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| gig
report |
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1) Two
Petes - Peter Robertson and Peter Dougherty |
Frenetic
weekend for Spectrum
27.3.06 - (Relatively speaking,
of course - we are getting on a bit). First there was my solo
gig at the Clifton Hill on Friday (report below), then
on Saturday night, Spectrum's return to the Bodhi Tree Café
in Healesville. The first gig last month, whilst fun, was sparsely
attended, and I was rather hoping that there'd be a few more
this time round. As it turned out, The Games phenomenon was
still influencing not only the weather but the populace's entertainment
choices, so it wasn't much improved, but it certainly was a
mixed bag. On the quality side, and speaking of the weather,
TV celebrity and environmentalist Rob Gell was there with a
group of friends, and we managed to have a bit of a chat. |
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2) Jess and Michael show off |
The birthday girl of a couple of
weeks ago, Debby Cheeseman was there also, but it was some of
the other more eccentric locals that made for a colourful night.
First there was Peter Dougherty, who not only confessed to being
a Spectrum fan from 'day one', but that he'd scored a few roots
back in the '70s due to a passing resemblance to Bill Putt.
Judge for yourself (pic 1 above).
Then there was this bird who offered to 'double up' with Robbo
and me in the uni-sex toilet, and then, at the end of the night
while Robbo was packing up his kit, suggested that while he
was down there he could 'lick her out'! Goodness, I thought
those kind of suggestions were long behind us! The light wasn't
very good though..
Last night (Sunday) we had the very pleasant task of providing
some music for Brenden Mason's daughter's wedding reception
at the Port Melbourne Yacht Club. Bill's known Jess since the
day she was born, and with Blackfeather's Neal Johns provided
some guitar accompaniament at the service at the Fairfield |
Amphitheatre, (while Robbo and I revved it up
with Cuban Slim and The Bay Of Pigs at Broc's BBQ!).
I graciously got to the Yacht Club early and bumped in most
of the gear until the Bill and Robbo turned up (they'll pay!),
and was still changing into my (white-ish) shirt when the guests
started to arrive.
In brief, the reception was a lot of fun, the catering was superior,
and the guests appreciated our contribution. Jess and Michael
made a lovely couple, and their friends, as represented by the
bridal party, seemed to be a bright, resourceful lot. Brenden
went out of his way to look after the band and made for a proud
father.
I hung around at the end to oversee the PA being used as a disco
and then bumped out the gear all by myself, while Robbo went
to another gig (!) and Bill headed home. I was pretty exhausted
by then, but still couldn't resist watching a bit of cricket
before finally crawling to bed. Hooray! |
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| gig
report |
1)
Mick O'Connor, Mike and Brod Smith 2) Brod joins Mike on harp
to flesh out I'll Be Gone (pics Jeff Turnbull) |
Brod
Smith at the Clifton Hill Hotel
26.3.06 - Brod is based in Castlemaine
these days and doesn't visit Melbourne all that often - he
told me he'd just got back from doing a gig sitting in with
The Backsliders in Broken Hill - so it's even more noteworthy
that he's recently been doing a series of Friday night gigs
at the Clifton Hill Hotel's Emerald Room with a varied list
of guest artists. I guess with the Games in full swing it
was going to be problematic whether there was going to be
an audience, and so it turned out on this occasion - I would
say there were barely a dozen in attendance - but with Brod
in hilarious anecdotal form, not to mention the attractions
of his harp playing and easy, grainy singing style, the thousands
elsewhere missed out on an entertaining evening's performance.
And in a spooky preview of the epic Lawson gig coming up in
May, Brod joined me on harp to play I'll Be Gone
at the end of my short introductory set - amongst the long
list of things I haven't done, I have yet to master the playing-the-harmonica-on-a-harness
trick.
Brod
and Mick will be playing the Emerald Room at the Clifton Hill
Hotel with Fiona Boyes next Friday 31st. |
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| SNIPPETS |
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Spectrum
returns to the Bodhi Tree Café
23.3.06 - And we're all looking forward
to this one on Saturday night, the second in an initial series
of three at our happy hippy home in Healesville. Don't forget
that Mike makes a solo appearance early (8.15ish) at the Clifton
Hill Hotel tomorrow (Fri.) night, in company with the incomparable
Brod Smith and the Reverend Mick O'Connor |
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Website
back on line
23.3.06 - I'm happy to report that the
problem with the Contact page has been resolved. My apologies
to those of you who may have been inconvenienced.
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1) This
is the place! |
The
Forth Valley Blues Festival
20.3.06 - Spectrum hadn't been to Tassie
this century, and still wouldn't have had it not been for the
good offices of Paul Barter, the brains (and brawn) behind Barter
Drums, the drums of choice for Spectrum's very own Robbo. Paul
not only invited us over, he and his good wife Di put us up
in their fabulous house just out of Devonport, not to mention
drove us back and forth from the airport and the festival site.
We arrived on Friday and spent a relaxing evening with the Barters
and enjoyed Paul's seafood paella. Bill put in his
first entry for DOTT (Dick of the tour) by casually elbowing
Di's priceless reclining porcelain figurine onto the floor and
decapitating it, but I had a few surprises in store and felt
confident of snaring the award.
The next day Di took us down to the festival site and we had
plenty of time to look around and check out the stalls and chat
to some of the other musos. more |
2)
Qantas' Anthony answers the lager phone 3) Paul
Barter takes a breather before a cuppa
4)
Hula hoops have arrived in Tassie! 5) Those naughty sex aids
girls go into a huddle
6)
Mike and Mad Dog remember good times 7) The tireless Kaz looks
forward to something 
8)
The Lemon Sucking Daddies rock on 9) The standard fashion
statement by harpists is still snakeskin shoes
8)
A neat shot of my favourite band of the day, (you should check
'em out), The Detonators
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The
Forth Valley Blues Festival (cont.)
The weather was fine and a good crowd was
expected. I dropped our CDs off with the ever-cheerful
Kaz and listened to some of the other bands on the bill.
The Forth Festival is unusual in that most of the acts
play two spots - one in the afternoon and one in the evening
- which is an idea worth considering for other festivals.
It wasn't till we got on stage for our first spot that
my first contender for DOTT was revealed. I'd unusually
locked my guitar case for the flight over, but I'd |
9)
Ask not for whom the crowd applauds - it's for somebody
else |
cunningly left my keys back
at the Barters' and had to force the case open with
a screwdriver. Not bad eh?
After our set Di drove us back home where I used the
proper key to open the case and determined there was
no major damage to the lock. We watched some footy and
Di drove us back to the site to play our second set,
the retro-set, which went down OK, even though the crowd
really wanted to dance.
The next morning we dicovered that Bill had got his
picture in the paper, sub-titled 'Stringer: Spectrum's
Bill Putt strums along to the music', which caused Bill
some little discomfort as he despises strummers for
some reason. We shouted the Barters lunch for their
kindnesses and then sat around chatting and watching
videos till it was time to go. Paul told us a wonderful
story about a band playing in Bosnia during the troubles
there, which I will trouble him to record so I can pass
it on to you - it's a genuine classic.
Paul and Di drove us to the Devonport airport, and it
was then I played my master stroke to convincingly win
the DOTT award, when I discovered to my horror I'd left
my keys (car, house etc.) back at the Barters' house!
Fortunately I carry a spare car key with me, so there
was no major drama, but I was ribbed all the way home.
All in all it was a fun trip though, and I'm determined
not to leave it so long till we go back to the Apple
Isle again.
You
can contact Paul Barter about all things drums on [email protected] |
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For
Pete's Sake CD launch
1) Mike
and Peter Dawkins (check large
pic) 2) Tim Gaze with unemployed bouncer, Russell Morris
and Bernie Cannon |
3) Troy Cassar- Daley and Tim Gaze duet 4)
Glenn Shorrock plays background knees
5)
Brian Canham and the boys listen uncomfortably to Wilkins' warm-up
6) James Reyne adjusts his mic stand
7) Pete
poses with the team of surgeons who restored his health 8) Mike,
Russell, Ross Ryan and Mark Holden
9)
Wilkins and Birmingham fry the audience 10) Wilkins salvages
the auction from Glenn Shorrock |
11) Pete
Dawkins on drums with Tim and Mike (pic Ryan) |
For
Pete's Sake industry bash
20.3.06 - I hope many of you saw the inspiring
episode of Australian Story on the ABC that described Peter
Dawkins' battle with Parkinson's Syndrome. It was on the LWTTT
tour when Bill and I met up with Pete last, and the prognosis
was looking very grim, so it was something akin to a miracle
to see him bouncing about energetically at the For Pete's
Sake CD launch, hugging friends and chatting away happily.
Tim and I opened musical proceedings unannounced to general
unengagement, so Pete demanded that we play I'll Be Gone
(we hadn't planned to) and then sat in on on drums, which
certainly got people's (and cameras) attention. I'm told it
even made Channel 10's news.
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1) Mike
consoles Debby late in the the night 2) Deb's daughter Keira
(right) and Casey |
Debby's
birthday goes ballistic!
14.3.06 - Last weekend was a biggie,
what with Debby Cheeseman' s birthday on Saturday night, and
the more regulation St Andrews' pub on the very next arvo. Debby's
party was great fun, with nearly everybody dressing up as some
Hollywood star or legend, complemented by the backdrop of Debby's |
3) Elaine,
Jeff and Mike - wearing the same smelly shirt! |
stunning horsey property just back
of Healesville. Robbo and I dropped in a couple of weeks ago
on the way to the Bodhi Tree Café to check some last
minute details and picked up a bucket of passionfruit for our
trouble - Debby and Ron are those kind of people. Youngest daughter
Keira has even done a school project on Spectrum!
Sunday saw Spectrum re-emerge slightly bleary-eyed as a quartet
with the affable Daryl Roberts on keyboards, and there were
some almost sublime moments of musical dialogue, especially
in the first set - it just keeps getting better!
We had some special guests too - coincidentally including Jeff
and Elaine Edwards whose birthday party we played at late last
year. |
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| SNIPPETS |
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Spectrum
at St Andrews this Sunday
10.3.06 - I've been a bit too handy with
the mailouts of late, so just in case you don't automatically
peruse the Gig page (you should!) we're on this Sunday the 12th
at St Andrews, again with the added lustre of Daryl on keys,
so the retro-Spectrum set will be a happening thing. |
Darren
Jones Memorial show
10.3.06 - Most Melburnians will be aware
of that horribly regrettable incident that resulted in the death
of young musician, Darren Jones. There's a show on to raise
money for the family at Ruby's in Belgrave on this Monday 13th
from 2.00pm till late. It's a good lineup too - for more info
ring 9754 7445 |
Piledriver
rocks on!
10.3.6 - Status Quo tribute band Piledriver
and the self-evident Twin Lizzy return to the Greyhound Hotel
in St Kilda on Fri. April 7th, and Piledriver go it alone at
the Evelyn Hotel in Fitzroy on Sat. April 15th (Easter weekend).
This is just the start - soon they'll be rockin' all over the
world.. |
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gig
report
Get Behind Yer Roots
1)
Broc teases out another cascade of notes to Diana Wolfe's approval
2) Moderator Billy Pinnell
3)
Craig Horne is a lying blues singer 4) Jeff Burstin 5) Wayne
Duncan wonders which train to catch home |
6) Handsome
Wayne Burt |
Plenty
of roots at the Willy RSL
6.3.06 - The Get Behind Yer Roots show
at the Willy RSL yesterday (Sun.) went about as well as organiser/organ
grinder Daryl Roberts could've hoped. In a frenzied outpouring
of altruism, possibly unsustainable in the long term, Daryl
found the sponsors, booked the venue, the PA and the bands,
persuaded Billy Pinnell to compere and played the opening
set with Spectrum, while still managing to find time to help
me load in and out.
Not content with these achievements, he got Asylum TV along
to film the resultant event, and with any luck, bits of the
show will be broadcast in a few weeks time - I'll let you know
when and where.
I spent most of the afternoon chatting to people, (see ASR)
interspersed with affecting to snooze and guesting with The
Wolfegang and The Hornets (playing Spectrum's Going Home
- hooray!) on mouth harp. Admittedly I was trapped,
not being able to get the gear out till the show finished, but
I still had a good time. |
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1) Sarah's
friends came to the Modewarre Hall from far and wide - some
even brought caravans |
2)
Sarah's speech is hijacked 3) Steve considers a retort |
Sarah's
birthday bash in Modewarre
5.3.06 - We've known Sarah, her husband
Steve and the former Little Jimmy, (now Enormous James), for
many years now - whenever we play anywhere in the vicinity of
Geelong, the Ramsays are inevitably present, or sending their
apologies. So it was a very happy occasion for Bill, Robbo and
me to play at Sarah's birthday party on Saturday night. The
Modewarre Hall fairly resonates with the sporting deeds of former
Modewarrens and safely saw out another generation's idea of
birthday fun. The theme was the seventies, so we fitted right
in, and more people than usual actually remembered who we were. |
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