now playing...

widespread panic / ain't life grand

midweek malaise

well, the gypsy gal has gone overseas for work for a couple of weeks, and now one of the spare daughters has landed on the doorstep. so my self-imposed exile has lasted, so far, about 14 hours.

I've had to return to the doctor's again as the last course of antibiotics didn't seem to heal my ailing throat. he looked in my mouth and exclaimed in a "I graduated med school" voice, "you've got tonsilitis". well, duh. I had it last week too, remember?

got called in to do a spot during a songwriter's showcase last night, with my croaky voice I ended up telling more gags than playing songs. well, that's entertainment, or so they say.

random monday thoughts

with the proliferation of digital cameras, cam-phones etc, why aren't there any new ufo photos?

forget about the morality of the death sentence argument. just have it apply to arsonists. after one of the dryest augusts on record, the australian countryside was hit by the first wave of summer bushfires. the authorities are fairly certain that the majority were deliberately set.

I absolutely cannot fathom what would motivate someone to set fire to something, knowing fully well that it would likely kill innocent people and destroy homes, vegetation and livestock. the closest I've ever been to a pyromaniac was def leppard. so, yeah, my vote goes for capital punishment for admitted arsonists.

why do people say the phrase, "forever and ever"? isn't forever pretty definitive on its own? is there a sub-layer of 'forever' that we weren't privy to, which allows for an extra layer of 'ever'? is this sounding like a bad seinfeld stand-up routine?

the sunday merton gig was another bumper crowd, it's good to see this residency finally taking hold after a slow winter build. along with justin on drums, I had the fab jo ellis on violin, which was a treat. afterwards, we caught shane's last gig at the unity - the powers that be have once again decided that a crack band of superb players led by an outstanding songwriter should be replaced by a slapped-together live jukebox of semi-pro karaoke graduates. feh.

I got a chance to road-test a few new tunes though, and we should be locking in a schedule to begin recording soon. I'm also hoping to get back to working on the blues pirates album this week as well.

happy 50th b-day to deb, sorry I missed your party, but I may never get over this flu.

the wurst...

forget terrorism.

forget apartheid.

forget war atrocities.

could anything possibly be worse than this?

just odds n endz

so far with google earth, I've managed to locate several houses where I grew up, a field I played ball in as a kid, the urban sprawl in the sudan,an unclubbed seal in north canada, osama, jimmy hoffa and waldo.

the blues pirates gig was a ball-tearer, as they used to say. back when it was commonplace, at least. we're having a good time with this new format, and you should enjoy it with us.

the kids are still here (my stepkids that is, not my own), and having a great time. it's so familiar, hearing all the rampaging down the hallways and all that comes with the turf. nice.

this week, I'll be playing my own stuff for the whole sunday gig for a change, augmented by some very cool players. if you're not in sydney this sunday, you'll wish you were. and I really need to get started on this new album. the gypsy gal's away from next week, that might be woodshed time.

speaking of, it's been drawn to my attention that the music player on my site ain't been working. all fixed now, had a buggy software problem and had to use another.

my fave video this month: ok go / here we go again. I know it's been around for a while, but I never watch the music video channels anymore. not when you gotta wade thru 3 hours of dreck to find this gem. and a cool tune to boot. I especially like the cheap trick-ian style of 2 cool dudes and 2 nerds. reminded me of the time I walked up to bun e. carlos and asked him if his father was really instrumental in the construction of the panama canal. note - only long-time trick fans may get that last gag

np - micky and the motorcars / pointless love

everybody's gone surfin'....

the hank show was pretty much as I'd expected. upon viewing the audience, my timorese friend miko exclaimed, "there's dead people here!". but it was great to see some of the players and singers on the night, most of whom I hadn't seen for a year or more. and yes, I must've come across like metallica in comparison...

I woke up yesterday morning with that killer flu virus that the gypsy gal's been fighting off all week. so this is the first time I've surfaced properly in some 36 hours. I'd get up for a half hour every now n again, have some soup & water and go back to bed. not being in the mood to do any 'work' as such, I'd spend my few conscious moments aimlessly surfing and checking out links that I usually don't have time for. I'll pass along a couple of the better ones:

an improv prankster group set up the hilarious where's rob stunt at yankee stadium in new york;

the uberpopular lonely girl mystery gets debunked as the precursor to a film project, using blair witch-inspired net infiltration;

I finally got around to exploring google earth. locating old houses where I'd grown up was much more interesting than the recommended 'sightseeing tours'. warning - this can be extremely addictive. your mileage may vary.

back to bed for more rest. the rose and the monkeyboy are flying in later today, need to find some energy. hopefully, I'll pull up in time for tomorrow's blues pirates gig at the merton. I have a new toy for my resonator and really wanna be in good form.

jammin' for hank

I'm appearing tonight as part of the annual Hank Wiiliams Birthday Bash, at the Canterbury-hurlstone Park RSL Club. Details here.

I used to play these shows pretty regularly back in the 90's when they were a little more uh, "organic". From the looks of the lineup and venue, I'd say it's become a little more "traditional". I do believe I may frighten a few folks with my approach to ol' Hank's works.

Happy b-day to Carnsey.

np - hank williams / golden hits

the metal side of me

read this review of last sunday's show in metal sludge magazine:

I went up to the venue and saw Gwyn outside chatting to a few people and thought "what a cool guy". So I go in and sit through the soundcheck (conducted by the stars of the show). By the time the opener (Cletis Carr) was strumming his first notes people started to trickle in. And when I say trickle, I say that without any hyperbole. Cletis got about 15 people watching him, most of whom spent their time looking out the window, chatting and sorting out drinks. Which is a pity because he was good. The guy can play guitar and hes a good singer to boot. Plus he had a cool set of songs. His original material was fun to listen to and humourous - played a song he wrote about telemarketers. Good covers too - nice version of The Wind Cries Mary and a medley of stuff including Neil Young and the Beatles. Plus he was funny between the songs. Now Im not claiming this guy is Pete Townshend or anything, but he was solid and played a hell of a lot better than the bastard audience gave him credit for. But thats usually the way with openers, even ones who suck.

the other paris

at least the 9/11 memorial pushed ms. hilton off of the front page - or at least aside for a few days. I was talking to a pal in the states with whom I have the occasional political discussion. she lives in the south, in an upper-middle class area and is a conservative christian right wing bush supporter. but she's also open to other perspectives, which I find refreshingly rare. she gets most of her information from fox, so I send her links to the same stories from other news sources elsewhere in the world. these are often met with a reaction not unlike "oh... I had no idea... how can that be". you get the idea.

this morning, I read an essay by an expat american journalist who, like me, has been living outside of the u.s. for a considerable time. I found his comparison of the "conflict mentality" in war zones and in the american psyche fascinating. I invite you to read it here.

np - jim chappell / indian child

11.9.06

I got a chance to watch the 2nd part of the tv show, the path to 9/11 tonight. now I see what all the fuss was about. it seems that the show's producers abide by the maxim that facts should never get in the way of a good yarn, especially when there's more spin than a shane warne fastbowl. but I was kinda intrigued by some of the comments made by members of the conservative right, who essentially said, if they wanna bash clinton and try to hold him accountable for certain mistakes, fine, just don't invent quotes and events to substantiate a story. particularly on this anniversary day, which no doubt leaves many emotionally fragile.

interestingly, it has been reported that certain scenes were edited or altered from the original version. even abc news reported that edits were being made after harsh criticism.

I hope everyone emerges from this day with a sense of decency, honesty and compassion for our fellow humans. tragedy can often bring out the best in some, but five years on, and the landscape is still pretty scary.

and may we all find peace.

weekend recap

the saturday night bridge show got off to a rather interesting start. when gwyn and I turned up, worrying about being late for soundcheck, we were informed that there was to be no stage crew or front-of-house mixer. one hour before showtime. you gotta love these booking agents. so we frantically located mic stands, leads, mics, power, lights, etc and managed to pull off a pretty good diy show. I've been playing and watching others play at this venue for some twenty years, and I dare say I pulled a better mix than most of their regular guys do. the show itself was good, although in true sydneysider form, only some sixty-odd people turned up because of the rain. feh.

sunday's double-header gigs were again somewhat hampered by the rain, but the faithful, the loyal and the bewildered braved the elements (it's only a little water, people...). so I went straight from sitting in a corner and playing nice acoustic guitar to standing on a stage, blasting loud electric rock n blues. call it controllable schizophrenia. or quadrophenia. at any rate, it was a good weekend.

and with my last houseguest having flown out this morning, I can now look forward to a relatively quiet week of working, writing, cooking and nursing the gypsy gal back to health (that lingering flu bug thing still haunts). two of her kids are arriving on saturday, and the silence will indeed be broken. but I'm really looking forward to seeing my rose and the monkeyboy again. been far too long, and I really miss them.

I'm also playing the annual hank williams bash this thursday, but more about that later.

np - allman brothers / back where it all begins

I'm on the pavement, thinking 'bout the government...

a few salient quotes I've come across lately:

"a government that is big enough to give you all you want is big enough to take it all away." - barry goldwater

"american fascists claim to be super-patriots, but they would destroy every liberty guaranteed by the constitution. they demand free enterprise, but are the spokesmen for monopoly and vested interest. their final objective toward which all their deceit is directed is to capture political power so that, using the power of the state and the power of the market simultaneously, they may keep the common man in eternal subjection." - henry a. wallace

"fascism will come to america in the guise of national security" - jim garrison

“the liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it comes stronger than their democratic state itself. that, in its essence, is fascism - ownership of government by an individual, by a group.” - franklin d. roosevelt

most of those quotes were made at least 30 years ago, and some well before that. consider them in today's climate.

this upcoming abc(us) tv doco called the path to 9/11 seems concerning, certainly to political observers and activists. but we appear to be living in a world where the role of the media is increasingly more important that the messages it coveys. marshall mccluhan may have indeed been correct.

my pal gwyn ashton is here, I'm playing a support spot at his sydney concert tonight. I may post photos, if I can grab some.

happy b-day to misty.

np - slim harpo / wonderin' and worryin'

another weekend slips by

I expected a huge w/end, and wasn't disappointed. annii flew in thursday afternoon, and we were headed for a quiet dinner when I was reminded that snez and stewart were playing. so, always one to support my buddies, we dutifully attended. till late.

friday was a glorious sydney spring day, warm but not hot, gentle sea breezes... perfect weather. so we did the harbour cruise thing and wandered around the city, playing tourguide and tourist. friday night was intended to catch one set of tice and evans at the bridge, then back home for pasta and an early night. all the gang started turning up, and a handful ended up coming back with us for pasta, music and drinks. it was around 3am when I managed to throw the last out.

the saturday night monthly bald rock gig was huge fun, as it always is. and sunday's father's day special at the merton was a good day, with shane and guests giving me an easy shift. afterwards, the gals wanted to kick on a bit, so we adjourned to the tigers club, where everyone was celebrating the team's victory in their final home game of the year.

speaking of father's day, once again I didn't hear a word from my kids. my rose, however, remembered.

monday, annii flew out, and gwyn flew in. we're going to my fave local gourmet pizza joint tonight to catch up with some pals, and I'm playing a support slot for gwyn's saturday night show at the bridge. more details on that later.

and there's something sadly ironic about how steve irwin died, dontcha think?

and happy 50th to miss mary.

np - john lee hooker / boogie chillin'