live from the planetarium

I went to Perth for 6 days last week. It was exciting. Well, Perth was pretty dull as a place, but our activities there were fun fun fun. Firstly, the plane trip over gave us Michael Clayton which I'd been wanting to see for ages. Despite the tiny screen it showed on it was clearly a fine effort of film-making. Hugh and Justin (the other members of The Bedroom Philosopher And His Awkwardstra, the band I play in who had been invited over to play the Perth International Arts Festival) were as excited as me and joking about 5-star hotels and chauffeurs on the plane. That these dreams were shortly to be realised was almost like walking into someone else's life. Kat, our tour manager (I KNOW! A real live tour manager....for US!) was super friendly and gave us lots of points of interest on the way in, dropped us off at our hotel and came back a few hours later to drive us to soundcheck. Once in our room we toyed with the idea of sharing a king-sized bed and purchasing pyjama-hats but ended up giving the King to Justin and Hugh and I split the single beds.

The Soundcheck turned out to be stage managed (mad hey?) by the Kaiser Chiefs stage manager, who was surprisingly bereft of gossip-worthy stories about his boys. 'Nah sorry man, they're mostly all married and get early nights. Really, just normal lads.' Yawn. The stage was massive and gave me lots of room to run around, which I dutifully did.
The gig itself was pretty good, the others were a bit off-put by the rock stage sound, but I loved it. We played after Lawrence Leung's comedy show which was as brilliant as ever and which the crowd loved. We played at this venue in a park right on the waterfront in front of some huge skyscrapers.
Amazingly waiting for me after the gig was blixt and Mr Blixt who proved to be informative, friendly, curious and hilarious in equal measures. blixt helped us polish off our daunting rider of bizarre fruit and cheeses and quite sensibly, left us to gently trash our hotel room before sleeping like logs.

After exploring Fremantle a little, all liking it immensely, and visiting Little Creatures Brewery (where we, before midday, ACTUALLY saw a woman get vomited on by some random drunk guy) we played another, far better gig which had more banter and audience interaction. We went to a club called Amplifire, danced to quality indie tunes until 5AM, took some people back to our hotel room and swam in the pool with bottles of wine, saunaed and ruthlessly used the treadmill. How rock!

Hugh and I stayed another 4 days, snorkeled and cycled around Rottnest Island, which was the highlight of the trip. SUCH beautiful water and friendly fish. Fremantle was still fantastic, especially when I was exploring around the University of Notre Dame which I have decided to try to get into once I've finished my degree. It seems very good, the staff seem friendly and the students have a broad variety of backgrounds. It also seems like a place that wouldn't distract me too much.

The plane trip back gave me The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, a film I had been incredibly looking forward to seeing but which cut out RIGHT when Jesse James is assassinated to allow us to land in Melbourne. Hot dang! They should have just kept circling. Anyway, after many stresses and an obscenely expensive cab fare, I made it to the Sonic Youth gig I had tickets for where I met up with my cousin and some pals and saw a killer show. I've written too much already. In short, I'm back at school know and simultaneously loving it, and dreading the coming weeks and all the homework I need to do, some of which I'll be starting right about now....

Got my license! I can drive! I got it on my second attempt. The first I was too nervous and kept turning corners and entering intersections too fast, one of which undid me when a car had to stop for me after I went past a Give Way while checking a bicycle lane I knew was empty over my other shoulder. Two days, one Arcade Fire and one LCD Soundsystem show, not quite enough sleep and some yoga later, and I was AOK and scored 96%.
Naturally my license photo has me looking like I've just been pulled off the dance floor at a rave for looking too happy. Clearly I was a little excited.

I have vaguely begun shopping for a car though my standards for the vehicle I purchase are totally absurd and willfully ill-informed. The car must be unusual but not too quirky, must have a wooden dashboard, be automatic, run on diesel or gas, be big enough to carry my amps and guitars, actually beautiful to look at (i.e--European), preferably old but not falling to pieces or rusty and under $8000. I feel it will be a long and languorous search.

Have been working on the theme for a friend's TV show. It's a comedy series whose name I cannot reveal for televisual security reasons (actually true) but it's a warm show about childhood ambition and the realisation of dreams. Mainly it's set in 1984 so the theme has to feature computery bleeps, strident melodies and be over in 30 seconds. Take 1 was well-received but there is much editing and head-scratching to do before I see my name in the credits. It's on ABC TV, Wednesday nights at 8:30 (after Spicks and Specks for those of you who know about these things) and starts in September or October.

Both Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem shows were at the greatest venue in the city (The Forum) and both - particularly Arcade Fires' - were magnificent.

Man Gilmore Girls is good.

Big Day Out was interesting. Mainly it was a blast. When recounting the day to others you forget the heat, the queues the literally overwhelming number of Rage Against The Machine fans, the nauseating sight of cocky idiots wrapped in the ethical armour of an Australian flag, the small-quantities of overpriced food, the dust, the sheer number of distractions from the headline acts and say 'Bjork was brilliant!', 'Arcade Fire were ace!' and 'Our show went really well!' and that's how I'd rather remember it. 45 minutes of being crushed in a crowd in an effort to get into the D-section in front of the big stages was a highlight too, and a necessary part of the whole experience.

Our show did go really well, some people knew the words to Golden Gaytime and, best of all, our new song Wow Wow (in which Justin becomes a monster called Wow Wow for the verses before we all burst into a nonsensical sunshine-singalong pop chorus) went down brilliantly with people singing the chorus after we'd finished the set. Plus our new joke ending of silently rocking out and collapsing on stage drew laughs aplenty. Managing to get Bjork's towel handed to me from the stage was a personal highlight, that it wasn't used was a minor downside but I'm sure there is enough of her DNA on it to make it better than every other plain white towel in Northcote. A complete review of her phenomenal show - better than the one in Sydney even - is on my Myspace page.

I go for my driving test tomorrow morning. It's a very big step in my growing up and getting over this Peter Pan nature that has been a defining characteristic in my refusal to embrace adulthood. It's finding a balance of unbridled youthful excitement and being able to be responsible that I'm still looking to find and this seems like a step worth taking. I still find cars ugly (though some European designs are beautiful), outdated lethal polluting monstrosities and have no intention of actually owning one until the perfect Citroen comes my way, but it does seem like a milestone I should have.

I doubt anyone will have been concerned enough to have been checking in on my hibernating LJ, most of us seem to be getting more and more drawn into the world of Facebook, but thank you for dropping into my diary.

For me the backlash has been brewing since I began using it, but it's taken until recently for my dissatisfaction with status updates as a description of my life to return to dear LJ.
Anyway, excuses aside, here is what I've been up to:

I got great marks at school, I broke up with Bridget in a way I'd rather not discuss here (she has now moved out, much to both of our relief), I sold most of the artworks I inherited for a far-greater-than-imagined sum which pleased me no end (my sister can buy some land in Tasmania - yay!), and I've been going to still more gigs, and writing still more articles. It's been a fantastic summer.

I got back from seeing Bjork at the Sydney opera House yesterday morning and it was such an amazing show, not only for the spectacular location (The Opera House with a full moon rising above it behind, the Harbour Bridge to the right, the Royal Botanical Gardens to the left and BJORK! in front) but her set took in all of her albums bar Debut and the spectacle was remarkable. Bizarre and funny costumes, simple and strong colour schemes of dark neon orange and green, shooting lasers over the Opera House and huge confetti cannons that put us all in a snowstorm for the duration fo the last song, Declare Independence. I lined up 6 hours before showtime and it was so worth it.

Tomorrow I play at the Big Day Out with The Bedroom Philosopher which I'm very much looking forward to. In the last month I've interviewed Low, Beirut, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Cansai De Ser Sexy, Baby Animals, Archie Roach and Don't Look Back Festival organiser Barry Hogan. Plus I've seen 15 gigs already this year, so you can see I've not had much time for reflecting, so here's some.

Even though we're deep into January, this is my round-up of 2007 as printed in Inpress:

TOP 10 ALBUMS

1. Neon Bible ARCADE FIRE
2. Boxer THE NATIONAL
3. Graduation KANYE WEST
4. Loney, Noir LONEY, DEAR
5. The Ruby Suns THE RUBY SUNS
6. The Cloud of Unknowing JAMES BLACKSHAW
7. Proof Of Youth THE GO! TEAM
8. From Here We Go To Sublime THE FIELD
9. Theory Of Machines BEN FROST
10.Pikelet PIKELET

TOP 3 ARTISTS OF THE YEAR

1. Muscles
2. Battles
3. Pikelet

TOP 3 INTERNATIONAL ARTIST GIGS

1. Pet Shop Boys at Sidney Myer Music Bowl
2. Daft Punk at Sidney Myer Music Bowl
3. The Pixies at The Palace

TOP 3 LOCAL ARTIST GIGS

1. Muscles, Julian Nation, The Motifs, The Whales at Gertrudes
2. The Apartments at The Northcote Social Club
3. Sir, The Crayon Fields - The Toff in Town

TOP 3 RADIO SHOWS

1. I'd Rather Jack - RRR
2. Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo - BBC Radio Five
3. Bluejuice - PBS

TOP 3 TV SHOWS

1. Life On Mars
2. Spicks And Specks
3. Summer Heights High

TOP 3 FILMS

1. Hairspray
2. The Fountain
3. Inland Empire

TOP 3 ONLINE DESTINATIONS

1. last.fm
2. poplookandlisten.com
3. google.com

THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES AWARD (MOST OVER-HYPED)

They're very nice new clothes yes The Horrors, but could you write a decent song please lads?

IF THE CRAPTASTIC SLOGAN OF THIS YEAR WAS KEVIN07, WHAT WILL 2008'S BE?

"O8AMA. His Year. Your Vote." For Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

HIGHLIGHT(S) OF THE YEAR

Change of government. Whenever it rained. Finishing Harry Potter. The Pixies touring. Zulya winning an ARIA. The Apartments reforming. The fact that my albums of the year list looks like the highlights of this summer's gig announcements...loads really.

PREDICTION FOR 2008

Bush goes and international celebrations ensue. There is a collective move away from Facebook as people get 'application overload' and fed up with targeted advertising. Chats will weep for joy as Ween play during a gorgeous Meredith sunset and My Bloody Valentine tour with each gig being as tear-inducing as the Ween show.

QUOTE OF THE YEAR

"Spider-Pig, Spider-Pig, does whatever a Spider-Pig does. Can he swing from a web? No he can't, he's a pig, Look out! He is a Spider-Pig." Homer Simpson, The Simpsons Movie

BEST MEDIA MOMENT

Kerry O'Brien failing to contain his glee while calling Maxine McKew's victory in Bennelong on election night, confusing the ALP with the ABC and generally losing it. Glorious television.

2007 IN REVIEW

Facebook, Muscles going "woo!", climate change, Chris Lilley, Amy Winehouse, Battles, an endless trail of ace new local bands, the end of Blair and Howard; w00t. Most really impressive gigs involved bands interpreting computer-composed music in an engaging way (Basement Jaxx, Patrick Wolf, Pet Shop Boys, The Presets) or used loop pedals well. For whatever reason there seemed to be more underwhelming albums than captivating ones this year, suggesting we're getting used to singles and 'shuffle' and less likely to pay attention to a 45 minute sequence. Geographically disparate rhythms and layered soundscapes leaped further to the fore this year which kept things fresh; like dancing to SBS (M.I.A, AiH, Animal Collective, new Ruby Suns etc.) and replaced 2006's angular edge. This year felt like a clean-out or transition, priming us for better music and better decisions made by better political leaders next year. Bring it on.

I'd like to say that it's entirely because of school that I haven't been posting here, but I've also been writing alot of articles, playing lots of gigs - and rehearsing for them, spending too much time playing online Scrabble and at Facebook and been having actual real interactions with people which has mostly been great.

Since I last wrote, the Film Festival passed - with David Lynch's Inland Empire, the Joe Strummer documentary The Future Is Unwritten, the Joy Division biopic Closer, and the Mongolian film Khadak being my favourites. The last film has one of the greatest opening sequences I've ever seen, then the ensuing story of "is the boy the latest in a great line of shamans, or just a mixed up street kid with epilepsy" told with an incredible visual style that left me feeling a bit lost, sometimes rivieted and occasionally bored. Still, it is a great film and local film buff Anthony Carew's film of the festival.
I saw the first half an hour of one of the films I most wanted to see, The Journals Of Knud Rasmussen, partly because I was supposed to actually BE in it (as a Danish missionary), and partly because it's a film about the Inuit and set exclusively in the high Arctic, but unfortunately the film jammed in the projector, burnt through (looking, briefly, quite lovely in the process) and the cinema was evacuated. Hopefully it will get at least a limited release here.

Since then I've ben getting back into schoolwork and, once again, taking on a few too many gig reviews and interviews at Inpress. I was due to interview Lemmy from Motorhead but he wound up cancelling his Australian interviews after the third postponement, which was a shame, he would have been brilliant. An interview with Funeral For A Friend finally got published, and 747s, Skipping Girl Vinegar and Kid Confucius have also recently fallen under my pen. Still waiting to hear back from A Place To Bury Strangers, I'm From Barcelona and James Blackshaw. Writing is fantastic.

My inheritance finally came through in the form of some official letters, a hefty tax rate and a chequebook, which seemed very antiquated, but surprisingly practicable. As a result, I'm out of debt (save this school fee I've begun amassing again now that I'm back here) and thinking that a term deposit is a good way to go.
I've also tendered the paintings my sister and I inherited to Deutscher Menzies auction house which was a bit of an adventure. Posh young suited art dealer (who you could just TELL had rarely ventured north of the Yarra) saying all these wonderful things and being so flattering. Interestingly, his great aunt had travelled to London in the 1930s to learn from my great grandfather so we bonded on that a bit. They reduced their usual commission rate and will be exhibiting them in Sydney in December.

The numerous gigs have been awesome, especially the one supporting childhood legend Peter Combe. Well, not so much MY childhood legend, but the gig we played with him was a mystifyingly intense nostalgia trip for everyone who turned up. Many of the 550 people there were dressed up in the manner of one of his songs - Newspaper Mama newspaper hats, Toffee Apples, Juicy Juicy Green Grass, Wash Your Face In Orange Juice etc. Heaps of fun, but strange. It is so much fun to be playing again, AND with my new exciting Rickenbacker bass which should still be visible below. I set off a car alarm in front of the house yesterday by cranking my amp up and jumping around the room. I'm sure it's the bass not my hefty bulk that did it.

Summer is looking very exciting. Lots of festivals, lots of gigs, and no homework. Which is something I'd best get back to now.

Sicko was great. Though of course Michael Moore is shamelessly guilty of bending facts to suit his own ends (indeed, notice that as soon as he talks about anything that you know about, you can tell this), I can forgive him for that because that is already how Americans (who he basically makes his films for), are already used to getting their information. It would be great to see a well-rounded exploration of the subjects Moore tackles, but it wouldn't be quite as entertaining as his hijinks and tangents.
This was not quite to Bowling For Columbine's standard, but still worth a really good.
Mister Lonely was fantastic, in both senses of the word. Concerning a Michael Jackson impersonator living in Paris who meets a Marilyn Monroe impersonator who takes him to a commune where other impersonators (Charlie Chaplin, Little Red Riding Hood, the Three Stooges, Abe Lincoln etc.) live, Harmony Korine intercuts this story with one of a missionary in South America (played by Werner Herzog) and nuns literally taking leaps of faith from an aeroplane it's a bizarre and oddly successful film.
The Joe Strummer documentary was brilliant, boosted by a surprise appearance of the director Julian Temple. It was SO rapidly edited and SO much material was available to them that it really couldn't fail to hold the attention, plus the galvanising force of Strummer's music and general sense of conviction about things (rightly or wrongly) made it all the more arresting. The audible groan from the cinema when Bono turned up was pretty funny.

Also saw an oddly beautiful and drifting mediation on a bestiality case that resulted in a death called Zoo, a pretty dire film about the life of Errol Flynn (which SHOULD have been brilliant given the subject matter and the prominence of my home town in it), a great no-budget account of a girl in Sydney courting and meeting up with an Indian girl in the UK called Searching For Sandeep, a mostly successful (but ultimately confusing) film called The Last Winter. This is an American/Icelandic horror film about a group of people digging for oil in the Alaskan north, but in the rapidly warming winter days, it becomes apparent that the Earth itself is turning against them. Like a cross between The Shining and An Inconvenient Truth - an ace idea but not wholly successfully rendered.

Year Of The Dog was great fun, though, as expected, watching !B's face watching the dogs on screen was the most fun part. About a woman who's beagle dies which sets her on a case of internal healing by trying to fix the external world via animal rights. Sometimes funny, but mostly very endearing.
The Simpsons Movie was brilliant too, as I'm sure many of you know. Really, they couldn't go wrong, but it was odd seeing them animated in a slightly different way and there were a LOT of moments of priceless hilarity Oatmeal Enthusiast? Spider Pig? Genius.

Played a gig at the Northcote Social Club last Thursday which went really well. My bass guitar was playing up a bit and I was incredibly excited when I visited Music Swop Shop and saw a Rickenbacker 4001, a bass I've been hunting for for several years. I put a deposit on it right away. It looks like this except like it's been played in a punk band for ten years (which it has).



At last. A decent bass.
This can't come a moment too soon as I have 7 gigs in the next month, and I'm lending gear to my friends who are supporting The Shins next week at The Corner. I think I'm playing percussion. Yay!

There is a quiz on Facebook that prevents me from doing pretty much anything apart from it which goes some way to explaining why I haven't been updating regularly. It's about music. I must win.

Harry Potter has consumed all waking hours in the last few days and I am happy, tired and emotionally wrung dry. Wow. It was such a trip. I won't spoil anything for anyone because most of you will have had some contact with the boy wizard and should definitely make it to the end of the series but I am so pleased with the honesty of writing and the various character arcs. Sure there could have been more of some and more prudent editing wouldn't have gone amiss occasionally, but overall there are no real complaints.
I dressed up for the book launch (9AM Saturday at Readings) and !B and I read a chapter each all weekend until finishing 3AM Monday morning.

I played a gig in Sydney with The Bedroom Philosopher that was really good fun and being flown somewhere to play the bass was a new experience. There were fantastic people and quality bands Richard In your Mind and Ergo B Bag played with us too. Sydney gets more enticing with each visit. Surrey Hills, it's trees, it's little shops and bay-windowed houses seemed like another world. Ambling the streets with Hugh, the drummer from the band, was a smashing afternoon.

The Melbourne Film Festival begins tomorrow and yes, despite starting back at school full time last Monday (which I am loving and have thrown myself into the world of homework wholeheartedly - except for when I'm on that Facebook quiz) I have signed up to volunteer and see LOADS of (mostly obscure) films.
Tomorrow night I see Sicko, Michal Moores new film which I have to dress up nicely for. Friday night takes in Harmony Korine's Mister Lonely and Julian Temple's Joe Strummer biopic. From there things get complex, but I hope to post about them here. I do like having something other than myself to write about.

Like my nephew who has begun smiling now which is exciting. For my visit he cried, slept and fed and didn't seem to recognise faces yet. Apparently now he has quite a different personality which I hope to meet again soon.

Have been taking on fewer reviewing and interviewing jobs of late (though interviewed folky-type Fi Claus this morning which was a lovely experience) as school is swamping my life and in fact, right now, I should get back to defining blepharitis and discuss the physiology of cataracts and glaucomas.

Thanks Jenn! I needed that.


Well the last few weeks have seen a whole host of distractions that have taken me from here. Firstly the moving in of !B to my house, her moving out of her apartment and, a growing volume of gig reviews and interviews for Inpress and, in the last week, our trip to Tasmania. Also, I can safely say that I have been almost utterly and entirely happy since I last wrote, an entry where I note my mood to be: happy.
This upturn in general disposition (and one I can foresee being maintained by the forthcoming book and film releases in the Harry Potter franchise over the next few weeks) I have felt both requires less documenting and would be less interesting for the casual reader.

It's a strange one and has been causing me to reflect on the self-obsessiveness of the whole idea of a blog which I suppose everyone who keeps one feels at some time. Another reason for the length of time between posts has been because of a steady increase in time spent on another website, one known as Facebook. Though I've not been spending that much time there, it has proved to be more instantly gratifying than the long-term rewarding prospect of posting in LJ.

Anyway, enough blether. I have been playing with my new nephew Eirik while in Hobart and that was a strange experience, almost entirely positive, but I'd never met a baby before who didn't look at faces yet and who simply breastfed, cried and slept. I am so glad I met him now so that next time I see him I'll be more excited at what he can do and is doing. There are several hundred photos that I could post some of here were anyone to be interested but I'll assume that there is a limited appeal to humans that new to the world. My sister seems to be very duck-to-water about the whole experience which didn't surprise me at all but it was great to be assured of her ability to mother.

!B moved in a few weeks ago and that was a fantastically smooth event. we got her a wardrobe off ebay and that turned out to be one suburb away so event that was an entirely trouble-free experience. There is still a lot of mess but it's been all almost unnervingly positive having her here and seeing pressures that were causing trouble before in our relationship just dissipate and her previously quite pronounced anxieties be replaced by a keen work ethic and proactive approaches to the many tasks at hand.

I have been interviewing many artists of late. Funeral for A Friend, The Red Paintings, Grand Atlantic and NEARLY Suzanne Vega (I missed out by MINUTES I tell you) have been recent projects that are at my Myspace.

Things are good and writing makes me feel happy, but I am going back to school next month to finish my degree in naturopathy, and that seems to hold little appeal to me at the moment. truly though, it's hard to compare the global impact of a CD review with being able to bring health to a person. I'd be happy writing forever but it barely pays at all (as I'm sure my fellow LJ - and FAR more accomplished - writer types can empathise with) and naturopathy (can't STAND how spellcheck still doesn't recognise that word) will be far more rewarding on a non-personal scale. I know that people say you're supposed to do what makes you happy, but nearly everything makes me happy to some degree. Even my utterly rubbish data entry job holds some appeal - and not just because of the lovely folk there.
I was discussing this with my friend who recently called off her wedding a week before the big day at her 'commiseration party' on Saturday night. She was saying how she still had no idea what she should do because there were so many things she liked but nothing that said 'this is the one'. I guess that underlies her attitude to marriage too. Her an her ex called it off because they had been devoting too much of themselves to their music promotion business and ignoring these creeping problems in their relationship. I think they'll sort it out but not without some time apart, which is on the cards.
And another adventure awaits.

It has been a long time, thank you for not giving up on me.
I've been so busy writing that every time I get onto my laptop I have articles to write for Inpress, and if not that then I am tracking down new CDs to write about for Togatus; this means that most of my reflections go unwritten. I could blether for paragraphs about what has been happening but that would be terrifically dull for most of you.
BRiefly, I have been seeing my life go into a cycle of lots of time working and listening to podcasts, usually from the BBC or Radio National, or ones specialising in Harry Potter or film reviews. In the evenings or afternoons I write, make dinner and almost always visit !B.
That I'm starting to get paid for writing is a bonus, and I have spent this morning tidying up an interview with Todd Hunter (of 80s rock band Dragon) which was great. I've also started a column in Togatus called Reassessing The Classics where I take a classic album and point out why it's overrated. This is great fun as I get to practice turns of phrase I only usually think and systematically bringing an argument down is always a good lesson in why something was constructed in the first place. I try to tackle albums that current musicians may find intimidating and the sooner we take away the baby boomers cultural props the sooner we can make our own valid. Rant over.

I've also been reading Margrave Of The Marshes by John Peel which is totally hilarious, really insightful and incredibly poignant given that he died maybe a quarter of the way through writing it (his wife wrote the rest). A shame it took so long to be released over here. It's hard to pace my reading of it as it's such an important book and I can only hope I can drag it out till The Deathly Hallows is released.

Saw Clap Your Hands Say Yeah last week who were good fun, but not as good as this new band I saw on Friday called The Summer Cats who were really exciting and fresh. Little Red were great too and I'd been reading alot about them, their mix of 50s rock, 4-part harmonies and boy-band RnB was ace. Such sharp dressers too.

Mostly though, the best news is that I've begun gigging again and played my first show in ages on Friday night at The Espy. Though I have to lug around a MASSIVE bass amp (a Laney 8x10 if anyone is interested), it was a great night and went really smoothly. I was in my sailor shirt again and !B said I looked nice, but she would say that. More importantly the reaction was really good and our manager is flying us up to Sydney and back for a gig in June which should be heaps of fun.

There is alot happening yes. Lots. Sister and babe are doing well, though of course she is not sleeping a great deal.
I am waiting for Wednesday whe nmy first feature for Inpress will be published. 650 words and an interview on Pikelet (http://www.myspace.com/ovalyn) which you can read at my myspace site.
Work is getting a bit trying as I am crying out for a change but wanting to stick at it until I return to school in July. !B is moving into my house on June 12th (I'll revert to calling her by her nickname as she hasn't taken to LJ at all). Have been writing alot of reviews for Togartus which is why I've not been posting here as much. As soon as I get time to be online i'm writing up a review. I'm yet to be paid for them but my pal Jenn who edits the magazine assures me it's in the works.
Eurovision party at Kerr St if anyone in Melbourne wants to come! This will be my sailor suit's first chance to make an appearance.
Am about to head out the door to see a couple of films which a part of ACMI's Focus On Punk film festival. Lots of short films about Post Punk is the first one including a live film of a Throbbing Gristle gig which should be completely mad. Mostly looking forward to seeing the CBGBs film with Television in it.
Saw The History Boys which was ace, and Half Nelson which was pretty good, though the fact that the characters were in the veritable social half-nelson made for a kind of 'going nowhere' vibe which made it a bit dull. Dialog and performances were fantastic though.
Half been seeing loads of gigs too, Jamie T, Sunn O))) and Boris as well as Sir's CD launch last week. Have been trying to work out how to time meals and sleeping better because I'm just terrible at it. Saying 'yes!' to everything offered and relegating self-care to the backburner. I know I'm not the only one, but as a naturopath in training I have to break through this thing so I can be an example.
Harry Potter! No reason.

Yes!
My sister had a baby! And he works!
He's called Erik and was born about 8PM last night, all 5.32kgs of him.
I got the call from my mother the moment I had opened an exiciting package from bethia_cathrain which held a collection of Winnie The Pooh stories. Amazing. Thank you Miss Cathrain, your prescience is miraculous and heralds good things for my newly-acquired uncledom.

My sister seemed unflummoxed by proceedings when I shouted excitedly down the phone to her this morning, despite not sleeping and needing stitches. She said yes it did hurt, yes, for a long time and no she didn't need any baby food yet. Sensible.

I won't get to see Erik until June, but I may well carry on like carignane once I get some photos.

Good gravy, it's been WEEKS andy_yayus. What have you been thinking?
Apologies for abandoning you livejournal.com, here I am full of brief reports on small adventures which will probably turn into a ramble.

Firstly, the comedy festival has been on so I've seen lots of great shows, most notably UK comedienne Josie Long (who I reviewed and resulted me getting my first quote in The Age (major Melbourne paper overseas-types)), whose show Kindness And Exuberance was utterly charming and thigh-slapping hilarious observational comedy with accompanying photocopied badges and fanzine were twee and genius. Lawrence Leung's show was, as expected, 5-star stuff. More like a powerpoint presentation in charm while deconstructing the idea of cool with his older brother as a yardstick. Andrew McLelland, Josh Earl, Corinne Grant were all good, while the surrealist theatre show The Glass Boat was brilliant.

Last week I was asked by Inpress (the paper I write for) to become a features writer, meaning I get to interview people) which I am excited about. I'm also doing more CD reviews for Togatus, the magazine of the University Of Tasmania.

Still no luck on the househunting front, but I think we're getting better at applying now. Seems like less work assembling applications, and we're getting more of an idea of what we want, though given the lack of places up for rent, our budget keeps stretching.

Right now I'm listening to Bjork's new album for the first time. It's incredibly exciting. I have such a mix of feelings it's hard to phrase them properly but it's another brave step. More robust electronica, a bigger presence of Antony than I thought, and less commercial than I was expecting. Lots of unsentimental positivity. Especially on the song dedicated to Greenland and the Faeroe Islands "Raise your flag / Don't let them do that to you." Sounds like Denmark should be expecting hurricanes.

Am at work now. Things are pretty good. I hope I don't use LJ as a whingefest. Been a while since I've read back over entries.

I also have recently won on ebay (I know it's actually buying, but winning auctions makes me feel better about the outlay) a crap bass guitar, a Vivian Stanshall CD, The Wicker Man and Withnail And I on DVD and a bass compressor that I haven't had a chance to use yet. More about that, selling artwork, the release of Twin Peaks season 2 and a mistaken grapefruit soon.

Been writing alot of reviews of late. Pixies were great, static but classic. Songs were note for note the albums and there was talk of them all leaving the venue in seperate cars. Still, despite the audience watching the gig through their mobiles and me being the only one punching their fist in the air along to Broken Face, Monkey Gone To Heaven and Something Against You it was a prfound gig.
I recorded some bass on Saturday through my new bass head which sounded brilliant. I also held my first ever ARIA award which was owned by the producer Marty who played with Hunters And Collectors. It was a fun though sometimes problematic experience. Last night was my pal Jasmine's birthday picnic which was great too. Lots of imaginatively delicious vegan food, absolutely lovely people and a sound thrashing at cards.
Still no luck househunting with beaglewrites but I'm feeling hopeful that this weekend we'll nail it. There is a house on Urquhart Street in Westgarth I feel positive about as it's the name of a castle I visited in Scotland and the last name of my friend who's bass I borrowed to record with.
My day walking and thinking was surprisingly productive. I wrote a bit, walked along Merri Creek and processed a great deal in the following days. Feel alot clearer and stronger than for a long time particularly about Da. No progres on the will though.
Latest edition of Mojo has a 4-star review for the band I played with on my birthday, The Ruby Suns. Yay! Speaking of wearing sailor suits, my Ukranian sailor shirt should arrive by mail this week. Even more yay.
My mother visits next week. Fingers crossed I'll get to review Bonnie Raitt and take her. If not we'll have a night in and watch The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg. Classic.

got back a few hours ago from seeing the pixies who were amazing. Well, they themselves were fairly perfunctory actually, very little banter (none besides the occasional stoned mumbling from Kim Deal), but the energy was brilliant and the songs are basically untoppable. This was, after all, history in motion, and the high everyone was on coming out was funny and pretty much unprecedented in my gigging experience in Melbourne. I'm meant to be writing up my review, and have made a promising start, but LJ calls. I have been so so lucky with scoring reviews lately. I got a text yesterday evening asking if I'd like to cover the pixies, and earlier that day got Pet Shop Boys/Gnarls Barkley/Groove Armada/The Rapture who are playing on wednesday, and I'm doing Tony Joe White on the 8th, which should be a change of pace.

News of Bjork's new album fills me with excitement, well beyond the excitement I naturally feel with each announcement of a new record. She said she's going to have fun again. The best news we could have hoped for. Her last album was a brave and nobel and actually really listenable and I think unfairly maligned as an experimental diversion borne from spending too much time with New York artists, but this is brilliant news. She's not had unabashed fun since Debut. Her album will be called Volta and features a bewildering array of guests; Lightning Bolt, an all-female brass band, Timbaland, an octogenarian Icelandic jazz pianist.
Frosti isn't working on it, but helped her install protools in her house so she could produce it herself.

I bought an Ampeg SVTIII bass head today. This piece of equipment means that when I record and play I'll sound great. I just need a bass, a compressor and a speaker now.

Does anyone here like or have an opinion of Amy Winehouse? I've been reading so much about her...

It was a year ago today my father died. Tomorrow's entry may be a bit drear as a result, but i don't think so.

Details here: http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,,2037600,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=1. Well I'm guessing at least betweenlakes will be interested. Sounds squirmingly good to me.
In other, less exciting news, beaglewrites and I spent 25 minutes waiting for a couple of friends of mine to show from their hotel room in the lobby of the Grand Hyatt. It was quite amazing to me, having not spent much time around opulence, just how beautiful some of the buildings in Melbourne are, having been inside so few of them. It was far more modern than anything I'd seen before, lots of tiny lights, chocolate sculpture on the all-you-can-eat dessert table at the buffet, members of various national swimming teams walking past (the FINA championships are on at the moment, incase the Grand Prix wasn't enough for the always well catered for Australian sports fan) and alot of space.
We then went out to a sushi restaurant in Chinatown and was in 24 hours of pain after the deathly mix of alcoholic beverages consumed (sake, wine and beer), still the company was impeccable.
Also DJed at another legendary Kerr St party which was such an inspirational night. The sound was killer, the room was constantly packed and the audience was spot on for my mix of punk, indie and edgy dance. Clag were ignored, Daft Punk caused a conga line, The Blow won fans and I had to play God's "My Pal" twice upon finishing.
Saw Hot Fuzz tonight which was ace. Surprisingly soon after it's UK release. I guess all this online piracy is forcing distributors hands. Loved all the cameos and the interplay between Simon and Nick. Such a good script.

Bagged a job doing a soundtrack to a short film...with a budget!
At least I thought I did. I saw the film Thursday night and talked with the director who was down with all of my suggestions. The film is called Jumping Jack and it concerns 5 larrikan Australians in the Vietnam war and an ugly scrape into which they get. It presented a perfect soundtrack opportunity for me, I could see and hear what it needed and more to the point I could DO it. I roped in some pals, got a budget together for him and explained as best I could what I wanted to do.
Now the executive producer wants a demo to compare with some other composers they're considering, which sounds like standard practice to me so I'm not bitter, it's just a wee setback because this is where my technological deficiency comes into play. I can record a sketchy demo of me and my guitar playing a song I've written for it, but I doubt it will stand next to Pro-Tools-proficient and experienced composers. Still, I'm trying and I'm dead keen to land this job, I feel it has come at such a good, my AFTRS course still fresh in my head, and I am going into a 12 week Pro-Tools course starting mid-April so this won't happen again.

Also, tomorrow there is a meeting of folk who are keen to enter the 15x15 festival making a filmclip for Justin AKA The Bedroom Philosopher (http://www.myspace.com/thebedroomphilosopher). Perhaps betweenlakes- if his broken ankle can manage the trip, my friend Hana (who got me into this short film) and a director called Ana who is a fan of Justin's.

No news on the house front yet, into it properly this week.

Tonight I review Zulya And The Children of The Underground, Saturday it's Eagles Of Death Metal!

Tellingly, there was a front page article on The Age today about the Australian work ethic (apparently we work longer hours than any other developed nation) and it's impact upon personal relationships and stress levels. I had been thinking about this and talking to !B (AKA beaglewrites about our ethics recently, as I work 6 days a week (including Sunday - as do 30% of working Australians apparently) and she is studying 5. As a result, we're looking for a place together.
I do dearly love my housemates, the house, it's gardens, the light, it's proximity to train station, two tram lines, cinema, work, rivulet and venues, so we're looking for something right near here. !B had considered moving in here, but preferred to set up her own place than move into someone else's. We've started looking and I'm bound to keep you posted, and yes, we met only 4 months ago. A bit mad maybe, but life will throw up these experiences and circumstances sometimes, and one reason for moving out is to live in a house where I can make more noise (which I've been doing lately with Justin to great effect), so I'm not "getting on the nest" as some pals used to call it.

Speaking of Justin, I'm going to record some basslines for his forthcoming album on the 31st, and the only decent bass guitar I knew I could borrow has since been deemed too risky to lend out, so I finally have to bite the bullet and seriously purchase one before then, and an amp too if possible. I'll be needing for all sorts of other things too (looking cool walking down the street, clubbing Hanson fans etc.) but have ridiculously high standards and low budget that ebay just can't match.

Also HAVE to spend the $100 deposit I put on a plane trip to UK on Monday. Don't know where to go yet, probably Hobart again, though !B's parents want me to visit them in Canberra. Seems a shame to take all that intention I put the deposit down with and use it to go to Canberra. With any luck Justin's CD will get released in the UK and we'll have to promote it, and !B's parents do seem cool, and it would be very education to see photos and have chats.

Of Montreal album "Hissing Fauna Are You The Destroyer" - Amazing
Arcade Fire's "Neon Bible" - Incredible
Loney, Dear's "Loney Noir" - Fantastic

went to The Laneway Festival on Saturday, it was great. I got there on time and stood in the middle, at the for nearly 10 hours. Love Of Diagrams were first up and they still have great songs, better riffs and a strong look, though their vocals and lyrics are nowhere near as pointed as they should be given the attention to detail in every other aspect of the band.
Archie Bronson Outfit were pretty disappointing, though this was largely due to the sound. The stage sound was pretty poor for everyone today, and my earplugs cut out alot of the high end, still their drummer is exceptionally good.
Camera Obscura were great, despite feedback problems. Plus, I could take my earplugs out for them. LloYd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken was fantastic.
Love Is All were my second favourites, loads of energy, magic Swedish accents and dynamite X-Ray Spex-style screaming and squalls of saxophone.
Peter Bjorn And John were the best though, they stripped their songs back to guitar bass and drums and they worked so so well. Great harmonies, and Young Folks featured Tracey-Ann from Camera Obscura which was worth the ticket price alone. Awesome.

Even better was seeing Vashti Bunyan last Tuesday night, but I'll save you more hyperbolic ramblings and anyone interested should go to my myspace link to the left. I also got to interview her for Togartus

Take the year you were born, go to wikipedia and list ten albums you could listen to today.
I found 12.

1. The Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers
2. Hejira - Joni Mitchell
3. Super Ape - Lee Perry
4. Lines - The Walker Brothers
5. Small Change - Tom Waits
6. Radio Ethiopia - Patti Smith
7. Station To Station - David Bowie
8. Rock And Roll Heart - Lou Reed
9. Stretching Out With Bootsy's Rubber Band - Bootsy Collins
10. Blondie - Blondie

(the others were The Last Waltz soundtrack and The Wild Tchoupitoulas - The Meters, George & Amos Landry, The Neville Brothers). This was taken from mysterbey. Thanks mysterbey.

It was "Messenger Birds" by Mellow Candle.
I like last.fm alot.
This means I've listened to more than 10 000 songs while online since the 17th of July.
hmmm....now what happened to that life of mine?

Excitement and tragedy this week.
excitement came in the form of an email from AFTRS (The Australian Film Television and Radio School, a VERY prestigious and hard-to-get-in-to school) saying I had been accepted to a 2-day course entitled Writing The Score: An Introduction to Screen Composition. The tragic part came that the classes were Monday and Tuesday evening, 6-10PM. This would be neither here nor there if my most anticipated gig of the year so far wasn't happening on Tuesday night. I bought tickets to see Vashti Bunyan (amazing 60s singing with astonishingly gentle voice) and was then given the job of reviewing her. Anyway, it's a quandary which I am trying to extricate myself from, as there is NO WAY I can miss either the gig or the class.
Excitement also came in the form of getting a ticket with beaglewrites to what will probably be the gig of the year in most peoples books, Phoenix, Jarvis Cocker and The Pixies at the Myer Music Bowl. The preceding night is The Pet Shop Boys, Gnarls Barkley and The Rapture which is a paycheck or two away.
Tragedy also struck in the financial department as I've got to pay for this course, the ticket and the usual bills/rent thing that seem to come at once. I'm sure I'll whether it Ok, just tricky at present. beaglewrites has been so cool about it all, especially as she's going through a poor patch too. why all these things have to come at once..I don't know.
It's been scorchingly hot today and yesterday, 38 degrees both days (a bit over 100F I think), and even though I'm in work beneath some ineffectual fans it's still sapping my will to do anything. Beyond ringing tills and mustering smiles for customers, it's just blergh. I'm wearing my Reykjavik t-shirt today, for hope, and it's keeping me going, as is frequently visiting the walk in drinks fridge. Yay the cold!

Does anyone here know about O RLY owls?(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_RLY)
I am getting a bit too into them at the moment. People with a minute or two and who don't know what I'm talking about should check this Mess and Noise thread which has some sterling examples.
http://www.messandnoise.com/discussions/241627