Mandy Nolan’s ENTERTAINMENT
SOAPBOX
S E E M O R E O F M A N DY O N E C H O N E T DA I LY W W W. E C H O. N E T. A U /S OA P - B OX
There is a question that we used to ask ourselves to work out what was most important in life: If you had two minutes to get out of your house, what would you grab? Everyone used to say ‘the photo album’. But who has one of those cumbersome things any more? Our photo albums are on our iCloud and apparently virtual formations of data don’t catch fire or suffer water damage. I thought about it the other day and I came up with ‘All the chargers’. I don’t mean white horses that were left out the front from the continual appearance of dashing men trying to rescue me from myself; I mean those fricking things you plug in the wall that
power your devices that keep you in touch with your fricking iCloud. How can there be so many chargers? Chargers for my iPhone, for my laptop, for my iPod, for the iPad, for my camera. And that’s just me. I have five children. Between them they have a minimum of three chargeable devices. So counting my load, and John’s and the kids, there should be approximately 30 chargers in the house. It would be far too economically rational to make one universal device. No, each charger has a slightly different sized plug-in. They don’t stay with their device. They move. They become unrecognisable. On every desk they sit curled in
FULLY CHARGED ABOUT CHARGERS? clumps. They collect in baskets, under beds, in handbags, some are even left dangling in power points. The most often asked question in our house is ‘Who took my charger?’ It is never a polite question. It could be asked more delicately, perhaps phrased ‘Has anyone seen my charger?’ But no. It is always an accusation of outright theft. A sense of panic that cherished device will lose power and thus its owner will disconnect from their digital raison d’etre. And yes, other people do take chargers. They take them back to their place. They pretend they didn’t mean to but they never bring them back. They never rock
up to your house and say ‘last time I was at your house I accidentally mistook your charger for mine and took it’ – then return it. No. They never mention it again. They keep it and tell themselves it was always theirs in the first place. You say ‘did you accidentally take my charger?’ They always say ‘No. I only have mine.’ I know they’re lying because that’s what I do when I visit people. Then there’s the more direct approach for charger abductors: ‘Do you have an iPhone 6 charger I could borrow?’ ‘Borrow’ is actually not used correctly here, but ‘Do you have an iPhone 6 Charger I could use and never give back?’ will elicit a negative response.
When people ask that questions they know the answer. Of course you do. Everyone has an iPhone 6 charger. It’s their most prized possession. It seems unreasonable not to lend it to someone. After all its just an electrical power cord. The house goes quiet. We can’t give the real answer. ‘Yes, we do, but no one wants to give it to you.’ We know what will happen to it. It will not come back. And how can you prove that one white cord’s ownership over another? Who wants to be the petty control freak bitching about someone taking their iPhone charger? It happened the other night. The request seemed innocent enough. A friend who was driving me to
a gig said, ‘Oh, could I borrow your iPhone cord to charge my phone in the car?’ I couldn’t really say no. They were driving me to work after all. So I said to John, ‘Oh, can I take your cord?’ His face goes ashen. ‘No.’ ‘ But they’re all the same.’ He starts to sweat. His hands are shaking. ‘But I need mine. It’s the only one I’ve got. Give him yours.’ So I do. And at the end of the night my friend drives off with it. I realise he’s still got it the moment the car leaves the street and it occurs to me – I have been set up. This whole scenario was a scam to get my iPhone charger. The gig, the lift, the ‘I’ve got to get up early tomorrow’ was all part of the grift. So now I don’t have an iPhone charger. Hmm, but John does. If I sneak in there now before he wakes up and take it…
Live Music
ELIOTT ORR FROM SPANKINHIDE LEADS A DRUM WORKSHOP THIS SUNDAY AT THE LOTUS TEAHOUSE included, along with the djembe and douns, the Zimbabwean thumb piano known as the mbira. Add to this drum kit and the odd guest horn player. The result is a blend of sweet melody and cranking rhythm.
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Based in Brisbane, Spankinhide is Elliott Orr, Piers Langford, Tsoof Baras and Josh Bell (son of local northern rivers musician Azo Bell).
UKE MULLUM ROCKIN’ OUT ON THURSDAY AT CLUB MULLUM
UKE’S GOT THE PUB ROCKIN’
GETTING YOUR GROOVE ON
The pub rock era from the late 60s to early 90s in particular was a very virile period for Australian music. The bands played loud and strong to compete with the rabble and noise in beer-soaked venues.
Significant Others, a wellrespected Sydney house and techno crew, is hosting a brandnew weekly Sunday event at the Byron Bay Brewery showcasing local and interstate DJs from around Australia.
Stu from Uke Mullum has put together a list of tunes from the prominent Aussie pub-rock bands with tunes from: Paul Kelly and The Coloured Girls; The Church; Angels; AC–DC; Australian Crawl; Cold Chisel; Richard Clapton; Mental As Anything; Dragon; The Sunnyboys; Men at Work; The Choirboys; Hoodoo Gurus; Hummingbirds; The Dynamic Hepnotics; Hunters and Collectors; The Models; Jo Jo Zep and The Falcons; INXS; and Divinyls. Joining Uke Mullum for the third year in a row will be their favourite singer/songwriters Sara Tindley and Ashley Bell. The songbook is ready for you to download and start practising: ukemullum.com/ Jan2016/UM_Jan_2016.pdf. Thursday from 6.30pm Club Mullum at the Ex-Services.
Expect to hear quality house and techno music by the hand of resident DJs LeOCh and Magu plus weekly guest DJs. LeOCh has played alongside some of the best acts in the world during his residency at the Burdekin Hotel every Friday night for Significant Others and Saturday nights at Something Else (previously known as La Famiglia). LeOCh supported acts such as Danny Tenaglia, Hernan Cattaneo, Stimming, Ame, Apollonia, DJ T and many others. Second resident of Groove, Magu is one of the busiest and most respected DJs in Byron Bay. You’ll find Magu grooving beats every single weekend at some of the best events in the shire.
North Coast news daily: www.echonetdaily.net.au
His music: a mixture of the finest house and techno that gets everybody on its dancing shoes. Come experience it for yourself. Groove has free entry every Sunday from 3 till 10pm at The Byron Bay Brewery.
SPANKINHIDE FOR TEA Close your eyes and you’ll think you’re in West Africa. This is not your typical ‘bongo jam’; these guys really know how to spank! Led by well-loved djembe player Elliott Orr, Spankinhide is primarily a drumming ensemble performing pan-African rhythms on the Malinke drums, doundouns and djembes.
For the Lotus Tea House gig they have extended an invitation to a number of local musicians including the likes of Yeshe, Sam Gillespie, Steve Nugent, Robb Blackwood, Vanessa Smith, Guy Anderton, Jason Burns and the rest of the Palm Wine Ambassadors band. From 4 till 6pm Elliott and the Spankinhide lads will be leading a drum workshop/drum circle. This is an opportunity for novice djembe players as well as those more experienced to be part of a rocking session full of great players under the excellent teaching skills of Elliott Orr. This gig will have all the various shades of music; from sweet and tender chillout tunes to on-yourfeet crazy high-energy dance numbers.
With more than 10 years under the belt Spankinhide has established a solid reputation for making a dancefloor heave. They have performed at every Earth Frequency and Island Vibe festival plus at Woodford numerous times and a bunch of other festivals and events around southeast Queensland and northern NSW.
So bring your comfy clothes (no lycra – only kidding) and raise your vibration up a peg or two to the Lotus Tea House Starseed Gardens this Saturday.
More recently Spankinhide has created a fresh sound. They have
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It’s only $20/$15 concession or $35/$30 if you also do the workshop. Bookings for the workshop are necessary, particularly if you need to hire a drum ($5). All welcome!
BEACH HOTEL |: FRIDAY 29 JANUARY : 9.30pm
0422 019 832 Lunch every day from 11.30am Dinner Tues–Sun from 5.30pm
6684 2209 Wed–Sun from 5:30pm spiceitupthai.com.au
Mullumbimby Ex-Services Club |
Club_Mullum
58 Dalley Street, Mullumbimby | 6684 2533
Mullumbimby Ex-Services Club practices Responsible Service. If Gambling is a problem for you or someone you know, call the G-line toll-free on 1800 633 635. NSW Permit numbers - All Lotteries - LTPM/13/00601, Wed Draw - 14/08984, Super 10 - 14/00478
The Byron Shire Echo January 27, 2016 33