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Party
time!
1)
Neil Clarke presents the birthday cake 2) Faith
(cake maker) Neil, Mike and Pen
gig
report
Mike
at the Vesbar in Somerville Wed. 23.12.15 for Neil
Clarke's 60th
A
Rudd panic precedes Neil's special night of celebration
24.12.15 - It
was a very special panic too as I belatedly looked
at the invitation at six o'clock to find the guests
were arriving for Neil Clarke's 60th at the Vesbar
in Somerville at, yes, six o'clock! In shock I lurched
out to the van, (which I'd fortunately prepared
earlier), ringing Bev as I did to warn her and birthday
boy Neil (pics 1&2) that I was going
to be a bit late and hit the highway. I made it
in pretty good time too (6.30) and was actually
set up and playing slightly before 7.00, which Neil
later assured me was about when they expected me
to start anyway.
Apart from a couple of special songs I was happy
to simply accompany proceedings and allow people
to mingle and chat. Neil is a certified fan and
has been for decades, but not all of his friends
share his predilection for the Rudd oeuvre. Helpfully
Neil took some time in his speeches to talk about
me and my significance in his life, so when the
time came to play 'the song' for instance, everybody
joined in like a good crowd of genuine Spectrumites.
Despite my low-key approach a number of guests complimented
me on the way out and Neil said that many more had
confided to him that they'd thoroughly enjoyed the
music. I couldn't tell if anybody was listening
so this was a good result.
Maybe you think that I would suit your personal
celebration. Check out the Book
Spectrum page if so. |
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Mike
and Mick & Broc
1)
Mike in monochrome (Heuch)
2) Mike adds the appropriate harp licks to Mark's
I'll Be Gone in Elwood
gig
report
Mike
at the Vesbar in Somerville Sat. 12.12.15 + Mick
& Broc at the Elwood F&W Bar Sun. 13.12.15
More
than twelve bars in bars on the weekend
14.12.15 - I've
finally had to admit defeat with the Canora nylon-string
and so decided to resume playing the Morris, (Mr
Morris Nylon to you), mothballed about a year ago
in favour of the Kelly for Spectrum performances.
First up was the Vesbar, a solo night for a change.
I was happy with the guitar sound and enjoyed the
night on the whole, both musically and socially.
Bev and Leigh were charming and generous hosts as
ever and we enjoyed a takeaway meal from the excellent
Indian restaurant next door with them. I sold four
copies of Warts Up Your Nose as a bonus.
The next day's gig at the Elwood Food & Wine
Bar was as polar opposite from the Vesbar as you
could expect, reasonably or otherwise. It wasn't
possible for me to finesse a guitar sound at the
low volume we play at, (due to the restrictions
on noise in the building), so we spent the evening
being gradually swamped by the sounds of happy revellers
getting happier. Mind you, it's fun playing the
odd selection of covers and Rudd originals we play
as Mick & Broc and I'm able to relax with the
guitar hanging off me as an ornament while Broc
plays the complete palette of chords I've never
heard of and I'm able to concentrate on just singing.
Pete Newson is an affable operator and has promised
to have us back in late January, early Feb, so I'll
keep you informed. |
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Warts
Up Your Nose
1)
Warts Up Your Nose in all its glory 2) Mike's impotent
Mitsi gets dumped back in Mt Waverley
At last! Warts Up Your Nose gets re-issued
11.12.15 - The traffic
on the M1 was so bad getting back from our couple
of days on the Great Ocean Road that we chose to
come back via Flemington on the Princes Hwy route,
(like the old days), but we were still late. So
I was already cutting it fine for my meeting with
Gil Matthews in Camberwell on wet roads that turn
my Mitsubishi Express into a lethal skating machine
at the best of times.
I had three minutes to get there when my motor just
stopped, leaving me stranded on the Prospect Hill
and Trafalgar Rds intersection. Luckily I was able
to glide backwards and park on the side of the road
before calling Gil and then the RACV.
Gil turned up in five minutes and gave me some copies
of the new Warts Up Your Nose CD and we
managed a short chat before the RACV guy turned
up (only ten minutes into his ninety minute allowance)
to assess the damage.
FB readers will appreciate the irony. Last week
it was Gil's SUV breaking down minutes from the
radio interview about the Warts' release
and now it was my turn!
The good news is that the van's home (pic 2)
and you can now buy Warts Up Your Nose
(pic 1) from the CDs
page on this website. Do your worst, Fate! |
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Warburton,
O Warburton!
1)
The modest entrace to the WHO Club belies a modester
interior 2) Crudd's shadowy appearance
gig
report
Spectrum
at The WHO Club Warburton Sat. 5.12.15
A
retro night at Warby's The WHO Club
6.12.15 - I
have to say I was a bit sceptical about the wisdom
of a Saturday night gig at an unknown venue in
downtown Warburton (or is it uptown, I'm not really
sure) with a hefty $25 entry fee on the door.
I wasn't reassured when Robbo noticed that The
Wild Thyme, our erstwhile stomping ground in Warby,
appeared to be still open for business despite
my being told it wasn't a music venue anymore.
When we eventually found The WHO Club it presented
us with a dark doorway (pic 1) which
led into an even darker room which I imagine might
actually smell dank in winter - but in the warm,
humid conditions we're experiencing I was already
sweating.
An added dimension for this inaugural appearance
was an actual filmcrew (with steadicam) recording
our performance - so, no pressure at all! I'd
met with the film's director, Peter Lamont, a
couple of days beforehand to discuss his project
(which I'll talk about a little later) and filming
began even as we were loading in and setting up.
After we'd sound checked we adjourned next door
for pizzas. These seemed to take an inordinate
time to prepare which led to our starting fifteen
minutes later than we'd intended, but the room
had filled out with a half-decent crowd by then
and they seemed to be enjoying what we were dishing
up. Freddie Abela, the guy who booked us for The
WHO Club in the first place, was happily noodling
away on the sound desk and I have to say the on-stage
sound was pretty friendly too.
We had to combine the second and third sets to
finish at pumpkin time, but everybody was continuing
to enjoy the journey and we couldn't really do
anything wrong - although I'd started to tire
by the end. My best moment of the night was when
we were packing up and an eighty-one year old
gentleman approached me to say how much he'd enjoyed
the gig, followed by a much younger bloke, who
could scarcely have been twenty, who assured me
the gig had been 'wicked'. That's the sort of
shit* that makes it all worthwhile.
*
demographic spread |
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