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Scroll
down to the start of the month |
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1) Bill Putt and Billy Pinnell at Triple
R on Saturday 2) Tago - Bill sits with Peter
Hood & Kath (waiting for Esmeralda)
3)
Tago - Dr Wazz is seated with Leslie and
Jude Ocean 4) Tago - Rocky and Mike make
a scary looking couple
6) Ivy - Bill is accosted by his old flat-mate,
Glenda Mumby 7) Brian Wise's mate Len and
Janet at The Ivy
8) Neil Clarke and his talented daughter
9) Robbo with his mate Neil from The Stealers'
days and Neil's wife Julie
gig report
Sat. 25.8.12 Tago Mago Thornbury Sun. 26.8.12
The Ivy Olinda
A
tale of two cities - from Thornbury to Olinda
27.8.12 - Bill and
I popped down to Triple R on Saturday morning
expecting to be met by David Laing from
Warner, but it wasn't until after our spot
on Brian Wise's show that David finally
appeared. We had fun anyway and the Boogie!
album got a good rave from Brian and Billy
Pinnell. (pic 1) We played an even
more laid back rendition of the B version
than the Noise11 performance and it was
mentioned favourably by some of the audience
up at Olinda on Sunday.
I've mentioned the 'second-time syndrome'
and, as this was our second gig at Tago
Mago I'd decided against having any expectations
to avoid disappointment, but in the end
it was nearly a duplicate of the trio's
first time there - except we didn't arrive
quite as early. It's an unpromising looking
room in some ways, being long and narrow
and the stage the same, but for some reason
it all works quite well. Still, I think
a couple of minor adjustments to the room
could be enormously beneficial.
(We're perfect, of course).
We didn't play Esmeralda for Peter
Hood (pic 1) despite his FB prompting.
Rocky (pic 4) regaled me with stories
of his trip to China and insists he wants
to learn my version of Albatross..
Olinda qualifies as a city on the weekends
by virtue of an influx of mostly Melbourne
tourists, all warmly dressed in layers of
black and demanding food - now! The
Ivy caters for the ravenous hordes with
an endless menu of very fine pizzas, (if
the ones Robbo and I ate are anything to
go by), then finds the time and energy to
cater for the more select and sophisticated
few that are seeking to be entertained with
live music after the throngs have subsided
and the chatter of birds in the surrounding
forest can again be heard over the traffic.
The room they've allocated is quite tiny,
but that suits us pretty well. People of
the right looking vintage started sidling
in as we were setting up and the crowd stayed
engaged, verging on transfixed, for the
rest of the afternoon. OK - so I actually
lost my way in I'll Be Gone (!!!)
much to everybody's amusement, but overall
it was great fun and I must say that, for
so many reasons, The Ivy's about my favourite
sort of gig. (Talk about a broad demographic,
Neil Clarke (pic 8) brought his
daughter and his 94 year old mother!)
Anyway, Annie behind the bar was hugely
impressed and reckons we'll be booked back
in no time.
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Mike
& Bill do some more Boogie! promos
22.8.12 - Bill's
wrapped because Warners have come up with
an interview/performance for us on his favourite
show, Brian Wise's Off The Record on
Triple R this coming Saturday morning (11.15-ish).
In the meantime, check out Noise11
which has put up Bill and me chatting with
Paul Cashmere and singing Esmeralda
and the B version of I'll Be Gone.
I'll let you know about the other shows.
BTW, I was wrong about there being no female
performers on Boogie! There's Wendy
Saddington and Renee Geyer. Two out of twenty-two
ain't bad for the '70s.. |
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| The
Willy gets another tug..
1)
Tom Pederson launches his CD 2) Daryl's
Hey Gringo plays with poppa Robbo
and
the great Gadsby
3)
Mick and Mrs Mick Newman take the mickey
out of Mike 4) Bill is acting reserved with
Carmel Shane and Cam
5)
I thought Bill got this bloke's name and
he thought I got it 6) Dave and Maree won
the raffle - must've been rigged!
gig
report
Sun 19.8.12 Way Out West Williamstown RSL
Spectrum
finds an audience way out west
20.8.12 - As
I've made a point of mentioning, it's been
a couple of years between drinks at the
Willy RSL but we were made to feel very
welcome as soon as we arrived. I hadn't
been told that Robbo was playing drums for
Daryl's band Hey Gringo, (pic 2)
but in the event that made the set-up a
whole lot easier. Suzette's boy Tom (pic
1) opened the arvo's proceedings with
a generous solo set, which Suzette told
me was to launch his new CD, and then Hey
Gringo graunched into their set without
so much as waiting for our host Rob Rowe's
intro.
Rob's incapable of being miffed though and
whisked me upstairs with his camera toting
mate Bruce to the green room to conduct
a filmed interview. I'll check out where
it can be seen.
When it eventually came our turn to play,
Bill's bass amp gave up the ghost, continuing
a long tradition of equipment failures at
this gig. Luckily he was able to use his
Carlsbro in its stead, but it meant the
bass was pretty transparent on my side of
the stage. Nevetheless, Spectrum's two sets
were pretty relaxed and everybody seemed
to have a good time. Paul Murphy dragged
out his historical Spectrum DVD to fill
in the breaks to add to the atmosphere and
our Altona mates, Dave and Maree, (pic
6) cracked it for the prize in the
raffle.
Bill and I found it difficult to leave with
all the backslapping that was going on -
I was really quite touched when boxing identity
Barry Michael shook my hand and seemed genuinely
moved.
Maybe we won't leave it so long next time. |
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The
Willy RSL (Way Out West) this Sunday
17.6.12 - And,
while I've got your attention, don't miss
Spectrum's appearance at the Willy RSL this
coming Sunday arvo. Mick Newman tells me ruefully
it's been a good two years since our last
show there, so there must be a few out that
side of town dying to see us. 2.00 –
5.00 arvo $20.00 or $15.00 members . |
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Mike
and Bill do some radio for Boogie!
17.6.12 - Originally
Phil Manning and Kevin Borich were to be involved,
but now, (as of 10.00am), it's just Mike and
Bill. David Laing at Warners has master-minded
this collection, which includes songs from
just about all the Oz artists of the '70s
- with the exception of any girls by the looks
of it. I've got a feeling that with three
tracks, (from Spectrum, The Indelible Murtceps
and Ariel), we might've made the biggest contribution.
Anyway, we're charging out, guitars in hand
to do some promotion this arvo at Noise11
and the ABC, between 2.30 - 3.00 with James
Valentine (NSW). I think there's a quiz
involved, so things could get a bit messy..
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1)
The full complement of Trollops was there
2) The
Trollops showered gifts for baby Keaton on
poppa Robbo
3)
Gabby and Darce were there with their friend
Starlee Ford 4) Nice shot of me with the bro's-in-law,
Syl and Geoff
gig report
Sun. 12.8.12 St Andrews pub
Normal
transmission resumed at St Andrews
13.8.12 - There
was a gratifyingly big crowd in for lunch
when I arrived at the St Andrews pub and Cam,
the pub's licensee, was a happy man and already
looking forward to a big summer season. There
was a full complement of Trollops in the house
(pic 1) and although a substitute
name hasn't been finalised, they seemed happy
with Bill's suggestion of The Scallops. Anyway,
whoever they are, it was good to see them
all back on the same table, if not the same
page.
It was good to combine with Daryl again too
and, either the sound's been modified or I've
become completely acclimatised, because it
sounded very acceptable up on stage. We had
a crack at Soul Man, which has been
languishing in the wings since I can't remember
when, but apart from that it was pretty much
steady as she goes. The blues set got the
dancers up and kept them on the floor and
the arvo ended on a high. It all augers well
for the Willy RSL gig next week.
Amongst the regulars in the room were my rel's,
the McClatchys and the Cafarellas (pic
4) and new grandparents Gabby and Darce
(pic 3) from Warbuton with their
friend Starlee Ford - which reminds me we're
overdue to play a gig up their way. |
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The
Doctors Sellers pose in front of 1061 after
pizzas |
gig
report
Sun. 5.8.12 Manhattan Hotel arvo
The
'Hat' works out OK
6.8.12 - I'd got myself
a little worked up about this gig as we haven't
worked seriously for about six weeks now,
but I needn't have worried - it all flooded
back without too much effort. It's been a
while since we last played the Manhattan too,
but I was pleasantly surprised to find the
acoustics were pretty friendly, (we ignored
the enormous house PA and set up our own modest
rig), and, blow me down, there were quite
a few people in the room that had come to
see us!
Russell Keil took some photos, (check them
out on FaceBook)
- which was just as well as I forgot to take
any, although I did manage to snap the Sellers'
after we had pizzas at 1061 (world's best
pizzas) in Surrey Hills. We're back! |
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