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Boss
TV
30.9.04 - Ross Wilson has done it again! With his new
(to me at least) outfit, the Ross Wilson Trio,
he's recorded one of his Country & Wilson songs,
Time Destroys As Well As Heals, on the streaming video
music facility on The Age's website. It's a typically crafty
Wilson song, aided by a nifty outfit, featuring Mondo's Eric
McCusker on guitar.Check them out on http://media.fairfax.com.au/?rid=14714
And don't miss Ross at the Sound Vault gig either.. |
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If
you haven't received one of these babies, you ain't going to
the ball Cinderella!
29.9.04 - Well, you might be, but you ain't
getting in for free. This is the Sound Vault pass to get into
the sound Vault Awards arvo on Sunday Oct. 17 as a guest of
the band. Cute idea - but I've never been able to hold on to
these slippery little buggers for a set, let alone a month!
Just as well I haven't got any friends.. |
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Mountain
District Radio host 'GOB-smacked'
 
1)
3MDR's Janette Connell 2) Mike plays around with the camera
while Bill drones on.. |
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3MDR
interview turns into GOB marathon
28.9.04
- Charming interviewer for 3MDR, Janette Connell (pic),
didn't know what she was in for when she asked GOB (Grumpy Old
Bastards) representatives, Mike and Bill, to say a couple of
words about where they thought music was headed. She only planned
to have them on air for thirty minutes, but they were still
ranting and raving an hour later and had to be forcibly ejected
from the studio.
Bill had the 'best pie in the mountains' after we left Emerald
Hall, home of 3MDR, so I guess the day wasn't entirely wasted,
gastronomically speaking. |
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Not
just another Mike and Bill radio interview..
27.9.04 - Mike and Bill are racing up to 97.1FM
(3MDR) in Emerald tomorrow (Tues. 28) to do an interview with
Janette Connell on her show The Groove
Is On at 2.00pm. We're taking our guitars, so this could
get serious.. |
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Reviewer
flaunts her blatant bias for
rock dinosaurs
27.9.04 - Alana Galea has a couple of reviews on the
website already check
'em out but is constantly finding ways of getting herself
in print. Now, you're obviously a nice girl, Alana - what are
you doing being seen with this dodgy looking bunch of blokes?
As (Uncle) Mike is fond of saying, you're far too young to be
his daughter.. |
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And,
from the home of fortified wines..
1)
Chris Taylor and son Matt (!) with happy Bill 2) Andy, Robbo
and Chris, who has the largest collection of Spectrum memorabilia
in the north.
 
3)
Pam made sure room 12 welcomed the boys back home 4) I remember
that poster! |
Grand
night at the Shamrock
27.9.04
- September's been a quiet month, but Spectrum finished it up
as they mean to start the next - rollin', rollin', rollin'.
Rutherglen's one of our favourite places, and the Café
Shamrock didn't let us down. The 'house full' sign was out as
we pulled up and our hosts Karen and Gerard welcomed us like
long lost relatives - Gerard provided us with an exquisite sample
of the menu before we got under way.
Even the accommodation at the Motel Woongarra celebrated our
being back with our special room (pics) featuring our
signed poster from our last visit!
Next week Narooma.. |
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The Herald
Sun Fri. 24.9.04 |
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Unique
Chris Grosz posters
24.9.04 - Did I tell you that
I'm collaborating with another Kiwi expatriate, Chris Grosz,
on a project that will eventually be realised on film, about
the wayward jacket of Pretty Things' drummer Viv Prince? Maybe
not, but I was cruisin' the Net tonight and I came across the
Off Beat Music poster
page where I found some of the work that has made Chris
a bit of an international legend, including this signed Bob
Dylan tour poster (right) which is exclusive to Off
Beat.
I'm doing some sessions with Chris on the Viv track we've written
on his return from Queenstown in NZ, where he's been playing
the blues in his other role as a bluesman.
I'll keep you postered.. |
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Hot-shot
publisher hides out in Surrey Hills
22.9.04 - Gus McNeil (left) dragged
himself down to Melbourne from his Blue Mountains retreat a
couple of days ago and made himself known to me this morning.
I immediately accepted his offer to buy me coffees and a blueberry
muffin at a Maling Rd café, the haunt of trendy young
mothers and off-spring and well-to-do Canterbury pensioners.
Gus and I chewed the fat for an hour or so before the over-consumption
of coffee took its toll on my delicate metabolism and I had
to rush home for a pressing engagement with the porcelain.. |
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Clever
Trevor
19.9.04 - I mentioned
bumping into Trevor Courtney last week, and today I got an e-mail
from him letting me know about some gigs he's got lined up in
the next few weeks. I might even pop down myself!
Lyndsay Hammond, Trevor Courtney & Ron Peers are playing
Smooth Grooves and Chilled Out Beats at the Spleen Bar 41 Bourke
Street Melbourne (opposite the Metro) Thursdays from 7pm to
10pm for 4 weeks starting September 23rd through to October
14th.
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What
we did on our weekend off, part two ..
19.8.04 - Management's eldest daughter,
Tali, (pic left), celebrated her 18th birthday in style
last night, with over a hundred guests in attendance, including
the boys-at-a-loose-end from Spectrum. We weren't even booked
to play, but I exacted my revenge by getting up and singing
a couple of numbers with Alexander's ragtag band. It was good
fun too, but the whole party was a hoot, and everyone left happy
- even Dylan the dog got his own way in the end.. |
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| Sharp-eyed
reader wins free T-shirt!
18.9.04 - It's nice to know there are
people out there actually reading this crap, even if it's
only to tell me I got something wrong. I'm sending a No
Thinking T-shirt to perennial carp Bryan Cropley, who
writes: I couldn't help noticing in your speech the date
when Milesago was produced. I know what you're up to Mike.
Just trying to find out if any Spectrumophiles realised that
classic ablum was produced in September 1971 rather than 1973.
The 'speech' Bryan's talking about was the one I gave
at the opening of David Porter's Unreal Rock exhibition
and is reproduced in this issue of the Bloody Newsletter in
Mike's Pith & Wind.
I may as well make this official: in future, any errors reported
to me on this site will be rewarded with a No Thinking
T-shirt. I will be the sole judge of the merits or otherwise
of the reported error. Go for it. |
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Margret
RoadKnight, Jeannie Lewis and Judy Jacques in Concert
18.9.04
- I get the odd communication from the statuesque
Margret RoadKnight, and I know there are some of you who would leap
at the chance of catching up with her and the other two gals on this
once-in-a-lifetime bill, so here's the hype.. Check Margret's website
for more stuff about this extraordinary Australian icon. |
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2 shows - Sunday
OCT 10 & Monday OCT 11, 7pm
The FAMOUS SPIEGELTENT, Melbourne Arts Centre
$30/ $25
Since
the early '60s these powerful singers have explored blues,
jazz, gospel, theatre and world music, and so much more.
Surprisingly, despite decades in over-lapping fields, this
will be the very first time the "trio con brio"
women have actually shared a stage.
Margret had performed & recorded separately with both
Jeannie and Judy, so she was keen to finally showcase a collaborative
blend of solos, duets, and three-part harmonies with these
friends and colleagues.
Audiences at their Famous Spiegeltent shows will sample stunning
vocals & musical histories of three pioneers, with added
textures from versatile accompanying musicians.
So.... herewith an invitation to experience the wit &
wisdom, flair & soul that has sustained three long-time
careers in Australia and around the globe!!! |
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Steam
radio interview tonight
13.9.04
- Be listening between 9.00 and 9.30 tonight (Wed.) for an interview
with Mike and Frank Davidson on A Different Shade of Blue
107.3 FM Albury/Wodonga.
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Spectrum's
night off
12.9.04 - What does
a band do when there are no gigs? Party on, dude! The three
thrill-seekers are seen here attending Michael 'Rocky' Granat's
46th birthday party, (pic), held at Cam's Lebanese
restaurant in Carnegie. Michael is seen here with the lads,
undoubtedly concocting an excruciating pun for the occasion.
(I spoke about it to Michael's niece, basketball superstar Ellen,
and she told me it's a family trait. It didn't help..) |
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More
historical shots of the Chants
10.9.04 - My Wellington contact
and former Art School buddy, Warren Sellers, has come up with
a couple more unique shots of the Chants. (See some of his
others on the history page).
The pic on the left was taken at the Battle of the Bands,
which the Chants won way back in 1960 something, and features
Trevor Courtney belting the bejesus out of his kit.
Funnily enough, I ran into Trevor down in the Camberwell shopping
strip today. His lady Lyndsay Hammond's play Red Dust Diva
is about to be made into a movie, no less! enlargements |
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Market
St Tavern gig Val-addiction
10.9.04 - After 23 years running the Market
St Tavern in Nunawading, Val Sparnaay (pic left) has
decided to cut loose and book the acts she used to love so much
in the '60s and '70s. Last night, Bill and I went down to the
Tavern and had a bit of a reconnoitre - and a chat with Val.
She knows her stuff, and she knows what she likes.
If the prospect of pleasant surroundings, a slap-up two course
meal and a perfect view of the band appeals, then this is the
gig for you.
Fri. 8 Oct. Market St Tavern 2 – 6 Market St Nunawading
dinner & show $45.00 pp 9877 4052 8.30 - 11.30 website
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Daryl
plays with Ariel in another life!
8.9.04 - In the spirit of photos ancient
and modern, Daryl has tendered a shot of himself playing with
Ariel at the Croxton Park Hotel in the '70s! (That's Bill's
amp just behind the be-capped Daz in case you didn't recognise
it). Daz was playing with his band Bandit, who were supporting
Ariel as they rotted at the Croc. So, we go back a long way,
Daz and us. |
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Mike
and Bill to the rescue!
7.9.04 - I may have mentioned the text
panels for David Porter's fab photo exhibition were a little
inaccurate. Well, today Bill and I were invited by Rachel (pic),
the Manningham Gallery co-ordinator, to help rectify the situation
with the factual information - as we remember it.
Mission accomplished! There are some details that remain elusive,
but the major faux pas have gone. Hooray! |
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Daryl
dazzles at St Andrews
6.9.04 - Just for fun we had Daryl tickling
the ivories at the Dad's Day bash at the St Andrews pub yesterday.
It was fun too, and I think another dimension was added to the
normally sparse Spectrum-plays-St-Andrews line-up. 'Where's
this all leading?' I hear you cry. To Corporate World of course
- where the big bucks are, my darlings. It's only a matter of
time before we get a horn section, a couple of spunky babes
on bee vees and we never talk to you again. |
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Unreal
Rock exhibition opening
1)
Part of the in-crowd at the Manningham Gallery confront a separate
reality |
2)
Rachel Juhasz who co-ordinated the exhibition and exhibitionists
3) Murph shows off his DVD |
4)
Harley Parker wonders whether to bring in his memorabilia 5)
Robbo with Jessica Paige and mum Maid Marion |
6)
This bloke promised to write in and tell me his name 7) Bill
wraps up some innocent bystanders |
8)
Carey proves to his boss he was there.. |
Freaky
peeky show from Jacques L'Affrique
2.9.04 - I think this show might provoke
some of the other photographers around in the '60s and '70s
to do likewise, but in the meantime, this is the show
to arouse waves of nostalgia in viewers, particularly those
who were around in Melbourne in the '70s. Mind you, there was
plenty of discussion about the accuracy or otherwise of the
inscriptions, and I think that should be remedied as a matter
of urgency before some of the subjects sue for misrepresentation
- or at least spelling their names incorrectly.
I made an introductory speech that I'll stick in the Bloody
Newsletter, and Bill and I did a couple of numbers as promised.
It was a very pleasant evening all told.
Unreal
Rock is at the Manningham Gallery, 699 Doncaster Rd, Doncaster
till Sept. 11. Hours: Tues.- Fri. 11.00-5.00 Sat. 2.00-5.00
entry is free |
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