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1) Max
studies the BS EP 2) Max and the Spectrums pose on the Bishops'
staircase |
A
big day for the chaps
30.6.08 - The last day of the financial
year was a doozy. Robbo had to sort out a kilt for his foray
to the Edinburgh Tattoo before we could leave for Wally Bishop's
home where Max Merrit is staying. Max is staying with the Bishops
while he's waiting to be inducted into the Aria Hall of Fame
and help launch the |
3) There's a hint of snow in the air
as the lads take a breather |
Concert For Max DVD. We're
in transit to Canberra when all the this is happening,
so we thought we'd better sort out a time to catch Max
while we could. Max is looking as fit as ever (pics
1 & 2) and is in good spirits despite the restrictions
on his lifestyle. On the way to the Secret Sound Studios
for our penultimate rehearsal with Brod and Phil, (pic
3) Robbo and I stopped off at Aztec Music to say
hi to Ted and replenish our supplies of Part One
and Milesago for the trip north. I'm stuffed
now.. |
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1) Kenny
Murdoch and the lads deliver some heavy bovver at the Corner
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Taste
delivers..
28.6.08 - I didn't
really think I'd be free last night, but as it turned out we
weren't working, so I decided I should go. I arrived at The
Corner Hotel at the advertised starting time and caught a couple
of numbers by a very fine but under-appreciated soul singer,
Ness Jordan. I hung around expectantly for half an hour as the
delinquents behind the mixing desk cranked up the music, but
when The Beatles' Twist and Shout escalated to a positively
murderous volume I hurried to the bar and mimed a |
2)
Wrokdown's producer/director Anita Monk and.. |
request for the advertised
ear plugs. They'd run out. Of course they had.
I gravitated to the front again to take some snaps of
the band, as much to prove my attendance as anything after
being granted guest list staus by Taste's irrepressible
Ken Murdoch, but after a few minutes I had to beat a retreat
as the sound idiots found a way to increase the volume
even more. I met Wrokdown's Anita Monk (pic 2) near
the back of the room thoroughly enjoying the show. The
sound was a little more acceptable there, but any resemblance
between the CD and the live band was purely coincidental.
That's not to say it couldn't be enjoyed in its own right
- the band was clearly enjoying themselves on stage -
but for my already shattered ears it was all a bit too
much. |
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Andie
absorbs the Breathing Space liner notes |
Goof's
Breathing Space non-review..
28.6.08
- Another SA mate, Geoff Miller, sends me the occasional interesting
tidbit, so I thought I'd send him a copy of the EP. I hadn't
heard back for a while and finally felt compelled to ask if
he'd received it.
No, I didn't get the CD......cos if I did I would have put it
straight on my system and taken some shots of Andie with the
cover. (pic) Maybe she could just carry it around the
room.....maybe a shot with her dolly mate....or maybe a shot
looking as if she's actually reading the cover notes.
But I'd have to get the shots just right........I'm a bit fussy
like that. And you know what I'm like - if it's not exactly
what I wanted I'll try again until it's right. But I'd probably
get distracted as I'm setting it up in my head - Ju would |
want to go and buy some food or something
and I'd feel as if I'd missed the moment because I probably
wouldn't get back to it for a couple of days and then I'd really
feel like I'd missed the moment!
And of course you know what would happen then - I'd drive around
listening to it in my car getting to know it intimately and
feeling even worse that I'd missed the moment. Gee, I'm starting
to feel a lot better that I didn't get it!
What would I do then? If I got it I'd probably start to have
pet songs which you're not supposed to do (like preferring one
offspring over another). If I'd heard it, I'd be really impressed
with Tim's energy in 'Play My Guitar' and really wished I'd
congratulated you on that one straight away, because I'd probably
adopt it as the tune I play really loud in the car just before
I get to a gig. Gee, I'm glad I don't have to go through that!
I'm also very happy I don't have to be taken back to my teenage
years, like I do when I hear Bill's rock solid, yet musical
bottom end, together with typical Ruddisms on the electric guitar.
Whew!
But you know the best thing about not getting the CD? I wouldn't
have to sit rocking in the corner fearing the day that I knew
would come - the day that you would send me an email and ask
me if I got the CD. That would be terrible!!
But I'd probably make at least some effort to atone by sending
some melt your heart shots of Andie having her second birthday,
or enjoying her first 'baby chino' or even with vegemite all
over her face.
Please don't send the CD.........I don't know if I can go through
all that!
Geoff
Miller |
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Rocket
Girl clip on 'Hits' episode of Wrokdown
25.6.08 - Wrokdown's producer
Anita Monk just got in touch to say that Spectrum's completed
Rocket Girl clip, in company with new songs from Russell
Morris, Swanee and Jon English, will be broadcast on Channel
31 on Saturday July 5th, only to be repeated on the following
Monday. Oh, and Ron Govett reminded me to remind you that 'my'
Spicks & Specks episode is broadcast tonight on
the ABC. |
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Gaye
and Dave share the Sunday arvo ambience with Mike |
gig
report
St Andrews dream arvo
23.6.08 - Bill noted there were no bikes out the
front of the St Andrews pub for the first time he could remember,
but there was quite a large crowd in for lunch anyway. I picked
the couple sitting next to the stage were Kiwis, and it turned
out that Dave Diver (pic) was the Librettos' drummer
when they guested at the Battle of the Bands that the Chants
won in Christchurch back in 1964! It was a great day in every
respect - the band and the crowd enjoyed every moment, and
after the show I dropped in on Dick and Mary and shared a
fine NZ pinot and roast. Yummy! |
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1)
Beaming Gary is still with us after a brush with the afterlife
2) Alana and Mike go red for their fourth anniversary |
gig
report
The Lomond goes Bananas
22.6.08
- It finally clicked as I was taking Alana home after the
gig last night. I've never quite understood why the first set
at the Lomond often makes me feel a little edgy, but after a
casual discussion with sombody about the composition of the
crowd it hit me: at least half the crowd at the start of the
night may have never been to the Lomond before and certainly
have no idea who Spectrum is. With that in mind, I'll be a lot
more explanatory and helpful iin future. Nevertheless, by the
second set, both us and the crowd had warmed up considerably
and things were belting along nicely. By 11.45 the bulk of the
crowd evaporated into the chilly night air leaving a core group
of desperates, diehards and dancers, prompting me to draw the
comparison with a late night stint at Bananas. We were compelled
to do a couple of overtime encores by this dangerous bunch who
refused to take no for an answer. |
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1)
The Silver Reasons prepare to win over the crowd 2) Mike claims
his other harp's this big! (pic - Peter Koryn) |
3) Edward
Nass spruiks BAD |
gig
report
BAD night goes great
21.6.08 - The Berwick & District Folk
Club delight in calling themselves BAD, but, no matter what
you might think when you walk into the fluorescent glare in
their HQ at the Old Cheese Factory, they're a listening audience
without peer in Melbourne, and perhaps even further afield.
Every Ruddy lyrical nuance was picked up, digested, and reacted
to appropriately, and that's not true of any other gig we've
done - ever. Mind you, they have an agenda that includes
an open mic section, and the standard is variable to say the
least, but an enterprising young local band, the Silver Reasons,
(pic 1), saw an opportunity to present themselves to
a new audience and managed to pull off an unlikely coup.
My voice was distinctly croaky until late in the first set,
but once I'd warmed up there was no stopping us. The full house
sang along lustily to IBG and the Esmeralda
encore as they do, and we all went home tired but happy. |
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Fred's
castle of dreams |
gig
report
Mike & Bill at the Yarra Glen Grand Hotel
20.6.08 - It's the most imposing looking building (pic)
you see as you enter Yarra Glen, just over an hour east
of Camberwell in heavy traffic, or just a few minutes from the
Yering Station winery, for those who judge their location by
such things. Fred, who used to own the Terminus Hotel in Richmond,
was tooling around with the PA when I arrived and was having
trouble hooking it up to the in-house system, and while this
never eventuated, we adapted it for our individual set-up quite
happily. Despite the hotel's generous proportions, the heating
was more than adequate, and while I settled for a simple platter
of cheeses, the menu looked excellent. If it were my local,
I'd be there regularly. On the night, most of the diners had
drifted away by the second set, leaving a dozen or so enthusiasts
to savour the Crudd/Pump musical miscellany. We had a nice chat
at the end of the night and we'll be looking forward to a repeat
on Thursday the 17th next month. |
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Sally
and Walter from my lighting days enjoyed the show |
gig
report
Sunday arvo Manhattan project
16.6.08 - On the way to the Manhattan I
took a call from Gary Mac and Jane Holmes on the RPH Network
about the upcoming Max Merritt induction into the Hall of Fame
and ended up taking the long way to the Manhattan, but we were
still ready to start at 4.00. However, we judged it prudent
to wait until the Geelong game had finished on the monitor behind
us, and even then we didn't have the audience's undivided attention
as the Carlton-Collingwood match finished on a monitor elsewhere
in the room. Let's face it, we didn't have their attention at
all. A punter told us later that the show had been advertised
as starting at 6.00, which makes more sense. Next time.. |
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Aaron
signs a Hey Gringo CD |
gig
report
St Andrews declared noodle capital
9.6.08 - It took a little while to rouse myself yesterday
morning, given the exertions of the previous night, but after
my guest (Bill) had breakfasted and left, there was a moment
or two to record the Marysville gig report and then I was heading
towards St Andrews. I arrived to find that Gringo drummer, Ivan,
had the stage already set up and had sorted out my spot. Ivan
told me he'd been in Germany playing the American bases at about
the same time as WHY was in Winsen-Aller and then Gringo saxophonist
Aaron (pic) showed off his very impressive Chinese
National-style mandolin - and we were away! Apart from getting
an uneasy feeling that I was in Bizarro World, the gig was a
lot of fun. Sadly Bill did a no-show, and it was only later
I discovered a message on my phone telling me he'd broken down
on the way home and couldn't get to the gig. It was probably
just as well he didn't attempt to drive to Marysville as he'd
planned. |
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1) Vince
and Di came to Marysville especially to see Spectrum 2) Wayne
Bisset gets his mangy beanie back |
gig
report
The snow season keg opener
8.6.08 - It's been a month between gigs and it seems
longer, so Bill, Robbo and I piled into the van to head up
to Marysville with some anticipation. Despite a premature
ejaculation of snow a few weeks back, there was no actual
snow for the opening of the season, but, all the same, it
was pretty nippy by the time we reached Marysville, nestled
as it is in the foothills to the east of Melbourne some 39k
past Healesville.
We found Keppels Hotel immediately and our host Bill Hammil
showed us the room we were to play in, which was pretty impressive,
although disconcertingly large. After we'd set up we decided
to eat and relax, but because our meals took rather a long
time to arrive we didn't have time to play with the Apache
combat helicopters Robbo had brought along for us to do battle
with. Next time Robbo!
As for the gig itself, my mood alternated between despair
and moderate enjoyment over the night. (Way to go, Mike!)
There were only about thirty or forty souls lost in this vast
ballroom more used to throngs of several hundred feral punters,
which made for a lonely experience, but, on the plus side,
they were all familiar faces, and some had made the journey
from far afield just to see us. Vince and Di (pic 1)
we hadn't seen since playing at their wedding last October,
and they'd decided to make a weekend of it in Marysville based
around seeing us play at Keppels, and we last saw Wayne Bisset
almost exactly a year ago at his place in Narbethong, where
he lent Bill the very same hand-knitted beanie that Bill is
seen returning to him in the second pic. (Wayne said Bill
could keep it in the end).
Bill (Hammil) had hired a couple of lighting trees for the
show, but I only switched on the second one after the first
set. It was during the next break that the stage lost power
for the first time, which it was to do annoyingly half a dozen
more times during the last set. I only figured out that it
might be the second tree of lights that was tripping the fuses
just before the encore, so the last set was like some acid
flash back to the London Tavern thirty or so years ago with
its fucking demented sound meter.
We were going to stay at the hotel overnight, but the journey's
not that arduous, and despite quite heavy fog dogging us most
of the way, we got back to Camberwell by 3.00. Today Robbo's
in Queenscliff with the Wolfegangs and Bill and I are noodling
with Hey Gringo at St Andrews, which means that I can share
a red with Dick and Mary on the way home. Looking forward
to that |
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readers'
tips
Mike & Bill on Undercover interview
7.6.08 - Secret Sound's Pete Dacy points out that the
interview Bill and I did with Undercover's Paul Cashmere is
being featured on the Undercover website right at this moment.
Perhaps you'd like to check
it out for all the Spectrum gossip ancient and modern. |
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More
Milesago feedback
2.6.08
- I haven't got the full list of reviews yet, but
in the meantime comments continue to come by e-mail. Here's
another from Bernhard Jekic of Williamstown.. Picked
up the Milesago CD from you at The Albert - Williamstown.
It's been a long time since I have dedicated time to just
listen. I was travelling in my car, turned the phone off
and put the CD on. I spent a couple of magnificent hours
listening to Milesago and words are superfluous to describe
the experience over again. Blissful could be one word.
When I arrived at my destination I had to check on where
and who I was. Thanks for the CD at last
PS - Love Breathing Space too.
If you haven't had your Milesago fix yet,
head for the CDs page.. |
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