people always look better in the sun

i've done a few more of the museum things, like the met, natural history museum (dead zoo) and the new art musuem, but the weather the last few days has been beautiful, so i've focused more on being outside and getting to know the place and what new york is about. went for a walk over the brooklyn bridge, sat in the park on the other side, caught a ferry to staten island and back yesterday, went for a walk through central park and visited the zoo, and today we went to williamsburg for lunch. had really nice food at this awesome thai place with a pond in the middle of the dining area with a boat in it. lots of cool little stores around there too, like a cool bookstore and a shop with lots of fancy funky toy things. i think williamsburg is one of my favourite areas so far. also central park. and i spent a day walking around the east village (which is also a favourite) and west village too. i bought heaps of stuff in those places. we went out last night to see some local bands at a bar which was fun. i've got heaps of photos of everything, but i'll have to put them up some other time. also, i saw joey ramone place yesterday! whoo!

on saturday i fly to la.

new york city!

Well, i got here safe and well. The plane flight was very long and disorienting. the plane was pretty empty though, so i got to stretch out over 3 seats. Still too uncomfortable to sleep. Other than that, pretty uneventful. Even getting through customs was easy.

New york is fun. Shannon's apartment is great. and i've adjusted pretty quickly to the time zone. On friday i went to MoMA and spent almost 6 hours there. Then we went out to a bar with some locals after dinner.

Yesterday we went to a Mets (baseball) game in Queens. Then went to grand central on the way home, and saw the view from shannon's roof. In the evening we went out for awesome bbq, then saw times square. Will smith was filming a movie, but the place was insanely busy anyway. We went to the m&m's store and the virgin megastore (both yays!) and i spent moneys. Today we're going to the met i think.

leaving. byez!

ok, i think i'm packed... i better be, i'm heading out in the morning. :) thanks to everyone i've seen/heard from over the last weeks. there's photos up on facebook now. i'll see you all again when i'm home. yay!

here's where i'm gonna be:
may 8 - 17: new york
may 17 - 21: los angeles
may 21 - 23: san francisco
may 23 - 26: las vegas
may 26 - june 2: back in new york
june 3 - 6: london
june 6 - 12: ireland
june 12 - 15: amsterdam
june 16 - 21: france
june 21 - 26: italy
june 26 - 29: back in london

which looks something like this:

then on the 29th i'll either fly back via bangkok, or stay on in london for a bit longer. we'll see how the money goes. ;)

bye for now!

traveling! (whoo!)

i originally started this blog just so i could comment on some other people's blogs. but now that i'm going away, i figured i might use it to let you know how i'm going. this way i won't have to bombard everyone with massive group emails and forget who i'm supposed to be sending them to, and you can all read it in your own time.

ok? ok. nothing to say as of yet. i'll probably put up some photos from going away events sometime soon.

i'm outta here on thursday. :)

The Super 8 Diaries Launch @ Coppin St Studio, Melbourne (19/01/2008)

12 hours, 12 bands, $12. A pretty good deal if you ask me. Put it in an old warehouse turned arts studio, combine with a photography exhibition and the launch of The Super 8 Diaries, a documentary showcasing the better side of local music, and I’m there. The fact that it’s being held less than five minutes from my house means, of course, I turn up late, and unfortunately I miss the Ooga Boogas.

But I do get there just in time for The Thaw. Visiting from Sydney, this three piece are masters of transition. Soft beautiful melodies transform into walls of feedback and distortion with such ease and subtlety you barely even notice things have changed until you hear screams over the top and realise everything is as it should be. Elsewhere they fall back on jazz chords and weird rhythms before somehow bringing it all down to a whisper again.

Touch Typist are a completely different feel, but such is the beauty of this lineup that you never know what’s coming next. Consisting of guitar, drums, keyboards, vocals and sometimes a trumpet, these guys deliver an electronic/indie type rock, which mixes programmed beats with some cool organic jams.

Hardcore is the best word to describe Majorca. An energetic blur of screams, fingers and arms for sure, but technical ability and an understanding of how to structure a song separate this group from what tends to pass as hardcore these days. Top it off with the intensity and screams to prove that there’s no faking here, only real passion for what they do.

Next up is Chris Cobilis, whose band The Tigers appear on the Super 8 Diaries. Using a laptop, miniature guitar and microphone, Chris creates long drawn out soundscapes. Sometimes these lead into what Chris jokingly refers to as “proper songs” where he sings about ideas such as how we name things, but the two styles form a good balance as notes from the guitar are used to build the next soundscape.

Charge Group just weren’t for me. Apologies to the band; they showed an easy talent, sung and played together well, and I’m sure their music would appeal to a lot of people. But they just didn’t grab me on the day. Never mind, enough people were enjoying them that I’m sure they didn’t even notice me down the back.

12 hours may be great value, but it’s also a long time. So I took this moment to step out, grab some lunch and a coffee. I was out a little too long and missed the start of Aleks and the Ramps, another band to appear on the DVD. But luckily I didn’t miss it all. In their cute matching t-shirts they made a sound that was energetic and crazy, but mostly fun. There was instrument damage, there was dancing and there was a good time had by all.

What better to follow this, than another wall of screaming intensity? Enter Eucalypt, who brought back the hardcore. I recognised one guitarist as the guy, who’d been up the front dancing and screaming for Majorca. Suddenly it all made sense. Although we were all lined up across the front of the performance area, one of the band pointed out that there was still a lot of space in front of that, so we swarmed onto the carpet to join with them in a mess of bodies and movement. I don’t know what else to say about Eucalypt except they write some great tunes and use their heaviness to great effect.

Ladybird were the sole international act of the day, visiting us from France. They brought a softer, sweet touch to the day’s proceedings. But their cover of You Shook me all Night Long had them embraced as if locals for a sing-a-long closer to the set.

Tucker B’s move from a relaxed early 90’s sound to something far more raucous. Another band to appear on the Super 8 Diaries, it’s fitting that they play before the screening of a teaser introduction/interview with the project’s creators. Made for Chickens by Robots plays a guitar and sings through a megaphone while using drum pedals to play percussion on suitcases. The similarities to Bob Log III are inescapable. Having seen Bob not too long ago, I found both suffered from being unable to understand a word they said, which made the whole performance hard to get into.

There could be no more fitting headliner to this night than Baseball. Not only are they on the DVD, they are probably the best band in Melbourne at the moment, and encapsulate everything the Super 8 Diaries project is about. While the members may all be in other bands such as Pikelet, The Assassination Collective, Love of Diagrams and Ninetynine, those bands are hard enough to describe – put these four together and they become something else entirely. It’s rock, most definitely, but it’s also got elements of gypsy violin and chaotic punk. Most importantly, it’s the most original sound I’ve heard from any local band. If you live in Melbourne and haven’t seen them yet, you really should. Their debut album is coming out in February, and then there will be no stopping them.

In the meantime, check out the Super 8 Diaries DVD for a taste, along with live footage and interviews from Colditz Glider, Love of Diagrams, My Disco!, Baseball, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, The Tigers, Mukaizake, Aleks and the Ramps, Bang!Bang!Aids!, Die!Die!Die! and Tucker B’s. Visit MySpace for info on how to get the DVD and a few clips.

(Originally published on FasterLouder)

Baseball, Kes, Bang!Bang!Aids! @ Northcote Social Club, Melbourne (31/08/2007)

Gigs like this are the best reason to keep going out and seeing local bands. Although the three acts on offer tonight are all quite different, and will have different levels of appeal to different people, they are all linked in one way: you’re unlikely to hear music like this anywhere else.

So let’s start at the beginning with Bang!Bang!Aids! Or at least the crash of cymbals loud enough to be heard from the front bar which meant it was probably time to move to the band room. To be honest, the name should give you some indication of what to expect from this band. A lot of energy, a lot of noise, and almost as much time spent on tasteless humour and in-jokes between songs as playing music. This is probably a sign that the ADD kids are now old enough to get into pubs and start forming bands of their own.

All three members sang at various stages, with a guitarist, drummer and a third member who’s role seemed to be playing a floor tom, tambourine and occasionally a trumpet. Not that these “roles” stopped any one of them from dancing around and picking up another instrument, or leaving stage, as they saw fit. The addition of “blues dog”, (supposedly a hitch-hiker from country Victoria they’d invited on stage) added to the non-musical element, as he sat there drinking, then swearing and asking if anyone wanted to share their medication between songs. Luckily the band showed enough creativity that when they did play a song, it was usually pretty enjoyable. They threw themselves and their instruments into the music with full force. The long gaps between songs seemed to be getting to a few punters, but the extended banter seemed a natural part of the Bang!Bang!Aids! experience, putting the music in context and giving a more enjoyable show overall.

Next was Kes. About as far from Bang!Bang!Aids! as you could get. Softly spoken and intensely melodic, this was some kind of alternative/gypsy/cabaret/pop band… or maybe it wasn’t. I really don’t know what genre you’d put any of their sounds into, or really enough about those genres to classify any band into them, they were just words and ideas that popped into my head while watching them. More importantly, it was good. On top of the guitar/bass/drums foundation was laid beautiful vocal harmonies, keyboards, violin, recorder (three recorders at once!) and a saw. Harmonies and melodies seemed to be the main focus of Kes, and they do a very fine job with them.

Baseball have just returned from a 14 country European tour and by the time they took the stage, there was a large crowd eager to welcome them back. One of my favourite Melbourne bands, the best way to describe Baseball is “intense”. But unlike the introversion of Kes, Baseball’s is quite a confrontational intensity. Frontman Cameron stares wild eyed into the faces of the crowd as he howls his way through songs and brings out a distortion and violence from his violin most people wouldn’t think the instrument was capable of. Evelyn’s drumming keeps the songs together, but also pushes them along at quite a pace. And her voice is a nice contrast with Cameron’s when she sings. The middle ground is occupied by Ben on guitar who does well not to compete with the driving violin. The interplay between the two instruments on songs like ‘Soft Boy Factory’ is really impressive. Then there’s the bass lines, which really help to make the songs complete. Bobbing away in time bassist Monika seems like the calm, reliable part of the band, until she swapped instruments with Evelyn for the encore, and the same wild look came over her face.

The first time I saw Baseball it was this intensity and the unique sound this combination of instruments made which impressed me most. But the more I see them, the more I realise songs such as ‘Faith Like a Cross, Trust Like a Flag’, ‘The Wedding at Susa’and ‘It’s Gonna be Hard and It’s Gonna Hurt’ are just really good tunes. They would still be really good tunes no matter how they were played, but there is a magic which comes out watching these four people play them through their chosen instruments. There should be an album soon, and like many people, I can’t wait.

Gigs like this are the best reason to keep going out and seeing local bands. Although the three acts on offer tonight are all quite different, and will have different levels of appeal to different people, they are all linked in one way: you’re unlikely to hear music like this anywhere else.

So let’s start at the beginning with Bang!Bang!Aids! Or at least the crash of cymbals loud enough to be heard from the front bar which meant it was probably time to move to the band room. To be honest, the name should give you some indication of what to expect from this band. A lot of energy, a lot of noise, and almost as much time spent on tasteless humour and in-jokes between songs as playing music. This is probably a sign that the ADD kids are now old enough to get into pubs and start forming bands of their own.

All three members sang at various stages, with a guitarist, drummer and a third member who’s role seemed to be playing a floor tom, tambourine and occasionally a trumpet. Not that these “roles” stopped any one of them from dancing around and picking up another instrument, or leaving stage, as they saw fit. The addition of “blues dog”, (supposedly a hitch-hiker from country Victoria they’d invited on stage) added to the non-musical element, as he sat there drinking, then swearing and asking if anyone wanted to share their medication between songs. Luckily the band showed enough creativity that when they did play a song, it was usually pretty enjoyable. They threw themselves and their instruments into the music with full force. The long gaps between songs seemed to be getting to a few punters, but the extended banter seemed a natural part of the Bang!Bang!Aids! experience, putting the music in context and giving a more enjoyable show overall.

Next was Kes. About as far from Bang!Bang!Aids! as you could get. Softly spoken and intensely melodic, this was some kind of alternative/gypsy/cabaret/pop band… or maybe it wasn’t. I really don’t know what genre you’d put any of their sounds into, or really enough about those genres to classify any band into them, they were just words and ideas that popped into my head while watching them. More importantly, it was good. On top of the guitar/bass/drums foundation was laid beautiful vocal harmonies, keyboards, violin, recorder (three recorders at once!) and a saw. Harmonies and melodies seemed to be the main focus of Kes, and they do a very fine job with them.

Baseball have just returned from a 14 country European tour and by the time they took the stage, there was a large crowd eager to welcome them back. One of my favourite Melbourne bands, the best way to describe Baseball is “intense”. But unlike the introversion of Kes, Baseball’s is quite a confrontational intensity. Frontman Cameron stares wild eyed into the faces of the crowd as he howls his way through songs and brings out a distortion and violence from his violin most people wouldn’t think the instrument was capable of. Evelyn’s drumming keeps the songs together, but also pushes them along at quite a pace. And her voice is a nice contrast with Cameron’s when she sings. The middle ground is occupied by Ben on guitar who does well not to compete with the driving violin. The interplay between the two instruments on songs like ‘Soft Boy Factory’ is really impressive. Then there’s the bass lines, which really help to make the songs complete. Bobbing away in time bassist Monika seems like the calm, reliable part of the band, until she swapped instruments with Evelyn for the encore, and the same wild look came over her face.

The first time I saw Baseball it was this intensity and the unique sound this combination of instruments made which impressed me most. But the more I see them, the more I realise songs such as ‘Faith Like a Cross, Trust Like a Flag’, ‘The Wedding at Susa’and ‘It’s Gonna be Hard and It’s Gonna Hurt’ are just really good tunes. They would still be really good tunes no matter how they were played, but there is a magic which comes out watching these four people play them through their chosen instruments. There should be an album soon, and like many people, I can’t wait.

(Originally Published on FasterLouder)

Nine Inch Nails @ The Metro, 14/05/07

(Originally published in Jmag)



Unfortunately, this isn't what I originally wrote. It got changed quite a bit. Here's the review I submitted:

I’m watching the smoke build on stage and as it grows, so does my excitement. A marching chant starts up, joined by a throbbing bass distortion. Then the guitar and drums pound in, and we’re thrown into the world of Nine Inch Nails without warning. The excitement continues from there. Having previously toured only in arenas and festivals, watching NIN play such a small venue is something else entirely. “The bass goes bomb”, Trent sings. And it sure as hell does. Like the venue, the set list seems chosen just for the fans. New tracks mix with classics and rarities for nearly two hours of lights, noise and destruction that feels like 20 minutes. And I can’t believe it’s over.