Wed 8 Oct — Don’t cut my fringe straight please .. was totally intriguing and mostly enjoyable. 12 artists playing live to air over 2 hours was a very ambitious idea for the Dance Cadaverous lady (Sophie B) .. and it was well worth the mad pins and needles you get from sitting on a hard floor and twisting in five different directions.

Bum Creek set a really good tone for the night. They are utterly weird, yet strangely good fun. Noises and growling merge with instrumental random-ness to produce a nice kind of bizarre. Kind of like Bad Taste by Peter Jackson. Horror music.

At the end of their set they switched over by pulling the jack out of the amp .. and the next guy plugged in. Some artists i could have listened to for much longer, while others were unbearable at the two minute mark.

Most fascinating instrument of the night went to the guy who’d built a box out of metal springs and coils. There’s no way i could describe either his action or the sound that emerged .. it was entertaining.

Pikelet i love. Great loops, driving rhythms .. endlessly creative.
Qua brought people to life with some dancey beats.

It was fun watching the host attempting to give each band their two minute warning .. most artists were fully absorbed in the experience, so she would have to creep up quietly and make a play for eye contact. Everything went smoothly.

Until the final segment, where everyone jammed together. This was ugly .. and got the most walk-outs. Intriguing, entertaining, but just noisy. i stayed out the distance, to test my endurance.

PS: Qua and Pikelet are playing with Mountains in the Sky, 8th November at the Corner.
gray is playing with Qua, plus it’s my birthday – who wants to come along?
(now here’s a test to see if anyone’s reading ;-]

What a beautiful day.

i am completely blessed .. as the wonderful Louise invited me to a delightful brekkie in the wilds of westgarth, only moments from the action.

Yes this is the first year i’ve been an off-world visitor to planet northcote during the high vibes festival. i was feeling a bit sad, but being rescued with French Toast and Fruit Salad is such a good way to build up your spirits and get ready for a day of pleasure.

as i arrive, gray is tapping away on Renato’s drum kit, in time with Bessie Smith. Life is deliriously gorgeous.

The sun is shining, there are thousands of angels pouring gigalitres of love into the whole festival, and i’m filled with joy, as we wander up the hill to join the throng.

Everything is so packed, and the weather is so gorgeous that we don’t actively listen to much music .. but i dance to a couple of Tzigas numbers outside Open Studio; and Gerard has a funky dj in his backyard next door. That was fun.

The gig that i really savour later on is the magnificent spoonbill at 303 .. who plays a very enjoyable set. Listen here to his version of Gum Tree:

It was a bit weird when he invited dj drizzle on stage to do some MC work, and this guy just wouldn’t let go of the microphone. Some of the crowd shouted at him to get off so we could enjoy the spoon .. but mr bill was too polite to grab back the mic.

Ah madness. Oh fun. Potato cakes and broken yellow buckets. Huge sunglasses and crazy thongs made out of rubber LP shapes. Lots of wonderful people from the Northcote tribes.

.. and i forgot my camera, so only mobile phone photos. Will post if i can get the blue teeth to work.

Later in the week, i read in the local paper that there were 100,000 people at the event .. 30,000 more than last year. Big !!

Ciao.

Well, Clem Bastow from Defamer has posted his / her round up of the first week for the top twelve, and i must say i agree entirely with his perspective. Everyone i texted after the session agreed that Madame took the evening. i’d say we’re in for a really good season.

Is Clem a boy’s name? it is, isn’t it. i wonder if Clem is related to Nick and Polly.

Defamer seems to write a thousand posts a day .. i don’t know who they are or how they do it, but there’s nothing like an unhealthy obsession with trash culture to keep you going sometimes.

This Saturday night looks fantastic on the Northcote High Street.

Emma Tonkin is playing the Uniting Church .. but not alone; she has a choir behind her to really stretch the beauty of her songs. (Have a listen here, or visit her space.)

Competing with “Girl, interpreted” which is a celebration of Auslan song interpretation. Oh, why are they on at the same time.

Boo.

Brilliant post from katie chalk, on the topic of sampling and fair play (=Link=).

The Black-Eyed Peas sampled from a couple of original Bollywood tracks, and katie reckons there’s not enough credit being given. Listen to this video first .. near the end you definitely get the main riff of “Don’t Phunk”.

Whoops no, i was going to include the video, but YouTube have removed it due to copyright. That is ironic. The other one is still there:

Go and read katie’s post, and leave her a comment. Oooh, go on!

photo credit: woodleywonderworks

i think this was my favourite Spheres gig ever.

Something about the Evelyn space and soundscape seemed to suit their soundscape of astounding crescendo. Ben’s visuals seemed stronger than ever ..

Jon’s thumping rhythms carried a more poignant and driving passion.

Compelling and enjoyable. So glad Am dragged me along.

it was funny .. we went to catch the tram, but just missed one that would have got us there in time.

So we decided to grab a taxi, and had a huge discussion about what the rooftop lights signify. The taxi driver told us all about it; One light on means .. maybe the driver hasn’t changed the bulb yet.

One of the lowlights of ‘007 was the “don’t tase me bro” incident, which was converted into a brilliant remix (check in video); and plenty of re-remixes on the tube. Some commentators said he was an attention-seeking git; i prefer the term performance artist.

If only that dead Canadian guy had heard the song, he might have been able to rap out a quick defensive beatbox.

You have to be ready when they come to get you. And you too could make the most memorable phrase of the year. So what’s your catchphrase gonna be? And what kind of incident would you like to make the news?

Here’s a song i think you’ll like.
From the xxteens (via imageyenation), a warning. With a funky beat.
It’s called “How to avoid becoming a terror victim”.

The accompanying video (below) could be hilarious, unless you are Easily Scared, or on the lookout for Seditious Material; in which case it would be Terrifyingly Insulting to your Sensitivities. Beware: attempted humour and satire.

And this is how i felt after watching the video.

I feel a bit nervous
I feel a bit mad
I feel like a good time that’s never been had
I feel a bit fragile
I feel a bit low
Like I learned the right lines
But I’m on the wrong show

(I’m Living in the Sensitivities.)

Best lines in the xxteens lyric?

“store a decent amount of cash someplace in case ATM’s malfunction“
“try to fly on wide-bodied planes, terrorists often avoid hijacking them“

But they sound better in the song than they look in text.

Hope your whole week goes really well.
i’m staying indoors.

Next up, we need a song called “How to avoid becoming a terror suspect”. Any ideas?

It was a joy to hear Billy Bragg on 3RRR this morning as i drove to work. His new songs are moving and poignant, heartfelt as always, although he’s mildly smoothed out his rough accent for the singing. (Interview podcasted via libsyn, and playable right here:

He had some words of encouragement for people who are expecting a lot of the New Rudd Labo(u)r experience. In twelve months, you will all be disappointed. You will say things like, “Rudd’s no different from Howard”. He’s seen it before, when they finally kicked out Thatcher, and were lumped with the oh-so-promising Tony B.

But do not give up hope, and do not become cynical.

i don’t know why people are expecting much, remember Bob Hawke, anyone?
What a let-down. People thought the world would change overnight, even Bob did.
.. and it hurt so much when they chose to govern from the centre(right).
But you’d rather Keating to Howard in retrospect, wouldn’t you!! Well i would.

Jude reminded me the other day of a joke doing the rounds back in 1996. People were saying, “Oh there’s no difference between Keating and Howard.”

The response goes: “Well yes, you’ve got a small bucket of sick (Keating), versus a whole swimming pool full of the stuff.”

Billy also urged us not to bucket Peter G too much, because he has crossed the line from activist to politician. That’s what happens when you make this choice. Political change is a slow game, and politics is the art of compromise. “You’ve just got to make sure that the compromise is on your terms.”

His strongest point? Cynicism is the real enemy. Do not spend all your energy carping about how bad the new government is. Get Active, and Do Something. He said. Hold firmly onto your belief in the possibilities of change. Yeah!

Interviewer’s most embarrassing moment: “Have you played here since your first tour in 1984?”
Billy: “Ah, yes i’ve come here for every album.”
Interviewer backtrack: “Of course, of course.”

One of those classic questions that pops out and you instantly regret it.
“Of course, i was at that concert.”
Oh boy was she blushing.

While i’m waiting for the 3RRR podcast to emerge (fingers crossed), here’s the man talking about the need for a British Bill of Rights (quick comment). (Interview podcasted via libsyn)

.. and the well-meant “All you fascists (are bound to lose)” .. a bit repetitive but catchy.

It’s that time of year when people dream about what they want, next time round the sun.

i’m sure you have dreams about a better world, and you’re probably working in some way toward those dreams. Well hang on in there, cos you know the agents of fear won’t win.

YOU are gonna win, with your dreams of inspiration and balance, creativity and love.

So, if you’re dreaming of bringing more love and connection, more strength in community, more safety and peace into this world, or more pleasure to yourself, i say thank you. Thanks for your dreams, thanks for your actions of love and caring, no matter how small or fleeting.

Take some heart from Ben Harper, “Don’t let them take the fight out of you”.

i once went to a Ben Harper concert, with jude and Jody-Lee. Such a good night!

My dreams for ‘008 include these:
1) Garden full of yummy vegetables all year round
2) More time camping in the bush, away from the city
3) More time singing with friends
4) Melbourne recycles storm water instead of going “desal”
5) President bush is impeached, and democracy is repaired.

What about you? Wanna share your dreams for ‘008..?

Go right ahead and pop your thoughts in the comment box, right hereio. One or more dreams, very welcome 🙂

Hope your year is full of joy, healing and fun; lots of dancing, and great books.

(click below where it says “Comments” or “Post a comment”
(lemme know if you need assistance:
(mic at michalk dot id dot au

(img: thank you Alberto+Cerriteño and also mick y )