BMA Magazine 407 November 21 2012

THE FIRST:

INSIDE: EyEHaTEgod+CommiT No NuisaNCE+Evil EddiE BlEEdiNg KNEEs CluB+CiTy RioTs BMAmag.Com

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

T: (02) 6247 4816 E: accounts@bmamag.com

At this year’s Canberra International Film Festival, more people saw more films from more countries than at any time in the Festival’s 16year history. Figures released last week show this year’s Festival has broken all standing records: Just under 17,000 people attended across the 12 days; 27 sell-out sessions were recorded for films including The Angels’ Share, Monsieur Lazhar, The Hunt, Let My People Go, 33 Postcards, Stella Days and Amour at Dendy; Neil Young Journeys, Searching for Sugarman and Grabbers at Arc Cinema; and Paul Kelly: Stories of Me at the Canberra Theatre. ‘I’m absolutely thrilled that people turned up in record numbers again – not just to watch the films on offer, but to engage so passionately with the stories, ideas and characters that the best filmmakers from around the world give to us,’ Artistic Director Simon Weaving said.

So if you spent an hour or so in a dark room watching strangers on a luminous screen in the past couple of weeks, good on you; you directly encouraged and were responsible for recordsetting behaviour. Go for a run with your shirt pulled over your head and yell in the face of a stranger.

Sub-Editor Greta Kite-Gilmour

The Bally Goes Carbon Neutral

Graphic Design Marley

Looking like a tortoise shell with a case of the Theodor Geisels, The Bally is Canberra’s own artistic social enterprise – and, more specifically, a dome-shaped red and white tent that apparates at great events like Stone Day and Corinbank in order to provide an atmospheric housing for vaudeville, circus, comedy and other weird stuff that you couldn’t really put anywhere else because no one really cares all that much. Ha ha!

Derision. Anyway, The Bally is taking steps to graduate from its already green and ethical underpinnings to a full-fledged

The investigation into allegations of widespread child abuse and resulting cover-ups within the Catholic Church is not funny. #407NOVEMBER21 Fax: (02) 6257 4361 Mail: PO Box 713 Civic Square, ACT 2608 Publisher Scott Layne Allan Sko General Manager Allan Sko

T: (02) 6257 4360 E: advertising@bmamag.com

Advertising Manager Elisa Sko T: (02) 6257 4360 E: sales@bmamag.com

Editor Ashley Thomson

T: (02) 6257 4456 E: editorial@bmamag.com

Accounts Manager Yu Xie

Film Editor Melissa Wellham NEXT ISSUE 408 OUT DECEMBER 5 EDITORIAL DEADLINE NOVEMBER 26 ADVERTISING DEADLINE NOVEMBER 29 Published by Radar Media Pty Ltd ABN 76 097 301 730 BMA is independently owned and published.

Opinions expressed in BMA are not necessarily those of the editor, publisher or staff.

12

MusicACT/CIT Continue Workshop Series MusicACT are proud to announce two more in their ongoing program of professional development they will be presenting in collaboration with CIT Music Industry Centre. On Thursday December 6, MusicACT and CIT MIC are staging two separate workshops at the CIT Music Industry Centre, Woden. The first workshop is

on Management and SelfManagement and features Gregg Donovan of Wonderlick Entertainment (Boy & Bear, Josh Pyke, Airbourne, Grinspoon) and Tom Harris (The Temper Trap, Little Stevies).

Learn what a manager does, when you need one, what to look for in a manager and how to build a great artist/manager relationship from 6-7:30pm.

The second workshop concerns Production and Recording and features ARIA award-winning producer Magoo (Regurgitator, Midnight Oil, Operator Please, Kate Miller-Heidke) and Ian Haug (Powderfinger). Get studio and production tips including pre-production, trouble shooting in the studio and post-production (mixing and mastering) from 8-9:30pm.

Both sessions are free for CIT MIC/MusicACT members and $10 for non-members, and bookings can be made via email at pete@musicact.com.au.

BMA Magazine has decided to run a caption competition for this picture. Email allan@bmamag.com with the best caption you can think of to fit Mads Mikkelsen’s invisible thought bubble. The winner gets a bitchin’ Xmas mystery prize!

Canberra Int’l Film Festival Sets New Record

solar powered project. This may be where it starts to sound familiar, but the money for the solar project is being raised through crowdfunding. You can find out more at pozible.com/ bally, where anyone can donate.

The campaign ends on Friday November 24, and The Bally only gets the donations if their target of $10,000 is reached.

You’ve only got a couple of days so get donating if this sounds like something you’re into.

FROM THE BOSSMAN Lately I have found myself using terms like ‘Eeeep!’ and ‘Egads!’ and, on particularly spirited occasions, the odd ‘Blimey!’ with increasing frequency. This could be because I’m currently on a healthy literary diet of PG Wodehouse*, or because in a week’s time I shall find myself a father of two children under two, an event which tends to keep a man both on the toes and off the more traditional swearing. It is an occurrence which sees me move even further away from The Time Before Children.

But wait, you flittering baby-less lovelies! Don’t rush off in fear of another tawdry column about the vagaries of raising children; this is as much about you. Settle in.

It’s always a pip to mark the differences between the child-free and those bedecked with kiddywinks. Due to nights robbed by children stealing into parental beds to adopt a sleeping position akin to attempting all the letters of the YMCA mime simultaneously, you can easily spot a parent by day. The perpetual pallid expression, bulbous undereye flesh sacks and ability to unblinkingly turn the conversation onto the subject of child effluent with alarming (if not somewhat admirable) alacrity just about do it.

We seem worlds apart. The fact that I have (at least) one dear childless friend who switches off upon suspicion I’m going to start up on the subject of small people is evidence of the loving divide between TWK (Those With Kids) and TWK (Those Without Kids). A confusing set of acronyms, I realise, but I was up all night with a Village People-inspired tot, so the brain refuses to summon anything more erudite at this juncture.

YOU PISSED ME OFF! Care to immortalise your hatred in print? Send an email to editorial@bmamag.com and see your malicious bile circulated to thousands. [All entries contain original spellings.]

‘If I put on a big act, people SHOULD come’. This is the attitude of many promoters. I am sick of so-called ‘promoters’ blaming punters for failed gigs. Look at yourself and take some blame for YOUR failed gig. Promoting isn’t simple but it’s not just about spending money. Blood, sweat and tears must be invested to deliver a quality gig. You need passion.

The gigs only promoted on Facebook is disgraceful. The most important part of promoting is – PROMOTING THE GIG. Get off your asses and use all forms of advertising available, particularly when free. I’ve stopped counting the gigs I’ve attended where it is impossible to know who is playing unless you are ‘in the know’.

Put some set times up! How can you expect a DJ, band, or your brand to grow when punters have no idea whose gig it is or who is playing? I have also seen bands selling merchandise out of backpacks. How hard is it to arrange a table where merchandise is displayed and sold? I could go on forever but I want this published. It’s easy to say the Canberra scene sucks but a s$%t promoter hurts a scene as much as the public may. Some local promoters, F@#K, YOU PISS ME OFF!

It’s amazing, as a parent, how quickly you forget The Old Life and aspects of it once taken for granted, like ignoring the existence of mornings of a weekend, for instance. Now I can’t imagine the horror child-free people wrestle with; hours and hours on weeknights and weekends that you have to fill up with ‘entertainment’ and ‘fun’. One curls the toes at the very thought.

With kids, you’re locked into a miasma of activity that involves running after what is effectively a tiny drunkard for the majority of your waking life. No thought required nor, indeed, allowed.

I mean blimey, think of the terror the child-free person feels entering the realm of a family home; you can imagine them peering into the entrance hallway like Indiana Jones staring down a booby-trapped stretch. It’s a strange, eerie place that looks like a library after a hurricane; you have to keep a strange level of quiet, there’s crap everywhere, little-to-no booze and a limited amount of people to get off with. Hell on earth.

Worlds apart we may be, when TWKs and TWKs hang out we get a glimpse of the other side, which in turn informs us about ourselves. Spending some time with friends without kids allows you to enjoy a glimmer of Life As It Was, allowing you to return to your progeny more in love than ever, or some such rot. Whereas for the child-free, a day trip to a family home can have the same educational properties as a jaunt to Questacon. Staring into the beating heart of family life - effluent and hardened porridge coating every available surface - will tell you if you’re destined to cross into realm of Parentdom one day, or if you won’t touch it with a ten-foot contraceptive pole and will continue serving as a haven to your family-heavy friend instead.

It seems that TWK and TWK aren’t so different after all... Egads.

ALLAN SKO - allan@bmamag.com *a master of wit and wordplay no doubt, but I find MA Wodehouse more exciting, where Jeeves tells Wooster to “Fuck off, sir,” every few pages. Spicy stuff.

13

14

WHO: CIT Music Students WHAT: Momentum CIT Mic Fest WHEN: Thu Nov 22 & Fri Nov 23 WHERE: CIT Music Industry Centre, Woden

This annual event will yet again showcase the raw talents of the first and second-year CIT performance students through their respective bands, solo acts, ensembles and electronica sets. The two stages will be decked out with installations by the sound tech students from both Reid and Woden Campuses. Both nights will see the sound, media, music business, journalism and performance students combine together as an efficient, professional team for the enjoyment of the gathered audience. Including a CD launch and band comp, the two-day event is sure to entertain. Thu Nov 22 – 4pm-10pm, Fri Nov 23 – 6:30pm-11pm. More info at cit.edu.au.

WHO: Jordan Ireland & J.A. Core WHAT: Live Gig WHEN: Sat Nov 24 WHERE: The Front Gallery & Café

Jordan Ireland, former frontman of acclaimed Townsville group, The Middle East, is shrugging off his bandclothes and stepping out in his very own style. Joined by Melbourne-based songwriter and self-published poet, J.A. Core, this will be Jordan’s first solo show in Canberra, playing a selection of new material. Those who aren’t familiar with the written works of J.A. Core may otherwise have encountered the name floating around the Melbourne pop-rock scene. His digital album, Gasometer, was released online in June and can be accessed via unbridledpleasure.bandcamp.com. Supported

by Katie Wighton. 8pm. $5.

WHO: Revellers WHAT: Local Punk Rock WHEN: Thu Nov 29 WHERE: The Phoenix Bar

What’s this then? Yet another local music project making a mark in the Australian music scene? This time it’s in the form of melodic punk-rockers Josh Anderson and Aaron Gaffney (who punters may recognise from Lamexcuse) and drummer Dave DeMaine. The lads have just released a demo that showcases their high-energy approach and punchy songwriting (available through Sound Cloud and heartfeltrecords.com.au). Revellers will spend the rest of 2012 writing and refining their songs before heading into the studio to record their first EP. In the meantime, catch them live and loud in their own hometown. With Ebolagoldfish and Excitebike. 8:30pm. Free.

WHO: Redcoats WHAT: Album Tour WHEN: Sat Dec 1 WHERE: Transit Bar

Having released their debut self-titled album in October, Redcoats will show off their goods in their Who’s Rollin’ album tour. The album follows the release of their debut EP in 2011, which featured the singles Dreamshaker and Kay Trucker. 2011 saw Dreamshaker nestle itself snuggly into the ranks of triple j’s Hottest 100 poll, cementing the band as rising stars. Everything is supersize in Redcoats’ world, with epic drums and vocals and a guitar and bass synergy that throbs and drones. If you’ve been yearning for authentic ‘70s rock, these guys will deliver. With Royston Vasie. 8pm. $12 + bf thru Oztix.

WHO: Eskmo WHAT: LA Producer/DJ WHEN: Sat Dec 1 WHERE: Trinity Bar

If you haven’t heard of LA-based beatmaster Eskmo, get acquainted.

Staying two-steps (swidt?) ahead of the game, longtime talentmagnets The Operatives are joining forces with the local bAD SiR duo to deliver the beatmaking magic of Brendan Angelides to an eclectic bunch of head-nodders, foot-stompers and ball-trippers. With a sound as expansive as his appeal, Angelides’ tracks merge boundaries and defy categories. With ‘masterfully produced, sophisticated, post-Dilla hip hop funk’, both fans and first-timers can look forward to electrifying, mind-melting ear-sex. Yes, ears have sex. They do it to Eskmo. $15 ltd release, $22 general. See Facebook for more.

WHO: Lloyd Spiegel & Tim Burnham WHAT: East Coast Tour WHEN: Sun Dec 2 WHERE: The Phoenix Bar

Australian blues legend Lloyd Spiegel played 250 shows across Australia and overseas throughout 2011-12 to support his multiaward winning album, Tangled Brew, and he’s shown no signs of slowing. This year has seen a brand new show emerge with drummer Tim Burnham, a place in Australian Guitar magazine’s list of the 50 Greatest Australian Guitarists Of All Time and the announcement of a signature series Cole Clark guitar that will soon hit stores.

With 2012 marking his 21st year of touring, how do you think he celebrated? Why, by putting 10% of all his CD sales this year towards schooling children living in poverty or rescued from the slavery trade, of course... With Jonno Zilber. 7pm. $10.

15

Julia winterflood Up until October 2011, the ACT was the only jurisdiction in the country without an association affiliated with the Australian Music Industry Network to rep its countless musos and myriad industry members. Since its first trembling steps in early 2011 as ACT Live Music Association (ALMA was a pretty unsexy acronym and the association is about much more than just live music), MusicACT has now found its feet as the nash cap’s peak music industry body.

unexpected result, the two separate judging panels for Artist of 2012 and Live Performer of 2012 decided on the same three finalists, Super Best Friends, Readable Graffiti and The Aston Shuffle. Said Dave, who was astonished by the result, ‘We are confident there was transparency and no communication between the judges regarding those finalists, yet at the same time we congratulate Super Best Friends, Readable Graffiti and The Aston Shuffle. They obviously stood up against a lot of critique and came through to be the leaders in their field in both awards.’

Voting in the MusicACT Annual Music Awards is not just a vote for a specific musician, but for our entire music industry

A few of its runs on the board so far include bringing internationally renowned digital strategist Corey Denis to Canberra to demonstrate how to wrangle the pernicious beast that is online self-promotion; the six-session cuBasic course which gave participants a thorough understanding of the Cubase production software platform; and two professional development workshops on management and recording slated for Thursday December 6 [Ed: See our News section for more info on those]. By far their biggest gong to date, however, are the inaugural MusicACT Annual Music Awards, lovingly known as THE MAMAS, which will converge on Royal Albert Hall early next month in a celebration of our brilliant and burgeoning music scene.

Said David Caffery, MusicACT committee member and organiser, ‘My main goal with The MAMAs was to have a sturdy, respectable and transparent awards system, and we think we’ve achieved that. The judges [promoters, managers, educators, agents, artists, label managers, etc.] were all from interstate apart from [jazz guru and music mentor] Ian Pav, who is very well-respected in our industry. He’s actually a finalist in the Contribution to the Industry category, but you know what?

When there are two degrees of separation in the ACT, someone who’s asked to judge such a significant award [Best Jazz/ Blues Artist] probably deserves credit for contributing such a significant amount.’

We all know Canberra is the City of Conflict of Interest so it came as no surprise when Dave admitted, ‘It has actually been an issue. The band I manage, Goji Berry Jam, could not submit any entries for this year’s MAMAs because we decided as a committee it just wasn’t appropriate. That’s actually happened along the line; MusicACT is closely affiliated with lots of different areas of the industry so we had to be really careful with that.’ A respectable, transparent system sounds like what they’ve accomplished. You can even check out each judge’s bio on the MusicACT site.

Along with the 11 music category awards (Best Rock/ Alternative Artist, Best Orchestra/Big Band, Best Folk Group, Best EDM Producer etc), there are four major awards that you can help decide. Judges chose three finalists for Artist of 2012, Live Performer of 2012 and Youth Artist of 2012, while the short list for Live Music Venue of 2012 was unfiltered and features nine of our most happening music halls. In what was an

16

Voting in the four public categories is dead easy – all you need is an email address. And even if you’re not a fan of Super Besties, Readable Graffiti or The Aston Shuffle, or are unfamiliar with the three finalists for Youth Artist of 2012, Dylan Hekimian, SAFIA and Natalie Magee (there are links to their vids on the MusicACT site), you should still vote. Said Dave, ‘Voting in The MAMAs is not just a vote for a specific musician, but for our entire music industry. The more people we have voting the more people we have recognising the enormous talent in our city.’

When I asked him how plans were rolling for the big night, Dave’s voice jumped at least two octaves. ‘Oh my god I’m so excited! It’s huge! It’s just massive! Under the artistic direction of the amazing Chenoeh Miller our program will be like nothing Canberra has seen before. One of the highlights will be a 40-minute sequence composed by [arts producer, academic and committed member] Gavin Findlay, whom I hold in the highest esteem. We’re calling it the Country Punk Super Band. It will consist of – are you ready for this line-up! ? – Mikelangelo, The Fuelers, Fred Smith, The Brass Knuckle Brass Band and Chris Clucas. It’ll end up being about 25 musicians on stage and off, roaming through the crowd, doing covers and remixes and recompositions of famous local songs. It’s going to be something very special.’ Damn straight, Dave.

At this point we revisited a conversation we’ve had countless times before – hardly a day goes by when we’re not completely gobsmacked by the extraordinary talent in this city. ‘Isn’t it full of talent! ?’ Dave exclaimed. ‘The night of the MAMAs will be all local musicians who are all incredibly talented. Teamed up with some fantastic curators and Elite Sound and Light who are providing a world class audio visual rig, we are going to have one of the most special nights in ACT’s music history. We’re tired of hearing that Canberra’s got nothing to offer and we’re tired of ACT citizens not talking about their music scene. This is something to talk about!’

The MAMAs will transform Royal Albert Hall on Friday December 7. Tickets are $50 for MusicACT members and $70 for non-members, and include food and drinks till 11pm and can be purchased from musicact.com.au/mamas/tickets. Doors at 6.30pm, 7pm start. To vote in the public categories head to musicact.com.au.

17

ALL AGES Hey folks. Who else is hanging out for summer and all the awesome gigs it brings? Maybe most importantly, School’s Out For Summer (really hoping you sang that in your head) and, on a more personal note, school’s out forever (that was your second chance for some mental karaoke)! So I thought I’d simultaneously mourn and celebrate for the classes I’ll miss – and won’t miss – with a schoolthemed column.

Q: Why did the boy bring a ladder to school? A: Because he wanted to go to high school. And where did he want to go after high school?

To the 7th annual CIT School Stars Band Competition, of course!

Support your fellow Year 7-12 student as they battle it out on stage. It’s at the CIT Music Industry Centre in Woden on Thursday November 22 from 4pm-9pm. Entry is free.

My favourite science class joke: Q: Did you hear oxygen and magnesium got together? A: OMg! But did you hear that Corinbank music and arts festival has been rescheduled for Fri Nov 30-Sun Dec 2? Again, OMG! After unprecedented rainfall back in March when the festival was originally scheduled, Corinbank is now back to celebrate life in an explosion of music, art and general awesomeness. And here’s the line-up: Busby Marou, Dallas Frasca, The Barons of Tang, Jack Carty, Heath Cullen, Lucie Thorne, Cilla Jane, Amax-Duo, Beth ‘n’ Ben, Big Score, Brass Knuckle Brass Band, Caity Sarah/This n That, Cracked Actor, D’Opus & Roshambo, Fun Machine, Hashemoto, The James Fahy Trio, Julia & the Deep Sea Sirens, Los Chavos, Matt Dent, Drew Walky & the Hypnotic Planigales, Pocket Fox, Moochers Inc, No Hausfrau, Son Of Rut, The Burley Griffins, The Ellis Collective, The Fuelers, Waterford and Zoopagoo. You’ll find the festival at Corin Forest, Corin Dam Road, Tuggeranong. All tickets that were purchased for the original festival in March are valid for this event. Go to their website for the schedule and ticketing information: corinbank.com.

I was never really the most logical thinker. To me, math class would always be like: 2 + 2 = 4 and the exam would always feel like: If Lisa has 12 apples, and her bus leaves four minutes early, calculate Earth’s mass. But one piece of logic that I completely understand is making sure you get to see Parkway Drive live, because summer + awesome gig = awesome night. They’re playing at UC Refectory on Sunday December 16 and are supported by I Killed the Prom Queen, Northlane and Survival. Tickets cost $45.90 +bf and can be bought through Ticketek.

English or science class could always be made a bit easier with the occasional joke, such as this one. Q: How does Juliet maintain a constant body temperature in summer? A: Romeostasis. Speaking of summer, the Boys of Summer tour is back on Wednesday January 16 and with it brings Deez Nuts, Comeback Kid, For the Fallen Dreams and Hand Of Mercy to the Woden Youth Centre. Tickets are $36 + bf and are available from Moshtix.

I’m out folks, but before I go, Q: Why did the Cyclops close his school? A: Because he only had one pupil. Farewell, education. You’ve been good to me.

Cheers, ANDIE EGAN allagescolumn@gmail.com

18

LOCALITY

If festivals were catnip, cats in Canberra would be going mental.

I never understood why catnip brings out that behaviour in cats; I only remember when I was a child, watching my cat roll around destroying our small catnip plant felt like watching something uncomfortably intimate. She was in a happy place. The first festival to which I’m referring is MICfest at the CIT Music Industry Centre, Woden, on Thursday November 22 and Friday November 23.

Day one will see their annual CD launch and School Stars Band Competition from 4pm, with day two being the CIT Music Industry Centre’s annual showcase from 6pm. Both events are free but see fb.com/citmm for more. Also on Thursday November 22 is The Phoenix Bar’s 19th Birthday, to which an open invitation has been extended. The Fuelers will be overseeing the night’s festivities from 9pm. Do take it upon yourself to give the bitch her birthday punches and make sure she remembers this one.

If you need wind-down activities on Saturday November 24, Goji Berry Jam have been giving their funk away at Mocan and Green Grout in NewActon every Saturday from 2pm. And that evening at Arc Cinema there’s a Blaxploitation Double Bill with Black Caesar (1973) and Black Dynamite (2009) showing back-to-back from 7:30pm. If you haven’t seen either of these films, you’re a fucking idiot. See nfsa.gov.au/arc for info. One of Sydney’s finest punk bands, Ebolagoldfish, are headed to The Phoenix on Thursday November 29, with the local angle being Revellers in support, who’ll be giving away their new demo for free. It kicks off at 8:30pm. Also that night will be Melbourne garage/surf band Rayon Moon with excellent locals Waterford and Crash the Curb in support at The Front Gallery & Café from 7:30pm. Entry is an exorbitant $2.

YOU MADE MY DAY!

Email editorial@bmamag.com to send a message of gratitude, warmth and generosity to the world at large. AWWW. Nothing beats that feeling of getting back to your house at a bit past midnight only to realise you’ve left your bag behind at the now-locked cinema with your house key in it. And your wallet, stuffed with the cash you had just taken out to last you a fortnight. And your driver’s license with home address on it basically giving any would-be thief a fucking red carpet to your home. I could blame the epic shitness of the Total Recall remake I was just forced to watch, making me stumble out of the cinema in a blind rage. But really, the fact is, I am a massive wanker.

So thank you to my girlfriend who I woke up for calmly letting me into the house with a sympathetic smile and not a I-told-youso in sight. And thank you to Dendy and its wonderful staff for safely stowing away my life-in-a-bag behind the counter so that I could safely fetch it the following day after one of the more fitful night’s sleeps I ‘enjoyed’.

In fact, thank you to the makers of Total Recall too, for I know have a DVD I can purchase to give to my most loathed relatives this Christmas. To my girl and Dendy, You Made My Day, and my love for you almost manages to outweigh my hatred of Total Recall. Almost. That was one massive Cleveland steamer of a film after all.

And then the cats went mental again, this time for Corinbank [Take 2] up in Corin Forest. I really won’t try and get the cats off here, suffice to say it runs from Friday November 30 to Sunday December 2, sports a shitload of great acts and you can get yourself a place by visiting corinbank.com. If you haven’t been yet, this could be the perfect time – Corinbank in spring is unprecedented. It’s going to be beautiful. The cats just jizzed. If you’re still in Canberra over that weekend, Saturday December 1 will see Belconnen Arts Centre host their Christmas Twilight Markets from 3pm to 7pm.

Stalls will sell local and organic gifts and produce and it’ll all be adorable and smell like patchouli and the heads of infants. And once you’re done there, you can head to Chrome at the Hellenic Club in Civic, where DJs will play dark electro, goth and industrial music from 9pm til late. There it will still smell like patchouli and the heads of infants, it’s just that someone will have burnt all the patchouli on a pile of hair and anointed the heads of the infants with arse sweat.

And then the cats went mental again, this time for Arc Cinema’s Japanese Film Festival. The festival opens on Wednesday December 5 with I Wish at 7pm, which will screen for free, and runs until Friday December 14. See their website (nfsa.gov.au/arc) for full details but all you really need to know is there’s a film called Tenchi: The Samurai Astronomer. See my comments on Black Caesar and Black Dynamite if you’re not sure where I stand on this.

And that’s everything local I care about.

ASHLEY THOMSON - editorial@bmamag.com

19

in-demand session musician and producer.

NO SWEETER SORROW JUSTIN HOOK There’s a scene in the recently released documentary about Joe Camilleri (Australia’s Maltese Falcon) where it’s noted the Malteseborn musician has had three enormously successful careers. One with the nu-wave-ish Jo Jo Zep and The Falcons in the ‘70s and ‘80s, one with more rootsy, blues-influenced Black Sorrows, and one as an

I’ve done my best – so I move on

‘You know that old saying, “Build it and they will come”? Well I have built it many times but they didn’t come. I just take my chances. That’s why I think I’ve survived.

I haven’t yielded to a hit record or a purple patch in my career. I’ve always gone somewhere because I wanted to go there; that makes a big difference. And I think people like that.’

Next year will be THE BLACK SORROWS’ thirtieth anniversary but for many the band only exist through a few key hit singles (Harley and Rose, Daughters of Glory and Chained to the Wheel). Success can be an albatross. ‘Some people only want to hear the things that are on the radio. It’s taken me a long time to realise that just because it’s on the radio doesn’t mean it a better piece of work. But it’s a frustrating situation. And the chances of me getting on the radio these days are pretty slim, even if it’s the best song in the universe.’

For Camilleri, in 2012 the goals are more intangible. ‘With everything I know and have done, I’m still trying to make a good record. That’s probably the reason why I will never rest, because I’m never happy with what I’m doing.

‘Unfortunately the way I see it – I hate my voice, I hate the songs I write, hate what I do. I mean that in the way that I want it to be better. I always want to sing better, have a better tone. I want everything that I don’t have so I’ll keep fighting for it. Of course I don’t hate Harley and Rose or Chained to the Wheel. I’m really proud of these songs, but I work really hard to find something where I am comfortable for myself.’

That new album (Crooked Little Thoughts) is quite a package.

Three CDs bound in a full-size book with artwork created by Victor Rubin specifically for the project.

It’s clearly a labour of love, but Camilleri is uncertain about its potential.

‘It’s liberating, incredibly expensive and a struggle. I’m good at putting these things together. The hard thing for me is to sell it. It’s just not part of who I am. I find it a little bit frustrating, to say the least. I really don’t know if people are going to like the new album. I can’t be concerned with that. I’ve done my best – so I move on.’

Crooked Little Thoughts is out now through Head. Joe Camilleri: Australia’s Maltese Falcon is out now through Head/Reel. The Black Sorrows will play at The Abbey on Sunday 25 November, tix available through theabbey.com.au.

20

I’d like to think that he’d like it, but he’d probably just say it’s okay, because he’d have to, because he’s French

COOKING UP A STORM GRETA KITE-Gilmour My first encounter with ADAM COOK occurred well before actually I met him. For the better part of a year, on almost every occasion on which I visited a certain friend, I was inadvertently treated to the most indescribably mesmerizing keyboard notes, which emanated from the room of her somewhat elusive, mystery housemate. Without wishing to disturb someone I was pretty convinced to be some kind of cloaked genius, I indulged in this musical mastery for months without ever seeking the source. The moment of revelation finally came during one of their many house parties at which I was informed that the face behind this phantom composer belonged to none other than the sharp-witted and gregarious punchspiker beside me. Since then, I’ve never once viewed classical music (or ambiguous party cocktails…) in the same vein.

xylophone and synthbrass. The sound will probably be quite cheesy, but also extremely diverse, in terms of colour and genre.’ This outwardly whimsical concept was, in fact, developed after much consideration, in an attempt to balance both academic obligations and his core musical ideology. ‘I needed to perform a concerto to finish my Honours degree and I’d been studying Busoni’s writings on musical philosophy – namely how music should be always new and experimental; this is my attempt to do that,’ Adam explains. ‘Poulenc is a solid composer and his music works well with the band, so this is a way to do what I need to for uni, but perform it in a way that’s a bit more exciting and relevant.’

With a sound that’s sure to stimulate traditionalists and novices alike, the ultimate question remains: What would Poulenc think? ‘I’d like to think that he’d like it, but realistically he’d probably just say it’s OK, because he’d have to, because he’s French. I can deal with that.’

Adam Cook will perform with The Monotremes and special guests at the ANU Band Room on Thursday November 22, 6pm. Entry is free.

Having become increasingly familiar with Adam’s musical endeavours over the years, I now cringe at my stereotyping of classically trained musicians. For those who remain unconvinced, Adam’s most recent project will deliver the bitch-slap of enlightenment you deserve. This Thursday, Adam, accompanied by his band, The Monotremes (with whom many will be familiar through gigs at The Polish Club, Phoenix Bar, The Front, Dragon Dreaming Festival ’11 & ’12) will present the 1927 Poulenc Harpsichord Concerto, with an added flavour – or ten.

‘I’m keeping the original harpsichord part, but transcribing the orchestra to flute, clarinet, violin, trumpet, baritone sax, two keyboards, bass guitar, and drum kit with extended percussion like guiro, tambourine, castanets and more,’ Adam casually describes.

‘I’m also adding a whole bunch of effects like wah-wah, phasers and delay to the solo part and the other keyboard will play all kinds of weird samples, like orchestral hits,

21

JUST ADD WATER

CALLING ALL BAND-AIDS RORY McCARTNEY Having assailed the eardrums of unsuspecting punters at Transit in April this year, garage rockers BLEEDING KNEES CLUB have decided that one aural thrashing is not nearly enough for the wicked barflies of Canberra.

The Gold Coast-based band started out as a duo in early 2010, wacked out the EP Virginity and followed that up with their debut LP, Nothing to Do. Since then they have become a trio, with Jordan going from guitar to bass, Alex moving from the sticks to guitar, and newcomer Brett coming in on drums.

I spoke to Jordan while the band was in Melbourne, recording their contribution for the forthcoming psychedelic ‘60s compilation record, Nugget.

We like to get the girls on stage to sing the chorus. It goes down really well

Wild rumours had it that their moniker came from skateboarding culture and a liking for knee slides during gigs—but this is only partly true. While Jordan works in a skateboard shop, the name was stolen from a blog that Alex ran. The knee-sliding bit is true, although Jordan admits, ‘The Transit Bar stage is a bit too small for slides.’

It’s been a big year for BKC, touring internationally in the UK, New York and Texas. Appearing at the South By Southwest Festival was a special highlight for them. ‘It was really cool in Austin, Texas. We’d do three shows a day, working to establish ourselves with an overseas audience, and spend the rest of the time catching other bands.’ They have a particular fondness for New York, having recorded their debut album there with Dev Hynes. ‘We connected with Dev when he was touring in Australia with his band Lightspeed Champion.’

Plans for the second album are already well advanced, with the band having demoed ten tracks and test-driven some of them on their current Let It Go tour. The second album will see a new phase of BKC. ‘This will be more dynamic, with our new drummer and better songwriting. We’ve been touring new songs such as Parent Trap and Telephone Dreamgirl, which is a band favourite.’

Jordan admits that teenage obsessions have driven song themes to date, with lyrics inspired by their formative years. There seemed to be an ambivalent attitude to girls in Nothing to Do, ranging from Teenage Girls (You’re My World) to the slightly less respectful Beach Slut.

Jordan is quick to reassure readers that BKC just love the girls. ‘When we do Girls Can Do Anything, we like to get the girls on stage to sing the chorus. It goes down really well.’

To provide extra value to their fans, all bands participating in the BKC tour have contributed a track to the Bleeding Knees Club + Friends mixtape, available for download from BKC’s Bandcamp site.

22

Bleeding Knees Club returns to the Transit Bar on Saturday November 24, 8pm, supported by Sydney acts Step Panther and The Driffs. Tickets are $12 + bf through Moshtix.

BRIGHT LIGHTS, FLYING CITY chris navin CITY RIOTS are a bright new offering on the landscape of Australian music. Within a short space of time they’ve toured the UK, America and extensively in Australia and their new album, Sea Of Bright Lights, is a breathtaking exploration of reverb-laden soundscapes, blended with flawless indie-pop sensibilities, that seems set to take off in a big way.

Just to play with such a seminal band.

Billy Corgan is an interesting guy

Written along the banks of the Murray River in South Australia and recorded at Red Door Sounds under the careful guidance Woody Annison (Children Collide, Hunting Grounds) the album is a beautiful showcase of a jangly dreamlike style that is almost impossible not to sink into with some kind of euphonic rapture. Singer/guitarist Ricky discussed the bands progress and songwriting prowess. ‘We’re really excited with the record and love the songs; it’s only been out a couple of weeks and the reaction I’ve picked so far is that people are quite surprised by how different it sounds to our earlier singles.’

The new material shows a number of stylistic changes to the bands sound since their earlier recordings. ‘We were demoing some tracks and we started to create quite a dreamy, washy sound on the vocals.

It’s something that we started slightly with the Match Sticks EP and then went really full-on with it on the record.’

Lyrically, things have changed as well. ‘I’ve always been fascinated with love. Back To Normal is one of the most honest songs that I’ve written and it’s a running commentary of everything that’s been happening in my life. I guess compared to earlier stuff it’s a bit more introspective.’

Over a relatively short period, the band has amassed some impressive career highlights, touring with acts such as British India, Ball Park Music and even The Smashing Pumpkins. ‘Having five weeks in the studio to just block out the rest of the world and work on making a record was pretty exciting and the Smashing Pumpkins tour was a highlight – just to play with such a seminal band. Billy Corgan is quite an interesting guy.’ The band has also spent some time in the United States, exploring the vastness of the US scene and playing at Summerfest in Milwaukee before arriving to a New York industry showcase with minutes to spare.

The band is drawing on their stockpile of experiences and tour stories to continue building into the future. ‘I think any band just wants to try and play as big a room as they can. At the moment it’s really just about trying to widen the band’s audiences and then taking that as far it can go.’ With a solid back catalogue and a stellar live reputation, the youngsters from Adelaide are set to help launch their new album with an extensive Australian tour that will include the nation’s capital.

City Riots will bring their Sea of Bright Lights tour to Trinity Bar on Friday November 30 at 8pm. Door tickets are $10 before 10pm, $15 after.

23

DANCE THE DROP

Punters say the darndest things. Whenever I peer out of the corner of my eye and spy a jittery clubber pawing their way towards the DJ booth, I know that they have just reached that point of the evening where they are adequately sauced and primed to make a ludicrous song request. In my experience, the two most common verbal regurgitations fired at me through a hailstorm of spittle and Smirnoff vapour are, ‘Can you play some R&B bro?’ (in a house music club) or, ‘Can you play something we can dance to?’ (err... what?).

Let’s just clear something up: club DJs are not jukeboxes. It is their job to select the music, not yours. The whole art of DJing is built on the ability to read a crowd and create a good vibe in the club for everyone to enjoy. If you want to hear a certain playlist of songs then I suggest you bring your iPod and a pair of hideously overpriced Beats By Dre headphones.

Have you guys heard of Trap? Anyone with a fresh forearm tattoo and half a beard is championing this new dubstep/hip hop clone and I must say I am a big fan. The Clubhouse plays host to Traphouse presents Trapped on Thursday November 22 featuring Dred, Solsta, Nick Riviera, Nay Nay, Sandman and Drasich. Trappy days!

Eargasm are back at The Clubhouse on Friday November 30, this time packing a stellar cast of bass fanatics headed by San Francisco native Kastle. Holding up the local end are Dred, Faux Real and Tulaberry. Earplugs are a must; not because the music is bad, just to protect your precious inner ear from a million watts of throbbing low-end madness. Trinity Bar is stuffing an early Xmas present into your stocking this year, having just announced that Aussie duo Flight Facilities will be stopping by the club on Friday December 14.

With hits like Crave You and With You already stamped as future classics, the emotional disco two-piece are destined to become one of our biggest ever exports. Don’t miss this one!

Local demi-god Fakenswitch took a little time out from rinsing dance floors and doing the duckface in photographs to drop a Top 5 for us this week.

Autoerotique - Roll The Drums feat. Marissa Jack (Torro Torro remix) [Dim Mak Records] – This track is insane! Heavy-hitting bassline with a huge drop that no one can ignore.

The Mane Thing – Bring ya Booty (Kyro & Bomber remix) [My Techno Weighs A Ton] – A remix by local Sydney boys who I honestly don’t believe could’ve made this any bigger. Makes everyone dirty.

Dem Slackers – Schlingel (Etnik remix) [Tuff ‘Em Up Records] – This is a perfect 2-3am track for me, as it captures that dark mysterious mood of the night and sets that grinding gear in motion with a heavy techno influence but a bassline that will guide you.

Hermitude – HyperParadise (Flume remix) [Elefant Traks] – This track is ridiculous! Interesting and different on so many levels and I just can’t seem to get past it. Flume bandwagon for sure!

Vakkuum – Sonar (The Sneekers remix) [La Bombe] – Nothing is sacred for me on the La Bombe label, but lately this track has stuck out and certainly doesn’t disappoint.

TIM GALVIN tim.galvin@live.com.au

24

I think we have to wait for the guys that suck at it – the hacks, I guess – to drop away so the talented people can come through

quickly and anyone can get onboard.

But I think we have to wait for the guys that suck at it – the hacks, I guess – to drop away so the talented people can come through. There’s just so much music.’ But he also says that his opinions aren’t set in stone either – that different tracks just say what he’s feeling at the time.

A TASTE OF EVIL Peter o’rourke The former frontman of triple j favourite Butterfingers, EVIL EDDIE has been going solo for a couple of years, bringing his irreverent hip hop stylings to a new album, Welcome to Flavour Country. I caught up with Eddie three shows into his two-month Australian tour. ‘The tour’s been good. Sprung (a Brisbane hip hop festival) was awesome! I’ve been told to check out some of the crazy videos on YouTube from the show – there’s something called “Mud Caterpillar” up there that I have to watch apparently.’

Does he miss the band? ‘I’m really enjoying doing the solo thing, writing and producing all the music. I didn’t feel that Butterfingers could quite fulfil the quest with the sound I wanted – a bit of recreation of that sampled ‘90s influence. However, I might move on from that soon and maybe even start doing the electronic thing.’ So is he looking forward to dropping rhymes again in our fair city? ‘Hell, yeah! Really looking forward to coming back to Canberra. It’s been about five years since I played at Transit bar. It will be good to be back.’

Evil Eddie will play Transit Bar on Sunday November 25, 6pm. Tix are $18.40 + bf from Moshtix. His new album Welcome to Flavour Country is out now.

scott cummings

Welcome to Flavour Country is produced entirely by Eddie himself, with him playing all the instruments except for the drums.

He’s also been directing his own videos for the non-single tracks, which he uses during the live show. ‘The visuals are going well,’ he says. ‘I’ve used them at three gigs so far and had some really good feedback – people have said it adds another element.

They’re either synced up to a click track with the drummer or some are more versatile for the more acoustic tracks.’ Besides the creative side, Eddie has also been running the business side of things, which he really enjoys.

‘I get the final say on the website or the design of the t-shirts or whatever. It’s also out of necessity, ‘cos I have no money to pay anyone else to do it!’

Golden Age – one of the singles from the album – seems to take an almost critical look at the current hip hop sound, with its early ‘90s feel harking back to an earlier era.

‘It’s probably been reinterpreted wrongly,’ says Eddie. ‘I’m not lashing out at hip hop in particular, or Australian hip hop or whatever, just looking at the progression of the genre and the speed with which music is changing, especially with the internet. With the electronic music explosion it means music spreads really

25

THE REALNESS

The Obese Records distribution juggernaut continues to dominate in 2012 with the latest release from Melbourne’s Deece. A Cornered Season sees Deece teaming up with a number of well-seasoned production professionals for the new effort. Whilst producing a number of jams himself, he is joined by Plutonic Lab, WIK, Alter Ego, J Squared, Dave V and Matt Raffle. Guest slots include Mass MC, Bigfoot, Fatty Phew, Maundz, Maggot Mouf, Swarmy, Geko and Force. Suffice to say the release will not be for the squeamish and will sound more-than-large cranking out your speakers of choice. Out this month. The Down For The Count clique has kept busy this year and look to close out 2012 with the latest release from MC/producer Sinks. The Prolifix EP is his debut release and sees him carving out his own sound, mixing influences of boombap and classic dub. While almost entirely self-produced, the EP also features production from Biko and guest slots from Sparts, MolOne, Force and Dazed. Check out dftc.com.au for more info.

Stones Throw has joined forces with Matthewdavid’s Leaving Records imprint for a future partnership that will no doubt see a number of worthy and innovative releases. Their first collaboration is a double cassette (word!) entitled Dual Forms. Also to see eventual release on CD, vinyl and digital formats, the compilation features previously unreleased tunes from a myriad of forwardthinking artists such as Dak, Sun Araw, Yuk, Ssaliva, Julia Holter, Dntel and more. Cassette-heads unite! It’s out now.

26

Ever-prolific New York producer FaltyDL has made the jump from Planet Mu to Ninja Tune for his next full-length record Hardcourage. Always hard to pin down to one style, FaltyDL continually pushes the boundaries of electronic music whilst paying homage to his genres of choice, dabbling in house, bass music, downtempo, hip hop, D&B, always with satisfyingly fresh results.

The ten-tune album is leaner than previous efforts but should see Falty remain eclectic (I hate that word, but it’s appropriate here) as ever. The album features Ed Macfarlane from Friendly Fires and is out Monday January 21.

Having made the jump from Hyperdub to Warp, Darkstar are now prepping their second full-length, News From Nowhere. With vocalist James Buttery now firmly established as the third member of the group, expect the trio to expand on the elegant beauty of their debut, no doubt supported by the Warp Records behemoth.

First single Timeaway is a deceptively addictive piece of work and signals big things. News From Nowhere is due Monday February 4.

After a solid EP last year, New York’s Policy is readying his debut album, Everything Hits, for Rush Hour. The album will present his original blend of classic garage and house, but with one foot firmly planted in the realm of ‘cinema’ (his background is reportedly in film). With an additional love of classic funk and soul, Everything Hits promises to be a real melting pot of head-nodding good vibeness. It’s out late November.

Finally, local MC Scotts is launching his debut EP, Scotts Crossing, at La De Da on Wednesday December 5. Show your support at the show and make sure to grab a copy of the release!

To hear music from all these releases and more, tune to The Antidote on 2XX 98.3FM every Tuesday night from 9:30pm.

ROSHAMBO AKA CED NADA - roshambizzle@yahoo.com.au

I’ll be on the same level as the audience. I think that being an artist, having people in and around me is cool

while and we’ve had the luxury of time to do it – no pressure to get anything out anytime soon. That’s the beautiful thing about being an unknown independent artist.’

CROSSING SCOTTS mel cerato Scott Cummings, aka SCOTTS, is a local hip hop MC and he is just about to release his debut EP, cleverly titled Scotts Crossing.

Launching the EP at La De Da bar in Belconnen on Wednesday December 5, Scotts is both excited and nervous about the release.

‘Yeah, it’s been a long time that I’ve wanted to do this so now that everything is coming together, it’s pretty invigorating.’ ‘A long time’ is no exaggeration. ‘2005 was when I recorded my first ever verse,’ Scotts laughs. ‘And from that point I sorta went, “Right, I wanna make an EP.” The album itself didn’t take seven years; I think I recorded the first song for this album four years ago, so really it’s been four years in the making.’

Scotts says he has been distracted and frustrated with the process of making an EP over the years, but he is happy with the way it has turned out. ‘I don’t think I was ready at that point in time [to make an EP]. The feeling that I have now is that I’m happy that it has taken this long,’ he says. ‘I’ve really focused on the specific effort for a

Spending so many years working with friends, doing collaborations, and just generally growing up has changed the way Scotts writes his music. ‘I was approaching writing in a fairly different way back then.

It was more about technique as opposed to really what I wanted to write about,’ he explains. ‘It’s taken me a while to reconcile the two things; getting out lyrically what I want and at the same time being able to craft a good song.’

Scotts expects that the warm nature of the venue will enhance his performance and make his EP launch a memorable night. ‘La De Da is an intimate venue. I wanted somewhere that is a nice venue – a loungey cocktail place – and it has really lovely views of the lake,’ he says. ‘The cool thing about it is that I’ll be on the same level as the audience. I think that being an artist having people in and around me is cool and unique.’

Adding live drums and bass to the live gig is something Scotts is pretty thrilled about. Feeling daunted by the prospect of having to play to a whole heap of people by himself, he invited his manager and a friend to give him some extra support for his big night. ‘We’ve been messing about doing jam sessions and rehearsals. It sounds really good,’ he says happily. ‘They essentially just slot in over the top of what already exists in the music – it sounds pretty cool.’

Scotts will launch his EP Scott’s Crossing at La De Da Bar, Belconnen on Wednesday December 5, 8pm, with Words Eye View, Ced Nada and Hayd.

27

METALISE Did you get your Sabbath tickets? If you didn’t, there’s a tonne of tickets that won’t cost as much but will more than satisfy coming up in the next couple of months.

Four full-length albums and two decades since unleashing the first of those albums, the nation’s capital has issued a stern sludge warning alert for Friday November 23 at ANU Bar. New Orleans masters of sludge, progenitors of unadulterated misery-laden riffage from the far reaches of the wrong side of the tracks, Eyehategod deliver a sermon of sufferance forged in the most broken and truest of contemporary blues. Natives of ‘the big easy’, nothing seems to have come easy reflecting on their back catalogue; guitars that shriek with a bleak nihilistic wave of a detox afterbirth, underscoring Mike Williams’ howls that seem to have informed a generation of imposters that only hint at the torture he conjures on their recorded works. Australia may be ill-prepared for the consequences of their visit but, that said, gosh, I’m sure looking forward to witnessing it live after digesting it for the last 20 years on record! Also along for the ride are bands with members who I count as the band’s longest and strongest fans: I Exist and Law of the Tongue.

This is a monumental tour brought to us by Heathen Skulls and you don’t wanna miss it.

Not content with just bludgeoning us with EHG, the fine folk at Heathen Skulls are also bringing back one of my absolute favourite psychedelic wonders in the form of San Diego trio Earthless. The show is slated for ANU Bar on Tuesday December 11 and I can’t stress enough how much these guys floored me live when I caught them at The Basement last visit to town; huge jammed-out psychedelic blues that never wears out its welcome, featuring a maestro of guitar in the form of Isaiah Mitchell shredding over bassist Mike Eginton’s rock-solid foundation and the powerhouse drumming of ex-pro-skater Mario Rubaicaba (also of Hot Snakes and OFF!). If you are a fan of psychedelic blues, you must attend this show –they are utterly superb.

Further afield, it was announced this week that the institution of Converge will hit Australia again in February next year and, to top it off, bassist Nate Newton is bringing the amazing Old Man Gloom along for the ride. When he toured with Doomriders last year, I pretty much punished Nate for information on the band that had remained silent since the Christmas release in 2004.

He was annoyingly coy on answers but this year’s No release answered all my questions in no uncertain terms and it’s welcome news that the band will join Converge on the Saturday February 16 at Manning Bar in Sydney.

Not my cup of chai, but I would be remiss not to note Maynard Keenan’s side project to Tool, Puscifer, are hitting Sydney on Tuesday February 26 at Enmore Theatre and tix are available from Ticketek.

Throw in the Cock’n’Ball Torture and Marduk tours in January and your concert dollar is going to be spent many times over! Here’s to ringing ears and bangovers!

Don’t forget to get along and see Unkle K’s bands of the week at cacophemisms.blogspot.com.au.

JOSH NIXON doomtildeath@hotmail.com

28

blasting through Dopesick validate the comparisons.

We are proud to be an influence in the corruption of upand-coming youth

However, many of these other bands are now the stuff of fond memories. So what’s been happening with Eyehategod? ‘It has been a long time between albums,’ Williams says. ‘A lot has happened in our world, so things have been a bit slow-moving. But hang in there with us – there will be a new LP coming soon. We’ll do some new songs live, but I think the fans will wanna hear mostly older stuff since we’ve never played over yonder before.’

IN THE EYE OF THE HATER DAN BIGNA New Orleans band EYEHATEGOD operate within the sludge/doom genre, with an added taste for post-hardcore that emerged from bands like Unsane and Helmet in the early ‘90s. Their 1996 album Dopesick, matched raw emotion to pummelling riffs and punk-rock edginess. This record also explored a subterranean grittiness that is confronting at times, but goddamn sincere.

Eyehategod vocalist Mike Williams was unaware that Terrorizer magazine recently placed his band alongside leading lights of the doom scene like Electric Wizard and Cathedral in a special edition on doom metal. How does he feel about that tag applied to Eyehategod? ‘Well, I love Sabbath, but ain’t all classic doom metal inspired and influenced by them? I never really listened to Cathedral very much to be honest.

They are pioneers of the UK genre and they do it well, but it seems America has a different, full-on take on it.

Personally, I’m influenced by the USA punk-metal scene’s take on ‘slow and heavy’, like Saint Vitus, Black Flag, Graveyard Rodeo, Obsessed, and the Melvins’ Gluey record.’

Gig-goers will most likely want to see Eyehategod letting rip with bowel-quaking riffs and no messing about. Is this a reasonable expectation? ‘Riffs, riffs, and more brilliant riffs,’ Williams confirms.

‘That is the bottom line. Abstract vocals round out the mix, plus one million per cent energy in the live setting. We are coming up to our 25th anniversary for the band as a source of complete frustration and confusion, and we are proud to be an influence in the corruption of up-and-coming youth.’

Eyehategod will play ANU Bar on Friday November 23, 8pm. Tickets are $51.25 + bf through Ticketek.

understanding music seminar

Whatever stylistic differences exist between these bands, there is nevertheless a common desire to commit to tape and enact onstage creative expression that has integrity and is filtered through personal experience. ‘You nailed it,’ Williams says. ‘Our music is honest and 100 per cent based in personal experience. But it’s also a cryptic message we spread; to aim for your targets correctly and take what you can get. Life’s lessons learned. Fight the power.’

Such sentiments have partly shaped the evolution of metal, which has from day one considered itself an underground movement detached from watered down mainstream culture. This is as it should be.

Terrorizer magazine placed Eyehategod in the company of such heavy slow-burners as Kyuss, Sleep and Corrupted, with whom Williams is more than happy to be associated, and one listen to the monster riff-fests

29

E X H I B I T I O N I S T

PUBLIC RENEGADES lauren strickland In the stairwell halfway between Ha Ha Bar and La De Da hang two enormous paintings. In the first, a yellow and black trio – a cat, a dog and a spaceman – glare at each other from different corners of the blue background. The second piece is a little harder to read at first glance. It is mostly black, curled lines crawling over white space, looping in on themselves and pressing up against the massive crazed bear at the centre of the piece, whose thick red tongue hangs out as his ribcage is cracked open to reveal a coquettish, fully-bearded lady with a finger pressed to her lips. ‘Ah, the two winners,’ says Bobby Kennedy, looking up at these collaborative works from the foot of the stairs. ‘I wonder where the others are?’

Bobby is one of the many names behind COMMIT NO NUISANCE, a collective formed of some of the big blog and event teams in Canberra: Daddy Issues, Party By Jake and the newly-minted Us Folk magazine crew. Together they’re responsible for Live Art Battles: events where duelling trios of artists frantically slap paint, marker ink and whatever else they feel like onto a canvas in a bid for the affection of the audience (the winners are decided by a vote). ‘It’s not really an event run by anyone, if that makes sense,’ says Bobby. ‘The reason we decided to go with the Commit No Nuisance name, rather than the Daddy Issues or the Party By Jake or the Us Folk name, is that they’re all very “run by people”. And it’s been hard to do. It’s been hard to tell people that I really want anyone to be able to input into this. It’s hard to organise, logistically, but that’s what I’d really like: a big group of people that are organising an event that they feel like they own.’

Street artist Alyce Bell – the sexy bearded lady-creator herself – has been swept up into the project, going from a battling artist to a fullfledged directorial team member.

‘Once I wasn’t in it anymore, I still wanted to have my way with it,’ she purrs in a mock-seductive voice. To Alyce, the experience of painting in the public eye is an integral part of street art. ‘A lot of the time you sit by yourself and you do your art and it’s nice and it’s yours, but it’s really nice to be able to share it with other people, to see that they appreciate it. You’re sitting there drawing and you hear the little chink of people dropping tokens [voting] and you feel like a busker. It’s like art busking. It feels good, every time. You can lose yourself between the art and the canvas and the music.’

Getting notoriously secretive artists involved in such a public display of artistic affection has been a challenge. Bobby and Alyce discuss Abyss – notorious in the Canberra graffiti landscape, who insisted on covering his face in event photos – and compare him to other,

30

less publicity-shy participants. ‘I think Jess Mess thrives on people watching her work,’ says Alyce. ‘It goes with her style as well, because it’s really erratic and feverish and just having people watch her would only drive that.’

Googling Commit No Nuisance will get you nowhere, nor will visiting any of the blogs involved. Bobby has avoided creating a web presence in favour of a street campaign; a team bonding exercise in which all of the artists involved create Commit No Nuisance paste-ups to plaster all over Canberra. In particular, the group have staked their claim on a pillar underneath the Gungahlin Drive Extension; a two-metre-high canvas they regularly use to advertise the next event. It’s all part of the collective’s ethic: to get all the creatives they can find in a room together and watch the art unfold. ‘[Commit No Nuisance] started out as an attempt to bring the culture that exists in Canberra, that no one is really focusing on, to the forefront,’ explains Bobby.

‘It’s something that’s really frustrating to me that there’s actually a lot of interesting, cool things happening in Canberra that a lot of people don’t see, and just see this boring public service town where nothing really happens. [Commit No Nuisance] plays off these old British signs that say “Commit No Nuisance”, pretty much a “No Loitering” kind of thing, but they got turned into a pop icon and came to represent the opposite of that. So we thought we’d pick up with that idea and run with the parody that in Canberra they might want us to “Commit No Nuisance” – but we’re actually gonna do as much as we can.’

Though the Live Art Battles favour street art, the organisers often throw a more traditional artist into the mix. ‘I think it’s more about the culture behind it than about whether you’ve actually got stickers and paste-ups and graffiti out on the street,’ Alyce explains. ‘It’s a kind of raw integrity to their work.’ The ‘ticking clock effect’ – whether a timer at a Live Art Battle or the risk of cops coming round the corner – is a crucial ingredient to the success of the Commit No Nuisance style.

‘It always ends up being a lot more personal,’ Alyce continues. ‘It’s not something that you have a lot of time to sit there and plan for ages, to look at something and try and copy it. It’s just something that comes straight out of you and onto the page or onto the wall or wherever it goes. It’s a lot more subconscious. It’s got a different pulse.’

Commit No Nuisance will hold another Live Art Battle on Friday December 21 at La De Da Bar, Belconnen. Keep an eye out for their paste-ups for more details.

UNINHIBITED ‘I love it when famous people turn out not to be dickwads,’ Eva Mendes says about Meryl Streep in the overlooked conjoined twin classic Stuck on You. Unfortunately, as the line implies, famous people often do turn out to be dickwads. The poet and novelist Charles Bukowski is one of them.

If you’ve read any of Bukowski’s popular works, often derided for displaying an alleged hatred of women, this may not come as a surprise. However, I’d argue these works are far more self-loathing than loathing of anyone else and not evidence enough of him being a dickwad. But two things I recently found out about the man tipped him over into dickwad territory for me.

Firstly, I learned he struck at least two of his girlfriends; in one instance, kicking a long-time partner during a filmed interview.

Secondly, I discovered that one of the many obscure dirty pieces he wrote for men’s magazines in order to turn a buck was The Fiend, a graphic story of a man raping a young girl.

Hustler published it and when asked by that magazine whether he’d considered such actions himself he said ‘yes’ but he wouldn’t do it; he wouldn’t do it because he didn’t want to go to gaol, where he then would be unable to ‘get any ass for 15 years.’ Dickwad.

I suspect that in writing The Fiend, Bukowski thought he was just being honest. Honesty, after all, is the greatest strength of his work. In a world of poets who wrote romantic verse to make girls swoon, or ‘right on!’ lefty shite to attract naïve hippies, Bukowski wrote about booze, hookers and racehorses. And, ironically perhaps, women pursued him for it.

But writing paedophilic prose with the intention of titillating an audience, then saying you wouldn’t rape a girl because you’d get thrown in gaol (not because it’s wrong), is just fucked up.

After learning these things, I read Bukowki’s poetry again and the image of the guy I thought wrote these poems returned. This is an image of a gifted poet who lived an unhinged life but wasn’t a dickwad. A gifted poet who played up to his public persona but who also wrote the bluebird, with its opening stanza: there’s a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out but I’m too tough for him, I say, stay in there, I’m not going to let anybody see you.

I’ve separated art from artist before – in the cases of Ryan Adams and Bob Dylan, to name two – but this is something beyond that.

Adams may be precocious and Dylan difficult but, as far as I’m aware, neither is guilty of the most egregious sins of the ‘laureate of American low life’.

So it’s with sadness that I have to say that Bukowski may have written my favourite poems, but he is no longer my favourite poet.

Pete Huet petehuet@yahoo.com

LITERATURE IN REVIEW The Casual Vacancy J.K. Rowling [Little Brown & Co.; 2012]

No matter the quality or tone of Rowling’s latest work, in the eyes of some fans it will never rise above the unforgivable sin of being ‘Not Harry Potter’.

Indeed, The Casual Vacancy is almost defiantly unPotterish. It lacks all the charm and wonder of Rowling’s earlier books and makes up for it in utter quotidian grubbiness.

Much has been made in the media of how consciously ‘adult’ it is, with its cursing and semi-graphic sex, drug use and teen pregnancy. But The Casual Vacancy is a departure from the Potter series in more ways than the cosmetic; it’s a sad, small, extremely uncomfortable story with no heroes, no metaphorical magical Nazis to put the ugliness at one remove.

Rowling’s first adult novel is told from a confusing jumble of viewpoints, chronicling the storm-in-a-teacup political and personal upheaval that occurs with the death of a small-town parish councillor. Barry Fairbrother’s now-vacant seat on the council becomes a hot commodity in sleepy Pagford, and his mission to improve the nearby council estate becomes an issue that divides the town.

Only a very few of the characters are remotely sympathetic.

Perhaps the book’s greatest weakness is how long we must spend looking over the shoulders of petty, horrible little people. They are very well-written – Rowling has a knack for writing nasty people who are just familiar enough to be uncomfortable – but it does make it rather difficult to stick with the narrative at times. The most likable and relatable of her characters are the town’s teenagers, whose various attempts to get control of their lives or revenge on their parents backfire in assorted spectacular ways.

The themes are painted in broad strokes; classism, government benefits, drug abuse, racism and small-town snobbery. It’s not subtle (it gets preachy at times) but it’s pretty effective, especially since it’s tied in pretty closely to the plot of the book.

Rowling’s lost none of her shine as a storyteller. The first third drags as the reader is introduced to the multitude of characters and relationships they have to keep straight, but then the book kicks into gear with some solid conspiracies and a bit of adultery. The conclusion is bleakly telegraphed a mile in advance, but Rowling pulls no punches - this is An Adult Novel, after all; certainly Not Harry Potter. emma grist

31

E

X

H

I

B

I

T

I

O

N

I

S

T

The Burlesque Hour was started as a shared dream of Finucane’s and Smith’s, after they spent years travelling and viewing burlesque and cabaret all over the world. ‘It occurred to us one night as we were sitting in a club in the south of China that what we wanted to do was to open a club of our own, where you could see performances of the most extraordinary, astonishing, provocative variety – but not at 3am. Not having to find it down a dark alley,’ Finucane explains.

PLEASURE CHEST zoya patel After breaking The Street Theatre’s box office record two years ago, Finucane & Smith are bringing back The Burlesque Hour to Canberra with their new show, GLORY BOX. Featuring ‘80% new work, 80% new artists’, Glory Box is the burlesque, cabaret variety show to end all shows. Moira Finucane and Jackie Smith have assembled an exciting cast of international talent, including: the ‘handsomest dancer ever born’, Paul Cordeiro; Parisian dancer Holly Durant; circus star Anna Lumb; and showgirl Maude Davey. Finucane herself will also be performing some of her world-famous acts and is excited to be bringing the show back to Canberra, which she says, ‘has an absolute love affair with The Burlesque Hour.’ She adds, ‘Every year, the show is in constant evolution and revolution with new acts and new stars, and this year we’re bringing a very new show to Canberra.’

32

With The Burlesque Hour premiere in 2005, they brought the absurd, amazing, and intoxicating world of burlesque into the open, and have been touring iterations of the show ever since. Not everyone was convinced that the show would be a success and Finucane remembers dealing with the naysayers at the beginning. ‘We sold out the night we opened, and we’ve been acclaimed in ten languages, we’ve won eight theatre awards, we’ve been seen by nearly 100,000 people all around the world. So when people ask me these days, “Moira, do you think people are ready for it?” I say, “Honey, you’d better believe it!”’ The Burlesque Hour is not your typical, run-of-themill burlesque show, however. As Finucane says, when people think of burlesque they tend to think of the retro-American version that has been popularised through television and Hollywood. ‘Whilst we do have fishnets and fabulous legs, it’s a very, very different thing.

The Burlesque Hour is an incredible cocktail of form; it’s an absolute mega-mix. It has everything from Parisian underground influences to Bollywood dancing to samba to salsa to the gothic literary.’

Glory Box will see The Street Theatre transform into a luscious saloon, replete with satin brocades, velvet covered tables (for those who get in early!) and lanterns dripping from the ceiling. Finucane describes it as ‘the ultimate Christmas show’. The one thing she can definitely guarantee? ‘If you miss it, you will regret it.’

Glory Box will show at The Street from Wed Nov 28-Sat Dec 8. $42-$49 + bf from thestreet.org.au. Group/dinner packages available.

33

E

X

H

I

B

I

T

I

O

N

I

S

T

in the arboretum, which launched in November last year. Said Damiana Vigone, Manager of the event, ‘The aim of Voices in the Forest is to provide quality music to a broad audience performed by international performers, as well as showcasing the outstanding talent Canberra has to offer. That’s really reflected in the line-up and the arias that are performed will appeal to a wide group of people.

‘The arboretum itself is also very important given that it was burnt in the bushfires nine years ago,’ Damiana continued. ‘As it has been rebuilt it’s become somewhat of a national symbol and an icon. The views from the arboretum over Canberra are absolutely amazing so we hold it there to showcase those views. You don’t really get better views of Canberra than those from the arboretum.”

ARIAS IN THE ARBORETUM julia winterflood The new National Arboretum grew from the ashes of the fires which razed Canberra’s outskirts almost a decade ago. According to the National Arboretum website, ‘An arboretum is a place where trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants are cultivated for conservation, scientific and educational study, display and preservation.’ Ours also has jaw-dropping views across Lake Burley Griffin and out towards the rolling green Budawangs. Thank God Canberra-bashing is now obsolescent. We all know the surrounding areas of this city are spectacular, so let’s all start shouting about it, shall we?

A group who is shouting – or rather, singing – about it is the Village Building Company. CEO Bob Winnel came up with the concept of VOICES IN THE FOREST, a late afternoon of classical music held

34

Along with local choirs and students of the School of Music, this year’s instalment features a triumvirate of classical music stars.

Artistic Director of Voices in the Forest, Chris Latham, discussed the line-up lovingly. ‘We have the amazing Korean soprano, Sumi Jo, who I think is probably one of the greatest singers in the world, if not in history. She will sing the greatest arias from the classical repertoire and she’ll sing them better than anyone is going to hear in a very long time. Stuart Skelton is a huge, heroic singer. He has a voice the size of a mountain; it’s a very big, powerful voice. And finally, when Amelia Farrugia sings she sounds like she’s laughing. She’s just done her Metropolitan Opera debut in New York so she’s definitely on the way up. She just loves to perform, she’s almost coquettish. I find her absolutely charming.’

It’s a beautiful place we live in, which will be made even more beautiful by these voices in the forest.

Voices in the Forest will be held at the National Arboretum in the Greenhills Forest area west of the Tuggeranong Parkway on Saturday November 24.

Gates at 2pm, 4:45pm start. $30+ at voicesintheforest.com.au.

ARTISTPROFILE: Heather Brenchley

What do you do? I create installations, performances and sculptures from a variety of mediums, including knitted woollen objects, edible food, woodblock prints, found objects, words and anything that helps promote my concepts.

When, how and why did you get into it? I began sculpting and making installations while I was at the ANU School of Art. After researching artists who make installations and completing a second-year project, I decided that installation was a really effective way of connecting people with ideas while making intriguing experiences.

Who or what influences you as an artist? I love food. I am pretty obsessed, so I would say that people like chef Heston Blumenthal are an inspiration. I’m driven by the concept that art exists in everyday living – in everything that we do, eat and the conversations we have. I take a lot from the Fluxus movement of the ‘60s-‘80s. I have similar interests to artists like Mona Hatoum, Pipilotti Rist and Alison Knowles but I don’t necessarily use the same materials as they do.

Speaking another language also influences me, as communication – good and bad – is a constant theme throughout my works. The best book ever is George Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London.

What pisses you off? Injustice absolutely sucks. Worse still are parking inspectors with their annoying little ticketing machines!

What about the local scene would you change? On being freshly launched into the Canberra scene, I can’t think of anything to change.

Maybe more performance art gigs to give access to people who don’t know what it is. And more help for fresh emerging artists in getting websites up; access is really important but sometimes hard to start.

Upcoming exhibitions? Food Trumps Art at CCAS Manuka will be my first show since finishing at art school. It will also include Canberra artists Christine Atkins, Amy Fiveash, and Adam Veikkanen. Opening Thursday November 22 at 6pm, there will be food to eat, art, and voting. As an installation survey, the exhibition is based on the premise that food is more important than art (or is it)? People can vote based on their experiences in the space.

Continues until Sunday December 2. In 2013, I will be in a group show at Belconnen Arts Centre titled Momentum.

Contact Info: co.brenchley@gmail.com, heatherbrenchley.com.

Of what are you proudest so far? I’m most proud of my time living on exchange in Paris in 2010. I worked my butt off to make some interesting art ideas be realised while learning a lot about how to be an artist in my own time.

What are your plans for the future? I plan to stay in Canberra as a graduate and look for residencies, have more exhibitions and maybe see what’s on offer in Perth for late next year.

What makes you laugh?

Monty Python! And when people get hurt accidentally I can’t help but, very empathetically, consider the situation as real slapstick.

British black humour.

Generally anything that’s silly and clever at the same time.

35

E

X

H

I

B

I

T

I

O

N

I

S

T

YELLOWING OUT chloe mandryk Emma Beer’s SHE LIKES YELLOW is an online exhibition of 17 new abstract paintings for the Jas Hugonnet Gallery. When artworks shift from being viewed in the flesh to a computer or phone screen we have a new interaction with the piece and in this case it has coloured the artist’s approach – two changes that are not necessarily adverse.

In a show following the Torres Travelling Art Scholarship awarded by the Embassy of Spain in 2010, Emma presented a darker collection of work, echoing the clotted purples and ruddied reds of Goya or Velázquez in their compositions of angst, rebellion and, importantly, visual ascendency. Now, she maintains the power of colour but has taken leave from the old masters and embraced her own relationship to paint. This collection of work feels as though the artist has opened up to elemental impulses.

A signature, and an effective one at that, are her successions of zig-zag marks that alternately change direction, from east to west, across the painting in a meditative fashion – see October Rain, Some Kind of Voice of the Heart and Simultaneous Me. Emma has said that her practice is ‘a routine of rituals from my psyche. I guess you can call it intuition.’ Her lines give the surface area a kind of caged movement and also a three-dimensional quality.

Across other works you will find a new attention to neon brights and pearly lilac blocks, visually bold in their colour but also in their role of obscuring other elements of the image. What you notice is that colour becomes a physical gesture, an idea which Emma allies with the act of painting. ‘It’s like wrestling with your brother.

It’s physical, challenging, fast and gentle; considerate and extreme all at the same time.’ In Giving Me Your Hand and Captain Crazy, the intersecting yellow hard-edge lines and triangles appear like manmade roadblocks that bring to mind a relationship to the urban world, similar to a Jeffrey Smart painting. A core and persisting combination in these works are the geometric shapes which give the illusion of space, as if you are looking up to a painted ceiling or down into a shadowy corner.

In conversation about the online format, Emma said, ‘I think practically about the ways in which the works will be represented in the [photographic] reproduction. My attitude is almost as if the photograph is the artwork’. As a consequence, the work in Emma’s gallery has found a new focus on brighter colour and more obvious distinctions between lines.

Emma Beer has opened a new window from which she hopes people will see ‘that I’m happy, I’m thinking, I’m asking questions and creating new challenges for myself.’

36

She Likes Yellow is now showing online at the online Jas Hugonnet Gallery: hugonnet.com.au.

RATED X(MAS) mel cerato SAUCY PANTO tells the story of a dodgy English pub owner, Mr Pinchbottom, and his efforts to save his ailing pub after fiddling with the books and running it into the ground. In a last ditch attempt to make some money, he hires a band of pantomimes to put on a Christmas extravaganza. ‘Of course, chaos ensues,’ director and actor David Clapham laughs, ‘so instead of Christmas cheer, carols and goodwill, you get sex and violence and lots of puns. Our story pushes together the Carry On innuendo and cross-dressing of pantomime with the mythical undertones of Christmas.’

Saucy Panto is the first play from the Masters of Space and Time company in a few years, and pantomime seemed like a perfect way to start the new era of theatre. Pantomime is a particular style of theatre that evolved out of prudish old Victorian sensibilities and overtly makes fun of everything for which that period stood. Saucy Panto takes it just that little bit further. Rather than the traditional scenes of pantomime that include an introduction, banquet, ballet, resolution and wedding, they have twisted the tradition to accommodate their own humourous outlooks. ‘All these traditional set pieces get expressed in our play, but they are twisted versions of themselves; instead of a banquet we have a cocktail scene and instead of a ballet we have a striptease.

‘We put in a few years ago at The Street Theatre in 2007 and it went really well,’ David says. ‘Essentially, this is the same play, but we have reworked and updated the script.’ He also managed to get half of the original cast back for this round, mixing in a few new faces to keep the spark alive. ‘There was always a risk in restaging that you fall into old patterns, but we have managed to avoid that trap because we have new people, which is pushing us to try new ways of doing things.’

And why choose to produce the play as a dinner showcase? ‘We thought that if the crowd was a little tipsy, they might enjoy it more!’

David laughs. But if the thought of a bunch of actors talking at you while you’re enjoying a cold one and some food is not your idea of a nice night out, you’ll be pleased to hear that this is no regular dinner show. ‘Audience participation is one of the hallmarks of pantomime, but we all hate it and we feel like the audience hates it as well, so we poke fun at that,’ David says. ‘It gets gestured towards without us actually having to go into too much of that area. The response last time was, “This is really great and more people should see it”, so hopefully more people will see it!’

Anything that involves a compulsively masturbating puppet has my vote.

Saucy Panto will show at Teatro Vivaldi on Sunday December 9 at 4:30pm and Thu-Fri Dec 13-14 at 7pm. Show only $40-$60; dinner and show $70-90.

Bookings essential: (02) 6257 2718 or enquiries@vivaldirestaurant.com.au.

37

E

X

H

I

B

I

One Minute Rock ‘n’ Roll History Lesson In American Pie (the song, not the movie or pie), Don McLean sings about ‘the day the music died’, which was February 3, 1959 when a plane crash killed performers Richie Vallens, The Big Bopper and Buddy Holly. In 1978, the movie The Buddy Holly Story, staring future internet meme Garry Busey was released and ex-Beatle Paul McCartney held an opening night party for it where one of the guests was notorious rock ‘n’ roll party guy Keith Moon, drummer for The Who. It was the last party he ever attended, because he died aged 32 a few hours later in the flat he was borrowing from singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson, who sung that song from Midnight Cowboy and the Coconut song from the end of Reservoir Dogs. Four

T

I

O

N

I

S

T

years earlier in the very same flat, Cass ‘Big Mama’ Elliot from The Mamas & The Papas died, also aged 32, from heart failure brought on by obesity, whereas Moon died from an overdose of pills he was taking to help with alcohol withdrawal, which were prescribed to him

by Graham Chapman from Monty Python. Keith was scheduled to perform a cameo role in Python’s new movie, The Life Of Brian, that was produced by ex-Beatle George Harrison, who, in 1999, was in his home when crazy person, Michael Abram, broke in and attacked him with a knife. Harrison, a devout Hare Krishna, began to defend himself by chanting protective mantras at Abram, which, for reasons modern science can’t explain, did fuck all to prevent Harrison from receiving more than 40 knife wounds before his wife Olivia rolled her eyes and gonked Abram on the head with a fire poker. This feisty Mexican wife would have been more useful than Harrison’s previous wife Pattie Boyd, who had left him for his best friend Eric Clapton, who had written the song Layla for her with his band Derrick and the Dominoes, whose drummer Jim Gordon (not to be confused with the Commissioner from Batman) wrote the piano bit from the second half of Layla that’s featured in Goodfellas when all the dead bodies are found. The royalties Gordon receives to this day from the song means that he (whose discography looks like an index of the history of popular music) is one of the wealthiest men earning money from a legitimate source currently living in a Californian prison, where he’s been since 1984 after smashing his mother’s skull in with a hammer and knife. Some highlights of his amazing career are; he was the original drummer for Animal in The Muppets and drummed for The Carpenters, whose singer Karen Carpenter died from heart failure brought on by anorexia, aged 32. In 1971 (apologies for this tortuous link), The Carpenters appeared on The Johnny Cash Variety Show and in the ‘80s Cash formed outlaw country supergroup The Highwaymen with Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings. Waylon Jennings was a country music megastar, the narrator for the show The Dukes of Hazzard and on February 3, 1959, gave up his seat on an airplane that was shortly going to provide the inspiration for the song American Pie. There. Hopefully something in here will get you a point in a pub quiz.

SAM MARZDEN - Mr Marzden is bringing his hour long sell out Melbourne Fringe Festival show, The History of Rock’n’Roll (1962-1989), to Civic Pub on Wednesday November 28 and Thursday November 29, 8pm.

Tix $15 available at door or at comedyact.com.

38

bit PARTS NATIONAL CHERRY FESTIVAL WHAT: 63rd Annual Cherry Festival WHEN: Fri Nov 30-Sun Dec 2 WHERE: Young, NSW With cherry season almost upon us, the NSW town of Young – the Cherry capital of Australia – is gearing up to celebrate the arrival of its most precious crop. Now in its 63rd year, this year’s festival is jam-packed with activities for all tastes and ages. This year’s theme, celebrating the Australian Year of the Farmer, boasts a range of attractions, including live music and fireworks, shearing displays, cherry-eating and resultant pip-spitting competitions, plus farmers’ markets with fresh produce, wine and fibre from the hilltop regions. Not to be forgotten are the Woolworths Cherry Festival Street Parade – one of the largest and longest standing street parades in regional Australia – and the announcement of the Cherry and Charity Queens for 2012. Cherry-lover or not, this diverse festival offers something for everyone. For the full program, including fringe events which are happening in and around Young over the festival period, check: visityoung.com.au/ pages/2012-cherry-festival. Free.

MOMENTS OF MYSELF WHAT: Art Exhibition WHEN: Tue Nov 20-Fri Dec 7 WHERE: gallery@bcs, Belconnen Community Arts Centre Moments of Myself is an exhibition in celebration of International Day of People with Disability. Participating artists – all members of our local community – have been invited to step outside a conversation that is often focused solely on the nature of their disability and instead explore their unique sense of self through the telling of personal stories or moments. The resulting artworks are an amazing collection of self-reflective pieces that capture the interests, passions and personal histories of the artists in a delightful demonstration of creativity and individuality. Official opening Wed Nov 21, 5:30pm. Free.

CHARLIE[&]SARE WHAT: Gala Fashion Show WHEN: Fri Nov 23 & Sun Nov 25 WHERE: Hotel Realm Fashion designers Charlotte Stewart and Sara Poguet are showcasing the summer collection of their label, charlie[&]sare, at the Canberra Fashion Festival. Their detailed and intricate womens’ ready-to-wear pieces will be available to purchase after their debut.

The Friday VIP night will entitle ticket-holders to exclusive main event trimmings, including mingling time and professional photos with designers, models and media, plus a sneak preview of the fashion gracing the catwalk at the main event on Sunday. Main event tickets will guarantee complementary gift bags, canapés and entry to the after-party. VIP night: 7pm, $77. Main event: 2pm, $79-$95.

Tickets at: canberrafashionfestival.ticketbud.com.

MASQUE WHAT: Art Exhibition WHEN: Sat Nov 24-Fri Dec 14 WHERE: Canberra Grammar School Gallery, Redhill Masque presents Sue Gascoigne’s latest body of mixed media: distinctive works on canvas, paper and slip cast; sculptural ceramic pieces that challenge art conventions. Gascoigne explores the concept that much in life is hidden and what is seen is not as it seems – part of the human condition. Who are we? What are we? We present different views to different people who arrive at different perceptions based on who they are, their experiences and who they wish to be. All is convoluted... Opening Sat Nov 24, 4pm, by Rose Cahill (Learning and Access, NGA).

I AM...

WHAT: Visual Arts Exhibition WHEN: Fri Nov 16-Sun Dec 9 WHERE: Belconnen Arts Centre This annual exhibition gives artists experiencing disability and disadvantage an opportunity to challenge the way people consider and view disability. ‘Awareness’ describes a state of consciousness in which one is alert, awake and consciously aware of one’s thoughts, feelings, words and actions. This year’s theme allows artists to take charge of their awareness and self-esteem by declaring, ‘I AM...’. This ownership allows the artists to celebrate who they are and what makes them unique and valued members of their family and our community. The exhibition will be opened by Mary Porter, MLA, on Sun Dec 2, 3pm. Free.

DIVINE DIVAS WHAT: Fabulous Fun WHEN: Tue Nov 27 WHERE: The Playhouse This deliciously decadent two-hour tribute to the world’s greatest divas, including Cher, Pink, Beyoncé, Tina, Barbra, Dolly, Liza, Kylie and Madonna, features leading female impersonators, breathtaking transformations and a dazzling, authentically reproduced $150,000 wardrobe. Fashioned by founding cast member Warren Gooch and styled by contemporary choreographer Leigh Kempster, Divine Divas is performed in the traditions of La Cage aux Folles and Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, and is as well-heeled as it is high-class.

Gals and guys will be captivated by the mime, glitz and glamour of this sensational Vegas-inspired, fun-filled spectacular. 8pm. $69.90 + bf from canberratheatrecentre.com.au.

39

the word

on albums

album of the issue

efterklang piramida [4AD/Remote Control]

While they thrilled a sold-out Sydney Opera House at Vivid earlier this year, judging by the backstory surrounding this third album, Piramida, it’s a location eclipsed by some of the unusual destinations the Danish orchestral pop trio have visited during the last 12 months.

The seeds of this latest album were sown when Efterklang went on a nine-day audio expedition to a Russian ghost town just below the North Pole, collecting more than 1000 field-recorded samples, including the world’s northernmost grand piano.

While this might suggest that the listener is in store for some of Efterklang’s most abstract and conceptual work yet, in reality Piramida proves to easily be the trio’s most immediate and direct work to date, with the focus falling on the songs.

It’s a testament to the band’s skills that they’re able to craft music that manages to be so lush and enveloping without becoming grandiose.

40

Amidst the swirling choirs, dextrous layers of percussion and orchestral flourishes of standout tracks like Hollow Mountain and Sedna, there’s a constant sense of intimacy, even as the increased presence of electronics adds an extra layer of sheen.

Told To Be Fine, meanwhile, pits jagged, asymmetrical electronic beats and pulsing vibraphone tones against a swirl of reverb-drenched vocal harmonies that builds into an almost operatic soul crescendo by the track’s end.

There’s even a stray hint of afrobeat and highlife lurking amidst the limber polyrhythms and swelling horns of The Ghost, proof that Efterklang have an equal grasp of visceral grooves and emotive landscapes.

With its emphasis on vocal harmony interplay and intricate pop hooks, there’s an occasional sense of Piramida being an icy distant European cousin to the directions the likes of Grizzly Bear are exploring.

If this is the top of the world, it feels fantastic.

CHRIS DOWNTON

grinspoon black rabbits [Universal]

macy gray talking book [429 records]

Ever since redefining Aussie rock with the 1997 launch of their breakthrough masterpiece, Guide to Better Living, Grinspoon has inspired retinal detachment in moshpit head-bangers. After 15 years, some wobbly career incidents and seven albums, they still have the oomph to instigate furious circle-work in packed festival crowds. Time and life have morphed their style, knocking off some of the rough edges and casual brilliance and rage of youth.

Long before the invention of emoticons, Macy gray taught me how to feel. Sweet Baby made me crave fated love, I Try let me know the pangs of heartbreak, and Sex-o-matic Venus Freak explained why I thought Sam Miller looked so damn cute in that SMP shirt.

However, the same mischievous magic remains. To misuse a popular political statement, ‘It’s the guitars, stupid!’ If you have any doubt, just focus on the reverb in the opener and first single, Passerby. The band enlisted the aid of LA producer Dave Schiffman (Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Bronx) to reel off this polished collection. The final sound was honed with input from guest musicians, including Tim Rogers, Chris Cheney of The Living End and Scott Russo of Unwritten Law. There’s a disturbing moment mid-disc when Carry On leans a bit too far towards the pop end of pop-rock. A nice track, but you don’t listen to the Grinners for ‘nice’. Mercifully, the revs climb rapidly from there and the second half of the album delivers all the right noises.

There are some particularly gnarly strokes in Emergency, with its hacked-off riffs, and Tightrope contains some of the best licks in the album. Full Moon, Casualties and Another Sun round off a top disc. rory mccartney

2012 has seen the smokyvoiced songstress follow a distinct plan to end her recent obscurity; covers, covers and more covers. Her June release of Covered, featuring an eclectic mix of hits from the last three decades, was quickly followed by her latest offering: a full-album re-recording of Stevie Wonder’s Talking Book.

Unfortunately, adding noise to a classic does not a fresh album make. Although Macy tries to breathe new life into Wonder’s 1972 hit by altering tempos and instrumentals, for the most part she only succeeds in creating a jangling cacophony of drums, guitars and whistles.

The only sexy cover is Maybe Your Baby; a track heavy with growling backing vocals and an almost pornographic bass line.

It’s a fleeting glimpse into the rawness of Macy’s voice, and the only track where her singing isn’t overshadowed by overly complex percussion and guitar lines. Overall, Talking Book is effortless in the dual sense of the word: both mildly enjoyable and undeniably tired.

Luckily, Talking Book is acting as the precursor to the January release of an album filled with – gasp! – Macy’s own music.

Call me old-fashioned, but I’m hanging out for the originals. tedi bills

mechanical pterodactyl watercolours [independent] Mechanical Pterodactyl is the hulking beast of many colours, lovingly assembled

by Melbourne-based multiinstrumentalist Yen Nguyen.

Debut album Watercolours finds Nguyen deftly juggling songwriting, instruments, vocals and production to funnel a diverse range of musical influence into a deeply varied, vivid patchwork of sound. In the title track, Nguyen offers a few seconds of sparse, echoed guitar before flooding the landscape with a colossal, fluid bass line that threatens to burst the song at its seams. Dizzying, superbly viscous synth-bass warbles and trickles through Runway, enveloping flecks of classical guitar. And, with its halting verse riff anchored to the solitary beat of the kick drum, Temporary is an album highlight – a testament to Nguyen’s ability to wed honeythick electronica with clean, acoustic minimalism.

Nguyen’s lyrics often provide him with an outlet for feelings of isolation and discontent and his abstract narratives usually sit fairly comfortably amongst the diverse soundscape of Watercolours. At times his words can veer toward the trite and melodramatic, pleading on the title track for the unnamed other to ‘Breathe a reminder of your pain.’ Nevertheless, it is clear that Nguyen’s strength lies in his impressive ability to fuse sounds from different worlds into a living, cohesive whole. He has applied his diverse musical talents with an expert touch to create a warm, varied and innovative debut. peter davis

various artists dub [metro select]

the dark horses everyone’s alone [dark horse records]

bec laughton by the fire [independent]

For a long while, reissue reggae labels thrived. The (now sadly folded) Blood and Fire label issued outstanding roots and dub and others, like the still-going Pressure Sounds, were extracting one nugget after the other from the vaults.

More recently, the wellspring has dried up a little and concern remains that less scrupulous operators have not been paying artists for re-packaging their music. This issue aside, the Metro label offers no-frills compilation releases of varying quality. On this otherwise superb collection, points are deducted for the misleading title, as not all tracks are dub in the proper sense of re-worked versions of original songs.

Nevertheless, the tracklisting – by representing the roots/ reggae era in any meaningful way – is hard to fault. The pre-dancehall focus dishes up major names like Horace Andy and Dennis Brown, who explore in beautiful devotion the mortal inevitability of Jah, suffering and redemption.

Some of the included dub versions are stripped back instrumentals, but others, like King Tubby’s transformation of Horace Andy’s Skylarking on A Better Version, get the full Tubby psychedelic treatment. The cynical among us might comment on the apparent randomness of the featured tracks, rather than a more nuanced attention to a particular artist, studio or time period. But this is an excellent primer and provides a lasting impression of just how spiritual, innovative, uplifting and goddamn rhythmic this music is.

Former frontman of The Cruel Sea and Beasts of Bourbon, Tex Perkins returns to The Dark Horses for their second album, Everyone’s Alone, with a mixture of reflective acoustic rock, extended jams and bluesy vocals. Perkins’ influence clearly shines through, both in his world-weary growl and surfrock inspired instrumentals.

Bec Laughton is a girl who intends to go places.

She’s succeeded in being nominated for various gongs and represented the land of the long weekend in the 2012 International Independent Music Awards. The Brisbanite may have won best electronic/ dance track at the 2012 Queensland Music Awards for her song M&R, but this debut EP proves she is much more than just the darling of the 18-year-old, if-I-have-onemore-absinthe-shot-I’m-goingto-vomit-on-my-new-anklebreaker-heels crowd at Krave.

dan bigna

peter o’rourke

Everyone’s Alone flows really well as an album, although I personally felt that some of the vocal tracks could have used a bit more in them beyond a mostly subdued guitar backdrop, such as opening track Uneasy Feeling and closer Sleep (Deep and Long). However there are heavier jams in You Already Know and A Real Job, bringing an element of hard rock to the album.The instrumentals stand out, the rhythmic acoustic picking washing over you with plenty of breathing space in the mix, allowing for each element to come through, such as in melancholic Dark Ride (Dawn and Dusk versions) and Open Ended.

Perkins’ lyrics provide a reflective yet incensed vibe, with jabs at the media in A Real Job, relationship bitterness in Halo and realisations of loneliness in the title track Everyone’s Alone. I did almost feel a bit sorry for Perkins; there doesn’t seem to be much optimism or hope in his poetry.

Everyone’s Alone is cruisey and chilled on the surface, but with darker, bitter-at-the-world undertones below. Fans of Tex Perkins will definitely dig this, but it’s also nothing we haven’t really heard before.

The disk oozes old-style chic, well depicted by the ‘40s beach babe pinup photo on the reverse of the CD case.

Recorded in Melbourne town under the watchful eye of Jan Skubiszewski (Cat Empire, Bliss n Eso), it’s a polished effort that displays the versatility gained from Bec’s formal jazz training and her background in musical theatre. Holy Love 2 funks up with motown vibes, boosted by the fully-sprung, heavy duty vocals of Nina Sione (aka Ni.Na).

Miss Rachael Everett-Jones adds extra cachet with her supporting vocals in Now or Never (Shoo be Doo). Title track Girl By the Fire is a highlight, serving as the platform that lets Bec dazzle us with the complex vocal textures of a true diva.

Closer Tied Up carries all the sassiness of Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes. There’s a lotta stormy soul in this lass which deserves watching. rory mccartney

41

the word

on films

WITH MELISSA WELLHAM

Sometimes I leave a cinema and wonder if I was watching the same film as everybody else. This happened with The Dark Knight Rises, where I was seriously worried that Dendy had received an entirely different reel from the one shown to the rest of the world, who were wetting themselves over Nolan’s epic conclusion. It happened again this week with The Master (which is being almost universally praised as an engrossing drama), and Bachelorette (which is being panned as an inconsistent, unfunny, unsettling comedy). I felt the opposite in both cases…

quote of the issue ‘Leave your worries for a while. They’ll be there when you get back.’ Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), The Master

bachelorette

seven psychopaths

the master

Bachelorette follows three bitchy, snarky, very real women (Kirsten Dunst, Lizzy Caplan and Isla Fisher) who are asked to be bridesmaids at the wedding of one of their high school friends, played by Rebel Wilson.

While the trailer (both the original and the one featuring cats) showcases this film to be a rollicking crime comedy – which it is in some respects – Seven Psychopaths is way more off-kilter than advertised, full of shock moments, gleeful overthe-top violence and amusingly abrasive characters. Seven Psychopaths is more than your run-of-the-mill, guns-blazing crime flick. The simple dogsnatching caper of two oddballs (Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walken) goes pear-shaped after they steal the prized Shih Tzu of a hot-headed gangster (Woody Harrelson). Screenwriter Marty (Colin Farrell) gets dragged into the action, which is a welcome distraction from trying to pen his screenplay about seven psychopaths.

Throw in a serial killer who only kills criminals and Tom Waits with a rabbit and you’ve got yourself two hours of blood, immorality versus morality and self-referential humour.

Director Martin McDonagh sure does get Farrell to turn in his most entertaining and nuanced performances (see: In Bruges), although Rockwell is the standout here. While, tonally, sometimes the film seems off, there is definitely some great dialogue and the whole meta-aspect of the film-within-a-film miraculously manages to be poignant rather than stupid. Walken is a delight and supports also include Abbie Cornish, Harry Dean Stanton and the aforementioned Waits.

Paul Thomas Anderson, director and writer of the critically acclaimed There Will Be Blood, isn’t the kind of guy who sets out to make easy films. His movies are intensely emotional cinematic experiences, his characters unreadable and his storylines anything but straightforward.

In The Master, there is also a tendency towards the over-long and the overwrought.

Rebel’s character, Becky, was the overweight, kind of uncool member of the group in high school (so obviously actually the best) and her wedding sends the other three into a tailspin as they wonder why their lives haven’t worked out as they planned.

Dunst is the uptight bitch of the group; Caplan (Janis ‘Your mum’s chest hair!’ Ian from Mean Girls) plays the alternative, messed-up one; and Fisher is the ditz.

So, Bachelorette gives us a trio of unlikable stereotypes for our protagonists – and yet I loved this film. Perhaps because beneath the shine and the sharp one-liners it has a darker side.

Perhaps because people – not just women – can be bitches, and this film doesn’t shy away from complex characters.

Perhaps because it’s not afraid to explore the dynamics of longterm female friendships and the ugliness and neuroses and insecurities involved.

Ultimately, there is a heart beneath the bracingly honest bitchiness and there is still a sentimental ending, as well as some laugh-out-loud moments.

Bachelorette will obviously draw comparisons to Bridesmaids – but it’s a whole lot darker than the Kristen Wiig comedy and the characters a whole lot bitchier. melissa wellham

42

Seven Psychopaths is ridiculous, hilarious, and out of its mind – a crazy two hours for those who like their comedies a little bit crooked. megan mckeough

The Master presents the audience with Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman): writer, therapist, philosopher—and cult leader. Lancaster Dodd is essentially a fictionalised version of L. Ron Hubbard, the founding father of Scientology – except that Dodd’s belief system is called ‘The Cause’. Freddie Quell (with an exceptional performance from Joaquin Phoenix), is a violent and psychologically unstable ex-Navy marine, who becomes caught up in Dodd’s way of life.

Although it features powerful performances and is beautifully filmed, I left the theatre feeling that The Master crossed the line from being deliberately enigmatic to being unnecessarily impenetrable. It is not that the film deals with dense themes (although it certainly does), but that there is little narrative development to actually deal with these themes. There are side stories that remain unfulfilled and gaps in the storytelling.

The Master is masterful in many ways – it has stunning cinematography and a truly phenomenal performance from Phoenix – but, for a moral tale about the emptiness of one man’s all-consuming belief in his own fraud, the film itself is surprisingly shallow.

MELISSA WELLHAM

the word on dvds

anthony bourdain: no reservations - season 8 [Roadshow] Before the current spate of celebrity chefs began drowning us in $150 deserts and immersive gastronomy experiences (i.e. dinner) there was a man who took a simpler approach. After a couple of decades behind the grill of various restaurants in America’s northeast, Anthony Bourdain struck out in the publishing world with his 2000 bestseller, Kitchen Confidential. A stylised gonzo take on the seedy life in kitchens, its popularity was leveraged into a TV show, A Cook’s Tour, which morphed into No Reservations.

No Reservations follows uncomplicated logic: fly Bourdain somewhere and watch him eat/drink/talk. It need not be about food, but that’s usually where it starts. Fortunately, the tall (and unreasonably thin) host not only knows how to use a knife correctly, but also possesses an inquisitive palate, charisma and ability to string interesting sentences together. He’s not didactic about food; the closest he gets to moralising is praising the benefits of an open flame and meat – invariably pork. Much of the show’s success hinges on getting the right mix of travel commentary, food porn, history and rambling observations. It’s a delicate balance and changes according to destination.

You can generally tell when Bourdain’s bored; the stolid Macau episode, for example, never hits any heights. At the opposite end, his enthusiasm is infectious. The US desert episode is a barely concealed Queens of the Stone Age doco, where Josh Homme’s easygoing wit and Bourdain’s sophisticated sarcasm make good bedfellows. An honest host, Bourdain is unafraid to admit mistakes, like a misjudged good deed in Haiti that turns sour. Walking away from chaos, he chides himself for being the typical meddling foreigner. Still, he tried – which is what this show is all about. justin hook

fringe - season 4 [Warner Home Video]

empires [Madman]

What happens when parallel universes and the alternate realities they create become too much to handle? This question plagues the fourth season of Fringe, the JJ Abrams created sci-fi mythology show that has picked up incredible steam since its first outing as a refurbished X-Files genre trip. To catch up, in preceding decades, a wildly creative but equally non-rule-playing doctor, Walter Bishop (Peter Noble), couldn’t bear the thought of losing his only son, Peter (Joshua Jackson), to illness. So he did what any father would do and built a portal to cross over to another dimension and kidnap his alternate healthy son from another dimension.

Nothing could possibly go wrong with that, right?

If you believe Fox News – and who doesn’t?– the United States is on the cusp of irrelevancy, overrun by an extremist Muslim socialist for President, hell-bent on destroying private industry, reversing centuries of manifest destiny and piloting the collapse of US Empire Inc. As scare tactics go, no one beats Fox, but the wild mudslinging about empire collapse is nothing new. Throughout millennia, empires have risen and fallen, run out of town by oncoming hordes or just falling into disunity and ruin, sipping on wine and installing horses as priests. One of the major themes though – and one that applies today, with the emergence of China as exemplars of hard power – is the importance of trade. The study of empire is more than just ancient cultures clashing and conquering lands. It’s a history of why and how people buy stuff, the routes used to transport that stuff and taxing the traders who sell that stuff.

This season starts at the fulcrum where things started to go very bad in the multiple – and oftentimes confusing – Fringe universes. Both universes are on the brink of collapse, thanks to intergalactic tears caused by too much crossing over. Peter fixes the situation by stepping into a space-dimension blaster machine but disappears from both histories as a result.

He haunts many episodes as a ghostly apparition. A risky move, taking out a core character for so long, but Fringe is nothing if not daring. It also handles the alternate universe concept cleverly; technology, culture, life etc. has developed in roughly parallel ways.

Swapping between universes is not a crass utopian/dystopian construct – a subtle reminder that nature is usually iterative rather than cataclysmic and humanity shares commonalities rather than differences.

Obviously this is all heady stuff and no place for the uninitiated.

But if proof were ever needed that a TV series could deliver on its complex mythology and arcane plot devices, this is it.

This season of Fringe is where all the threads come together – for better or worse. This is one for the believers. justin hook

For the first time, this impressive collection draws from the extensive PBS archive.

Often documentaries about big topics like this lose focus, grasping at loose threads and attempt to tie it up all too neatly. Fortunately, key points in world history are addressed logically and clearly. You never think the producers have bitten off too much, and apart from the odd inclusion of the Medici family (an interesting topic for sure, but they were conduits and patrons of empire not actually self-standing ‘empires’), Empires gets it mostly right. On the other hand, the history of Chinese empires deserves attention, so its omission is glaring.

These docos will never replace scholarly texts and, admittedly, some of the live acting is groan-inducing, but they were designed as launching pads into bigger worlds. But I bet it’d still confuse Fox News anchors. justin hook

43

the word

BLACKBOX

on games

Thomas Was Alone Platform: PC, Mac Developer: Mike Bithell Length: 3-5 hrs Verdict: Take or leave Thomas Was Alone is another of those indie games that presents itself in a well-polished and eye-catching package.

The visuals are crisp and distinctively simple. The inclusion of an engaging narrative provides a kooky edge that sees it join that upper-indie echelon. However, despite having all the trailer-friendly hallmarks of a standout title, the gameplay just doesn’t stand up.

In Thomas Was Alone, you see yourself guiding Thomas and his friends – each being simple blocks of colour – around a classic platformer setting. The goal of each level is to get your blocks to a specific location, having overcome a range of logical and dexterous tasks. Each block has their own characteristics with, for instance, the smaller and wider blocks being slower and less agile (note to developers: slow and cumbersome doesn’t tend to lend itself to enjoyable play). The levels offer ever-changing tasks, providing some variation to game, but simply not enough.

There’s no crazy novel gameplay mechanic here – it’s all pretty rudimentary problem-solving and platforming. The challenges put forth don’t so much lend themselves to addictive play, but are, rather, pretty arduous. Having to laboriously act out the solution to a scenario (after having realised how to accomplish it long before) makes the game drag. Similarly, seeing your character plummet to the bottom of the level due to a mistimed jump never ceases to frustrate. By midway through the game, I was finding it more of a chore to play than anything. I know there will be a clique of people who will love this repetitive and understated gameplay, but I’m not one of them. I highly admire the artistic style of this game, but there’s not enough novelty, reward or variation to hold me.

That said, one of the aspects that does give this game some appeal is the narration. Voiced by the well-touted Danny Wallace (I also don’t know who he is other than being described as a poor man’s Stephen Merchant), the narration continues throughout the game.

Illustrating what good writing and solid voice performance can do, the narration injects some interest into a scenario that otherwise consists of jumping blocks. However, as with most of these indie games, it doesn’t really go anywhere. The game offers little closure, with the ending being particularly underwhelming.

All that said, it’s worth keeping in mind that this is a one-man-made game and, for that reason, I highly commend it. However, that doesn’t alter the fact that the gameplay is pretty lacking. If you like minimalist and unforgiving platforming, this one is for you. In the meantime, I’m going to continue to join the rest of the world munging out on the annual COD offering. torben sko

44

There are 33 shopping days* until the fat guy in the red suit crawls down your chimney (or in through the reverse cycle air conditioner) and, so far, there’s not much on the box to herald his arrival. Except for the deliciously quirky oz comedy, A Moody Christmas (ABC1, Wed, 9:30pm), and Big Fat Gypsy Weddings: My Big Fat Gypsy Christmas (WIN, Wed Nov 21, 8:30pm).

Australian music’s night of nights will be broadcast on Go!, kicking off with pseudo-celebs strutting the ARIA Red Carpets (Go, Thu Nov 29, 7:30pm) followed by the ARIA Awards 2012 (Go, Thu Nov 29, 7:30pm). In a scheduling nightmare, the awards are preceded by One Direction: A Year in the Making (Go, Thu Nov 29, 6:30pm). For much more interesting musical history, there’s Crossfire Hurricane (ABC2, Sun Nov 25, 8:30pm), an insight into what makes The Rolling Stones.

One thing that crystallises at this time of year is that not everybody in the world is having a party. So, while you’re trimming the tree or shopping on eBay, check out the fabulous series of docos on Auntie as part of the global media event, Why Poverty? There’s Park Avenue (ABC2, Mon Nov 26, 9:30pm), which looks at the extreme wealth and inequality in the US; Give Us the Money (ABC2, Tue Nov 27, 9:30pm), examining how and why celebrities have become the spokespeople for Africa’s poor; Stealing Africa (ABC2, Wed Nov 28, 9:30pm), about global trade and corruption in Zambia; Solar Mamas (ABC2, Thu Nov 29, 9:30pm), looking at how women are finding ways out of poverty, and Welcome to the World (ABC2, Fri Nov 30, 9:30pm), about the prospects of the newest generation.

Other docos to check out include Opening Shot: Queen of the Desert (ABC2, Sun Nov 25, 9:30pm), about a remote central Australian youth worker; Top Gear: 50 Years of Bond Cars (WIN, Tue Nov 27, 7:30pm), and 10 Aussie Books to Read Before You Die (ABC2, Tue Dec 4, 9:30pm).

Other new stuff includes the All Creatures Great and Small prequel, Young James Heriot (ABC1, Sat Dec 1, 8:20pm), Sam Simmons’ Problems (ABC1, Wed Nov 21, 9pm), more fairytale action in Grimm (Prime, Tue, 9:30pm), Swedish thriller Real Humans (SBS1, Sat Dec 1, 9:30pm), and the return of House of Lies (One, Thu Nov 29, 9:30pm), Once Upon a Time (Prime, Thu Nov 22, 7:30pm) and Brand X (One, Thu Nov 29, 10:10pm).

A raft of projects have begun filming locally, including An Accidental Soldier, a telemovie set in WWI; the next instalment of Paper Giants, Wentworth; the reimagined version of ‘80s classic Prisoner, and Underbelly: Squizzy, marking a return to the ‘20s.

The West Wing’s Brad Whitford will guest star in the US version of Shameless, and in the can’t-believe-it-hasn’t-happened-already basket, Mythbusters will do a Breaking Bad episode.

Movies include Brother Sun Sister Moon (ABC2, Sat Nov 24, 8:30pm), Finding Nemo (Prime, Sat Nov 24, 6:30pm), Nightshift (WIN, Sat Dec 1, 1am), The Wizard of Oz (WIN, Sat Nov 24, 7:40pm), and Rush Hour (Go, Mon Nov 26, 9:30pm).

Don’t forget to check out the second-last instalment of Celebrating 25 Years of rage: 2003-2006 (ABC1, Sat 24 Nov, 11pm) or reruns of This is England ’88 (SBS1, Mon Nov 26, 9:30pm). *assuming you’re reading on publication day and you shop on eBay. TRACY HEFFERNAN tracyherrernan@bigpond.com @ChezBlackbox

45

the word

The Last Prom, DJ Dead Joke Ainslie Arts Centre Saturday November 10

on gigs

A small crowd forms on the steps of the old school, a mess of bloodstains and oozing wounds, corsets and camouflage; zombies, vampires, killer robots, soldiers, bridal gowns and rented tuxedos. A man in too-short trousers and Coke bottle glasses tugs at his bowtie and adjusts his sandwich-board sign: THE END IS NIGH. Crowd members nervously compliment each other on their costumes as a brown-suited man addresses the crowd, ‘Congratulations, Class of 2012! You made it!’

The graduates are admitted into the hallways of the Ainslie Arts Centre and they form a queue that winds past the punch bowl and a row of old bubblers. As they wait to be let into the main hall, a fire alarm begins to sound. Unsurprisingly, no one reacts. We think it’s all part of the show until the actual firemen show up – but as our brownsuited MC (who seems to be the principal) reassures us, ‘What’s a prom without a good story to tell?’

This is exactly the message that our entertainment for the evening, the apocalyptic indie-rock local legends The Last Prom, have taken to heart. Their final show is an end-of-the-world extravaganza that the band has been building towards in the 18 months since their formation. Bloodstained couples have their prom picture snapped by the doorway and the hall has been suitably decorated, presumably by a high school committee: pink and blue balloons, ruffles of brightly coloured tissue paper. It’s all about the story, the experience. The audience is 17 again, spiking the punch and making out in corners. DJ Dead Joke, whose bookend sets include remixes of The Doors’ The End, warms the crowd up into a dancing mood.

The Last Prom’s last prom comes with a graphic novel programme for those who wanted to follow along, but the basic storyline is this: the Antichrist has a band and the Four Horsemen are in it. Pestilence plays bass guitar, Famine is on lead, War is a kick-ass drummer and Death can play both piano and keytar. Premiering – on this, the last night on Earth – a selection of brand new material, the AC falls in love with Death (who’s in disguise) and unwittingly sacrifices himself as he brings about the world’s doom.

There are songs for each of the Horsemen (Famine’s The Hunger Only Makes It Harder being particularly noteworthy) and demonhipster chicks who lead the audience in increasingly frenzied dance.

There is love, there is rock, there are lies, there is a coordinated dance routine, there is audience participation, there are awkward, admonishing speeches from the principal and there is that prevailing sense that the end of high school is the end of your life.

The tightly-scripted show was dramatically engaging and artfully realised, though Death’s soft voice was occasionally overpowered by heavy guitar and crashing drums. A more charismatic frontman than Nick Delatovic’s Antichrist would be hard to come by. At the end of the night, he kissed each of his bandmates goodbye, before being poisoned by Death’s kiss. Watching his lifeless corpse being carried from the stage was a truly heart-stopping moment. It was easy to believe, just for an instant, that the world might really be ending and that we’d all danced our way through it.

After the death scene, the remaining band members dropped their instruments one by one, until only Death (the inimitable Julia Johnson) was left singing by herself.

PHOTOS BY ADAM THOMAS

It was a beautiful night for the world to end on.

LAUREN STRICKLAND

46

the word

on gigs

Ben Harper Canberra Theatre Thursday November 8 The Canberra Theatre is a great place to experience music. The room holds almost a thousand people, but it felt smaller tonight, unified and more intimate.

Harper took to the stage, casually dressed and noticeably focused.

He seemed almost uncomfortable with hundreds of eyes fixed on him; not nervous but humbled. It’s as if he considers music to be the star and himself the blessed vessel from which it pours out into the world. The stage was flanked by a piano (adorned with a picture of ‘Saint’ Bruce Springsteen, as Harper later referred to him) and a magnificent xylophone. After the applause died down, the silence brought with it an added intensity. The lights moved around with an audible whir, fixing themselves on Harper and his impressive array of guitars. Harper paced back and forth, choosing his first instrument carefully. Glowing under the spotlights, Harper finally plugged in. He strummed away as if nobody else was in the room, playfully manipulating effects pedals, creating a wall of sound.

Harper stood like a deity, his collection of guitars surrounding him like disciples, each translating his inspiration into glorious song.

Harper has a knack of getting so wonderfully lost in his performance that he seems to have to regain his bearings when he eventually comes back down to earth. It is a purifying experience to observe.

A ukulele, several signature lap steel guitars and a magnificent ‘one off’ guitar/sitar hybrid, which he explained was the only of its kind in the world, all featured.

His music was interspersed with engaging and truly funny anecdotes. He spoke of a child who idolised him because of his contribution to the Curious George soundtrack: ‘What is George like?’ the kid asked. ‘Oh he’s my homeboy!’ barked Harper, trying to keep a straight face. He also spoke of meeting Barack Obama, who insisted they both had something in common: a Grammy award (Obama won a Grammy for his audio book, The Audacity of Hope, and Harper is a two-time winner himself).

His set list included soulful favourites Diamonds on the Inside, Walk Away and Power of the Gospel, each reaching into your heart and plucking those strings as magically as he would with any one of his weird and wonderful guitars. He moved onto the piano, then to the xylophone, masterfully accompanying his own dramatic vocals with extraordinary passion. After a tear-jerking rendition of Leonard Cohen’s (and later Harper’s friend Jeff Buckley’s) Hallelujah, he left the stage to a standing ovation. After a few long minutes of rapturous applause, he returned, switching guitars at the last minute to play a fan’s loudly promoted request, his cover of Sexual Healing.

Right at the climax of the song, the microphone flopped down in front of him and a quick-witted audience member responded loudly, ‘It happens to the best of us, mate!’ Harper and the entire audience were in hysterics – a true highlight of the night.

PHOTOS BY MARTIN OLLMAN

I kept thinking throughout his performance that Harper’s raw sound seemed more at home around a campfire, faces red from flame, smiles drawn wide by soul-cleansing melody and deeply moving lyrics; a testament to his younger days playing in the corner of his parent’s record store. Fittingly, Harper closed the night with an unplugged ukulele serenade of a lucky fan. It was an overwhelmingly personal way to end a completely flawless performance. Finally, after one last standing ovation – his third of the night – Harper disappeared behind the curtain.

It’s clear that Harper’s glass isn’t just half-full; it’s overflowing like a busted fire hydrant, touching everyone fortunate enough to be within his reach. Thank god there are people in the world like Ben Harper, if only one.

TIM GALVIN

47

the word

on gigs

Elton John, Elisa Schmidt, Cello2Cello Canberra Stadium Wednesday November 14 There’s nothing like seeing a superstar in real life. A real superstar.

The kind of superstar that came to exist in such a way that fans and critics had to coin a new word that would justify their genius and separate them from lesser gods.

To see Elton John emerge onto the stage in a blue sequined suit (with a jacket emblazoned ‘Fantastic’ on the back, probably because he is fantastic) is 100% on par with having a dream come true. At 65 years of age, he bellowed through two and a half hours of song and entertainment, hardly taking a breath, leaving his visionary pianist hands no respite and still finding time to have a laugh and a cry with the audience. He graciously offered us all the favourites – Rocket Man, Benny and the Jets, Crocodile Rock and Daniel – and after a standing ovation and desperate plea for an encore, finished the set with the unparalleled Your Song and the somewhat forgotten but nevertheless poignant Circle of Life.

As a celebratory tour that triumphs the 40-year anniversary of his international single Rocket Man, Sir Elton performed an incredible set alongside a quartet of female soul singers and the due Cello2Cello, who executed a few beautiful instrumental renditions from Nirvana, AC/DC and Michael Jackson in a prelude to the master. Of course, there was also his band of silver fox contemporaries featuring Davey Johnstone (lead guitar) and Nigel Olsen (drums) (who John made us aware has been playing beside him since 1969).

It should be mentioned, too, that those of us sulking in the audience, lamenting an absence from his previous tour with Billy Joel, were reprimanded in the form of having our expectations entirely superseded. The musical dexterity on stage was something of the unprecedented persuasion, to say the least. John’s show was practiced and efficient with fluid transitions through songs all night.

The setup also included an immaculate sound system supported by two large video screens that allowed those in the grandstand a chance to witness more clearly the magician in action.

The faux pas of the evening are awarded to those who failed to sing along to Tiny Dancer on the bus back to Civic from the stadium. It’s no hard feat, let’s be honest. Clearly, all we wanted was to recreate Almost Famous and commemorate the extraordinary evening through anthem. On that note, too, I’ll admit that the audience wasn’t as enthused as one might expect at an Elton John concert.

Maybe it was because it was late on a school night and the public servants were sleepy, but in my heart I felt like he was remembering audiences he once played for at Radio City Hall and pitied our capital in comparison. However, what the audience lacked in gumption they made up for in costume attire (slight exaggeration). Among the 12,000 man, woman and child audience, one could spot sequined jackets, multi-coloured tuxedos and different coloured spectacles.

PHOTOS BY MARTIN OLLMAN

Whether it was moving seats several times in order to get the best spot to dance, whether it was looking up at the incredibly clear evening sky, whether it was waiting for half an hour at the bar but not caring because you could still hear and see Elton just a few (hundred) metres away, it really did feel like the Rocket Man had descended from space for one night, just for us.

SINEAD O’CONNELL

48

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Wed Nov 21 - Thu Nov 22 wednesday november 21

thursday november 22

Arts

Art

Exhibition – Domestic Renewal: a table re:set

Exhibition – Notations

Craft practitioners, designers and architects co-produce a table setting.

10am-5pm (Sat 12-4pm).

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Exhibition – Notations

A skilled ceramicist specialising in porcelain objects. 11am-5pm.

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Exhibition – Grain

Large-scale abstract aerial photographs above coastal areas but David Flanagan. 12-5pm. Free.

ANCA GALLERY

Exhibition – Likan’Mirri II

Indigenous Art from the AIATSIS Collection. 12-5pm. Free.

ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY

Exhibition – I AM...

Giving artists an opportunity to challenge the way people see disability.

10am-5pm. Free.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Exhibition – Crucible Showcase: Neon

Live Music

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Exhibition – Domestic Renewal: a table re:set

Trapphouse presents Dred, Solsta, Nick Riviera, Nay Nay, Sandman, Drasich.

Free before midnight.

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Lachy Doley

10am-5pm (Sat 12-4pm).

Trapped Line-Up

10am-5pm (Sat 12-4pm).

THE CLUBHOUSE

12-5pm. Free.

Film

Exhibition – Likan’Mirri II

Local Feats: Into The Shadows (2009)

If you like the Hammond organ, it doesn’t get much more soulful than this. 8pm. $15.

11am-5pm.

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Exhibition – Grain ANCA GALLERY

12-5pm. Free.

ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY

Exhibition – I AM...

10am-5pm. Free.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Exhibition - Wall to Canvas

Originals by Anthony Lister, Ghost Patrol, Kill Pixie, VEXTA, Canberra’s ELK. CANBERRA CITY FRAMING GALLERY

Exhibition Opening – Food Trumps Art

Heather Brenchley asks the important question: What’s more important, food or art? 6pm.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

Canberra feature film w/ director’s talk.

6pm + 9pm. Tix/info: http://newacton. com.au/localfeats KENDALL LANE THEATRE

Karaoke ‘Tuggies Idol’ Karaoke Competition 8pm.

P J O’REILLY’S (TUGGERANONG)

Karaoke Night!

1st place wins cash prize! Plenty of bar vouchers to be won too. 8pm.

P J O’REILLY’S (TUGGERANONG)

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFE

MICfest 2012 (Day One)

CIT Music Industry Centre annual CD launch + School Stars Band Comp. See fb.com/citcmm. 4pm. Free.

CIT MUSIC INDUSTRY CENTRE

The Phoenix’s 19th Birthday With The Fuelers. 9pm.

THE PHOENIX BAR

Thursdays At The Bar

With uniVibes. Beers, bands and DJs jamming in the afternoon sun. Free.

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

Hanny and the Oysters 9pm.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Exhibition - Wall to Canvas

Originals by Anthony Lister, Ghost Patrol, Kill Pixie, VEXTA, Canberra’s ELK. Info: (02) 6248 8328.

CANBERRA CITY FRAMING GALLERY

Exhibition – Crucible Showcase: Neon

Featuring work by Emma Davies and ceramic jewellery by Ky Curran. 10am5pm (Sat 12-4pm).

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Karaoke Carry-on Karaoke Wednesdays $100 bar tab giveaway every week to most entertaining performer. 9pm.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Karaoke

From 10pm.

THE DURHAM

Live Music Sing For Your Supper

Singers, poets, musicians! Feeling hungry? Book your slot for a free meal!

(02) 6230 2484. 6:30pm.

THE GEORGE HARCOURT INN

On The Town Latino Wednesdays

$8 cocktails. 9pm. Free.

MONKEYBAR

Something Different RENT Media Launch Party

Everyman Theatre launch. 6pm. Free.

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFE

Bad!Slam!No!Biscuit!

Emilie Zoey Baker, Bacon Cakes. 9pm.

THE PHOENIX BAR

Theatre 4:48 Psychosis

A play by Sarah Kane, directed by Karla Conway. 7:30pm. $22/$17 thru canberratheatrecentre.com.au.

THE COURTYARD STUDIO

Trivia Transit Trivia

Table bookings essential! 2 for $20 pizzas. 7:30pm. Free.

TRANSIT BAR

49

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Thu Nov 22 - Sat Nov 24 thursday november 22 (Cont.)

Ced Nada 9pm.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

The Owls

Swamp Love tour. 8pm. $10 door.

TRANSIT BAR

On The Town 4Some Thursday

Awesome 4Some Drink Specials. 9pm.

Free entry.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

friday november 23

Exhibition – Likan’Mirri II 12-5pm. Free.

Exhibition – Domestic Renewal: a table re:set

Exhibition – Alchemy

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

New work by Mark Vaarwerk, a modern day alchemist. 11am-5pm.

Live Music

Eyehategod

Exhibition – I AM...

Playful Sounds

BILK GALLERY

10am-5pm. Free.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Exhibition - Wall to Canvas

Originals by Anthony Lister, Ghost Patrol, Kill Pixie, VEXTA, Canberra’s ELK. Info: (02) 6248 8328.

ANCA GALLERY

Davidson Brothers

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

Festival Pre-Party

With Ashley Feraude, Bomboclat, Matt O’Brien, Taylor Bentley and Mitch. 9pm.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Boom Ting

By Alan Ayckbourn. Directed by Corille Fraser. Under 30s door $20. Tix at canberrarep.org.au. 8pm.

THE CLUBHOUSE

Hazan

Exhibition – Food Trumps Art

12-5pm. Free.

SMITHS ALTERNATIVE BOOKSHOP

With I Exist, Law of the Tongue. 8pm.

Presale $51.25 + bf thru Ticketek.

Exhibition – Crucible Showcase: Neon

Exhibition – Notations

Exhibition – Grain

With Slow Loris, Cold House, Danny Wild. Projections from Zonk Vision.

7:30pm.

CIT MUSIC INDUSTRY CENTRE

CANBERRA CITY FRAMING GALLERY

Art

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

10am-5pm (Sat 12-4pm).

Three time Gold Guitar winning bluegrass act. 8.30pm. $15.

Featuring work by Emma Davies and ceramic jewellery by Ky Curran. 10am5pm (Sat 12-4pm).

11am-5pm (12-4pm Sat).

MICfest 2012 (Day Two)

CIT Music Industry Centre annual showcase. See fb.com/citcmm.

6pm. Free.

ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

What’s more important, food or art? 11am-5pm.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFE

10pm.

Music @ Mint

Live music in Mint’s garden bar.

6-10pm. Free.

MINT GARDEN BAR

Moment of Truth

From 7pm-9pm, followed by resident DJ Craig with dancefloor classics/hits.

P J O’REILLY’S (TUGGERANONG)

bma magazine advertising position

Improbable Fiction

CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

9pm.

HIPPO BAR

Jemist 9pm.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Ladies’ Night

Free glass of champagne. With DJ Trent Richardson & DJ Spink. 9pm.

MONKEYBAR

Chicago Charles/Heuristic 5pm/10pm.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Digress Dual Friday

Funk/live 6-8pm (Happy Hr 5-7pm).

Resident DJ + more play allsorts 9:30pm on. $8 J/bombs 10-11pm.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Live & Funky House Fridays

Acoustic/soul & jazz 6-8pm. Funk house from 9:30pm. (And two happy hours!) Free.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

DJ Madd

Treehouse Presents. Driving synths and intelligent beats from an artist advancing dubstep. 9pm. $20.

TRINITY BAR

Glasshouse

Celebrates some birthdays in true style.

8pm. Free.

TRANSIT BAR

On The Town Friday Freedom

Because it’s 5pm. Your happy place.

Free BBQ from 6pm.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

saturday november 24 Art Exhibition – Notations 11am-5pm (12-4pm Sat).

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Exhibition – Domestic Renewal: a table re:set 10am-5pm (Sat 12-4pm).

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Exhibition – Grain 12-5pm. Free.

ANCA GALLERY

Exhibition – Likan’Mirri II 12-5pm. Free.

ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY

Exhibition – Crucible Showcase: Neon

10am-5pm (Sat 12-4pm).

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Exhibition – Alchemy

11am-5pm (11am-4pm Sat).

BILK GALLERY

Exhibition – I AM...

10am-5pm. Free.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

50

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Sat Nov 24 - Tue Nov 27 Exhibition - Wall to Canvas Info: (02) 6248 8328.

CANBERRA CITY FRAMING GALLERY

Exhibition – Food Trumps Art 11am-5pm.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

Comedy Tommy Dean

Frenzied Productions Presents. $20 presale/$25 door. See frenziedproductions.com AINSLIE FOOTBALL CLUB

Grandmaster Monk

With No Hausfrau, Josh Newham.

9:30pm.

THE PHOENIX BAR

Goji Berry Jam

A five-piece funk band to ease in your afternoon. 2pm.

Black Caesar (1973) and Black Dynamite (2009). DY-NO-MITE! DY-NO-MITE! 7:30pm.

ARC CINEMA

Live Music Bleeding Knees Club

Let It Go tour. 8pm. Presale $12 + bf thru Moshtix.

TRANSIT BAR

Faux Real 9pm.

HIPPO BAR

Kid Kenobi

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

10pm.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Improbable Fiction

By Alan Ayckbourn. Directed by Corille Fraser. Under 30s door $20. Tix at canberrarep.org.au. 8pm.

CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

music, coffee

Bass, violin, looped vocals or something similar. 10am-11am.

MOCAN & GREEN GROUT

Karma/Jswiss/Hypnotic/MC Tee Urban Playground Presents. 10pm.

MONKEYBAR

11am-5pm (12-4pm Sat).

Exhibition – Alchemy

Kooky Fandango

The Black Sorrows

BILK GALLERY

CASINO CANBERRA

Former frontman of The Middle East.

With J.A. Core and Katie Wighton. 8pm. $5.

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFE

On The Town Old Skool Saturdays

Mix of Old Skool R‘n’B, 80s & 90s. Free entry. $5 vodka original & flavours 10-11pm.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Workshops Workshop – Music of South Africa

Songs from South Africa in three/four part harmony. With Valanga & Andrea Khoza. 2-5pm.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

sunday november 25

Exhibition – Grain

Official Foreshore After-Party

Exhibition – Notations

Traditional Irish music. 5pm.

Blame It On The Boogie Saturdays

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

A BITE TO EAT CAFE

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

9pm.

Art

Motown/disco/’80s & ‘90s from 9:30pm. Free entry (and get a free drink if you rock an afro).

Exhibition – Domestic Renewal: a table re:set

Irish Jam Session

Musik For Klub Kids. 10pm.

THE CLUBHOUSE

The Bridge Between

Sebastian McFox

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Jordan Ireland

Blaxploitation Double (U/C 18+)

TRANSIT BAR

Art

10:30pm.

Room To Move – Inclusive Community Dance

Film

Welcome To Flavour Country album tour.

6pm. Presale $15 + bf thru Moshtix.

tuesday november 27

10am-5pm (Sat 12-4pm).

Oscar

Live music.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Evil Eddie

Music Oz Awards Finalists. Throbbing blues and roots. Tapas from 5pm, happy hour from 6pm. Free.

MOCAN & GREEN GROUT

Dance

A monthly inclusive dance session for people with and without disability.

2:30-4:30pm.

Live Music

12-5pm. Free.

ANCA GALLERY

Exhibition – Likan’Mirri II 12-5pm. Free.

ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY

6:30pm doors, 9pm main act. $55/$125 w. dinner through theabbey.com.au.

THE ABBEY

Nova’s Basement

With rock-folk singer-songwriter Antonio Lulic. 8pm. $15.

11am-5pm (11am-4pm Sat).

Exhibition – I AM...

10am-5pm. Free.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Exhibition - Wall to Canvas Info: (02) 6248 8328.

CANBERRA CITY FRAMING GALLERY

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFE

Comedy

On The Town

ComedyACT Open Mic

Sangria Sundaze

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFE

$15 sangria jugs, $5 coronas 4-6pm.

Food specials 3pm-late. Tunes from DJs Runamark & Mitch.

THE LIGHT HOUSE PUB

monday november 26

7pm.

Dance No Lights No Lycra

Dance where no one’s watching.

7:30pm-9pm. $5.

CORROBOREE PARK HALL

Live Music

Karaoke

Biscuits

Karaoke Love

Post-weekend sounds from Ryz, Peekz, Kimosabi, Steve On Weekends! Free pool, 2-4-1 pizza, 9pm. Free.

TRANSIT BAR

The Bootleg Sessions

Zoopagoo, Greg Stott Trio, KeegZ, Maggie Jeffs, Petra Anne. 8pm. Free.

THE PHOENIX BAR

The Side Project

A collection of creative women.

7pm. Free.

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFE

Croon and wail your heart out on the Transit stage. 9pm. Free.

TRANSIT BAR

Something Different Divine Divas

Superstar female impersonators. 8pm.

Bookings: canberratheatrecentre.com. au/(02) 6257 2700.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Trivia

Exhibition – I AM...

On The Town

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

2-4-1 Steak and Schnitzel Night

Exhibition - Wall to Canvas

Exactly what it says.

$100 cocktail party as first prize.

7:30pm. Free.

Info: (02) 6248 8328.

THE DURHAM

CANBERRA CITY FRAMING GALLERY

Mojito Monday

PJ’s Trivia Tuesday

Exhibition – Food Trumps Art

$10 Mojito’s, $7 Nojitos. The best latin DJ’s & Music in Canberra. $7 entry w. free drink.

1st place cash prize with Bar and Kitchen vouchers to be won! 7pm.

Trivia

April’s Caravan Presents. 7:30pm.

10am-5pm. Free.

By Heather Brenchley. 11am-5pm.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

King O’s Trivia

Free entry and bar prizes. 6:30pm.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Trivia Tuesday

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

P J O’REILLY’S (TUGGERANONG)

Nerd Trivia Time with Joel and Ali THE PHOENIX BAR

Fame Trivia From 7:30pm.

THE DURHAM

51

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Wed Nov 28 - Fri Nov 30 wednesday november 28 Art Exhibition – Notations

Sing For Your Supper

2manyDJs (Soulwax/Bel)

THE GEORGE HARCOURT INN

TRINITY BAR

Singers, poets, musicians! Feeling hungry? Book your slot for a free meal!

(02) 6230 2484. 6:30pm.

11am-5pm (12-4pm Sat).

On The Town

Exhibition – Grain

Latino Wednesdays

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

12-5pm. Free.

$8 cocktails. 9pm. Free.

ANCA GALLERY

MONKEYBAR

Exhibition – Crucible Showcase: Neon

Theatre

10am-5pm (Sat 12-4pm).

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Exhibition – Likan’Mirri II

Glory Box

Acclaimed cabaret by Finucane & Smith. See thestreet.org.au or call (02) 62471223 for tix/details.

Live Music

Improbable Fiction

Alex Carder

By Alan Ayckbourn. Directed by Corille Fraser. Under 30s door $20. Tix at canberrarep.org.au. 8pm.

CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

Nite Society x Landspeed Records

P J O’REILLY’S (TUGGERANONG)

Ebolagoldfish

Instagram Jam. 8pm.

Trivia

Charles and Dave

Exhibition - Wall to Canvas

Transit Trivia

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Info: (02) 6248 8328.

CANBERRA CITY FRAMING GALLERY

Exhibition – Food Trumps Art 11am-5pm.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

Karaoke Carry-on Karaoke Wednesdays $100 tab giveaway every week. 9pm.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Karaoke

From 10pm.

THE DURHAM

Live Music Improbable Fiction

By Alan Ayckbourn. Under 30s door $20. Tix at canberrarep.org.au. 8pm.

CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

52

Flex your noggin. Table bookings essential! 2 for $20 pizzas.

7:30pm. Free.

TRANSIT BAR

thursday november 29 Karaoke

THE PHOENIX BAR

9pm.

Rayon Moon

Melbourne garage/surf band. With Waterford and Crash the Curb.

7.30pm. $2.

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFE

Kleyn 9pm.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Karaoke Night!

On The Town

P J O’REILLY’S (TUGGERANONG)

4Some Thursday

Plenty of bar vouchers to be won. 8pm.

Live Music WDGAF

Drink specials and free before midnight. 10pm.

THE CLUBHOUSE

Moment of Truth

With uniVibes. Beers, bands and DJs jamming in the afternoon sun. Free.

10am-5pm. Free.

Exhibition – I AM...

HIPPO BAR

From 7pm-9pm, followed by resident DJ Craig with dancefloor classics/hits.

THE STREET THEATRE

ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY

9pm.

Thursdays At The Bar

One of Sydney’s loved punk bands. With Excite Bike, Revellers (whose new demo will be free). 8:30pm.

12-5pm. Free.

friday november 30

With Offtapia, U-Khan (Syd), Eldred, Shaolin vs. Skinny, Lady Bones DJs. Tix are $29+ thru Mosthix.

Awesome 4Some Drink Specials.

9pm. Free entry.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

TRANSIT BAR

Music @ Mint

Live music in Mint’s garden bar.

6-10pm. Free.

MINT GARDEN BAR

Corinbank [Take 2]

Busby Marou, Dallas Frasca and many more. 3-day tickets $149 + bf. See corinbank.com for info/tix.

CORIN FOREST

Kastle

Eargasm Presents. With Rachel Haircut, Dred, Faux Real, Tulaberry. 10pm.

THE CLUBHOUSE

R&B Heat ‘90s Edition 9pm.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Improbable Fiction

By Alan Ayckbourn. Under 30s door $20. Tix at canberrarep.org.au. 8pm.

CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

Havana Nights

Canberra’s hottest Latin night. 9pm.

Theatre

MONKEYBAR

Glory Box

Funk/live 6-8pm (Happy Hr 5-7pm).

Resident DJ + more play allsorts 9:30pm on. $8 J/bombs 10-11pm.

See thestreet.org.au or call (02) 62471223 for tix/details.

THE STREET THEATRE

Digress Dual Friday

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Fri Nov 30 - Tue Dec 4 Live & Funky House Fridays

Acoustic/soul & jazz 6-8pm. Funk house from 9:30pm. (And two happy hours!) Free.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Hard Cover/Awesome Source 5pm/10pm.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Bungers & Mash Music Festival Two nights of live music. See facebook. com/ComStatSoundOptions/events

Chrome

DJs playing Dark Electronic, Goth, Industrial. 9pm-late. $10.

HELLENIC CLUB (CIVIC)

Improbable Fiction

By Alan Ayckbourn. Directed by Corille Fraser. Under 30s door $20. Tix at canberrarep.org.au. 8pm.

CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

monday december 3 Live Music Biscuits

Post-weekend sounds from Ryz, Peekz, Kimosabi, Steve On Weekends! Free pool, 2-4-1 pizza, 9pm. Free.

Shanna Watson

TRANSIT BAR

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFE

The Bootleg Sessions

BUNGENDORE WAR MEMORIA HALL

Tender bedroom folk. With The Understudy. 7.30pm. $5.

On The Town

Bungers & Mash Music Festival

CMC presents She & I, Cuddlefish, Fats Homicide, The Wanninashvilles.

8pm. Free.

Friday Freedom

Because it’s 5pm. Your happy place.

Free BBQ from 6pm.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Summer Breeze: Cocktail Launch

Knightsbridge unleashes its Summer cocktail list. Late night music from Ced Nada. 6pm.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Something Different Poetry Slam 7pm.

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFE

Theatre Glory Box

Acclaimed cabaret by Finucane & Smith. See thestreet.org.au or call (02) 62471223 for tix/details.

THE STREET THEATRE

saturday december 1

Two nights of live music. See facebook. com/ComStatSoundOptions/events

THE PHOENIX BAR

BUNGENDORE WAR MEMORIA HALL

On The Town

Special K

2-4-1 Steak and Schnitzel Night

9pm.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Topnovil

With Bladder Spasms and Rather Be Dead. 8pm.

THE PHOENIX BAR

D’Opus 9pm.

Exactly what it says.

THE DURHAM

Mojito Monday

$10 Mojito’s, $7 Nojitos. The best latin DJ’s & Music in Canberra. $7 entry w. free drink.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Trivia

On The Town

King O’s Trivia

Old Skool Saturdays

Mix of Old Skool R‘n’B, 80s & 90s. Free entry. $5 vodka original & flavours 10-11pm.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Something Different Christmas Twilight Markets

A beautiful Christmas shopping experience. Stalls sell local and organic gifts and produce. 3-7pm.

Free entry and bar prizes. 6:30pm.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

tuesday december 4 Dance No Lights No Lycra

Dance where no one’s watching.

7:30pm-9pm. $5.

CORROBOREE PARK HALL

Live Music

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Karaoke

Sondrio

Theatre

Karaoke Love

HIPPO BAR

Glory Box

9pm.

Paul Di’Anno & Blaze Bailey

Iron Maiden ex-vocalists. W. Deprivation, Hazmat. 8pm. Tix thru Moshtix.

THE BASEMENT

Redcoats

Album tour. 8pm. Presale $12.60 + bf thru Moshtix.

TRANSIT BAR

Love Saturdays

Acclaimed cabaret by Finucane & Smith. See thestreet.org.au or call (02) 62471223 for tix/details.

THE STREET THEATRE

sunday december 2 Live Music

With Pred. 9pm.

Corinbank [Take 2]

Corinbank [Take 2]

CORIN FOREST

CORIN FOREST

Rockabilly for cool cats. Tapas from 5pm, happy hour from 6pm. Free.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

See corinbank.com for info/tix.

Kobra Kai

See corinbank.com for info/tix.

Little Mac and the Monster Men

Subsquad Presents. A live five piece bass act combining sounds of D&B, dubstep and hip hop. 10pm.

A BITE TO EAT CAFE

THE CLUBHOUSE

Australian blues legend. With Tim Burnham and Jonno Zilber. 7pm.

Blame It On The Boogie Saturdays

THE PHOENIX BAR

Liam Budge

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

THE ABBEY

Motown/disco/’80s & ‘90s from 9:30pm. Free.

music, coffee

Bass, violin, looped vocals or something similar. 10am-11am.

MOCAN & GREEN GROUT

Goji Berry Jam

A five-piece funk band to ease in your afternoon. 2pm.

MOCAN & GREEN GROUT

Rudely Interrupted

Australian east coast tour meets the Festival of Ability. 4pm. Free.

ALBERT HALL

Karma/Jswiss/Hypnotic/MC Tee Urban Playground Presents. 10pm.

MONKEYBAR

Lloyd Spiegel

6:30pm doors, 9pm main act. $20 through theabbey.com.au.

Croon and wail your heart out on the Transit stage. 9pm. Free.

TRANSIT BAR

Live Music Peter Burr (USA)

With Special Effect/Danny Wild. 7pm.

ANU SCHOOL OF MUSIC

Perch Creek Family Jug Band Unique blend of jug band music, bluegrass, old-time jazz and country blues. 7pm. $15.

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFE

Theatre Glory Box

Acclaimed cabaret by Finucane & Smith. See thestreet.org.au or call (02) 62471223 for tix/details.

THE STREET THEATRE

Trivia Trivia Tuesday

Irish Jam Session

$100 cocktail party as first prize.

7:30pm. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

PJ’s Trivia Tuesday

Traditional Irish music. 5pm.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

On The Town

1st place cash prize with Bar and Kitchen vouchers to be won! 7pm.

Sangria Sundaze

Fame Trivia

THE LIGHT HOUSE PUB

THE DURHAM

Tunes from DJs Runamark & Mitch.

Theatre Glory Box

See thestreet.org.au or call (02) 62471223 for tix/details.

P J O’REILLY’S (TUGGERANONG)

From 7:30pm.

The Phoenix Quiz

Every week a special Phoenix brand trivia. 7:30pm.

THE PHOENIX BAR

THE STREET THEATRE

53

FIRST CONTACT

SIDE A: BMA band profile

Little Mac and the Monster Men Where did your band name come from? It was coined from a band brainstorming session. It came down to Little Mac and the Monster Men or Susan and the Boyles. We obviously included the latter due to Susan’s short stature.

Group members? Susan ‘Little Mac’ Mackell – vocals, Alex ‘The Big A Monster’ Plegt – guitar, Luke ‘The Spook’ Carberry – upright bass, Nathan ‘Nutbag’ Danks – drums.

Describe your sound: A mix of ‘50s and early ‘60s rockabilly with hints of rock, punk and surf.

Who are your influences, musical or otherwise? Musically, anything that falls under the rockabilly, surf and pyschobilly tag. We also draw influences from ‘50s B-grade horror and sci-fi movies.

What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had whilst performing? We were lucky enough to have a couple getting very intimate on the dance floor while we were in the middle of a set. It was something we will never forget.

Of what are you proudest so far? People turning up to our shows and knowing the lyrics! It’s a great feeling!

What are your plans for the future? We are hitting the studio early next year with intentions to release our first CD shortly after! We are also pretty excited to be hitting the road to play a bunch of special shows, including the Gasoline and Garterbelts Festival in QLD. What makes you laugh? Luke’s alternate names for our songs!

What pisses you off? When people book a band but then can’t handle how loud they are! We know from experience.

What about the local scene would you change? We could always do with more venues and events around town to play at and to draw in more amazing bands.

What are your upcoming gigs? We are playing at A Bite To Eat in Chifley on Sunday December 2 and are having a big week at the Harmonie German Club, playing on Wednesday December 7 and Friday December 9 (Hawaiian Shirt Day!).

Come and say hello!

Contact info: littlemacmonstermen@hotmail.com, littlemacmonstermen.com or search for us on Facebook!

54

Aaron Peacey 0410 381 306 Activate Jetpack activatejetpack@hotmail.com Adam Hole 0421 023 226 Afternoon Shift 0402 055 314 After Close Scotty 0412 742 682, afterclose@hotmail.com Alcove Mark 0410 112 522 Alice 0423 100 792 Allies ACT (Oxfam Group) alliesact@hotmail.com/ myspace.com/alliesact Amphibian Sound PA Clare 0410 308 288 Amplif5’d Classic rock covers band Joy 0407 200 428, joybarac-heath@hotmail.com Annie & the Armadillos Annie 6161 1078/0422 076 313 The Ashburys Dan Craddock 0419 626 903 Aria Stone, sax & flute, singer/ songwriter (guitar) Aria 0411 803 343 Australian Songwriters Association (Keiran Roberts) 6231 0433 Arythmia: Ben 0423 408 767/ arythmiamusic@gmail.com Backbeat Drivers Steve 0422 733 974, www.backbeatdrivers.com Big Boss Groove Andrew 0404 455 834, www.bigbossgroove.com.au Birds Love Fighting Gangbusters/DIY shows - bookings@birdslovefighting.com Black Label Photography Kingsley 0438 351 007 Blister Bug Stu 0408 617 791 Bridge Between, The Rachel 0412 598 138, thebridgebetween.com.au Bruce Stage mgr/consultant 6254 9857 Capital Dub Style - Reggae/Dub Events + DJs facebook.com/CapitalDubStyle Rafa 0406 647 296 Caution Horses Nigel 0417 211 580 Chris Harland Blues Band 0418 490 640 chrisharlandbluesband@yahoo.com.au Clear Vision Films rehearsals/film clips/stunts - 0438 647 281 wcoulton.clearvisionfilms.com Cole Bennetts Photography 0415 982 662 /colebennetts.com Cris Clucas Cris 6262 5652 Crooked Dave 0421 508 467 Danny V Danny 6238 1673/0413 502 428 Dawn Theory Nathan 0402 845 132 D’Opus & Roshambo hifidelitystyles@yahoo.com DJs Madrid and Gordon 0417 433 971 DJ Latino Rogelio 0401 274 208 DJ Moises (RnB/Latin) 0402 497 835 or moises_lopez@hotmail DNA Vic 0408 477 020 Drumassault Kate 0414 236 323 Easy Mode Daz 0404 156 482, easymodeband@gmail.com Entity Chris 0412 027 894 Epic Flagon band@epicflagon.com Fighting Mongooses, The Adam 0402 055 314 Final Warning Brendan 0422 809 552 Fire on the Hill Aaron 0410 381 306/ Lachlan 0400 038 388 4dead Peter 0401 006 551 Freeloaders, The Steve 0412 653 597 Friend or Enemy 6238 0083, www.myspace.com/friendorenemy Gareth Hailey DJ & Electronica 0414 215 885 GiLF Kelly 0410 588 747, gilf.mail@gmail.com Groovalicious Corporate/Weddings/ Private functions 0448 995 158 groovalicious@y7mail.com Guy The Sound Guy live & studio sound engineer, 0400 585 369, guy@guythesoundguy.com HalfPast Chris 0412 115 594 Hancock Basement Tom 6257 5375, hancockbasement@hotmail.com Happy Hour Wendy 0406 375 096 Haunted Attics band@hauntedatticsmusic.com Hitherto Paul 0408 425 636 In The Flesh Scott 0410 475 703

Inside the Exterior Nathan 0401 072 650 Itchy Triggers Andrew 0401 588 884 Jacqui Seczawa 0428 428 722 JDY Clothing 0405 648 288/ www.jdyclothing.com Jenn Pacor singer/songwriter avail. for originals & covers, 0405 618 630 Jim Boots 0417 211 580 Johnny Roadkill Paulie 0408 287 672, paulie_mcmillan@live.com.au Karismakatz DJ Gosper 0411 065 189/ dj@karismakatz.com Kayo Marbilus myspace.com/kayomarbilus Kurt’s Metalworx (PA) 0417 025 792 Little Smoke Sam 0411 112 075 Los Chavos Latin-Ska-Reggae facebook.com/loschavosmusic Rafa 0406 647 296 Andy 0401 572 150 Manilla Green Herms 0404 848 462, contactus@manillagreen.com, Mario Brujo Gordon world/latin/ reggae/percussionist and DJ. 0405 820 895 Martin Bailey Audio Engineer 0423 566 093 Words for You: writer/publicity/events Megan ph 6154 0927, Mercury Switch Lab Studios mercuryswitch@internode.on.net Missing Zero Hadrian Brand 0424 721 907 hadrian.brand@live.com.au Moots aspwinch@grapevine.com.au Huck 0419 630 721 MuShu Jack 0414 292 567, mushu_band@hotmail.com MyOnus myonusmusic@hotmail.com/ www.myspace.com/myonus No Retreat Simon 0411 155 680 Ocean Moses Nigel 0417 211 580 OneWayFare Chris 0418 496 448 Painted Hearts, The Peter 6248 6027 Phathom Chris 0422 888 700 The Pigs The Colonel 0422 412 752 Polka Pigs Ian 6231 5974 Premier Audio Simon 0412 331 876, premier_audio@hotmail.com Rafe Morris 0416 322 763 Redletter Ben 0421 414 472 Redsun Rehearsal Studio Ralph 0404 178 996/6162 1527 Rhythm Party, The Ross 0416 010 680 Rob Mac Project, The Melinda 0400 405 537 Rug, The Jol 0417 273 041 Samsara Samahdi 0431 083 776 Sansutra J-Ma 0403 476 350 Simone Penkethman (Simone & The Soothsayers, Singing Teacher) 6230 4828 Soundcity Rehearsal Studio Andrew 0401 588 884 Solid Gold Peter 0421 131 887/ solid.gold@live.com.au STonKA Jamie 0422 764 482/ stonka2615@gmail.com Super Best Friends Matt 0438 228 748 Surrender Jordan 0439 907 853 Switch 3 Mick 0410 698 479 System Addict Jamie 0418 398 556 The Morning After (covers band) Anthony 0402 500 843/ myspace.com/themorningaftercovers Tiger Bones & The Ferabul-Zers Danny feralbul@aapt.net.au Tim James Lucia 6282 3740, LUCIAMURDOCH@hotmail.com Top Shelf Colin 0408 631 514 Transmission Nowhere Emilie 0421 953 519/myspace.com/ transmissionnowhere Udo 0412 086 158 Undersided, The Baz 0408 468 041 Using Three Words Dan 0416 123 020, usingthreewords@hotmail.com Voodoo Doll Mark 0428 650 549 William Blakely Will 0414 910 014 Zero Degrees and Falling Louis 0423 918 793 Zwish 0411 022 907

55

56