Cloud Control

Potential contender for local song of the year... this is "Death Cloud" by Cloud Control from the Blue Mountains in NSW. They play tonight in their home town, and come to Melbourne next Saturday for a show at the Northcote Social Club. Tour details on their myspace.

Megan Washington

As I sit at home, in my PJs, writing this blog, the Melbourne International Arts Festival is kicking off. I rarely make it out to see any events, but I'm often drawn to the Famous Spiegeltent, set up in front of the Arts Centre, which usually offers an eclectic program of live music and performance. This year's selection though doesn't seem quite as compelling as previous years, except maybe for the two gigs this coming Saturday and Sunday.

Melbourne singer-songwriter and 'chanteuse' Megan Washington is performing on both nights, away from usual collaborator Paul Grabowsky and debuting as a fully fledged solo artist. Buzz is building around this young singer, so get down early to check her out. Details and tickets here.

Checkout some of Megan's music at the Washington myspace page. I think the sweet pop tune "Someone Else In Mind" is my fave. Her incredibly sexy voice, and even hotter 50s librarian glasses, are featured on the latest single from Melbourne funk/soul crew The Bamboos. The video is below:

I own a Mick Turner

But no, its not that one.

A couple of years ago i stumbled into Mario's Cafe on Brunswick Street for a coffee and landed head first in an exhibition by the Dirty Three's guitarist Mick Turner. Mick has been painting the beautiful cover art for their albums for many years, and I was a massive fan of their music, and also Mick's solo albums. For years I tried to emulate his lucid, flowing guitar playing, and often put their records on at night, as i drifted off to sleep.

Anyway, among the newer pieces on show in the cafe that day was a little painting, not yet sold, of a boat on a restless sea, with a wooden handmade frame. It was in the back corner of the room, and it immediately caught my eye. Where had i seen it before? I thought as called over the waiter and told him I'd like to buy it. Most of the others had already been sold. He took my details and put a little red sticker under the painting. I drank my coffee and left happy.

A few weeks later I got a call from Mick and we arranged a time for me to come and pick it up. When I turned up at his place there was another guy there to get his painting too. We waited for Mick in the kitchen. He'd given us beers. Soon he came back in with the other guy's painting. It was slightly bigger than mine, but not nearly as nice. Money changed hands, and then he fetched mine. The other guy sat looking at his painting, admiring it, until Mick came back with my little picture of the boat. "I recognise this" said Mick, "i think this was in one of the albums".

He left the room quickly and came back with a CD copy of Ocean Songs, my absolute favourite Dirty Three records. He took the sleeve out and opened it. Inside was my little boat painting, on its restless waves. "Hmm" said Mick, "didn't realise I'd put this out for sale! Nevermind, here you go" and he passed me the painting. The other guy just stared at us and finished his beer. I paid Mick, who then kept looking at the picture in the CD sleeve. Then, after a little banter about his upcoming solo shows, Mick showed us out and i drove home, with my original Mick Turner painting, for which i paid about 250 bucks, on the front seat.

If you're as mad a Dirty Three or Mick Turner fan as I am then get yourself down to his latest exhibition - Nudes, Beasts, Angels, Flowers, a Birth, a Death and Trips to the Ocean - happening in Sydney, from the 17th to 19th of October at Blank Space gallery in Surrey Hills. If you have a spare $2000 the painting above - "Great Ocean Road" - is still available.

He's also playing solo gigs that weekend, and full details of the shows are on the Drag City Mick Turner website, or on Remote Control's blog.

Checkout the full ABCTV Studio 22 live performance, filmed in 1998, of tracks from Ocean Songs. Incredible stuff.

A tall touring troubadour

photo by Karl Gunnarsson

Its just dawned on me that Sweden's Tallest Man On Earth visits our Great Brown Land this week, playing in Sydney tonight, Canberra on Thursday and then my hometown on Saturday night at The Toff. I must remember to get a ticket...!

I've been consistently listening to and loving Kristian Matsson's beautiful debut album Shallow Grave for weeks now. The Dylan references are beyond obvious but apt, and as Pitchfork's glowing review of the album points out, he seems to have "mined the American south for inspiration, and his frantic strumming and front-porch poetry recall everyone from the Carter Family to Lead Belly to, most noticeably, country bluesman Mississippi John Hurt." It's mesmerising, compelling and, dare i say it, authentic folk music.

Full Australian dates and some tunes on Tallest Man On Earth's myspace or check out the amazing tune "Pistol Dreams" below...

Capgras Family

Fans of the now defunct, but much loved, Melbourne band Lavto Ovo can rejoice. Jono, Jim and Angela have got themselves a new band called Capgras Family *. The cerebral-pop leanings and off-centre melodies return, but with a fraction more maturity, meloncholy and downtempo ambience. The band themselves point to Yo La Tengo, Broadcast and Broken Social Scene as possible sonic-touchstones.

Caprgras Family have been busy doing smaller shows around town (they play October 17th at The Curtin in Carlton) and recording with with Neil Thomason. There's of course some tunes and gig dates on the Capgras Family myspace.

* Oh, that isn't a picture of the band above, but according to wikipedia: "The Capgras delusion (or Capgras syndrome) is a rare disorder in which a person holds a delusional belief that an acquaintance, usually a spouse or other close family member, has been replaced by an identical-looking impostor." Funny.

Thalia Zedek

This is Boston-based singer-songwriter Thalia Zedek playing live for The Deepend on ABC Radio National in mid-2005. It was filmed for DIG TV i think, and if you look quickly between 1:11 and 1:15 you see the back of my head as i reach for the reverb send on the mixing console. I'd reckon i must be turning the reverb down, since she's drowning in it! haha. Thanks to Rob for sending me this, I'd forgotten this was ever filmed.

Thalia Zedek is on tour in the UK and Europe, full details on myspace. Her latest album is Liars and Prayers and its out now on the ever excellent Thrill Jockey.

Thalia played in an incredible band in the 90s called Come. If you dig the song above but want something a bit more energetic check out their '94 release Don't Ask Don't Tell.

St Helens

Formed almost two years ago from the volcanic ashes of Melbourne band New Season is Jarrod "Lost Animal" Quarrell's latest project St Helens. Its a less scuzzy affair this time round, with more lean-and-mean swagger and grit for your buck. Royal Trux comparisons abound, and the lineup is refered to in some circles as a 'supergroup'. Joining Jarred is Ian Wadley (Minimum Chips, Bird Blobs), Lewis Boyes (Alpha Males), skinsman Damian Clarkson (Sun of Clark) and sharing vocal duties is Hannah Brooks from Spider Vomit.

St Helens are doing the Wednesday night residency in October at The Birmingham in Fitzroy. The recently refurbed venue is hosting some great shows, and coupled with Ya Ya's down the road it seems Smith Street is cementing its dirty reputation as the go-to zone for compelling live music and heavy late-night boozin' in Melbourne.

Check out some of St Helen's rough mixes on myspace from the forthcoming album, out next year through Remote Control's Dot Dash label.

ATP Mt Buller Australia - Lineup

The first lineup announcement and details are in for All Tomorrow's Parties in Australia. Here's the guff for the Mt Buller event:

In Victoria, All Tomorrow's Parties is to be held over two days - January 9th & 10th - in the remote yet easily accessible location of Mt. Buller Ski Resort, some 3 hours drive from Melbourne City. Punters will have the option to either stay on the mountain in a selection of ski-chalets, lodges or hotels, or down the mountain in nearby Mansfield. Both on-site and off-site fans alike will have the opportunity to enjoy all that Buller offers: a fully serviced township complete with bars, cafes, restaurants, walking trails, bike trails, ski-lifts and a gymnasium plus ATP's trademark rock 'n' roll trivia, cinema and 30+ bands performing over 3 stages.

The Lineup for Mt. Buller so far includes:

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
The Saints
Spiritualized
Robert Forster
Afrirampo
Bridezilla
Fuck Buttons
Harmonia
James Blood Ulmer
Laughing Clowns
M Gira
Primitive Calculators
Rowland S. Howard
Silver Apples
The Necks
The Stabs

First release tickets for All Tomorrow's Parties, Mt.Buller will be sold as an accommodation/ticket package and are exclusive to those wanting to stay on the mountain. These tickets will guarantee acommodation for each ticket holder and are onsale immediately from www.atpfestival.com only. Tickets ar AU$199 plus booking fee and DO NOT include cost of accomodation.

I'm thinking that the one day Sydney event might be better value and it could be more fun to spend a weekend in the Harbour City.

Blitzen Trapper

Amazing new album, Furr, out now. Got it yesterday. It rules. Check out more work on flickr from the guy who designed the cover art... *update* as per comment below the artwork was designed by one of the band members and the rad laser etching was done by Kurt.

New Zealand Robot Band

For real. Literally a garage band made from stuff in the garage. The Trons on myspace.