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Sarah
Carroll and Chris Wilson |
Andy
Baylor benefit a hit
28.12.05 - Given the timing, i.e.
the day after the day after Chrissy, it could have been a fizzer,
but Melbourne's music community turned up in numbers for the
Rainbow's benefit night for Andy Baylor. Well, it was more like
the middle of the afternoon when I opened proceedings, but I
enjoyed a better crowd than I've been used to even so, and got
a sympathetic hearing too. Immediately after me came Sarah Carroll
(pic) with Chris Wilson backing up on harps, and then
Mark Ferrie and Co. - but by now I was already starting to weary
of the fast life and opted to drift back my comfort zone in
Camberwell.
With Bill Dettmer simultaneously raising money for the cause
down at Beaches in Mornington, Andy will hopefully clear a few
bucks to keep the home fans blowing. I know you'll join with
me in wishing Andy a speedy recovery |
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Mike
awaits your pleasure
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Mike's
back at Fresh
23.12.05 - I think I enjoyed it a bit more
indoors last time, so maybe I'll do that as a matter of course.
It's either too cold or too hot in the courtyard, although Pat
did mention something about a pagoda being installed.. We'll
see on Sun. 15th
Andy
Baylor benefit lineup
23.12.05 - I happened to hear
Chick mention this on the radio the other day, so I know that
Chris Wilson and The Spiders, Peter Baylor, Ross Wilson and
a host of other Melbourne luminaries |
(and me) will be there this Wednesday
night (the 28th) from 6.00. Sounds fun!
New
Year's Eve not sorted!
23.12.05 - I'm cool about Chrissy, but
I'm downright sour about New Year's Eve, and it's a blessing
Spectrum's been overlooked again this time around. I might
be compelled to potter down to the Greyhound and take in Twin
Lizzy and Status Quo exponents, Piledriver. I know they did
my piles a power of good at their debut gig, except the gig's
on Fri. 30th - bugger! |
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Today
is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday..*
21.12.05 - Those of you Stop Press habitués with still-functional
memories will remember that Bill and I choofed into 3CR not
long ago and did and interview with one Iain McIntyre for
some psixties psychedelic project or other. Well, it's come
back to bite us - check this out!
Tomorrow Is Today: Australia In The Psychedelic Era
(1966-70)
The mid to late 1960s were a time of immense change in global
popular culture, as well as a period in which radical new
attitudes towards sex, drugs and politics began to emerge.
Due to be published by Wakefield Press in May 2006 and accompanied
during a Melbourne festival by film nights, concerts and an
exhibition, Tomorrow Is Today: Australia in the Psychedelic
Era, 1966-1970 traces the evolution of Australian youth
culture during this heady period.
Featuring chapters on such Australian icons as The Easybeats,
Go Set magazine, The Loved Ones, Spectrum,
Russell Morris and Daddy Cool, Tomorrow Is Today
will be an extensive guide to Australian life in the late
sixties.
On Tuesday December 27th from 4-6pm and on every Tuesday thereafter
in January, music fans and others with an interest in the
period will get a taste of the book/festival and a chance
to hear the Australian music that it covers as contributors
Iain McIntyre and Ian D Marks (co-authors of Wild About
You) present a series of two hour specials on Radio 3CR
855AM. The radio shows will include music and interviews as
follows:
December 27th - The garage rock era: R&B
and primitive rock n roll plus an interview with Herman Marcic
of The Creatures.
January 3rd - 1966: The top proto-psychedelic
tunes of the year plus an interview with Go Set editor Philip
Frazer.
January 10th - 1967: The year’s top
psychedelic pselections plus an interview with Lobby Loyde
of The Wild Cherries.
January 17th - 1968: The year’s top
psychedelic pselections plus an interview with Chris Lofven,
film maker and member of Campact.
January 24th - 1969: The year’s top
psychedelic pselections plus an interview with Bill Putt and
Mike Rudd of Spectrum.
January 31st - 1970: The year’s top
psychedelic pselections plus an interview with Ross Wilson
of The Party Machine and Daddy Cool.
* A
favourite saying of the legendary Hal Todd |
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A
public service announcement
19.12.05 - It's pretty self-explanatory
really. This time of the year is hideous enough without the
cacophonous accompaniment of zombie schoolchildren tootling
or scraping an instrument, who are in your face in every shopping
centre to a) earn a few extra bucks so they
can loaf around on the footpath outside McDonalds with their
mates b) simply get out from under their parents' feet,
or c) somehow publicly justify their parents spending
inordinate amounts of money on teaching their children to play
their chosen instrument of torture to a certain level of competence,
only to never play it again once they leave school. Oh, the
humanity! |
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Fishy's
is off, dear..
16.12.05 - I'd just been advised by Yahoo!
that I'd reached my daily limit of e-mails, in which I proudly
highlighted that tomorrow night's Fishy's gig was sold out,
when I got a phone call from Peter at Fishy's saying that
due to a council prohibition on their having any amplified
music on the premises, they were going to have to cancel!
Damn! Apart from anything else, we were looking forward
to playing at the new place. Oh well, there's always next
year I s'pose. We'll keep you posted.
As far as I know, my solo gig at Fresh is still on this Sunday
arvo. In the case of inclement weather, I'll be playing inside. |
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1)
Ross Ryan has grown one.,. 2) and Mark is growing one.. |
There
goes another one!
11.12.05 - The weather was fine, and the
new guitar is now behaving itself, so the fourth (?) in my series
of solo appearances at Fresh @ Elwood was set up perfectly.
I'd mentioned in my first set that Ross Ryan and Mark Holden
had taken a shine to the Ariel song I Can Do Anything
that I'd penned back in the '70s, when as if on cue, Ross Ryan
appeared, only to be followed by none other than Elwood resident
and natural redhead, Mark Holden.
I promptly did another version of ICDA and then accompanied
Pat Wilson on a stirring version of Summertime, and
it was over for another week. |
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It's
a Brown Xmas!
9.12.05 - Last night there was a knock on the door,
and when I answered it, there was Ron Brown, (pic),
the mastermind behind the new Daddy Cool DVD, holding a couple
of those precious pink (free) DVDs marked for Bill's and my
Xmas stockings! Hooray! Santa lives! (Oops! - I sounded
a little excited there. Sorry..)
I'll give it a spin over the next few days and let you know
what I think |
A
website glitch
9.12.05 - As I write there is
no new info coming up on the site. It seems to happen periodically
that our host loses its marbles and can't identify any of
its clients. It maybe that I find this more frustrating than
you do.
Andy
Baylor benefit
9.12.05 - I've put my hand up
for the Andy Baylor benefit at the Rainbow Hotel, Wed. 28th
of this month. Ross Wilson will be there too - I'll keep you
informed about the lineup. |
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Mike
back at Fresh @ Elwood this Sunday
7.12.05 - I just spoke to Pat Wilson to
confirm my spot at Fresh this Sunday arvo, and she told me that
they had a full courtyard last Sunday, and as she was under
the (mistaken) impression I was playing that day, she was reassuring
everyone to that effect - but, of course I didn't show up. Yer
typical bloody rock & roll communication glitch.
So, that was disappointing. I've just got George (Martin) back
from Brenden at Real Guitars, and he's feeling nicely set-up
and ready for action, not to mention I'm also hoping to have
at least one more off-the-wall type tune off by Sunday, so don't
miss it.
Mike's at Fresh @ Elwood 130 - 132 Ormond Rd Elwood Sun. 11th
2.00 - 4.00 9531 4130 |
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1)
Spectrum poses with Gary Foley (centre) 2) Busking champion
does his unique thing |
3) A
poignant shot of the empty Paramount stage |
gig
report
Spectrum
reborn - and nobody came
5.12.05 - It was a coodabeen weekend
in so many ways, particularly in relation to the Paramount Cinema
gig. At first glance, the venue (Level One) is a contender as
a replacement for the Continental Café, and, from a performers'
perspective, but for an all too modest stage and PA, it could
slip into the role tomorrow. The reality is though that it isn't
the Continental, and so it came as no surprise that only a few
enthusiasts witnessed the first hesitant signs that the keyboard-enhanced
version of Spectrum had re-emerged from an epic hiatus.
It really was quite satisfying from a musical point of view,
the musical exchanges were very reminiscent of the 'old |
days', and the audience seemed to
enjoy it all as well - it's just disappointing that there weren't
more there to share the euphoria. (Incidentally, I'd tried to
watch the Sunbury DVD at home before Bill and I pre-recorded
the Off The Record segment on Thursday, but found it impossible
to do more than skip through it, so I took advantage of the
opportunity to see it all on the big screen at the Paramount.
Spectrum wasn't there of course, but Billy Thorpe is - in abundance.
I don't have very fond memories of any of the Sunburys, (however
many), and this document doesn't really change anything).
The Black GST gig at Edinburgh Gardens was another coodabeen
- but this time it was a potential misadventure to do with the
weather - predictions were for showers, and as there was no
stage or cover provided, it coodabeen awkward. As it turned
out, the showers amounted to a few drops, and while the wind
was pretty gusty, it remained fine throughout. Gary
Foley welcomed us with open arms (pic) and everybody
made us feel welcome and that we were doing something worthwhile,
and it was a pity I felt so drained from the previous night's
activities, otherwise I might've enjoyed it even more. |
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Robbo
scared me with this pic he sent to my phone.. |
Venue
for Black GST gig changed
1.12.05 - I was just about to send out
a reminder about this weekend's gigs, when I got an e-mail from
Maya, saying the venue for the Black GST gig had been moved
to the Edinburgh Gardens in St Georges Rd, North Fitzroy. I
believe we will be found nestled somewhere between the toilet
block and the rotunda. Linguistically speaking it's an improvement
on the lame 'rock and a hard place' cliché, and one might
hope it may enter the language on that basis and not as a result
of anything that may or may not happen on Sunday arvo. (Incidentally,
as well as Rod Quantock, Greg Fleet and Marcus Jones will be
spitting out the odd witticism - wholesome food by Lentil As
Anything). |
In case you're not familiar with
the Edinburgh Gardens, White
Hat says that the gardens 'are a marvellous combination
of open space, sportsground, barbecue area, gardens complete
with long-established European elm trees, neighbourhood house,
skateboard bowl, tennis and basketball courts, ethnic festivals,
bandstand, bowling greens and bocce links, remnants of the
old Melbourne rail loop, gracious living, living on the poverty
line and a magnificent grandstand dating from its days as
the home of the mighty Royboys.' And Spectrum on this Sunday.. |
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Mike
and Bill think of smoked mussels with Brian Wise |
Mike
& Bill speak Off The Record this Saturday
1.12.05 - To help advertise Spectrum's
upcoming gig this Saturday night supporting the Sunbury movie
at the Paramount Cinema Restaurant, Bill and I turned up to
Triple R's new studios opposite the Lomond Hotel in East Brunswick
to speak with Rhythms' Brian Wise. I even brought one of my
scrap books of the period to help jog everybody's memory, but
we managed to chat on quite effectively without reference to
actual events. Nobody really knew how many Sunburys there were
- I thought four, but I was out-voted and we settled on three.
It doesn't really matter - all you've got to know is that Spectrum
isn't in the movie, but we'll be there in person to bring it
all back home. Triple
R Sat. 3rd 10.00am - 12.00pm |
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