Mid ZIPPA DEEDOO tour notes

We played a Wednesday night at the Brass Monkey in Cronulla. This is in "The Shire". Sutherland Shire. Sydney people know that as a signifying area. They are sensitive to it. Outsiders (like us Melbourne freaks) can't tune into it so sharply.
The local member is the leader of the Liberal Party, Scott Morrison. Evangelist tool.
Its a cool downstairs venue in a shopping strip right near the train station. It would have been right in the thick of it when the riots happened in 2005.
That would have been a rough time for one of the owners, Jad, as he is a Lebanese Australian.
Sydney is great for small venues in the suburbs, Melbourne has nothing like it.
They present music all week and the food is amazing.
It was a quiet night- a Wednesday - and Clare Moore and I played a set with guitars, percussion and keys. (At  most of these shows we played LETS KICK THIS MOB OUT from Lets Get Tight and it was great to do it in ShowMos backyard.)
Jodi Phillis had gotten in touch and came down from Wollongong to do an opening set. Her music is stunning and her skills as writer, guitar player and singer are of the highest quality. Her latest album is called Becoming and it is superb.



We sat around with Jad after we played.  We have been performing at the venue since it opened in 1999 and the same sound man, Anthony, has been there all along. Jad was being very amusing talking about his parents coming out from Lebanon and going back there every now and again. (Sounded like the Sopranos episode of the American Italians going back "home") He was talking about racist dills going on about Lebanese people being muslim when the population is largely christian. It made me think of my own primary school days at a  Catholic institution (correct word) in Mt Gambier which had many Lebanese christians. Ethnicity was not somthing we were at all in a  constant state of wariness and anxiety about. He said they were Phonecians and I asked if that was TROY and had he ever read The Iliad? He hadn't but I thought it would be quite interesting to read such a classic if you were on the "other" side of the story. With Paris and Hector, Priam and Aeneas.

The next day we were joined by Stu Thomas and played with drums, bass and guitar at the Bunker in Coogee. Again, another suburban gig on a weeknight. You would be hard pressed to find one in Melbourne.

This is a great venue which we have also played  before. We did two sets. We had driven to Sydney with Clares Tama kit, my Crate acoustic amp and two guitars and a Roland Cube for Stu.  With these humble, workhorse boxes, drums and cymbals, we made show. two sets 
A lot from ZIPPA DEEDOO WHAT IS/WAS THAT/THIS? and some songs from FEARFUL WIGGINGS and LETS GET TIGHT. Several songs from our 90s period and some requests from the audience. People were sat in front of us at tables and chairs and it sounded great to me. Lindy Morrison and Amanda Brown from teh Go Betweens were in attendance so my song Everything Was legendary With Robert had their ears humming. I presumed or hoped .

The next night we were at Lazybones which is in Marrickville. A wild night life kind of place. The owner told me it was the only venue in the entirety of Sydney to present music seven nights a week. Maybe he was right.  He also told me it had been visited by police 40 times in the previous year, just to go over rules and regulations to do with the entertainment licence they have to have in Sydney.
Clare Moore is often advancing the opinion that there is some kind of campaign against music in cities and on radio. (Melbourne having more sports radio than oldies stations for instance)

We played two sets here, using the clubs backline drumkit and bass amp. I used my Crate amp. Its a great model made for acoustic guitars and  I use a Sansamp when I play my electric through it to get the right amp tones. I am playing my KYairi 12 string and my Ibanez Salvador archtop. When using the archtop I have the Sansamp on, as well as a Janglebox compression pedal. I use a Maxon Tube Screamer for light overdrive and a Tech21 XXL for super fuzz. Also a Tremolo pedal I bought in London in 1990. (It is so very battered and works on only 1 of 4 settings).
People travelled from Newcastle and the Central Coast to the show. A woman called out for ULTRAKEEF during the entire first and second set until we played it. Requests included Three Dead passengers In A Stolen Second hand Ford and The Birds And The Goats.

The next day we played an early (6pm) show at the Metro Social in Katoomba. A sold out room with seated audience and a small stage. We played a few different songs tonight, from Hashish And Liquor and You've Been In My Mind. This venue is a part of the Metropole Guesthouse near the Katoomba Railway station. Run by Fusion Boutique Presents which is mainly a dynamo called Charity. The Australian music scene needs a few dozen more of her. Totally owns her patch and does everything so well. With a toddler in tow.
I ran into old mate James Scanlon who lives in the Blue Mountains. A free man who has never owned a phone. We occasionally exchange correspondence via letters. He was once in the Craven Fops and The Ghost Of Charlie Couzens.  (Also once of a segment on Andrew Dentons tv show)

Requests at this show included Brass Buttons (Gram Parsons cover we did in 1989) , Warren Oates, Feelin Kinda Sporty and You're Just Too Hip, Baby.

 

 We drove back to Sydney and then made our way to Dangar Island the next day. This involved a Sunday morning drive through Sydney on Mothers Day to the freeway leading to Newcastle but getting off early at a  train station called Brooklyn and then onto a boat skippered by our friend and agent Steve Griffiths. There are no cars on the island so we carried a guitar each and some bags a short distance to the "venue" which was  a patch of grass outside the Bowling Club where people lay around with each other and their children in the midday sun. (The whole week in Sydney was quite beautiful Autumn weather).

Dangar Island is one of many "islands" on the Hawkesbury River.  Very interesting mix of people. Rich and bohemian. Owners and renters. People commuting to the train station and then teh city on little tin boats. people fishing in the salt water and houses with lawns running down to the rivers edge.

 

Stu Thomas, Clare Moore and Steve Griffiths

We ate another fantastic vegetarian meal and  played two sets of music. The drumkit, bass amp and guitar amp were upllied by the venue. My amp was a tweed Fender Deluxe Reverb. Every time I play one of those I realize I must have one.

Requests included Rock 'n' Roll Is Where I Hide and Flash In The Pantz. There were a lot of children about so I slurred the word FUCK in Gloria Grahame and subsituted "blow you", "Darn you" "Damn you" and "flick you" for "FUCK YOU" which is most of the words and all of the point in ULTRAKEEF. Nobody died. This is an entirely volunteer run venue and was the third time we had visited the island. We drove back to Sydney and had a dinner party with relatives.

 

Poor Clare Moore- she actually hates guitars and is surrounded here. 

The next day we left Sydney early as Clare Moore had an 8am gig on Tuesday morning in Melbourne. We drove down the Hume Highway and stopped in a couple of places we haven't seen up close in many years, Jugiong and Euroa. The weather continued to be delightful. It helped, as it was  a twelve hour drive to our door. The van was jammed with stuff and could not really go past 110kmh but I have a  bad feeling I may have collected a robo speeding fine somewhere past Gundagai.

Our shows continue, including our Melbourne launch Sunday afternoon May 26th at the Northcote Social Club. Doors open at 1:30 and David Cosma starts proceedings.

Friday May 24th - Tanswells Commercial Hotel - Beechworth (Graney and Moore)

Sunday May 26th - Northcote Social Club (afternoon) ZIPPADEEDOO album launch show.
Special guest David Cosma. Doors 1:30pm.

Saturday June 1st - The Railway Club Darwin (Graney and Moore)
Saturday June 15th-Major Toms, Kyneton(Graney and Moore)

Friday June 21st the Bison Bar, Nambour.

Saturday June 22nd- Sunday June 23rd - the Bearded Lady, Brisbane.Special guests THE STRESS OF LEISURE

Saturday June 29th - The Caravan Music Club - Bentleigh Special guest Sean McMahon

July 12th - THE GOV - Adelaide.Special guests The Sunday Reeds

"You can dip in almost anywhere into the vast Graney catalogue and find something deeper and more satisfying than the pop fizz of the day. But if you are starting out, this album and attending a Graney gig on an extensive Australian tour in the next few months is an excellent place to begin".
Noel mengel - MusicTrust.com