Went to the Art Gallery of NSW today. The Biennale is on and one of the exhibitions is a phone which, according to the notice, Yoko Ono will call at random times. And you can talk to her. This is my niece Snow Pea workshopping such a scenario but it was silent while we were there. I did a Google but could find no reports of anyone actually speaking to her.

Erm, the only thing remotely Ono related in my collection is Dylan's potted bio of her from a Theme Time episode.

13 Yoko Ono.mp3

Gurrumul from Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu has been getting quite the buzz in the last few months and I finally got the CD from the label, Skinnyfish and it is indeed as beautifully astonihsing as they say. He sings in various languages of the Yolŋu Matha accompanied and produced by Michael Hohner (who also owns the label) who gives just the right amount of musical support, but of course it is the soul deep voice that gets everyone excited. The harmonies throughout are also something special.

Apart from the music itself, I'm very impressed with what Skinnyfish has done to promote it and make getting it simple. Easy to use multimedia links at the label page, easy online payment options, his own YouTube channel and the traditional mark of care, a very beautifully put together CD digipak with booklet (including the lyrics and English translations.) Lotsa much bigger labels could learn from it.

Flop Eared Mule give Gurrumul a "strong buy" rating.

SMH FAIL.

Update. Sadly they have fixed the caption.

Went to the monthly Balmain Ukulele Klub meetup on Monday night over at the Gladstone Park Bowlo. It was Dylan night! I do not play the ukulele and don't anticipate taking it but it was a lot of fun and it warms me to know these thriving subcultures exist across the city. The house band of friends of mine (buy the CD) did a great job with some Dylan songs, including a clever Red Sails in the Sunset/Beyond the Horizon medley. Then there was a ukulele tutorial on more Bob songs, then an open mic of Bob songs. All on uke, of course. Col Joye was there, big uke man apparently.

* Joke totally stolen.

Muxtape, World Youth Day edn.

Further: How awesome is it that Mick/Proddy doctrinal stoushes are back in the papers? Party like its 1953!

I'm no theology geek but I'd sort of imagined the Second Coming would be heralded a little more, I dunno, auspiciously. Rather than just slipping the announcement in a Daily Tele article. Jesus will literally walk amongst us!

And it's happening here! Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi OI Oi!

Here in full is the 2/5 stars "review" by Bernard Zuel of Hayes Carll's "Trouble in Mind" from the Metro this morning:

You can see the attraction for the label. Here's someone who can be a lightweight-but-far-less-troublemaking cross between Ryan Adams and Steve Earle, with alcohol-soaked ballads and punchy mid-tempo country rock. It's easy to digest and has more grit than the Nashville-Tamworth axis but the trouble is when you take away the "troublesome" parts of Adams and Earle, you get by-the-numbers-alt.country.

The SMH reviewers, including BZ, generally do a good job in giving coverage to Music I Like and props to them for it, but I have a serious pet hate about their some of their critical MO. Namely: The constant and utterly unnecessary relating of everything slightly rootys to top 40 country and taking up space with irrelevant comparisons instead of talking about the music. In his excellent jazz reviews, John Shand never feels moved to mention that Mike Nock is not like Kenny G, but the blokes on the country/folk beat can't resist but shoehorn a reference to Keith Urban into damn near everything. Long time readers know I have ranted about this before. End the country critical cultural cringe!

I like this record (review coming this weekend) and he doesn't: fine, I'm not talking about that. The Adams/Earle comparisons while on the surface more appropos than Urban are misplaced too. Firstly, talk about the damn record. You've got about 50 words, why waste two of them on "Ryan" and "Adams", especially if you're not going to provide a meaningful comparison for potential purchasers? Hayes Carll is really very little like Ryan Adams musically, even when Ryan was at his most country. It seems Ryan is only mentioned because he provides a drug abusing songwriter bookend to the Earle reference which is more fitting, but still a waste of precious words. Why are we even mentioning drug abuse again? Ugh, who the hell knows.

Secondly, I strongly doubt the stated motivations apply to Lost Highway. It's just another the imposition of a random narrative that suits a lazy journo. (cf. the political op-ed columns every day of the week.) The easy-too-see attraction for the label is not that he isn't an vainglorious junkie, it is that he had already released a couple of critically acclaimed, award winning and successful Americana records and something of a reputation for being a genuine heir to the Texas country/folk songwriter tradition of Townes Van Zandt. These are the qualities that drew me to Hayes Carll three years ago.

If the new album doesn't live up to the promise, by all means say so. Don't just make shit up.

A further pet hate is the insidious definition creep of the term "alt.country." I see not the slightest reason to call Hayes Carll that, unless "alt.country" now simply means anything that doesn't chart on CMT and if that is what it now means then: over my dead body it does.

All the records on this late, lamented muxtape, except for the John Hiatt and Hayes Carll (will post about those this weekend at the latest). Listed here for completeness but notes o'er there. I put up a new muxtape of highlights from these acquisitions.

Country and Folk and Blues etc
Recapturing the Banjo-Otis Taylor
Creedence Country-CCR
Reunion Hill-Richard Shindell
Somewhere Near Patterson - Richard Shindell
From the Reach-Sonny Landreth The star studded (Eric Clapton, Dr John, Jimmy Buffet, Vince Gill, Robben Ford) new album from guitar hero sideman extraordinaire Landreth. I find it a bit generic. I mean, awesome guitar chops and all but it's just in that rock-blues groove that all sounds the same to me. You would think the track which features Dr John AND Jimmy Buffet (together at last!) would at least stand out with a distinctive style but it really doesn't. They're quite anonymous on it. It's perfectly pleasant background music and guitar nerds might get more out of it than me.
You Can Name It Yo Mamma If You Wanna-South Filthy
Hacienda Brothers-Hacienda Brothers RIP Chris Gaffney.
The Complete Sun Recordings-Little Junior Parker's Blue Flames I would say this is a must-have, so I don't know why it took me so long to get it. Historically important -- "Mystery Train" -- but also musically seven great cuts of rhythm and blues.
The Little Darlin' Sound of Jeannie C.Riley-Jeannie C.Riley Pre-"Harper Valley PTA" tracks finds Jeannie mining the sub-Loretta vein of country girl power. Nothing here matches Loretta output (goes without saying) but it's a very listenable collection of classic country. It's 60s but fewer strings and a little rawer than a lot of the Nashville sound. At least half the songs have Jeannie as the other woman, in the other half she's being dumped. Just how I like it! The album was originally released in 1968 as Sock Soul. "Sock Soul"? No, I can't imagine why either.
Now and Again-Daryle Singletary This is the third and last Singletary album there, a compilation of his mainstream hits or attempted hits (couple peaked at #2, another one in the top ten, the rest a fair way further back) back in the '90s. I really love the two later albums which are tradition hard core honky tonk, while still neo-traditional, this one doesn't quite have that edge. Still better than most anything I see when I turn on CMT though -- EXCEPT for the cover of that Bryan Adams Robin Hood song. Ufg. FAIL, Daryle.
Back to the Front-Bob Neuwirth I need to listen to this one more, he can be quite the intricate songwriter. Very good folk-country singer songwriter with a wry eye.
Afrissippi-Fulani Journey Guelel Kumba from Senegal (Fulani is the local lingo) hits the Delta with very fine results. Website. I'm gonna buy a t-shirt.

Rock and Indie etc
The Golden Hour-Firewater
The Monks-The Monks

Jazz etc
A Grand Night for Swinging-Mary Lou Williams
Roots and Grooves-Maceo Parker
Brilliant Corners-Thelonious Monk
Steamin' With the Miles Davis Quartet-Miles Davis
All Members-Don Sleet
The Sequel-Mulgrew Miller and Wingspan

African and Soul and Funk etc
Children-Famous L.Renfroe
Si, Para Usted - The Funky Beats of Revolutionary Cuba Vol. 1-Various I've been listening a bit to the podcast of the radio show Waxing Deep (click on "Radio"), whose presenter Dan Zacks produced this set. I tried sampling a lot of the jazz/soul/funk/afrobeat podcasts and found a lot of cool stuff but I think this is my favourite. Again, the downside of downloading is the lack of liner notes which for a lovingly assembled and niche topic like this are pretty essential. I'd pay extra for them in cases like this. In the end Ithink I'll end up buying the hard copy of the CD from their website. Very reasonably priced (including intl. shipping) and it's nice to support folks like this. The Jan 26 2007 show has some tracks from it.
Nigeria 70, Lagos Stomp-Various
Texas Thunder Soul 1968-1974-Kashmere Stage Band Not your mother's high school combo.
If Loving You is Wrong (I Don't Want to be Right)-Luther Ingram
African Rhymth and Blues-The Remixes-Mombassa I like these a lot, the "remixing" is done very sensitively.
Booiay!! A Compilation of West African Funk-Various Companian to The Danque!!! which I got last month. When I listened to the previews I liked that one more for some reason so I got it first but after listening to all of Booniay! it might be my favourite. You guys, I am so into African funk right now.

Classical and Shatner
Brahms: Sonate Für Klarinette Und Klavier Es-Dur, Op. 120 Nr. 2: II. - Peter Daum, Dieter Klöcker, Josef Suk & Werner Genuit
Exodus: An Oratorio in Three Parts- William Shatner Dude, it's the Shat reading from the Bible. As if I wasn't gonna get it.
Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra & Tod Und Verklarung-Andre Previn and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra I had two credits left and this was two credits (for 60 minutes of music.) I don' think I can take Also Sprach Zarathustra seriously really, or at least the famous 2001 refrain but Tod und Verklärung (Death and Transfiguration) sounds promisingly moody.

Bumping this to the top because it is tonight. There's also a thingo in the paper about it, scroll half way down the page.

I can't believe it is that time of year again, but it is. From 9pm to 2am on this Saturday night, it coincides this year with His actual birthday. After 10pm it will be syndicated on the community radio network so people outside Sydney can tune in. The website has live streaming, don't know if it will apply for this show but you can always try.

I've seen the runnling list and there's some awesome music, everyone's faves plus rare stuff, and snippets including bits from Theme Time Radio Hour and recent Dylan-related interviews hosted by Patti Smith. I'll be on after 10 to talk about I'm Not There. Plus: giveaways.

Reminder too about the monthly get togethers -- I haven't updated it with next month's date yet but will do that, uh, today sometime. Anyway the next one is 16th June.

The Sydney Film Festival has some enticing music related fare, as usual. I have my ticket to the Anita O'Day doco and Stax doco plus music, both at the Metro Theatre which seems to be called the Metro again after not being, for a while. I'm looking forward to those, but I'm not overly thrilled about paying $20 to see 90 minute films which hardly need to be seen on the big screen and will end up on ABC2 anyway in a month. So I'm giving Nick a miss. Sorry, Nick, don't hurt me but your movie is 52 minutes short long.

Also showing:
Great Australian Albums: Nick Cave "Murder Ballads"
Heavy Metal In Baghdad
Lou Reed's Berlin
Anvil! The Story of Anvil! and Sultan of Sin performance ("For some, heavy metal, spandex, hairspray and Jack Daniel's are a way of life.")
A Page of Madness (silent Japanese film with live musical accompaniment by ... it doesn't say)
Pete Seeger: The Power of Song
Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell

I had seen a few references to The Paper around the innertubes in the last few days and thought: weird. The Michael Keaton movie? Weird. If any of 1994s cineofferings was going to make a comeback to the zeitgeist, you'd think it'd be The River Wild. But then I read some recommendations of a couple of my favourite TV-related blogs (they both link to this) and I understood there was a new MTV reality series of that name. Of course it is not on telly here but of course I acquired it anyway. It follows the exploits of the Cypress Bay High (Florida) student newspaper. After the first minute I had to check Wikipedia to see that it was actually a reality show, so staged and scripted it seemed. But of course to a teenager in 2008 reality TV is so completely normal and even something to aspire to and we have reached the point where mock- has seamlessly cycled into doc- (umentary).

Mock will eat itself.

I was (thesis? What thesis?) searching Youtube for "cold chisel", "khe sahn", "jimmy barnes" AS YOU DO (don't lie I KNOW YOU DO) and I came across this. It's like years old but I do my best to avoid stand-up comedy (*shudder*).

It amused me but what Adam Hills should do it recreate it on the Spicks and Specks Christmas Special and then -- right, he starts? But then? After the into? JIMMY hisself comes out and the crowd goes wild and Jimmy does it properly -- I mean the national anthem set to WCM properly. Because no offence Adam, but I know Jimmy Barnes. You're no Jimmy Barnes. Just sayin'. That would be cool.

My three videos from the Kasey and Shane gig are on YouTube. Not exactly Imax quality but the sound is OK for a dinky point-and-shoot. Note Kasey charmingly snarking on the chatters before the beautiful "One More Day." The encore was "Hallelujah." Now, Various Positions is one of my desert island discs and the John Cale tribute album version is rather genius but apart from that I'm quite over hearing covers of it. The Buckey version misses the emotion of the song despite consisting of nothing but Emotion. Plus, he left out the best verse. This is a fascinating analysis of the how such an odd song became the go-to track for melancholy TV dramedy montage. But still, K&S do a good job.

Also: my dodgy photos on Flickr.

... also saw Kasey and Shane and thought much the same as I. Two people can't be wrong.

The short version: The upcoming Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson album Rattlin' Bones sounds really great and you should get it. There is a tour.

So last night I went to the Oxford Art Factory (fancy!) on Oxford St for a preview of the album which is out 19th April. Very "intimate" space, roughly the size of the main room at the Basement I suppose but not as cluttered, a brick loft-style arrangement. There were maybe fewer than 200 people there but two of them were Jimmy Barnes (squeeeeeal!!) and Michael Gudinski. I gather the thing was not only a dry run for the tour but also a soiree for the media and label too because there were quite a few chatters in yellow wristbands, and the bar is only a couple of metres from the stage. I hate chatters at gigs. Were you people raised by wolves? Wolves who hate music? Michael Gudinski, are these people your employees? Because I really think we could get unions onside for a WorkChoices-style exemption allowing such clowns to be sacked on the spot. The "You don't get to work for a record company unless you STFU at intimate acoustic gigs" Fairness (to the rest of us) Test. I'm going to start the Facebook group right now.

This is the end of the bitching part.

The vibe was really great overall though. There were some hard core Kasey types there and everyone sensible was left very happy.

The format was they ran through every song from the album (in order, I guess?). Kasey, Shane, Bill Chambers on mando and lap steel, James Gillard (nice surprise! -- Kevin Bennett also in crowd) on bass and "Bucky" on banjo -- sorry I can't find his full name but I'm guessing it's him. Banjo man identified! See comments.
The new songs are country-folk of a banjo/steel and harmony heavy gothic bluegrass-cum-Americana variety. They all sounded great, although I didn't take notes or anything so have no detailed specifics except it all sounded great. The record was done with the stage band in a week at Jimmy Barnes' studio so although there were some lyrical prompts required the whole thing was very tight and can presumably only get better. Bill Chambers is always great on his instruments but there was one song where he really brought some moves to that lap steel ... I hope when I get the record I'll be reminded of which one.

Kasey is perhaps a unique case of my being able to follow a big name on my own turf through all phases of a career. From the ye olde days of Bill and Audrey at the Hillbilly Jams at the Vic on the Park, to her first proper Sydney gig at the Newtown RSL in 1999 (?), to on stage with Emmylou Harris at the State, to obsessively listening to Barricades and Brickwallls in Moscow for a year straight, to now. It was first time seeing (or really hearing) Shane Nicholson and he brings a cool rock style to the mix, obvious songwriting chops and they harmonise together beautifully. I read about their wedding in the paper, a surprise do in the backyard with Kasey in jeans and a Bob Dylan t shirt. This is LOL how LOL I LOL would LOL do LOL it LOL if such a thing were to ROFLMAO!!! happen to me. That or Vegas. The years and success has not rubbed any of the rough edges off her charm, they kept us laughing too.

I got a bit of a chat with the always accomodating Bill at the end so that was nice, and also swiped a promo poster. I also got a few videos and if they turned out OK I'll YouTube -- I had four hours between when I got home and when I had to be at work and I elected to spend it sleeping not compressing video files.

A top night! Try and catch them.