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Review: Various Artists – Wilco Tribute Night @ Mojo’s – 10-06-2010

Jun 15th, 2010
by benjamin.
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Tribute nights can go two ways. They can be convoluted and contrived, struggling to even pay homage to the band they’re hoping to revere or trying too hard to be like them. Or, they can go swimmingly, being packed out with talented, passionate musicians who deliver their own takes the songs originally penned by their more famous brethren of the musical ilk. Thankfully, this evening unanimously proved to be the latter.

An approximately 1/3 full Mojo’s Bar (not bad for a Thursday night) found a slightly changed line up from that original posted, owing to illness, each bringing their own take on songs from the band Wilco, a few links to former bands, some covers and the occasional original. Indeed, given said band has neglected to visit Perth on their last two Australian tours, it was up to the locals to come good.  And they certain did, giving the punters a night of stories about how the bands came to know and love Wilco, coupled with a bevy of stellar performances.

First up was solo artist, straight out of Glasgow, Stuart Nugent.  Having been in Australia for around 15 months, Stuart’s still finding his feet in the local music scene but has headed a few bands back in his mother country.  Based on his performance tonight, though, I can’t see how it will be long before he’s into something in the always simmering Perth music scene.  A vibrant, warm voice, reminiscent of  Jakob Dylan which belies his thick accent, Stuart sang with vigor and passion as he made his way through a variety of Wilco songs.  The only artist game to tackle something from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Stuart set the tone for the evening of professional, inspired performances.  Stuart’s currently playing at the Freo Markets on a Sunday in the bar and I would certainly recommend you get down there and catch him.  You might see me there, beer in hand, toes a tappin’.

Stuart’s set list:

  • I’m The Man Who Loves You – from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
  • Say You Miss Me – from Being There
  • Thirteen – a cover from Big Star’s #1 Record – also covered by Wilco on the B-side to ‘Outtasite (Outta Mind)’.  Stuart described this as ‘the song that got him into Wilco’
  • I Must Be High – opening track from A.M.
  • Joni Mitchel – Original

After a brief pause, next to the stage was Davey Craddock who played a very short, but excellent, solo set bar the final song in which his brother, RTR‘s own, Adrian joined him on stage.  Wielding a massive, room filling voice that belies his stature, Davey well and truly made the songs his own.  Davey has a new single out, ‘Introducing’, which you can sample on his website or his Myspace.

Davey’s set list:

  • What Light – from Sky Blue Sky
  • California Stars – from the Mermaid Avenue Volume I
  • You And I – from Wilco, the Album – originally recorded with Feist

Meant to be playing as a duo, but reduced to a solo act due to illness, the sprawling sounds of Mr & Sunbird were in no way attenuated by the solo appearance of David Lawrence.  Taking a different tact to some of the other performers, David weaved in a couple of poignant ’roots of intelligent Americana’ covers to give a feel for where the songs of a band like Wilco originate from.  An impassioned performance left a great impression on this cool winter’s night:

  • Love Henry – a cover from Bob Dylan’s World Gone Wrong
  • She’s a Jar – from Summerteeth
  • Drifting With You – Original
  • Summer Teeth – from Summerteeth
  • Jesus Gonna Be Here – a cover from Tom Waits’ Bone Machine
  • Shot In The Arm – from Summerteeth

Following the Summerteeth onslaught, newly penned (or at least in their current incarnation) band the Quixotics rushed the stage; the first ‘full’ band of the evening.  With a lead singer, Michael Francas, who looked like Martin Plaza and sounded like Dave Graney and Robert Foster’s love child (by no means a bad thing), we were treated to several songs from Sky Blue Sky which were delivered with precision and accomplished guitar playing, as well a couple of originals.  A band I wouldn’t mind checking out playing their own material, their set fit very well into the evening:

  • Sky Blue Sky – from Sky Blue Sky
  • Don Walker – Original
  • Hate It Here – from Sky Blue Sky
  • Another original (unfortunately this one wasn’t named)
  • You Are My Face – from Sky Blue Sky

Continuing the full band theme were The Jayco Brothers.  Lead singer Andrew Powell had been very successfully MCing the evening, but it was now his turn to lead his band onto the stage.  Delivering both an authentic ‘early’ Wilco sound, the band also regaled the crowd with stories of how Wilco and the venerable alt+country pioneers Uncle Tupelo came to mean so much to them and had shown their members that you can age as a musician without getting old.  Having recorded their yet to be released debut in the US with ex Wilco dummer Ken Coomer (of Bob Evans fame!), the authentic Wilco influence permeated through each song they played, as well as their choice of shirts, most definitely meant as a compliment:

  • Passenger Side – from A.M.
  • Shouldn’t Be Ashamed – from A.M.
  • Gun – from Uncle Tupelo’s Steel Feel Gone
  • What’s The World Got in Store – from Summerteeth
  • The Lonely One – from Summerteeth

If The Jayco Brothers were the authentic taste of the post Uncle Tupelo-implosion-prime-country-tinged-Wilco, then the antithesis to this Wilco juggernaut was the performance by The Ghost Hotel whom, in sporting three guitarists, fully embraced and ambitiously tackled the later Krautrock inspired songs of Wilco’s catalogue.

Showing no shame in their influences in the name of their band, the group proved they are truly talented performers interpreting some of the more challenging numbers in Wilco’s back catalogue from the A Ghost is Born sessions as well as a couple of surprise numbers from Being There and Mermaid Avenue.  It is clear that this band has fantastic future ahead of it.

  • At Least That’s What You Said – from A Ghost Is Born
  • I Got You (At The End Of The Century) – from Being There
  • Remember The Mountain Bed – from Mermaid Avenue Volume II
  • I’m A Wheel – from A Ghost is Born
  • Spiders (Kidsmoke) – from A Ghost is Born

The last song was delivered in all 10 minutes of its glory and truly brought to a finale a fantastic evening of talented local musicians paying homage to one of the finest bands of the intelligent country/rock crossover song writing era.

I would suggest checking out any of the artists on this night’s bill on their own as each had a certain something about them which ensured every cover was one to remember.

Posted in: gigs, great songs, music, review.
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Review: Dan Kelly @ Amplifier Bar – 04-06-2010

Jun 6th, 2010
by benjamin.
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A temperate winter Perth Friday night saw the cool kids pile into Amplifier to witness a fine performance by one of Australia’s criminally unheralded singer/songwriters/guitar maestros, all round nice guy, Dan Kelly.  A decidedly under filled venue served to illustrate that here is a man who is flying under the radar and I’m here to say, this should not be.

Due to some sort of communication issue, no doubt, the ledgered opening time of 7:30, as given by the Moshtix ticket turned out to be something closer to 8:30 by the time the venue was open for business.  A beer in hand a short wait, a tiny crowd by Perth live music going standards assembled to watch the opening act, Perth locals Split Seconds.  This was my first time seeing this relatively new band (though perhaps not so relatively new members) and I have to say I was impressed.  Their opening two tracks in particular combined strong melodic indie rock/alt + country crossover with thoughtful lyrics; this band comfortably wears their influences on their sleeves (Okkervill River and The National spring to mind) whilst adding that certain uniqueness that just about any band formed in the great isolated city on the western edge of existence (i.e. Perth) has.  It’s refreshing to see a band taking both their song craft and lyrics seriously and with some more tracks under their collective belts, a honing of their style (including maybe losing the electric drum) and exposure, I wouldn’t be surprised if these guys take off.  Well worth checking out; they have a few more support shows lined up in the next few weeks for people like Sally Seltmann and a solo show at the Civic  Hotel in Inglewood (which, despite hosting more gigs in the wake of the closing of the Hydey, don’t appear to have a website).  You can also stream a couple of songs from Split Seconds from their Myspace.

After a short interlude, Melbourne’s Eagle & the Worm took the stage and whilst there’s never an easy way to say this, I have to say they just didn’t do it for me this night.  I’m always one to give a band the benefit of the doubt and would therefore see them again if only to confirm my feelings.  Their music seemed out of step with the evening, particularly in light of the headline act and the delivery just didn’t work for me.  It could have been the mix, it could have been an off night for the band, or it could have been that I didn’t have enough, or too much, beer, but either way, I up and left to the other part of the bar mid way through the second song.  Thus is the subjective nature of music that not every piece of music is going to be everyone’s thing, so I would implore you to at least check their Myspace for some tracks to stream and not simply be swayed by the thoughts of your humble scribe.

In what seemed like record time, the stage was a sea of inflatable sharks, strobe lights, smoke machines and tinsel in anticipation of the arrival of Dan Kelly and the latest incarnation of his backing band, .  His new single and indeed the namesake of the tour was the Bindi Irwin Apocalyspe Jam, so it’s apt that the stage be adorned in such a way.  The band arrived on stage as though they were all headed to a fancy dress party; Dan wearing a stunning early era Mariah Carey shirt and a shock of Chris Isaak hair, with the rest of Dan Kelly’s Dream Band dressed in a sarong, as a genie out of a bottle or as a cruise boat captain (thank you ex? Augie March drummer Dave Williams).  From the moment of the arrival of Mariah Dan, we knew we were in for a fantastic night.
And indeed it was.

Opening up with the wonderfully jaunty Summer Wino from 2004′s The Tabloid Blues, the crowd were instantly engaged in the gig, something which would last throughout the evening.  Dan is a rare performer with his audience interaction, harking the likes of John Darnielle in the way that he passionately introduces each song with a back story that both wills you to listen to every word he sings, but equally makes you laugh at what sometimes seems like preposterous notions (like, for example, the title track of the tour).

Running with a mix of both old and new material, each song had the crowd dancing as, inevitably, inflatable sharks were grabbed from stage and thrown around.  A night with Dan Kelly is as much about the music as it is the experience.  Kelly is an accomplished guitar player running about six different axes and as many pedals.  Backed by an impressive group of musicians, the band are tight and the songs are delivered precisely, but with sufficient room for a jam..

Finishing the set with a new track, and joined on stage by the support bands, Dan opted for no encore which is a rarity in this day and age and to which I applaud him.

I had the chance to briefly chat with Dan after the gig at the merch table and he indicated that the new album (which he’s blogged about extensively on his site) should be out June 16th.  He also was obliging in signing my mate Scott’s CD purchases.

I would implore you to purchase it, and his back catalogue, because there are only a handful of musicians in Australia like him, telling the humble, unassuming story of survival and success in suburbia with a witty premise and a hopeful dream.

The setlist was as follows:

  • Summer Wino
  • The Decommissioner
  • Fire and Theft (The Landscape Gardener’s Dream)
  • I Was A Classical DJ At Dandenong Station
  • Bindi Irwin Apocalypse Jam
  • Drunk On Election Night
  • Going to Spain in a Lesbian Dust Storm
  • Poison Estuary Jam
  • I Will Release Myself Unto You
  • Read All About It In The Catholic Reader
  • Dan Kelly’s Dream

Dan Kelly – The title track from 2006′s Drowning in the Fountain of Youth.

Posted in: gigs, great songs, music, review, video.
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Review: Mountain Goats @ the Rosemount Hotel – 18-04-2010

Apr 24th, 2010
by benjamin.
2 comments

There is something approaching a religious experience tied with a Mountain Goats gig.  In fact, I’d possibly go on to argue that it’s truly a more spiritual experience than many may encounter in their lives.  It’s not so much the subject matter, even in light of their biblical verse themed recent release “The Life of the World to Come“, nor the obvious undercurrents of religious intoning present through a lot of their music and the issues dealt with of this nature.  Rather, it’s two fold; the almost preacher like fervor in which John Darnielle enraptures his audience and the near worshipful way in which said audience embraces their preacher.

On a warm Autumnal evening, a packed Rosemount was first treated to the moody creations of local band Schvendes.  Having seen a portion of them in 2008, I was keen to see the full act in flight.  They played a great set and were an interesting juxtaposition against the Mountain Goats.
Schvendes are a difficult act to pigeon hole, which is both part of their charm and perhaps somewhat to their chagrin.  Sporting a dedicated organist and cellist, as well as bass playing lead vocalist, guitars and drums, they sound like what a thunderstorm on the edge of the horizon, shooting bolts of lighting into the clear night sky might look like.  There is an ominous air to each song which is due to the cello and organ, but in some ways this may be confronting for the casual listener.  Their music is unique in today’s market and vocalist Rachael Dease has a formidable set of pipes and wonderful range.  Definitely a band I would pay to see on their own.

Arriving on stage with a swagger and his usual smile, John Darnielle and the rest of his now three piece seemed pleased to both be here and be at the end of their Australian tour.  Concerts in Perth can go either way; acts from Europe and the UK arrive fresh, but can be a little underdone on their first show of the tour whereas acts arriving to play Perth last can be either at the top of their game or worn down by the road.  Thankfully for all concerned tonight, The Mountain Goats appeared both fresh and invigorated.

Before delving into their set, I need to take time out to mention the venue.  The Rosemount is now one of the few suburban venues left in Perth routinely playing live music.  It is a beautiful old venue and a great pub to visit even when live acts aren’t on.  Tonight was no exception and the crowd was excellent, but please, do something about the sound.  It’s difficult enough to have live acts come to Perth, let alone to have them come here, walk out for their opening number with the crowd roaring uproariously only to find their microphone is not turned on.  I would strongly suggest giving up a little bit of punter space by moving the sound desk to where the sound guy can at least SEE the stage.  The mix on Schvendes’ set was also pretty terrible.  Punters pay for a live music experience and the expectation is there that the sound will be good right through the nght.  It’s not the first time I’ve had this problem at the Rosey.

The set by the Mountain Goats comprised of three parts as depicted in the set list below; an initial set with the band, a set with John solo and then another set with the band.  The set contained a fair amount of songs from the new album, which were played with much vigor, but some of the classics were certainly well received.  The inclusion of Baboon was wonderful and was certainly a highlight for the evening as John near spat the words at the audience.  It’s interesting to note the that the songs from the new album in particular seem to take on a new life in a live setting.  More recent Mountain Goats albums seem to be recorded in a more subdued manner, but live they are delivered with a passion and vigor that harks back to earlier recordings.  In no way am I suggesting one is better than the other, but there is a palpable difference.

John regaled us with stories throughout the evening and and as always they are half of the appeal of seeing The Mountain Goats live.  The story before ‘Old College Try’ was told in the persona of John being our father and telling us that ‘you know sometimes your mother and I don’t get along.  I know that you notice because you go off up to your room and turn up your stereo’.  The crowd roared. ‘Well, this isn’t the song you’re thinking about’.   It’s these personal touches that allow the audience to easily connect to the characters that reside in the songs.  John went on to admit that he was a West Coast Eagles fan and that Perth was the first city in Australia that he’d laid eyes on.  After Matthew 25:21, John sincerely thanked the crowd both for their silence and applause and said that ‘the person those words were written for would truly appreciate your respect’.

In a wonderful move prior to his solo set, John challenged the people in the crowd to stare viciously at any people around them during the quiet parts of the show to encourage them to shut up and thankfully it worked very well.  The audience was quite responsive and it made the quieter parts of the show all that more enjoyable.

Returning with full band, the group fired up some more tracks from the new album, followed by some classics from the always impressive Sunset Tree which were received by the crowd singing at the top of their lungs.  The swirling psychedelica of Ezekiel left the crowd swooning for more and the band swiftly returned to stage.

A shortened encore, owing to a Sunday night curfew gave a few more gems for the hungry crowd, including a very enthusiastic Darnielle stepping down from the stage into the crowd during the cover of  Houseguest.

You can’t walk away from a Mountain Goats show without a smile on your face and a warmth in your chest; even if that warmth may be in the form of some insidious death awaiting you around the corner.  And in that, is the beauty of the experience.

Set list:

  • 1 Samuel 15:23
  • Psalms 40:2
  • Romans 10:9
  • Old College Try
  • Your Belgian Things
  • Love Love Love

John solo:

  • Dinu Lapatti’s Bones
  • Baboon
  • You or Your Memory
  • Matthew 25:21

Back with band:

  • Deuteronomy 2:10
  • Enoch 18:14
  • Hast Thou Considered the Tetrapod
  • Hebrews 11:14
  • Isaiah 45:23
  • Dance Music
  • This Year
  • Ezekiel 7 and the Permanent Efficacy of Grace

Encore:

  • No Children
  • Houseguest (Nothing Painted Blue cover)

Video:

Posted in: gigs, music, review, video.
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Hiking the Ghost House Trail in Yanchep National Park

Apr 11th, 2010
by benjamin.
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Saturday morning saw a bright and early start to the day to head north out of Perth to the wonders of Yanchep National Park.  I love Yanchep NP and have written about it often, extolling the virtues of this fantastic place to all and sundry who will listen to me.  The National Park is a real treasure, containing wonderful wildlife, traditional buildings made from area stone and a tavern.  It’s designed to be enjoyed by the people and it’s no wonder that it’s so popular over the warmer months.  On this cooler morning, however, it was deserted, save one red jeep.

We had initially headed out with the intention to hike the Yanchep Rose trail (see the aforementioned post) however we decided to change direction as the paths began to diverge.  The Ghost House trail is approximately 9km in length and follows the general outline of the wetlands at Yanchep, including the main lake, Loch McNess.  Traipsing across ground that was a mix of sand and limestone, the occasional elevation in land away from the lake revealed many crevices and openings into the ground below, reminding us of the numerous limestone caves in the region.  Caberet Cave, the most well known, is often used as a function area.  There were also several bunkers along the trail, reminiscent, though smaller, of those over the other side of Wanneroo Road which had previously been used during World War II.

We made great time for the first half of the trail having knocked off more than 4.5km in the first hour of walking.  Stopping at a picnic table where toilet facilities were present we took in some lunch, where we saw a pair of galahs resting in a hollowed out tree limb.  There were also some very obvious signs of the recent fires from early 2009 here and most places along the trail.  These devastating fires cleared a lot of the undergrowth out of the forest leaving a lot of  bare land.  Some of this was starting to come back, but it was clear that some of the trees will never recover.

From here, we unfortunately became victim to the poor state of the trail markings which were a result of the fire.  Unfortunately from the rest area, the correct direction to depart is ambiguous at best and we came upon a sign contrary to the direction we were coming from.  We returned back to the ‘Ghost House Road’ and followed it around the loop of the wetlands to return to the car park.  Reflecting on the walk after, it seems that the trail itself cut back towards where we had come from then deviated back towards the wetlands.  It’s unfortunate that clear markers are not in place on these trails, especially where there is ambiguity (i.e. convergence of several tracks) as it can leave walkers quite bewildered.   The author appreciates that fires will remove all traces of signs and that some folk like to souvenir trail markers, but people will be less inclined to enjoy these fantastic trails if they’re not satisfactorily maintained.

Walking the Ghost House Road, whilst quite sandy in places, did provide same fantastic vistas across the national park as it rose up onto the limestone plateau towards the ocean which we would not have seen had we actually found the trail itself.  This provided two benefits; a unique view of the park and a chance to go back and walk the proper trail next time.

The Ghost House trail is an easy to moderate walking trail and people making decent walking pace can complete it in a little over two hours.  Best enjoyed now through to Spring.

Posted in: day trip, hiking, photography, travel.
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Beers for Jesus

Apr 4th, 2010
by benjamin.
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With Friday being Good Friday, my good friend S-wah and I decided to revive our once yearly (though that should perhaps be ‘done once one year’) tradition of canvassing the open establishments of Perth in search of a place which will sell us a beer on a public holiday like Good Friday.  Perth (and perhaps WA as a whole) seems to have some wonderfully archaic and convoluted laws regarding licensed venues on Good Friday, so our challenge was simple – where can you find a beer on Good Friday and more so, can you find enough to make it a worthwhile adventure?

Setting out just after midday and an obligatory bus ride later, I arrived in the centre of the bustling metropolis that is Perth. Though perhaps not so bustling on a public holiday.  In actual fact, if you were of a theatrical bent and wished to shoot a post apocalyptic movie where everyone had been killed but the buildings were still standing, Perth on Good Friday would provide you with streets upon streets of abandoned bliss. Perhaps with the exception of the emo kids hanging outside the Wesley Church on William Street.  Nothing kills an emo kid; their cockroach like physiology ensures that.  It’s just the shade of black and the music that changes.  Oh and the amount of face makeup.

Our adventures started in the Murray Street Mall at a little cafe that was surprisingly open, Streeton’s Cafe.  Here I met up with S-wah and the salty sea dog, MJ and they were already in the possession of a cool crispy beer.  This was a fantastic start to the proceedings, because not only did they have beer, but they also had beer at a completely unexpected place.  Having completed this endeavour once before, we expected to find at least a couple of places, but to have a new one as the opener was great.

We lingered at Streeton’s for an hour or so, imbibing a couple of ales imported from Holland and Germany (though usually manufactured in Australia) and clarified the rules for ordering with the staff.  S-wah had received feedback from the lady taking his order that as long as he “looked at the menu” he could order a beer.  Which he duly did.  MJ, being on the peckish side, ordered some pancakes.  When the second round of beers came, S-wah was told to “make sure the other guy looks at the menu as well”.  That’s not a great deal of hard work in order to obtain a beer!

Of interest, is that the person behind the counter was able to take the beers out of the fridge, open them, but that purchaser was not allowed to take them back to their table.  Rather, they had to be placed on the counter next to where the purchase was made and then a waitperson had to carry the beers to you table.

A third round came with an order of wedges which were served about 20 minutes after they were ordered with complimentary sour cream.  However, in one of the stranger vagrancies of a cafe, if we wished to obtain sweet chilli sauce, there would be a $1.00 surcharge.  Slightly flummoxed at this prospect, we began to ponder whether it would be cheaper to purchase a bottle of sauce from another purveyor (say a convenience store around the corner) and BYO.  I was concerned that they may charge saucage.  We couldn’t be sure if this was only a Good Friday surcharge and MJ quipped it may be out of respect as a plate of sweet chilli sauce bears a striking resemblance to the blood of Christ.  I’m sure he was just jesting.

Satiated and full of enthusiasm for our endeavour after an early success, we headed off towards the river to try our luck at the Lucky Shag.  Alas, it was not to be lucky for us and was well and truly closed, despite being plonked right amongst one of Perth’s tourist precincts.  The walk did take us past the Esplanade gardens where clearly some European tourists were disorientated and thought they were actually on Swanborne beach, what for the lack of clothing they wore.  Still, they appeared to be enjoying the autumnal sun, though perhaps would later find themselves disappointed that no beer was readily available to cool them down.

A little disheartened, we took the long walk back towards the city and towards the Duxton Hotel.  Rumour had it that their bar was open and as we sauntered up to the stools, everything looked in order.  When casing a place for the likelihood that you’ll be served alcohol, there are a few signs to look for.  Well, actually there are two.  Number one, do they serve alcohol normally?  Number two, are other patrons drinking?  This place had ticked both boxes.

The waitress arrived at the bar and asked us what we’d like and as Scott ordered a Golden Ale, the waitress uttered a question that to do this day still sends chills to my bones…

“Are you gentleman staying at the hotel?”

“Uh, no”

“Unfortunately sir, I’m unable to serve you”.
Gutted, we traipsed out the door and pondered our next move.  We figured that we should, given two disappointments in a row, go with something that we were certain would be a sure bet, as it had been on our previous excursion.  And it turned out to be great with one exception.

The Criterion Cafe, part of a beautifully appointed art deco Criterion Hotel on Hay Street, offers a lovely alfresco service and a fantastic meal; I can highly recommend the penne al salmone.  Admittedly their service was a little lacking, but I guess you can expect that on a public holiday.  Still, the beer was plentiful and we were having a great time, until a clearly unbalanced nutbag, sitting at the next table, turned to S-Wah and questioned whether he had a problem and suggested that he needed to stop staring at him.  This would be quite amusing if the guy didn’t seem quite serious and/or dangerous.  We quietly acknowledged the idiot and went on with our conversation.  Clearly he’d been out all the previous night celebrating the joy of Easter and was a little under the weather.  It’s unfortunate that he wasn’t under the table.

Having finished our round, we upped and paid and MJ departed for a spot of afternoon tennis at the country club, whilst S-wah and I continued on in our quest.

We crossed the railroad tracks to Northbridge and were fairly disappointed with what we found.  Having had something to eat at each place we’d been to so far, the idea of more food in the pursuit of beer was not all that appealing.  Along James Street we found Efe Bir open, which is a kebab/pizza shop cum bar.  Apparently we could order a beer if we ordered some food, to which we inquired whether dessert was considered food and the guy behind the counter replied that “yes, whatever”.

“Two Heinekens and two baklavas thanks”

“Coming right up”

There was some confusion over whether they could hand us the beer or if they had to bring it out, but in the end we each held a very sticky and rather flat piece of baklava on a plate with a fork as well as a cold beer.  It was kind of strange.  We retired to the al fresco dining on James Street in the dappled afternoon light and consumed our goodies.

Another restaurant was open across the road, Valentinos, but as nice as it looked, we couldn’t stomach the thought of having to down a couple of arancini balls to get a beer.  We decided to walk a bit of the afternoon’s food off and head towards the Moon Cafe.  Disappointed upon our arrival by its closure, we turned back towards the city a little despondent; Northbridge had let us down, but then, when doesn’t it?

Murray Street in the CBD was our next port of call but it was well and truly a ghost town.  Hay Street had Rydges Hotel open, but we knew from experience that we’d be ordering food to get a drink.  The Holiday Inn was also open across the way, but we knew there that we’d need to be guests to order a drink.  Thirsty and desparate, we bemoaned the fact that Elizabeth’s Second Hand Bookstore, which is always open, isn’t licensed.

Hats in hands and hearts near feet, we trudged along Hay Street and through the mall again, finding little more than bewildered tourists floating aimlessly between cheesy souviner store.  It’s a sad indictment on our city when the only shops on offer in the ‘tourist precinct’ are crappy souvenir stores of ‘Australiana’ all made in China.

Wandering along Barrack Street and junctioning with the other end of the Murray Street mall, we were reminded of a place that we had walked past earlier, not wanting to face another meal for a beer.  Upon entering, though, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the place was one of Perth’s new ‘small bars’ as well as being a cafe.  Turns out that by sitting outside, we would have to order a meal to drink, but, sitting inside meant that we could just drink.  An odd, but delightful rule.  Several beers at Breve Cafe and Bar topped off a great day of hunting beer in Perth CBD on Good Friday.

Satisfied, we called it a day and attempted to catch public transport home which is actually more difficult that finding a beer…

Posted in: Perth, day trip.

Pavement @ Metro City Perth 09-03-2010

Mar 9th, 2010
by benjamin.
1 comment

Tonight’s set list was eclectic, yet wonderful and perhaps slightly orchestrated around SM’s slightly hoarse voice:

  • Silence Kid
  • Father to A Sister of Thought
  • Stereo
  • Frontwards
  • In The Mouth A Desert
  • Rattled By The Rush
  • Date w/ Ikea
  • Grounded
  • Range Life
  • Unfair
  • We Dance
  • Kennel District
  • Cut Your Hair
  • Stop Breathin’
  • Summer Babe
  • Gold Soundz
  • Two States
  • Fight This Generation (Figh This Generation)
  • Shady Lane
  • Conduit For Sale

Then encore one consisted of:

  • Debris Slide (which included a joke about WA being the mining state and that there might be a lot of debris slides)
  • Give It A Day* (including some excellent banter about AC/DC and how people in Perth are about the lyrics)
  • Perfume-V
  • Fin

Encore Two consisted of:

  • Lions (Linden)
  • Zurich Is Stained
  • No Life Singed Her (which included SM jump into the drum kit, with guitar in hand, leaping of Westie and off stage and Westie taking an amazing catch to keep the guitar from crashing)

The band were in fine form, joking about the AC/DC concert also in town (*SM quipped that Bon Scott is a lyricist, Brian Jones a performer).

Gersey played a solid set and their last song they were joined by Spiral Stairs who played Subiaco Shuffle from The Real Feel.  Apparently most of Gersey are in SS’s touring band and hence the connection.

Another amazing show by the finest band in the world, my second in four days.

Posted in: gigs, great songs, music, review.

The man is back in town

Aug 12th, 2009
by benjamin.
1 comment

I’m more than just a little excited about this.  Even if he doesn’t play a single Pavement song, the show is bound to be spectacular.  With the Doves having just been here, 2009 may well be the year of ‘seeing bands you always wanted to but weren’t sure you ever would’.  I should probably come up with a catchier phrase and snappy acronym.  In the meantime…

Posted in: gigs, great songs, music, video.
Tagged: · · · · · ·

Maybe it’s just the hair cut…

Aug 10th, 2009
by benjamin.
No comments yet

…but I could swear Jeff Tweedy is channelling Jack White in this video:

Posted in: music, video.
Tagged: · · ·

I really hope to get back here soon

Jun 7th, 2009
by benjamin.
1 comment

I truly do.

Posted in: site.
Tagged:

The completeness of oblivion

Apr 10th, 2009
by benjamin.
2 comments

I was trawling the internets looking for cover art images to totally deck out my library with the appropriate images as is my obsessive compulsive way.

 

In doing so, and in being up to ‘M’ for ‘The Mountain Goats’, I stumbled across this little gem of a quote from Mr. Darnielle himself, in response to a rabid fan trying to track down a never actually released EP ((Jack and Faye):

no I disagree! the worst thing about our present age is that people are always trying to deny oblivion to things that have earned it, it is OK for there to be things that nobody’s ever seen or heard & in fact it’s GREAT that there are such things, that is like my deepest religious belief

Quite possibly never a truer word has been uttered.  There is something so cloyingly desperate about our modern society that requires us to try and maintain every semblance of everything that was.  And I’m certain we’re wrong.  Maybe that bird is supposed to be extinct, maybe that friend from high school was meant to drop out of your life and not look you up in facebook.  Maybe you were meant to get on with your life.

 

Maybe we’re all just so riddled with guilt that we have to cling desperately to what we know in the face of a brave new unknown world?  I know what I’m choosing.

Posted in: off topic.
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