The richest of musical lives that enriched ours

Details

By Patrick Emery

Patrick Emery

24 August 2018

Hits: 12601

SPENCER P. JONES
1956-2018

In "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance", Robert Pirsig interrogates the very nature of quality through the lens of motor mechanics. Care and Quality are internal and external aspects of the same thing. A person who sees Quality and feels it as he works is a person who cares. A person who cares about what he sees and does is a person who’s bound to have some characteristic of quality.

Spencer Jones knew a thing or two about quality - especially musical quality. Born in 1956, the Year of Elvis, Spencer wanted to be a working musician as long as he could remember. Spencer’s family moved from the regional town of Te Awamutu to Auckland in 1965, the same year the British invasion swept through New Zealand, with tours by The Rolling Stones and, infamously, The Pretty Things.

Spencer’s grandfather was a gifted musician; his mother, too, was born with a natural ear. Recognising Spencer’s musical abilities, Spencer’s elder brother Ashley recommended his parents buy Spencer a guitar.

Carbie Warbie photo

• beasts of bourbon
• jeffrey lee pierce
• paul kelly
• spencer p jones
• the johnnys
• kid congo powers
• gun club
• patrick emery
• obituary
• cuban heels

Read more …

Vale Spencer P, Jones, Australian music legend

Details

By The Barman

The Barman

21 August 2018

Hits: 18701

Australian musical legend Spencer P Jones has passed away in Melbourne following a long fight against cancer.

The news broke tonight with outpourinfs of grief breaking out all over social media. Spencer is survived by his wife, Angie. 

A member of Beasts of Bourbon, The Johnnys, Paul Kelly and The Coloured Girls, Hell To Pay, Chris Bailey and The General Dog, Maurice Frawley and The Working Class Ringos, and Sacred Cowboys and a solo artist with 10 albums to his own name. Spencer was one of the Australian underground music scenes's leading lights.

Born in Te Awamutu, New Zealand, in 1956, Spencer moved to Melbourne in the mid-'70s and played with Cuban Heels among others before a shift to Sydney where he joined cow punks The Johnnys.

Carbie Warbie Photo

• beasts of bourbon
• spencer p jones
• the johnnys
• vale

Read more …

James McCann and his New Vindictives hit the City of Churches

Details

By The Barman

The Barman

21 August 2018

Hits: 2509

The enterprising James McCann and his recently re-configured New Vindictives venture out from Melbourne for the bright lights of Adelaide this weekend to play with local band Iron Triangle.

The bill - including Psycho Derek and The Reissues - will grace the Crown and Anchor Hotel on Friday night from 8pm.

Because we like modern art, here's the poster by the bass player from Iron Triangles' six-year-old son.

Says James: "It's good to be heading back to the home of Bad Boy Bubby, Grong Grong and Stu Spasm. Things will get weird in a good way."

Iron Triangle are said to be like a "musical car crash between Don Walker and Grong Grong". That should be fun.

This will be a special show for the New Vindictives who will be playing a trio with new bass player Sam Fiddian (Mick Dailey and the Corporate Raiders, Cold Irons Bound.)

Don't be indifferent: The Aints! album is out in September

Details

By The Barman

The Barman

21 August 2018

Hits: 5336

The long-awaited “The Church of Simultaneous Existence” album from Ed Kuepper and his Aints! Is almost upon us, with a September 21 release date announced for CD, LP and digital formats. The album will be accompanied by an Australian tour taking in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and WA over October-November, culminating in a show at the Meredith Music Festival on December 7.

This version of the Aints! differs from previous ones in its focus on not only revisiting the material of the original Saints but mining a well of woodshedded songs intended for what would have been that band’s fourth LP.

• saints
• ed kuepper
• the aints
• australian tour

Read more …

Scars by Nadia Bruce Rawlings (Punk Hostage Press)

Details

By General Labor

General Labor

19 August 2018

Hits: 5439

The very magical Iris Berry was one of the original L.A. punks. She, and a remarkably talented soul survivor by the name of A Razor, founded Punk Hostage Press as a way of serving the community, giving hope to the hopeless, and shining light on original voices from the real underground. 

Together, they've released books by some of the best writers of our time.

This is an important contribution to our culture because, as you may have noticed, very few books, or films, or records, or plays, or any works of revealing truth or lasting value get made nowadays by the corporate media monopolies who primarily serve as cheerleaders for war, fascism and the bloodthirsty, winning is everything status quo. 

• punk hostage press
• scars
• nadia bruce rawlings

Read more …

Adelaide meets its Waterloo

Details

By Robert Brokenmouth

Robert Brokenmouth

19 August 2018

Hits: 4325

Remember ABBA? No, you probably don't want to, but there are a lot of reasons why you should. And I'll come back to this. For now, just remember ABBA.

Now, I've been wanting to see The Braves (pictured right) for several years now, and every time I've been near Melbourne they've not been playing. Finally (after touring Europe), they've decided to "do" Adelaide.

Apparently there was mulled cider available, which no-one told me about until too late. And while I missed the first act completely, and gasbagged in another room while The Howling Fog were on: but they sounded good, and people whose opinion I trust enjoyed them, so I'll have to check them out. They're on Facebook.

Read more …

Now - Kawaguchu Masami’s New Rock Syndicate (Kasumuen Records)

Details

By The Barman

The Barman

18 August 2018

Hits: 4987

Sonically speaking, there’s an awful lot going on here. It's like a bowl of musical ramen.

For those not in the know (that’d be most of us) Masami Kawaguchi is a underground legend in Japan, playing with a string of bands (Miminikoto, Haino Keiji's Aihiyo) and touring the USA and Europe numerous times. He sings, plays guitar and occasionally holds down the bottom end on bass.

There is an Australian connection: Tokyo-based Masami toured and recorded with Penny Ikinger and Deniz Tek in Japan a few years ago. He plays guitar in Penny's latest album. His solo record, the quirky and earthy "The Mad Guitar Sings”, came out in Australia a year or more ago, and he played some solo shows. 

• penny ikinger
• japanese
• kawaguchi masami
• fraudband
• deniz tek
• rocket science
• new rock syndicate

Read more …

Finally! Radio Birdman documentary makes it to DVD

Details

By The Barman

The Barman

17 August 2018

Hits: 5712

The long awaited DVD of “Descent Into The Maelstrom: The Radio Birdman Story” will be released in Australia on September 21, with Europe, the USA and Japan to follow.

The DVD will come in a digipak or deluxe edition, the latter with a swag of extra collateral, an LP of the soundtrack, bonuses and a signed certificate of authenticity.The standard DVD also contains a wealth of previously unseen interviews. Pre-orders of the digipak and deluxe sets are open here. The deluie edition is pictured above.

We'll post news about the overseas releases as it comes to hand.

Director Jonathan Sequeira’s campaign to have the world-acclaimed documentary screened on free-to-air TV in Australia via the national broadcaster, ABC, continues and you can lodge your own protest via the link at the bottom of this page.

• radio birdman
• descent into the maelstrom
• jonathan sequeira
• DVD
• abc
• release
• pre-order

Leadfinger's Stew fights cancer as appeal launched

Details

By The Barman

The Barman

15 August 2018

Hits: 6625

It's an all-too-familiar story: Veteran of the Sydney and Wollongong underground scenes, Stewart “Leadfinger” Cunningham, has been undergoing treatment for lung cancer since June. Friends are rallying behind the vocalist-guitarist with a GoFundMe appeal launched and at least one benefit show in the pipeline.

Stewart has been a stalwart of the Australian underground music scene for the last three decades in bands such as Proton Energy Pills, Brother Brick,The Yes Men, Asteroid B-612, Challenger 7 and for the last 12 years, Leadfinger.

• brother brick
• gofundme
• proton energy pills
• stewart cunningham
• asteroid b12
• challenger 7

Read more …