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Bill
Dettmer cancels gig
27.6.05 - I
was having a bit of a lie down last evening when, inevitably
I guess, the phone rang. It was Bill Dettmer, and he informed
me that his Little Willy and the Hopeless Romantics' concert,
slotted for this coming Saturday, is off. It seems the enormous
public liability insurance premium demanded has (indirectly,
in this case) claimed another victim. I'm not a political animal,
but I feel there is quite an issue here to be resolved. I've
heard of a number of organisations having to pull the plug on
functions when faced with an out-of-all-proportion public liability
premium. Given that the incompetent insurance companies have
been weeded out of the Australian landscape, it's time for a
little bit of common sense to prevail. I guess it's just another
symptom of our society being dragged resentfully towards the
American model. I like America, but it hasn't got it all
right. |
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1)
Mr Spoonbill, Jim Moynihan, and his proud mum, Annita 2) Brother
Jack Moynihan has a preliminary word
3)
These two blokes gave Spoonbill an irreverent intro 4) Aurora
Kurth does the rubber duckie
5)
Ben Carr on sax appeal 6) I'm guessing this is Jonathan Chong
on visuals
7) Spoonbill
megafauna on the prowl 8) Trades Hall drinks list - even the
prices haven't changed |
9) The
trio that comprises the nucleus of Spoonbill live do their thing
(large
pic) |
Spoonbill
CD launch
26.6.05 - The Trades Hall was the venue
for the Spoonbill Megafauna CD launch, and I was reminded of
what a cool space it is. Actually, it was bloody freezing outside,
but the vibe was warm inside and the crowd of Spoonbill 'rowdies'
that filled the space obviously enjoyed the imaginatively presented
evening's proceedings. In brief, while the music was loud, it
remained hi fi, and the visuals were wittily complemetary. A
fun night. |
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Spectrum's
psychedelic salad days recalled
24.6.05 - Bill and I were summoned into
the studios of 3CR today to recount what we could remember of
the very early days of Spectrum's career - it seems to be a
bit of a trend lately. This time Bill and I were subjected to
the gentle probing of one Iain McIntyre, whom
I've apparently met before when he was researching my first
band, Chants R&B, and who is now writing a book and radio
series about the late '60s to follow up his first book, Wild
About You, which was about the mid '60s. Iain is seen here
(left) fondling the rather splendid packaging for the
Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs Live at Sunbury set that
Gil Matthews' company has just released. If this is any indication
of the kind of quality they're making standard, it augers well
for the projected series of Spectrum releases. |
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| SNIPPETS |
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| The
Mercurials' CD launch
22.6.05 - Everybody's doing it! The Mercurials
will launch their eponymous debut CD at Dizzy's in Richmond
at 7.00 on Sun. July 3 with special guest Andrew Duffield.
The Mercurials' CD is now available from our friends at The
Basement Discs in the city. |
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Party
stuff
22.6.05 - OK. So, for obvious reasons I
didn't make a big fuss about it, but I had my 60th last week,
(pic), and if you're interested you can check out the
sordid details in the new A Separate Reality
feature. What is this, you cry? Well, it's a blatant blog, (is
that the right term?), covering all the personal stuff I record
day in, day out, that I can't fit anywhere else. check
it out |
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1)
Robbo and young Madison pat the skins 2) Bill shows Jake the
bassist where 'F' is.. |
Kids
rule at St Andrews
20.6.05 - Sundays at the St Andrews pub
are always fun, and yesterday was no exception. There were the
usual suspects of course, but we had some new chums too, notably
from the Kelvin Club the other night. The rhythm section attracted
some young fans anxious to try out the hardware. (pics) |
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| Spoonbill
CD launch
18.6.05 - Jim Moynihan gave me a preview copy of
his Spoonbill CD some months back, and I was very taken with
it. I think anybody who enjoys electronic music, (for want
of a better description - I'm not up with the latest terminology),
will thoroughly enjoy this - well recorded, with forensic
attention to detail, while managing to keep sight of the Big
Picture. I had the same feeling listening to this as when
watching the Wallace and Gromit series - how can they possibly
manage to end up being humorous when proceeding at such fractional
increments? The mind boggles - but Spoonbill not only retains
coherence, it manages to be cerebrally and emotionally satisfying
as well. Check out the Spoonbill launch at 9.00 on Saturday
June 25 at Trades Hall, 54 Victoria St, South Carlton. The
lineup includes:10.00 PasoBionic & Bulb 11.00 - 1.00 Spoonbill
visuals by King Aphid and Djak Expect to see large scale puppets
and theatrical interludes throughout the evening. Check
out the Spoonbill flyer
for more details
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1)
The inviting entrance to the Kelvin Club 2) The even more inviting
sumptuous interior, with
diners being overlooked (presumably) by Lord Kelvin (I'd better
check that..) |
The
Kelvin Club gig - how the other half lives..
18.6.05 - It wasn't until we actually started
to play last night that we realised that the Kelvin Club had
been well and truly 'treated' for sound - apparently the building
used to house the ABC recording facilities - and the acoustic
tiles in the ceiling, coupled with the plush curtains, gave
no hint of comforting resonance. No matter, we eventually adjusted
and the smallish/select audience seemed to really appreciate
the music on offer. We in turn appreciated the attention given
us by our 'gentleman's gentleman', Allan, and the Kelvin Club's
director, Harry, not to mention the free nosh. All right, I'll
mention it: I had a traditional corned beef with the dreaded
white sauce and mashed spuds, (which I don't think I've had
since the '50s at Christchurch's Warners Hotel), while Bill
and Robbo opted for the spiffy fish & chips. We were even
treated to sticky date puddings for dessert! Anyway, what I'm
trying to say is, next time I advertise us as playing at the
Kelvin Club, make a point of being there - it's not yer usual
tat, mate, it's a real, honest-to-god gentleman's club that
bespeaks another era altogether, and one that mightn't be around
for ever. |
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Correction
re' the
Kelvin Club gig
12.6.05 -
Kevin Silberberg, the Immediate Past President of the Kelvin
Club, has e-mailed me to advise the number quoted for you to
ring if you wanted to attend this Friday's gig at that illustrious
venue, is 9654 5711 - not 5911 as originally advertised
in the gig guide. A lot of you city slickers are looking forward
to this one, I know, and the least we can do is get the info
right. Sorry.
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PayPal
feedback
14.6.05 - One thing we have got right is
the new-ish credit card service on the CDs page, where
you can buy selected CDs using your credit card through PayPal.
This is especially useful for OS customers, and today I got
an unqualified rave from one of our latest customers in the
UK. He's already ordered some more CDs! check
it out |
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Paul
Barter promises Robbo that he'll get Spectrum a gig at the Forth
Blues Festival |
Old
friends' night at the Lomond
12.6.05 - Gosh! Two gigs within a couple
of weeks of each other! I might have to give up the day job..
It was a much bigger crowd than had been anticipated on this
Queens Birthday weekend for Spectrum's return to the Lomond,
and they were in fine spirits too. To mark the occasion we
were revisiting some tunes we hadn't played for some time,
(Kneedeep, Dancing At Midnight), and trying out some
newies, (Gee Whiz, Sleepwalk), and simply everything
went down exceptionally well. There were a lot of familiar
faces in the audience, and I wished I had my camera. Luckily
I had my phonecamera on hand to grainily capture Robbo
(left) having a cuddle with Paul Barter,
(maker of Robbo's Barter drum kit), who's up from Tasmania
for the long weekend. |
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Piledriver
- preserving the Status Quo
1) The
Piledriver front line 2) Longtime Quo fan Jean Luc Picard dropped
in on guitar
3)
Andrew Forrer lets one rip at the audience 4) Every skull in
the place was numb..
check larger
pics |
| 11.6.05 - As a matter of fact, Andrew Forrer is the
brother of the Chants' first bass player, Marty Forrer, but
he's better known in Melbourne as a country music player, and
for his and wife Glennis' traditional Boxing Day BBQs. I'd e-mailed
Andrew to let him know that I'd played with an old mate of his
whilst in Christchurch recently, and he invited me to come and
see the inaugural gig of his new band, Piledriver, at the Jam
Tin Skull Bar buried deep in the factory wastelands of North
Cheltenham. When I arrived, the band had already begun the first
set, and the audience was being pounded unmercifully by the
loudest band of any description I think I've ever heard in a
confined space. Mind you, I have always had a bit of soft spot
for the Quo, and the Piledrivers really do look and sound the
part, playing the material with affection and considerable panache.
And VOLUME. Check the Piledriver website
for future gigs. |
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Manny
'the man' re-materialises
10.6.05 - I'd just ducked into JB Hi Fi
before racing home to rehearse (!) some new and old songs for
the gig tomorrow at the Lomond with Bill, when I heard the lilting
laugh of Manny Paterakis (pic), former
Heaters and MRQ drummer. We had a nice little chat over indifferent
coffees too - Manny's got his little enterprise, Manny's Music,
in which he figures as DJ for hire and compiler of groovy music
CDs for shops, restaurants and discos. I'll stick up a link
on the Helpful Links page if you'd like to get in touch. What
a nice surprise! |
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Regrettable
new feature
9.6.05 - I guess you could call it a blog,
but anyway, it's the stuff that happens everyday that's not
necessarily connected to the musical side of my life - the sometimes
scungy detritus that leaves marks on the porcelain. It's A
Separate Reality
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MBAS
Blues Jam relocates
7.6.05 - More or less as anticipated, I
guess, but the fraught MBAS jam has relocated to the Dan O'Connell
in Princess St Carlton and will be there tonight I'm supposing.
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Big
Fi Li'l Fi again!
9.6.05 - Last Friday morning, Li'l Fi gave
birth to a 7lb 2oz boy. Cub reporter Robbo tells me he will
simply be called Gus, in preference to his full handle of Quincy
Angus Hunter. Congratters to Fi and Dirk, but mostly Fi, on
behalf of all our readers. |
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Gerry
Hale gig
9.6.05 - The next Czech Club gig
is the Friday 24th June with special guest Matt Walker.
Czech Club 497 Queenberry Street, North Melboure
Doors open 7:15pm |
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1)
Rob roasts Ross and thanks Tina for the roasts 2) Rob and Ross
(see large
pic) |
Rob
Draper's CD launch
5.6.05 -
As advertised, three quarters of Spectrum showed up at the Rob
Draper CD launch at the Noise Bar last night, with the ever
ubiquitous Robbo on drums in Rob's backing band, and guest appearances
by Bill on lap steel and Mike on harp. In fact it was a pretty
interesting debut launch for the young man. Ross Ryan and Jo
Jo Leslie opened proceedings as acoustically as anything, before
Ross was joined by Rob for a couple of father and son numbers.
Then the band came on and trashed the night, but even that worked
pretty well - nothing too loud - and the teens and oldies all
seemed to enjoy the evening equally. Shame about the cigarette
smoke.. (The end is nigh). |
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1)
The parlour was almost empty when Bill and I arrived 2) Lobby
Loyde finally lobs as Gavin turns off his mobile |
Keith
Barber's funeral service
Well, not so much of a service. Not a God salesman in sight
throughout, which left the family, particularly sisters Pauline
and Jan, to take us for an entertaining ride through Keith's
life. Wild Cherries' singer Danny Robinson, accompanied by Les
Stacpool, adroitly interpolated a few songs, and Dan said a
few well-chosen words about his old drummer mate. Bill and I
didn't check the papers as advised on this page (!) and arrived
thirty minutes early, which gave us a little time to catch up
with the diminishing reservoir of '70s' survivors. Another one
bites the dust.
See
this month's Pith & Wind for another perspective |
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pic
courtesy of Jim Colbert |
Keith
Barber dead
2.6.05 - I just received an e-mail from
Peter Robinson saying that Keith Barber (pic) died
earlier this week, apparently from liver complications. I always
thought of Keith as the coolest dude, and the last time I saw
him at the Mercury Lounge he looked terrific. Keith was in the
Wild Cherries and then joined the La De Das when they were going
through their Traffic period, and so were my favourite band.
I'm saddened to hear this news.
The service is at John Allison Monkhouse 922 Glenhuntly Rd 4.00
tomorrow (Friday) check the paper for final details |
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It's
gold at Platinum..
1)
Who's that in the studio behind that sheaf of lyrics? 2) Why,
it's none other than Russell Morris!
3)
Kerryn Tolhurst 4) John Schumann has had correspondence from
readers of Stop Press |
Schumann's
Lawson project under way
1.6.05 - Well, you can't say I don't have
a diverse life! This afternoon, at John Schumann's
behest, I rolled up to Platinum Studios in darkest Chapel St,
to take part in a most interesting project. Interesting because
I was singing words that Henry Lawson most likely wrote as a
poem, to a tune written by John Schumann, who can actually cut
the requisite larconic delivery in his sleep. So, what does
Ruddy do? He simply changes the melody to suit himself! Actually,
after the initial stunned silence, John and producer Kerryn
Tolhurst seemed to warm to the idiosynchratic Rudd
approach, and, you never know; it may even make the final cut.
John tells me the album could be out in a couple of months -
I wish we could be that snappy! With guests including Russell
Morris, Brod Smith, Shane
and Marcie Howard, Mal Logan,
Kerryn Tolhurst himself and Rob Hirst,
it's bound to cause a stir. We'll keep you informed.. |
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Christchurch
school fashion tip
1.6.05 - Now, I know it gets pretty nippy
in Christchurch, but I reckon Melbourne gets it badly enough
in the cold and damp dept. over winter. Anyhow, I thought this
long plaid skirt (pic of Ro Brittenden) was a thoroughly
charming development in girls' school attire which could be
replicated throughout the Commonwealth of Oz. Well, the cold
bits, anyway. I don't know about you, but an unhappy by-product
of childhood obesity is the sight of chubby young girls showing
far too much of themselves in abbreviated school uniforms. Leave
it to our imaginations please, girls! Check
out Mike's totally indulgent ChCh
photo album |
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