| |
| |
| |
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
Scroll
down to the start of the month |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
The
Lomond and Tago Mago weekend
1)
Sunday arvo at Tago Magio and Portmanteaux plays
a dazzling selection to a cheerful crowd
2)
Henry Jackson drops some chops 3) Tago Mago's Calvin
goes al fresco after a big Saturday
gig
report
Sat. 21.12.13
Lomond Hotel East Brunswick Sun. 22.12.13 Tago Mago
Thornbury
Consecutive
gigs wrap up Spectrum's 2013
27.12.13 - The last
gigs for the year for the Spectrum trio happened
to be on the same side of town, beginning with the
semi-regular Lomond Hotel gig on Saturday night
where I was ambushed by Marg Sellers as I walked
in and subsequently enjoyed a meal in the bistro
with the good Doctors - and Broc - before loading
in and setting up. I wasn't expecting a big crowd
but in the event a good crowd rolled up - and stayed
the whole night too. I brought out the Michael Kelly
Les Paul-style guitar that Matt Croke gave me a
couple of years ago and used it to play It's
a Lottery and a few other blues numbers - Peter
Carolan was there and filmed it on his iPhone.
Real Guitars' Brenden Mason has done a
magnificent job setting it up for me and I think
it will eventually prove to be perfect for the blues
set.
The next day we arrived at Tago Mago in Thornbury
with no firm idea as to how the afternoon was to
proceed. The other band on the bill, Portmanteaux,
was setting up and eventually ground into action
nearly an hour later than the projected starting
time with an entertaining mix of mostly instrumental
covers and the occasional original.
While we listened to Portmanteaux' set from the
High St footpath Tago Mago's co-owners Calvin (pic
3) and Peter told me about their big Saturday
with eight bands and I scoffed some calamari and
chips from Mario's. Eventually it was our turn to
play and thankfully some of the crowd hung around
for our couple of sets. I was exhausted by the time
we finished but enjoyed a meal in Northcote with
the Sellers' before stumbling home to Mt Waverley
and falling gratefully into bed.
4)
Broc has lunch (mouse over for message) 5) Our turn
now - the trio finally hits the stage at Tago (Dr
Wazz) |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
The
dying rays of the evening sun warm the trio before
the night closes in (Gravias) |
gig
report
Sat. 14.12.13
Wild Thyme Cafe
Wild
Thyme, cool time..
18.12.13 - Allan Seppings
and friends were literally banging in the last nails
in the new stage in the Wild Thyme Café's
courtyard as we drove in, so there was no way we
could've pleaded a case for playing indoors - and
it was bearable for most of the night,
but in the end I think everybody was relieved when
I pulled up stumps before we all froze, potted fire
notwithstanding.. |
| Musically speaking it
was great fun, with lots of favourable comments
from the stalwarts braving the elements. I threw
in Hard Way To Go without notice and Broc
was unfazed, but I forgot to do It's a Lottery.
Local photographer Robert Hitchcock took some great
shots which you can see on the Wild Thyme FB
page. (I mucked around with one of them just
for fun - I hope he doesn't mind). check
it out.. |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Senor
LegsyBoy gives bad head |
The
spirit of LegsyBoy returns to deliver LegsyBoy's
Big Ones
13.12.13 - Every year for the
last however many, Legsy Boy (pic) has
been producing a sought-after list called Legsy
Boy's Big Ones which is comprised of mostly
discerning, occasionally outrageous no-holds-barred
reviews of nearly everything he's listened to over
the previous twelve months. It's necessarily idiosyncratic
but nonetheless informative and even a little thrilling
for those of us who for one reason or another don't
really pay enough attention to the world of musical
recording to get a feel for where the world is heading.
Legs and his family have been trapped on the Iberian
Peninsula for the last year, but it hasn't slowed
him down one jot and the latest carefully collated
list all the way from Barcelona appropriately entitled
LegsyBoy's Grandes appeared as an attachment
on a recent e-mail and a double CD of selections
from the list turned up in my PO Box a couple of
days ago.
You could do worse than check it out - you'll definitely
learn something.. |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Shannon
Bourne plus resonator guitar with Mandy Connell |
gig
report
Wed. 4.12.13 Acoustic Sessions at the Clifton Hill
Hotel
The
only bloke on the bill at the Clifton Hill
5.12.13 - I'm looking
forward to the day when I don't get tense and worked
up about the occasional solo gigs that I do. It
mostly manifests in the edgy-bordering-on-erratic
guitar playing - but throw in the Jam Man as well
and you have the potential for panic-stricken disaster.
That being said the solo gigs are generally on the
improve and last night at the Clifton Hill pub's
Acoustic Sessions seemed to go over OK with the
modest audience as well, which has to be a little
bit gratifying.
Shannon Bourne and Mandy Connell (pic)
were playing when I arrived. Shannon's looking forward
to playing on Russell Morris' second album - now
there's a story.. |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Where's
Maldon?
1)
Spectrum gets down at the Maldon Blues Club's
end-of-year knees-up 2) The Sellers' got the intrepid
trekkers award
gig report
Sun. 1.12.13 Maldon Blues Club's Chrissy do at
the Maldon Hotel
A
warm return to the Maldon Blues Club
2.12.13 - I don't
remember doing the Maldon Blues Club last year
- maybe we didn't do it. Anyway, Les made sure
he booked us early this year - so early in fact
that he had to enquire whether we were still up
for it after Bill's sudden departure. I almost
remembered how to get there and we arrived
in time to have lunch before embarking on the
first set to the good-sized crowd that had assembled
in the meantime, presumably to cop a good serve
of the blues given that it's a Maldon Blues Club
gig - we always get round to the blues eventually.
It all sounded good too, from up on stage at least,
and the audience only waxed more enthusiastic
as the afternoon wore on, which is always good
for the soul. We opened the blues set with the
band's first attempt at playing Bill's Lottery
song, the demo for which quite a few people have
listened to on the Demos
page, and happily it went off pretty well.
In fact the whole day was fun, but by the time
we got home we were all pretty weary - and Broc
had another hour to drive before he got home.
It must be a bass player thing.. |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
back to the top
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
