event at the Tote. I can't add anything to this, really, except to say that I hope a lot of people go.

The Meanies, Headache, Budd, The Oxymorons, Cut Sick, Ricey & Macka (The Guttersnipes)
On Sunday March 12, The Tote will host a memorial for Dennis DePianto, best known to music fans as D.D. Meanie. D.D. was guitarist in The Meanies from 1988 until 1995. His relentless guitar style is stamped on many of the most well-known Meanies' classics, including Darkside, Paranoid, Ton of Bricks, 10% Weird, Mr. Authority, Big Bertha, etc. He was also the founding member of legendary band The Oxymorons. D.D. had muscular dystrophy from childhood but he refused to let it stop him from pursuing his dream to be a rock guitarist. D.D. passed away after a short but stubborn battle with cancer on Feb. 14, 2008.
The Meanies, Budd, Headache, The Oxymorons and Cut Sick play in honour of D.D, Sunday April 13. Proceeds will be donated to Muscular Dystrophy Australia.

Wednesday night- I got nothin' but an urge.

So, a quiet midweek at home. Tomorrow night I will be admiring expensive & beautiful glass at Kirra Galleries, in lieu of taking up a friend's kind offer to go and see Matchbox 20 for free.

But tonight, a bit of stimulating reading:

The cover is a bit battered, frontispiece is in better nick:

It's more interesting than you may think, though a bit turgid- GBS had not yet hit the form that won My Fair Lady eight Oscars. And no, there are no simple parallels/analogies to be drawn with today's artists, if you thought that was where I was going with this. That would be too easy.
This is the only book I own- and one of very few I have ever seen- that actually came from Melbourne's legendary Cole's Book Arcade, by the way:

Links

I've just updated the links section- culled a few dead ones, added some new ones.
The team at Across The Rooftops have gone a bit quiet lately, but there is plenty to keep you occupied until they catch up.
Andy Ramadge's Pop In Print is more regular- he has a keen eye and a good ear.
Tom Reynolds talks about cars and motorbikes a lot- that's his job- and he too has a very keen eye. Check out his take on the Princess Diana conspiracy theories. I've been for a couple of memorable drives with him.

I've also added some more unsolicited endorsements- those are always welcome.

Harem Scarem- reformation.

Well, as noted previously, these boys hit the boards again recently, in front of a packed house at the Corner. Many old friends and faces there, and a great set. I got punched in the head by an over-zealous security guy when I ripped this from the stage:

even though the encores were over.
It was a great set- Chris, Charlie & Barry seemed to be enjoying themselves hugely. Mark Ferrie played bass like the goddamn pro he always is. Personally, I woulda liked to have heard some harmonica in there, and considering "Dirty" Kurt Lindner was in the crowd, and willing to step up, I'm a little puzzled as to why there was none.
Whatever, here's hoping they do it again.

the Rezillos

I listen to a fair bit of what could broadly described as “old stuff”, and one thing I really like is old new wave pop- think Devo, XTC, the B52s…and Scotland’s finest, the Rezillos.
I’ve been listening to the extended CD of their debut album “Can’t Stand the Rezillos” a lot lately.

One of the earliest punk bands in town, they formed in Edinburgh in 1976, and drew from similar trashy inspirations as the Cramps, but with a very UK slant- it was all go-go skirts, Top Of The Pops, Thunderbirds (the TV show, not the car) and greasy Triumph biker boys.
Their covers ranged from the classic Merseybeat of the Dave Clark Five’s “I Like It” to the obscure (pseudonymous) Fleetwood Mac tune “Somebody’s Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight”, to the Sweet's “Ballroom Blitz”. Their own tunes- “No”, “(My Baby Does) Good Sculptures” and “Destination Venus” were fantastic- strange, short numbers with amazing energy and some great lyrics. Check out this, for instance, from “Destination Venus”:
Further modulation of the frequency rotation
Triggered waveband activation - near elation
Somewhere in the distance I could hear a voice one instance
Then it faded from existence - no persistence

What does it mean? Who knows, but this is what it looked and sounded like at the time

It's odd to think that guitarist Jo Callis, who wrote all the band's originals, went on to join the Human League and basically conquer the world with synth-pop a few years later. Oh well, enjoy.

The Negatives/the Reals- “Dumbworld”

I’ve been waiting for a release copy of this one for a while, having had some (minor) involvement with it earlier on, and now it’s finally available.
Subtitled “original punk rock from Melbourne, 1974-1978”, it’s basically a collection of home recordings featuring future Sacred Cowboy frontman Garry Gray alongside teenage chum & future Moodist Chris Walsh, in a couple of early outfits, the Negatives and the Reals. They rip through some bruising Stooges covers in between throwing out a few snarling fistfuls of their own teenage anthems. This is the real deal, kids- suburban punk rock being made & played before the term even existed. It also includes a version of the Negatives’ “Lethal Weapons” contribution, “Planet On The Prowl”, without the producer’s unhelpful tinkering/overdubs.
You need to bear in mind that this is not the usual collection of rarities, b-sides and unreleased studio recordings- indeed it would be too charitable to describe some of them as demos- and you may need to have specially tuned ears to appreciate the nature of this stuff. That said, I reckon they sound great. They catch some great early musical moments and provide another layer of insight into the early days of the Melbourne scene-there are a couple of sample tracks up here. "Dumbworld" is out on Savage Beat, through Shock, and is well worth getting hold of.

This weekend- New Christs and more

The New Christs are back in town, playing at the Espy on Saturday 5th April, just a few weeks after their Ding Dong show in late May. With Radio Birdman once again returning to indefinite retirement, this will be your last chance to catch Younger & Dickson live for a while- though European readers have a forthcoming New Christs tour to look forward to.
Supports include excellent locals Cold Harbour, who seem to be hitting the boards fairly regularly lately, and who I think have an album due out soon, as well as a stack of others including the Bower Birds and the Killerbirds. All this,and for free, too.
The post-development Espy is still an OK place to see bands, especially when they put on big line ups like this, otherwise it’s just a frustrating place to deal with the hordes of backpacker types who treat it as their local.

This (Easter) weekend

Apart from my usual annual Lindt binge, I think it'll be pretty quiet. There's that Witch Hats LP launch previously mentioned, and I may try to catch Wagons at Young & Jacksons on Sunday. They're playing for free, between 3.00pm & 6.00pm, if Henry and co. can figure out the dress requirements. I mean, they wouldn't want to show Chloe up.


















Next week, though, they will be starting their "Lightning Strikes Twice" tour. Tour dates in full:

Sun March 30: The Retreat, Melbourne

Wed April 2: Electric Light Hotel, Adelaide

Thu April 3: Edinburgh Castle, Adelaide

Fri April 4: The Pub, Bendigo

Sat April 5: National Hotel, Geelong

Wed April 9: Oxford Tavern, Wollongong

Thu April 10: Brass Monkey, Cronulla

Fri April 11: Woodport Inn, Erina

Sat April 12: Hopetoun Hotel, Sydney

Sun April 13: Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay

Thu April 17: Shark Bar, Miami Tavern, Gold Coast

Fri April 18: Bon Amici's, Toowoomba

Sat April 19: Sol Bar, Coolum Beach, Sunshine Coast

Jay Reatard

Meant to mention this earlier, actually.
Local outfit Stained Circles brought Jay out for a tour, to coincide with their local release of his excellent "Blood Visions" LP.
I only got to one show, the Tote BBQ on the Monday, but it was well worth it.
The album runs through 15 tracks in 29 minutes- if anything, he played harder and faster live. There's a bit of YouTube from the Brisbane show here that'll give you an idea.
And there were excellent supports, including the slightly demented UV Race, and one of Digger & the Pussycats final shows before they leave for a (47 date) European tour.
Definitely an early contender for gig of the year.

BBQ update

My, my, if I'd got to the bottom of that bag of hickory chunks a bit quicker- like, by sometime in 1991- I could have been 55c better off. Oh well, no point crying over spilt marinade. Here's some recent pork:

And some more recent ribs- beef asado ribs:

Trimmed, with all the bones removed except one- this is what I threw away:

They then got marinated and rolled before cooking:

Sorry about the blur in that last shot, I was hungry, and couldn't be arsed taking another one.

Noise 1- MIBEM March 28th

MIBEM - that's the Melbourne International Biennale of Exploratory Music- kicks off on March 28th, running through to April 2nd 2008. They promise:

An expansive variety of contemporary music forms including improvisation, audio-visual works, composition, electronica, free jazz, noise rock and contemporary classical music. Curated by noted local artists/composers, Anthony Pateras and Robin Fox, the Biennale will bring over 50 international and Australian musicians from the cutting and far edges of contemporary music together for a series of inspired and boundary-expanding sonic explorations

I'm interested in the opening night show at the Tote ,which features
Y35.3, amongst others, and also the David Chesworth action - an installation- at the Toff in Town on 30th. March, too, but there is plenty going on.

Noise 2- Music Isn't Noise!

There's a new move to get recognition for inner-city venues, in a similar vein to the now-defunct Fair Go For Live Music initiative of a couple of years back.
At the moment all it really is is a website, and a Facebook group, and the whole thing is a bit Fitzroy-centred, but hey, if you go to see bands there (and I'll put my hand up to being an occasional visitor, particularly to the Old Bar) you may want to lend some support. If you don't want to, that's fine, but please hold your whining when your favorite venue gets closed by noise complaints. Just a thought.

Witch Hats- "Cellulite Soul" album launch 23 March

This promises to be a stormer.

I've had the album for a while now, and it's an amazingly assured piece of work. It summons up memories of a lot of my favorite sounds from the past, but in ways I can't quite put my finger on. There's nothing exclusively sonic, just more of a general feel. You can clearly hear the bands' willingness to push boundaries and play with elements, but still keep sticking in great hooks and choruses. As far as debut albums go, it's up there with the best.

They are planning launches in most capital cities, as well as a US tour later in the year.

Oh, and this is happening at the Northcote Social Club, if you were wondering.

HushHush 3

Dolores San Miguel probably has hosted more live gigs than you've had hot dinners, and she has another one lined up this weekend.

HushHush invades Cherry Bar with a spectacular night of home grown rock 'n' roll!
Featuring the 2008 return of The Fearless Vampire Killers, playing tracks from their soon to be released debut E.P, along with The Breaks and the kaleidoscopic sounds of Tonight is Like Space Invaders. Discs will be spun by the iconic Cherry D.J's, well into the wee hours.

I've been to both of her previous Hush Hush nights, and they were very good value indeed. This one goes in til dawn, at Cherry Bar, and may well become a more regular, semi-permanent thing soon.

Pink Fits hit

Wollongong's excellent Pink Fits make a lightning visit to Melbourne this weekend, but still manage to cram three shows into two days.

I've heard the new mini album, just out on Off The Hip, and it's excellent. I missed them last time around, won't be making that mistake again. And that Tote afternoon show is with the Ooga Boogas, too. Tasty.

Don't lose it.

If you read that Kylie post from a while back, you'll notice that they prohibit mobile phones and cameras being taken into the preview, which I guess is fair enough.
But the letter I got this week with a recent promo- a promo single at that, with only one track on it- goes a fair bit further.

There's a second page, which is meant to be signed and dated and sent back to someone whose job title is given as "VP, anti piracy" to signify agreement.
It's all a bit over the top, really. I wasn't planning to upload it, or to sell it, just listen to it a few times before chucking it on a shelf. As far as I can see, they expect me to adopt the fucking thing.
I just hope, for the seller's sake, that the world's greatest music collection, currently for sale on ebay, doesn't include any EMI promos.

She's back

Detroit bad girl Niagara is back in town this week, with a new show opening at Outre Gallery on Saturday 16th. February.

Sadly, though, only Sydney get to see her play live, in front of the Hitmen, next weekend on 23rd February.

She and her co-conspirator in all things art and rock, Colonel Galaxy, are two of the nicest reprobates you could ever hope to meet. Get along if you can, and remember:.

Malvina Reynolds

It's not often I listen to folk music, but this has really caught my ear.
Issued by the enigmatic and esoteric Omni Corporation, it's an extended version of her John Hammond-produced LP, "Malvina Reynolds Sings The Truth", which first appeared on Columbia in 1967, and it really is excellent. She seems to have been quite a woman.
At times her voice sounds cracked and parched, at other times she gets some real fire and sass going. She can really make that guitar ring, too, in a way that reminds me of Leadbelly at times.
And yes, the lyrics are laden with mid 60s social concern, but she writes a mean line when she wants to, as in "The Devil's Baptizin'". The added live tracks were recorded between 1965 and 1977- but they show that she could still cut it, even aged 77.
Some samples of her music are available here, though sadly it doesn't include any of the tunes she wrote for "Sesame Street".
There some sort of circular irony at work when you consider her best-known tune, "Little Boxes", now gets regular airing as a TV show theme, but at least it's the theme for a show about subverting suburbia. I think she would have appreciated that.

Harem Scarem- reissue and reformation

It's about time this thing got a run.

The good people at Atzec Music have just reissued Harem Scarem's astonishing 1986 LP, "Pilgrim's Progress", and its great to hear it again. It's been remixed, includes extra live tracks, b-sides and other good stuff, and also has a fat booklet of liner notes, including some very interesting observations from singer Chris Marshall, although no one's ever been able to explain that cover art to my satisfaction. I've had it on high rotation for the past week or so. The band are reforming for one show only (or at least, no other shows have been confirmed as yet) at the Corner Hotel on March 29th.

Anyway, another dig in the archives brought this to light:

Forgive my bias when I say that B Side was Australia's best fanzine for much of the 1980s. The Harem Scarem piece mentioned on the cover is an interview that the lovely Caroline Birkett, assistant editor, did with Chris about a month before the album came out, and is still a pretty good read.






As ever, just click on those images to enlarge.

Rock 'n' Roll Outlaws photo exhibition

Rock n Roll Outlaws is a photographic exhibition featuring live images of some of the most rebellious & outrageous performers in this land; wild childs, rock icons & legends.

Featuring work from Liz Reed, Jo Richards, Gary Hallenan, Tracey McLaren, Andrew MacColl, Paul Jones, Victor Joubert, Heather Venn, Ben Swinnerton, Melynda and Nicole Cleary.


This is running at Brightspace in St. Kilda from 7th-16th February. On Sunday 10th February, there will be live performances at the gallery between 2.00 and 6.00 pm, by Kim Volkman, Penny Ikinger, Lookout Mountain and Gary Hallenan & Co.

Brian Hooper pic by Liz Reed, Chrissy Amphlett by Heather Venn

The death of the GaragePunk.com forums

One of the first links I put up here was to the GaragePunk.com forums- a truly international forum where fans could trade knowledge, music, stories and insults, all based around a love for rock and roll- and a very broadly defined rock and roll, at that. They were part of a site which among other things also hosted (and still hosts) excellent and frequent podcasts covering a range of music just as broad, too.
Recently, the guy who runs the site, Jeff "Kopper" Kopp, upgraded the forums, and created the Garage Punk Hideout. It's a different kinda place, with more functionality, and is more akin to a social networking site. So far, so good. He closed the old forums down to new posts- again, so far so good: they were still there, still searchable, if you really needed to know what was on the b side of the original 7" of "Green Fuz", you could find the answer there, or at least find someone who was willing to tell you.*
But now the link to the old forums has been taken down, and so that huge backlog of knowledge is unavailable.
Don't get me wrong- it's Kopper's baby, no one paid to use the forums, and no one has any right to expect him to maintain them indefinitely.
But part of me thinks it's a real shame that such an excellent online resource has gone.

*it was "There Is A Land", if you were wondering

Recommended listening.

This guy is indeed a goddamn legend, and it's great to see him clock up a milestone like this.


Neil Rogers Anniversary Special
Celebrating 25 years of supporting Australian music on The Australian Mood

A legend in Australian public radio, Neil Rogers celebrates 25 years of broadcasting an Australian music show on January 31, 2008. Tune in to Triple R for a three hour special featuring live performances from some fantastic Australian acts including Perry Keyes, Liz Stringer, The Darling Downs and Harem Scarem.

The Australian Mood showcases the best in local and Australian music playing both new releases and retrospective work. Over his 25 years of broadcasting there would be few Australian bands Neil Rogers hasn’t interviewed. His passion for Australian music has seen him involved in broadcasting, events, touring bands, managing bands including the Cosmic Psychos and playing bass himself for 15 years in The Bo Weevils.

You've got to love a DJ whose playlists range from the Lizard Train to Lisa Miller.
Available via streaming from 3RRR, Thursday 31st January, 7.00 til 10.00pm local time, for those of you who are out of town.

The old rogue.

I've mentioned Nick Cave here a couple of times previously.
By an interesting coincidence, the same week as I was considering going to the current exhibition on his life and works at the Arts Centre here in Melbourne, I was also doing some digging through the Honeysuckle archives- a vast underground complex, under a hillside in a secret location somewhere on the edge of town.
And I found this:

Hmm, they all look very young there.
Keith Glass, of Missing Link Records, gave me a few of these promo shots years ago. I got this signed after a show one night- at either the Ballroom or at Hearts, I can't quite recall. And I'm not sure why Mick Harvey signed it left handed, either. And no, it's not for sale- it's been framed and is now hanging up in my house.
I also found a couple of other interesting bits and pieces- more to come.

Greatest (non-blog) hits, part 1

Hello.
Here's something I wrote a few years back, for my good friends at Pyssedas Heavy Industrial.
It's the itinerary for the Melbourne- well, South Melbourne- leg of the Great Intercontinental Pub Crawl.
They run this every year- click that link to sign up for 2008.
Anyway, here it is.

1-Palmerston Hotel- cnr Kingsway & Palmerston Cres.
In the early 1860s Lord Palmerston amassed a fortune importing the famous “parmesan” cheese, which still bears his name, to Melbourne - this pub is a fitting tribute to a great man. Not to be confused with the Pink Palace, across Kingsway (which offers a "Saturday Special $49.00 nude hand relief", if you are running early).

2-Rising Sun Hotel- cnr. Eastern Rd & Palmerston Cres.
A taste of Deep South Melbourne in the famous House of the Rising Sun! The only things you will need are a suitcase and a trunk, apparently. Sin and misery on tap.

3-Cricket Club- cnr. Clarendon St. & Thompson St.
Memorabilia galore to admire here, where the Don used to come to get blotto and fight after every MCG Test Match. Important- actual crickets, grasshoppers, locusts etc NOT welcome in the front bar.

4-Lewis’ Emerald Hill Hotel- cnr. Clarendon St. & Raglan St.
A short walk down the yellow brick road of Clarendon St. to the Emerald. This is a quiet old-school boozer, so no mucking round. Drink up and get out. Now. You’re barred, the lot of you.

5-Limerick Arms- cnr. Clarendon St. & Park St.
A pause to compose a special Intercontinental Pub Crawl limerick. Or at least a rousing song, perhaps to the tune of the Spongebob Squarepants theme, which we can sing/bellow for the rest of the crawl.

6- Town Hall Hotel- cnr. Moray St. & Bank St.
This place has somehow slipped downhill from its original position and is now nowhere near the Town Hall! What's the story? 10 points for each correct answer, judges' decision final.

7-Bell’s Hotel & Brewery- cnr. Moray St. & Coventry St.
Huzzah for Bells Brewery, where they make the scotch! Och aye, laddie, we'll have a wee dram the noo...what? Oh. Sorry, no, apparently this is where beautiful beers are brewed by intelligent women, and vice versa. Dream on fellas!

8-Maori Chief- cnr. Moray St. & York St.
Nothing to report. Sorry.

9- Golden Gate- cnr. Clarendon St. & Coventry St.
Just how did a pub in Melbourne get named after a bridge in San Francisco? It’s a long, sorry tale, involving a gullible landlord and a fast talking American conman with a bogus title deed in his pocket. And a suicide. Don’t dwell on it.

10-George Hotel- cnr. Coventry St. & Cecil St.
Windows could do with a clean. Looks like a good place to stop and watch a bit of footy. Also has pub TAB for horse tragics.

11-Market Inn - cnr. Cecil & York St.
Another in the "Pubs of the Commonwealth" series, this is mainly English-ish, due to the current plague of backpackers. Why are there no Canadian or South African theme pubs? Don't those guys drink or something? Discuss.


12- Southern Cross, cnr. Cecil St. & Market St.
The antique Haig’s ad on the wall gives this ageing bloodpit a raffish air. Despite the chic new umbrellas & cafe seating outside, don't linger after dark.

Then onto tram 112 up Clarendon St. and into the city for the grand finale/vomiting etc.

13- International Backpackers, cnr. Flinders St & Spencer St.
Bit optional this one- but anyway, after avoiding hideous decapitation at the helipad, why not slip in here for a cheeky $2.00 pot? They also run a backpackers’ job agency here, so your dream career in apple picking or IT temping may be just around the corner.

14- Waterside Hotel, cnr. Flinders St & King St.
Ah, if these walls could talk…they would spout a load of toothless drunken gibberish, probably. Recently renovated, and now said to be murderer free.

15- the Joint, cnr. Elizabeth St. & Flinders Lane.
Last one standing is crowned Drunkard of the Year, and moves into the semi finals. Huzzah! Enter chorus, all sing "It's A Small World After All", curtains close.

Details:
Start- 12.00pm at the Palmerston. Trams 3, 5, 8, 16, 64, 67 & 72 from the city all stop at Domain Interchange, a block away. Don't be late.
Melways map ref. 2K H3

Timing- ½ an hour per pub. No arguments, no time wasting. Get in, get one down you, then get cracking, we have a long way to go today.

Food- you will need to eat something. Most locals seem to exist on a diet of focaccia & coffee, but there are many other options. The famous South Melbourne Market dim sim is in season, and is easily caught using a net or the traditional blowpipe & dart. All the pubs to be visited offer expensive potato chips in ridiculous flavours like gingered oyster or goat cheese & ketchup. There is also a pie shop. Remember that citrus fruits are illegal south of the Yarra.


salut!

I'm not sure

For various reasons, I'm not sure I want to do this any more.
If that matters to you, let me know.