The beginning of this blog I was questioning what the point of it was. Still haven't really felt much different. Recent book panel thing with a Yank and a Canadian the talk was of writers performing. I said I loved Michael Ondaatje and people poo pooed him for not being a showman. i said "yeah, he's a feckin' writer!" or somethin' like that. People you have the most respect for are teh ones not shootin' their mouths off all the time. Sports players especially.
Anyway, here I am taking up some digital space. Though that is limitless isn't it? Up in the clouds someshwere?
Here are some random places I have been.
Saw a film called "the singularity" about a US inventor called Ray Kurzweill. He made these great keyboards and things that allowed blind people to scan and hear whats in a book. Obsessed with living forever. Makes a lot of dough with vitamins etc. Takes 2 - 300 pills a day. "reprogramming my hardware". Has identified a moment when man and digital technology will come together and teat will come soon. "THE SINGULARITY". Has a shed with his fathers lifes work in it. Wants to bring his dads brian and ideas back. Wants to upload himself. Was an interesting film. three scientists were at the screening, all working on robotics. Some are for the SINGULAITY and most against it. the robots will kill us. One looked like a Grateful Dead fan, another like Ray Manzarek. (a dork). I asked a question, "aren't you afraid that there might be an agent from the future here in the audience to kill you?". I'm afraid the singularity is already happening. We are done for.
Talked with gary Foley, aboriginal political activist on the radio show I do (Banana Lounge Broadcasting midday-2pm Tuesdays on RRR fm http://www.rrr.org.au). The podcast is available on the RRR "audio archives" section of their site. Gary is doinga show at the Melbourne Festival. A great talker.
Also interviewed football legend Tommy Hafey. Coached Richmond and Collingwood, geelong and Sydney. 80 years old, does 200 pushups, 700 situps, a run along the beach and a swim EVERY morning of his life and has never drank booze or smoked. Amazingly focussed 80 year old. Sharp as a tack.
Gonna talk to Graham Bon in November.Also Robin Hitchcock and Fiona Oloughlin.
Read a great book by Delia Falconer . "the lost thoughts of soldiers". Its a great book if you know the characters in the George Armstroing Custers regiment that was at Little Big Horn. I had a cat for 20 years called AUGHTIE,.the name that Custer was called, when a boy, by his younger brother Tom. So yes, I was up to speed on the 7th cavalry.
Also read William Blighs "mutiny on the bounty" . Six months in Tahiti and the crew mutinied when they left. Bligh cast adrift in a long boat with 18 men. Took them 3,600 miles to Java . One crew member was killed by natives on an island they stopped at. Navigating by sextant , telescope and time piece.
Caught up with series 3 of "Breaking bad". What an arsehole the main character is. Quite addictive though. poor Jesse.
Saw two series of "justified". Awesome characters and milieu. Kentucky meth cooking dope dealing dixie mafia bastards.
Started watching "curb your enthusiasm" from series one.
Still catch "neighbours" most nights.
Loved the new album by PJ Harvey, "let england shake" and teh new one by TINIWAREN. the desert dwelling guitar boogie meisters. This is more of an acoustic hitout.
Doing a lot of writing. Looking forward to some playing...
Wheatsheaf Hotel- Adelaide. Oct 14th and 15th. This gig is run by a group of women in a quiet street just off the main squares of the city. Thebarton. No poker machines or sports tvs. A band room out the back. We do two sets, stretching out into new and old tunes.
Northcote Social Club Oct 31st. A monday night, before the melbourne Cup. With our friends, the Sand Pebbles. A great room with a great sound.
Camelot Lounge, Marrickville, Sydney -Nov 11th.
Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle with teh SINS. Nov 12th.
dave graney - Moodists-Coral Snakes-mistLY-FEARFUL WIGGINGS
photo by Charlie Kinross. Cds available via links below (or click this picture above). Your support for our music is greatly appreciated.
About Me
- dave graney
- 2024 release of two albums. (strangely)(emotional) and I Passed Through Minor Chord In A Morning. 2023 book THERE HE GOES WITH HIS EYE OUT (lyrics 1980-2023) 2023 reissue Dave Graney and the Coral Snakes Night Of The Wolverine. Double vinyl release. 2023 ROCK album with Clare Moore IN A MISTLY . WORKSHY - 2017 memoir out on Affirm Press. Available at shows or via website. Moodists - Coral Snakes - mistLY. I don’t know what I am and don’t want to know any more than I already know. I aspire, in my music , to 40s B Movie (voice and presence) and wish I could play guitar like Dickey Betts, John Cippolina or Grant Green - but not in this lifetime, I know.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
time on the blocks-creative dig - oct dates
I've been doing a lot of writing and rehearsing with the Lurid Yellow Mist. Songs I've worked on for a couple of years. Using my 12 string electric , mostly. Its a Chinese knockoff of a Music Man. I love it. Especially when its put through a pedal called a Janglebox which is a handmade unit from the USA made specifically for the electric 12. To get that Roger McGuinn, classic Byrds sound. Involves a lot of compression is all I know. ActuallyI've been looking into it a fair bit. People have been chasing that sound for years so theres a lot of talk about it. Basically Roger recorded through two high end studio compressors on the early Byrds sides. At the time , guitarists mostly used flat wound strings. these are nowadays mostly favoured by jazz players. Everybody else uses round wound strings. Roger also used a 12 string Rickenbacker which had the octave (high) strings sitting behind the normal string so the latter would be struck first. All other 12 strings have the octave string first and you get a much "chimier" sound.
The compression gives you a clean sound with a lot of sustain. Its an addictive sound. Roger also played through a Vox AC30.
I'm still flying my Roland GC408. Solid state with 4 little speakers in the slant-back cabinet.
The music world is full of people who try to recreate sounds like museum piece projects. I'm not looking to go back to 65-67. Just getting a sound which I like and which sits great next to Stu Pereras more classic rock tones.
So I've been rehearsing a lot with this setup and we'll head into the studio some time towards the end of the year to start throwing some songs down. They're all vert much fully formed in the arrangements. Short and sharp tunes. Very happy with the whole sound.
I did a writers festival panel appearance up in Brisbane. In their incredibly swish Gallery of Modern Art building. Next door was the Surrealist exhibition. As good as the one they had there in 1994. It was a 4 person panel talking about "what the written word means". We all had little Madonna mics around our faces and an ipad in front of us to catch tweets from people who were watching online. I told them a normal mic would look more authoritative and be easier to use. Also look less stoopid. I don't want to be the iconoclast in these proceedings. Much too mature really.But I can't help it sometimes. Things went on and I tried to be a good team player. A woman on the panel wrote erotic fiction. Sounds good but I thought teres far too much tits and ass around nowadays. Its hardly a hidden, forbidden area. A music writer and a young fellow who did some group writing online rounded out the team. Towards the end I cracked the shits and said I didn't give a damn what people were tweeting or what the audience thought. "They're there to watch and listen!" I cried. Probably more of the tweeting vogue that upset me. I said I didn't feel the need to talk up the technology (itunes,youtube,ipads etc) as it would smash us all to pieces anyway. Dont ask me to cheer it on!
Also did a panel at the Melbourne writers festival. This was four writers who were or are musicians who had wandered into the world of writing books. Jane Clifton and I were the Australians, Simone Felice from the USA and Dave Bidini from Canada. I had loved Janes book about every house she had lived in and Simones novel called "Black Jesus". Daves book was about the HOmeless World Cup. It was called "Home and away". All the publicity mentioned his book title with no reference to the australian long running tv soap of the same name. I am sure most people reading the pr would have thought he was from the tv show.
Proceedings at this were funny and instructive. Jane was the wrangler. The leader of the talk. We all read a bit. It struck me how much the Canadian and I , the Australian male, put out. As if we had to justify ourselves in any context. the Yankee just WAS. He was easy in his skin and in his role and people listened to his voice as if he had natural authority. Americans have their culture working for them all over the world constantly. preparing the ground. Me and the Canadian were sweating it. I liked Simones book.
Part of the talk was about how writers nowadays have to be performers too. I didn't like that. Of course.
They filmed it and it might be online at some point.
Looking forward to more shows in the coming months....
Friday 14th and Saturday 15th October- Wheatsheaf Hotel -Thebarton - Adelaide.
Monday 31st October- CUP EVE SHOW
Northcote Social Club in Melbourne w/ the Sand Pebbles and the SINS (NSW)
Friday Nov 11th Camelot Lounge - 19 Marrickville Rd,(Cnr Railway Pde) Marrickville, Sydney,
Saturday Nov 12th the Great Northern Hotel 83-89 Scott Street, Newcastle,
NSW - with the SINS
http://www.thegreatnorthern.com.au/
The compression gives you a clean sound with a lot of sustain. Its an addictive sound. Roger also played through a Vox AC30.
I'm still flying my Roland GC408. Solid state with 4 little speakers in the slant-back cabinet.
The music world is full of people who try to recreate sounds like museum piece projects. I'm not looking to go back to 65-67. Just getting a sound which I like and which sits great next to Stu Pereras more classic rock tones.
So I've been rehearsing a lot with this setup and we'll head into the studio some time towards the end of the year to start throwing some songs down. They're all vert much fully formed in the arrangements. Short and sharp tunes. Very happy with the whole sound.
I did a writers festival panel appearance up in Brisbane. In their incredibly swish Gallery of Modern Art building. Next door was the Surrealist exhibition. As good as the one they had there in 1994. It was a 4 person panel talking about "what the written word means". We all had little Madonna mics around our faces and an ipad in front of us to catch tweets from people who were watching online. I told them a normal mic would look more authoritative and be easier to use. Also look less stoopid. I don't want to be the iconoclast in these proceedings. Much too mature really.But I can't help it sometimes. Things went on and I tried to be a good team player. A woman on the panel wrote erotic fiction. Sounds good but I thought teres far too much tits and ass around nowadays. Its hardly a hidden, forbidden area. A music writer and a young fellow who did some group writing online rounded out the team. Towards the end I cracked the shits and said I didn't give a damn what people were tweeting or what the audience thought. "They're there to watch and listen!" I cried. Probably more of the tweeting vogue that upset me. I said I didn't feel the need to talk up the technology (itunes,youtube,ipads etc) as it would smash us all to pieces anyway. Dont ask me to cheer it on!
Also did a panel at the Melbourne writers festival. This was four writers who were or are musicians who had wandered into the world of writing books. Jane Clifton and I were the Australians, Simone Felice from the USA and Dave Bidini from Canada. I had loved Janes book about every house she had lived in and Simones novel called "Black Jesus". Daves book was about the HOmeless World Cup. It was called "Home and away". All the publicity mentioned his book title with no reference to the australian long running tv soap of the same name. I am sure most people reading the pr would have thought he was from the tv show.
Proceedings at this were funny and instructive. Jane was the wrangler. The leader of the talk. We all read a bit. It struck me how much the Canadian and I , the Australian male, put out. As if we had to justify ourselves in any context. the Yankee just WAS. He was easy in his skin and in his role and people listened to his voice as if he had natural authority. Americans have their culture working for them all over the world constantly. preparing the ground. Me and the Canadian were sweating it. I liked Simones book.
Part of the talk was about how writers nowadays have to be performers too. I didn't like that. Of course.
They filmed it and it might be online at some point.
Looking forward to more shows in the coming months....
Friday 14th and Saturday 15th October- Wheatsheaf Hotel -Thebarton - Adelaide.
Monday 31st October- CUP EVE SHOW
Northcote Social Club in Melbourne w/ the Sand Pebbles and the SINS (NSW)
Friday Nov 11th Camelot Lounge - 19 Marrickville Rd,(Cnr Railway Pde) Marrickville, Sydney,
Saturday Nov 12th the Great Northern Hotel 83-89 Scott Street, Newcastle,
NSW - with the SINS
http://www.thegreatnorthern.com.au/
Thursday, August 25, 2011
a speech I gave at the Wheeler centre in July
This was part of a night of speeches at the Wheeler centre. I chose to read a poem by Vladimir Mayakovsky from a book called "my discovery of america".
The poem is called "Brooklyn Bridge
http://wheelercentre.com/videos/video/unaccustomed-as-i-am/?t=30m59s
6.30-7.30pm on Thursday 1 September 2011
Brisbane GoMA
GoMA Talks Novel Worlds, exploring the question ‘What does the written word have to say?’.
This session will look at writing as a means to unlock inner worlds, and will involve a range of writers and other creative people working with language and ideas.
- Anthony Mullins, BAFTA award winning screenwriter and director, and Creative Director, Hoodlum, Brisbane
- Krissy Kneen, author and owner, Avid Reader, Brisbane
- Noel Mengel, music writer and author of RPM (2010), Brisbane
- Dave Graney
Sept 4th Melbourne Writers Festival event
5:30 pm ACMI cinema 2
Dave Graney appearing at Books that go up to 11
Dave Bidini (Home and Away), Dave Graney, (1001 Australian Nights) and Simone Felice (Black Jesus) talk to Jane Clifton about the differences in the creative processes behind their music and books, and in their interactions with audiences.
Friday 14th and Saturday 15th October- Wheatsheaf Hotel -Thebarton - Adelaide.
Friday 28th October- rare Dave Graney solo show at Bar Pizza -Waurn Ponds Victoria
31st October - Northcote Social Club with the Sand Pebbles and the Sins.
Friday Nov 11th Camelot Lounge - 19 Marrickville Rd,(Cnr Railway Pde) Marrickville, Sydney,
book tix for Camelot here
Saturday Nov 12th the Great Northern Hotel 83-89 Scott Street, Newcastle,
NSW
http://www.thegreatnorthern.com.au/
The poem is called "Brooklyn Bridge
http://wheelercentre.com/videos/video/unaccustomed-as-i-am/?t=30m59s
6.30-7.30pm on Thursday 1 September 2011
Brisbane GoMA
GoMA Talks Novel Worlds, exploring the question ‘What does the written word have to say?’.
This session will look at writing as a means to unlock inner worlds, and will involve a range of writers and other creative people working with language and ideas.
- Anthony Mullins, BAFTA award winning screenwriter and director, and Creative Director, Hoodlum, Brisbane
- Krissy Kneen, author and owner, Avid Reader, Brisbane
- Noel Mengel, music writer and author of RPM (2010), Brisbane
- Dave Graney
Sept 4th Melbourne Writers Festival event
5:30 pm ACMI cinema 2
Dave Graney appearing at Books that go up to 11
Dave Bidini (Home and Away), Dave Graney, (1001 Australian Nights) and Simone Felice (Black Jesus) talk to Jane Clifton about the differences in the creative processes behind their music and books, and in their interactions with audiences.
Friday 14th and Saturday 15th October- Wheatsheaf Hotel -Thebarton - Adelaide.
Friday 28th October- rare Dave Graney solo show at Bar Pizza -Waurn Ponds Victoria
31st October - Northcote Social Club with the Sand Pebbles and the Sins.
Friday Nov 11th Camelot Lounge - 19 Marrickville Rd,(Cnr Railway Pde) Marrickville, Sydney,
book tix for Camelot here
Saturday Nov 12th the Great Northern Hotel 83-89 Scott Street, Newcastle,
NSW
http://www.thegreatnorthern.com.au/
a speech I gave at the WHEELER CENTRE earlier in April
CLICK THE TITLE OF THIS PIECE AND YOU GO THERE...
The topic of this speech was to be " will the social networks inspire an interest in the future/the unknown". I was going to answer my rhetorical question with a resounding "NO!".
I had found most social networks to be full of nostalgic sludge. I put the words "future" and "unknown" in to twitter and actually came into contact with a character who identified himself as "man from the future". For a few weeks he thrilled a hardy few of us with his pronouncements upon life on earth and our civilization. Then he flamed out and disappeared. I'm afraid I'm all too ready to believe in these sorts of characters. Some of his epigrammatic missives made up a part of my speech. Like most art or theatre events, the wheeler centre lunchtime talk was supported and attended by a lot of women. One elderly lady approached me at the end and asked what the internet was like and should she botehr to gte involved in it. I'm afraid I was jealous of her and said she was better off where she was. Off line.
http://wheelercentre.com/videos/video/dave-graney-social-networks-and-the-unknown/
6.30-7.30pm on Thursday 1 September 2011
Brisbane GoMA
GoMA Talks Novel Worlds, exploring the question ‘What does the written word have to say?’.
This session will look at writing as a means to unlock inner worlds, and will involve a range of writers and other creative people working with language and ideas.
- Anthony Mullins, BAFTA award winning screenwriter and director, and Creative Director, Hoodlum, Brisbane
- Krissy Kneen, author and owner, Avid Reader, Brisbane
- Noel Mengel, music writer and author of RPM (2010), Brisbane
- Dave Graney
Sept 4th Melbourne Writers Festival event
5:30 pm ACMI cinema 2
Dave Graney appearing at Books that go up to 11
Dave Bidini (Home and Away), Dave Graney, (1001 Australian Nights) and Simone Felice (Black Jesus) talk to Jane Clifton about the differences in the creative processes behind their music and books, and in their interactions with audiences.
Friday 14th and Saturday 15th October- Wheatsheaf Hotel -Thebarton - Adelaide.
Friday 28th October- rare Dave Graney solo show at Bar Pizza -Waurn Ponds Victoria
Friday Nov 11th Camelot Lounge - 19 Marrickville Rd,(Cnr Railway Pde) Marrickville, Sydney,
book tix for Camelot here
Saturday Nov 12th the Great Northern Hotel 83-89 Scott Street, Newcastle,
NSW
http://www.thegreatnorthern.com.au/
The topic of this speech was to be " will the social networks inspire an interest in the future/the unknown". I was going to answer my rhetorical question with a resounding "NO!".
I had found most social networks to be full of nostalgic sludge. I put the words "future" and "unknown" in to twitter and actually came into contact with a character who identified himself as "man from the future". For a few weeks he thrilled a hardy few of us with his pronouncements upon life on earth and our civilization. Then he flamed out and disappeared. I'm afraid I'm all too ready to believe in these sorts of characters. Some of his epigrammatic missives made up a part of my speech. Like most art or theatre events, the wheeler centre lunchtime talk was supported and attended by a lot of women. One elderly lady approached me at the end and asked what the internet was like and should she botehr to gte involved in it. I'm afraid I was jealous of her and said she was better off where she was. Off line.
http://wheelercentre.com/videos/video/dave-graney-social-networks-and-the-unknown/
6.30-7.30pm on Thursday 1 September 2011
Brisbane GoMA
GoMA Talks Novel Worlds, exploring the question ‘What does the written word have to say?’.
This session will look at writing as a means to unlock inner worlds, and will involve a range of writers and other creative people working with language and ideas.
- Anthony Mullins, BAFTA award winning screenwriter and director, and Creative Director, Hoodlum, Brisbane
- Krissy Kneen, author and owner, Avid Reader, Brisbane
- Noel Mengel, music writer and author of RPM (2010), Brisbane
- Dave Graney
Sept 4th Melbourne Writers Festival event
5:30 pm ACMI cinema 2
Dave Graney appearing at Books that go up to 11
Dave Bidini (Home and Away), Dave Graney, (1001 Australian Nights) and Simone Felice (Black Jesus) talk to Jane Clifton about the differences in the creative processes behind their music and books, and in their interactions with audiences.
Friday 14th and Saturday 15th October- Wheatsheaf Hotel -Thebarton - Adelaide.
Friday 28th October- rare Dave Graney solo show at Bar Pizza -Waurn Ponds Victoria
Friday Nov 11th Camelot Lounge - 19 Marrickville Rd,(Cnr Railway Pde) Marrickville, Sydney,
book tix for Camelot here
Saturday Nov 12th the Great Northern Hotel 83-89 Scott Street, Newcastle,
NSW
http://www.thegreatnorthern.com.au/
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
melbourne winter stop- waiting to go again
I've been writing and playing my guitar. The acoustic and electric. Madly playing and rolling over some licks. Started to rehearse with the band to get some new material together. Haven't really recorded an album of new material with the Lurid Yellow Mist since we did "we wuz curious". that was done in 2007 and came out in 2008. After that it was the studio r&b solo album which was pretty much all Clare Moore and myself on the instruments and desk. Then it was the remix/remaster/replayed "supermodified" and then the current vintage re-recordings set. We've been playing in about six new tracks over the last year or so and I have been getting the rest together. I've changed my mind about the instrumentation and approach a few times over the last year. At the moment I'm thinking of short, snappy songs with two guitars,bass and drums. Lots of vocals. Minimal overdubbing and few keys. Very happy playing the electric 12 string and keeping the sound as limited as possible to that template. Very happy with the songs. I don't know if they're upbeat in a Norman Wisdom way but upbeat in the tempos.
People have often called out for a song called "rock n roll is where I hide" at our shows but they don't know the name of it. At the end of the song it says " the best dressed chicken in town" People have yelled out for "the Chicken song". One of the new songs is called "Playin' Chicken".
Others include "I don't wanna know myself", Mt Gambier night", "field record me", "midnight cats" and "Lifes a dream"
Doing some writers festival events. Appearing with the Sand Pebbles at their album launch in September and doing shows with Harry Howard. Clare Moore and Stu Thomas are rehearsing with Jane Dust and the Giant Hoopoes. Stu is also doing shows with Kim Salmon and the Surrealists. Stu Perera plays every weekend with his dance band "Ja makin it funky".
Did some music earlier in the year for a film by Donna Macrae called "Johnny ghost" which should be getting a screening soon. Looking forward to working on another film soon. A Surrealist art feature about a Smoking Dog who is looking for Rimbaud. "Le Chien qui Fume".
Doing Banana Lounge Broadcasting with Elizabeth McCarthy every Tuesday from midday to 2pm on RRR fm. 102.7fm
http://www.rrr.org.au
Sophie Cunningham coming up as a guest. Looking forward to talking to Gary Foley ahead of his show at the Arts Festival.
6.30-7.30pm on Thursday 1 September 2011
Brisbane GoMA
GoMA Talks Novel Worlds, exploring the question ‘What does the written word have to say?’.
This session will look at writing as a means to unlock inner worlds, and will involve a range of writers and other creative people working with language and ideas.
- Anthony Mullins, BAFTA award winning screenwriter and director, and Creative Director, Hoodlum, Brisbane
- Krissy Kneen, author and owner, Avid Reader, Brisbane
- Noel Mengel, music writer and author of RPM (2010), Brisbane
- Dave Graney
Sept 4th Melbourne Writers Festival event
5:30 pm ACMI cinema 2
Dave Graney appearing at Books that go up to 11
Dave Bidini (Home and Away), Dave Graney, (1001 Australian Nights) and Simone Felice (Black Jesus) talk to Jane Clifton about the differences in the creative processes behind their music and books, and in their interactions with audiences.
Friday 14th and Saturday 15th October- Wheatsheaf Hotel -Thebarton - Adelaide.
Friday 28th October- rare Dave Graney solo show at Bar Pizza -Waurn Ponds Victoria
Friday Nov 11th Camelot Lounge - 19 Marrickville Rd,(Cnr Railway Pde) Marrickville, Sydney,
Saturday Nov 12th the Great Northern Hotel 83-89 Scott Street, Newcastle,
NSW
http://www.thegreatnorthern.com.au/
People have often called out for a song called "rock n roll is where I hide" at our shows but they don't know the name of it. At the end of the song it says " the best dressed chicken in town" People have yelled out for "the Chicken song". One of the new songs is called "Playin' Chicken".
Others include "I don't wanna know myself", Mt Gambier night", "field record me", "midnight cats" and "Lifes a dream"
Doing some writers festival events. Appearing with the Sand Pebbles at their album launch in September and doing shows with Harry Howard. Clare Moore and Stu Thomas are rehearsing with Jane Dust and the Giant Hoopoes. Stu is also doing shows with Kim Salmon and the Surrealists. Stu Perera plays every weekend with his dance band "Ja makin it funky".
Did some music earlier in the year for a film by Donna Macrae called "Johnny ghost" which should be getting a screening soon. Looking forward to working on another film soon. A Surrealist art feature about a Smoking Dog who is looking for Rimbaud. "Le Chien qui Fume".
Doing Banana Lounge Broadcasting with Elizabeth McCarthy every Tuesday from midday to 2pm on RRR fm. 102.7fm
http://www.rrr.org.au
Sophie Cunningham coming up as a guest. Looking forward to talking to Gary Foley ahead of his show at the Arts Festival.
6.30-7.30pm on Thursday 1 September 2011
Brisbane GoMA
GoMA Talks Novel Worlds, exploring the question ‘What does the written word have to say?’.
This session will look at writing as a means to unlock inner worlds, and will involve a range of writers and other creative people working with language and ideas.
- Anthony Mullins, BAFTA award winning screenwriter and director, and Creative Director, Hoodlum, Brisbane
- Krissy Kneen, author and owner, Avid Reader, Brisbane
- Noel Mengel, music writer and author of RPM (2010), Brisbane
- Dave Graney
Sept 4th Melbourne Writers Festival event
5:30 pm ACMI cinema 2
Dave Graney appearing at Books that go up to 11
Dave Bidini (Home and Away), Dave Graney, (1001 Australian Nights) and Simone Felice (Black Jesus) talk to Jane Clifton about the differences in the creative processes behind their music and books, and in their interactions with audiences.
Friday 14th and Saturday 15th October- Wheatsheaf Hotel -Thebarton - Adelaide.
Friday 28th October- rare Dave Graney solo show at Bar Pizza -Waurn Ponds Victoria
Friday Nov 11th Camelot Lounge - 19 Marrickville Rd,(Cnr Railway Pde) Marrickville, Sydney,
Saturday Nov 12th the Great Northern Hotel 83-89 Scott Street, Newcastle,
NSW
http://www.thegreatnorthern.com.au/
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
three south melbourne nights
We did three nights in the old council chambers of the South Melbourne town hall. A beautiful, old and grand building on Bank street, off of Clarendon street. the area used to be called Emerald Hill. Lovely wide streets in this part of Melbourne. The council, along with port Melbourne, was amalgamated( swallowed up) by St Kilda in the Jeff Kennett era. Since then it seems to have been used by the "National music school" and as a rehearsal place for orchestras and small chamber groups. Not a real bohemian hot spot. all that trailing crew having their fun across the river in the northern suburbs.
The shows were a part of the cabaret Festival.This festival is run by two fellow who used to operate the Butterfly Club which is just next door. Very capable and inventive people.
The word cabaret is a problem in Melbourne. I made the point at teh start of each of our shows that the term is a great insult in rock music, which is our world- and we had just strayed into this one.Something about the word- full of connotations and assumptions. there is a small audience that gravitates to it and they are up for new ideas and approaches and performers. A larger part of it is up for the tried and true cabaret-circus-campery . The larger audience outside has difficulty approaching it at all.
To that end we played three nights in a lovely room all standing around a grand piano, two electric guitars, bass and drums , bringing the sound down in volume and power.
Thats how music used to be played - at some point, nothing louder than the bass drum. Only the vocals were mic'd up. We had a great time experiencing that and recorded the nights and filmed some of it. Audiences were small but appreciative.
Part of our aesthetic in playing music is that we like to play in different situations and find different audiences. Its a bit of a bummer that so much of music is played out or only looked for on the main travelled roads.
We'll be doing some more dates in September.
The shows were a part of the cabaret Festival.This festival is run by two fellow who used to operate the Butterfly Club which is just next door. Very capable and inventive people.
The word cabaret is a problem in Melbourne. I made the point at teh start of each of our shows that the term is a great insult in rock music, which is our world- and we had just strayed into this one.Something about the word- full of connotations and assumptions. there is a small audience that gravitates to it and they are up for new ideas and approaches and performers. A larger part of it is up for the tried and true cabaret-circus-campery . The larger audience outside has difficulty approaching it at all.
To that end we played three nights in a lovely room all standing around a grand piano, two electric guitars, bass and drums , bringing the sound down in volume and power.
Thats how music used to be played - at some point, nothing louder than the bass drum. Only the vocals were mic'd up. We had a great time experiencing that and recorded the nights and filmed some of it. Audiences were small but appreciative.
Part of our aesthetic in playing music is that we like to play in different situations and find different audiences. Its a bit of a bummer that so much of music is played out or only looked for on the main travelled roads.
We'll be doing some more dates in September.
Friday, July 15, 2011
upon reflection- tour scoreboard
WA was not really such a bust. Had a shocking bug that coloured my mood for the flight over and the dates. Coughed for 4 hours during the flight and couldn't do much more than the shows. Met some lovely people. Including a fellow I went to catholic primary school with a thousand years ago on the south eastern side of Mt Gambier. Just across the road from the Badlands. We talked so easily of street names and characters from that pre teen world. Amazing how much of your persona is formed before you become conscious of it. You're already finished and published pretty early on in the game!
Both of us had so few options and faced the same confusing,barren, desolate streets. He went into the army . I travelled into Bohemia I guess.A footloose area of the mind.
Unusual to engage with someone who knows exactly where you are coming from. At least.
So we started this run of dates in early May and it kind of ends at the Sth Melbourne Town hall next week.
We will have done 27 shows in that time. Mostly doing TWO ONE HOUR SETS. Each set having about 13 songs. the first set concentrating on the "rock n roll is where I hide" album and also having a reading from "1001 Australian nights". We were also doing a half dozen new songs which we are intending to record some time this year.
rock'n'roll is where I hide
night of the wolverine 4
feelin' kinda sporty
I'm not afraid to be heavy
man on the make
-----------------------------------------------
mt gambier night
apollo 69
birds 'n' goats
I'm gonna release your soul
the sheriff of hell
three dead passengers in a stolen secondhand ford
let kill god again
my schtick weighs a tonne
we dont belong to anybody
I don’t wanna know myself
the stars
field records me
I will have always been here before
youre just too hip baby
sometimes you can see yourself
what if she comes?
sellout
bodysnatcher
midnight to dawn
all our friends were stars
sign o' the times
parchman farm
a lot to drink about
alphonsus will get you
field record me
midnight cats
I also did about 10 readings at Libraries and Bookshops during the tour.
Clare Moore and myself drove about 5,000 ks and we all flew about 13,100 around the rest of the country.
I broke one string and changed the whole set on my 6 string Ibanez Talman ONCE. I busted 3 guitar pedals. No acoustic guitars were used on the tour.
We were caught up by a cloud of Volcanic ash . A flood came through northern NSW a week after we left. Tiger airlines fell to pieces as soon as we booked three flights to perth. We had two bouts of Flu/cold go through the ranks at various times.
Clare Moore also completed several gigs with the Hired Guns and the Ukeladies during that time as did Stu Perera with his other regular band.
I thought the best run gig was at the Sol Bar in Maroochydore.
The worst was the Clarendon Guesthouse.
The rest were all kinds of shapes and sizes and I enjoyed all of them.
I love it when young people find their way to our shows, I also love playing to people who have come in and out of our sphere going back three decades. Thats rich.
South Melbourne Town Hall .
Old Council Chambers.
Friday 22nd to Sun 24th July 7:45 to 8:45 pm.
Both of us had so few options and faced the same confusing,barren, desolate streets. He went into the army . I travelled into Bohemia I guess.A footloose area of the mind.
Unusual to engage with someone who knows exactly where you are coming from. At least.
So we started this run of dates in early May and it kind of ends at the Sth Melbourne Town hall next week.
We will have done 27 shows in that time. Mostly doing TWO ONE HOUR SETS. Each set having about 13 songs. the first set concentrating on the "rock n roll is where I hide" album and also having a reading from "1001 Australian nights". We were also doing a half dozen new songs which we are intending to record some time this year.
rock'n'roll is where I hide
night of the wolverine 4
feelin' kinda sporty
I'm not afraid to be heavy
man on the make
-----------------------------------------------
mt gambier night
apollo 69
birds 'n' goats
I'm gonna release your soul
the sheriff of hell
three dead passengers in a stolen secondhand ford
let kill god again
my schtick weighs a tonne
we dont belong to anybody
I don’t wanna know myself
the stars
field records me
I will have always been here before
youre just too hip baby
sometimes you can see yourself
what if she comes?
sellout
bodysnatcher
midnight to dawn
all our friends were stars
sign o' the times
parchman farm
a lot to drink about
alphonsus will get you
field record me
midnight cats
I also did about 10 readings at Libraries and Bookshops during the tour.
Clare Moore and myself drove about 5,000 ks and we all flew about 13,100 around the rest of the country.
I broke one string and changed the whole set on my 6 string Ibanez Talman ONCE. I busted 3 guitar pedals. No acoustic guitars were used on the tour.
We were caught up by a cloud of Volcanic ash . A flood came through northern NSW a week after we left. Tiger airlines fell to pieces as soon as we booked three flights to perth. We had two bouts of Flu/cold go through the ranks at various times.
Clare Moore also completed several gigs with the Hired Guns and the Ukeladies during that time as did Stu Perera with his other regular band.
I thought the best run gig was at the Sol Bar in Maroochydore.
The worst was the Clarendon Guesthouse.
The rest were all kinds of shapes and sizes and I enjoyed all of them.
I love it when young people find their way to our shows, I also love playing to people who have come in and out of our sphere going back three decades. Thats rich.
South Melbourne Town Hall .
Old Council Chambers.
Friday 22nd to Sun 24th July 7:45 to 8:45 pm.
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