you were deep inside that thought: March 2017

Friday, March 24, 2017

LET'S GET TIGHT available via paypal - mail order - Melbourne CD launch

Other times we've gotten albums together it's been a real drama. Especially since the digital era began, you need to create some drama and a sense of time and place. Otherwise you can mooch around the same files for as long as you like. Back when studio time was precious and expensive things had stress and excitement all around the players and the rooms. You had to bring yourself up it!

This album just fell into place as we wrote, recorded and released each track individually. Not thinking of each part fitting together in any coherent way.

This year we just throught we'd compile the first bunch into a CD release. We like CDs and we like ALBUMS. It holds together really well and it's been a real pleasant surprise. Just going with hunches and VIBES.

art by Tony Mahony.

We got it printed here in Melbourne at Dex Audio in Kensington. We went in and you could see and feel the different types of packaging and even got taken on a guided tour of all the CD and DVD and cassette (!) and reel to reel (!) duplication machines they still have there. A bit of a museum area here and there with old school Abbey Road era tape machines and also some impressive mastering suites. Quite beautiful.

We thought we'd have the CDs for people at shows and we're also able to send them mail order with purchase through PAYPAL. $20 plus postage.

If you were wondering I really doubt we'd ever make any vinyl. Like I said, I like CDs. Almost all of the music we made from the Coral Snakes era was in the age of the CD. That's it, we hipe to dodge the neo vinyl age....

Here's a page in regard to the album at our website.

Here's a page with the lyrics for the album.

We remastered the tracks for CD release.

All the songs are sequenced in the order they were released starting in February 2016.

I'm A Good Hater =
Driving acoustic guitar, synth bass, tambourine, wah wah, handclaps and more synth lay down the texture and the tarmac for the singer to stroll out on. He's "a good hater/one of the best, I've heard/ from someone who says they should know..."

This Is The Deadest Place I've Ever Died In =
Inspired in part by a Willie Nelson track for the early 2000s called "I never came in here (and I ain't leavin')" and in other parts by an effect on the rhythm track that had Dave Graney asking Clare Moore to drape and slide a string of pearls over her ride and crash cymbals , "don't hit ‘em, just let them down onto the surface and then lift them off...."

I Been Trendy =
A loose, lithe , loping acoustic groove. Kind of a JJ Cale/ Leon Russell feel about it.
A stretch denim sunset sound with seagulls and waves joining in one of the verses.

Drifting Donna Reed =
A meditation on memory and popular culture. Be Bop giant Charlie Parker had a track called "drifitng on a reed".
"drifting donna reed" - why not? Donna Reed, an unrelated artist, she starred famously in "It's a Wonderful life" and her own 60s tv show. How to bring people together around shared imagery drifitng through their minds?

Are you out of your mind? (get back in!) =
Thinking on surveillance and people offering themselves up on social media platforms. Then some harmonies highlighting another phrase, “are you out of your mind?” – leading to another, a dire warning, “get back in!”

You Need A Kleek, Klook =
Klooks Kleek was a club in West Hampstead, London in the 60s and 70s. A teen Dave Graney had an album by John Mayall recorded "live at klooks kleek”. Sounded like a happening place! Reaching for a majestic, mythic tone. Twelve string acoustic guitar, bass, piano and synths against a rhythm machine and a heavily reverbed tambourine. Pop music in that Procul / May 68 style and tone.

Rupert's Pet's Grave =
A whimsical song about a make believe world where a powerful man called Rupert has his pet who he sends out in the world to create misery and anguish and general evil. Sure, the PET needs a warm place to shit but what will happen when it dies? Who will clean it's grave?

Matey, From On High =
A jazzy groover. They're all groovers. This is how, I am sometimes told, I relate to people. Or maybe, how I hope that I do.
Also another of my songs worrying about the faux intimacy of the digital age.

Let's Kick This Mob Out =
We've taken the sugar off the table" was how then immigration minister Scott Morrison explained , as he was closing any loopholes, any hopes that asylum seekers may have had of entering Australia. He was so proud of himself.

I Ain't Hi Vis =
"I ain't got no tools - just flash clothes".

I Need To Be Hot =
A bass sound straight out of a 70's reggae studio and clean guitar lines straight out of a televised marquee moon meet a swinging ride cymbal beat and a chorus of dive bombing electric guitar pick burns.

Be Sad For Me =
"I'm outsourcing my tears.... Acoustic guitars, drums, bass, harmonica (by Matt Walker), vocals and vibes. Descending chords and a wide open sound.

How Long Does the Raunch? =
Starts with jazz guitar chords and vocals. Then Drum Machine, Vibes, Marimba and electric guitar.
Over stimulation. Modern life is demanding. Filling a dude with images and feels, emotions dragged and pulled out, demanded.

I'm Never Off =
Five minutes of prog blues pop with Graney and Moore's Doors obsessions coming to the fore.

photo Barry Douglas

We had already planned on doing a few dates in New South Wales with the Coral Snakes and also Georgio "the dove" Valentino, (who plays on I'm Never Off). Now we're going to do a CD release party at teh Tote in melbourne on Easter Sunday night. Doors open at 5pm. Georgio will be playing, also Wam and Daz.

CD RELEASE PARTY NIGHT APRIL 16th 5 PM THE TOTE, Melbourne.

Upcoming shows

Dave Graney'n' the Coral Snakes

Lizottes in Newcastle March 31st.
Sydney April 1st - the Basement

Melbourne - saturday June 3rd - Memo Music Hall

Dave Graney and Clare Moore NSW dates w/ special guests from Brussels/Miami Georgio "the Dove" Valentino and Patrizia.

Sunday 2nd April(2.30pm - 5.30pm TBC)- Dangar Island Bowling Club NSW
Tuesday 4th April (7pm - 9pm) Georgio only @ The Bearded Tit -
Thursday 6th April - Oxley Wine Bar Cowra
Friday 7th April - Bowral Bowling Club
Saturday 8th April - Gearin Hotel, Katoomba
Sunday 9th April - Smiths Canberra
Wed April 12th Candelo Cafe

Let's Get Tight - CD Launch night party from 5pm at the Tote Easter Sunday April 16th

davegraney.com

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Dave Graney and the Coral Snakes shows in Adelaide and Melbourne. Coming soon to Sydney and Newcastle - and Melbourne again.

These shows started off in 2015 with an invitation to play the album Night Of the Wolverine at Memo Hall in Melbourne. My response was that if it was "the Devil Drives" I would do it like a shot but I wasn't really into doing just one album, as a rule. I'd seen other bands do it and it just looked CONSTIPATED. In the end, we did a set of that 1993 album and then another (hour long) set of songs from before and after it. We played at Memo for two nights and packed it out. Both times. We then played in Sydney, Brisbane , Adelaide and Newcastle through last year. Our idea was to mainly play if we were invited, to Festivals or arts events. We didn't want to go and play in pubs. It has been a fantastic experince for myself and Clare moore to reunite with guitarist Rod Hayward and keyboard player Robin Casinader. Such great players and we spent so much time together in tough situations. And we were better than all the rest!
We generally rehearse once before each show. We know the stuff inside out. Our old bass player Gordy Blair declined to be involved early on but we are lucky to have Stu Thomas from the mistLY playing bass with us. He is a great, positive presence and an amazing musician. This is the line up that has done all the shows. We played in Melbourne at the National Gallery of Victoria in early March. Here are some photos of the show.In the Grand Hall. It sounded great and people went nuts.
A week later we played on a floating stage out on the River Torrens beside the festival theatre in Adelaide. Here are some shots of the show.
Adelaide is different for us than anywhere else. South Australians tune into my stuff. I'm their man. I mean country, blue collar people.
It's been intoxicating to play shows where the band knows every single note and turn of the songs AND SO DOES THE AUDIENCE. Not what I'm used to.

We are travelling again in April to play at Lizottes in Newcastle March 31st and the Basement in Sydney April 1st. These venues are not pubs but neither are they festival situations. We won't be doing many shows. I mean we dig it but we're just enjoying each show as it happens and we don't want to do it to death. BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE TO.

Okay, we are doing one more show in Melbourne, back at the Memo Music Hall. June 3rd.

Then there's this CD coming out. ALL OF A SUDDEN. We'll be selling it at all of our shows and getting it to certain stores where we can. More news of it later.

Doing a lot of other shows as a duo. Just myself and Clare Moore. This is with our friend from Miami/Brussels. Georgio "the dove" Valentino. (who is also opening at the Lizottes and Basement Coral Snakes shows)

Here's a sneaky peek at some of Georgio's music. This was recorded here in Melbourne in 2016 at Mick harvey's studio/rehearsal space. Me on 12 string, Clare on drums . (Clare might be on vibes too)

Mick Harvey and David McClymont (ex Orange Juice on keys) and Patricia (who’ll be touring with Georgio)on bass.

While we're on that , when these reunion shows first started happening I hated it when people just referred to "Coral Snakes" , because it was my songs and my band name and .....ummmm what was I? Chopped liver? Now I am a bit more relaxed. people can talk the way they like. Little bit.

I just think of that story where Chet Atkins was playing guitar and somebody said "that guitars got a real nice tone" and he took it off and put it on the stand and said "does it really? What you reckon it sounds like now?"

I looked this up and found some other words of wisdom from guitarists here.

Workshopping some ideas for our duo. Suddenly we are playing as Dave Graney and the mistLY, Dave Graney and the Coral Snakes and Dave Graney and Dave Graney and Clare Moore. Have to feed stuff into all these online music apps and they all explode at so many combinations.

Clare's idea was ....

GRANEY AND MOORE (Desist)

I quite like it. (There's an arcane pop culture pun working feebley there...)

pic originally by Barry Douglas

Upcoming shows

Dave Graney'n' the Coral Snakes

Lizottes in Newcastle March 31st.
Sydney April 1st - the Basement
Melbourne - saturday June 3rd - Memo Music Hall

Wed April 12th Candelo Cafe

Thursday April 13th Harry Howard and the NDE - Inkerman Hotel St Kilda

Our March digital release is a jazz pop groover. (They've all been groovers) called HOW LONG DOES THE RAUNCH?

Oh, and I have a new memoir coming out in October. WORKSHY... More of that anon.....

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Auckland trip. Recent movies. Miami Steve. Dave Graney and the Coral Snakes Shows.

We have our February single out.

All kinds of digital portals for it available here.

We travelled to Auckland for a week which included two shows. The first was at Aotea Square in the centre of the city. Part of a week long fringe/arts festival.

The shows were organized by a fellow called Matthew Crawley who we'd met in 2004 when he was in his late teens or early twenties managing the Brunettes. Matthew now runs an excellent music and food joint called The Golden Dawn and we did another show there.

We did the gigs as a trio with special guest Lawrence Arabia on bass. Lawrence aka James Milne was playing bass in the Brunettes on that 2004 tour to Australia. He did an amazing job, learning about fifteen songs in a couple of days. They made it so easy for us and we had an absolute ball.
We have seen the last two tours to Melbourne by Lawrence Arabia, always so inspiring. Incredible songwriting, singing and playing.

We met up with Jonathan Bree who had been the co-singer and writer for the Brunettes. He runs Lil Chief Records. Since they finished in about 2008 he has concentrated on the label, released two amazingly high quality solo albums and worked with Princess Chelsea.

Jonathan's last solo album was the classsically influenced "A Little Night Music". This song, WEIRD HARDCORE, is a modern classic.Listen to that beautiful "plunky" bass sound.

Princess Chelsea released a video for a song several years ago which went totally viral and they have toured eastern Europe, playing large festivals a couple of times. This clip is so charming. AsI write this , it has had 33,527,000 views. You get paid after a few tens of thousands. I love stories of musicians and artists WINNING.

It was great playing and hanging out with these people. We also ran into Delaney Davidson, a musician from Christchurch.

Just for the hell of it, I'll put up a clip by a supreme NZ freak, Connan Mockasin. Apparently he lives in LA now. All these people have great ambition and guts.

Oh, and at the airport on the way back, I bumped fists with Miami Steve Van Zandt who had just played a couple of shows with Bruce Springsteen there. We were both in the airport newsagent, buying mints.

On the way over I watched the Ron Howard film on the Beatles, "8 Days A Week". I loved it. I'm always bagging the moptops but I'm just bored by their omnipresence. this film really humanized them and put them to such a thrilling time line.

I was a kid when they were all happening, I didn't need to go over and over it again later. I saw their films at the Mt Gambier Odeon theatre. Matinee shows. I heard them pouring out of the radio in the kitchen and watched them doing "Hello Goodbye" on the Ed Sullivan Show. I think I even saw their world wide hook up for "all you need is love" as it actually happened, too.
Loved this film.

Then I watched "HAVANA MOON", the Rolling Stones film of their recent gig in CUBA.
I always love the Stones and again, I experienced their albums like "Get Yer Ya yas Out" and "Goats Head Soup" and "Its Only Rock'n'Roll " coming out new. They were in that seventies scrum much more than the Beatles who faded into anachronism pretty quickly. When "Some Girls" came out right smack in the moment of punk it was exciting to see how they would react to it. "Miss You" was amazing.

This film was a lot more enjoyable than teh Scorcese one. Just a straight concert flick. Great sound and cameras so cose to the band. Quite thriling to watch them play through all teh dynamic changes in "Midnight Rambler". Looking at each other to make the switch in the beat while Mick is way out on his catwalks. Mick almost ruins it with some cod reggae crowd chants like the Police did. "wee yo yo yo". The others dig in and bear it. He's working a massive stadium. They do "Paint it Black" with Ronnie on an electric sitar. Ronnie never struck me as being really bright but he carries an amazing haircut.
Also caught a documentary produced by Maick Jagger called "Mr Dynamite: the rise of James Brown". Must have been to accompany the dramatic film about JB he also produced. This was a great doco. I'll have to see it again. Such an innovator and such a great band.

I also watched the Absolutely Fabulous movie which was hilarious.
We went to the town of Piha which is thirty or so kilometers out of Auckland and walked along the black sands.

Had a great time.

We have shows with Dave Graney and the Coral Snakes coming up.

Dave Graney'n' the Coral Snakes
Melbourne NGV March 3rd
Adelaide - Riverbank Palais March 9th
Lizottes in Newcastle March 31st.
Sydney April 1st - the Basement

davegraney.com