Random observations on the wide, weird world of folk from the side of the stage
#35 Pat Drummond: A tribute while he’s still alive First published inTrad and Nowmagazine, May 2012
Don’t freak; Pat Drummond isn’t leaving the planet any time soon that we know of.
However, in this the year that Pat celebrates several major milestones, a raft of talented musicians and others threw together one hell of a tribute show in Canberra to honour the man.
Some milestones: 60 years on the planet, 45 years writing songs, 40 years married, 35 years in the music business, and 25 years since he was arrested for climbing the harbour bridge before it was legal.
Random observations on the wide, weird world of folk from the side of the stage
#34 This time, it’s personal First published inTrad and Nowmagazine, April 2012
Fun fact: this is ‘A Punter’s Perspective’ edition #34.
And I draw attention to the edition number here for only the second time, and for the first time since I wrote my first column in December 2006.
Is edition number 34 significant?
Absolutely not. And absolutely yes. And for sure and for certain. And not in the slightest.
It all depends on your perspective.
34 is the number of the house in north Canberra where I lived from ages 4 to 18.
So it has no actual relevance or significance here, except in the same way it’s strangely satisfying when you order your breakfast at the local caf, and you’re handed a table number that happens to be your lucky number.
(36, for the record. Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and a long black. And water. ‘Et est-ce que vous avez des aspirins? I have a hangover you could photograph.’ Name that film.)
The preceding paragraphs may have struck a cord (or a chord) with you. Or, like so many versions of ‘A Punter’s Perspective’ in the last five and a half years, they’ve left you staring incredulously into the middle distance as you stir your soy chai latté with an index finger, mumbling, ‘What a load of self-indulgent toss’. Continue reading →
Harry Manx performs at the 2012 National Folk Festival
Harry Manx on tour in Australia
Interview the second, June 2012
As Harry Manx continues his way around Australia on an exhaustive (and possibly exhausting) tour, I caught up with Harry by phone one evening as he was taking a few days off in Darwin.
Rather than copy and paste the details here, I’ll direct your attention to the very fine Timber and Steel web-site where you can read all the details and hear the audio from my April interview as well.
Harry will be playing in Canberra on Wednesday 20 June, so I’ll see you there if I’m looking at you!
Northern Beaches Music Festival at Berry Reserve, Narabeen
A Punter’s Perspective
Random observations on the wide, weird world of folk from the side of the stage
#33 Northern Beaches Music Festival First published inTrad and Nowmagazine, March 2012
It’s always a good sign when you get a good vibe from a festival merely by walking through the front gate.
And so it was on the opening night of the second Northern Beaches Music Festival in Narabeen on the northern beaches of Sydney in February.
My first impression was ‘compact’ — in a good way. Venues are situated so closely within the confines of the Berry Reserve at Narrabeen, all five performance spaces were easily within no more than 60 seconds apart.
Walk in the front past the free stage and you were immediately at the main marquee. A quick stroll further on and you were in the downstairs Berry venue, up one flight of stairs and it was the large Lakside venue, and the ‘Tramshed’ (home of The Shack folk club) was a pitching wedge away.
For all of that, sound spill did not seem to be a factor.
Still very much in its infancy, NBMF is the brain child of Paul Robertson, and his background in theatre, TV production and outside broadcasts is evident in some of the organisational nous that’s behind the festival. Continue reading →
Pat Drummond tribute concert, Merry Muse, Canberra
Pat Drummond interviews
The day after the tribute night before
Pat Drummond has built up a formidable musical legacy. And he’s not done yet.
So while he could attend his own tribute concert, sit in the front row, and inevitably jump up and provide a fair slice of the entertainment himself, he did just that.
The brain-child of long-time friend Craig Dawson, the night was held at The Merry Muse, Turner Bowling Club on Friday 18 May 2012.
For more details on the actual night, see the ‘A Punter’s Perspective’ column in the May edition of ‘Trad and Now‘ magazine. $4.90 in newsagents and considerably less online.
And for the audio of the actual interviews, click below. My apologies for the quality of the audio; my MP3 recorder is taking a holiday somewhere without me and has resisted all entreaties to Saint Anthony to show itself. So the audio tracks are on a very average voice recorder on my soon-to-be ex-phone.
*** THE AUDIO OF THIS INTERVIEW HAS BEEN DELETED FROM SOUNDCLOUD DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS ***
and
*** THE AUDIO OF THIS INTERVIEW HAS BEEN DELETED FROM SOUNDCLOUD DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS ***
Thanks, Pat, for the last 35 years. Looking forward to the next 35.
Pat Drummond starts the evening as a mere spectatorPat Drummond, Fred Pilcher and Geoff Drummond — video to follow!
Last Sunday, about a week out from Sorry Day 2012, I had a not-so-chance interaction at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy on the lawns of Old Parliament House, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
It galvanised for me two of the things that are most core to my being:
1. My favourite word in the English language (and several others I either speak or have some capacity with) is ‘diversity’.
Diversité. Diversiteit.
We can identify, celebrate, and understand our differences.
The more we can resist saying, ‘I don’t understand’, and the more we can say, ‘Help me to understand’ when it comes to differences, the better off we can be.
In my very humble opinion.
2. Never assume. I offer this as a serving suggestion. You can do whatever the hell you like. I suggest that to assume anything is to cut off so many fruitful opportunities.
The older I get, the more I have grown to dislike the word ‘assume’ and all the connotations around it and others like it.
‘I assume, I presume, Obviously, As you are aware’: they’re all illegal in my book. It’s like aversion therapy just being on the planet some days, hearing these repeated ad nauseum. Keep some tally marks today as they’re trotted out around you.
I can hear the words of my late father ringing in my ears: ‘Don’t jump to conclusions, Billy; you’ll break your leg’.
Intruder
On Sunday evening 20 May 2012, I was walking back from Manuka qnd Forrest, after catching up with some friends. It was one of those wonderful, clear, crisp Canberra nights in late Autumn when the air is still; and so long as you have a warm jacket on (preferably in an outrageous 1950s pattern) and an over-sized beanie, you’re sound as a pound.
Sorry Day Bridge Walk poster. I tried to resurrect it but couldn’t find anything to hammer it into the ground with. Sorry.
As I walked through Parkes (the Parliamentary Triangle) and passed the statues of former Prime Minsiters Chifley and Curtin, I got to thinking about reconciliation, the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, and the coming Sorry Day.
Earlier, while walking from the city out to Manuka, I’d happened upon a sign advertising the Bridge Walk this Friday and had spent some time (ultimately unsuccessfully) trying to re-plant it by the side of the road.
So this was all buzzing around as I approached the tent embassy along King Georges Terrace at about 8pm. I could have stuck to the path and the streetlights and headed off towards Commonwealth Avenue, but something drew me towards the ceremonial fire and I’d just descended one or two steps when a resident called out from the shadows:
Speaking in Tongues finishes at Theatre 3 today (Saturday 19 May)
Speaking in Tongues
Last day today at Theatre 3, Acton (ACT)
Lots more to come in 2012 from the Canberra Rep
I love Canberra and its arts scene.
And I love the many examples of how we truly do have one degree of separation in this town.
I occasionally swap arts notes at my desk or in the corridors of democracy administration at the Australian Electoral Commission with my colleague Ben. When he mentioned his role at the Canberra Repertory Society, and how they were doing a play called ‘Speaking in Tongues’ (the fore-runner to the film Lantana), my interest was piqued and I contacted the Rep to ask about an interview.
About an hour later a message bobbed up on our in-house messaging system from a bloke I deal with sometimes in our Strategic Capability Branch. Sam is an actor in the play and as the director was out of town, what did I want to talk about?!
A few hours later, Sam Hannan-Morrow and I were sat in the foyer of Theatre 3 in Acton. Sadly my prayers to St Anthony were fruitless and rather than the crisp clear sound of MP3, we have this rather gritty, muddy Samsung phone as a medium. My apologies. There’s no normalisation, editing or sound balancing — it’s raw, baby. And it’s a downloading nightmare, which is why the late delivery.
So with mere hours to go before you get yourselves a last chance to see ‘Speaking in Tongues’, you can console yourself in the fact that Sam apprises you in the audio of all the good things coming up later this year with Canberra Rep.
*** THE AUDIO OF THIS INTERVIEW HAS BEEN DELETED FROM SOUNDCLOUD DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS ***
*** THE AUDIO OF THIS INTERVIEW HAS BEEN DELETED FROM SOUNDCLOUD DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS ***
And here’s where you can book tickets and find out more about Canberra Rep:
Let’s hear it for doing new stuff. CS Lewis opined that you should do six impossible things before breakfast. Well, here’s one new thing to do next month. And here are six things you can do there:
Try some of the most delicious, nutritious vego soup with chick peas and awesome bread
Try some home brew from Albury mayhaps
Listen to/watch some of the best acoustic music that Canberra’s independent music scene has to offer
Meet some really amazing gals and guys who are passionate about community and sustainable futures
Browse an incredible array of organic and ethical products, and finally (wait for it, brace yourself)
Poo in a bucket!
OK, there’s method in the madness of that last one. In fact, before this post is done and dusted, thou shalt have a link to what that’s about. Continue reading →
24 Hour Concert comes to an end2:30am, apparent temperature of -6.8 degrees CelciusQuestions?Practice start for WIN TVThe protest spreads out into the city (with petition forms)
Mikelangelo and the Tin Star, ANU Bar, Friday 11 May 2012
Mikelangelo and the Tin Star
ANU Bar, Friday 11 May 2012
Mikelangelo talks about sun, surf, western and sprouting new growth in the Melbourne autumn
Mikelangelo and the Tin Star will be making a much-awaited appearance at the ANU Bar in Canberra on Friday 11 May 2012. The night before, Mikelangelo joined Bill Quinn on Nikolai Blaskow’s Disc Drive show to chat about the gig and many other things.
*** THE AUDIO OF THIS INTERVIEW HAS BEEN DELETED FROM SOUNDCLOUD DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS ***
*** THE AUDIO OF THIS INTERVIEW HAS BEEN DELETED FROM SOUNDCLOUD DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS ***
Click the link to hear the interview and get all the links to all the support bands.
That’s the official video, and a lot smoother than the very rough one I took on a dodgy camera phone last year at Tilley’s. My version DOES however feature a Go Girl Gadget Go dancer falling into the front row, so there’s that! CORRECTION: the pitching into the front row was on a previous track. No Go Go dancers were harmed in the making of this video clip.
Overheard Productions 