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I'll
Be Gone in another movie
30.9.05 - I was perusing the Age in the
Starpark Café yesterday morning, as is my wont, when
I nearly choked on my jasmine tea. I was reading Adrian Martin's
review of a recent local release, The Magician, when I came
across this mention (left) of The Song in the closing
sentence.
Well, I've simply got to see it now. Come to think of it, I
do remember being contacted about I'll Be Gone being
used in some low budget movie, but it's gratifying that it's
getting some sort of profile. David and Margaret quite liked
it, but they are notoriously soft on most Oz movies, unless
they're horrendously bad. check
review |
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1)
Spectrum flies by the seats of their pants (photo
courtesy of John Cross) |
Weekend
gigs rock!
26.9.05 - The headline doesn't really come
close - the two gigs were so different. On Saturday night Spectrum
was at the Limelight Lounge (pic) in Geelong, and there
was a very good sized audience, despite it being Grand Final
night, and by the time we got to the end of the night the joint
was rocking and most of the crowd was up dancing and demanding
more.
Sunday evening saw Robbo at St Andrews and Bill and me at Fishy's
Café in Mornington. read more |
2)
Limelighters wait pensively for Spectrum to start 3) Mike looks
too comfortable with the Geelong granny set
4)
The sun sets over our equipment at Fisherman's Beach 5) The
Fishy's room from the stage - cool eh? |
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6)
Bill Jackson asks after our health at Fishy's |
Weekend
gigs rock! (cont.)
We've never played at Fishy's and never met
the people there, although Glyn Mason and Sam See play there
regularly and Glyn recommended we give it a go.
From the first moment we got there and met Fishy's Bill Jackson
(pic left) and family, and then Pete Orton and Roberta,
we were made to feel welcome, which was just as well, because
there was quite a long interval between the set-up and the first
set. We're not used to using other peoples' PAs either, so that
gave us a bit to think about.
Anyway, the room was soon full of happy diners and the audience
gave us a really warm reception when we did finally get on,
and Bill and I gave them just a taste of what we can do - and
got a brilliant reception. |
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Spectrum
in Geelong and Mike & Bill in Mornington this weekend!
19.9.05 - So, things have been quiet lately,
but we're looking forward to breaking the gig drought on Saturday
with Spectrum at the Limelight Lounge in Geelong,
and then Bill and me on Sunday at Fishy's
in Mornington for the very first time. It's
good to have found a gig in Geelong we can recommend in the
Limelight Lounge, and we're hoping that Fishy's will prove to
be viable on the opposite side of the Bay. For some reason,
gigs on the Peninsula have been few and far between, which is
odd seeing we suspect there is a large contingent of hippies
lurking in the area. Use it or lose it, you laid-back Peninsula
dudes!
Call
Fishy's Restaurant to book on 5975 2286 |
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Whoops!
I missed this bit!
14.9.05 - Bill found this (left) in
last Sunday's Sunday Herald Sun - a whole piece on the McCausland
exhibition, with a photo of Bill, Robbo and me and all! You
know, you can still go down to the River Bar (good food there,
too) and check out the collection. You'll be amazed at how cheap
they are. Check
out the whole article |
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'Could
be famous one day' pic
12.9.05 - You can tell already that it's
out of date, but Alana brought the pic (left) along
to the Lomond and I thought I'd better print it. It was taken
at the Gringo gig at the Rainbow a couple of weeks ago, and,
of course, features Ross Wilson and Alana as well as a hirsute
me.
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Check
out what Mark had to say to Paul Stewart about us on page
fifteen.. |
Holden
DVD on sale today
12.9.05 - While things are relatively quiet
gig-wise, it's nice to garner some publicity - any
publicity, really. Some might say that this mention in the Sunday
Herald Sun fits the 'any publicity' description, but then they
don't know the real Mark Holden.
Well, who does? I haven't received my copy of the DVD yet, but
Bill's got one of his Twang songs on it (Short Term Memory
Loss Blues), and there was a host of Melbourne's finest
backing Mark, so it's gotta be good. |
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Kevin
Borich
8.9.05 - I've refrained
from reporting anything about Kevin's current brush with cancer
in the absence of hard information - mind you, there've been
plenty of unsubstantiated rumours. I finally found some reliable
information and you can check it out at Undercover
News |
Kerryn
Tolhurst
8.9.05 - You'll remember I mentioned Kerryn Tolhurst
recently in relation to the Lawson recording. Greg
Quill has alerted me to the fact that Kerryn has been profiled
in US Pro recording Bible, Mix Magazine. A very interesting
story it is too. Check it out on Mix |
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Spectrum
album taking shape
7.9.05
- Yesterday at AMS we did some groundbreaking work with Robbo.
(pic) We were doing some drum overdubs on a couple
of tracks and, for the first time, recorded bits of Robbo's
kit live while simultaneously midi-ing some other bits. No,
it's not much is it, but it worked for us. Have I mentioned
we have a working title for the album? Breathing Space.
It works on so many levels, but mostly on the one level
that counts. I like it. |
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McCausland
gets recognition
1)
Bobby Bright and the man of the moment, Ian McCausland 2) Jim
Keays shares a thought with Bill
3)
Bill and Phil - or round the other way.. 4) ''Who, me?' Molly
makes himself at home
5)
Gavin Wood and Mick Hamilton 6) Ed Nimmervoll helps out Molly
7) Ian receives the Molly Award |
8)
Gudders lets rip |
Industry
honours Ian McCausland
7.9.05 - Last night I met up with Bill
and the Robbos at the River Bar at Southgate to check out an
exhibition of Ian McCausland's work. We'd been in the studio
in the afternoon putting down some drum tracks, and just as
we were winding up I got a call from the Herald Sun's Alan Howe
making sure we were all going to be there - apparently Alan
had been responsible for putting the show together for Ian.
When Ian Meldrum and Michael Gudinski arrived I knew there was
something up, and sure enough, the Herald Sun's Paulie Stewart
introduced Molly, who spoke before giving Ian the Molly Award,
and then Gudders, who gave a speech about how important Ian
had been to Mushroom in the early days.
As I was chatting to Bobby Bright and Phil Manning, I became
aware that my right foot was becoming increasingly painful.
I don't know how it happened, but it seems I sprained my foot
just standing around. I hate being old.. |
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Guilt
by association or all publicity is good publicity..? |
Andy
Collins' Tales of the Old North
5.9.05 - You may remember that we played
alongside Andy Collins at the Thredbo Festival last year. Well,
since then, young Andy has been all over the place geographically
speaking, and in a commendable effort to brighten up a dull
month news-wise for Spectrum, has sent me this cautionary tale
to share with you from the land where Rock was born.
'I arrived at the Bronco Inn, Spokane, for a sound check after
a six-hour Greyhound bus trip from Seattle, and there's my poster
for the gig right next to a WANTED poster for some desperado
called Hush offering a $2500 reward. (pic) Then a couple
of local soaks served me up about ‘Shrimps on the barbie’
and ‘Paul Hogan's a wimp’ |
and ‘What’s all this
about Fosters being Orstralian for beer’, and ‘Do
you really all drink it?’ and ‘What direction does
the water go down the toilet bowl in Australia?’ and ‘Is
the Queen sort of like your President? ’ etc. etc.,
and I knew I had me a live one!!
Then the promoter pulls out the PA and proudly tells me it’s
probably older than I am. Unfortunately, he was right, and it
sounded less than good. I wrestled with it for the next half
hour and got the best sound I could, reminding myself that ‘when
you've finished paying your dues in this business, you’re
finished in this business’, that the bluesmen of old had
had to contend with a whole lot worse than this, and that I
would just have to soldier on. We headed off to a truck stop
so I could get cleaned up and changed, and the promoter paid
the $6.50 so l could have a shower. I looked at myself in the
mirror and had to laugh.
Back at the Bronco the jukebox is blaring in the backroom, the
TV is playing today’s baseball game in the bar and the
place is starting to fill. I don't even ask for them to be turned
off or turned down ‘cause I'm going in with both barrels
smoking and I'm not going to worry about a thing.
The promoter introduces me and I launch into Mess of the
Blues, and by the end of the next song the jukebox goes
quiet and the baseball flickers silently and I've just about
got ‘em in the palm of my hand; the midrange,
honky, boxy old PA morphs into a hard edged blues machine and
two hours later it’s slaps on the back all round and big
blonde American babes wanting to be photographed with me and
welcome to the US of A.
Next night it was Kettle Falls just up near the Canadian border
and, not surprisingly, the PA gives up the ghost halfway through
the first set. A local radio announcer comes over and starts
berating the promoter for supplying such a lousy, unprofessional
PA - and I also chip in and tell him that it just wasn't up
to scratch, but I hadn't said anything because I didn't want
to offend him five minutes after I had met him.
Fortunately he took it the right way (he provided a new PA the
next day), and in the meantime someone went and got a powered
Yamaha speaker and I put the vocal through that, things got
a whole lot better and the show went on.
Meanwhile the local DJ takes every opportunity to mouth off
at the promoter for the rest of the night, and things started
to heat up as the beers went down. By the time I had finished
the gig the promoter had just about reached the end of his tether
- and then the stupid bastard DJ comes over and asks the promoter
if he would like to go outside and settle it.
Show down in Kettle Falls. The promoter jumps at the invitation
to hit the idiot and duly shuffles him outside and knocks him
to the ground with a big left hook. DJ looks up and says ‘
l didn't think you were going to do that ’?? He was a
real idiot!!
A little later the DJ staggers back in and tells the promoter
he's going to get him back one day, but the promoter unwisely
ignores him - and duly gets king hit with a forearm to the mouth;
the promoter goes down.
The DJ tries to make his get away, but a couple of the promoter’s
buddies tackle him to the ground and proceed to work him over,
but good.
End of stupid bastard.
Shoot, it was just like the good old, wild old days on the Barbary
Coast in Cairns!! Many more adventures later I flew out of New
Orleans - four days before Katrina arrived. Lady luck was good
to me.'
Check
out Andy's website |
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Calling
all musos!
3.8.05 - I got
this the other day from Ray Moon, Secretary of the Musicians
Club of Victoria. 'Hello. If you are a musician or you know
one or more musicians, we'd appreciate it if you would read
and pass on the attached pdf file. It is a promo for a new LateNite
Session on Saturday nights 12 midnight - 4am specifically designed
for musicians to relax after their Saturday night gig. House
rhythm section this week is Rob George on drums, Ian Mawson
on piano, Jeremy Kellock on sax, James Clarke on bass, plus
mystery guests and, hopefully, you! If not, maybe another Saturday,
eh?'
Bugger! I'll have to read the PDF now. I presume he's talking
about the Noise Bar in deepest Brunswick. Anyway, what about
that! Jeremy Kellock (aka Jeremy Noone) - I haven't seen him
for years! Yep, I've checked - it is the Noise Bar, 291 - 293
Albert St opposite the railway station. Be there, or be somewhere
else. |
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1)Sam
(left) and the band wonder where the hell they are 2) Hongdan
and Ying Ying - aka the hair crew
3)
The awesome portico of the Icehouse blues club 4) The roadcrew
heads off to another gig in downtown Beijing |
| Exotic
gig location winner!
2.9.05 - The last mailout provoked some
interesting responses, none moreso than from Sam McNally,
whom some might remember as achieving his minute or two in
the sun with Stylus, but who now it seems, is prepared to
travel to the ends of the earth to ply his craft. He writes:
'I'm sitting in a 12th story apartment in Beijing China..
I'm here with one of my bands, Blues Solution, at
a brilliant new blues-themed club called Icehouse.. ...Hah!
Not as glamorous as you might imagine. However, the Chinese
people, and particularly the Beijingers, are the best people,
just wonderful. And.... who would've thought a lad from Mentone
would end up here.'
Well, Sam, you're a winner on my website anyway! Bill's jealous,
and he hasn't even read this yet! Maybe the Chinese are ready
for some inner-eastern Melbourne music..? |
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Henry
materialises during the session |
Schumann's
Lawson CD realease date announced
1.9.05 - When I opened the mailbox yesterday, I got
one of those mysterious slips of paper that announces you've
received either a ubewt parcel, or a registered letter from
the government saying you're about to be deported. That it turned
out to be the former was some cause for relief, (I'm an anxious
soul), and that it turned out to be John Schumann's Lawson
CD, was cause for actual celebration. So, hooray!
OK - so, then I had to have a listen, having so far heard
only the tracks I played on, and them not in their entirety.
(Ah, recording - it's a funny old business). I was
pleasantly surprised at the contemporary musical interpretation,
where you might reasonably anticipate a determinedly bush ballad
approach, as well as the intelligent exploitation of the guest
artists' various talents, including but not |
confined to singing, as a counterpoint
to Schumann's somewhat relentless vocal approach. (Takes one
to know one..)
There's some very tasty playing in evidence, not the least from
the producer Kerryn Tolhurst, who must have quite a weighty
CV of Australian artists he's produced by now. You'll have fun
identifying Shane and Marcia Howard, Russell Morris, Rob Hirst,
Brod Smith et al who are given prominence on all thirteen
tracks.
Whether the concept of marrying Lawson's words to Schumann's
music works, is a question that you, the listening public, will
ultimately answer, but in the meantime the project's guiding
hands have reason to be very proud of their work. Certainly,
Schumann is the right man to attempt it. I'm personally very
honoured to have been considered as a participant.
Oh, the release date? Should be in the shops by the 20th of
this month. It's a terrific looking package, too - so, go out
and buy it! |
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