A 70th birthday to remember in Dromana with Mike's Three-Piece Suit
29.10.19 - It's just as well I was diligent about having cover provided for Sunday's gig (pic) at Alan Kemp's 70th birthday in Dromana, as just after the speeches began the rain came down. Just a passing shower, but you know what they say about moisture and electricity and we'd already had one electrical misadventure that afternoon when a fuse blew. ('I told you I could smell burning' sniffed Broc).
(Yep, you read right. Broc was there AND he and Robbo had another gig to do that evening!)
Anyway, negotiations had been going on for some time with Alan trying to sort out the right spot for the band to perform, but there was no choice really when the issue of cover came up. So, there we were, in quite a tiny spot (for which The Suits are perfectly adapted, of course) pointing back into the house at a prospective audience.
Alan knows his bands, but it would be true to say that not all his friends are as well-versed in Oz rock music or even music in general, so it would be interesting to see what sort of response we would garner during the day.
As it happened there was a coterie of Oz music devotees that stayed with us all afternoon, obviously revelling in the unexpected treat, while the rest of the guests visited us at key moments and seemed to enjoy themselves, even if they were slightly mystified.
There was (musical) space for me to fine-tune my new set-up and it worked pretty well too. It helped with my playing in general and I had to contrast it with the experience on the benefit night where my left hand froze at certain points and the guitar felt awkward and, well, foreign.
It has to be an attitudinal problem and I s'pose I'm lucky in a way to still be having such a problem. Boredom would be so much more.. boring.

Hooray! Broc's benefit gets a decent crowd and everybody's happy!
28.10.19 - It was a late call from Robbo that alerted me to the possibility of a show being put together to raise some money for Spectrum's bassist and all-round good guy, Broc O'Connor. It seems like only yesterday that Broc reminded me that it was six years ago (!) on the 30th of September 2013 that we did our first gig with him as Bill Putt's replacement on bass at the St Andrews Pub. (It's funny, but I thought the first gig was the 3MDR Big Gig - not so!)
I knew Broc from years before as a tech-savvy guy and fine guitarist who hosted Ross Ryan's GI Recorders in Glen Iris (where Bill and I recorded a couple of blues CDs) and who occasionally moonlighted on bass, so all I really needed to know was that he was keen to take the position on - which it turned out he was - and the rest is history. As a bass player he's almost Bill's polar opposite, but musically and with his calm and always cheerful demeanour Broc's proved to be a invigorating asset to the band.
It was a huge shock to discover recently that Broc has to undergo a very serious operation (scheduled for tomorrow as I write this) for which the recovery period is indeterminate - it may take weeks or even months.
Peter Newson, a bass-playing mate of Broc's and a fellow member of a Disturbing The Peace, a very successful Aussie-style tribute band in which Broc and Robbo both play, had the venue (Eddie's Poolroom & Bar) organised in no time at all and we settled on the mutually compatible date of Friday 25th. I came up with the unoriginal but captivatingly alliterative Broc's Big Bash Benefit moniker and invited Brenden Mason to join us on the night, who in turn invited Madder Lake, who all came aboard without a second thought ('he's a brother') and with the addition of Partners In Crime, another of Peter Newson's bands we had a four-band line-up worthy of the Big Bash description.
Spectrum played a benefit gig at Eddie's Poolroom & Bar some time ago. Not a lot of punters turned up and it wasn't a great night. Being located in an industrial wasteland doesn't help, but in its favour the room's got a good stage and a big PA (with the legendary Pixie at the helm on this night) and we were hoping that if there was a good crowd we might be able to conjure up a decent rock 'n' roll vibe.
By the time Madder Lake opened the show at 9.00 there was a decent-sized crowd in the room and the good vibes actually exceeded my wildest expectations.
Robbo's drum prodigy son, six-year old Keaton Robertson, ripped off a snappy 'jam' with the band to open proceedings and then Spectrum's set was under way.
Apart from a scare when my voice nearly disappeared at the start of our third song, Indelible Shuffle, the Spectrum set went OK - and it went fast, with only forty-five minutes available for each band.
After our whirlwind contribution I managed to say a brief hullo and goodbye to a number old friends, including Ross Ryan incidentally.
I grabbed (most of) my stuff from the stage and loaded the van, pausing to watch Broc thank everybody for coming before the Disturbing The Peace set.
After I'd finished loading out I went back into the room one last time, mostly to see how long I'd last. I wasn't planning to join the mooted finale as my voice had disappeared altogether by this stage. The DTPs were half-way through Part Two of Evie. I didn't quite make it to the end but drove home knowing that Broc's mates had done a good thing this Friday night.
Good luck Broccie!
*pic Peter Hood

Before the second time becomes a 'thing'..
7.10.19 - What is it about the second time playing at what was an enjoyable gig the first time around? Maybe you could compare it to the 'second album syndrome' that young bands almost invariably experience, except the expectations come from within the band rather than the critical masses.
The Indelibles had unexpectedly enjoyed their first time at the Alpine Retreat in Warburton a month or so back and consequently expectations were high for a repeat or even an improvement - well, on my part anyway.
I got there early enough. I'd been compelled to make some mods on my effects board and I was keen not to put myself under any undue pressure, especially given the wound to my index finger from my highly publicised soldering accident not quite healed.
I needed every bit of the extra time setting-up too, but by the time Robbo had set up and we'd had a bit to eat (pic) we were all ready to roll. And rock..
The CD player was skipping as if in some kind of omen, but I was quite pleased with the sound I was getting out of the modified board and had a night out on my guitars, even though my finger was oozing blood by the third set.
It was a bit quieter attendance-wise, which was disappointing but that seems to be our lot these days.
As if by way of compensation the crowd was very appreciative, so it wasn't such a bad a night all told. No actual second-gig syndrome here, move along please!