One Million Shows DC

We have had a very intense time of total music immersion over the last while. There was our residency at the Jazz Lab which was a wonderful experience. A great room in Brunswick run by the people who had Bennetts lane as Melbournes premiere jazz club in the city for decades. They had a backline available and we used very few mics, playing at a  low volume. Clare took her vibes in for some of the dates and we went through a lot of material.
On the second week we had some logistical issues as we had been booked to do a tv date which will be broadcast in 2020 with the Coral Snakes. This involved us learning some tunes from a certain pop decade and casting them within our "sound". Rod Hayward really stepped up for this project and we rehearsed one day then filmed it and then high tailed it across town to the Jazz lab.

That night was also pretty amazing because a man who has been attending our shows and aware of our music since the early 80s days of the Moodists beckoned me to his table after we played and gestured toward a guitar case, saying that he had an instrument which had been gathering dust in his office for a few years and that he'd like me to have it..
I was very taken aback and couldn't accept it but he insisted and after a few awkward moments I got used to the idea.
A beautiful early 2000s Japanes remake of a D'Angelico New Yorker. I have never had such a gorgeous instrument. Such art deco stylings!
Thank you so much Ron and Pam!

 

We then moved on to  a weekend of duo shows up in Brisbane at the Junk Bar. Such a great venue, wish there were more of them around the country. We hired a set of vibes from a local player and made show.

 

I  also ran into one of my oldest friends David Edwards who I went to Catholic primary school and high school with in Mt Gambier. He and his wife Julie are among my oldest and best friends.

We returned to Melbourne and commenced learning a rehearsing a lot of material with Harry Howard and Edwina Preston  to perform as the NDE - backing band for Kid Congo. I felt bad taking Pink Monkey Bird bass player Kiki's gig and apologized via social media and he gave his blessing so I was happier. 

Here we are at rehearsal and Clare is wearing Kids cape. 

We rehearsed without Kid at first and then a couple of times when he arrived. We played at the launch of Doug Gailbraiths book on Kim Salmon at the Memo Music Hall. We did a set with the mistLY and Kim played a fantastic set with the Surrealists (Stu Thomas and Phill Collings). This is my favourite era of Kims music - everything post Scientists. They played a blazing set which included several new songs that Kim is releasing on a  seven inch soon. One of the longest running friendships among our peers. Kim, Clare and I go way back to being fellow artists on the early Au Go Go records through to being label mates on Universal in the 90s and playing in his madcap heavy metal orchestra SALMON in the 2000's and recording the two Darling Downs albums at our studio and Clare doing keys and vibes on THE BUSINESS in the late 90s. A real inspiration. 

We also all played at River Rocks in Geelong. They only had ORANGE amps which confused Kid and Harry (and me).  The audience looked like truckers and they wanted to Rock. Great to see Geelong come out for some music.

The last show was a packed out Wednesday night at the Curtin Band Room. Many faces appeared at this gig such as Anita Lane who took this excellent photo of myself and Clare from side of stage.

Playing with Kid Congo was a wonderful experience. he is a great bandleader in the style of Count Basie. By that I mean no angst and lots of room for peoples personailities. (A favourite story of Count Basie is when he was asked how he'd like to be remembered. A very long pause and then... "Nice guy!" Also, when they tried to get every jazz musician in NYC together for one photo one MORNING in Harlem, he said "my guys don't stop pukin' before noon!") 

It is also amazing to see teh cross generational pull of teh music he has been involved in. All over the world people go nuts for the Cramps and the Gun Club. A secret portal to rock'n'roll power.

Phillip Berry also made the scene. She awlways makes us up the ante in the posing stakes.

The very next day Clare and I got into our van and drove toward Wollongong where we played in a beautiful room in the Town Hall called the Music Lounge. As 70s teens who loved the comedic figure Norman Gunston and Auntie Jack we were honoured to feature in "Whats On In Wollongong" in the paper.

We went for a walk the next day and ran into Dave Kettley from the New Christs/Radio Birdman who took us to a nice waterfront cafe for some java.

 

The next days show was a house concert to about 40 people in Nowra. So well organized by a  musician called Paul Greene who got the sound together and cooked a three course meal and seated everybody as his three year old daughter ran all about his legs at the same time.  It was a really nice experience, rooms like this are usually for pretty generic roots artists and we really bring a tangy, fruity game to proceedings. We are losing all the worries about people wanting us to play familiar material as we find people dig it as long as you present it right and play well.

Clare returned to Melbourne to play at Reservoir Stomp with her band the Routines, who are led by the enigmatic Jane Dust and feature Emily Jarett and Will (Wam) Hindmarsh (aka Twinkledigitz)  from Go Go Sapien.

 I stayed in NSW and travelled to play a solo show at the Gasoline Pony in Marickville. I played two sets from 5pm and the room was fantastic. Many old friends came out for the sold out gig.

I drove to Melbourne (12 hours) the next day  and had a day of rest (watched a Harold and Kumar movie) before we flew to the Gold Coast and hired a car to play for two nights in Lismore. This town is usually dealing with rising river levels and had a tremendous flood from which it is still recovering in 2017. Now this semi tropical beautiful green area is on fire! Climate change of course, Smoky air all around. 

Here is a great article by Richard Flanagan about the bunch of ghoulish LNP IPA louts who are running our country into ashes.

We played two nights in a  wonderful room called the Dusty Attic. the green rom at the back was even bigger and beter and perhaps they'll expand into it. 

Playing shows you meet people who have crossed paths - kind of - in the past  in many different ways.
I met this woman who was a child when her parents helped my sister Marianne and her husband Ian build their house on property they bought near the national forest in Timboon.

We drove to Currumbin near the Gold Coast. Fatigue was setting in and just dealing with an hour time difference between these two states was proving difficult. The Gold Coast has always been problematic to play in. This venue was amazing, a Grand Designs kind of converted series of warehouses run by really lovely people and it was full. My audience is pretty unique , vintage people but a lot of blue collar men. People like me I guess! The sound in this place was perfect for our duo. A highlight of the set was a little house dog called Minty venturing onto the stage and stopping to have a staring contest with me before the applause frightened him off.

We had to drive to Grafton in NSW the next day, a trip that should take three hours. Fires were all around though and the main highway was closed so it looked as if we'd have to drive around the fire,  taking seven hours in all. To get back to Melbourne after that would require a gig and then getting up to drive at 4am to get to the airport. Luckily the highway opened but it was still 80ks all the way and the smoke in the air was terrible. Hot, humid and smoky.

The show in Grafton was in a delightful volunteer run community theatre. This was sold out also. We again played two sets  and met some really great people. (The place had been suggested by Marty Williams - another ex Mt Gambier high school friend)

Thanks to everybody who came and to all the people creating interesting and unique performing experiences in regional Australia!

2019 shows

Thursday November 28th Dave Graney and the mistLY at Birds Basement jazz club in Melbourne.

Saturday Nov 30th Tanswells, Beechworth 

Dec 20th Dave Graney and Clare Moore inducted into AMC SA Hall of Fame in Adelaide at the Jade Monkey.

Feb 7th Dave Graney and Clare Moore play Hardys Bay Club, Central Coast NSW

Feb 9th Dave Graney and Clare Moore play Smiths in Canberra with Coral Snake Robin Casinader joining them on mellotron. 

Feb 22nd , Mona Foma, Hobart 1pm show

Feb 23rd , Longley, Tasmania 2pm show

Dave Graney solo dates in WA in February.

Thur 27 Feb - Freo Social, Fremantle WA
Fri 28 Feb - The River Hotel, Margaret River WA
Sat 29 Feb - The Prince Of Wales, Bunbury WA
Sun 1 March - The Indi Bar, Indian Ocean Hotel - Scarborough WA