Ron Asheton passes judgement on Lorks' bass-playing abilities during the 1991 Dark Carnival Australian tour.

James Williamson rejoins Iggy and The Stooges.
Now all we need is an Australian tour that doesn’t involve a sports field full of Bogans (ie BDO)

Iggy and the Stooges box set You Want My Action.
If nothing else a great historical document of what on paper could have been the Stooges greatest line up.

Rose Tattoo Pain vinyl edition.
The CD version of this album sounds weird (very compressed and not much guts) however this 2 LP vinyl pressing comes a long way in rectifying this. Possibly their most consistent album since the 1978 debut.

Stooges book. Authorized and Illustrated Story – Robert Matheu.
Mind-blowing photos and excellent interviews.

Mick Hadley and the Others. Notes at Newtown in Sydney.
Live gig of the year! Hadley of Brisbane ’60s freakbeat maniacs The Purple Hearts joins forces with members of The Booby Traps and The Crusaders for a killer set of Purple Hearts hits. Thanks for the hangover courtesy of  The Barman.

Mick Cocks benefit – One of the Boys. Enmore Theatre.
A final jam for Brother Mick who has since sadly left us. Tatts, You Am I (who the yobs in the audience hated) Annalise Morrow (The Numbers) Kevin Borich played mighty sets. Rock in Peace Mick.

All Tomorrows Parties in Sydney.
Despite the ridiculous “No Escape Until Sir Nick has finished his bloody Set” policy, this was a mighty fine show! I rediscovered the Laughing Clowns and the incredible drumming of Jeff Wegener, The Saints I loved every second of despite Christopher Bailey’s tomfoolery and it was great to see Rowland S Howard for a final time. Nick who??

Hitmen. Tora Tora DTK / Moronic Inferno & Niagara St Valentine’s Day Massacre.
The Hitmen reissue rollocoster continues courtesy of Dave Laing and his backers at $hock. The Hitmen vs. Niagara set sounds better here than it did on the night.

Masters Apprentices 1st album reissue on Aztec.
Possibly the greatest Australian recordings on the ’60s finally get the respectful re-issue they deserve. Every dodgy character from Sydney to German has done a weak sounding bootleg of this for the past decade but finally the diamond ears at Aztec Music are the ones to do it with justice and class it deserves.

Remains 2 LP Mono reissue.
This great 60s album sounds incredible in its (as with ’60s albums) original Mono mix.

Many sad loses this year. Talena Chew, Noel Bennett, Ron Asheton, Mick Cocks.

Right honourable mentions:

Tyranna 7 inch ep reissue

X & Decline of the Reptiles at the Empire Hotel

Buzzcocks at the Forum (despite the muddy sound)

The Users – Secondary Modern CD

News that Magazine have re-formed and may come to Australia

Mick Medew and The Rumours All Your Love CD.

AK79 vinyl reissue

New Christs – Gloria,

Rediscovering Laughing Clowns

Fawlty Towers DVD remaster

Ozzy era Black Sabbath remasters on vinyl + CD

Oz Beat Frenzy CD

Rocky Mountain Low LP (compilation of Canadian punk / new wave)

Mick Medew and Rumours & Decline of the Reptiles at Vanguard Newtown,

Stevie Wright spoken word at the Factory

Jason Alexander Comedy Spectacular

Spinal Tap Goes to 11 remaster DVD.

Eric (right) and Aussie expat Robert "Jacko" Jackson at the Ann Arbor Rock and Roll Revival show

(Eric flew from Paris to Detroit a week ago to be a guest vocalist at the Ann Arbor Rock and Roll Revival Show with Scott Morgan, Deniz Tek, the irRationals, Hiawatha Bailey, the Gorvettes and Mazinga, so he had a good reason for filing this late)

1/ Deniz Tek & friends at the Blind Pig, Ann Arbor, MI for the Ann Arbor Revival Show December 18th, 2009.
If politicians all over the world had al least half of the energy Deniz shows on stage, we would not need any Copenhagen fuck up to clear the global warming. Check him out doing Birdman, Sonic’s Rendezvous Band, Stooges, MC5 songs. It’s a locomotive to the end of the world.

2/ Advanced copy of 3 Headed Dog release.
Best thing I heard from Vinzzzzzzzzz (ok The Holy Curse is out of contest here)

3/ The 13th Floor Elevators Sign of the 3 Eyed Men boxset.
Such an incredible piece of work and of music history

4/ Sonic Trip
The new radio show by Isabelle (who co presented Substitute radio show with Vincent Hanon) on Aligre FM www.aligrefm.org It’s in French, so what?

5/ New Christs Gloria album.
These Reasons will be taught as a classic in rock n roll universities and catching with these guys live on their European tour was a buzz.

6/ The Holy Curse recording with Rob Younger, and how he makes you work hard, how he makes you feel confident, how he makes you proud, and how he makes you laugh with his funny stories

7/ Couple of great books including Travelin Man: On the road with Bob Seger , Robert Matheu’s The Stooges, and reading again Keep it Together (Pink Fairies) and Give the anarchist a cigarette ( Mick Farren )

8/ DVDs : Imperial Dogs (waiting for it but I know it will be a scorcher) – Burn after Reading – The Hangover – Inglorious Besterds – 24 Season 7

9/ The Passengers getting back together again and their great album. The Love Me Nots got me high as well.Great rockin band from France named 455SD (what else?) – The brilliant latest Cowboys from Outer Space - The Rationals 2xCD reissue

10/ It wasn’t Johnny’s day : the best song The Holy Curse ever recorded (my taste guys, ok) based on the true story of Mark Sisto in FNQ.

11 / Catching up with all these great people from A2/Detroit last week and especially seeing Deniz and Mark Sisto again. Christmas before Christmas

TOP regrets: The passing away of Ron Asheton and James Gurley. 2009 started and finished bad.

Here’s Eric doing Radio Birdman’s “New Race” at the Rock n Roll Revival Show. Thanks to Retrokimmer for the footage:

That's TJ down the front at his second home The Tote, welcoming the Second Coming of Grong Grong. Carbie Warbie took the photo.

Ten things of note that I noticed in 2009

New Christs- “Gloria” CD Appropriately named- this is indeed a glorious album. It sounds as fresh as ever- Younger has lost none of his edge, vocally or lyrically. And this has more musical crunch and energy than a dozen other CDs I could name. They played a few shows here in Melbourne but I managed to miss them every time.

Marf Loth- “Cigarettes In Paintbuckets” CD This arrived in my hands pretty much at random- 11 tracks of primitive, sloppy rock concocted on the fly by a young Sydneysider called Nathan Roache, with the assistance of Owen Penglis of the Straight Arrows. This is his third album, apparently- I have no idea whether he will ever record anything ever again but if he doesn’t, this will do.

Boogie Now, I don’t really like festivals. But I went to three this year- Mistletone Records’ “Summertones” event at the Esplanade Hotel, the Sydney leg of Flip Out, and Boogie. All three were great, for different reasons. Summertones pulled together a wide range of bands, in a good venue, at a decent price. Flip Out turned large parts of inner Sydney into a kind of open air playground, with bar. But Boogie, a small event held about 100km north of Melbourne, was the best of them. It was like a large private party – only 500 tickets are sold- featuring ECSR, Dan Auerbach, great food, excellent cocktails and dust. I’ll be back there in 2010.

Stabs- “Dead Wood” CD The noisy Melbourne trio became part of the Spooky Records stable with their second album. The excellent launch show at a sold-out Tote was one of the most memorable gigs of the year. There’s a video floating round for “Split Lips” but despite spending an afternoon being herded back & forth by the egomaniac behind the camera, I still haven’t seen it.

Butcher Birds- “Set My Bones” CD. Excellent guitar rock from some Brisbane youngsters. This ebbs and flows nicely, from the grinding boogie of “Stone Fox” to the launguid “Yoko Coma”. They were a bit of treat live, too, when they made the long journey south.

Last Tram Home presents… A while back I asked the drunken idiots dashing entrepreneurs who run the Old Bar if they could spare me a regular evening to present bands, play records, show off, etc- and to my surprise they said yes. Drawing on the same ideas behind my blog, they are intended to pull together a diverse bunch of local acts on one bill. The first one in November went well, planning of the second is well underway for mid-January, and they are pencilled in roughly every two months for 2010. See you there.

Reissues. Aztec Records gave us an amazing range of reissues this year- Levi Smith, Died Pretty, X and the Master’s Apprentices. OMNI let Melbourne’s fabled freaks the Shower Scene From Psycho loose, with a double CD that even the band suggest is too much to listen to in one hit. Finally having 80s scene movie “Dogs In Space” on DVD was good but the bonus disc documentary “We’re Living On Dog Food” was better. But for my money, the Reverberation records Grong Grong collection tops them all. This is the sound of bleating madness, as unique now as it was then. Their reunion shows drew awestruck appreciation from everyone brave enough to attend.

Lux Interior I just went and watched a load of old Cramps on YouTube, and I’m as sad now as I was back in February. Enough said.

Witch Hats- “Solarium Down The Causeway” EP. The bratty Melbournians somehow came up with a six song collection of noisy, fucked up gems, while getting all noisy and fucked up themselves during their US tour. It all sounds much more natural than last year’s “Cellulite Soul” album. They saved their best for late in the year, with a couple of big gigs including their first appearance at the Meredith Festival.That Kris Buscombe is one to watch.

Rowland S Howard- “Pop Crimes” CD While the influence of the Birthday Party on Australian music is undeniable, and shows no signs of abating, former BP guitarist Howard left his younger acolytes in the dust with this. An effortless-sounding collection of unashamedly clever and stylish tunes, it is satisfying within itself while still leaving you wanting more. Howard’s year ended on a low, with him battling illness, but here’s hoping he pulls through soon.

And for 2010- well apart from the stuff already mentioned, there are new albums from Sixfthick and the Bittersweet Kicks on the way, our licensing laws look like they may become a bit more sensible/flexible, too. The biggest deal is probably that ticket I bought for ATP NY in September- a veritable posse of Melbournians and one Norwegian are heading over to catch the Stooges, Scientists and Mudhoney.

You’ll find Last Tram Home here.

2009 has been a truly monumental year for me. I’ve been an avid concert goer for many years and have always loved photography but this year I decided to put my greatest two loves together and document the Melbourne music scene. Everyone calls me “Carbie”, as in carburettor. I am a music photographer based in Melbourne Rock Central and I shoot for a variety of music publications and websites. I only photographed concerts for ten months of this year due to my camera breaking in March and Canon took two months to fix it. Still I managed to clock up over 160 concerts in that period, including a few festivals. I even shot four different gigs in one day!

Here are my Top Ten best gigs for the year, illustrated with one of my FAV photos of that concert.

1. All Tomorrow’s Parties @ Mt Buller (9th & 10th Jan 2009)

Personally I have never been a fan of the summer festivals. Always a mixed bag of acts and I would rather see a full set of a band I love than a 30 minute performance in front of a indifferent crowd. All Tomorrow’s Parties was something unique and different. Curated by Nick Cave, it was like a summer festival was custom built just for me. There were just too many highlights to mention. Seeing Nick Cave perform three times! Once on keys with The Dirty Three, then as the mystery band Grinderman ripping up the stage and finally closing off the festival with The Bad Seeds. Seeing the reunited Saints with Chris Bailey and Ed Kuepper and I was pinching myself watching The Laughing Clowns. Plus Spiritualized, Silver Apples, James Blood Ulmer, Rowland S Howard, Primitive Calculators, Robert Forster and so forth. I could pretty much finish my TOP TEN with this one festival! All Tomorrow’s Parties is not coming back for 2010 but it makes me want to jump on a plane and catch the New York ATP 2010, with the Stooges playing “Raw Power” and the Scientists playing “Blood Red River”.

2. X @ The Forum, Melbourne (14th Jan 2009)

This was a significant concert for me personally. It was all about The Saints performing the classic “I’m Stranded”, as part of the “Don’t Look Back” series of concerts. Unfortunately The Saints performance was marred by angry punters not happy paying for a concert with poor sound issues and Chris Bailey’s negative attitude and condescending comments. It would only get worse with The Saints later gigs interstate, when he refused to play The Saint’s signature tune, “I’m Stranded”.  I was there front row and centre to see the other band on the bill. Plus I had just seen The Saints close the first night at Mt Buller a few days ago.  The other band was called X, that back in my youth I had originally purchased a seven inch single from Missing Link Records called “Dream Baby”. Then I went back to buy their “At Home With You” and “X-Aspirations” albums. I knew that Ian Rilen had passed away from cancer but I was so happy to see the legacy continue on stage. To my delight, Steve Lucas was vocally still in fine form. Cathy Green still looked like a teen dream, dresses in a leather nurse outfit on the drums. Kim Volkman, had the unenvious task of filling in Ian Rilen’s big shoes on bass but this guy was rockin’ his arse off! Here they were on this massive stage with the red velvet curtain and even The Horns Of Contempt, horn section were performing these songs that I knew and loved, as they played “At Home With You” in it’s entirety. I was in seventh heaven. Photographing the first three songs with no flash was the rule of the night. “STUFF IT! They’re gonna have to grab me, kickin’ and screamin’ outta that pit because I’m gonna photograph the whole set!”, I said to myself. It was my photos of X that got a few tongues wagging.  Before I knew what was happening, I was getting phone calls from Sydney, I was taking promotional photos of the band and designing the artwork for their “X Live At The Forum” DVD for Aztec Music and getting my photos nicked by The Age.  It was truly a special unforgettable and life changing moment for me to be at that gig.  So many punters that I have become friends with over this year, who were in that audience agree with me that X completely blew The Saints away that night. Why didn’t X play a few days before at All Tomorrow’s Parties at Mt Buller. That still remains a mystery?

3. Neil Young at Big Day Out @ Flemington Racecourse (26th Jan 2009)

I got the chance to fulfil so many dream this year by photographing some of my musical heroes. I saw Alice Cooper die in stage five or six times. Elvis Costello performs a heart-warming acoustic set.  Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips run around the crowd in a bigarse hamster ball at Festival Hall. The Talking Heads’ David Byrne and The Buzzcocks rips though some of their greatest songs. My person highlight would have to be watching the master, Neil Young headlining the Big Day Out. From the stark “Needle To The Damage Done” to the ball tearing “Hey Hey My My”. Playing a cover of The Beatles “A Day In A Life”, plucking the strings off his guitar or when the whole crowd were singing along to “Rockin’ In The Free World”. As Neil belted out the opening lyric…”There’s colours on the street, red, white and blue”. How appropriate on Australia Day, while Neil was wearing a “Hippy Obama” badge and a Koori flag T-Shirt. It’s better to burn out, than to fade away and Neil Young shone brightly that night.

4. Painters & Dockers at The Age EG Awards @ Prince Bandroom, St Kilda (20th Nov 2009)

I photographed Pauly Stewart playing in a band called The Transplant for the World Hepatitis Day Concert at Federation Square back in May. It was the first time he had been back on stage, since his life threatening liver transplant. Backstage Pauly tells me that there are plans for one last Docker reunion. What a reunion concert it was! As part of The Age EG Awards, The Painters & Dockers were inducted into the Hall Of Fame. They ripped through a set that brought a tear to my eye. I have never seen a gig where every band member were smiling from ear to ear for so much and enjoying every second on stage. Knowing it was the last ever concert, Pauly smashed up his trumpet into two pieces. Pauly finally revealed who was the boy who lost his jocks at Flinders Street Station but I didn’t care anymore. This was a truly memorable way to play your last ever concert, as they transformed the Prince Of Wales into a Docker’s Love Planet.

5. Eddy Current Suppression Ring at Roar Sounds @ Melbourne Zoo, Parkville (19th Feb 2009)

Are Eddy Current Suppression Ring the best band in the land we call OZSTRALIYAH? You BETCHA, m8! I had the pleasure of seeing them in concert numerous times during the year but this gig, as part of Roar Sounds, where the played the Melbourne Zoo was the definite highlight. There were animals at the zoo and animals in the crowd! The only time I felt that I was ever going to lose my life at a gig, when the boisterous crowd got out of hand. They had two rows of barriers, at it looked like that one of them was going to topple over as the crowd surged forward. Brendan, Mikey, Brad and Danny pumped out the music like a well oiled machine and got off on the crowd reaction. Such a memorable night!

6. Primitive Calculators at The Chapter Music 18th Birthday @ The Tote, Collingwood (4th Jan 2009)

Here is one band I never thought I would ever see perform live. They regularly played on “Little Band nights” back in the day, broke up and reformed in 1984 for the “Dogs In Space” movie. Then they were never heard of again. In the meantime, I wore out the grooves on my Primitive Calculator singles and album over the years. Suddenly they were on the line up for All Tomorrow’s Parties and word on the street was spreading that they were performing a secret warm up gig at The Chapter Music Birthday Bash at The Tote. My level of anticipation was off the charts! Stuart Grant’s stage presence was in total command and even though he kept on ribbing on Frank Lovece, who had to slowly download the drum parts, it just added to the lighthearted humour of their show. I saw them play a few other times during the year and they only got better and stronger. Best comeback act of the year in my books! So nice to see the young kids rediscoving this music. Just thinking about when they ripped into “CUNT LIFE” at the Melbourne Museum of Printing outdoor concert and watching the disturbed mothers covering their little kids ears, still puts a smile on my dial.

7. Stems and Huxton Creepers @ The Corner, Richmond (9th October 2009)

This was such a great double bill. Rob Craw minus his lovely blonde locks playing with his band, The Huxton Creepers. PLUS! The final curtain call for the garage rock superstars, The Stems. I fondly remember buying The Stems singles and albums back in the day. All killers and no fillers on those STEMS recordings. It was such a joy to hear those songs one more final time. They did break up many years before but never said goodbye but with this tour Dom Mariani and the boys said their celebratory farewell with true style and flair.

8. Ears @ Corner, Richmond (16th Auguest 2009)

Seeing the Primitive Calculators was totally unexpected but I would have never guessed in a million years that the mysterious Ears would grace the stage one more time. I loved the two EARS singles back in the day. I knew that INXS, Michael Hutchence portrayed the lead singer, Sam Sejavka in the movie “Dogs In Space”. Besides some other Ears recordings, existing on obscure aussie punk compilations, as well as some of their songs being covers on the “Dogs In Space” soundtrack, very little exists of the band. The whole CD generation or digital downloads era completely bypassed them. I knew of Sam Sejavka’s other band after The Ears.  The 80’s hair band, Beargarden but then he completely left the music scene. He decided to concentrate on acting and becoming an award winning playwright. With the “Dogs In Space” movie finally being remastered and releases as part of the Melbourne Film Festival, their was talk of an one off gig labelled as Sails Of Oblivion, by The Ears. Sam Sejavka performance of the night was so totally unexpected and it was the first time I actually heard the original singer singing those Ears songs.  It was a fantastic night and it was so great, that The Ears played one more time at The Espy a week later.

9. Laughing Clowns @ The Forum, Melbourne (1st May 2009)

Seeing a short set at All Tomorrow’s Parties only had me wanting to see a full Laughing Clowns show. There was talk something was brewing and a few months later as part of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, my dream came true. Ed Kuepper was in fine form, joking that Bif Millar was behind a glass barrier because he had swine flu. There is that symbiotic relationship that Ed has with Jeffrey Wegener on drums. All the way from London, saxophonist Lousie Elliot made those notes soar during “Eternally Yours”. It was just, heavenly.

10. Charles Jenkins Blue Atlas Winter Ball @ Corner Hotel, Richmond (4th July 2009)

Charles Jenkins is one of the best songwriters in Australia. This was such a unique concert and was not your regular CD launch. Normally you would have the artist belt out the new record on stage and hopefully sell a heap of copies of the CD at the merch desk. The Blue Atlas Winter Ball took a completely different approach. How about getting a bunch of fellow artists to play the song and also play one song by the guests? Seeing Ron Peno of Died Pretty raise the roof playing “DC” or Tim Rogers in a tuxedo playing one of the stand out songs from Charles album. Other guests included Rebecca Barnard, Clare Bowditch, Anna Burley, Abby Dobson, Spencer P Jones, Davey Lane, Kerri Simpson, Liz Stringer and Van Walker brothers. I never seen The Corner Hotel look so good and it was great to see people all spiffy and dressing up for a ball in the middle of a cold Melbourne winter.

Carbie Warbie fronting the Hitmen

There were so many other highlights during 2009. The Community Cup, an event of such joy that shows the true Melbourne spirit and camaraderie. CherryRock009 in the heart of rock’n'roll, AC/DC Lane.  Dave Graney coming back with a cracker of an album called “Knock Yourself Out” (featuring my photos) and some fantastic shows. A re-energised Johnny Kannis with The Hitmen reloading Tora Tora DTK. The razor sharp wit from ROOT! The unexpected return of Grong Grong, which has a lead singer who was in a coma for nine months. Too many other great concerts to mention.

Shooting over 150 gigs, I see a “helluva lotta” bands and I even though I’m getting on in years, I still know what I like. Seeing an exciting new band, makes me feel like a little boy discovering dinosaurs for the first time.  This year started with me seeing one little known power pop band numerous times, playing to almost empty venues. That band is called The Wellingtons, who now are getting Triple M airplay. The Wellingtons deserve their future success, as I could tell at first listen that their songs were just so good

If had to make a Top Ten prediction for 2010 (in no particular order) of breakthrough acts, I would have to mention:

1. The raw and dirty rock’n’roll of The Bitter Sweet Kicks (so far banned from 5 or 6 Melbourne venues. Probably 7 by the time you read this)

2. The young but sophisticated kids whot make up The DreamTwins

3. The gorgeous leather clad all girl group, Doll Squad

4. The pounding garage rock duo of Wrong Turn

5. A Sydney band with Buzzcocks style punk tunes, Royal Headache

6. An all girl group that jam out with their clam out, The Killerbirds

7. The psychedelic sounds of Demon Parade

8. The in-your-face tunes of Ouch My Face

9. All the way from Tassie, an eclectic duo called The Native Cats

10. And finally a very special little girl everyone is going to hear a lot about in 2010, called Laura Knight.

My Morning Jacket @ Metro Theatre, Sydney
A truly epic, incredible and varied night of “spacey country rock”, few will match in a hury.

Jenny Lewis @ “The Lair” - Metro Theatre, Sydney
Great blue-eyed soul/alt country from a former child star and member of Rilo Kiley.

Neko Case @ 9:30 Club (heard via NPR.org)
A truly special vocalist and member of The New Pornographers whose new album ‘Middle Cyclone’ of ”country noir” was featured.

The Jayhawks : Music from the North Country – The Jayhawks Anthology
Alongside Uncle Tupelo, Wilco and Son Volt, The Jayhawks were one of the seminal “alt country” acts whose remarkable recorded legacy is showcased here on this two CD and DVD set and whom were a part of the scene that gave the world the seminal 80’s indie acts The Replacements and Husker Du.

Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings @ Sydney Festival opening night Hyde Park, Sydney
Soulful, funky, high energy, interactive and an almighty set from Soul Sister No.1 of the new millenium.

The New Christs “Gloria” CDLP launch @ Excelsior Hotel, Sydney and The New Christs @ Sandringham Hotel, Sydney
A fantastic launch at the Excelsior Hotel of an album that delves into unexplored sonic territory for The New Christs and at the Sandringham Hotel a killer set with a fabulous set from support Hy-Test.

The Pink Fits ”De Ja Blues” CDLP launch @ Empire of Annandale Hotel, Sydney
Despite a selective crowd, comprised of some dubious crowd members The Pink Fits launched “De Ja Blues” and delivered another killer set, but sadly to little avail.

SC Trash & Johnny Casino & The Secrets @ Sandringham Hotel, Sydney
Anti-establishment, Irish inflected “scumbag country” from SC Trash with a great but all too short support set from Johnny Casino & The Secrets.

‘Dead Set’ - television series screened on SBS Television Australia / DVD
A five part series where zombies take over/attack the house of the UK ‘Big Brother’ reality television show and which featured an insane opening episode and an incredible yet sad end to the series.

Releasing my “Place and Time” CD
With thanks to help from local cult legends Graham Griffith, Ned Alphabet and Stephen ‘Bones’ Martin) and sharing stages with the likes of Stewart ‘Leadfinger’ Cunningham, Ned Alphabet, Genevieve Little and Handasyd Williams (with occasional guest, local pedal steel guitar legend Graham Griffith.)

Honorable mentions:
The Felice Brothers – Yonder is the Clock; Angie Pepper & The Passengers “In the Garden of Good and Evil” CD launch @ Excelsior Hotel, Sydney; Gun Street Girls CD launch @ Annandale Hotel, Sydney; The Intercontinental Playboys “Hymns of the Flesh” CD launch @ Ivory Lounge, Sydney; The Soul Movers @ Notes Live, Sydney.

RIP Lux Interior, Ron Asheton, Doug Mansfield, Maurice Frawley, Dean Turner, The Pink Fits

Lowlights –
Being far too broke/low on cash for admission to and thereby missing out on ATP Sydney and The Saints & X @ The Forum, Melbourne.

Dom Mariani and Rob compare their taste in shades.

1) REIGNING SOUND – “Love And Curse”
Best album of the year. After 5 seasons the band led by Greg “Oblivian” Cartwright come back with a great album full of soul, garage and rock’n'roll.

2) LEADFINGER – “Rich Kids”
Best album from Oz. Leadfinger has a new band now and they’re fighting to conquer the world. We’re waiting for them in Europe. Soon hopefully.

3) NOT MOVING – “Not Moving”
Best reissue of the year. Not Moving were the best Italian rock’n'roll band. They formed in the early 80’s and for a decade they were black, wild and furious in the vein of X, Gun Club, Cramps and The Nuns. Especially live.This long-awaited reissue contains the Ep “Black & Wild” (the band at their best), the Lp “Sinnermen” (with the original band’s mix) and some demos. If you want to discover an obscure Italian gem from the 80’s don’t miss this one…

4) ASTEROID B-612 – “Not Meant For This World – The Au-Go-Go Years 1994-1996″
Best Oz reissue. For me the group led by John Spittles and Leadfinger was the best Aussie band  in the 90’s. Love ‘em too much!

5) TONY FACE BIG ROLL BAND – Old Soul Rebel
Italian album of the year. Tony Face is a legend: drummer for Not Moving and half dozen of other bands, fanzine maker, journalist and writer. This album is his masterpiece. Recorded with a bunch of guests, it’s the tribute to the music he loves: mod sound, R&B, hammond beat. Moody & groovy.

6) DOM MARIANI + SICK ROSE live in Rome
Power pop maestro + Italian garage kings: what a gig!

7) LYDIA LUNCH live in Rome
She’s a mistress and live she’s still a queen. Along with Gallon Drunk as a backing band, they played an unforgettable noise/blues show.

DAVID BYRNE live in Rome
I’ve always been a huge Talking Heads fan but I never had the chance to see David Byrne live so far. Well, he’s not just a great songwriter/singer, but also a great performer. He played lotsa Talking Heads classic and for a while the magic of that band came to life again.

9) I LOVE RADIO ROCK
Best comedy of the year. A movie that celebrates the UK Sixties and the best decade in man’s history. Fantastic soundtrack.

10) INGLORIOUS BASTERDS
Another Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece. Go and see it!

Dedicated to the rockin’ memory of Ron Asheton, Lux Interior, Sky Saxon, Jim Carroll, Willy De Ville and, above all , to my friend/partner in crime Gianluca.

Dave Laing’s 2009, or bits thereof. Some random selections because I’m not exactly ‘in touch’… and kinda forgetful…

The Imperial Dogs ‘Live! In Long Beach (October 30, 1974)’ DVD

Read my rave here and order it here. If you dig the Stooges, BOC and Radio Birdman, your life is not complete until you’ve heard ‘Midnite Dog’, ‘Just Kids’, ‘Rock’n'Roll Overdose’ and the original and best ‘This Ain’t The Summer Of Love’. RIP Bill Willett.

Eilen Jewell – Sea of Tears

Boston-based country singer/singwriter with hot band adds a strong dose of early ’60s Brit rock and R&B – great covers of Johnny Kidd & Them – to create music that is dark, stormy and fabulous. Touring in March – be there.

Dwight Twilley Band – ‘Live From Agora ‘77′

An absolutely screaming live show recorded inbetween first and second albums that shows these guys could rock with the best of them. Hot enough to redefine the term ‘power pop’ actually. Dwight released this himself – get it from Not Lame.

Big Star – the boxset

Worth it for the great Flying Burittos cover on the live disc, which sheds some new light on a band that’s been one of my all time favourites since Stuart Coupe hipped me to them in a Young Modern story in RAM in ‘79.

Willie Nile – ‘House Of A Thousand Guitars’

New York singer-songwriter with big heart stuck on his sleeve and in love with the poetry and rock’n'roll romance of ’60’s Dylan & Lou & ’70s Patti etc. I dig how he seems to exist in a world that only still exists in old b&w photos and I guess in his head. Kinda corny in same way as Elliot Murphy’s great early records were corny. I like corny. Title track is a great anthem.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers ‘Live Anthology’ 4CD

Super great career spanning live set timed perfectly for my annual end of year Petty binge. Great covers of ‘I’m A Man’, ‘Oh Well’ and ‘It’s All Over Now’ show them to be garage rockers at heart. And hey, Scott Thurston’s been in the band for years now, so all you Stooges completists should get it.

Wooden Shjips – new album ‘Dos’

Maybe not as great as their first songwise, but no-one does droney loud rock stuff better than these guys. Kinda like early Spaceman 3 with better dynamics maybe? They’re here in March 2010, I think, and they’re a great live band.

Magic Christian – ‘Evolver’

I haven’t heard the UK release with extra tracks, and the original US release came out in ‘08 I think, but whatever… Best tracks like ‘Tomorrow Never Comes’, ‘The Real Thing’ and ‘Turn Up The Heat’  and are almost up their with the best Groovies stuff, And the Beatles cover and Who covers are great…

Jenny Dee & The Denlinquents – Shake Some Action

Done ’60s’ Motown-style! It works a treat! Jenny is Jen D’Angora of Boston’s ever-rockin’ Downbeat 5. Check em here.

Stooges

The set of ‘71 recordings on Easy Action. Sounds great turned up to deafening volumes in the car.

Beatles

The late stuff is all quite new to me, having been a fan of everything pre-”Revolver” since I was a kid, and having being pre-disposed to not dig anything I thought wasn’t rock’n'roll until I grew up (which must’ve been in the last couple of years, I guess).  But I’ve finally discovered “Abbey Road” and “Let It Be”, and the remasters are of course great.

Smithereens ‘Play Tommy’

He he. Trimmed of flab, it’s a better listen than the Who’s original, and I’m a sucker for Wm.Stout cover art. Also Dennis Diken with Bell Sound ‘Late Music’ – a fabulous tribute to the glories of 60’s AM Pop from the Smithereens drummer no less. And while I’m here I may as well say I dug Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoff’s ‘Under The Covers Vol.2′ plenty too, even the Carly Simon cover.

Roy Loney & The Phantom Movers – Raven records comp

I could argue abiout the track selection – and I did – but it’s 95% there, and evidence of Roy’s immense catalogue of greatness. Most of ‘Out of After Dark’ is there – and that’s definitely one of my all time faves – but it’s some of the later stuff, which I hadn’t paid enough attention to,  that really surprises.

Johnny Casino & The Secrets – Live at 3PBS

Best thing the boy’s ever done. He nails the vocals like nobody’s business these days, and of course his guitar can’t be beat. If I had money and time, I’d bring out John Felice, Roy Loney, and Roy’s replacement in the Groovies Chris Wilson, and have Johnny & the boys back them on sets of Real Kids and Groovies tunes. And I’d be a very happy man.

Dave Rawlings Machine ‘A Friend Of A Friend’

For whatever reason, a disappointment initially, but plenty of great moments. Love the version of ‘To Be Young’, which Dave wrote with Ryan Adams, and which never struck me as much of a song till now.

Dave Alvin & The Guilty Women ’s/t’

Loved Alvin since Blasters days, and this is his rockin’est release in ages. Great to hear Christy McWilson’s wonderful ‘Weight of the World’ again too.

‘A Man Of Somebody’s Dreams: A tribute ot the Songs of Chris Gaffney’

Dave Alvin produced this comp in tribute to his fallen friend Gaffney, one of the greatest white country soul singers ever, and a much underrated songwriter. . Great tracks from the likes of Jim Lauderdale, Alejandro Escovedo, John Doe, Los Lobos, Boz Scaggs (!!!) and a reprise of a great recording of Gaffney’s greatest song, ‘The Gardens’, by the Texas Tornados, featuring the late and great Freddy Fender and Doug Sahm. Speaking of, the Sir Doug tribute ‘Keep Your Soul’, featuring a lot of the same artists, is fantastic too.

Tom Russell ‘Blood & Candle Smoke’

Another of Dave Alvin’s old buddies, Tom released his greatest record ever this year. Recorded with Calexico backing him, the feel is Western, but with Tom it’s the word’s that count – he is about the greatest lyricist you’ll ever hear.

Ry Cooder & Nick Lowe live at the Palais late November

I like Nick much more than I like Ry, and there wasn’t enough Nick, but the whole thing was cool – stripped back 3-piece blues stuff with an easy feel like Jimmy Reed or something. But no ‘Cruel To Kind’ was kinda rough.

Moby Grape

Been a sucker for ‘Fall On You’ since I tracked it down after hearing the Groovies do it on a bootleg that came out in the early ’80s, and even more of a sucker for ‘Omaha’, since I realised that it was the same great song as the one that I thought was called ‘Listen My Friends’ that Grooveyard did on a mixed tape of live goodies that Steve Lorkin sent me in ‘83 or so. I thought that song was one of the best things I’d ever heard and of course the original is even better. 2009 was the year I finally gave the rest of Moby Grape’s debut album a fair go, and it’s all aces. Actually, it’s in my handful over favorite albums ever now I’d suggest.

Hitmen

Live, they’re better than any band of their vintage has any right to be these days. The Niagara record burns, but for me the highlights are the new original ‘Another Lost Weekend’ and the long-awaited first official release of Masuak’s great ‘Death By the Gun’. ‘Tora Tora DTK’ has come up a treat on cd too, and worth if if for no other reason to have their version of ‘Suspicious Minds’. That a band schooled on the Stooges and BOC could do this song without a trace of irony – or would do it even – still amazes me, and the fact they could nail it so perfectly and soulfully , still kills me. Hell, I’m convinced Elvis would’ve loved singing it with these guys.

‘Clap Your Hands & Stamp Your Feet’

Awesome comp of great ’70s Dutch glam. Led to my discovery and immersion into the wonders of Bonnie St Claire & Unit Gloria. Check ‘em out:

‘Daptone Gold’
Great label sampler, highlighted for me by the great closer ‘Stranded In Your Love’, by Sharon Jones and Lee Fields.

Eli Reed & the Trueloves

Live, and ‘Ace of Spades’ CDEP. Live show at the Prince at the start of January was a scorcher, and confirmed how many great originals this guy has in a variety of classic 60’s soul styles. And his James Brown-style Motorhead cover, which could’ve been just a novelty, works a treat too.

Best rock’n'roll book – Stooges book by Robert Matheu, the new Bomp! book ‘Born In the Garage’…

Best ‘zine (single issue) - Brain Lapse

Best blog – Blog To Comm, The Hound Blog

Kazzer and Ron cycled out to join the crowd around the crater of a wrecked UFO one weekend in a busy year.

Where did the year go. I seem to have been awfully busy, despite having a day job for only four weeks. Good thing I booked my holiday in right in the middle of those four miserable weeks.

1. Gigs

I only saw two that I didn’t play at. Blitzen Trapper failed to live up to the hype. They fail to even meet low expectations. Dull, and unfocused. There are probably some who think otherwise.

Our holiday took us out to Seattle to pick up Greg Martens, our pal from Melbourne. At the top of his wish list was the hope to see a rare Green Pajamas gig. He got lucky, they were doing a record release party at Easy Street, in West Seattle. Great to catch up with Joe Ross and crew. The show was pretty funny. Jeff Kelly was very drunk and didn’t want to play the songs on the set list. They still played well, but I think we got shorted a few songs. Greg M seemed to be impressed that we were invited to go back to the band’s house to hang out late.

2. Travels

The Seattle trip included a stop in Missoula, and couple of days in Glacier Park on the return side. We had an incredible dinner in Missoula, as it was Kaz’s birthday. There was a lot of wine, so I couldn’t actually tell you what I ate. We got a little time at Ear Candy, the only record shop worth seeing in Montana. We were a bit too early to see all the sights in Glacier, but the lack of tourists made it a pleasant trip. I missed the trip to Yellowstone, so I missed the bear sighting. Tom Azure held his 50th at the Izaak Walton Inn, just on the edge of Glacier. Being that his birthday falls on Halloween, it was a costume party. It was surreal taking over an otherwise empty hotel. They wisely closed the bar at 11pm.

3. Outdoor Activities

We started the year with a major ski trip in West Yellowstone. The Sunday blizzard, was followed by one of the most incredible winter days I’ve ever had. Blue sky, and the snow was like skiing on a cloud. Not a soul on the Fawn Pass trail either. We managed a couple more days of skiing before the snow melted. The goal this year was to bike all summer, so we’d be in better shape for skiing this winter. Weather kept us from the spring ride in Yellowstone.

They open the park to bikes in the period after they clear the roads, and before they let the insane tourists in. Midway through summer we signed up for the Fall ride. This meant we needed to do some serious training. Bozeman is laced with trails, so there is plenty of riding in town. We also got out for two serious hikes. It was a long late spring here, which meant the trails were muddy or still had snow well into June. I think we went to Yellowstone more this year than I ever had. Angie Pepper, her sister and Max Tek asked us to take them around the park in July. This isn’t the best time of the year, but we made the most of it, and had a fabulous time over two days.

The Fall bike ride was a benefit for the YP Foundation. I insisted we not try to do the 60 mile round trip. I’d been sick for a week prior to the big weekend, and had just bought a road bike, which I’d only ridden twice. Our friend Sarah for the YPF had invited us, and knew there was a 30 mile option. We took a van into Old Faithful, and did the return leg. This proved to be a wise choice. There was a strong head wind on the last part, which might have been discouraging if I was tired. At the end, I felt like I could have gone another 3 miles. As it happens, this was the first time they’d had good weather for this event. Unforgettable.

4. Making Music

Except for the week on the road to Seattle, I worked non-stop on the Donovan’s Brain record. I had set a pretty comfortable schedule, but in the end we missed the deadline by nearly a month. Gear failure stopped everything for nearly two weeks. In the end I thought it best to take my time and make sure it was done right. Having Deniz overseeing the final mixes helped considerably. By the time we were done, the band seemed to have lost a couple of long-time members. They just quietly drifted away. Not a bad thing. Deniz brought in Bob Brown to play bass, and as expected, he was the man for the job. The drum seat remains unresolved. Mike Musburger stepped in to do some of the critical work, and reminded me I know a lot of great musicians.

As soon as that was done, I had to sit down and learn the Soul Movers set. I didn’t have time to stop and think. This would be the first time I would be playing keyboards full time. I was lucky to get two rehearsals with the band. By the second night I could finally relax and breathe. Plans for a 2010 tour are being discussed. Meanwhile some of us are doing music for the daily ski films on BridgerBowl.com

5. Movies

I know we got out a few times…. right Star Trek. Finally, a film that lives up to the series. They had better make more. Great villain, great actors, and a good story. Too bad it took ‘em a dozen tries to get it right. We went to see Zombie Land not knowing what to expect. It delivered some great Saturday Matinee laughs. Well worth the time and effort. I am reminded once again why I love cinema, on the big screen.

A film I’m in and worked on was finally released. Penny Ikinger is in it, so you do the math. It’s been a long time in the making. Where The DJ’s Roam is a documentary that tells several related stories centered around KGLT, the college/community radio station I work at. I have had the rough cut for several years. We started work on the sound track while we were working on Roy’s album. Despite watching it over and over, I never realized that Keith Lockwood had done such a great job with it.

7. Records

Don’t ask me what new bands I like. I spent the early part of the year squandering what little money I had on a quest to fill the holes in my 60’s UK 45 collection. Did it. Picked up all the Who, Move, Small Faces, Rolling Stones and a few others I was missing. I have a lot of stuff in my collection, some of it very rare. I reckon I was satisfied with US pressings on having the song on an album. Not any more. There is nothing like the sound of a rockin’ single.

New bands? I was introduced to Tony Miller’s band, Ideal Free Distribution. I liked them so much I asked Tony to sing on our record. The Norwegian band, Deleted Waveform Gathering was the other discovery. Their new release is even better.

Other than that, it was the old favorites. The new Wilco is a great one. I understand they are a band people love, or don’t. I’ve always like their sound, but since Nels Cline joined, I think have kicked it up a notch or two. Old favorites, REM had three releases this year, or is that four? The reissues of Murmer and Reckoning gave up bonus live concerts. Both are from their early prime, the one on Reckoning being my favorite of the two. I think Accelerate must have been released last year. The Live at the Olympia was recorded over five nights of live rehearsals for Accelerate. The set list was pack with old songs, some which hadn’t been played for years. The slimmed down band tears through them like they mean it. Drummer Bill Reflin finally gets to cut loose and show he is the perfect replacement for the much missed Bill Berry.

In the midsts of all this, Scott McCaughey managed to complete a new Minus 5 album and get the long overdue Young Fresh Fellows record out. Scott, Linda and Steve Wynn stopped by Career HQ on their way out on a Minus 5-Baseball Project tour. I think Scott had Robyn Hitchcock gigs as soon as he got back to Seattle. I’m sure he would have played on some Donovan’s Brain songs if he’d had been here for more than two hours.

I quite like the Soul Movers record. I had no reason to think it would turn out as well as it did. The song writing makes it. When I sat down to learn the songs, the story told finally became clear to me. Roy Loney’s new record with Senor No struck me the same way. An ep recorded a couple of years ago was good fun, but nothing on it would have lead me to expect Got Me A Hot One. Their sheer enthusiasm, and power make up for any lack of finesse. Roy had a great year. The reunion with Cyril put them both back in the spotlight.

8. Reading

Haven’t had much time to spend with a good book. There was yet another newly discovered PK Dick novel on the shelf. They promise this is the last one. I haven’t finished Voices From The Street yet, but it is classic early mainstream PKD. The other good news is Shindig on a regular schedule, six time a year, rather than once every six years. The writing is getting better and the new layout is easy on the eyes.

9. Politics.

The harsh reality that 8 years of Bush-Cheney left us with a massive pile of shit to sort out. Not an easy task for anyone. Had no reason to expect it to get better in January. The good thing is there is now intelligent discussion of real issues.

10. Food

Curry dominated the menu for most of the year. Stops in Billings for a dose of Siam Thai was always welcome. A brand new Thai in Bozeman, Lemon Grass holds promise. The switch to white wine has been difficult, but produced some real surprises. Pretty much have gone off the beer.

Jake and his fellow Snoozefests

OK, so during writing this I’ve realised i haven’t done anything with my year, So i’ll mention some shit that wasn’t from this year, but i’ve played it / loved it this year.

1. Mick Hadley & The Others performing at Notes – My band opened this night, and i purposely cut our set short so i could see Mick Hadley sooner. So glad i did. Every band was great that night, but Mick Hadley has got the goods.

2. The Frowning Clouds – In my opinion, the best current band in Australia… The ep is great, The live shows are even better… can’t wait for the album.

3. The Black Lips – 200 thousand million – This is probably the only record i’ve bought that was recorded in 2009… i dig it though.

4. The Return of Clint Eastwood to the screen in Gran Torino – He’s everything a woman wants, and everything this man wants to be.

5. Danelectro – So, it was my 21st this year, and as a present i decided to buy a 1966 Burns double six 12 string… There were many complications with shipping, so it fell through. So i bought a much cheaper Danelectro DC-12 …. which took two weeks to arrive, and when it did arrive, i opened the box and discovered they had sent the wrong guitar, they had sent me a Danelectro ‘67 Hornet (guitar Pete Townshend made famous) so i complained like a renegade freight train outta hell (even though i loved the hornet) and for an extra couple of bucks, they sent me the DC-12 on top of the hornet for basically the same price.

6. Playing with the Hitmen – I forgot to bring my guitar to this show, so luckily a friend lived around the corner and got to use his 1970’s telecaster. Gonna forget to bring my twanger more often… Also, Decline of the Reptiles and Hitmen both ruled.

7. El Topo - Carrie of the Booby Traps got me onto this one… This film opened my mind more, or as much as, any drug has. Alejandro Jodorowsky even got me reading up on all kinds of junk about tarot and enneagrams that my 18-year-old self would have cringed at.

8. New Michael Marshall (Smith) book – I haven’t even read it yet, only because i have a bookshelf of junk to get through… But this guy is my favourite author and although i know it ain’t gonna be another “Only Forward” or “Spares”… i know i’ll still love it.

9. The Macguffin generator - Best invention of 2009. Happy Phlegm enterprises.

10. The Seabarers – This up and coming band are going to blow the world’s butthole apart.