this journal lists newest entries first.
June 30, 2006click here to go to the first entry. past year archives are at the bottom of this page. the desgination "np" stands for "now playing". This'll probably be the last post for a couple of days, as my usual busy weekend is here, and I need to reformat this blog into something more manageable. If you're in Sydney, it's the usual first-o-month shows, Saturday at the Bald Rock, Sunday at the Merton. If you're not, there's the Wicked Karma netcast (see a couple posts below for details). June 28, 2006 The World Cup. At least it's now over, as far as I'm concerned. For you Statesiders: A musician pal of mine, Dawn DeSimone has been running a public campaign to try to locate her best friend, Danielle Imbo who disappeared in Philadelphia last year. The website is here if you'd like more info. np - Capercaille / To The Moon June 24, 2006 Started work this week on the new Blues Pirates album in an interesting manner. As we're rehearsing the live set, we're laying down tracks as we go. It'll have a few classic old covers as well as songs by Chris Turner and myself. I'm planning on revisiting a few old gems from my back catalog, such as Dirty Blue Jeans from the Ordinary Madness album and Low Rent Part Of Town from Hillbilly Moon. And more recording... the house has been turned into Abbey Road, as Val and Justin are here putting down drum and guitar tracks for a demo. I've got mic leads running down the hall, and most of the lounge room is now a giant drum booth. I'm glad I have city neighbours. I'll be doing two shows tomorrow, one with Val at the Commercial in East Balmain at 3pm, then I run down the road to my usual Merton Sunday gig at 6pm. Add Shane Flew's Unity gig to the end of the night, and it'll be a long day. np - Suzen Juel / Rooftops June 19, 2006 Couple of announcements: I'll be moving this blog to another format, probably from the 1st of July. The way I've been maintaining it these past five years has been a bit cumbersome. Nothing should change from your end, except you may need to alter your bookmarks. More later. All older archives will remain though. I now have details for the upcoming live concert broadcast. It'll be on Monday night, July 3rd, server time, which means 5pm Monday US West Coast, 8pm US East Coast, 1am Tuesday in London, 2am in Paris and 10am in Sydney. You'll be able to tune in through Wicked Karma with your Windows Media Player, Winamp, Quicktime or most any player capable of playing streaming audio. Just open your player, then from the File menu, open URL field. Type in: http://www.wickedkarma.com:9051 and you should have the stream. The concert is being staged to launch a new virtual world simulation based on the Hollywood Bowl. it's called Red, White and Blues, and features four other live performers from around the globe as well as myself. It's a fascinating notion, and all very new technology. I'll be taking part in this show from my own little studio here in Sydney, all thru the Internet. The media frenzy is growing here, as this weekend's wedding of my pal Keith Urban and whatshername grows imminent. read some funny comments in the papers over the weekend, mostly the brief interview with Angie Marquis. No, I'm not on the guestlist (having been tarred with the "ex-management crowd" brush), but I'm hoping to catch up with Ang and others this week. I produced Angie's first release, way back in '94, and the last time I saw her was at my hotel room in Brisbane in '01. We were watching the ARIA awards and, somewhat ironically, were taking the mickey out of Keith's spot. June 17, 2006 Quote o' the week, from Peter Case: ...rock and roll is about the words... it's all about the words...Sidebar: Rumble was the classic 60's instrumental that put the late Link Wray on the map. Just in case some of you were wondering.... By the by, Pete's on tour in the United States of Bush with his reformed (double-meaning there?) 80's band The Plimsouls. You statesiders, catch one of the best rockin' bands of the power pop era while you can - you lucky sons o' gunners.... np - The Bittersweets / The Life You Always Wanted June 16, 2006 Another week has slipped away, with mostly business as usual. I should soon have details regarding the upcoming net webcast, and will certainly post. It's interesting to see the convergence of technology and media in yet another exciting method of getting information (in this instance, music) into homes around the world. Busy gig weekend coming up. My pal Erik is off to Norway soon, there's a going-away party that I'm about to head off to. Tomorrow night, I'm back at the Riverview in Balmain with Val, again a pre-World Cup show. Then it'll be off to the Bridge Hotel, where the Dave Tice Band will be tearing it up til 1am. Sunday's Merton residency will be followed by a long-overdue guest appearance at the Wolftones monthy show at the Untidy, er, Unity pub in Balmain. Then, it's gathering round the big screen to watch Australia's second World Cup match, this time against the highly-rated Brazil. np - Saving Grace, the new single from Tom Petty. June 13, 2006 Well, the weekend's gigs went swimmingly well again, Sunday's show in particular was a lot of fun for me. Thanks to Justin who came down with his bag o' percussion toys. Had a smallish but dedicated crowd, which I kinda expected being a holiday long weekend n all. Been exploring some of the newer net radio stations, the ones who multistream live performances as well as prerecorded. It's an interesting notion, and I'm planning on getting involved fairly soon. You'll be able to tune in to one of my 'live shows' from your computer pretty much anywhere worldwide, but it certainly won't be anything like a Sandi Thom style hype session. I'll post details here as they develop. In the meantime, I'm refreshing my fading memory with the latest broadcast software upgrades etc. As I've stated many times before, I'm not a big sports fan. But last night's World Cup match against Japan was a thriller, not to mention a historic win. And Tim Cahill is now a national hero. np - Wicked Karma Internet Radio June 8, 2006 Ok, thrill seekers.... finally got a copy of my wrist x-rays. They can be viewed here. RIP to the great Billy Preston. np - Frank Sinatra / I've Got You Under My Skin June 6, 2006 Broken wrist update: Got the all-clear from my surgeon yesterday. Still have a few more weeks of physio and I still have to wear this silly brace, but overall, he was very impressed with my progress. It helps when you're a bit motivated.... My mood has certainly improved since six weeks back, and looking back on those posts, I've decided to leave them as it, unedited. They're an honest assessment of what I was going through at that time, and some of you may relate. Last-minute gig at the Riverview in Balmain this Saturday night, drop by if you're in the area. And as I'm slowly returning to normal, I'll probably do this week's Sunday spot on me lonesome. I need to remember all those songs, anyway. Other music news, my occasional duo pahdnah Erik Damberg is moving back to Norway at the end of the month. He was due to begin touring and recording with Chris Turner's Blues Pirates, so with his departure, Chris has kindly offered me the gig. As many of you know, Chris and I have played together a great deal over the past twenty years, so it'll be a seamless transition. Watch for more shows up and down the east coast, and next year at the various blues festivals. At least I'll get out of the house more.... Anybody really ofay with Cubase (it's recording software, by the way....)? I'm still trying to get my head around the system, and I need to lift my game as this is how I'll be recording the next album. June 4, 2006 To Friday's post, a couple readers have asked me why I didn't want to mention the title of the film I was so disappointed in. I'm not sure, really, I have no connection to the show's producers or anything, but I suppose as an artist, I still feel a little uncomfortable being openly negative about other's work. Mostly, my story was about following recommendations to see a film, rather than the film itself. But for you curiosity seekers, the film is called Wolf Creek, and was widely lauded by many. Sorry, but I simply didn't enjoy it. Your mileage may vary. Last night's gig was a lot of fun. Packed to the rafters, mind you it's not a big place anyway... Musically, it was a shambles as my colleage struggled with some new fx units through the night, but the sheer joy of playing shone through. It was the first time in nearly two months that I've played a full 3 1/2 hour gig. My wrist is pretty sore today, but in a good way, the way you feel after a good workout or a long run. I'm getting there. I'm looking forward to tonight's Merton pub regular show. My buddies Richard and Jed from the Lime Spiders are guesting, fronted by Fiona, my former duo partner from Mudgee. T'will be tres enjoyable, and I'll guarantee there'll be plenty o' Steve Earle tunes in the last set. The music biz continues its implosion, with Friday's news of the major shakeup at Sony, and the power struggle with so-called joint-venture pahdnaws BMG. I realize this will mean nothing to most of you, but for the few who find some interest in the inner machinations of the music biz, you may enjoy the serialized tales of the fabulously talented Peter Case, found on his blog here. Pete's been documenting the struggle and climbs he went through in the late 70's / early 80's, and it's a great read. Especially poignant is the reality of how little has changed. I feel for young artists dreaming of their "big break". It's a whole different playing field to when I was an idealistic young songwriter (as opposed to a cynical old songwriter now....). As a pal of mine coined, the hit single is not dead, it's just been replaced by the supermarket tabloid covers. But fortunately, the indie market not only survives, but thrives, and therein lies the real music. Not niche markets, as some old schoolers say, but niche artists. Artists that may only speak to tens of thousands instead of tens of millions, but will speak so much deeper and longer to their fans than the McMusic celebrities, quickly forgotten as the next pretty young thing is catapulted from the trailer park to the red carpet. np - Daniel Lanois / For The Beauty Of Wynona June 2, 2006 I'm always a little wary when someone reccomends a film. People's tastes run a rather peculiar gamut, and one person's Truffaut may be another's Truman Show. The other night however, a friend whose opinion I respect - he's a rock critic and former manager of one of the great Aussie acts - absolutely raved about a particular Aussie thriller (which shall remain titleless). Last night, I decided it was worth investing a few quid and a couple of pizza n' beer hours to have a look at. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. To say I nearly feel asleep during the first half hour of completely invisible plot and character 'establishment' would be more accurate. To say that, by the end of the ordeal (mine, not the characters), I didn't care about any of them (and was kinda glad most got killed) would be my reviewer's notes in a nutshell. The attack of the killer staircases continues unabated here. The other morning in the neo dawn, it was the Gypsy Gal's turn to take a few dance steps down the midflat 5-stair rise. She's now sporting bruises to her shins, her arms and her pride. Next move, a ground-floor house may be in order. There's a new TV series that has me hooked. It's called Thank God You're Here, featuring some the best Aussie comedians and is a great spin on improvisational theatre. Apparently the show's producers (who also brought us such greats as Frontline, The Late Show and The Panel) have sold the syndication rights to other countries, much like Who's Line Is It Anyway. If you haven't seen it, you can get the background and download a clip here. May 29, 2006 As expected, the weekend was another big one for music and socialization. The only problem was dragging myself out of bed into a chilly Sydney morning at 7am to make the specialists' for a wrist checkout. But I managed to play a fair bit yesterday, and held a guitar pick for the first time in nearly two months. Picked up some more bits n pieces for the studio, a few mics and cables. I'm getting closer to the point where I can finally resume demos and recording. Maybe a new album will finally see the light of day this year.... Good news / bad news dept: Found out that legendary Aussie/Kiwi guitarist Kevin Borich has been given the all-clear from his recent throat cancer bout. However, I learned that yet another two Aussie legends are also battling the dreaded Big C. I'm not sure yet as to whether it's supposed to be public knowledge yet, so I'll refrain from posting names... for now. I recall very clearly at Pete Wells' funeral and wake, looking around the roomful of aging rockers and wondering who was going to be next. Sadly, it's becoming all too commonplace. Hope everyone stateside is enjoying their long holiday weekend. Business as usual here in the antipodes.... Monday, Monday indeed. And happy b-day to Chavaleh. May 25, 2006 Sunday's looking like a big day - I'm too lazy to retype, so I'll just cut n paste from the gig guide email: Two big reasons to come out of the house into the Sydney autmnness this Sunday 28th: So there ya go, kiddies. See ya Sunday.... Wrist update - the mending process is long and slow, but seems to be working. I'm slowly regaining mobility, but have some pretty serious muscle problems still. I like my physio therapist. She says that it's not just her job, but her duty to inflict pain upon me. Ya gotta love that. Had to do a pub crawl to finally watch the World Cup soccer match last night, mainly because the Gypsy Gal's superstar cousin was on the MCG field for Greece. And that was about all Stelios did, as they went down 1-0 to the Aussies. With Melbourne having the largest Greek population outside of Athens, it would've been a fun match to have been at. np - / Perishable Fruit May 23, 2006 My Sweet Lordi..... 2006 Eurovision has come and gone, and yes, that Finnish metal group won. Now let's see them top that act. Oh, click here if you wanna see it. Another news oddity - the head of the World Health Organization died suddenly over the weekend. I'm not sure if there's an irony in that or not... Speaking of weekends, mine was pretty much the usual as life is slowly returning to normal (I hate using that word in reference to myself). Markets, friends' gigs, and my own Sunday session, where I managed to play a handful of songs with my bionic wrist. I should be having more x-rays later in the week and can hopefully post a photo to scare y'all off your corn flakes. And the first nips of winter is licking at the shores of the Harbour City. Well, what passes for winter here anyway, which is practically a spring day in many Northern cities. Anyway, I see people outside, rugged up in jackets and scarves, hurrying along to buses, trains and planes. It's kind of comforting, I suppose in a way it reminds me of autumn days in Oregon as a kid. np - Michael Hedges / Best Of May 20, 2006 Autumn. I love this time of year, for many things. The slight chill in the air, the hustle of the crowds as the days of lazy summer have waned, the fresh seasonal fruits, veges and spices, and the sport. Yes, it's that time of year for my favourite bloodsport. No, I don't mean boxing - read the last post. No, neither wrestling, football, or soccer. No, my fave bloodsport is..... Eurovision. The world's longest running TV show, and the classic song contest that annually reminds us all of just how seriously bad music can be - the songs, the singing, the playing, and of course the 'fashions'. The final is screening here tomorrow (Sunday) night. Catch it if you need a good belly laugh, groan or combination of both. I love it. For all the wrong reasons. And the oddest thing I've seen in the runs-up so far (aside from that Finnish metal band with the Klingon masks) is the Deutchland entry. A German country band called "Texas Lightning" is strange enough, but to find that they're fronted by an Aussie singer garners a big WTF from moi. The funniest moment, aside from Jools Holland's smart-arse commentary, was that the largely Greek audience didn't get the satire of the hilarious Icelandic lampooner Silvia Night. But then, I guess she's kinda used to that.... May 18, 2006 Broken wrist update: the first physio session went well, and yes, they've taken my clunky ol' hunk o plaster and replaced with a nice slimline brace. I'm a happy boy. I can actually touch my thumb and forefinger together for the first time in weeks. On the downside, I've effectively been out of work for a month now, and the wolves are beating down the doors.... Anyone need any web/grafix work? Like, uh... quick? I've never been a boxing fan. I just don't see the 'sport' in two grown men trying to outpunch the other. And I've always felt that watching a boxing match can act as a surrogate for an individual's own pent-up emotions. So it with no surprise to read of all the street violence that broke out in the wake of last night's highly touted Aussie boxing match. Honestly, if you wanna go out after the game, get drunk and smash up things, you should become a professional Rugby League player. np - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band / The Acoustic Album May 16, 2006 I'd meant to add more to that last post, but kinda went flat after that first para. Ah well, one day at a time, as they say. I start physiotherapy tomorrow, that should make a huge difference. However, I managed a few tunes on the ol' guitar at my Sunday gig, which was a nice feeling. Hoping I'll get a slimline cast soon so I can actually reach the strings properly. np - Bill Lloyd / Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants May 12, 2006 Went into the music store the other day to wrap up some loose ends and attend to a few client needs, but after a couple of hours, my arm started aching again and I had to go home. It appears that the road to recovery is going to take far longer than I'd hoped. I don't seem to have the optimism that I had for a full recovery. May 8, 2006 Spent most of the day again in the fracture clinic with the specialists. Finally got to see the X-ray of what was done. I almost fainted. I now have a two-inch piece of plating in my wrist which resembles, for want of a better expression, a pasta fork or possibly a garden hand rake. Scary stuff, but it seems to be doing the trick. Guess it matches the screws in the side of my pelvis from my 1986 auto crash. The docs were much more optimistic about my recovery prospects than before the op. Yeah, I know they prepare you for the worst case scenario etc, but they were a little heavy-handed with me at first (and yes, folks, the puns keep rolling). For an update on my current appearance, go here. We have two major news stories occuring here in the antipodes which have really touched the hearts of the nation - yes, I know that's an old cliche, but in this case, it happens to be just. The first is the plight of the two miners who have been trapped in a cave-in a kilometre beneath the ground for 14 days now. The rescue efforts have been amazing, considering the enormous risk to rescue workers as well as the two men. As I'm typing, their freedom is possibly only a few hours away. The second concerns a little five year-old girl, who was severely burned and injured when an out of control car slammed through the walls of her preschool in 1993. Nearly two years on, recovering fairly well, and she's hit by yet another vehicle at a pedestrian crossing. So after last weekend's wallowing and feeling sorry for myself, it's good to remember that things aren't too bad, really. np - Etta James / Love's Been Rough On Me May 7, 2006 Woke up this morning to the sad news that Grant McLennan of the Go-Betweens passed away in his sleep yesterday. I didn't know Grant very well, we did a few acoustic shows together back in the early 90's. He always seemed a polite, well spoken gentleman who had the respect of so many. No official word yet on what happened, though the rumours I've heard that he'd been ill were indeed news to me. May 6, 2006 Still recuperating, starting to feel the post-op effects finally wearing off. I may return to normal soon, "normal" of course, being somehwat undefinable in my world.... May 4, 2006 Post-surgery report. Apparently it was a little more involved than first expected, but all seems to be on the road to fixability (Is that a word? It is now...) Anyway, I'm back in a non-guitar friendly cast, resting, recuperating and recollecting the good ol' days of two working hands.... So after two days in the wards wars, I'm home, doing very little, but probably more than the docs says I should be. I've had to farm out some gigs, so if you're headed to the Bald Rock this Saturday, I may be there, but not playing. Then Sunday, my good buddy and new dad Shane Flew is running the Merton show. I'll be there as well, lending a hand (gonna run this joke into the ground...) with some vocals, percussion and the bar tab. And thanks for the continuing amount of cards, sms'es and general support wishes. Special thanks to Aemilia and Jenny. np - Fleetwood Mac / Second Hand News May 1, 2006 Four words: Neil Young is God. If ya don't believe me, check out the new album, which just started streaming from Neil's website. In a day and age where an entire nation seems to be paralyzed by fear of its own government, only Neil could have come up with the best protest album since the 60's, (and since, well, Neil's own Ohio in '71). Here's the lyrics to Impeach The President: Let’s impeach the president for lyingCloser to home, the consensus is surgery will be neccessary. The fear is that, if my wrist is left to heal as is, I'd be vulnerable for future trouble, such as arthrisis and osrtoperosis. So I go in tomorrow morning, and will likey stay in hospital for a day or two. Will post toward the end of the week with an update, when I'm back on deck. And thanks so much for all the nice thoughts, emails, ecards etc. I'm a lucky person to have so many people that care. April 30, 2006 The wrist news is not getting much better. After spending a good 8 hours yesterday conferring with specialists, it's not a good outcome. I now need to come to terms with the reality that I certainly will never have full mobility with my right arm again. Ever. I currently have my right arm plastered like a leg ham, and even typing is so difficult. Surgery is still mooted for next week, but it's iffy. At best. At any rate, my days of playing guitar at 100% capacity are well and truly over. Anyone knows who sells tambourines? np - Beatles / White Album April 27, 2006 Well, the news on the wrist ain't good. A second set of X-rays, taken after the swelling had gone down to check mobility has revealed that there is, in fact a fracture to my distal radius. I'm off to the hospital in the morning to have it, uh, rest and will most likely be spending the next several weeks in good ol' plaster.... which may mean my gigs will have to be put on hold for a while. There's not much I can do, so I'm simply trying to make the best of the time. Thanks all, for your thoughts and best wishes. np - Cindy Bullens / Between Heaven and Earth April 23, 2006 Yes, long time between posts. It's been for two reasons: I'm having some issues with the upgrades in my editing software, and over last weekend, I had a little accident with a staircase and a mystery stair that saw me fall and damage a few ribs, plus a badly sprained right hand. Fortunately, it's nothing broken or permanent, but it's been a tough week trying to recuperate and work around being one-handed. Typing is a chore as well, so this entry will be kept short for now. Back soon, all in one piece...... April 14, 2006 Any readers in Austin? Kacy Crowley is a local singer-songwriter and an old pal of mine from the Los Angeles circuit. Her and her husband Karl are having a tough time at present, and there's a benefit show being staged next Wednesday. Here's the details: Wed Night, April 19th np - Shooter Jennings / Electric Rodeo April 13, 2006 Last minute local gig, if you're in the Sydney area - I'll be doing an acoustic opening spot for the Chookman's Led Zeppelin show, at the Bridge in Rozelle (check the gigs page). Opening for Zep.... should be interesting. And four, count 'em, four glorious days off from the music store - although I also have my Sunday session, so aside from two gigs, it's four days off..... I'll take 'em any way I can, and God do I need the break right now. Perhaps I'll get inspired (insipid?) enough to post thru the w/end, as I'm not planning on journeying too far from my bed...... April 11, 2006 So between tonight's Stones show and tomorrow night's MTV awards, the city is buzzing with a fistful of rock celebs and half a million papparazzi. In my book, the real star here is Daniel Lanois, who's appearing tomorrow night with my pal Jackie Bristow opening the show. No surprise Stones show last night, as rumoured, although Sir Michael Phillip put in an appearance at an Oxford Street club. There's a nest (roost? den? lair?) of pigeons just outisde the studio window. With recording set to commence here in about a month's time, I wonder how we'll be able to gate out the noise. Being the ol' softie for wild animals that I am, I've taken to feeding these critters. Yeah, I know.... I shouldn't encourage them. And admittedly, they're not nearly as cute as the possums that would hang around my old place up at the lake. Upcoming release to watch for: Tom Petty's new solo album, titled Highway Companion. Y'all in the States may have seen tour dates for their 30th anniversary, kicking off in June. Acclaimed filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich is shooting a doco on the band's history, which reminds me - does anyone out there have a VHS (or pref digital) copy of Cameron Crowe's 1983 MTV doco, Heartbreakers Beach Party? I'd love to see it again. April 6, 2006 Back to the routine of work and more work. Wish the payoff was better for all the hours put in. There's some new web/grafix jobs on the horizon, if this keeps up, I may be able to trade in my lowly-paid daily retail grind and find some time to get back to writing / recording. These past six months post-restaurant have been a period of keeping the doors bolted as the various wolves try to find their way in thru windows and chimneys. It's been an especially hard time on the Gypsy Gal and myself, as we struggle to keep the boat afloat thru missed birthdays and family events. But perseverance is something that's become second nature to me, and that light down the tunnel seems to grow somewhat brighter.... Done a lot of reflecting in the days since Pete Wells' funeral. At the wake, I spent a lot of time hanging out with my other Hillbilly Moon co-horts Paul Norton and his wife, Wendy Stapleton. It was great to see them again and reminded me of how special and enjoyable those couple of years were, recording, touring and making silly TV appearances. It was also good to see drummer Ken Farmer, who flew up from Melbourne, and of course, Lucy DeSoto. Amongst my meagre possessions that arrived from Nashville was the remainder of the Hillbilly Moon CD stock, so I've been able to fulfill a bunch of CD orders - which have understandably increased since news of Pete's passing. Both "Volume One" and limited quantities of the Big Whiskey CD are available again. My old pal Tom in Nashville has posted his entry in a "competition" to write a 400 word short story using as many titles of U2 songs as possible. It's a hoot to read, cruise over to his blog, under the heading "Jewels Writing Challenge". np - Peter Case / Flying Saucer Blues April 2, 2006 It's been a pretty busy and intense few days since Pete's passing. On Thursday, I was asked to sit in on a radio show and talk about Pete's life and music. We played a bunch of Hillbilly Moon tracks and spoke about Pete's roots in country and blues. The funeral was Friday morning. As expected, pretty much anyone who's anyone in Aussie rock were there, although one tabloid erroneously reported Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood as being in attendence (they were in town and sent their regards). The media papparazzi outside was, I suppose a sad reality in this day and age, although it wasn't nearly the circus that Hutch's service was. Since black is traditionally worn at these events, the sea of biker club jackets fit in in a bizarre way. When the condolence book was passed around, I joked that it was really the drug squad taking names.... The eulogies and tributes were nice, and very spot-on. Pete really was one of the most amazing humans that I have been priveleged to have known these past twenty years. He was generous to a fault, incredibly patient, kind and compassionate and fiercly loyal and protective of his friends and family. I learned a great deal from him, and for that, I am indeed lucky. Afterwards, most retired to the Sydney Blues Club, where DVD's of Rose Tattoo performances and interviews screened while a packed room full of aging rockers all caught up and commiserated. If there's one thing positive say about such an occasion, it's that it's good to catch up with old friends, and there was a lot of love in the room. Last night's gig at the Bald Rock pub was another ripper. I'm really enjoying that room, with its stone walls and rock cave feeling, it wouldn't be out of place in London's East End. The crowd is always good there, mostly locals who wander up the street, then stagger home. I did a couple of Pete's tunes in tribute, his 1990 hit "Between the Saddle and the Ground", and the Tatt's "Bad Boy For Love". I'm about to load the car and head off for my Sunday session at the Merton, but I'm not expecting as big a turnout as usual due to today's Tigers game. Which isn't a bad thing, after the last week, I could use some easy time.... March 28, 2006 Peter Wells, R.I.P. It was expected, but I'm still lost for words. Perhaps in a day or so. In the meantime, check these links: Rose Tattoo official siteRest well, old friend. March 27, 2006 Great turnout for yesterday's Sunday session. Lots of musicians, including Theo Katsantoni, Stewart Peters, Graham Flaws, Val Gray, Hunter Owens and Miko from Bali all contributed voices and songs. A late gig add for this weekend - I'll be back at the Bald Rock Hotel on Saturday night from 8pm, just in time for April Fools Day. March 26, 2006 Take a few moments and consider the following words (I'll tell ya by who shortly): "What worries me deeply, and I have seen it exemplified in this case, is that we in America are in great danger of slowly evolving into a proto-fascist state. It will be a different kind of fascist state from the one of the Germans evolved; theirs grew out of depression and promised bread and work, while ours, curiously enough, seems to be emerging from prosperity. But in the final analysis, it's based on power and on the inability to put human goals and human conscience above the dictates of the state. Its origins can be traced in the tremendous war machine we've built since 1945, the "military-industrial complex" that Eisenhower vainly warned us about, which now dominates every aspect of our life. The power of the states and Congress has gradually been abandoned to the Executive Department, because of war conditions; and we've seen the creation of an arrogant, swollen bureaucratic complex totally unfettered by the checks and balances of the Constitution. The author is Jim Garrison, and was first printed in - dig this - 1967. the more things change....... Thanks to Peter Case, who published this on his blog. np - John Gorka / Out Of The Valley March 25, 2006 Happy b-day to the Gypsy Gal. You have been my best friend, confidante, companion and partner for well, longer than these things usually work out for me. I honestly don't know where I'd be without you. Sagapo agape mou, para poli. Unfortunatley, the b-day weekend celebrations have been diminished some, as she still hasn't received her final pay from her previous employers, and the matter is now going before the Industrial Relations tribunal. If it ain't one battle, it's another, and the Gypsy Gal is not someone to get on the wrong side of.... If you're in Sydneytown, my guest for tomorrow's Sunday session is the inimitable Mitchell Shadlow, back from Ireland for a wee visit. Jake Lardot and the Chookman are also joining the lineup. And happy b-day to Esther, whose party we shall hope to attend this fine eve. np - Wendy Waldman / Love Is The Only Goal March 24, 2006 My nostalgia period continues. Over the past several weeks, I've received emails from distant family members as well as old friends & fans, a couple of discs of family photos from a cousin, and some old Sneakers promo stuff. Last week, I got the remainder of stuff out of storage, most of which had been filed away from before the restaurant took over my life. Yesterday, I collected about a dozen boxes of stuff from my home in Nashville, mostly CD's, clothes and assorted trinkets that I haven't seen in five years, and today, I got an email from an old girlfriend who found some tapes & photos while cleaning out her garage. Should I be reading anything cosmic into this? Or are all my feathers simply coming home to roost? Do I wax rhetorical? One of the gems I uncovered (pun alert.....) was a DVD called "Under The Covers", a retrospective doco of photographer Henry Diltz and designer Gary Burden who did such classic rock covers such as the first two CSN&Y, the Eagles, Jackson Browne, The Doors and many more. It's a great doco, lots of very funny bits and natch, interviews with many of the subjects. It's still available through Henry's website, if you're so inclined. np - Walt Wilkins / Fire Honey & Angels March 20, 2006 One of those sleepless nights, where I try to tire myself by online surfing. I kinda enjoy these occasions, as they're probably the only chances I get these days to aimlessly read up on things. One of my regular tasks is running my name thru Google to see what sites have me indexed or listed. Curiously, I've discovered that there was a Saint Cletus back in the 1st century. I hadn't heard of him before, and after all these years, it was kinda surprising to discover. I've never really traced the origins of my name back properly, aside from learning in the fourth grade that Alexander the Great had a Cletus Maximus, or similar as an officer. A Saint, eh? Well, that's one beatification that certainly won't be bestowed on thou..... The Sunday sessions are off to a good start. Shane brought his pal, the wonderfully talented guitarist Dan Johnson. Burton and I did a set, our last for a while as he flies out of the country this week, and Jeff Bruce played some great harp. Ever wanted to read an article in an online newspaper edition, but got halted at the "You'll need to register" prompts? There's a site called Bug Me Not, which lists login details for stacks o' sites. Is this legal, I hear you type? Considering that the hosting sites don't charge for the service, but require you to submit your email info for, well, what purpose except to add to their spam lists, I don't have a problem with it. And am I the last person in the Western world to have finally gotten into Sudoku puzzles? np - Van Morrison / The Common One March 17, 2006 Well, the house still looks like a war zone, but my broadband connection is finally up. Now, if I can only get my network to er, network so I can access files, I'll be back in business. Last Sunday's kickoff of my new pub residency went well, great crowd and a delight to see some old pals. With this week being St. Paddy's, one of my local pubs, the Welcome Hotel has been hosting a string of events, including last Wednesday's launch of Bono's Red Appeal to fight Aids in Africa. The heavily rumoured appearance of the frontman himself didn't eventuate, but there were celebs aplenty. And red beer as well. Still, it's a good cause & mucho dinero was raised, we're told. Weekends gigs: if I can tear myself away from trying to make these silly boxes talk to each other, I may make an appearance at the BBC tonight for Hunter & Suzy's regular gig. My pal Burton's heading off overseas next week, there's a sendoff bash tomorrow, then I'll be doing the Sunday thing at the Merton, this week with special guest Shane Flew. If there's any energy left, I may surface later at the Unity for the Wolftones monthly show. Oh, and happy St. Paddy's Day, to be sure. np - Warren Zevon / The Wind March 7, 2006 Still in mid-moving mode. No broadband as yet, and the new CPU doesn't want to accept my harddrives. But I hope to be back in biz by the weekend. Last weekend's gig was a ripper, one of the most fun I've had in yonks. The Bald Rock pub is just down the road from the Merton, so hopefully we'll pick up most of that crowd as well. If you're in town, hope to see you there this and/or every Sunday. February 28, 2006 The housemove will be taking up the rest of the week, I'm also waiting for my ADSL line to be reconnected, so no posts for a couple of days. I'm playing in Balmain this coming Saturday night if you're local - check the gig guide for details. Happy b-day to Jim Finn, star host of the Sydney Blues Club and Taverna jam sessions. Jim held a bash at the Riverview in Balmain with half the musicians in town, and the jam went well past closing time. Thanks to whomever it was that loaned me their nice old Telecaster. And happy b-day to my big lil' sis, Cheryl. February 25, 2006 The first Sunday gig has been put back a week, due to some big TV sports event, I'm told. So very typical for this country, and, publicans being the breed that they are, I'm sure I can look forward to many more last-minute reschedules. No matter. Turn up on the 12th, youse locals. Here's an interesting non-event. Apple just announced the one billionth download from its iTunes store. Heard what it was? Coldplay's "Speed Of Sound". Yawn. Saturday morning grumble: nobody seems to be using the new comment box (link at top o' the page).... what, you're all happy to privately email comments, but nobody wants to go public? Out of the nearly five hundred of you who seem to read this page weekly? Maybe everyone's too busy d/l'ing Coldplay.... American politicians aren't the only breed with an endless capacity for foot-in-mouthism. Over the past weeks, the Aussie parliament has seen more than its fair share of insipid, bigoted and uninformed stupidity drooling from mouths of elected representatives, mostly unimportant backbenchers who clearly grew up in the wrong households. But now, the deputy Prime Minister (and the man tipped to replace ol' Honest John leading the 51st State) has got into the act, further inflaming and offending the substantial Muslim community. Things could be worse, I suppose. He could have announced a new tour from Coldplay. A sampling of this week's iPod playlist: Andrew White / Mysterious Ways February 21, 2006 Posts may be intermittent over the next week or, for two reasons: a) I'm having some bizarre software problems with a mystery driver that uh, ain't driving; and 2) if plans hold, we'll be moving up the street to a bigger place. So don't sweat it if a few days go by without a post. My new Sunday residency has finally been greenlighted (greenlit?). We're kicking off March 5th at the Merton Estate pub in Rozelle (the non-Balmain side of Victoria Road, if you're keeping score). Format will be as with the ol' Salisbury pub days in '96 - meself, with different guests each week, and (hopefully) plenty o' local drop-in guests. From 5pm, bring yer fellow humans. February 19, 2006 Now this is creepy - the memorial service for the late Barry Cowsill (of The Cowsills, dig?) was held in Rhode Island today/yesterday (depending on your time zone) Saturday 18th, starting at 1pm (CST). I've just received news from a mutual friend that Barry's older brother Billy (who's been suffering a long bout of emphysema) died at his home in Calgary, Alberta.... Saturday 18th, at 1pm (CST). Have been waiting to post for confirmation, but sadly, it's true. February 18, 2006 I have to thank Miss Amanda over at the Flop Eared Mule blog for bringing this fab find to my tired ears - Vault Radio. It's a huge collection of classic live performances from Bill Graham's Fillmore archives artists such as Santana, Jefferson Airplane, Van Morrison, Hendrix, Springsteen and far too many more to list. Go check it out - you don't have to d/l any software, they have a nifty server-side player. By the way, there's a couple of pics from Thursday's show posted on the gallery page. February 17, 2006 Last night's Chris Whitley tribute show was a corker, with a solid turnout. Highlights of the night: Michael John Azzopardi / I Forget You Everyday; Melanie Horsnell / Dust Radio; Johnny Cass / Indian Summer; and the fabulous Jeff Lang's set (with Mat McHugh from The Beautiful Girls), which closed the show with a tear-inducing rendition of the sadly apt Dirt Floor: There's a dirt floor underneath hereChris' pioneering work with alternate Dobro resonator tunings is well known and copied (especially so by Mr. Lang), so with that in mind, I left my resonator at home and took to the stage with a standard 6 string. My spot featured the songs "Make The Dirt Stick" and "Phone Call From Leavenworth", for those keeping score. Both songs are from Chris' stunning 1991 debut, Living With The Law (produced by Daniel Lanois protege Malcomb Burn), and if you want to familiarize yourself with his music, I'd strongly suggest you go out and find this album. Throughout the evening, several of us discussed the concept of a musical tribute to someone critically acclaimed, musically influential, but not exactly a household name. Around town, there's always plenty of trib shows to Bob Dylan, John Lennon etc. But to take the body of work of someone like Chris Whitley and attempt to pay homage to it can be a challenging notion, as there's really no precedents set. But there were some stellar performances last night, and it was a joy to be part of it. To other music stuff: best line o' the nite at last night's Brit Awards: Paris Hilton, presenting the Best International Album award to Green Day, shouting, "American Idiot!! Wooo!!". I'm sure the irony was lost on her. February 15, 2006 Got a nice lil' surprise in the mail - a couple of discs of old family photos from a cousin in the States. Was nice to rummage down the digital memory lane and try to remember who most of the faces are/were. Still trying to find time to rehearse for tomorrow night's Chris Whitley tribute show. Looks to be a good lineup, I'll be joining Jeff Lang, Louis Tillett, and one of the Taverna regulars, Melanie Horsnell, amongst others. np - Chris Whitley / Living With The Law February 14, 2006 You gotta laugh. Everyone else seems to be. "Guns don't shoot people - Vice Presidents shoot people." "Good news, ladies and gentlemen, we have finally located weapons of mass destruction: It's Dick Cheney." "In fact, when people found out he shot a lawyer, his popularity is now at 92 percent." We haven't heard the last of Quailgate. Happy Valentine's Day to all and sundry. And, off-topic, why does this "sundry" get such a bad wrap? You'd think "all" would mean "all". Anyway, nothing special here this year, just business as usual - trying to revive my flagging career. A couple of us are trying to get a circuit of House Concerts happening here on the big dusty rock. With more pubs, clubs and venues going down faster than an Egyptian ferry, alternative live music venues are absolutely vital. Otherwise, we'll all be at home, getting our entertainment fix from Idol, or worse, the Grammys. Anyone remotely interested in holding a house concert, read my page for some ideas. There's a few good links there as well. Oh, and mucho thanks to The Rose for my V-Day text message. Hope you're digging the Bernard Fanning CD I sent you. February 11, 2006 It's all starting to come out. Evidence is now emerging which demonstrates that the White House had been informed by FEMA that New Orleans' 17th Street levee had broken, and failed to act immediately. The mudslinging, ducking and weaving continues, and even ol' Howard Dean has gotten into the fray, calling the Bush administration more corrupt than Richard Nixon’s. Whatever side of the political picket fence one may like to position themselves, a lot of people died needlessly in NOLA. And Iraq. And Afghanistan. And are continuing to, all around this increasingly warming rock we inhabit. February 10, 2006 Haven't had a chance to post these past couple of days. My old pal, Gwyn Ashton has been in the country on tour and we've been hanging out for a couple of days. Wednesday was club-hopping to catch some bands, then the Sydney Blues Club for the weekly jam session. Closing out the night saw myself and Gwyn on guitars, Jim Finn on drums and Al Brittan from the Bondi Cigars on bass. Thursday, Gwyn did his only Sydney show, and I opened the show with a short acoustic set. Gave me a chance to road-test a revisted song, Prison Walls, which I did on the Wooden Nails album (Big Whiskey also recorded it). I've always felt is was incomplete, so I wrote a bridge. The rest of the set was the usual from me, Footsteps, Brakeman, etc. As it was a blues crowd, I did a cover of Lightning Hopkin's Icewater, the version of I lifted from Peter Case's arrangement. Tice and Evans have resumed their long-standing Thursday night residency at the Bridge Hotel, and most of the musicians in the crowd ventured west. I did a couple of tunes, although for the life of me, I can't remember what they were now. Late nights will do that to ya.... np - Rilo Kiley / More Adventurous February 8, 2006 Shortly after I'd posted that last entry, we had a major blackout across this half of town. It was eerie seeing the entire peninsula in blackness, especially the Anzac Bridge totally dark, save for the glow of headlights scurrying across the span, like so many lost fireflies. February 7, 2006 I've added a nifty new feature to this page - you can now post comments, either public or private. Just click on the links above for a pop-up box (you may need to check your browser settings). So many of you email me interesting feedback that I thought it might be a feasible idea to make some of them public. But play nice, now.... I have the 'delete' buttons at hand.... February 5, 2006 Ah, a lazy Sunday. Too lazy to venture up the street to the markets, even. Whilst others are yumming into yum cha, seafood by the seashore and hot dogs by the harbour, this gourmand has put all of his years of cuisinary experimentation to the test and has come up with a ham and cheese sandwich. Toasted. In a jaffle press, to boot. The Gypsy Gal is on sabbatical down south (and has arrived just in time, from the sounds of the Dissabel's recent antics....). So I'm on me own for a few weeks, and will be in major songwriting mode. Ala mode, to boot. Managed to drag myself to the supermarket for rations. My local is always extremely busy on a Sunday afternoon. As I was idling in the checkout aisle, which seems to move at the rate of a Federal government session, I caught a wall display showing framed 8x10 photos of the store's various department managers. I can only imagine the enthusiasm that a young college marketing degree-er spewed, running this great idea past the parent company's board: "I've got it! We'll show photos of our staff! Put a human face on what's perceived as a faceless corporation!". Er, um. Trouble is, the expressions of the faces of these folks' pics make them look like death row awaitees. I've seen happier faces at the dentists' office. And do we really need to know what our supermarket management staff look like? From the appearance of the "Deli Manager's" photo, one can clearly see where all the out-of-date perishables are recycled.... Most of y'all who know me are aware that I am an unashamedly unabashed 'net junkie. So when I find a new site that seems to make time dissappear, you know it's trouble. This month's latest find: Terra Fly. With this nifty lil' online software, you can cruise around the globe (although it's mostly USA based, for now) and zoom in on streets, sites, etc. I found the rooftops of several of the houses that I grew up in in Oregon. Tis neat, but time-consuming, like so much 'nettery. Have a peek if you're bored some day. You can cross-reference by address, longitude etc. Makes one think twice about backyard nude sunbathing, no? np - Andrew White / Pray For Rain February 4, 2006 I'm doing a spot at The Vanguard in Newtown for Jeff Lang's upcoming tribute show to the great, late Chris Whitley. Dunno what songs I'll be doing as yet, I'm waiting to hear what's still available. But as I've always done a few of CW's tunes since first hearing his stunning 1991 debut album, song selection shouldn't be a problem. Will advise as to show times next week. February 3, 2006 Feeling a little under the weather today, so I'm taking a day off to rest up. It's giving me a chance to catch up on some much-needed sleep and reading (probably in that order). We had another hot & humid night last night, which didn't help matters. Something I read briefly yesterday (and in more depth today) really has my blood boiling. Most readers know that I try to refrain from talk of politics, and most of you that know me are aware of my personal views, particularly of the continuing role of the US government in the rest of the role. But it really rankles to hear GW's talk about "democracy", "unity" and "freedom" during his State of Emergency, sorry, State of the Union address over the weekend while several people were summarily ejected from the public gallery - including anti war activist and mother of a killed US soldier Cindy Sheehan. Where does the line in the sand now exist when a government can, without the full support of its constituents and elected officials, invade other countries, usurping their governments and installing regimes against the wishes of the rest of the world, while at the same time, censoring writers, authors, filmmakers, and now, ordinary citizens who choose to wear something as innocuous as a T-shirt which expresses their opinion? And coming on the heel of the passing of the widow of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a man who was murdered for daring to express his opinions - radical ideas, such as "Hey, why don't we all try to get along together?" - it's even more salient. np - John Mellencamp / To Washington February 2, 2006 I'm doing a support slot for my ol' buddy Gwyn Ashton next Thursday in Sydney - check the gig guide if you're in the area. Great show last night at the Basement with Jackie Bristow and Butterfly 9. It was great to catch up with a whole lotta pals, including Kara Grainger, who played some great guitar behind JB, then flew back to Los Angeles today. np - Dan Bern / Hannibal January 29, 2006 With the weekend drawing to a close, so does the official Aussie summer holiday season. Back to serious work, one would hope, and that's my plan. A few small - well, major - adjustments will be made this week, then hopefully I can focus on writing, recording and gigging again. Happy Chinese New Year. The year of the Dog, they say. Here's what the Chinese Cultural Center says about it: 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006Sound like anybody you know? And no, that's not meant to be rhetorical, coming from this Year of the Pig-ger. Posting a few random thoughts as I'm watching the Australian Open men's final. Melbourne has the 3rd largest Greek population in the world, and it looks like the majority of them have crowded into Rod Laver stadium to see the giant-killer Marcos Baghdatis. From the looks and sounds of the crowd, I'm guessing soccer is off-season.... January 26, 2006 Happy Australia Day, or if you're a local, "Strayaday". Or, if you're indigenous, Invasion Day. No matter what ya call it, it's our national holiday, and we're celebrating the Aussie way - with beer & pizza, watching the tennis on TV. with fireworks blasting out the window. No time off for moi though, as I got called in as a ringer at the cafe where the Gypsy Gal keeps her espresso hand in tune and pulled an all-day shift. It was kinda nice to be back in a commercial kitchen for a while, but I'm not missing being there full time. As it turned out, I ended up shuttling deliveries around town for most of the day, negotiating the hundred-thousand odd folks heading towards the Harbour. And happy b-day to Theo. Figures you'd schedule your annual party the night before I have an 8am call..... np ' G Love and Special Sauce / Blues Music January 23, 2006 The flippancy of yesterday's quote seems a bit dulled today after I read this report detailing attempts by the US government to obtain search results from the major search engines. Consider the implications and potential for abuse. If your level of public concern doesn't stretch much beyond Paris Hilton, self-absorbed actors or Nascar, go back to watching Fox TV. The world is being kept safe by your elected respresentatives. Pass the cheesy poofs. However, if you're becoming more and more alarmed at how governments in the West seem to be garnering more powers to use indiscriminately without a mandate from its citizens, you might want to peruse Senator Al Gore's recent speech on setting the limits of executive power. January 22, 2006 Liked this quote from the Dandy Warhols: "AMERICA: It's Not So Bad If You Don't Think" We're still ironing out the details for my upcoming season of Sunday acoustic pub shows here on the Balmain peninsula. I'm also working on a new, groovy mailing list, as I've been doing everything manually up to now. Will advise when all is up & running, if anyone wants to join the list. I'd alluded earlier to a series of changes which are about to unfold. Being as my life seems to be in a constant state of flux, that's probably not even postworthy in a sense. But a couple of the options would see me moving away from the area, something that I'm kinda reticent to do. I like it around here, there's a nice villagey feel that's comfortable, and it's only five minutes from downtown Sydney. But depending on circumstances, we may need more room that this market provides for a reasonable rental. Speaking of, if you're in the area tonight, I'll most likely be at the Unity pub, guesting on a couple of noisy tunes with the Wolftones. My pal Burton Jespersen is here visiting from New Mexico. We've been playing a fair bit, including at a friends' BBQ last night, and the combo is jelling nicely. If I can get a new album out this year, I may join him when he heads over to tour Europe later in the year. Burton's pals Michael Glover and Robyn Rosenkrantz, aka Bright Blue Gorilla recently released their first feature film, Sister Sara's Sky. Burton's in it, as well as several other great Los Angelino singer-songwriters. Check out the trailer, it's a cute film. np - Butterfly 9 / One For The Birds January 21, 2006 Y'know, we never seem to run out of charitable causes. But this one's a little different, and you might want to take a look. Many of y'all would be familiar with the web-based interactive encyclopedia Wikipedia. There's an appeal to raise some funds to keep the work on track, and before you start to yawn, consider these comments by Wiki founder Jimmy Wales: I can’t speak for everyone, but I can speak for myself. I’m doing this for the child in Africa who is going to use free textbooks and reference works produced by our community and find a solution to the crushing poverty that surrounds him. But for this child, a website on the Internet is not enough; we need to find ways to get our work to people in a form they can actually use. Orwellian, perhaps? Is it too late to dream, I ask rhetorically. Do I know what rhetorical means? Does anyone know how to stop this? We're losing far too many great artists far too quickly. Now, I hear of the passing of the very great, very cool Wilson Pickett. Somehow (and I know I'll be sorry for typing this), I'm kinda missing ol' Bobby Dixon's version of "Mustang Sally".... January 20, 2006 Loved this quote, from today's NY Times: "Our television show will have a message, but without getting into the tanks, the guns, the killing and the blood." HAZIM SHARAWI, the host of a new children's show for Hamas's television station in Gaza. Your childhood TV memories may differ...... January 18, 2006 Over two weeks into the new year, and I'm still typing "2005" most of the time. At least typing is easier to rectify than, say using a pen on a cheque. Speaking, well, typing of typing, I had a chuckle watching some of the Golden Globe awards last night when author (and reluctant Globe winner) Larry McMurtry proudly announced that he doesn't use a computer and has used the same typewriter for thirty years - which, if my addition is correct (and does anyone add without a calculator these days?), places the ol' beast at ten years old when he wrote his most famous novel, Lonesome Dove. Was also pleased to hear him thank his son, James, who's one of my fave songwriters. I mentioned carrots dangling in a previous post. More have appeared, and another seachange may soon be on its way. If you've got speakers on your system and appreciate some truly awful music, go here. There's a contest running to find the "world's most awesomely bad band". By "bad" they don't mean it as Fiddy or Snoop would. I vividly remember some of the bands kicking around in my high school daze, er, days. Many of them were at about this level, and the 'musicians' of course were blissfully unaware of how talentless they truly were. Problem is, many of these folks breed, and their clueless offspring become contestants at the various Idol shows..... January 17, 2006 Happy 10th b-day to my son, Callum. Wish you could be here to celebrate with me, maybe next year. Spent a nice weekend with friends in the Southern Highlands. With all the mist and relative cool, it reminded me very much of certain parts of Oregon, where I grew up. Sometimes one can forget that this country isn't completely red dust and beaches.... Did a guest spot on Sunday night with my pal Theo's new band, the subtly-named Pornstar Rockers. Relying on a heavy setlist of 70's rock classics, it wasn't much of a stretch for me to get into retro mode. I've also been discussing a new Sunday acoustic series at a local pub, all looks promising and details will be posted when locked in. But there's also another fooderie-related carrot dangling in the mist, er, distance, and we shall see where the winds take us this time. Cryptic enough? Good. January 14, 2006 Time for some gratuitous self-analysis. I've recently come out of the first major dry spell of writing in my life, and I'm not sure what to do about it. I've written songs, literally almost daily since I was fifteen or so. And around the time that I moved to Nashville in '99, I started to dry up. Part of it, I'll freely admit was being intimidated by the company I found myself keeping. Hanging out with the likes of Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, Buddy and Julie Miller and the like gave me a Wayne's World-ian "I'm Not Worthy" feeling. But places like Nashville will do that to ya. But, for a number of reasons best left unexplored (for now), I found myself writing a lot of late. A lot. And I'm pretty happy with the results. So much so that I'm actively planning (plotting?) my next release. And therein lies the next quandry. I firmly believe that we've entered another Golden Age of independent artists, labels, distributors and releases (and if I see the word "independent" misspelt just one more time, I'll ram a spellcheck disk up the offenders' left ventricle). But, the iceberg-like realities of earning a living, paying bills, rent et al always seem to dictate the course of the riverboat captain. As Thoreau said, "As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler." The life that most of us post-modern Westerners lead doesn't allow the pursuits of such lofty ideals as art. And certainly, some Governments prefer to place their fiscal focus on other vicarious pursuits such as, oh, sport, for example.... So how does one such as myself, a self-confessed musical fringe-dweller get new works out to the public without winning the Lottery? Cause, let's face facts, the major labels are now no longer anything but a commodity delivery device designed to prop up flagging market share in a consumer world threatened by digital downloads and *gasp-horror* - FREE unlicensed downloads.... in order to bolster stock prices of the parent companies? And, no, that's not a cynical observation, kids, I've worked for them. More than once. Anyone out there thinking that if, hey, Multi-National Acronym Records would only release band Z with their huge street buzz, they'd make money, no? The answer, sadly, is no. Sometimes, losing is winning on the high-finance crap table, and there ain't no room for the likes of displaced troubadors like me. And so I canvassed a handful of my songwriter peers, my label pals, my industry connections, the oracle and an old Magic 8-Ball I found in a garage sale for a buck. Why hasn't anyone kicked off a decent artist-driven cooperative indie label, where instead of everyone rowing their own boats with their limited time and resources, everything is centralised and coordinated so that if one artist wins, all the artists win. Everyone agrees that "someone" should do something. Everyone agrees that "this thing" would be very beneficial to a lot of struggling artists. Everyone loves this with passion not seen since Hinkley wanted to impress an actress. But nobody has put their hand up. Or, more to the point, their wallets up. But they all agree it's a terrific idea. As the old axiom goes, "Everybody want to go to heaven, but nobody want to die." Last time I checked my internal rangetop, the back burners were already a mite full.... So it would appear that the better part of this year will be devoted to scraping together resources to record and release something new. It's about time, as my last commercial release was in 1999. I look back somewhat fondly on that three year period from 1991-1994. In that brief stretch, I released two solo albums, the Big Whiskey album and the Hillbilly Moon stuff. It was an intensley productive period, and I wonder if such is possible again in my life. But life was simpler then, and all of us, including Thoreax, were younger. np - Tim Easton / Carry Me January 12, 2006 Heard from one of my numerous long-lost cousins in the States the other day. In the wake of a couple of email exchanges, I've been delighted to receive a solid handful of emails from various relatives, most whom I remember, others who are from the next gen. As I'd commented to one or two, I'm surprised that it's taken this long to hear from anyone. It's not like I'm hard to find on the net.... If anyone caught the global New Year's eve TV coverage, you would have no doubt seen Sydney's now-infamous illuminated heart featured on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I'm pleased to report that it's still up there, irridescently beating away. Here's a shot from out my window (click to enlarge):  Looks like I may have a new home for my acoustic music sessions, a pub very local to me in my lil' harbour peninsula neighbourhood. Details to follow, yada yada. np - Anais Mitchell / Cosmic American January 9, 2006 Any fans of the legendary Bigfoot? Click here for a nifty new digitised clip of the film, with the camera stabilised. January 8, 2006 Looks like Hillbilly Moon is about to ride again. We're going to re-release the first album and include tracks from the unreleased second disc. Also being bantered around is the recording of a new track. More details as they come to pass. Dunno, it still looks like my pal Mick ducking out back for a quick relief after a few beers.... A few days ago, I'd learned of the death of long-time Crosby Stills & Nash manager, Gerry Tolman. Although they're one of my all-time favourite bands, and Gerry's guitar work with Still is well known to me, I refrained from posting mainly because at times, this blog starts to look like a music biz obit column (ditto logic for Lou Rawls. But Razor and Tie records head Dan Hoffman released some comments about his good friend Gerry, and one paragraph struck me: Like Gerry, many of us have complicated and significant responsibilities and demands that occupy us. If we can take one lesson from the way he lived his life, it is to fulfill these duties and functions with compassion and with full effort, and to make the way we live our lives a labor of love.Truer words rarely spoken. np - Trish Murphy / Captured January 6, 2006 More sad post-Katrina news, with the recovery of the body of Barry Cowsill of the 60's family band, The Cowsills. He had been missing since the hurricane, which also destroyed the home of his sister Susan. It's not clear yet whether he perished in the storm itself or sometime afterwards, but whatever the outcome, it's a true tragedy. Barry had been battling many demons in his life, including alcohol, sustance abuse, depression and suicide attempts. To finally check out in this manner seems so.... wrong. But the news has also rekindled arguments that the Bush administration's FEMA has been concealing the true number of those killed in the hurricane to minimize political pressure on the government's handling of the disaster. Whatever the truth is, as is typical with Western governments, one can bet that it won't be revealed for public distillation anytime soon. np - The Cowsills / The Rain, The Park And Other Things January 3, 2006 Thanks to whomever it was that pointed out that I was still typing "2005".... always happens, no? Yes, it's indeed ought-six, and the holidaze are officially over, for me at least. It's back to the working week and all that such entails (entrails?). No resolutions as such, I've long abandoned that quaint but utterly useless tradition. There's enough changes in my life to derail even the best laid plans, however plans and goals are what I still prefer to consider. And for the nu year: 1. Finish writing the new album. Spent a very pleasant day yesterday at my publisher's home, attended by most of his writers and families. After the obligatory BBQ (great tong-work, Gus), we adjourned for a good ol' Nashville-style guitar pull. It was a treat to hear all the new songs from everyone, and to debut some of mine in such a critical, yet creative environ. January 1, 2006 Well, the new year has begun. I have to admit, my show at the Brighton-Le Sands Club wasn't nearly as good as I'd hoped. The numbers were way down, mostly due to concerns over the recent race riots in the beachside suburb. Had a small disaster with the front door deadbolt upon leaving for the gig, The Gypsy Gal stayed behind trying to negotiate with terrorists, er, locksmiths and I couldn't really settle in to the mood of the night. But midnight came, and everyone seemed content to watch the TV coverage of the big heart display on the Harbour Bridge. The heart is still visible out my window, suspended across the frame of the ol' coathanger like an industrial x-ray. We shall see what ought-six has in store for us. I've been plagued by swarms of bees flying in the windows today. Which is puzzling, as I'm several stories up, and you'd think bees would be hovering near the ground, searching for flowers or plants or whatever it is that bees do (I failed biology). I'd close the windows, but as the mercury topped 111f / 44c today, well...... Expanded np section - on my iPod this week: Kate Bush / Joanni musings archives: June-Dec 2005 entries. Jan-June 2005 entries. July-Dec 2004 entries. Jan-June 2004 entries. July-Dec 2003 entries. Jan-June 2003 entries. July-Dec 2002 entries. Jan-June 2002 entries. 2001 entries. |
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