You can find it at our website or at Redeye Records in Sydney, Basement Discs and Rocksteady in Melbourne and StreetLight in Adelaide.
Our first shows were with Dave Graney 'n' the Coral Snakes at Lizottes in Newcastle and at the Basement in Sydney. We'd organized for some friends from luxembourg to come and open at all the shows. Georgio "the dove" Valentino and Patrizia F.
Clare Moore played drums for them as a trio.
Georgio is originally from Miami and also spent time in Detroit and then Brussels. Lizottes is a lovely venue, an old converted cinema. Georgio plays to people as a straight up star / player. Nothing rootsy or earthy and accommodating. It helps that they are a glamour pairing. We picked them up in Sydney, where they'd flown into and drove to Newcastle.
The show with the Coral Snakes was as enjoyable as they have all been over the last year or so. Robin Casinader and Rod Hayward are great players and great people. The show rocked. It was EPIC.
The next day , Saturday, we played at the Basement and this was equally as enjoyable. A classic jazz basement bar in the heart of Sydney. At these shows we get to play to people who lost sight of us after we stopped the Coral Snakes in late 1997. Its the only way they can see us. Some are surprised when I tell them we've kept playing ever since and have released 15 or so albums. Show business is nutty, I'm down with that.
Georgio had some 7' vinyl singles to trade to people for cash. Recorded in Melbourne at Mick Harveys studio in 2016 with us and David McClymont on keys and bass.
Patrizia often asked about Koalas. One day we found one.
On the Sunday we played at a Bowling Club on Dangar island which is in the middle of the Hawkesbury River, back on the highway between Sydney and Newcastle. We had to catch a water ferry across. Stu Thomas stayed for this gig and got to teh venue with georgio and Patrizia. Clare and I were a little late and missed our ferry. As we waited for another in a little shed by the river, it started to rain. A couple came in to catch the ferry as well and the woman said hello. They seemd to be going across to the show. The man had a North American accent and I asked where he was from in the States, to make with the chat. "Gettin' tired of that question!" He yelled to an audience who were not visible to any of us. Silence ensued and they thankfully left.
We got to the island and set up and made show. Georgio plays a loud electric guitar, full of delay and reverb, with lovely arpeggiated flourishes. he covers Mickey Newbury and David Bowie songs and occasionally does a 20 minute groove about Chuck Berry and water sports.
A woman who I knew as a teen came along to say hello. Later , she sent me a picture of our gang at the beach in 1976. I am appalled how androgynous I look.
There on no cars on Dangar Island. We stay the night with Steve who booked us. He lives there , the lucky bum. We drink and play records with friends. A few locals drop in and Patrizia is worried things will get too raunchy, then a woman takes her top off and starts to dance on a chair and two guys walk around with plates full of pot brownies. It does suggest an orgy is on the cards. Luckily they all ran out of steam and leave before anything Trumpian or Berlusconian ensued.
In the morning we breakfast and then catch boats across to the mainland and drive back to Sydney. I would love to return!
On our day off I did a long interview with Barry Divola for an internet radio channel about my earliest exposures to popular music. This is available to stream or podcast.
On the Tuesday we play at the Bearded Tit, which is a cool neighborhood bar in Redfern. This is suposed to be just Georgio playing. I get up and play some guitar with the trio. Lots of old friends turn up at this show, a wonderful Sydney atmosphere. Clare and I do a few songs as well. Georgio and Patrizia play with us on All Our Friends Were Stars, Night Of the Wolverine, Rock'n'Roll Is Where I hide and a new track called I'm never Off, which Georgio played guitar on for the recording.
From there it's a long drive to Cowra where we play to about 30 locals in a wine bar in the main drag. We'd driven through places like Bega to get there. It wa s asmall stage so Georgio played sol and also insisted on playing several songs in Italian by a noted singer songwriter from Italy. Question marks hovered in the room over everybodys heads.
Clare and I played as a duo, guitar and keys.
The next day, a Friday, we headed to Bowral, back toward Sydney, and played in a larger bowling club. Here we were joined by Patrizia and georgio again and played a rocking show.
Then it was to the Blue Mountains to play at the Hotel Gearin in Katoomba. All this regional country was new to our Euro friends so it was a pleasant touring party. This room was full and the place was quite large. We had a few sound problems, none of our doing but we made show and feasted on fish and wine in our green room. Some old friends were in the room. A cool night.
On the Sunday we played at Smiths Alternative in Canberra. This was abook shop two or three years ago but has become a straight up venue right in the Civic area in the middle of town. Quite a hub for local musicians and a great sounding room. Robin Casinader came along and played some violin with Georgio and some keys with Clare and I.
I had started to ask people if they'd come aong wanting to hear anything in particular as we were playing a set heavy on songs from LETS GET TIGHT. In Katoomba someone had asked for Brass Buttons from teh White Buffaloe (1989) period and somebdy else asked for I Don't Know Anything from Heroic Blues (2001). In Canberra a fellow asked for Runaway from the Moodists and Clare and I just eased into it and played it just right with drums and electric guitar.
Before we left Canberra we visited the TENT EMBASSY which is outside the Old parliament House.
We then drove to Candelo which was quite a drive. The gig came about through an Australian radio contact Georgio had made in Italy. He had suggested us swinging past this area and so here we were. A couple of days off saw us do a live to air at the local ABC and generally just take a breather. We had also been helped to do teh show by a local musician called Melanie Horsnell. We had some dinner at here house. Which is in a field by the town and which she has been building herself. Whilst bringing up two daughters under 5 years old. And continuing to write and perform music..... She opened for the show in the town General Store the next day and I was really struck by her amazing skills as a guitar player and singer. Absolutely effortless. She played a Dan Kelly song - an artist she clearly finds great inspiration from - and generally shone as a peformer and writer. Such a natural.
We filled the cafe with people on a Wednesday night in a regional town. The cafe owner asked me "how we went" as we packed up. After we had paid for all of our food and drinks.....
A woman came to the soundcheck with some wild life...
A Joey in a blanket.
On the Thursday, Clare Moore and I drove for nine hours back to Melbourne and dropped our international players off in the hills and then played a Harry Howard and the NDE gig in St Kilda.
On the Sunday - Easter Sunday - we did a show at the Tote in Melbourne. This was very disappointingly under attended show but very rich in musical comradeship. I did a set as half of WAM and DAZ. Then I played guitar and Clare played drums with Georgio and Patrizia . Then Penny Ikinger did a wondefrul solo set and Clare and I also joined her for two songs on drums and bass and then we did a set with the mistLY. Musically, a fantastic night. Otehrwise, one of those nutty, frustrating showbiz nights. Perhaps the wrong venue (though I think its great), perhaps the wrong day, perhaps too much other stuff on. Perhaps....
Showbusiness can get awful Becketty I know, I'm down with that. I must go on.
etc...
A few days rest and we drove to Adelaide to play with Georgio and Patrizia and also Harry Howard and the NDE.
We drove over in our van for a few days R&R, did the two sets and then drove back, this time with Harry and Edwina for company.
Tonight, we'll do one last set with our European friends. Its been great travelling about with them.
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We'll be doing a lunchtime LETS GET TIGHT CD instore at Basement Discs Friday May 26th.
Dave Graney and the Coral Snakes - MEMO MUSIC HALL , St Kilda - JUNE 3rd.
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