musings

new blog location - change bookmarks

2007-03-27T06:53:00.000+10:00

as I've moved my site to new hosts, I now have wordpress on my server. so instead of using a third-party blog such as this one, I'll have everything localised.

the new site is easy to bookmark:
www.cletis.com/musings

see ya there!

the idles of march

2007-03-25T08:57:00.000+10:00

haven't felt up to posting this week, or doing much of anything else really. sydney's been hit with a wave of steamy sub-tropical weather that induces lethargy. at least it does in me. and as I've been expecting the seasonal turn towards autumn, I haven't put any kind of aircon in my office. with the tin roofing the pub has, it's been a sauna all week.

today's the gypsy gal's birthday, and I've done my usual best to try to spoil her. took the clan to a nice thai restuarant last nite, and she'll have a few surprises awaiting her at my sunday session gig later in the day.

hopefully everyone'll turn up on time too, as we switched off daylight savings overnite. always seems to throw some folks...

we had state elections yesterday, from the results it appears that labour has swept thru again. this'll no doubt cause some major problems for howard's liberal party in the upcoming federal elections. (note for my notre americano readers - the parties can loosely be allied as: labour-democrats; liberal-republicans).

recording's scheduled next week to try to finish off the blues pirates album. we've been delayed as chris has been ill a fair bit, which is a concern. having lost so many friends over the past year (tuesday marks one year since pete wells passed), every phone call worries me. and last week I got another, as a good pal, great musician and father of an amazingly talented singer/songwriter called to tell me the prognosis of his cancer problems have been declared terminal.

on a more positive note, I'm looking forward to spending the afternoon/evening with good friends & loved ones and playing some great music.

céad míle fáilte

2007-03-16T17:14:00.000+11:00

... on this eve of st paddy's day. I, for one, plan on laying low and not getting too caught up in the annual spiritfest, as it were. to be sure, to be sure.

question for the luddities: why do so many people leave messages on cellphones with their name, time & date? if you're a pal, I already have you in my list, and the message bank automatically records the time & date. plus my 'missed calls' reg lists your call, so any message at all is kinda redundant.

especially when it's "hi, it's [insert name here], it's about..... (pause) 12.15 on saturday. call me back, k?"

I mean, I still love you, but the telcos (and their shareholders) love you more than I do.

chris & I have been trying to get the blues pirates album wrapped up, also the new baker's dozen cd is back from the press and will be made available in the next week.

np - kreg viesselman / the pull

monday monday

2007-03-12T08:07:00.000+11:00

had theo bring a small drum kit up for last nite's gig, was nice to add some percussion to the new slide guitar tunes. the numbers have been down a bit on my sunday sessions, but I'm hoping that's normal for this time o' year. realised that I've been holding that gig together for a year as of this week, I suppose in today's climate that's an achievement in itself. the sydney live music scene is clutching onto life like a debutante at a prada sale.

odd songs that have stuck in my head over the weekend: van halen's jump; boston's more than a feeling (reason why, next post); the foundations build me up buttercup; tom waits' black mariah and bobbie gentry's ode to billie joe. go figure.

another rock & roll passing, this time brad delp, lead singer for the band boston. the news brought back memories of my post-high school band, thrashing our peavey and kustom amps in the garage of a car yard, straining and strangulating our adolescent vocals cords in a vain attempt to hit those great high notes he sang on that first classic album.

happy b-day to keith a, head barfly at the merton pub.

2007-03-09T21:52:00.000+11:00

after much soul-searching, the rose is moving interstate to finish high school. apparently she found the prep college a little too much of a steep curve and missed her old pals. I hope she's back soon. I'll certainly miss her.

on the other hand, I'm wading thru the various notes and letters concering my daughter's settling into her high school, but dragging a few grade school bad habits with her. time will sift thru all though, as it does. she's found a new pal in a young gal who's doing some fabulous animation work, I'm hoping it'll inspire my gal a bit.

the new aussie guitar album is due for release, I should have info up here in a few days. I have a track on it, along with the cream of the oz rock guitar world (and a couple token kiwis).

been trying to regroup to finish off the blues pirates album, things always seem to derail either chris or myself. usually both.

the pub where I do my sunday ritual finally has a website up, it's www.mertonestate.com.au

and you tube finally has a couple tracks from the show I did with mick fetch. just do a search on my name.

rainy days and mondays

2007-03-05T20:46:00.000+11:00

a little bit o' precipitation around the harbour has cast a rather autumnish shadow, which I'm enjoying. I think I'm officially over summer and am looking forward to cooler weather.

I finally picked up the head cold that's been going around the house and struggled thru the weekend's gigs. had no special guests on sunday, and it was a delight to stretch out a bit, play some old tunes and field requests from the faithful few who braved the thunder.

most people I know

2007-03-01T10:57:00.000+11:00

was shocked to hear the news about the sudden death of aussie rock legend billy thorpe yesterday. at 60, the guy was far healthier than I. the memorial service is going to be held at the sydney entertainment centre, which seems somewhat appropriate for somebody with such a larger than life persona.

the last time & shared a beer with thorpie was at pete wells' wake. glancing around the room full of aging rockers, we mused as to who would be next. ian rilen was standing nearby, looking more like a hard-living elvis costello than a senior statesman of aussie rock. ian died a few months later. thorpie would've been one of the last people in that room that anyone'd pick to go next.

so I'm brushing up on a few of thorpie's classics for this weekend's gigs. drop by, I'm back at the bald rock saturday nite and all on me lonesome this sunday at the merton.

random notes

2007-02-27T08:45:00.000+11:00

the cellphone wars continue. after discovering that my latest one wasn't funtioning as well, I moved on to model #3 of that particular brand. it failed as well. I'm now onto model #4...

the sydney rain cultural cringe has kicked in for 2007, it started bucketing down on sunday which left my sessions with less than half our usual numbers.

the oscars sucked, but not as badly as the grammys.

speaking of, it's interesting that actors have become politicians (arnie, reagan) and politicians can accept oscars (al gore). art & life, the lines are further blurring, no?

and did you realise that "peter o'toole" is a double phallic?

happy b-day to my big sis cheryl.

this reminds me

2007-02-24T10:34:00.000+11:00

any nickleback fans? turn up yer speakers (hope you have stereo), and have a listen to this.

2007-02-21T22:10:00.000+11:00

apparently mobile blogging is now all the rage, or so we're lead to believe. considering the amount of time it takes me to reply a simple "yes, meet at 4pm" in sms, this page'd be mighty empty were I to rely on yet another technological move sideways.

my deepest condolences to my pal and fellow barfly mike, whose wife meg has passed away overnight. she's been suffering cancer for three years now, and wasn't expected to see out 2006, so it's not exactly a surprise. but it's a sad relief for mike & his family. I'd hate for anyone to have to go thru that.

I've been a little startled to learn that my daughter's still sleepwalking a bit, as she did when much younger. it's an odd thing to be confronted with, this semi-sonamulistic behaviour. I wonder if she remembers any of it. anyone else have similar stories?

one word about britney's new look: at least now we know the curtains match the carpet...

baaaa... humbug

2007-02-20T00:56:00.000+11:00

still ain't seen much that can top sam kekovich's classic ad for aussie lamb. great stuff.

el no-a posto

2007-02-19T23:03:00.000+11:00

haven't been in the mood to post lately, can't say why exactly. sorting out various children's problems (and adults) has left me feeling a bit flat and uninspired.

had a photo shoot for the blues pirates album over the weekend. my daughter came along to hang out and the photographer caught a nice snap of the two of us. I've sent it to a few family & friends, if you didn't get one and wanna see, lemme know.

np - the bodeans / she's a runaway

vee dee

2007-02-15T08:49:00.000+11:00

happy valentine's day to all and sundry, whoever sundry is, although I knew a gal named sunday once upon a time.

but that's another story entirely....

it's raining, it's pouring

2007-02-12T15:00:00.000+11:00

and I mean a lot of rain. hopefully some of it will find its way into our thirsty water catchment areas and dams. this is a pretty dry country at the best of times, and a five year drought, combined with global warming and a hole in the ozone the size of alaska directly overhead ain't a good combo.

had a fun sunday session yesterday with mick neville fetch, who finally made it after a couple of false starts last year. his new dvd, live at the duke is out now, I appear in a couple of songs. not sure about sales info, but a few tracks are probably on youtube, I'll have a look.

my daughter headed off for a three day school camp this morning. she seems to be really enjoying her new school, and city life in general, which I'm happy about. the rose is now at her new school as well, it seems to suit her needs this year, and the gypsy gal's begun her new job. so back to routine, I hope.

anyone who knew me in my brief tenure in the country knows how often I manage to get involved in community / charity events. the city's proved no different, as I've just come onboard the exec committee fot the 2nd annual acoustica festival, held here in balmain in april. question for annii, pinny &/or shawree - how do you folks manage on so little sleep? I'm gonna need some pointers, me fears...

anyone bother watching that debacle known as the grammys? not I. but I read that jon bon jovi, of all people, won an award in the country category? wtf is up with that?

np - be good tanyas / when doves cry

yeah

2007-02-08T23:38:00.000+11:00

got more technohell problems solved this week, my cellphone now seems to be working properly (6th in 3 years), finally got the modem I was promised early january from my isp, and my alarm clock apparently works, as I now crawl out of bed at 7am to wake my daughter for school.

spent the day with mr. turner sifting thru the hours of tracks for the blues pirates album. it's the first chance we've had since november to regroup and look at where we are, which is about 3/4 way thru recording. the album's taking good shape, tracks can be heard at the myspace page, and we'll hopefully wrap it up in a few weeks.

have had my pal gwyn here on n off for a bit, since he's on the budget tour this trip. he's off to queensland, south australia and texas before returning to blighty, check here for tour dates. warning: cindy in austin, we gave him yer number....

I only have the usual Sunday sessions for a few weeks, which may give me a chance to catch up a bit, now that school's settled in, etc. anyone I've neglected of late (hiya annii), I'll be back in closer touch.

np - yusuf islam / maybe there's a world

without getting into a "seinfeld"....

2007-02-06T00:06:00.000+11:00

... what's with people opening bottles of spring water, and then resealing them? I was watching tv tonight, an old buddy of mine was playing, the inimitable ross wilson. ross took a few swigs out of his bottle of water, closed it and I thought, "why does everyone put the cap back on? it's not like it's gonna go flat, or get any colder."

anyway, the weekend went well. thursday night's gig with gwyn was fun, but poorly attended, thanks to lack of promotion. still, it was great to catch up with a few old pals from the bikie club days I hadn't seen in yonks, plus a few various rock luminaries. gave me a chance to work out my new resonator with a proper concert p.a. system... got some fine tuning to do...

both saturday and sunday's shows were a bit down on numbers too, but only cause that happens this time of year. this too, shall pass.

np - eric clapton on youtube.

back in black - almost

2007-01-31T20:59:00.000+11:00

broadband's back up, and hopefully, so will I.

still doing a few more days at the geetar store, which I've really enjoyed so far. quality instruments, great guys, good customers... nice change from the years of music retail I've previously endured.

casey-lee started her new school on tuesday, so far she seems to like it. I went to the parent/student orientation (which I had a private non-pc chuckle at, as half the kids there are asian). got the info, signed the forms, ensured all was well, checked out the milfs, all the stuff a good dad is supposed to do, right? still sorting out the rose's school stuff, we may have a better alternative than what was planned.

doing a show tomorrow night with my pal gwyn at the bridge, should be another night of good music and bad comedy duo, as was last time.

speaking of pals, I forgot to wish my old buddy, part-time sneaker from the 70's, w.c. handy award nominee and killer blues player henry a. cooper a happy 50th for last saturday. send him an email, all you oldschool oregonian fans.

happy invasion day

2007-01-26T17:07:00.000+11:00

the wave of political correctness continues to send common sense cowering into the corners. one of our largest annual rock concerts, the big day out made headlines when it was revealed that there were plans to ban people from bringing the australian flag onto the grounds. oh, and it's australia day here, our version of the states' independence day, etc.

so I did the proper aussie thing and took the kids shopping in chinatown. I'm now broke, but the girls are happy and that's all that matters. I'm sitting here in my office with a nice cold beer, the bar's open downstairs til late and I have a great view of the harbour (I'm only pointing this out to piss off my pals in the uk who are freezing - hello, pinny, ang & syd). I'd be happy to sit here all eve except I'm taking the girls to watch the fireworks.

no broadband yet, my wonderful new isp has run out of modems, in spite of informing me on several occasions that one had indeed been dispatched. never having been one to shy from a good shitfight with a telco, I'm going to war. anyone else have similar experiences? lemme know.

my daughter now has her own myspace page. I'm a little wary about kids on the net in general, and while I've grudgingly allowed this, I'm monitoring it closely. any friends or family who wanna see it, email me. I'm not going to post the addy here, as there's a few screwballs out of the 400-odd folks who read this journal, from what I gather.

happy b-day to the chookasaurus supreme, my long-time buddy theo. hope I can hi-tail it out of my sunday session to make it to your bash with the pornstar rockers at the untidy, er, unity. save me a guitar and a few tunes.

speaking of long-time buddies, gwyn ashton is back & touring here. I'm opening the show for him next thursday 1st at the bridge hotel in balmain. gwyn, theo and I played in a band together back in the 80's, we had a residency at this sleazy bar out in the sydney 'burbs where the over-40 desperate & divorced hovered like vultures on a roadkill. quentin tarantino woulda loved it, as would david lynch.

there's been a few last-minuteish gigs which have kept things hectic. last saturday I had a solo gig at the riverview, which was meant to be a duo, but.... anyway I missed out on the lime spiders' annandale gig which I hear was a killer. last night was an aussie day eve impromtu at the bald rock, tomorrow's out in the westies, then sunday as mentioned before. hopefully we'll get the blues pirates album finished shortly, then I can focus on getting my compilation album (my greatest non-hits) mastered and ready for release.

and big congrats to michael & robyn on their new film, the mind of henry lime winning the best comedy award at the smtv film festival in mumbai, starring my buddy and occasional duo partner, burton "de niro" jesperson. the u.s. premiere is in los angeles on march 3rd, go to the bbg site for details.

np - butterfly 9 / dorothy.

cletis interruptus

2007-01-23T13:59:00.000+11:00

didn't realise that my primary domain name had expired and the auto-renew function was off for some reason. so my site's been offline for a day or two, but seems okay now.

still on dialup, so posts are still slimmish.

scorchio!

2007-01-21T14:27:00.000+11:00

40c degrees today (that's 104f for you northeners). too hot for the pool or beach, even the markets had less than a third the usual stallholders. so today's sunday session, usually hot as the pub doesn't have aircon, will be a sauna. jackie bristow's guesting today, and I'm sure she'll pull a big crowd.

broadband's connected to the new office, but my modem hasn't arrived yet. but I should be back on deck this week.

I'd post more, but it's too hot in this room right at the moment.

it's just not cricket

2007-01-13T15:25:00.000+11:00

yes, after twenty years of residing in a commonwealth country, I can now freely admit that I have become a cricket convert. after growing up on a steady diet of baseball, chevrolets, and mom's apple pie, I can now appreciate the subtleties of what I used to joking refer to as the 'slowest form of animal life', yes, a cricket test match. how any sport that could take five days and still end up in a draw became appealing to someone of my somewhat short attention span...

anyway, back to cricket. perhaps it was the rather unsportsmanlike jeering at the poor english side as they were decimated faster than a drink with shane macgowan. or a date with shane warne. but, I have to admit, I'm now hooked.

but not to worry. lawn bowls is a long way off still.

other news: the new office is settled and functional, although I won't have broadband for another week (thanks, telstra). so if I haven't gotten back to any of your emails, apologies as I'm now back on dial-up, which in comparison is like sucking a basketball thru a garden hose.

rosie & michael are here and are having a ball. my kids are now arriving on monday or so, as they decided to spend the first half of the month with their aging grandparents. a couple new gigs are coming up, check the gig guide. the next two sunday sessions should be huge, then there's the chookman's annual birthday jam on the 28th.

and go the baggy greens!

blogging v2

2007-01-08T15:15:00.000+11:00

haven't been able to post for a few days, my blog service has upgraded and naturally, it didn't load properly for a while. it's always a delight when the propellorheads decide to take a perfectly functional bit o' software and rework it until it no longer functions as it used to.

and while I'm having a gripe, why is it that some people, when leaving a voice message will say "how are you?", as if there's an immediate answer available?

two of the four kids have surfaced. rosie and michael flew in today, and the usual debate over where/what to have for dinner is now into it's second hour. feels like home. casey-lee and cal will arrive anyday, then the brady bunch resumes. I'm a happy boy.

had three good gigs over the weekend, a last minute private function, which I performed with my pal john lee on fiddle & mandolin. saturday nite, we resumed the monthly gigs at the bald rock with val and justin, and had a rockin' good time. the first sunday session of '07 was much better attended than I'd expected for this time o' the year, miko and yaved were back from bali and thrilled the gang. miko's been working on his engrish pronunciation as well, so the bob marley tunes didn't raise snickers as they used to.

speaking of attendees, it was great to see sue reed, freshly out of hospital from massive brain surgery following her quadruple aneurysm early last year. she's still not recovered by a long shot, and seems to be having lots of short-term memory problems, but she looked to be having a ball out in the live music scene again.

posts may be a bit thin this week, as I'm moving the rest of the office into the new digs and may be without broadband for a couple days.

lost friends and misplaced heroes

2007-01-02T23:33:00.000+11:00

a quick nod to some of those that left us in '06, and that touched me in some way:

peter wells, 27 march. god bless you, pete, it was a good ride indeed.

ian rilen, the tatts wouldn't have happened without you.

grant mclennan. genuine nice guy and fabulous songwriter.

james brown. too many owe too much to even contemplate.

syd barrett. to say there'd be no pink floyd would be superfluous.

bruce gary. loved the knack, and had a ball jamming with bruce in topanga canyon, a million years ago.

billy cowsill. one of the first albums I ever bought was the cowsills. what a tragic two years this family has had.

sandy west. possibly the first great female rock n roll drummer of the modern rock era.

lou rawls. soul never sounded so good.

wilson pickett. wicked's off to the land of a thousand dances.

buck owens. one of my dad's faves, and one of my early ones.

june pointer. the youngest of the gals, and far too young to go so early.

billy preston. "get back" wouldn't have been the track it was without that solo, not to mention all the others.

ahmet ertegun. the absolute mensch of rock, blues and soul music.

ian copeland. eldest of one of rock music's families.

arthur lee. way too underrated seminal psychedelia hero.

vince welnick. great keyboardist from the tubes and the grateful dead.

freddy fender. tex-mex pioneer, and another of my dad's faves.

boz burrell. one the great bassists with a few of my most influential bands, king crimson and bad company.

ali farka toure. a seminal african musician that should have been a household name.

ruth brown. what a voice.

floyd dixon. one the greatest early rock pianists.

not being maudlin, just remembering and cherishing the memories. dig out their tunes, play 'em loud and proud.

oh, and...

2007-01-02T14:32:00.000+11:00

.... for a week or two, I've placed four older tracks as free downloads on my myspace page:

www.myspace.com/cletiscarr

enjoy!!

top albums '06

2007-01-02T14:05:00.000+11:00

try as I may, I just can't manage a complete list of ten. so, here's my top nine, in no particular order:

prairie wind / neil young

living with war / neil young

orphans / tom waits

bridges / jets overhead

having / trespassers william

okonokos / my morning jacket

modern times / bob dylan

highway companion / tom petty

love / the beatles

and as I haven't very diligent about listening to too much, here's the albums I either don't have yet or haven't gotten thru:

black cadillac / rosanne cash

fox confessor brings the flood / neko case

nashville / solomon burke

the river in reverse / elvis costello & allen toussaint

a blessing and a curse / drive-by truckers

the life pursuit / belle and sebastian

the avalanche / sufjan stevens

rabbit fur coat / jenny lewis with the watson twins

the greatest / cat power

rockford / cheap trick

honorary mention to yo la tengo, for best album title: “I am not afraid of you and I will beat your ass”

honorary mention to pere ubu, for worst album title: “why I hate women”

Happy Noo Year!

2007-01-01T19:58:00.000+11:00

so after spending most of the day in the kitchen helping the gypsy gal prep for her catering gig, I played the merton for new year's eve. most years, I end up chasing the money, as it's about the only time of the year where musicians actually get paid properly. but that means I'm often out in the burbs or the bush, crawling my way thru all the top pubrock classics on autopilot to a handful of disinterested tourists. this yeah, I decided to stay nearby and have some fun with friends and fans.

miko's back from bali and guested for a set, as did hunter & suzy. jason did his rap bit, complete with capes n all - yeah, you had to see it. there's a few good pics, I may post some over the next day or so. I blew the midnight countdown though, as I was going off the pub clock. I was almost ready to break for the last minute when all the fireworks kicked in over the harbour behind me. ah well, was a long and fun night.

speaking of the ol' merton pub, happy b-day on saturday to the genial publican and my good buddy gary.

I've never been much of one for 'resolutions' as such, but I'm certainly gonna try and get a little more fit this year. after spending the day painting the new office, my sore muscles reminded me of how out of shape I am.

my kids should be arriving in a day or so, and the gal's two shortly after that. will be great to have a full house again, even if only for a short time.

more later as I gather some thoughts.

the silly season continues

2006-12-30T11:36:00.000+11:00

there's a backpacker's place just a couple doors down from where I live. the noise echoes at the best of times up and down the alleyway, but this holiday season has seen a huge influx of young english tourists, including a few stray barmies, all primed with plenty o' both alcoholic and post-teen spirits. their "honk if you're horny" campaign, aimed at the main road beneath their balcony was amusing, but it's now going into its 72nd straight hour... ah well, in another day or so, this too shall pass.

every year about this time, I'm invited along with a bunch of music biz pals to submit our annual top ten releases list. I'm still editing mine, as it certainly hasn't been a stellar year in creative music. aside from the ever-prolific mr. young, both toms, waits and petty, and his royal bobness, it's been slim pickins indeed. I'll post my final list in a day or so.

they gypsy gal's doing a private catering gig tomorrow night, the whole house has become canape alley. I'm off to way out west sydney to do a club gig (oh joy....), and will hopefully see some of you at the merton tomorrow night for the new year's bash, complete with front row seats for the fireworks.

get on up

2006-12-27T03:56:00.000+11:00

I always feel a level of sadness when I read of the death of another major music icon, but the passing of james brown seems even more poignant. it shouldn't come as a real surprise I suppose, since I'm heading towards 50 and most of my musical heroes are in their 70's and 80's. I guess it's but another reminder of the passing of time and that the older we grow, the quicker the years fly by.

james died while on tour, still performing, still vital, still giving us his all. now that's inspiration.

so this is christmas

2006-12-26T13:11:00.000+11:00

complete with the usual silly season trappings. a few chrissy parties last week, then I drove to the mountains to play a gig at a new venue. there wasn't many there, but a couple pals dropped in to guest with me, which made the night more enjoyable.

the chrissy eve bash at the pub was a little on the quiet side, which didn't bother me at all. afterwards, I caught the wolftones at the untidy, er, unity and did my usual guest spot. was good to catch up with a bunch of pals, including jackie bristow, who's back from the states for a little while. she'll be my featured guest at the merton on jan 21st. spent christmas day with friends, and have a day or two to clean the place before my kids arrive.

I'd like to wish you all a safe and happy holiday season, and let's hope for a better year ahead.

checking in

2006-12-18T14:23:00.000+11:00

another week has slipped away, christmas parties etc. I've started cleaning up the new office, the paint will be a huge job but it's necessary, trust me. the last guy who had it for reasons known only to himself and his psychiatrist painted one wall and all the skirtings and window frames a bright blue. that's fine, if you're a gorilla, but it gives me a headache.

yesterday was the annual chrissy bash at the merton pub, and it was a huge one. kicked off a 1pm, by about 3 the places was packed and stayed that way till nearly midnight. tonight's the big rock party, the 26th year and it's always a long night. so I'll try to get some updates along the way.

we're about to officially launch big rock radio, but some people are having problems with the autostart. anyone wanna try clicking here and see it your media player opens? let me know, if you would.

26 years

2006-12-11T13:31:00.000+11:00

last friday marked the 26th anniversary of the murder of john lennon. over the past coule of hectic days, amidst the bedlam that was my weekend, I read a few artciles and blogs addressing it.

one of the more salient points that struck me was the notion that lennon's legacy - not his musical one, but rather whom and what he stood for - has been diluted over the past two and one half decades. in an era where the cult of neo-celebrity has reached unprecedented heights, does the voice of a lone individual still carry any weight? the american conservative right is still vilifying the dixie chicks, david hicks remains at guantanamo, and just as many are mourning rather than celebrating the death of pinochet.

I wonder what lennon would have thought of today's media climate. what would he have said about the illegal election that ensconed a puppet of the oil industry into power? and then to watch said government lead an invasion into a oil-rich sovereign state, against the wishes of the united nations and most of the citizens of the free world? how would john lennon have felt about the destruction of the musical mecca of new orleans, and the needless deaths of so many people whose only downfall was not have been born white and affluent?

even if he was still with us, would his voice be heard, or would it be trashed, hijacked and eventually silenced by a media controlled by the extreme end of one political/social cult?

imagine.

henry lime rocks

2006-12-08T09:46:00.000+11:00

my pal burton (can't seem to find his url at the moment) has just finished shooting a new film, the mind of henry lime, the 2nd comedy by the bright blue gorilla team. I was invited to play a bit part, but couldn't make it across the pond for the california shoot. the trailer is here, have a look, it's gonna be a corker.

I've got a few private christmas parties on this week, which is handy with the holidaze coming up very soon. my sis cheryl is moving back to queensland, she's stopping in on her drive up from melbourne. it'll be great to see her, it's been a few years now. we've never been a particularly 'close' family, but we always keep in touch and make sure everyone's okay. got the news from a cousin in the states that two more of my aunties had passed on as well, the torch is being passed to the next generation, it would seem.

big rock radio is up and active, but it seems a few folks are still having some problems with the link. if you have a moment, click here and see if it automatically opens a player (or prompts you to), and lemme know?

found an old pic of chris turner's big rock band, circa 1989, with meself, irish john, mark evans (ac/dc), ted pepper (saints), and others all with more hair than nowadays. have a giggle, if you must, here.

happy b-day to justin, percussionist extraordinaire.

np - tom petty / highway companion

wake me up when november ends

2006-12-01T08:23:00.000+11:00

had a bunch o' work on this week, so it kinda went by like a blip on a radar. the domestic situation has been sorted - finally. my daughter and the rose are both coming to live here, my son is coming for a few weeks just after christmas, and the monkey boy will arrive mid january.

so with only two moving in, we don't desperately need to move house, which is a huge relief. I've managed to score a great lil office suite with a nice view of the harbour bridge. as much as I enjoy working from home, the return to routine will be welcome, I feel.

speaking of time passing, I read a comment on the music news about the other day marking the fifth year passing of george harrison. five years? five, already? sheesh, has it been that long? amazing.

so this stonesfest thing is scheduled for tomorrow, my time. because we've been having trouble getting folks to play the early show, I have to, which means another 5am wakeup call. so my first spot is 7am, then again at 3pm, then off to the bald rock for the 8pm gig, then the merton tomorrow for the usual sunday residency. it's only rock n roll.....

anybody else have problems with wireless mouse(s), er mice... uh, what the hell is plural of a mouse? I'm about to go thru yet another one, they always seem to die after a month or so.

happy b-day to my niece, kyley.

np - harry nilsson / one

a relatively quiet weekend

2006-11-25T11:18:00.000+11:00

had a great week with my daughter, she's dead-set on moving down here to live with me next year, which I think will be very good for her. and now the rose has been making noises about coming back as well, which may mean the monkeyboy as well and.... I'll need to find a bigger place to live.

I've been enjoying the "new" beatles album, "love". dunno if it's the sort of thing I'll be listening to ten years from now, but the edits, remixes and mashups are nothing short of astonishing. the offical site is streaming the entire album here.

speaking of astonishing, I had to rewatch michael richards' stage meltdown again (youtube has it). it's just amazing that one can still harness that much hatred and anger in this day and age. perhaps with the dems back in control, well, partially anyway, the veneer facade that the christian right has wrapped middle america in can be removed and the real problems dealt with. you may say that I'm a dreamer....

np - the beatles / love

weekend with my daughter

2006-11-19T15:15:00.000+11:00

casey-lee has been here for a few days, we've been having a ball. she's making serious noises about moving down here to live with me permanently, we'll have to take that one step at a time, as that would leave her 10 year old brother in the country. ah, parental decisions, etc.

I've given casey-lee my old laptop, which is over seven years old and runs on windows me, so it's not a lot of use to me. but we've loaded a bunch of 3d and interior design programs on it, casey's keen on architecture and designing.

I'm looking forward to today's sunday gig. this week, my guest is the popular bargal from my fave irish pub, and we've a feeling it'll be standing room only - outside...

I'll post some pics tomorrow.

family ties

2006-11-14T15:50:00.000+11:00

my daughter is coming down for a visit this weekend. I couldn't be happier.

and happy b-day to my rose!

np - crosby stills & nash / suite: judy blue eyes.

happy snaps

2006-11-11T15:47:00.000+11:00

my rose's 16th b-day is coming up, so they had the party last night. the rose, in her party dress, here.

from val and julie's wedding last weekend, looky here. l-r: the gypsy gal, the tweety bird, the concubine.

I've picked up another private corporate gig tonight, and I've also picked up another solid headcold. should prove for an interesting vocally-challenged evening. can't knock it back though, with christmas and casey-lee's birthday coming up shortly, I need all the work I can get.

np - taj mahal / senor blues.

four reasons I'm smiling today

2006-11-08T11:40:00.000+11:00

1. the main website is now back up, after nearly two weeks of tech hell.

b. I backed the winner in the melbourne cup yesterday - hey, with a name like "delta blues", could I resist?

3. my children will be here for christmas.

d. my stepchildren may be here as well.

np - some newly recorded demos.

sitestuff

2006-11-01T11:29:00.000+11:00

yes, I'm aware that my website's offline. we've encountered a little hiccup in migrating it to the new servers, so it should be back up in a day or so.

you gotta love pandora. amongst the great artists that I've discovered is my pick for the best cover version I've heard in ages. the artist is charlotte martin, and her 1994 album, on your shore features a bonus track version of the stones' wild horses. best version I've heard since gram's. can't find a full-length preview online, but there's a live version you can hear here - play track 7.

weekendz

2006-10-30T11:17:00.000+11:00

with my pals valdi and julie's wedding set up in the blue mountains, the gypsy gal and I decided to head out a day early and beat the weekend traffic. having the lend of a pal's house helped make the weekend look more appealing, so we set off on friday.

the plan was to head to the local pub for a couple of quiet lagers and sample the bistro, then return to the house and enjoy a lazy night with the spectacular views. next thing I knew, I was playing a set with the house band, we'd won the raffle and ended up sipping whiskey with a couple locals well after closing time. this seems to happen to us a fair bit....

as weddings go, this one was very enjoyable. they avoided the cumbersome quasi-religious ceremonies and instead featured a well-humoured celebrant who kept the proceedings moving along quickly. as julie's scottish, with a fair few of her clan out from the isle, there was a distinctly scots overtone to the whole shindig, complete with bagpipes and kilts aplenty. the band rocked til late, and the affair wrapped up well after midnight - not bad for a 2pm start.

traversed our way back down the mountains for my weekly sunday gig, which was good fun as usual, though a little light on the crowds this week. I'm thinking the switch to daylight savings threw some people off, as one of the regulars said he'd woke thinking it was friday.

happy b-day and many thanks to dave for the great house. set amongst the forest with stunning views over the valley, I'm thinking a writing week in the mountains may soon be in order so I can knock some of these new songs into better shape. I cut about a dozen of them last week, and listening back, I think some of them still need work. combined with the upcoming holidays, I'd wager that I won't be starting the new album until after the first of the year now.

rummaging through some old demos I'd recorded at warner/chappell about ten years ago, I came across a cute lil tune called "strangers". it's available for free download on my myspace page for a while.

misc music nooz

2006-10-24T10:12:00.000+10:00

the new internet radio station, big rock radio should be up by the end of the week. it'll feature a lot of my older tracks, along with hillbilly moon and blues pirates tunes, alongside the big rock records catalog. details shortly.

speaking of, well, typing of hillbilly moon, paul norton's website has finally hit the net. go have a look.

no, we still haven't started work on my new album yet, a few delays in everyone's schedule has pushed the startdate back a bit. but soon. no, really.

the evil C claims another one - sandy west of the runaways, probably the most influential female rock drummer of all time (apologies to mo tucker, who didn't really play like a rock drummer) has died. the runaways paved the way from the likes of the go go's, the bangles, and pretty much every female rock band that followed (apologies to the g.t.o.'s, who were really just fronting a zappa experiment). the first time I played the whisky a gogo in los angeles was with sneakers, opening for a runaways spin-off band called the orchids.

np - jerry lee lewis / last man standing

kenny!

2006-10-21T15:51:00.000+10:00

no, not the dude from south park who always gets killed every episode.

the film, which nabbed no less than six nods for the afi awards. have a look at the trailer here. good to see that amongst all the terrorism, global warming and celebrity rehab visits, there's still room for the quintessential quirky aussie comedy.

np - michael hedges / rickover's dream

need a smile?

2006-10-18T11:54:00.000+10:00

then go here.

wasted days and wasted nights

2006-10-15T07:41:00.000+10:00

the legendary freddy fender passed away today after a year-long bout with lung cancer, aged 69.

we lose yet another to the insidious 'big c', and I shall perform his biggest hit in his honour this afternoon.

great video moments in rock n roll

2006-10-14T14:12:00.000+10:00

this would have to be the tackiest 70's cover version I've seen in a long while. makes abba look like philip glass.

beatlefest

2006-10-10T09:05:00.000+10:00

so I dragged myself out of bed at 3.30am to take part in the first of two shows celebrating the music of the beatles by performing with about eight other artists globally. except our virtual stage, second life was 90% down, and I only managed to login at 1 minute til, showtime.

the fun didn't stop there. about halfway thru the third artist, the whole simulation crashed, followed by the audio stream server. so if you were listening on winamp or similar and got a lot of dead air, that's why.

eventually all came good and the first show finished on a good note. b flat, I think it was. now all I've gotta do is stay awake til the second show at 1pm this afternoon....

another second life article here, by the by.

in other motorracing news, the gypsy gal got back from her overseas junket friday night and wanted to be taken straight to the pub. as you do. saturday, after catching punky's gig, a bunch of us came back for a late night jam that went on til the wee hours. it's no wonder my sleep patterns are messed up. note to carnsey - bring yer dobro next time.

my sunday residency has taken on a life of its own now, which I'm especially pleased about in the wake of a few lost gigs that some of my pals are experiencing. next week should prove interesting, as val gray is my guest, and his buck's night party is the night before...

np - john lennon / I am the walrus

that's why they call them 'long weekends'

2006-10-04T09:51:00.000+10:00

we've just had labour day here in the antipodes, and I think all I did all weekend was watch football, drink beer and eat lots of bbq'ed food. sounds like typical western hedonism. but it's back to work now, and I'm having a hard time getting back into the swing of things.

this virtual beatlefest show that I er, suggested seems to be taking over my spare time at present. the show is next monday, usa time, but for my time zone, the first show is at 5am... anyway, details later, or go to the website.

now playing...

2006-09-27T23:38:00.000+10:00

widespread panic / ain't life grand

midweek malaise

2006-09-27T17:30:00.000+10:00

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

2006-09-25T16:10:00.000+10:00

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...

2006-09-22T01:44:00.000+10:00

forget terrorism.

forget apartheid.

forget war atrocities.

could anything possibly be worse than this?

just odds n endz

2006-09-19T21:24:00.000+10:00

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'....

2006-09-16T11:54:00.000+10:00

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

2006-09-14T15:05:00.000+10:00

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

2006-09-13T01:06:00.000+10:00

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

2006-09-12T11:25:00.000+10:00

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

2006-09-12T00:16:00.000+10:00

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

2006-09-11T14:05:00.000+10:00

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...

2006-09-09T14:38:00.000+10:00

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

2006-09-05T14:15:00.000+10:00

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'

neil. yeah.

2006-08-29T12:06:00.000+10:00

see it.

this n that

2006-08-28T14:21:00.000+10:00

did my first show as a spare tone with the wolftones on saturday nite, at some far-flung suburban beer barn. it felt pretty good being able to crank up the amps and blast some loud electric guitar for a change.

this head cold of mine is entering its seventh hit week, with no signs of sliding down the charts. my doctor says its not bacterial, so antibiotics would be useless, and I just need to rest more. so that's what all the years of degrees and training are for - "doc, it hurts when I do that." "so don't do that. here's my bill."

speaking of....

this guy takes his parrot into the local vet's and says it's sick. the doc examines it for a few minutes before announcing that it's dead and hands the guy a bill for $50. the guy says it can't be dead, as the doc only had a cursory look at it. he insists on another opinion. the doc sighs and steps out of the room for a moment. he returns with a large, aging tabby. the cat climbs up onto the bench and sniffs at the bird. the cat then looks at the doc and sadly shakes his head. the cat leaves, to be followed by a golden retriever. the dog climbs up to the bench and sniffs at the parrot. the dog then looks at the doc and sadly shakles his head as well, then leaves. the doc tells the guy that the parrot is truly dead and hands him another bill for $500. the guy gets angry and asks why this bill is so much more than the first one. the doc says, "well, that was before the cat scan and the lab tests...."

happy b-day to annii, and I hope you find the right terminal at the airport this week.

is it just a matter of time, sharona?

2006-08-23T16:21:00.000+10:00

I'd only recently learned of the knack's doug fieger's brain tumor surgery, and the latest is that he's making something of a recovery. unfortunately his bandmate, drummer extraordinaire bruce gary succumbed to lymphoma yesterday.

in spite of being dogged by that "one hit wonder" tag, the knack were a great live band, and I'll always remember getting to jam with bruce when he filled in for ginger baker one nite at the topanga canyon pub jam sessions back in '82.

the weekend gig marathon wasn't as bad as I'd expected. adrenaline can do that, i suppose. at any rate, all the gigs were well attended, enjoyable and worthwhile. the only real down side is that I seemed to have picked up this respiratory virus thing again. c'mon spring.....

happy b-day to my lil sis, terri. now that I have all three of your kids on my myspace page, the distance doesn't seem as far.

np - douglas spotted eagle / canyonspeak

the life of a working class musician

2006-08-20T13:25:00.000+10:00

had a longish rehearsal yesterday, and was just about to head out the door to relax and unwind at a pal's gig when the phone rang. could we do a last-minute gig at a local pub? my fingers said no, my musos heart said why not, my 'bills-to-pay' folder said you'd better.

so it's a fitting preface to today's marathon, which sees me headed out the door in about an hour to set up gear at the merton, then to the commercial to do an afternoon set with val and justin at 3pm. then at 6pm, I'll jet across the peninsula to do my sunday session, for which my guest has prewarned me he may be too ill to attend, in which case I'll end up playing on me own all nite.

then, it's pack up, drop off the guitars and head back down the peninsula to the unity and join the boys in the wolftones for a few numbers, as I'll be filling in for a few upcoming shows.

all told, about ten hours' playing (plus set up/tear down equipment time) over roughly 27 hours.

cue dire straits' "money for nothing":

that ain't workin' / that's the way ya do it / you play your guitar on the mtv / that ain't workin' / that's the way ya do it / get your money for nothin' and your chicks for free

the gypsy gal's been toiling in the kitchen, working up some snacks for the set breaks. she's brought me some hummus to sample and critique (sidenote - while it's not as good as mine, she makes a pretty decent dip). being a musician and producer, I tend to analyze food in an audio fashion, as if the tongue was a sensory graphic equaliser. "the bottom end and midrange are solid", I remarked, "but it needs more mid-tops, especially around the 3-5k range". "huh?" she replied. "a little more garlic, lemon and some more cumin powder", I explained.

well, I knew what I meant.

np - this week's "americana roots music" podcast (rss feed)

meanwhile, back in the studio...

2006-08-19T07:29:00.000+10:00

a couple of tracks from the ordinary madness album have joined the others on my music page, along with a groovy new player fer yer dining and dancing pleasure. I'm also gonna start putting up a few odds n ends on my myspace page, some old demos from the warner/chappell studios, some live stuff etc. just trying to keep your interest - heh.

the long touted compilation, the downunder years is finally coming together. we've begun the artwork and mastering, and australia's big rock records will handle the release. I'll also (finally) start recording the new album in september at my pal chris's groovy spiral studios here in sydney's sw. we'll do the album the same piecework fashion as we're doing the blues pirates one, so it'll be finished when it's finished. I'm not expecting to see it out til after the 1st of the year, realistically. but it's coming - at long last.

np - kasey chambers / carnival

jamming for blue genes

2006-08-17T00:19:00.000+10:00

just got word that a short vid clip of the finale of the Jamm for Genes fundraiser is online. So have a look here.

am I out of my mind?

2006-08-14T15:37:00.000+10:00

after enjoying the past nine months of repeatedly stating "no more fooderies", we've not one - but two - very intriguing carrots dangled in front of the gypsy gal and I. she's not happy with her current gig, and has been aching to get back behind the two-group for a while now. on top of that, a good pal in melbourne has been toying with the idea of throwing in her sucky job and heading across the border.

I gotta admit, I do kinda miss pottering around in a commercial kitchen. that last place was too hard after our chef left, and the first one was a great vibe, but underequipped and located smack in the midst of anglo whitebread heaven, who thought my cuisinary concoctions too "exotic" for their tomato sauce tastebuds.

but being back in the city, in a trendyish neighbourhood may be a different matter. I have a few people to meet with this week, we shall see what eventuates from this, and whether I need to sharpen my knives again...

great turnout yesterday for rich and fi's spot at the merton. there should be a couple of music clips on their site sometime later tonight - in other words, when I get around to it.

happy b-day to miss meggs.

np - ryan adams / love is hell, pt. one

her name is rio, and she rezzes in a sim....

2006-08-09T23:06:00.000+10:00

some of you may be familiar with the relatively new metaverse called second life - I've mentioned it before, as I've "performed" there a few times.

it's an amazing concept, and I'd remarked from the beginning that it was just a matter of time before more real world musicians started finding their way inworld to reach fans. so it looks like duran duran are next cab off the rank. stay tuned. this is only early days yet.

oh, and some cool net radio stuff in the pipeline. details as they finalise.

weekend redux

2006-08-08T09:28:00.000+10:00

yes, as anticipated, it was a busy weekend, but a lot of fun was had by all. the jamm 4 genes gig was a little underattended, due to the torrentuous rain that deluged sydney on friday....

... and a sidebar - what is it about sydneysiders and rain? this is a city that straddles a large harbour, next to the ocean. every summer, the populace gorges itself on boating, swimming in the harbourside pools, surfing and generally frolicking in the waters. but let a few drops fall from above, and they all fear they'll melt a la the fabulous margaret hamilton's character in the wizard of oz.

/end rant. anyhoo, the gig was a hoot, in spite of the smallish crowd. I was ably backed by the deadsetter's rhythm section. the setlist:

teach your children / graham nash
she knew elvis / cc, from the 'abc sessions'
dylan / cc, from 'wooden nails'
for what it's worth / steven stills
good riddance / billie joe armstrong (done country rock style, with a sidetrip into a pink floyd tune - you woulda had to have been there)

saturday was our regular monthly gig at the bald rock pub. it's always a good one, and this was no exception. I'm just trying to recall who it was with the bright idea to head up to the untidy, er, the unity pub afterwards, as I didn't get home until after 3am.....

.... which normally isn't a big deal, as I usually sleep in a bit on sundays. but my pal annii was flying in early. so onwards to the merton, which became my b-day party of sorts. we had the place completely packed at one point, many many thanks to all who turned up to play and just hang out. huge thanks to the gypsy gal for all the great food, and to annii and whomever else who helped out. it was probably the best birthday I've had in eons.

I'll post some pics shortly on the gallery pages as well. but for now, back to the routine..... heh.

np - tennessee ernie ford / 16 tons

they say it's yer birthday....

2006-08-04T12:43:00.000+10:00

.... it's my birthday too, yeh.

funny things, marking the dates of our being dropped into this mortal coil. for most, it's a celebration. for some, it's a painful reminderof the passing years, lost loved ones and our own fragile mortality.

for me, it's pretty much just another day.

the leo party was a great idea that ran for a while, where a bunch of us born within the same month would congregate for a joint bash. this'll be the first time in a few years there won't be one, but I think we're all too tied up with our own biz to organise anything. however, I've decided to turn my sunday gig into a quasi-party, so if you're in sydney, drop in.

and with the weekend's gigs upon me (see earlier posts for details), I may not be posting til afterwards. so I'll wish miss eden a happy b-day for today as well, and best wishes to my buddies and musical legends rich and ronnie for tomorrow.

np - penguin cafe orchestra / preludes, airs and yodels

hey new yorkers

2006-08-03T12:57:00.000+10:00

a very cool artist pal, gretchen witt is playing the living room on friday - go see her, you'll be happy you did. details are here.

np - chantal kreviazuk / in this life

gimme three good reasons.....

2006-08-01T12:41:00.000+10:00

..... to smile this weekend:

1) the annual jeans for genes children's benefit is on this friday 4th. I'm performing as part of a show at the orange grove tavern in lilyfield, it's a great cause and y'all should get along to it;

b) the monthly bald rock gig on saturday;

3) the sunday merton session this week will be my annual b-day bash jam session.

I've been digging thru a stack of dat tapes from my publishing back catalog, dozens and dozens of old demos, many of which I really don't recall writing, let alone recording.... sheesh. but there's a few rough gems there, I've found something called "strangers" which is a talking blues style fingerpicking thing that I might include on the upcoming "greatest non-hits" compilation that my publisher and I are well, compiling.

if you need a good giggle, check this story of a barmaid who asked to see a customer's id, and was shown her own.

get outta the house, you!

2006-07-29T16:41:00.000+10:00

tonite, I'm at the riverview in balmain with val gray and the whole band - supposedly after the big football match, which means we probably won't start til after 10pm...

tomorrow, back at the merton from 6pm, and a heads-up for next weekend: friday, 4th august, I'm appearing on the annual jeans for genes benefit gig to raise funds for children's diseases. I'll have a few of the deadsetters as my backing band, and it will be the proverbial hoot. details on my gigs page. call the babysitter, lock up grandma and get down there, y'all.

np - big star / radio city

real men don't read roadmaps

2006-07-27T01:21:00.000+10:00

most of you long-time readers know that I've recently shied away from making commentary in relation to geopolitical issues, events and the like. life's just too damn short to argue. and the next person who says to me, "yes, I know what's really happening in the world, I watch fox news" - well......

but the simple notion of loving one another, doing what's right for oneself, one's family, one community and one's God - which seems to be a universally accepted tenant in nearly all major religions - seems to be drifting further from the shore every day.

oh, speaking of "entertainers who speak out", I see the dixie chicks are touring these shores soon. can imagine the number uno question from all aussie journos will be: "wtf was all that fuss about with bush?"

spent most of the day in the studio working on the blues pirates album, got a nice take of the tatt's "bad boy for love", done as an acoustic swing. it'll be on the album later in the year.

as for my own long-dreaded new release, well, who knows. the continuing financial and personal setbacks seem to be conspiring to make that a dream best left forgotten. sorry to sound so down, but I really am. I've also been listening to a lot of great tunes from my old compadres back in the 70's power pop days and desperately trying to avoid collapsing into a thoreauian parody.

do I need to take up a new career as a lobbyist for some useless, but well-paying cause? like recycling old road signs and billboards as sk8 parks? administrative affairs representative for excess chalk in public schools? movement to make belly button bling mandatory in all public offices - for women, too?

and - hello, folks.... we have a comment box at the bottom of each post now. I know there's some 300-odd of y'all who read this, so talk to me, people.

happy b-day to lyn of the irish clan.

np - rain parade / emergency third rail power trip

words to live by

2006-07-26T09:47:00.000+10:00

"a song is people put to music"
- freddie hart

where'd the month go?

2006-07-25T16:17:00.000+10:00

last time I blinked, the calendar had just turned over to july. now, I'm staring august in the face (and for that matter, so are all of you....). where'd july go?

the sunday sessions were great, the guys from melbourne were sensational. catch them if they're touring near you - jordie lane and chris matthews.

so far, I've spent the entire day lost in paperwork preparing for taxes, etc. is it my imagination, or does this task seem to get harder every year? is my life that's gotten more complicated, or have my few remaining left-side braincells taken up residence somewhere on the numerous hard drives in front of me (none of which that will talk to each other, of course)? do I know what rhetorical means?

np - pandora radio

attention austinites

2006-07-19T16:51:00.000+10:00

there's a benefit gig for my pal kacy crowley's husband karl anderson, who is fighting ongoing medical costs after a serious fall. here's the scoop:

Wednesday July 19th
9-12pm
@Threadgills South
Jon Dee Graham and Friends
Troy Campbell
Kacy Crowley
Bob Schneider

the wrath of grapes

2006-07-19T07:17:00.000+10:00

this was somewhat amusing: an aussie weekend newspaper sent out a chapter of patrick white's 1973 nobel prize-winning novel "the eye of the storm" to 12 leading publishers - under another title and pseudonym. they all rejected it. dunno if that's a commentary on the current literary market, or the role of today's publisher, but I got a chuckle out of this rainy morning.

however, I was saddened by the news that not only has tuesday's javanese tsunami death toll still climbing (with hundreds more still missing), but also reports that, once again, the alarm did not reach the people in time, in spite of 45 minutes' warning.

thanks to my music critic pal jackson, for this heads up: adrian bourgeois is the son of former bourgeois tagg (and dove-award winning producer) brent. still a teenager, adrian writes some of the best post-beatles/pet sounds pop that I have heard. there's no record deal yet, but check out some of the tracks on his myspace page.

looking good in blues

2006-07-17T18:25:00.000+10:00

the unofficial debut of the blues pirates went well, a little rough around the edges, but it's better that way. lots of special guests including the bali brothers kept the nite grooving along. thanks to everyone who made it, especially that last set where you couldn't move in the place. there'll be more soon.

I've enjoyed playing these low-key internet webcasts lately, and I'm thinking about doing a regular weekly spot. might be handy for those of you who couldn't catch the earlier ones. possibly a tuesday nite, 9pm ish west coast usa time, will confirm shortly.

congrats to amy and steve on their impending engagement party. hope dennis hopper will be there.

np - thelonious monk / san francisco holiday

the guys get SHIRTS!

2006-07-14T12:28:00.000+10:00

saw this one the other day, go here and turn on your speakers (warning: not 100% work/family safe). it's the evergreen mr paul anka back in the day, berating his band and crew. not quite as vicious as the infamous buddy rich tapes, but very, very funny nonetheless.

for some unexplainable reason, I seem to have come down with a microwave flu. and by that, I mean the instant kind, like our modern day society demands (no upsizing this one, thanks). I still dunno how it happened, about 1am, I was happily playing pool at the monkey bar after val & mitch's showcase, tossing down overpriced local lagers and trying to hold a publican's wife back from busting her pool cue over some deservedly idiotic doofus, then it's 5am, and I'm shivering and shaking like a wet puppy. it's been bad enough where I had to cancel a studio session today, which I hated to do, but probably not as much as they would've hated what I would've possibly done to their microphones.

the fever broke about midday, and everyone that's been thru that process - which I'm assuming is most people - knows that it comes equipped with some very bizarre dreams. I spent some time this morning trying to make sense of them all, which of course is usually a pointless exercise. I've never put too much stock in to the new age 'dream interpreters', especially when they all seem to totally contradict each other. but clearly, the subconscious is a very busy beast when the rest of the body is at rest, and there's obviously a reason for that. one that I'm sure our tiny human brains cannot comprehend.

hopefully, I'll pull up okay enough for my usual sunday gig, chris turner and myself are gonna road test some of the new blues tunes we've been recording for the blues pirates. I have suggested that in order to attract a larger audience of middle-ages females, we change the letter 'r' in 'pirates' to an 'l'....

see emily play

2006-07-12T22:32:00.000+10:00

well, he's gone. syd barrett, the much loved, much maligned poet/genius founder of the pink floyd has died, aged 60.

so may people only seem to know the floyd from their post-dark side work, after david gilmour had 'replaced' syd. but herein was a true visionary, who went on to lead the classically tortured life after his withdrawal from society.

if you're not familiar with syd-era floyd, go dig it out. you'll be amazed.

there's policy, and then there's policy....

2006-07-11T19:01:00.000+10:00

"I support gay marriage," Friedman said in 2005. "I believe they have a right to be as miserable as the rest of us." -

kinky friedman

monday is the new sunday

2006-07-10T13:42:00.000+10:00

since my weekend shows culminate in the sunday residency (and often, kicking on afterwards if some pals are playing down the road), mondays always feel like a sunday to me. I wish the various salespeople, bill chasers, clients and biz partners would understand that....

on top of that, I stayed up all nite to watch this morning's world cup final, although I opted to stay home rather than join the ten-thousand strong who swarmed the streets of sydney's italian district. might as well have watched the first 20 minutes, then tuned in for the extra time penalty shoot out. it did seem a bit anticlimatic to have the world's most watched sporting event [sidenote to nascar fans: 1.2 billion] decided by a couple of free kicks, but them's the rules I suppose.

it's still sunny and somewhat warmish during the days here in the depth of the aussie 'winter', such that it is. hope you northern hemi folks aren't sweltering too much. the house cd stacker is pumping out richard marx tunes as the gypsy gal is getting primed to join a few o/seas pals and catch up with her buddy richie when he plays in town here soon. hey, I don't mind ol' handsome dick. we unfortunately shared the same manager once, but he's cowritten some great tunes, has a very cool wife, and he ain't billy joel.

I've also been enjoying getting back to playing more slide lately. I've been very fortunate over the years to have worked with so many great slide and steel players: henry cooper, garrett costigan, chris turner and of course pete wells. so I've been prowling around a bit looking for more resonators etc, and justifying the idea to the gypsy gal by assuring her that pete's spirit has told me to.... or else.

art n alt.country

2006-07-08T19:50:00.000+10:00

did another internet radio thing today, yeah I shoulda listed it, but there'll be more. this was a bit of 'friday nite US time' party thing anyway, so I just played a bunch o' covers.

off to catch mark lucas and the band, and am going to do my damndest tomorrow to get to bernice davies' exhibition. if you're in sydney, it runs for another couple of weeks. details on her site.

tomorrow's the usual sunday gig too, with mr. flew returning after a spell.

oh, and i finally got around to rebuilding my design site, well, most of it anyway. still need to update the flash files n all, but at least it's recoded properly.

np - crosby and nash / to the last dolphin

the beat goes on....

2006-07-05T09:00:00.000+10:00

yesterday's webcast went well, after a few inworld hiccups. seems the 'promoters' of the event hadn't thought about a backup venue, and when stream problems couldn't be solved at the original venue, the whole shindig was moved at about 2 minutes to airtime. so those of you who tuned in and wondered why it was all running late, there's yer answer.

yes, I've reverted to typing in lower case here, anyone who gets my emails knows that's my preferred lazy type option, and I have always had a kind of e e cummings fixation of sorts.

so italy beat germany in the world cup semi finals.... lots of partying going on in leichhardt, sydney's italian district, and I'm still hearing horns blaring up and down the roads here.

here's a very cool story, if any of you missed it - this guy in the states, who after spending 20 years in a post-accident coma, has revived somewhat after his brain neuropathways 'reconnected' themselves. his then baby daughter is now 20, and he's understandably perplexed. apparently he still thinks ronald regan is president.... which might not be such a bad thing, considering....

happy 50th b-days to jake, and to ruth.

np - joni mitchell / taming the tiger

New financial year, new musings format

2006-07-03T14:00:00.000+10:00

This is the new format for musings, I hope you'll find it workable. All the previous archives are accessible thru the archive index. You'll see the comments box below each post now too, hopefully it'll get used this time.... heh.

Weekend's gigs went very well again, I always enjoy these first o' the month gigs. Had some friends in town who stayed, and was great to see some new faces as well.

The Internet radio webcast is 10am tomorrow morning, my time. Now I've gotta drag myself out of bed early enough to warm up my throat and fingers. Hope you can tune in. Open your fave media player (Windows Media Player, Winamp etc) and plug this into the URL field: http://www.wickedkarma.com:9051

np - Phil Keaggy / Acoustic Sketches