"Power Animal" music clip - 'empty parking lot, scary dog, snowing'

I have to admit that I don't know much about the band 'Power Animal' and their tumblr site doesn't give a whole lot away - but big ups to the Adelaide film crew that put this clip together for their song 'Empty parking lot, Scary Dog, Snowing' from the 2010 release People Songs. It looks fantastic! It also features my friend Tom (not the guy from myspace) who you might find playing an assortment of bands around Adelaide.

The Honey Pies - 'Don't Mention the War'

Dear friends,

It's been a long time since I last posted and many things have happened. But I'm not going to tell you about those things right now, instead I'd like to introduce you to my friends 'The Honey Pies' with this song demonstrated through the medium of video. I'm not sure how they've done it or if they meant to do it but through my computer speakers there is this awesome early beatles production sound.  Anyway - I hope you enjoy it as much as I have - Auf Weidersehen

Ringing in the New Year

I've been very caught up lately in getting back into the swing of things after the (all too brief) holidays, but part of the struggle is that I don't necessarily want to get back into the swing of things. My only real new years resolution is to play, record and write more music and to play more music in front of an audience. But I've always tied myself up in knots over the part of me that thinks that wanting to do that is selfish, indulgent and unnecessary in a bloated and over-represented field of the arts (particularly noticeable in Melbourne) - and the other part of me that believes that music should be for sharing and that it is one of the key mediums of communicating the human condition across all languages, cultures and backgrounds. If my favorite musicians had decided to stay in their bedrooms moping about how self-indulgent they are surely my life would be less  rich for it?

Another part of the emotional paradox is that in order to be brave and sally forth with my musical ambition I actually need to believe that other people are interested in hearing my music and believe that it is good enough to share. This requires me to embrace my ego and seeing as I've been trying my hardest to keep it in a small, secure, little box,  for as long as I can remember - the prospect of coaxing it out to do my bidding terrifies me. Which is a little silly because I don't actually believe that my myriad of muso friends are godzilla like egomaniacs (although working in radio I have met my fare share)...


Anyway it could be that I am over thinking the whole thing.......but coming to the rescue of my troubled mind on the second evening of the New Year was the magnificent Devonte Hynes of Lightspeed Champion at the East Brunswick Club.

All photos taken on an awful iphone, I'd rather watch the show than document it for later enjoyment.

If you aren't familiar with Lightspeed Champion you should visit his myspace or start with 'Falling off the Lavender Bridge' and listen to how well composed, heartfelt and thoughtfully crafted his songs are,  it is also an incredibly rare treat to see a proficient musician play indie pop/rock music.  At a moment in music history where I feel like I am walking around covered in cobwebs of nostalgia which are slowly smothering my interest in music to death, Dev's music is like a cold shower on a hot sweaty night. Suddenly you are wide awake, all of your senses are keen and alert and you feel refreshed. All overused analogies aside, Dev is an amazing guitarist and pianist with a pitch perfect voice and an endearing stage presence - a mixture of shyness and sureness, with just a pinch of indie irony (He also worked on the soundtrack to MacGruber). Musicians such as Dev inspire a steadfast and loyal fan base and the tight knit audience that appeared out of the woodwork for this evening were spellbound from the first note, only opening their mouths to sing quietly along to every song.  I was also really impressed that he was able to convincingly play along to backing tracks for a number of songs, which is no easy feat. Dev was also friendly and welcoming to his fans after the show, with the line of people wanting to meet him and take photos snaking the length of the East Brunswick club.... a true gentleman of indie rock.

If it sounds like I'm gushing there is a good reason for it - the most important thing about this show was that it was inspiring and it inspired me to try and become a better musician and to stop being afraid of the horse.
I don't have to aspire to be a musician in a grandiose grotesque cult of the celebrity sort of way, it's okay to be the shy, self-effacing performer and still believe in what I'm doing.

Here is a demo of one of Dev's new songs 'Flush Out' - he played this at the show:

Find more artists like Lightspeed Champion at Myspace Music

Picking up my new Guitar tomorrow

I'm super excited that I'm going to be picking up my "new" guitar tomorrow - wheeeeeeee!
You know that bubbly feeling you get in your tummy when something exciting is about to happen - no, not wind,  same feeling - different outcome. I promise I will get some recordings done superquick and that i will upload them here - I'm thinking a cover of Dammit by Blink 182 is in the works (you heard it here first).
I'm quite keen on recording a cover album called: 'Under the covers with....Wiley Red Fox' and having some red-haired buxom beauty on the front cover....

Pics from Gerturdes Brown Couch show May 2010

Photos courtesy of Phillip Lawrence - Thanks Phil :)

New Guitar Dream

Most of my infrequent song writing happens on a 3/4 nylon string (i can unfortunately only play in 3/4 time on it as well). Then I translate them to my shitty 80's lightning-cheese electric Samick. But this Morris Nylon string at the Music Swop Shop caught my eye and I'm going to check it out tomorrow - if it sounds nice I'll put a pick up on it and maybe switch to using this for live gigs with my amp (none of this acoustic singer-songwriter business).

New Song by Mark Anstey - The flood

Thank you everyone who came out to see us play at the Jade Monkey a couple of weeks ago, it was lovely to see so many of  your familiar faces - and also some new ones!
I've just added a new track from Mark Anstey onto the 'Whistle Up the Wind' mixtape, it's called 'The Flood' and I believe that it is a post-modernist response to the rising waters of consumerism.....just kidding - i don't know what it is about and I'm not going to be so presumptuous as to hazard a guess.
But it is a lovely song all the same.