five by five

I’ve tracked down this recording of Emma Bathgate with the first chorus band of singers from the Fairfield Amphitheatre. It’s a pretty good recording i think. This was a hilarious day. We debated for some time about whether to perform because of the rain. During this song, the umbrellas all came out. Emma waved away an umbrella when it was offered.

Via Soundcloud: This Most Ancient Land – Ema & First Chorus Band of Singers by EMA..

tags for this post: emma bathgate, fairfield, fIRST cHORUS .. and category: friends, music

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Well that was fun.

Last night I sang with around 80 people in Stephen Taberner’s Bigmouth choir at the Northcote town hall.

We sang stephen’s arrangements of numbers like The Smiths’ “There is a light that never goes out”, and Garbage “Only happy when it rains.

Between choir pieces, he’d orchestrated performers like Dan Whitton of the Wikimen, and a group of singers from Princes Hill HS. These were all amazing and a delight to experience.

I feel bad for not inviting all my friends now. I’d only been to 3 rehearsals and there were around 10 songs so I kinda thought I wouldn’t even perform. But somehow managed to learn most of them in time. The last song i had to have lyrics on my phone, and sneak in a look.

tags for this post: bigmouth, choir, northcote, the smiths .. and category: music

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Now here is a remarkable performance, for both dance and costume.

You’ve got Zoe and Bronwen and Priscilla dancing in Rebecca Mayo‘s mistletoe dress.

Looks like Some Kind of Art to me.

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I work with Zoe. She is an amazing person to have around the office. Really brightens your day.

via Precarity on Vimeo.

tags for this post: dance, mistletoe, performance, rebecca mayo, zoe .. and category: friends, kultcha

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I was exploring ReverbNation, and stumbled across Sean M Whelan’s page. Louise and i were about to leave a gig at the Builders Arms a while back, when Sean started playing with Isnod, and we just couldn’t leave. He’s kind of enchanting. Have a listen to Sean M Whelan. Intriguing and delightful spoken word, here with the Interim Lovers.

/via Sean M Whelan & The Interim Lovers | MELBOURNE, VIC, AU | Other | Music, Lyrics, Songs, and Videos | ReverbNation.

tags for this post: builders arms, sean m whelan, spoken word .. and category: kultcha, music

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This was a really fun day, helping out Susy and her band by dressing up at the Toff in Town one Sunday afternoon in September. They won a competition to have this video made, and ran a Pozible campaign to fund extra bits like the catering. The cello belongs to Anto, and there were a couple of moments when i was roughly in tune with the music, but no.. i am pretending to play.

Above all, it’s a beautiful song. Enjoy.

via Circus by Susy Blue on Vimeo.

.. and category: friends, music

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It was so much fun to be involved in Tim and Sam’s radio show. The whole process of choosing songs, trying to find stories for each of them, burning them to CD.. and then driving off without the CD. As we were leaving Elphinstone, Tim drove off without an essential set of headphones. Then we got caught behind a learner driver, already behind schedule. Ah yes.. all part of the adventure.

The open mic can be a little terrifying.. even though we suspect there’s an audience of somewhere between 1-6 people. However these two wonderful people do their very best to make their guest feel comfortable. They are hilarious together, and are building up such a lovely new radio show.. i heartily recommend you listen in (fortnightly Wednesday evenings, wmafm.com).

Okay, here’s the set list i finally selected for Tim and Sam’s Junk City. Read the rest of this entry »

tags for this post: castlemaine, elphinstone, junk city, radio, samandtim .. and category: friends, music

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Been listening to Tim and Sam on Castlemaine community radio. They have a delightful session of stories about melancholy and joy, called Junk City. Each fortnight a guest will come on and talk about their top 5 songs in each category, songs that moved you or touched you in some way. Helen’s an artist in Castlemaine, and i loved her choices of Cat Empire, Paul Kelly’s Billy Baxter and yes Tim Deee-lite Groove is in the Heart.

..and now they’ve asked me to join them. The show is coming up: 9:00-11:00 pm AEST Wednesday 21 September. [you can stream live at wmafm.com] The thing is to choose songs that have affected me deeply, songs that have a story. How will i choose? Here’s the long-list (below).

[Note, post-script: this long shortlist is out of date already. You'll see from my Last.fm profile what i've been listening to and loving in the last 24 hours - a better indication of what i'll be playing. And there's even a list of my most recently loved tracks, or sorted by all time.]

Read the rest of this entry »

tags for this post: castlemaine, community, junk city, radio, samandtim .. and category: friends, music

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Isn’t this one of the most beautiful places on earth? The Rushall station bridge over the Merri Creek. If you’re cycling to Collingwood from Northcote, this route takes longer but it’s so much more lovely. When there’s been a lot of rain you’ll see the creek rise a few feet and spread out to the sides. Recently the water took a whole new path around a tree which used to be at the North bank. I like biking or walking across because it’s so far above the water, yet the trees are even higher.

via Rushall station bridge, Merri Creek – Photosynth.

i’ve been playing around with panorama shots on the iPod touch. You can use an app called Photosynth (microsoft app on an apple device). I took another one last week that was better, except the app freezes at 27% stitching. [You'll need the microsoft thing called "silverlight" to view this shot.. but that lets you go full screen and move around the whole scene.]

tags for this post: bicycle, merri creek, photo, rushall station .. and category: daily

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I just caught the end of a section on world’s end press, speaker tv channel 31 Friday night. This band is fully incredible, and adorable. I started paying attention because Ellie Little was raving about them, and let me tell you her raving was completely justified.

The bass player is one of the grooviest musicians in the whole world, ever.

Their sound is kind of eighties funk but also a reinvention, as the best revisit would be.

I’ve seen them play the workers club, and also that phenomenally strange Anytime Place gig where gray just kept letting people in, even though she really shouldn’t have.

Look the point is they’re going to be huge, see them while you still can afford it..

Can i find a video to put here.. let me look..

Links

Here’s the video from Speaker TV, Channel 31

Here’s their facebook page.

.. and category: music

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I’ve seen this bunch of diehard jazz freaks play a few times now: at the Village in Edinburgh Gardens, supporting the inimitable Bohjass at the Northcote Social Club.. and now headlining at the East Brunswick. And each time i see them, i love them even more.

Such brilliant musicianship, such joyful playing, such contained energy in the singing. It’s modern Northcote music that draws on the traditional jazz styles of the 30′s and 40′s. Songs of love.. songs about the chicken truck that goes up High Street late at night.

My dad was mad for a bit of trad jazz, and i think he would have approved of this crowd as well. Read the rest of this entry »

tags for this post: brunswick, flap!, jazz, northcote, video .. and category: daily, music

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We all know there’s no shortage of mad latin/gypsy pirate bands at Open Studio in Northcote.

Just when you thought the world could brook no more such narrative, along comes the wonderful 8 foot felix. Their shtick is that of a group of sailors setting off on a wild and perilous journey, with adventurer Will Tait at the helm. On this night* they set sail, gradually building up to a rollicking, fast-paced mayhem, that had the crowd jumping, stomping and crying out for more.

Brendan’s carousing trumpet plays first mate to Will’s captain Tait. And there’s the masterful Kirri on fiddle, Francesca playing a soulful cello, as well as Steve on perčussion and others on delightful French horn and double bass.

This is meant to be a video from their myspace, but i’m not sure it’s working.
Excerpt from Amorcito Corazon

8 Foot Felix | Myspace Music Videos

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tags for this post: 8 foot felix, northcote, open studio .. and category: friends, music

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Well take a look at this. It’s only a tiny glimpse of the amazing Susy Blue. i had no idea her music was so beautiful.

Moose Hooves on Vimeo on Vimeo

via Moose Hooves on Vimeo.

and more
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tags for this post: live, northcote, northcote social club, suzy blue .. and category: music

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Aah Jon Stewart. Sometimes you need a little heavy-handed humour. i know the whole experience has been very Team America: World Police; and what we’re looking at is a political assassination of the craziest kind. Killing an unarmed alleged mass murderer in his pyjamas etc. Not to mention the singing and dancing in the street. But ..How About the Bush People trying to take credit for killing Bin Laden?! No wait, it was Reagan who got him. If you need some laughter on the topic, watch this video.

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tags for this post: bush, humour, jon stewart, obama, osama, usa .. and category: politic

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