ararat - live

"ararat Live" was all we knew of this gig. Not the name of  a place, more a name for a  group of people or an event that seems to move around this town which is past Ballarat on the way to Adelaide. Didn'y know what to expect and just made the drive and walked into an old pub in the main street. the Ararat Hotel. Lovely art deco frosted glass over the high doorways. Dave and Rob were setting up the vocal pa and moving some lounge settees about. We had some lamb roast of the day for dinner and set up to play two sets.
People came from all over the district. Enough people to sit in the room on those comfy settees and listen to all our music. Posters were put up in all the nearby towns and emails were sent. Back to the old days of people in regional towns making their own fun up.
They yelled and cheered at the end. I wish there were lots more of these kinds of gigs.

A young fellow called jack was curious about our guitars and amps. chemistry student at uni. He had been brought here by his grandfather who has all our cds. His grandpa was a cool guy, explaining that it was a good turnout- especially considering that we were a  "very weird band". He loved our weirdness, he was just saying it as a fact. that was so much better than people usually coming up and saying its not a big number or people in the room, as if we have always been a huge pop act. Its true- our music is freaky and not for everybody. Its got grooves and funk and dynamics because that the way we like it but its also- in comparison to most other stuff - and especially music by our peers and contemporaries- WEIRD. Its fast for a  start. Also not generally sad.

We were sleeping upstairs in the old pub. We watched a  little country mouse bounce off the glass door as a young bloke belted out a hundred buskers faves in the other room. He didn't stop with th singing for another hour or two. The mouse must've been trying to get some shut eye.

As everybody was leaving Dave told us casually of the ghost upstairs. Noises and children whimpering were to be expected. Ararat used to have a hospital for the "insane" as well as a  prison ward for "the criminally insane" . A lot of restless soul flying about one imagines.

Stu Thomas heard the noises . He said they were comforting as he slept. Also, he went to the can during the night and the door slammed in his face. I believe it!


In the morning we beat it to Adelaide, after picking up an egg and bacon roll and a coffee from "DEbs". The cook was like a  grounded biker. Lashing of bacon! Shit, milky coffee, even though we asked for it black. thats the default coffee out here. Flat and white.

Clare and I made it in time for a live to air duo style at Radio Adelaide on North Terrace. We missed Stu and Stuart!

2012 shows 
dave graney and the mistLY


Sat 15th September Westernport Hotel - San Remo
Friday 21st September - Palais- Hepburn Springs
Saturday 22nd September - NEWPORT SUBSTATION -NEWPORT book tickets here

Thursday 04th Oct Clancys Fish Pub (solo), Fremantle
Friday 05th Oct – Clancy’s Fish Pub (indoors), Dunsborough
Saturday 06th Oct – the Bird - Northbridge - Perth
Sunday 07th Oct – Mojos - Fremantle WA

This tour is supported by the Victorian Government through Arts Victoria