Just Another Album

Wandering the isles of your local music store it's hard to fathom the amount of work involved to create the CDs and the time spent mulling over chords or recordings by the respective artists. It's fascinating to know how ideas for songs come about, or the particular riff that's used. I stumbled across a special on Triple J which covers 4 Australian albums, interviewing the bands, providing a really interesting look into how they were made.

Even if you're not a fan or familiar with the work of the artists, the process, issues and general thoughts in retrospect are intriguing. The interview with the 'Gurg is particularly good -hearing where their second album "Unit" was recorded, the origin of "Black Bugs" and the humour of winning an Aria for best artwork for a yellow dot- and certainly adds to the appreciation for the record.

The 4 half hour Mp3s cover the albums: Regurgitator - Unit, Hoodoo Gurus – Stoneage Romeos, Sarah Blasko - The Overture and the Underscore and The Living End - The Living End. You can right click and download them for later listening.
http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/events/ausmusicmonth_08/docos/

Next time I pick up an album I'll appreciate the months of effort, sweat and tears that went into making every drum beat and lyric to sound as the artist/producer wants.

Is That a Cannon?

The time between posts has been some months and hopefully I'll start regularly again...

It's been quite some time since I've had to travel regularly, but recently the location of work has enabled me to utilise the network. Oddly enough I still recognise people who caught the same train 3-4 years ago, and it requires a quick double take to connect the face to just a fellow train traveller than to a person I actually know. Fortunately while there's been an increase in passengers, seating is still available by the time the train pulls up at the station. While I do not encourage spying on other passengers, the short time I conducted this I generally found most people can be categorised in some distinct groups:

• The guy with an apparent 'cannon' between his legs and therefore proceeds to spread his legs as far apart as possible, encroaching on valuable adjacent space.
• With neither music nor book, the nosy parker who reads whatever their fellow passenger takes on board. (The information for this blog was discretely observed)
  
• The princess who decides their designer bag requires a seat all to themselves. (I have no issues with this in an empty train, however in the morning it's just annoying when you're trying to maneuverer to a vacant seat or have to stand)
• The loud talker or apparent deaf passenger who has their ipod full blast pumping out whomever is at number one on the dance charts. Sadly I was once this person in highschool with my tape walkman in the 90's with my band of choice, but thankfully the volume has now been toned down. How much harder was it to listen to your favourite songs in those days? Tape or CD -> tape or radio -> tape with the annoying announcer cutting in before the song completed.
• The just plain rude idiot who I encountered who ticked off points 1-3 as well as sneezing all over the place. (The worst feeling was actually being able to smell the sneeze afterwards.... thanks...)
  

The way in which seats are filled can dramatically effect later travel and passenger comfort. The diagram below may help to explain some of my strange thoughts, where I've tried to number the seats in each section to maximise comfort and ease of access.


Pink - Probably the premium seats (If there are no elderly or disabled passengers that require them). Parallel to the door, you have a nice separate space to yourself.
Grey - Away from the main thoroughfare people will generally head to the main section of the carriage rather than the end. (Also on a less than jam packed carriage will allow a bit of room to stretch out your legs)
Blue/Yellow - Starting to get a little uncomfortable with a higher chance of stray elbows and bags.
Green/Orange - Tough to get out in a packed carriage and seats 2 and 5 will remind you being in the back seat of the family car as your siblings encroach on your space and give you matching bruises on both arms. (Not too different in the train either)

Oh well, at least I can now go back to reading my novel now.

Let's Never Argue Again

It's true you never really appreciate something until it's gone. I saw my car more as a tool to get me from A to B, not recognising how much I took it for granted. On a buzz from a 2 and half hour epic Wilco gig at the refurbished Metro the previous night, I'd pulled into the office entrance being confronted by a garbage truck. I'd stopped about 5 metres behind and had another car follow me into the entrance. It began reversing at which point the car behind me pulled out and turned right into another carpark. By the time I checked my mirrors and commenced to reverse back, the truck pummeled into my bonnet. I didn't get a chance to sound my horn... A crude "paint" drawing illustrates scenario. It loses some of the impact in a drawing, however I can re-create the impact with some matchbox cars and lego buildings. The end result was not pretty.

How am I meant to know what car I drive when the badge is lost?

Driving the car off to the repairer, steam began to waft from the bonnet, fortunately I was spared the indignity of breaking down on a major road and made it in one piece. Not all repairers offer a replacement vehicle, and rather than attempt to claim a hire car through insurance (which I could envision to be a pain), I managed to find a place that offered a car free of charge. Reviewing the options of public transport to work, I approximated at least an hour which required traversing towards the city before being able to head back out by train and bus, so there really wasn't an option. My temporary wheels, a '90 Nissian Pintara, was interesting to say the least. I'm certainly wiser after experiencing the intricacies of the older vehicle:

• 1 key to open door, another to start the engine
• A button that releases the key from the ignition. (Found after 5 minutes of yanking at the key)
• An indicator that doesn't click back off after a turn
• A broken side mirror adjuster, which then required prodding and pushing outside the vehicle
• An inoperable radio and tape player (What are they again?)
• Windscreen wipers that moved the water around the windscreen as opposed to off it.
  

Closing in on the first week of driving, down in the work carpark I decided to find out how to open the fuel cap which had eluded me in a brief search. Searching the vehicle high and low, a good 15 minutes was spent looking for leavers and buttons that may perform this operation. A colleague even assisted and we were none the wiser. The only leaver we found popped the boot, which we then couldn't re-close! Inspecting the latch, it appeared that the spring was loose and was no longer catching and suddenly this outweighed the issue of having limited fuel in the tank. With a vehicle devoid of any tools or rope and drawing upon MacGyver episodes of my youth, I peered down at my shoelaces and crudely tied down the boot to enable me to travel home, however, the mystery of the fuel latch remained.

Getting home and with a full set of tools at my disposal, the latch was beyond my limited skills. A reel of duct tape made an appearance and managed to secure the boot along with some actual string. Finally the puzzle of the fuel cap was also solved, where pulling the only leaver up resulted in popping the boot, pushing it down released the fuel cap!

Duct tape is surprisingly strong and durable

Fortunately insurance covers all the damage, which totaled in excess of $5000. There wasn't any engine damage, however the 2 weeks without my car helped me grow as a man. Or so I tell myself. My car is now back and I appreciate it more than ever.

Review - New Buffalo @ The Toff 20/03

The Toff is tucked away above Cookie on Swanston st in the city and it's amazing the space that's available above the busy shops below. When the trek up the stairs surrounding the elevator shaft is complete, you're presented with a heavy door to your right where the bands play. Greeted by a friendly staff member, there are no funny stamps once your ticket is surrendered, but a rather nice little touch being the symbol of the venue. It's a little disappointing there aren't more photos on their site, as it's a pretty classy place.

Once the heavy door is opened and you take in your surroundings, a quaint little room is revealed. Tonight was predominately seated, although other times it's been accompanied with tables or standing room only. Directly opposite the band room at the entrance is the main bar where you can order food from the unique little train booths which we didn't get a chance to experience but are detailed in this review.

Interestingly enough, the support act didn't mention their name, however they mentioned their new lead singer so we figured they were in a transition phase. Despite a shaky first song without the main vocalist, the rest of the set was excellent.

New Buffalo is one of those artists that's perfect for a sleepy Sunday arvo and this didn't bode well for me given it was the end of a busy week and I'd run earlier in the day. Luckily I'd loaded up on caffeine early and thoroughly enjoyed the night. The intimate venue was perfect for the artist and all the songs from the latest offering: "Somewhere, Anywhere" were played. Accompanied by cello, piano, drums with a recorder and trumpet making brief appearances, rich sounds mirrored the album's sound. The set was short and sharp and included a song without any accompanying instruments. Certainly something not heard regularly, and you could hear a pin drop for the duration.

Who Needs a Nappy?

The topic of toilet etiquette was brought up recently when obviously there was nothing else to discuss. For me, I don't feel it's a place where any speaking should take place. Should talking be kept to a minimum? Please note that I can only speak for the gents, however when you're in the close vicinity of another man's bits, I just want to complete the task required, wash and dry my hands and get out. I see most people outside of the gents, so I don't feel it's necessary to discuss weekend plans or the status of my project! Of course in the office I get light hearted grief for snubbing people, but I think most understand the haste given the state of the washroom.

The following has happened recently:

• Someone had begun his business at a urinal when the phone rang. He proceeded to answer, continue a conversation and walk out without washing up.
• A fellow employee mistakingly thought it was a flight to the US, bringing in a thick novel to accompany him. Seriously. Take some fiber capsules.
• Countless number of people making the clickity clack sound of text messages.
• People reaching high scores playing games on their mobiles.
  
• Leaving piss and shit! on the seat.... Come on who hasn't been potty trained?
• We have water restrictions, but please flush...

Meanwhile, it's cleaned twice daily... (honestly I believe primary school kids would be cleaner...)

The worst sound is being the only person in the toilet, hearing someone enter, flush and exit. I'm not a hygiene freak, however a splash of water over the hands wouldn't go astray. We thought of having a "name and shame" list just for the fun of it...

On a lighter note, I found the site http://www.newfoundfrequency.com/ which has full songs from live gigs to preview and CD compilations to purchase -with the artists' consent. I've purchased one live CD of Something For Kate @ the Corner, which was signed by the band. While it doesn't beat seeing them live, it helps fill the void should the cash be unavailable or the calendar booked.

What's in the Bag?

There's always some excitement receiving a package, despite the purchase and online tracking through the carrier's website. I'm not sure what 20 somethings did 10-15 years ago when they had a spare few dollars and felt a need to do a little retail therapy at 10.30 on a Sunday night. There's an endless supply of niche sites out there peddling their wares ready to accept many forms of payment to satisfy any slight weakness.

On a recent trip overseas I was surprised to find 'regular' sized neck business shirts without the 'monkey armed' sleeves to accompany them. Unfortunately it looks like their online shop has closed so I'll have to make do with the supply I have and convey the apparent tough guy image by rolling up the sleeves on the others I own.

Another shopfront caught my eye, individually placing t-shirts in clear plastic hangers with witty references. That's all well and good for those who appreciate irony and cleaver wording like this. However it would look strange should I walk down the street with a mate with the same shirt. Having this in mind, and with a slight binge on some favourite tv shows, I opted for more mainstream pop culture references for my purchases, sitting comfortably in my PJs.

For most people over 40 these probably won't make an iota of sense so I'll try and explain where they came from. The only defense I have is that I did have to do some work that morning from 2am-4am (Sunday) so I was a little delusional at 10:30 at night.

I choo choo choose you
A Simpsons reference to that lovable character Ralph Wiggum and the Valentine's day card craftily written. Before they sold out and wrote episodes around guest voices and characters.

We built this city
Maybe that mid life crisis is coming 10 years too early. Ah those early years of Lego

Never forget
Who doesn't like dinosaurs?

Bears are dangerous
If you need to read a sign like that I think you have bigger problems.

Lloyd!!
This was unnecessary, but a reference to Entourage and a much maligned assistant with classic one liners.

Suits Suck
Straight out of Entourage where a film director makes a not so subtle comment on 'suits' or non-creative people such as agents and managers.

Happy Festivus
Celebrate a made-up holiday around the aluminum pole with the gang from Seinfeld.

Anyway shortly after my purchase I noticed this, which I feel compelled to get due to being such a fan of Seinfeld. Don't succumb to weakness, but enjoy looking at the sites below for some different t-shirt designs. Any other suggestions of sites are most welcome. (My credit card is ready and waiting)

http://www.bustedtees.com/
http://www.option-g.com/
http://www.threadless.com/

Flashing Hula Hoops and Mountains of Flaming Trash

With all the honing, producing and digital splicing of songs these days, it's difficult to know just how good an artist is until you've seen them in the flesh. Having said that, regardless of how good an album is produced, nothing compares to the 'feel' of a performance even if it doesn't get nailed flawlessly. I'll spare those reading this too much pain by going through yet another Sarah Blasko gig I attended at the Stones of the Yarra Valley. Stripped back with just a mini grand piano, guitar and occasional synthesizer it was brilliant, while I managed to get a blurry photo of her with me and was able to ask her a semi intelligent question without blathering like a crazy lunatic.

Last week I visited one of my favourite venues - The Forum - to see Sufjan Stevens. With a capacity of 1500, it was one of the most polite crowds I'd seen, with no loud talkers or clunking of bottles from the bar and you'd literally be able to hear a pin drop during quiet moments within some songs. Part of the band, who looked fresh out of school, consisted of trumpet, saxophone, French horn and clarinet, accompanied by the more common arrangement of guitars, piano and drums. The big band sound was certainly a highlight of the live show - particularly the solos -, while his performance on banjo would've dispelled any unfair stereotypes of the instrument.

Talkative throughout, stories of his childhood, big American cars and family provided contextual lead-ins to songs, however by his own admission, at times these veered slightly beyond the songs' subject matter. By far the most entertaining story involved the insistence of his father to the avoid paying $16 a month for garbage collection. Burying it underground around their trailer in acres of land, it was eventually piled up and burnt.

Rather than commanding the stage with a voice akin to a tenor it's carefully delivered lyrics and tight musical arrangements that made the performance special. At one stage the decrescendo plucking of the banjo and matching singing had most of the audience leaning forward, intently listen to each note before nervously waiting until the song completed wholly before applauding.

With more words in some song titles than lyrics in entire songs, it makes it difficult to recall the setlist, however by far the standout from the night was Casimir Pulaski Day. It's a difficult song to listen to given the lyrics, however the delivery was spot on. Other highlights (from a fading memory) included The Predatory Wasp Of The Palisades Is Out To Get Us!, Come On! Feel The Illinoise!... and John Wayne Gacy, Jr.

Synchronized wardrobe changes included the famous angel wings and as we wondered if there was some direct relationship between the size of the wings and your status in the band, the show ended with a dedicated hula hooper. Not to be outdone, Sufjan upped the ante with a fancy flashing light hula hoop, completing tricks that made you shake your head in disgust. It's not enough that his a talented musician, but he can hula hoop too! Well at least I can do a fancy spin of a pen around my thumb, but I doubt I can join his tour doing that...

Summer of...

While all the drama off the cricket pitch has detracted from an exciting game 2, a bigger issue is at stake if India does pull out of their tour - What the heck to do to fill the void that is summer tv. Not that I'd be glued to the box throughout the season, but the cricket does help to fill those hot summer nights or when you couldn't be arsed getting off the couch. There's only so much criminal drama one can take, and with the promos of David Caruso hands on hips, furrowed brow ready to deliver a packet of wisdom to a would-be crook one thanks for the invention of dvds and the Internet.

For the first time I can remember, I'm taking some interest in American politics. It's been fascinating drawing parallels to the West Wing, and hasn't taken long for candidates from both parties to begin digging and throwing the dirt on their own. Lucky they've all just managed to scrape together the multi millions to keep their campaigns going. I'm sure none of the contributors are expecting favours if they get in too...

One nugget that took me from left field was the new feature length Futurama straight-to-dvd episode. Mysteriously, I managed to get my hands on a copy and was happy that it kept to the formula of old, and didn't seem to lose a step after all these years. What's more encouraging is that a once discarded show managed to get resurrected. (I think at least for a few more feature length dvds) Without spoiling the story, the first few minutes allowed the writers to get a few gripes off their chests in a typical Groening/Simpsons dig at higher powers.

While it may seem a little unsociable, what else can you do on back to back 40+ degree days?