Live shows (strangely)(emotional) happening all of a sudden. Saturday March 2nd Northcote Social Club

 We are playing a show Saturday March 2nd AFTERNOON SHOW
Northcote Social Club, https://tickets.northcotesocialclub.com/outlet/event/0649b86e-f550-45bd-8066-1e8bbd9e81ca

Doors are at 1pm and we will be playing two sets, previewing some material from (strangely)(emotional). We will be playing with the mistLY, Stu Thomas on bass and Stuart Perera on guitar. 

 

We rarely play in Melbourne, perhaps twice a year. Our last gig with the mistLY in the city we live in would have been in 2022.

Last year was all retrospective with our 18 date national tour by Dave Graney and the Coral Snakes. Now we have a new album to come out and another already in the works.
We will be previewing tracks from (strangely)(emotional) as well as playing some songs from our last album of new material, IN A MISTLY which came out in November 2022. One of our best collections of songs and performances in our career. 

Yes all of a sudden we are back into doing some long drives and playing. Clare Moore and I got into the van and played in Canberra, Bulli (near Wollongong) and Sydney, accompanied by Sydney based guitar player Greg Thorsby on bass who we had a zoom session with the week before we filled the van and drove off.

Clare's brother Dennis, who is an actor once told me that embarking on a new creative project, performance or release is called a "leap into the void" and that it gets harder and harder as you get older. Thats just by the by. I find the writing and recording easy. The tech is eating away at all kinds of ways that people earn a living and create intellectual or artistic property that has - until recentlly - been able to hold some sort of value so I cant really moan about that. Everybody is being shook/disrupted by the tech. 

photo clare moore
 

We stayed in the beautiful town of Gundagfai on the way to Canberra and I bought two pairs of RM WILLIAMS boots in an op shop for $40. I am told these retail for up to $650 nowadays. I have a pair I bought in 1994 already so they do last.

 

We rehearsed with Greg at the hotel. It was a Thursday night show. We had a lot of tech for Clare to plug in as she was playing keys as well as drums and also using our Cymatic rhythm machine.

photo clare moore

 We assumed we could rehearse more at soundcheck but the show before us went over by an hour. A tedious 20 year old George Formby impersonator running  a cabaret variety show which was really more of an open mic night. We pretty much set up and played and there were a few tech problems but we made show. The hotel overlooked Lake Burley Griffin and had great views of Parliament House at night.

photo greg thorsby

 

photo clare moore

The next day we drove to Bulli, listening to warnings of torrential rain and cyclonic winds. Its a climb over a high hill and down steep winding roads to the sea. We drove up and I scraped our van against a stone planters box outside the venue. The rain came in sheets off of the sea and whipped all across the outdoor stage. The show was called off twice as the rain came and went but the people stayed so we set up on the floor and did two sets with no mics on the drums and me singing through a foldback wedge. No soundcheck rehearsal again.

 

We drove back over the hill towards Sydney around midnight in complete white out fog at about 30ks an hour around mad bending corners with hazard lights on in the car. We got to Sydney and unloaded the gear and slept. 

The next afternoon , we loaded into THE GREAT which is a club in Marrickville. A suburb of Sydneys inner west over which the international jet planes fly so low that the idea of making a noise complaint about music is ridiculous - because the ambient noise of the area is LOUD. (Still, the venue has been fighting just such a  complaint from one neighbour for a  couple of years). 

My third cousin AVA came to say hello.(Or am I her Great Uncle? I was at the GREAT I guess...) Avas' mother Kristyn did the amazing cover shot for EVERYTHING WAS FUNNY at their house in Dismal Swamp, SA.

Road warlord Henry Brister was working at the Great so it all went smoothly in setup. We felt as if we'd been on tour for a month already. We did a fantastic show. A power trio. Greg played brilliantly and I got such a tremendously pleasing sound from my guitars and amp. The show was full of freshness and improvised moments. Thank you so much Greg! What a  mensch!

We had played with Greg Thorsby a few times before in the past but he had played guitar with us for those shows. We had first met him when he played in the Atlas Strings who did some gigs opening for Dave Graney and The Coral Snakes in the mid 90s. He is playing guitar on the left in this clip. RIP to singer and songwriter Ben Mullins.

During that tour we were in Sydney and our guitarist Rod Haywards father died suddenly and he had to go deal with that. It must have been1995. We were in the midst of a run of album release dates and media calls and we were never the types to cancel anything so Greg did this tv show of Andrew Dentons with us. (Sorry Rod)

CREATIVE CREEP First single from the epic 2024 album (strangely)(emotional) which is to be released on classic jewel case Compact Disc in April. Touring near you, soon.

Saturday March 2nd AFTERNOON SHOW
Northcote Social Club, https://tickets.northcotesocialclub.com/outlet/event/0649b86e-f550-45bd-8066-1e8bbd9e81ca

Shows coming up in WA in May as well as NSW and Qld.

photo - Clare Moore

 

 

Creative Creep out today and our album (strangely)(emotional) out April 12th.

 Our single Creative Creep is out today and our album (strangely)(emotional)is out April 12th.

Dave Graney, steel string acoustic guitar, bass, vocals
Clare Moore, keys, bass drum, percussion
Dave Wray, soprano and tenor sax, congas 

Creative Creep started from a two chord guitar lick and I played it to a drum machine rhythm and added ssome bass. It all seemed to hang together as a groove and then Clare put some keys on and Dave Wray added a sax solo and a chorus of sax toward the end. Its the most outwardly directed lyric on the album as the rest is quite  inward and reflective. Quite personal. Strangely. Emotional.

what did Brian Wilsons dad Murry say when he boxed him in the ears?

“I’m a genius too y’know!”

“I’m a genius too y’know!”

creative creep

there’s been some creative creep around here

what are you doin’ here, sir?

you’re supposed to be back there with your beans

creative creep

who are all these people?

who are all these creeps?

this place was cool

used to be

just us

the elite

there were rules

strict club rules

door policies

advertising people

and not like Bewitched

there’s been some creative creep

a lotta creative creep

around here

don’t fence me in and get in too

back off

let me be

let me be a creative creep

back off

let me be

let me be

a creative creep

you’re standin’ too close to the flames

 

 

 I write song lyrics pretty literally and am surprised when people think I am being ironic or not straight. In this song I am saying "let me be a creative creep". I am a  creative creep and like being a creative creep. I'm probably an unreliable person and bad friend or brother or son or basic human being but my focus is often drawn somewhere else, sorry! Creative Creeps are bastards. And in these times there are a lot of people who say they are "creatives". (Theres more creative creep). But the world of a creative gig-economical player is too rough for them so they try to straighten it out and make it a safe place for them. To make it inclusive etc. As the song says, "BACK OFF!"

cover image by Tony Mahony. Album to be released April 12th 2024. Click the image to pre-order. 

On the following shows we will be accompanied by Greg Thorsby on bass. 

Thursday Feb 22nd Dave Graney and Clare Moore play Smiths Alternative, Canberra, ACT.

Friday Feb 23rd Dave Graney and Clare Moore play Resin Brewing, Bulli, NSW.

Saturday Feb 24th Dave Graney and Clare Moore play THE GREAT CLUB, Marrickville, NSW. 

 

In Melbourne we will be playing two sets with the mistLY- Stu Thomas and Stuart Perera. 

Saturday AFTERNOON March 2nd The Northcote Social Club, Melbourne. 

 

 

 

Hello Two Oh Two Four

 Sitting here in Melbourne with the door open out to our back garden. (Though we are no gardeners- its a collection of ferntrees and succulents which all look after themselves) The world in turmoil and more trouble every day. Wow. Like everybody, pretty stunned by the warmongers in Palestine and the Ukraine. Embarassed by our government for their subservient military ties with the USA.

We have been in Adelaide for a week helping out as much as we can with my older brother going through some health issues. Christmas and New Year is a tough time to get attended to but the health workers were all great. The operation went well and Steve is in much better shape than when he went in.

We were intending to spend the festive season in Sydney but Adelaide needed us to be there so thats where we headed

Other than time at the hospital we sat with Clares brother Patrick and watched about twenty episodes of THE BOX, an Australian tv series from 1973. Totally addictive. Not available to stream anywhere, only via DVDs which Patrick sources from the company who made it, Crawfords. 

The week before we left Clare Moore and I went to SOUNDPARK studios to put down about ten songs for a projected album. We did drums, bass and guitars. I just needed to get the ideas down and it turned out to be fortuitous as its our favourite studio and its going to be moving in a months time. 

 Pictured is John Olson (who did the Tony Cohen book) in the control room at Soundpark. 

Around that time we also had a loose jam/rehearsal with Stuart Perera out on the far eastern side of town where we all live. 

Stu Thomas was busy at the time playing shows with THE SILVERSOUND and getting his Lee Heazlewood show together. 

Also, around this time Clare and I realized we actually had a 15 song album ready (as distinct from the songs we recorded at Soundpark) for release in 2024 so we finished mixing and editing it and got it mastered by Plutonic Lab. 

It's to be called (strangely) (emotional) and will be released on a classic Compact Disc format. Its an epic collection of songs with everything played by us as well as sax by Dave Wray, pedal steel by Shane Reilly, extra vocals by Will Hindmarsh and Emily Jarrett and harp by Genevieve Fry from Cold Hands Warm Hearts. 

CHWH are one of our favourite bands and they released a brilliant album called Luxury Bat in November. They are a very committed group of people who run their own label and put on their own shows in their arts space at Eastmint, politically committed. Genevieve was at the Arts Centre the day Clare was interviewed with Margret Roadknight for the Always Live Program. Genevieve had played earlier that day and had ridden in on her bike with her harp on a  trailer on the back.

Margret Roadknight and Clare Moore at the Arts Centre.

Clare Moore holding her award for a Lifetime Achievement which she was given by the Australian Women In Music Awards in November LAST year.

We also played a couple of shows in support for the VOICE TO PARLIAMENT REFERENDUM for Indigenous Australians which was sadly defeated by the right wing parties and media in Australia just to flex their negative power and stir up another battlefront in the endless culture wars. These shows were myself, Clare Moore and Catherine McQuade on bass. I wrote a song with Cathy this year and she will be releasing it soon, along with a deluxe film clip made by her partner Brendan Young. The song is called You Came To Me In A Dream and it is super pop! Madly super pop. 

Cathy mixed a track for our forthcoming album as well. She also played bass on it. 

I wore my denim slouch hat for the shows. 

 

Clare Moore and I will be releasing a  single in February and the album in April. (strangely) (emotional)

 

We will be announcing some shows soon. The album will be difficult to play as its a real song based collection, very much studio focussed as opposed to a band sound. On the other hand it is often a very sparse sound with acoustic guitars and vocals dominating. It'll be a challenge and will be so different after such a joyously retrospective 2023. Hopefully we will do an occasional show with Dave Graney and The Coral Snakes. We will see what comes up. 

We still have copies of the double vinyl edition of Night Of The Wolverine available via our Bandcamp site. Your support has been greatly appreciated! 

More, anon...

My record collection 1976. Last Year of High School

 I was looking through some archival stuff and found this school folder divider from my last year at High School in Mt Gambier. My mother kept it as she didn't like to throw things aways (much like me).

It's a list I made - probably while a teacher was talking at us about something important - of all the precious records I had been able to aquire. I devoured books and magazines writing on rock music and followed all kinds of leads. The Rolling Stones always talked about their influences so I looked into that. The London Howlin Wolf and Muddy Waters albums had great covers and seemed extra special with all those limey players on it. (Though even I, as a hick kid, was embarassed to hear them telling Howlin Wolf how to play his own songs properly). Some were bargain bin buys , some I have totally forgotten. The next year I was totally fired up by the successive Sex Pistols singles which I had to order from a local shop which mainly sold sewing machines. I had lost interest in football at the end of 1975 after being caught buying a load of booze (On a country league football trip) while under age in a St Kilda pub (The George) and driven home in shame. 

 

It was probably my second visit to Melbourne and I had been to Adelaide perhaps three or four times. In September 1977 I drove my FC Holden from Mt Gambier to Townsville and back again, an epic journey by myself. All my friends were living in Adelaide and telling me on their return visits about seeing radio Birdman. I was working in a timber mill in Mount Gambier. I moved to Adelaide for a couple of years in 1978.

We lived in a three bedroom house in Werona st Mt Gambier. My older brothers Phillip and Steve and sister Marianne had all left home and it was me, my parents Noel and Philomena and my younger siblings Sean and Julie. Until I got my own room we all had to listen to music through a small portable record player in the lounge room, with the tv on as well. In 1975, my mother had gotten her drivers licence and bought a brand new Honda Civic. Our first ever car. There was no phone in the house but we didn't know you had to have one.

 

I never experienced live music very much, being still under 18 and also living in a  regional town that just didn't have any. I would still listen to most of this music. It was probably my first attempt to get into Bob Dylan and I appreciate a lot of his music but would not choose to listen to it as much as I would say, Steely Dan.
I would buy some records and try to find something good in them but eventually trade them. I tried Judas Priest (Rocka Rolla) Montrose (Paper Money) and maybe even Love (Da Capo). I tried hard to like Barclay James Harvest as records were expensive but nothing ever jumped out of that impressively stiff gatefold. My friend Steve Miller had a great record collection but his older brother Marty had an incredible stacked shelf of stuff too. He was in Adelaide studying for an endless Batchelor Of Arts. He had the longest hair in town and was  a totally cool character. Their father Charlie drove a Renault sports car (which Marty and his mates borrowed and duly left cigarette burns in the upholstery of) and favoured dixie jazz. They had a great hi fi system which included a reel to reel tape player. Marty would buy albums and tape them.

Amongst our group of stoner mates we all drove around in cars listening to tapes of the Blue Oyster Cult, Joe Walsh, Led Zeppelin, The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd and JJ Cale. The reggae records were a new thing from about 1975. Natty Dread and Burning Spears Man In the Hills. Steve Miller was getting Dr Feelgood and Eddie And The Hot Rods, Graham Parker and the Rumour and Southside Johnny And The Asbury Dukes albums as they came out (though we all shamed him for buying Born To Run as it was obviously so commercial...) 

Rosalie Boylan, my cousin Jim, David Lee (Flea), myself, Steve Miller and Grant Belchev at Port Macdonnell 1976.

I still have most of the Steve Miller Bands catalogue but have more Jefferson Starship/Airplane than Hot Tuna. The Grateful Dead have gotten better for me but like many, I timidly dipped my toe in those waters through the acoustic albums like American Beauty. Blues For Allah is much more my taste now, as well as the Live Dead version of Dark Star. 

 This 1993 Movie Dazed And Confused perfectly captured the pop culture of that era from an American perspective. 

Night Of The Wolverine 30th Anniversary Tour coming to Fremantle November 11th

Night Of The Wolverine 30th Anniversary Tour coming to Fremantle November 11th

 

 The Gov, Adelaide. Photo Alex Cheers

Thanks to everybody who has showed up for all these shows on the tour. As we initially planned it with our agent, Clare Moore and myself  had just been to WA so it was difficult to ask venues about another date so soon. People kept asking us and eventually we were able to secure a date at the Fremantle Social Club on Saturday November 11th. 

The shows have been so enjoyable to do. So great to reconnect with Rod Hayward and Robin Casinader on a personal as well as a musical level. A very joyous experience.

Friday 28 July – The Street Theatre, Canberra ACT
We had rehearsed twice with myself, Clare Moore, Rod Hayward and Stu Thomas. Robin Casinader joined us here in Canberra (where he lives) to go through the set during the day in the theatre. As we walked on it dawned on me that I had no guitar to hold and had to get into some lead singer at the mic moves pretty quick. We played the two sets and found quickly theatres suited us. My brother Phil and his partner Janet came along.

Saturday 29 July – Blue Mountains Theatre, Springwood NSW
Another lovely theatre in the Blue Mountains.

Thursday 3 August – The Factory Theatre, Marrickville NSW
Clare Moore and myself had stayed on in Sydney rather than head back to Melbourne. Ken Gormly helped out with some amps and we rocked this house on a very hot and humid night. A fellow had flown in from San Francisco to make the show. I was at the merch desk straight after every show and it was excellent meeting so many old friends. I wore a mask. Clinton Walker told us a hilarious story involving Marc Hunter and Angry Anderson as we packed up. 

Ken Gormly kindly wrote these words on Facebook.

Three dead passengers in stolen second hand Ford, outside Keith near the border.

I'm still reeling from seeing my old friends Dave Graney and The Coral Snakes last night put on the most commanding show of genuine cool that gave me goosebumps and fkn had me in belly laughs and just really drove home to everyone the incredible unique talent of Dave Graney and his rare and wonderful partnership with Clare as well as the wise and cool talents of that great band. Whoa

Friday 4 August - The Imperial, Eumundi QLD
This is a great venue in regional Queensland. A rock room. Hot and humid again. By this time I was doing one set in a pin striped 70s suit and the second in brown suede pants and shirt. At the merch desk a woman had a go at me for wearing a mask and attempted to launch into a long anti vax tirade but I was able to dodge it.

Saturday 5 August – The Old Museum, Brisbane QLD
A beautiful old theatre in the middle of the city. Hey, theatres are the best! Some friends of Rods backstage as well as our friends The Stress Of Lesuire and Adele Pickvance.

LIVE REVIEW IN SCENESTR

 

Sunday 6 August – HOTA, Surfers Paradise QLD
This was an afternoon show and had been moved around a couple of times but it ended up being a fantastic room to play. Top shelf production as to sound and lights. We had been using the venues lighting people as we went along and had been trying to tell them to light the band rather than show all their intricate programs with shapes and moving shadows and this venue had a young guy who really listened to us and did a great setup. My oldest friends David and Julie Edwards came along as well as stellar musician Pearly Black and film makers Adam Zwar and Amanda Brotchie (who sang on several songs on the Night Of The Wolverine album).

Friday 11 August – The Royal Oak, Launceston TAS
This was a pub gig. Clare Moore and I had driven to Geelong and put our van onto the boat and we stayed the night in  a cabin and then drove to Launceston. We rocked the house.

Saturday 12 August – Gnomon Room, Ulverstone TAS
One of those strange Tasmanian rooms in a quite regional spot. A very modern kind of shell designed for all manner of events by the side of a big river. A fellow traveller came along at soundcheck and brought along some gifts. He gave each member of the band a Bob Dylan Great White Wonder bootleg and then pulled out a 1964 Moody valve guitar amplifier for me! Thank you JB! I took it to a tech guy when I returned to Melbourne and it sounds great. 

Before the Ulverstone show we had driven to a small town where we were to stay the night as it was an early drive the next day. As we ate in a cafe Matt Crosbie - formerly FOH guy for the Cruel Sea and Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - knocked on the window. It took him five minutes to insult Robin and Rod so Clare and I went back to Matts place to have a cup of Java. In almost Chris Farley style , Matt lives down by the river but not in a van, in a large converted morgue. Always nice to see old comrades.
Ulverstone was also the night the Matildas qualified for the Womens World Cup and everybody was glued to the tv screens before we played.

Sunday 13 August – The Palais Theatre, Franklin TAS
This was a beautiful old hall in a town near Hobart. The locals had stopped it from being knocked down. Great to play in a theatre setting in the late afternoon again. Chloe Escott from the Native Cats, an old friend from way back, came along. 

LIVE REVIEW FROM BACKSEAT MAFIA

Thursday 17 August - The Gershwin Room , Esplanade Hotel, St Kilda.

Howard Freeman came out of retirement to help us with the Melbourne shows.  Original gangster road crew wrangler going back to Melbourne in the 70s, when he is on the job you are in secure hands. The Gershwin room was heaving and sold out on a Thursday night. Many old friends and the bar was drunk dry.

Friday 18 August – The Corner, Richmond VIC
This show was sold out. Twinkledigitz aka Will Hindmarsh opened the proceedings. Nick Cowan was filming us for his ongoing documentary project. After the show Clare and I got to a hotel at Melbourne airport at 3am as Clare had to catch an early flight to Adelaide.

Miles Mainwaring via Instagram

Corner Hotel. 300+ lbs of pure wolverine. Burned the place down. I was lucky to get out alive.

 

Saturday 19 August - The Gov, Adelaide SA
This was a great venue and an incredibly, intense, up close show. For audience interaction , it was something else. Afer the show I caught up with Trevor McDonald, an old friend from grade 1 of St Marys Primary school in Mt Gambier and many junior football games. 

 From Wendy Ash Duszynski on Facebook

Absolutely fabulous show Dave & band. Wow! I couldn't see much because I'm a short-arse but the music just took me away. Yes Dave, your moves are a joy to behold. My 82yr old neighbour wanted a night out. She'd never heard of you or been to the Gov but loved it. She loves jazz so I knew she'd appreciate your eclectic sound & your impeccable banter. Wallace Beery, Warren Oates - who else would give those guys a shout-out! And the band! Just wow! An art form in music & sound.

Ned Bajic via Instagram

My first Coral Snakes gig, fantastic show! And the raps between songs were pure gold, made me think of a live Isaac Hayes album I used to have  

Unknown online contributor re THE GOV show

An amazing performance by Dave Graney and the Coral Snakes. Dave you were in top form. In all of the many many times of seeing you perform your show at The Gov on Saturday was the ulitimate of all shows. Thanks for sharing your brilliance. Five days later and Im just coming down from my music high of Sat at The Gov. One of those gigs I will remember and talk about for years to come. Congratulations to Dave Graney and the Coral Snakes. You were magnificent

Friday 25 August – The Heritage, Bulli NSW
The next week we flew to Sydney and drove to Bulli for a show at the Heritage Hotel.
Bleddyn Butcher and Jude caught the train to the show.

Saturday 26 August – Drifter’s Wharf, Gosford NSW
A show on the Central Coast of NSW in a marina style development. Hey we rocked this house too! This was situation normal for us in that we knew nobody locally but Clare's sister Helen drove up with a few friends. The motel we stayed in was the one that artist Brett Whiteley stayed his last weekend in.

Then we did another show at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne Friday September 22nd.
This was deep into the AFL football finals in a venue very close to the main ground, the MCG. Collingwood were playing that night. 

Also, Stu Thomas couldn't make the gig so our agent Steve Griffiths, who also happens to be a brilliant musician, stepped in on bass and did two sets after one rehearsal and having spent a week with dyssentry in Java leading up to the show. What a pro! We had a ball again . Twinkledigitz was even better too. 

Dashville , Hunter Valley NSW Thursday 28th September.

This was outdoors in a very well run show in the bush outside Maitland. Steve came up for the show from Dangar Island. We all stayed in glamping tents behind the stage. 

Clare Moore had arrived from Brisbane where she had been awarded a gong for Lifetime Achievement in the Australian Women In Music Awards. She shared the title with Jeannie Lewis and Kate Ceberano.

Congratulations Clare Moore! 

 

So we have one more show to do. The Fremantle Social Club on Saturday November 11th. We will be playing Night Of the Wolverine in the first set and then a set of songs from before and after that album.

We have done this whole tour with Steve Griffiths, our agent booking it with Clare Moore and then playing the shows. We used different front of house mixers and lighting people and merch people in each state. Otherwise its been just us. We had a story about the tour in the Guardian by Andrew Stafford and a live to air on ABC Melbourne with Brian Nankervis and Jacinta Parsons. Tony Moclair had me on after midnight on 3AW twice. Otherwise, that was the limits of the exposure that we had. So thanks everybody for tuning in to that particular frequency for that time of our musical activity and showing up. We really appreciate it. 

PS Night Of The Wolverine double vinyl LP still available via Bandcamp