putting the music up on the blocks

We played a set in the new performance space at RRR last Wednesday night. It was the first time we'd played all the material from "Knock Yourself Out" . Either Clare Moore had built and played all the tracks on the album or I had. We had to pull it all apart over the last couple of months at our Yarraville rehearsal place and play it as a band. Put it up on the blocks as they say in the extremely scientific world of commercial radio. We'd never had to do that before. It was like doing cover versions of my songs. They are sounding full of bounce and grit. Its another kind of energy and level of intensity in the dynamics.
Thanks to everybody for coming along, it was a great night. It went out live from 6:30 to 7:00 on Richard Moffatts "incoming" show. Afterwards we went across to the Lomond pub for a drink, well I had a lemonade. There was a duo playing, two fellows , one on drums and another on electric guitar. They play every Wednesday night and are called "Stackfull". The drummer had a real, old jazz kit with a big bass drum which had the front skin still on. He kept talking to us and telling us who they were. Their poster, he told us, was designed by Ian McCausland. This fellow has a lot of work out there. Have a look...
http://www.ianmccausland.com.au/

I looked up the drummer , Harold Frith ,on the magic box and he is now 73 and has been playing since that mythic time before the Beatles screwed the whole scene up, in a Melbourne band called the Thunderbirds.
http://www.thethunderbirds.com.au/pictures.html

The guitarist, Les Stackpool, had played in many bands from the late 60s on. Including Levi Smiths Clefs and Doug Parkinson In Focus.
I always love to see players keeping on playing.

The next day I flew to Sydney to catch up with the people at Fuse and then to sing some songs at an event that was a part of Brian Enos "Luminous " festival. A very distant part I guess. Heres what the Creative Sydney people said....

"Hear the likes of Old Man River, Spod, Sui Zhen, Loene Carmen and members of Dappled Cities, Bridezilla, RedSunBand, Tom Ugly along with special guests Simon Day (Ratcat) and Dave Graney reinterpreting old-school hits and indie classics, all backed by a supergroup of a house band featuring Lindsay McDougall (Triple J, Frenzal Rhomb), Cec Condon (The Mess Hall), Sam Worrad (The Holy Soul) and Cameron Bruce (Waikiki, The Beautiful Girls).
The night will open with a set by three generations of Sydney performers all from the one family - Holiday Sidewinder (Bridezilla), her mother Loene Carmen and grandfather Peter Head - performing some of Peter’s classic songs about Sydney such as “King of the Cross” (about Abe Saffron) and “William St Blues”.

It was a very warm event to be invited to be a part of. I was the only Melbourne person. An accident I think. I really enjoyed seeing Loene carmen pefroming with her father and her daughter , all of them taking the mic to sing a couple of songs in turn. Simon Day always makes me wonder why he isn't more active musically. One of the Dappled City fellows did Eric Bogles "the band played waltzing matilda" to this hall full of up for it 20 somethings. I thought he was mad. they quite liked it, but I always misjudge the current generations sentimentality about WW1. They've been brought up with it as a semi religuous holiday every year.

I got up eventually and did "hindu gods of love " by the Lipstick Killers and "smith and wesson blues" by radio Birdman. Two iconic Sydney acts. I also did "bodysnatcher blues" as its a one note boogie and I thought the band might dig it.

I went back to my hotel room, which had a view of the lights and vido art being thrown all over the Sydney Opera House. I turned the tv on and watched the entire game of St Kilda vs Carlton. It was a very exciting match.