tex don and charlie

_{Penny with her Japanese band the Silver Bells at her "Tokyo" album launch at Melbourne Museum. Pic by Gary Hallenan}

Album: “What Would I Know”, Brian Henry Hooper (Bang! Records)
This posthumous album release is startling in its beauty, rawness and poignancy. Songs about romantic and filial love and songs about death are delivered in Brian’s signature kicking against the pricks style.

Mick Harvey's production appears to form a bridge between the states of life and death. This leaves the listener unsure whether our bard has in fact crossed the River Styx to Hades; while the instruments, like bellows, breathe life into a raging fire. Are they all bellowing from the Underworld or are their feet still firmly planted in the land of the living?

Like Orpheus, the musician, poet and prophet (armed with an electric golden lyre and a distortion pedal) performing in front of Hades, God of the Underworld (clad in a black leather jacket), in the hope of retrieving his ill-fated bride Eurydice, Brian Henry Hooper sings songs to make gods weep.

Legendary Australian guitarist Charlie Owen is playing select solo shows in Canberra and New South Wales in October that will reflect on his career of amazing collaborations. 

His band history includes Beasts of Bourbon, the New Christs,  Tex ,Don & Charlie, Tendrils and Working Class Ringos, and he’s collaborated with Paul Kelly, Chrissie Amphlett and Louis Tillett.

His show “Searching for Charlie Owen” involves him playing and talking his way through his own back pages and shows why he’s regarded as one of our greatest guitarists.

Charlie will be joined on the bill at Smiths Alternative in Canberra on October 28 by special guest Penny Ikinger, the former Wet Taxis member and a solo artist in her own right.  Tickets are here.

And the show at MoshPit Bar in St Peters, Sydney, on Saturday, October 29 will also involve a support bracket from Penny Ikinger, again in solo mode. The line-up will be opened by MD Horne and Matt Allison. 

Tickets numbers for Sydney are capped and are available here.

Guitarist extraordinaire Charlie Owen (Beasts of Bourbon, New Christs, Tex Don & Charlie, Paul Kelly, Working Class Ringos) is taking his “Searching For Charlie Owen” stories and song show on the road again in Australia in August and September, following last year’s run of sold-out gigs.

Presented by Soundpressing Records, I-94 Bar & Rhythms, the tour takes in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

Part spoken word, part songs, "Searching for Charlie Owen" is an engorssing, emotional and illuminating journey through the ace guiatrist's back pages. Full dates and ticket link: 

Soundpressing, I-94 Bar & Rhythms present
Searching for Charlie Owen
Australian Tour
AUG
8 – Vinnies Dive, Gold Coast QLD
+ Dana Gehrman Duo
9 - Doo-bop Jazz Bar, Brisbane
+ Dana Gehrman Duo
10- The Citadel, Murwillumbah, NSW
+ Andrew Kidman
11 - Banshees Bar & Art Space, Ipswich, QLD (2pm)
+ Dana Gehrman Duo
16- Django Bar, Marrickville, NSW
+ Cam Butler + Peter Ross & The Sapphire
17 - Smiths Alternative, Canberra, ACT (8pm)
+ Cam Butler
30 - Wesley Anne, Northcote, VIC
+ Martin Frawley
31 - Theatre Royal, Castlemaine, VIC
+ Martin Frawley
SEP
1 - George Lane, St Kilda, VIC (2:30pm)
+ Martin Frawley
Tickets
https://www.charlieowen.au/tour

 _{Onstage with the "Searching For Charlie Owen" show at Sydney's MoshPit Bar in 2023.}

Master guitarist Charlie Owen  - notably of Beasts of Bourbon, New Christs, Tendrils, Tex Don and Charlie, Divynils, Working Class Ringosand Louis Tillett among many others - is on the road along Australia's East Coast in August and September, touring his music and spoken word show "Searching for Charlie Owen", the dates for which are here.

It's an engrossing and emotional stroll through his own back pages. We decided to mark the occasion by pulling this nugget from our archives. It's was conducted in Melbourne in August 2022 by then I-94 Bar writer John McPharlin. 

* * * * *   

JM: Charlie, I guess the first thing that's going to knock most people out of their chairs when they start reading this interview is your interest in techno music. Can you tell us how you got into that and what you've been doing with it?

CO: I don't have an interest in techno music; I have an interest in all music. My reason for playing it recently is the same reason for any other music I've played. I hear it and hear what I'd like to do with it, not liking what I've heard... it's not because I like what I hear, it's what I'd like to do with the medium.