Woodford Folk Festival 09/10 New Years Eve

To bring in the New Year on the SSS blog my first post is
New Years at Woodford Folk festival.
Wood ford is a fine place to bring in the new year,
its been 10 years since the last time I did it and the
festival has changed so much in those 10 years.









Firstly a few shots from around the site,
it covers an enormous area, I guess about 20,000
per day at least are on site. As far as I understand
its the largest Folk Festival in the southern hemisphere.


Always the program is full,
some 20 something venues running from 9 am until
2am. Covering just about anything you can think of.
Check out there web site for details here
Saw a few bands and stuff during the day and there's
an incredible amount of stalls selling all sorts of
interesting stuff and food of course.
Got to see the very funny Tripod, of course you can
never get a seat at these popular gigs, the worst thing
I guess about the success of Woodford is how busy it is.

Of interest to some of the regular readers
out there is this band.

The Dirt Music Club.

Heres what they say about themselves on their Myspace site
you can find here

Dirt Music Club first crawled out from the deep mangrove sloughs
of Sandgate somewhere around the turn of the century.
In it's earliest form this primitive creature evolved from the
simplest of zygotes into a ragged bunch of disparate dogged
(and desperate?) old timey music fans and jammers joining a
circle to play favourite rag, country blues and bluegrass tunes
from the first part of the twentieth century...music's
"Golden Age"...as well as some hand-picked tunes of favourite
contempory artists
(Steve James, Roy Bookbinder and the like...).
Every now and then an original piece even wormed
it's way in there.

While the creature was yet a toddler of the terrible two's long
time stalwart and founding father Dave Martyn sailed the
seas in pursuit of other dreams...

In a fit of pique the remaining founding fathers
Ruff Cut Mark Anderson [mandolin/banjo/banjolin/vocal]
and Old Deliverance Tony Von Wieldt
[acoustic guitar/slide guitar/mandolin/banjolin etc]
called upon cousin Coojee Timms [acoustic guitar/vocal],
slap happy pappy Gav Becker [stick bass]
and occassionally (when he's in town)
"Thumpin' Pig" Max Christensen [drums]
to help out with the dirty dishes.

Now with a new and questionable lease on life Dirt Music Club,
the acoustic musical combo returns...


Thats right a ragtime blue roots band with Brissy music legends
Coojee Timms, Max Christensen and Tony Von Wieldt.
Damn fine show.






Its at night the festival comes alive,
especially true on New Years Eve.


Lantern parades, street performers, circus acts, freaks and hippies.
Not to mention mud, cider and Tibetan monks

And it was a full moon too.
So it was a little crazy!

Its a Woodford tradition to stop all festivities at 11.30 for
3 minutes silence, to reflect or something like that.
They even hand out candles which people can light up.

Then its back to the countdown!
The Day of the Dead Masquerade Cavalcade was a favourite
for me, love all that Mexician stuff
and later when Darth Vegas played it was rather
different to say the least.
Especially with the bar serving those Absinthe
and apple juice drinks.

Happy New Years to you all

The Apartments - The Goodbye Train (Live)

Donat's been busy converting, uploading , sharing,
all that good stuff.
Heres the first song of the first time the Apartments
played in Peters home town in 30 years.
Its fantastic of course. I didn't know Drift had sold
only 300 copies in Australia, that makes my copy
rather special. Now go and buy anything by this
band you can find, but first lets hear from Donat.
Thanks Donat!


Opening song from the band's triumphant return to Brisbane.

Peter Milton Walsh - vocals, guitar
John Willsteed - bass
Eliot Fish - guitar
Gene Maynard - drums
Jeff Crawley - trumpet
George Bibikos - piano

Live at the Troubadour,
Brisbane; Friday June 22, 2007.

This is also the opening song from
(my favourite Apartments album)
Drift, voted #19 in French music magazine
Les Rockuptibles album of the year in 1993
and #7 in the reader's choice award of that year.
Drift reputedly sold 300 copies in Australia.

The Apartments - Something To Live For

The Apartments live at The Troubadour in Brisbane (22/06/07).
Peter Milton Walsh plays his home town for the first time
since 1979.
One of the greatest gigs I've seen, the expectation, the wait,
and the joy that Peter pulled it off.
And this one of his greatest songs.

Razar - The Recordings

Here's the music, only 6 tracks from one single and one ep.
I bought the Task Force single at a 4ZzZ market day some
time way back, they were flogging them off at $5 a copy.
Expensive back then but I'm glad I got one!
Razar's ode to the Brisbane police special unit created to
deal with the Punk rock menace has that special Brisbane
feel to it like only songs like I'm Stranded or Pig City have.
The first gig I went to was the 1982 Cloudland Clash concert
considered by many as the high water mark of punk culture
here. The police presence and the violence that night are
something I remember still. Brisbane was a different place
when I was 17


Tracklist
01 - Money
02 - Stamp out disco
03 - Self destruct
04 - Task force
05 - Shutdown countdown
06 - Here is the news


Download Here

Razar : young fast & non-boring / Queensland Performing Arts Centre Museum.

"I know you kids... I heard you swearing...
I'm putting you awayyyyyyyyyy "

Task Force, 1978, Razar


Razar were one of the greatest examples of Brisbane punk,
they were there soon as the Saints had left town, contemparies
with the likes of the Leftovers, Go-Betweens, Apartments and
Riptides. Had put out there seminal single "Task Force" in 78
another ep in 79, then burnt out.


There was a reformation gig then this.
This booklet was released as part of an exhibition at
the Queensland Performing Arts Centre Museumin 2004.
Its a fantastic 60 page book with plenty of great photos
and information, Ken has scanned and uploaded this for
us and just in time for Christmas!
Thanks Ken.


Download Qpac Catalogue Here

Download Razar Qpac Press Release Here

Thanks to Chuck for the press release and
reunion flyer scan

Zip Too - Cassette and Booklet

The second in the Zip series, Zip Too.
20 pages in the booklet, 45 minites of fantastic music
and 6 large hand silkscreened prints.
Only 400 copies and released in August 1983.
Thanks again Chuck for this wonderful
Striped Sunlight Christmas present.


Track List
a1-john-e xero - norman
a2-matt mawson - post pop panic
a3-irena xero - lithuanian song
a4-john-e xero - dreaming of midgets
a5-irena xero - degenerate mould
a6-tim gruchy/gary warner - slowdown
b1-matt mawson - wipe it out
b2-john-e xero - tender joy
b3-tim gruchy/terry murphy/gary warner - theory of helminivity
b4-terry murphy/tim gruchy/matt mawson-psycho - acoustica
b5-john-e xero - the living egg
b6-john-e xero - theme from the living egg
b7-matt mawson - find the line
b8-matt mawson - loose talk
b9-tim gruchy/david patterson - a gamelon
b10-tim gruchy/terry murphy/linda wallace - candy

Down Load Here

Zip Start Cassette and Booklet 1st Issue

A very exciting post and just in time for Christmas.

Chuck has embarked on his most ambitious project
yet, to scan and rip the Zip Start cassette booklets.
Created in Brisbane in the early 80's, the Zip
project was a visual arts, experimental music
collaboration that was released in extremely limited
edition. This first issue numbered a mere 2oo copies
and of those only 100 had a cassette.



A 16 page booklet with 4 postcards, colour work
was all screen printed. Both John and Irena of
Xero were part of the project as well as others
whom I'm not familar with.
John has a long history of art/music of which this
is some of the finest examples.
Can't wait for the rest



But lets hear from Chuck,

The first of four zip projects.
The first 3 were cassettes with the final being
a four track 7inch ep with book



Lucky I have all 4 but i cant scan zip 4 as the binding of the book
prevents folding the pages flat for the scanner.
next 3 coming soon.... when i find the time for scanning :)


Track List
a1- Johnny Xero - El Dia De Muerto
a2- Irena Xero - Lady On The Train
a3- Matt Mawson - Is This Me
a4- Jaque Hammer - Tim Gruchy & Terry Murphy
a5- Tim Gruchy & Terry Murphy - Once Removed
b1- Matt Mawson - Open The Goddam Door
b2- Johnny Xero - Stunde Hinter Mitternacht
b3- Matt Mawson - Spanner-Eye Theme
b4- Tim Gruchy & Matt Mawson - Fast Eludes Me Pop

Download Zip Start Cassette and Booklet 1 Here