The Mark of Cain receives a mark of fame

Details

By The Barman

The Barman

02 June 2022

Hits: 3040

The Mark Of Cain - the band dubbed least likely in their high school year book - return to Australian stages this August in celebration of being the South Australian Music Awards' most recent inductee into the SA Music Hall Of Fame. 
 
TMOC join previous recipients like Jim Keays, Masters Apprentices, Glenn Shorrock, Cold Chisel, Archie Roach, Bart Willoughby, Sarah McLeod and The Zoot. The band will accept the award at a simple ceremony on August 19 at The Gov in Adelaids prior to taking the stage for a full career spanning set.

The Mark Of Cain will also play shows in Sydney, Melbourne this August under the banner “A Different Kind Of Tension”, a nod to legendary UK proto-punks Buzzcocks and their influential third album of the same name:

• melbourne
• the mark of cain
• adelaide
• sydney
• tmoc
• australian tour

Read more …

Chow down! "Pistol" is no shit sandwich

Details

By Bob Short

Bob Short

02 June 2022

Hits: 4013

Pistol 
Directed by Danny Boyle (DisneyPlus)

Okay, I’ll be first to admit that the trailer looked like a cold turd in a lunch box.  I did, however, persevere and found that I enjoyed this six-episode series enormously. 

Not that everyone will.  Fans of a perfectly delivered chronology are going to be nit picking every scene and episode like bickering zealots at a secular conflict.  Anyone who watched the CBGB movie and complained about how such and such wasn’t in the audience the night so and so did this or that is going to be in for a particularly unpleasant viewing experience.  You know who you are. 

• sex pistols
• john lydon
• steve jones
• sid vicious
• johnny rotten
• paul cook
• pistol
• danny boyle

Read more …

Fascinating dive into Oz music's hit factories and backyards

Details

By Robert Brokenmouth

Robert Brokenmouth

30 May 2022

Hits: 3546

Suburban Songbook. Writing Hits in Post-War Pre-Countdown Australia
By Clinton Walker
(Goldentone)

Only got this one recently, but I'm damned glad I did.

Once upon a Big Day Out, an event I only occasionally attended, I was mildly shocked by the text messages winding their way across a big screen (people paid a small fee to have their inane twatter up in on a big screen - you know, 'Best summer evah!' and 'Totally awesome!') which dissed 'old people' in favour of 'us hip cool young folk'...

Now, I won't say I wasn't like that to some degree when I was a teenager (and even in my twenties). But I don't recall being quite that dismissive of music simply because it was 'old'. I was brought up on my dad's music, as so many of us are: big band stuff, Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw, as well as Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole ... you get the idea. Proto-rock'n'roll, you could say.

So when I got interested in modern music at the age of 12 (courtesy my chum Paul's record collection) we both knew that it didn't matter how old something was ... as long as it wasn't boring. We investigated everything we could lay our hands on ... dismissed so much, revelled in long-lost jewels. It was our secret joy - no other bastard seemed interested.

Fast forward a few years and Clinton Walker's first book, “Inner City Sound' came out. (A revised edition has recently been published - get it here. Mick Middles wrote in “Record Collector'”: "A shockingly vast document ... the most striking aspect is the prevailing musical sophistication". Well, yeah. 

• inner city sound
• clinton walker
• suburban songbook
• goldentone
• highway to hell
• buried country

Read more …

Marching out to Aussie pop's beat

Details

By The Barman

The Barman

30 May 2022

Hits: 2827

Marching Out of Time – Various Artists (Popboomerang)

With 115 releases to its credit, Melbourne’s Popboomerang is as an amazing independent record label success story and a beacon for under-the-radar Australian pop. Presuming, of course, that success is measured in quality music and not sheep stations.

The labels been a long-time labour of love for owner Scott Thurling and that passion makes his decision to close it down, at least for now, all the more noteworthy. In his own words:

Being locked up can do funny things to you! I will admit to feeling a little frustrated on July 24, 2021, when I made the announcement to end Popboomerang Records. The news might have been a surprise to some, but it was one I had been contemplating for a while.

Covid-19 challenges to running a label were the tipping point after 18 months of cancelled live events and the gigantic increases in the price of international postage which was making exporting almost impossible.I had also recently established a new record label, Sound As Ever 90-99, focussing on Australian ’90’s indie music, which was taking off, and it felt impossible to do justice to both ventures at the same time.

• powerpop
• little murders
• danny mcdonald
• scott thurling
• popboomerang
• aerial maps
• marching out of time
• starky

Read more …

WHAT'S LEFT OF THE LEFT? NOTHING WILL CHANGE SQUAD IS JUST FASCISM WITH PRETTY PILLOW-TALKERS...

Details

By JD Stayfree

JD Stayfree

29 May 2022

Hits: 6723

Oh my God. It happened. I can't believe it really happened.

During a speech in Dallas at Southern Methodist University’s George W Bush Presidential Center this month, the man himself, George W Bush, did the best thing ever. I am pretty sure it is the single best thing that has ever happened. I do not believe I am exaggerating when I say that.

While criticizing Russia for having rigged elections and shutting out political opposition (which would already be hilarious coming from any American in general and Bush in particular), the 43rd President made the following comment:

“The result is an absence of checks and balances in Russia, and the decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq. I mean, of Ukraine."

And then it got even better. After correcting himself with a nervous chuckle, Bush broke the tension in the empire-loyal crowd with the words, "Iraq too. Anyway." He then quipped that he is 75-years-old, leaning harder on his "Aw shucks gee willikers I'm such a goofball" persona than he ever has in his entire life.

• beasts of bourbon
• mc5
• amyl and the sniffers
• chrissy amphlett
• duran duran
• george w bush
• adam ant
• culture club

Read more …

Unrelenting feedtime and Examplehead satisfy a full-house

Details

By James Wallach

James Wallach

23 May 2022

Hits: 3386

 _{feedtime's Rick Johnson.}

feedtime
Examplehead
Marrickville Bowling Club, Sydney
Friday May 20, 2022

Having never seen either bands live back in the day, this was going to be an extra special night. The original gig was postponed from June 2021 and then January due to COVID and tonight it was going ahead. I have been a huge fan of feedtime for many years, owning their self titled album, “Shovel” and “Cooper S”, along with a couple of singles from back in the 80s.

It is not often that either band play gigs (Examplehead have a few coming up and are worth checking out) so this was a rare opportunity to see both bands.

• feedtime
• marrickville bowling club
• examplehead

Read more …

Historic double-header matches legend Chad Morgan with The Johnnys

Details

By The Barman

The Barman

23 May 2022

Hits: 2781

• the johnnys
• marrickville bowling club
• chad morgan
• link and pin

"The Kids Are All Wrong" returns

Details

By The Barman

The Barman

22 May 2022

Hits: 2549

A slightly edited version of the mockumantary about Sydney '90s garage punk misfits The Crusaders, "The Kids Are All Wrong", is back on Vimeo after some sad sack had the oriignal cut taken down. Enjoy! 

• sydney
• crusaders
• garage punk
• the kids are all wrong

Patti raises Cain while living on Tulsa time

Details

By Tom Couch

Tom Couch

18 May 2022

Hits: 3803

Patti Smith and her Band 
Cain's Ballroom
Tulsa, OK  U.S.A.
Friday 6 May 2022

Patti Smith and her band were booked to play Cain's Ballroom as part of the Bob Dylan Center Grand Opening Celebration here in Tulsa, Oklahoma. 

After visiting the Bob Dylan Center earlier in the day, she posted on Instagram that she'd be "Raising Cain at Cain's".

I saw The Patti Smith Group at Cain's back in 1978. It remains one of the greatest concerts that I've ever experienced.

• bob dylan
• patti smith
• lenny kaye
• cains ballroom
• oklahoma
• jay dee daugherty
• jackson smith
• tony shanahan

Read more …