Friday, July 31, 2009

Michael Nyman - The Piano

John shows us how wonderfully cultured he is and shares with us this
soundtrack album and his review of the recent Michael Nyman concert
Thanks John

The Michael Nyman Band with William Barton.
QPAC Concert Hall. 25th July 2009.

I first became aware of the music of Michael Nyman when I caught the excellent film The Piano on release back in 1993. Not only did the movie catch the right note with me but the music was so perfect and captivating that I was hooked. I grabbed the soundtrack by Nyman and never looked back. So when Nyman and his 12 piece band toured I was going and nothing was getting in the way. No regrets either as they put on a powerful and brilliant display. Covering his works from various film scores such as The Draughtsman Contract and Prospero's Book Nyman also wrote a new piece called "Banjo And Matilda" that was a world premier. Featuring the superb William Barton on electric Guitar and didgeridoo this received a well deserved ovation.

Ghosts of Bathurst - Matt Williamson

What a great talent and Generous soul Matt is, this is a fantastic
album and wonderful example of Australian folk,
download it and let Matt know what you think.


Hi Bob

It was such a nice surprise to see little songs up on your blogspot
and I hope people enjoy it and I thank you very much.
Its so nice to be able to share my songs with people, the cds I
make
are all handmade jobs and the only ones in circulation
I have sold
while busking, and I dont do much of that anymore.
Heres another little collection for you hope you enjoy.
These are the ghosts of bathurst they speak for themselves.

Thanks again Bob
best regards Matt

And from a friend of Matts, Gavin we fill in the gaps and
get a lot of insight into Matt

Cheers to you Bob!
Its so good to see someone bringing Matthews songs to a wider
audience.
I saw him play at the wiradjuri river dreaming
festival here in
Bathurst, he is a great peformer and amazing
story teller.
I first met him in 1987 he was setting up emergency
accommodation for
prisoner release and for visiting families
to the bathurst gaol,
he became heavily involved in
reconciliation in the local area,
but I think it broke his heart.
He had a close friendship with one of
the local wiradjuri elders,
the old black man, who features in many of
his songs.
His songs are full of characters and events that are a very

real part of his life, and they become a reoccuring theme, so
his songs
are like one story one song.
What many people may not know is matthews personal heritage.
a great,
great grandfather [George Yates] who arrived at
Morton Bay in the 1840s
with a violin he had learnt to play
on the voyage over. After arriving,
being shocked by the
treatment of the local people by the new settlers,

George went bush and ended up traveling through the back
country with a
young companion from one of the South East
Queensland tribes, ending up
in Victoria. Georges son
[George Yates jnr] arrived in the bathurst area after gold was
discovered at hill end. John Meredith states in his collection of
"folk songs of ustralia and the men and women who played
them" that H
enry Lawson in his story "the songs they used
to sing" heard
bullock-driver Jimmy Nowlett singing with
gusto the song
"all around my hat" to a George Yates tune.
The third generation of
this wonderful musical family can
be heard in the Joe Yates collection
archived in the national
library of Australia, with Joe at the age of
91 performing some
150 tunes and songs from his father and
brothers Tom,
Bill and Arthur. Bill yYates went to the
Kimberleys and lived and worked
with a local tribe there for
43 years. when he died they put him in a
canoe and let him
float of into the bye and bye, sending home his only

possessions, a coat a pipe and a ten pound note.
Matthews mother Ena Yates,
another wonderful musician
and singer, carried on this wonderful tradition,

this is where Matthew got his grounding in the art of song.
his father
Jack Williamson was the last surviving member
of the Ben Chiffly cabinate.

When he died a few years back Matthew said to me that we
not only destroy
the most natural and oldest living culture
on earth, but that we continue
to destroy our own.
Over the years I have known Matthew he has always given his
time and his
home to those members of our society that most
of us choose to ignore.
In recent years Matthew himself has
become reliant on welfare after years
of hard work and raising
a family, yet he still carries himself with a
quiet dignity and
a sense of humility.

I believe he is a true folk song writer in that his songs are so
contempary
and as I understand it, all of the music of his that
you have posted has
been put together by some wonderful
people on nothing more than a handshake,

he gives special mention to a true friend, pix vane-mason a
recording
engineer from Maleny.
it would be an honour for me to sit down with Matthew over
the coming months
and help him to archive his songs
and if you are willing, to share them with
a wider audience.
There are some you have here that I have never heard,

and there are many I have heard that are not here.
So i will finish up with a verse from one of my favorites from
the late 80s,


"Lucky Man"

So what of our forefathers
tied up in chains
do we feel weve redeemed them
with the things we have gained
now what of our brothers
held up in gaol
life can be hard
yet its easy to fail
lets hope there redemption
comes soon at our hand
cause the only true freedom
is found in each others hands.

Thank you Bob
Cheers Gav!

August 6, 2009
Download Here

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Computer Crash

For anyone who has made any requests, Questions
or anything recently, My Computer got a real nasty
virus and is out of action at the moment.
This has lead to a modernizing of all things computer
round here so I'm making this post from my new
Lap top, on the new wireless network.
So anyone who has requests ect, please make them
again, use the comments here and I shall get on to them.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Eat your head - Various Artists

This 22 track compilation includes tracks from bands such as
Civil Dissident,The Vicious Circle, Murder Murder Suicide,
End Result,The S·C·U·M, Royal Flush, I Spit On Your Gravy,
Charred Remains, The Bodies, Permanent Damage
and Madflowers. It comes to us from Colin from Tassie
who has generously shared this gem with us
Thanks Colin, now lets hear from Colin.

"Eat your head" was originally released in '84. It's an interesting
beast: first off, its format was a four side 12" -
basically four 12" EPs;two bands, with two songs, to a side.
Secondly, it's essentially a "punk/hardcore" compilation,
but as you'll see - and no doubt remember - "punk" was a much
broader church in the early days than it later became.
For instance, bands like Murder Murder Suicide or
Charred Remains would have been unlikely to be classed as punk,
even just a few years later.

It was reissued on CD by AuGoGo in 1997 -
which is where I've ripped the tracks from.

Of the bands on the compilation:
Vicious Circle went on to carve their place in Hardcore,
while their drummer Russell Hopkinson has quite a resume
in Aussie music. Royal Flush was the first outing for a very
young Tim Hemensley, later to find renown with GOD, Bored!
and the Powder Monkeys (I've also got a high quality recording
of Foot & Mouth, another early outing by the GOD boys).

Speaking of Bored!, this comp also features Geelong band
the Bodies, with Bored! main man Dave Thomas.

Then of course, there are the two Gravies' tracks. Hilarious to see
that someone was taking the piss out of Hardcore,
even as it was just beginning.

Download Here

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Louis Tillet - Soliloquy

Another beautiful haunting album from the master
Louis Tillet. Soliloquy released in 2006 is his most recent
offering, I don't know much more about this record,
but Louis sure sounds like Chris Abraham's piano.
It is as John puts its great to hear Louis strip it back
to just him and his piano.
Thanks to John for this little gem and helping to
complete my Louis collection.

Track List
01.An Ancient Song
02.Bitter Pill
03.Dead End Street In The Lucky Country
04.Hold Me
05.Liferaft
06.From Me To You
07.Morning Light
08.Teary Eyes
09.The Devil Knows How To Row
10.The Tempest

Download Here

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

I spit on your gravy - Piranha/A mans not a camel.


Chuck brings us this single of Melbourne’s St Kilda band
I Spit On Your Gravy. They existed between 1983 and 1988
and released this one single in 1987.

Clownfishdesign has added this information
They did release two albums, and two tracks on the
"Eat Your Head" compilation.
Their first album "St. Kilda's Alright!" was notorious for being
confiscated by the Vice Squad a week or so after it came out.
I bought my copy under the counter at Polyester!

It was later reissued after a court case.

Thanks Clownfish
And thanks Chuck

Download Here

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Roaring Jack - The Smoke of Innocence

In keeping with the Irish/Australian vibe of the last post,
Tim has shown us the way to more joyful music to drink
Jameson's to and that's my favorite drink.
So raise your glass to Tim and enjoy.
This is a great band of whom I knew nothing.
Thanks Tim.



Roaring Jack - The Old Divide and Rule

Roaring Jack is an Australian Celtic punk/Folk punk band
of the 1980s and 1990s. The band formed in 1985 and played
their first shows in Sydney in 1986. Original members were
Alistair Hulett (acoustic guitar and vocals), Dave Williams
(bass), Steve Thompson (drums), Bob (Rab) Mannell
(electric guitar and bouzouki) and Hunter Owens
(accordion/mandolin and vocals).Owens was later replaced
by Steve (Steph) Miller on the same instruments and on vocals.
Rod Gilchrist replaced Steve Thompson on drums after the
recording of their first album.
The band built a cult following by playing the Sydney pub
circuit eventually scoring regular slots at the Harold Park
Hotel in Glebe and the Sandringham Hotel in Newtown.
Their music had a strong political focus with emphasis on
Scottish sectarianism, Aboriginal Rights and union activism.
In keeping with this the band gave many benefit performances
for a diverse range of left wing causes, including the workers
of Cockatoo Island with fellow rebel rousers Urban Guerillas,
Tim Anderson and against the first Gulf War.
The band went on to support the likes of Billy Bragg,
the Pogues and The Men They Couldn't Hang during their
Australian tours.
Roaring Jack recorded for independent Sydney label Mighty Boy
Records. They released the Street Celtability mini-LP in 1987,
The Cat Among The Pigeons LP (1988) and
Through The Smoke Of Innocence LP (1990).
German label Jump Up Records released all of these as
The Complete Works, a double CD package, in 2002.
The band split in 1992. Alistair Hulett now has a successful
solo career as an internationally recognised folk musician.
Steph Miller formed his own band, The Wickermen in 1991 and
spent most of the 1990s as a multi-instrumentalist in the
successful Sydney band, Eva Trout. Steph released a solo CD,
Strange Sea, in 2004.

Download Here


Working For A Living - Popproperly

John from here in Brisbane has ripped and uploaded this rare
and fantastic piece of Brisbane's musical history.
Popproperly are a name I haven't heard in such a long time,
I'm sure I saw them somewhere, the Maleny folk festival is
a possibility. I love the story of how John came to know this
band and have to tell that I saw Bob Geldolf play in the car
park at Dooley's many years ago, a great time indeed.
Many thanks John for bringing this back to life.


I discovered Popproperly by accident.
One Sunday afternoon in the very early 90's

I was bored so I decided to try and find some music
to listen to.
I had thought that Jazz would be the go,
no complaints there as I like jazz,
but instead I ended
up at Dooley's Hotel in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley

and got the shock of my life to find a well packed Irish
bar with a slate floor
thick with split Guinness and
a slightly Pogues sounding band thrashing it
out to the
dancing crowd. I watched a great folk/bush/pop band
playing a mix
of covers and self written material having
a great time and the crowd also downing
beer and
dancing and singing along. I was hooked and made sure
that I went
every Sunday afternoon whenever I could.
Later I got chatting to a band member,
sorry no memory
who, and he told me that the band had had it's genesis during

Expo 88 as side walk balladeers and had been at Dooley's
for a good while.
I have no memory of how much longer
Popproperly played their residency,
it is a long time ago
and many a brain cell has been fried, but in the end it did

sadly end. They went on to make a couple of albums and
tour Europe with a
very different lineup than the one that
had the Sunday residency.

This EP was sold at Dooley's and contained their signature
tune of the time,
Working For A Living.
A terrific song live that had the crowd dancing, singing

and drinking. Great times. Please enjoy a rare EP from one
of Brisbane's
better but sadly unknown folk bands.

Download Here


Monday, July 6, 2009

Let the Franklin flow - Gordon Franklin and the Wilderness Ensemble


‘The direct defense of wilderness will take courage
and restraint by a great number of people.
Most of all, we must be peaceful’’

Bob Brown – Franklin Campaigner

After spending a little time getting back to
nature on the weekend I had to post this.

Chuck has ripped with historic, beautiful protest song
and its rarely heard b-side. Its been 26 years now
since the this song and this campaign was won,
the campaign credited with the birth of the environmental
movement in this country. Bob Brown these days is the
leader of the Green party and a long time Senator.
He has, as Chuck puts it, been banging the drum a
long time. So has Shane for that matter and this
song is one of the greatest examples of folk/ protest
song to have come out of this country.
Read about the campaign here

Thanks Chuck you closet Greenie you.


Let the Franklin flow - Shane Howard

Oh Tasmania
The hardest heart could understand
Just to feel your wilderness
Your silence sings to me

Let the Franklin flow
Let the wild beds be
The wilderness should be strong and free
From Kuta Kina to the South-West shore
Has to be something worth fighting for

We fell the forests and we scar the land
Has to be something worth fighting for
And desecrate it with greedy hands
Destroy the beauty that nature planned

A thousand people arrested and bailed
Has to be something worth fighting for
Voices crying in the wilderness
Saying this is something worth fighting for

Oh Tasmania
The hardest heart could understand
Just to feel your wilderness
Your silence sings to me


Download Here