BMA Mag 321 19 Mar 2009

THREE21 March 19.09

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MASSIVE YOUTH WEEK LIFT OUT INSIDE!

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Hot Stuff, Comin’ Through!

Officially the world’s biggest annual song poll, 2008 was a vintage year for the Hottest Hundred, marking the biggest response in its 20 year history with 800,000 people voting for their favourite tunes.

Kings of Leon’s triumph was a forgone conclusion, but indie darlings MGMT were hot on their heels, clocking up three posi’s in the top 20. Australia held its own with The Presets and Empire of the Sun doing the damage in the top five, while Pez, Drapht, Pnau, The Herd, Cut Copy and Birds of Tokyo all placed in the top 20.

Now comes this year’s Hottest Hundred omnibus, Triple J Hottest Hundred Volume 16, collecting 44 fan-picked tracks across two discs. A sure-fire party starter, this collection could be yours, thanks to Universal. To win, just send us your alternative top five.

A Rum Idea For years the coconut-infused refresher, Malibu rum, has been enjoyed by salty sea dogs and fluoro-clad club tarts alike.

The latest dispatch from their thatched-roofed HQ will cause rum enthusiasts the country over to choke mid gulp, as Malibu have put the call out to find an Executive Product Tester to take up a two week posting in the Caribbean. The successful candidate - and two lucky friends - will be invited to sundowner beach socials, barbies and bars, to dance and socialise and savour the fun atmosphere of the Caribbean island of Barbados. They'll brush up on their cocktail history, fine tune their mixology skills, take part in product taste tests, perfect their flair for the fine art of entertaining and visit the coolest

New York bars during a three day trip. The saloon doors are open to anyone over 18 and living in Australia, but only until April 30, so jump on to www. malibuexperience.com.au and apply! To wet the whistle, we have three packs to give away, comprising a bottle of Malibu, thongs, a backpack and a USB. To win, relate a rum-fuelled tale.

Short Stuff In 2009, Australia’s premier International Short Film Festival Flickerfest, celebrates its 18th birthday and Dendy Cinemas, Canberra Centre, will host two of the Flickerfest programmes.

Saturday March 21 will feature award-winning short films from across the globe, and an opening night celebration from 6pm including wine tasting before the 7pm screening and drinks afterwards. Sunday March 22 screens Best Of Australia Shorts from 7pm, which includes Chicken of God written and directed

by Frank Woodley (Lano and Woodley) and Summer Breaks by local writer/director Sean Kruck. To win one of six double passes - three per night – to one session, tell us a film you think should be shorter. Otherwise, tickets for March 21 are $18/$15 conc/$13 Dendy Members/$12 seniors, which includes a pass to the prefilm drinks. Tickets March 22 are $15/$12.50 conc/$10 Dendy Members/$9 seniors. Visit flickerfest.com.au for more info.

A Fine Pair The 2009 Melbourne International Comedy Festival will commence April 1st, but to ensure that those in the provinces are not left stoney-faced and humourless, Madman present their comedy range on DVD. Two of the jewels in this glittering crown of mirth are Tim Minchin’s So Live and Danny Bhoy’s Live at the Sydney Opera House. The man

The Times, London called “next big thing in musical comedy,” Tim Minchin, is back in the country touring his new show Ready for This? So Live captures the best bits from his award-winning Darkside and So Rock shows, with a host of DVD bonus performances. Danny, too, is also in the country, performing his highly-anticipated new show, following a phenomenal six month, 94 date sell-out tour in 2007. Live at the Sydney Opera House, Danny’s debut DVD, marks the final date of that historic tour, featuring some of his most memorable routines, as well as backstage footage, various gala spots, Danny’s favourite TV performance spots and more.

Thanks to Madman, we’ve got five copies of each to give away.

To win, make us laugh (and nominate which DVD you’d like). …Time to Sit Back and Unwind Ever on the cutting edge of Cinema, on Wednesday April 1 at 6.30pm, Dendy Cinemas in the Canberra Centre will host a preview of Summer Hours (Heure d’été, L’), starring Juliette Binoche (The Unbearable Lightness of Being, The English Patient, Chocolat, Three Colors: Blue). The divergent paths of the three forty-something siblings collide when their mother, heiress to her uncle’s exceptional 19th century art collection, dies suddenly. Left to come to terms with themselves and their differences, Adrienne (Binoche) a New York designer, Frédéric (Charles Berling) an economist and university professor in Paris, and Jérémie (Jérémie Renier) a dynamic businessman in China, confront the end of childhood, their shared memories, background and unique vision of the future. To win one of ten double passes to this exclusive screening, tell us the highlight of your summer.

Sailor of the Deep Blues Seas “One afternoon, back in Port of Spain, Trinidad, I met four scientists in a bar; they were on their way to West Africa to study a type of parasitic worm that attacks the eyeballs of human beings and turns them into blind men… they invited me back to their boat…” Never before has a press release been so exciting, and never before has the blues been so electrifying! Regrettably limited space does not permit this thrilling tale’s completion, but rest a-shored, surviving a shipwreck off West Africa’s coast back in ’88 led to the creation of CW Stoneking’s cracking second album, Jungle Blues.

Combining the blues of Southern USA, Trinidadian calypso, ’20s jungle jazz and the hillbilly sounds of the ’30s, Stoneking’s originals writhe with infectious (perhaps even parasitic) rhythms.

With his Primitive Horn Orchestra in tow, he’ll be belting out his ballads to us landlubbers at The Playhouse on March 21. To win one of two double passes, tell us what you reckon ‘CW’ stands for.

Down Mexico Way The gypsy dance caravan that is Tijuana Cartel are shakin’ their way to Hippo in Civic on Saturday March 28, where they’ll launch their brand-spankin’ new LP They Come. The Gold Coastbased collective slather on multilayered grooves, Middle Eastern vocals, lilting soundscapes, flamenco and slide guitar, trumpet, live percussion and electronic world beats, creating a dance-inducing melange. To celebrate their ACT debut, we’ve got a fistful of LPs to give away.

To win one, tell us who you’d challenge to a duel. Flip to the tidbits section or head to www. myspace.com/tijuanacartelband for more info on the band.

STRUTH BE TOLD This is how it goes: Me: I’ve never been overseas.

Person: What!?

Me: Yep. Person: But you’re from Tasmania.

(Person laughs for 18 minutes).

Me: True. I guess I have.

(Person continues anecdote of how they caught a train from Paris to Berlin and then ended up in Amsterdam and fell in love with a New York girl who they lived with for a while before moving to London via Tokyo.)

Me: I’ve been to Broome.

You’ve heard of the 40 year old virgin, now meet the 28 year old travelling virgin – oft attracting the same kind of playful derision from friends and colleagues that Steve Carell’s character does. Like him, I am equally sheepish yet matter of fact about it. It just never happened and now I’ve left it for so long that it’s become too big a deal. I’ve missed the Contiki boat. Just as Steve’s friends assure him it’s not too late and start an intervention, I want someone to get me drunk and set me up with Thailand.

Travelling’s that thing that everyone does where they escape their life to feel the most like themselves and become more interesting with stories you can’t relate to. Travelling is an opportunity for people to come back to Australia and strut around like explorers with their Spanish fighting sticks, London hangovers, Vietnamese snake wines and American gusto. They can waltz around their home ‘village’ safe in the knowledge they’ve seen outside the square and have an unbreakable bond with the rest of the world forged through a quickie in a Bolivian backpackers.

I was raised with the philosophy of ‘we have no money’ and jet-setted around Tasmania in a caravan. I loved every minute of it, but didn’t think outside the triangle. As an adult, all my money is spent keeping my artistic ball in the air. I couldn’t shake the feeling there was work to be done here before running off to Scotland to crack a fat over architecture. As a comedian I was blasted with orders to go to Edinburgh Fringe and do a show, only to watch colleagues return, screaming about what a great experience it was, (come on in, the water’s fine!) only to break down a month later with $10,000 credit card debts. C’mon, I can lose that kind of money here.

When you’ve never been outside Australia, you spend most of your energy convincing yourself you haven’t made a huge mistake with your life. Here goes – part of me wants to wait until I pass the black belt of my personality so I can get better value for money, like rereading your favourite book and getting more out of it. I get my adrenalin rush from performing. I’m proving myself all the time. Touring Australia gives me an enormous sense of satisfaction and perspective, cruising through airports with loner superiority. I meet plenty of foreigners after gigs – at least one!

Me: New York seems amazing. From what I could tell from the Ninja Turtles Movie it has a lot of interesting characters.

Person: Where will you travel to first?

Me: (Thinks for 18 minutes) Uh, New...

Person: York?

Me: Zealand.

I think I’m going to break the ice with India. The sitar is my favourite instrument, Indian is my favourite food, I think Indian women are the most beautiful and apparently Bombay is stuck in the ‘70s and you can get cheap custom-made flares. I figure if I’ve left it this late, the only way in is the deep end. A massive dose of food poisoning, brutal scenes of poverty and a complete culture shock will shake me loose of this tiring precociousness. I can finally join the ranks of real adult mavericks who have taken the plunge, delving through the world’s chapters with glee – from the apple isle to the big apple!

Person: Where should I go in Tasmania?

Me: The airport.

JUSTIN HEAZLEWOOD Justin performs as The Bedroom Philosopher and also writes for Frankie, Jmag and The Big Issue. www.bedroomphilosopher.com

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NEWS Thank Allah Here’s Here From humble beginnings, taking the stage name of ‘Peter’ so he could get gigs in local RSL clubs, Akmal Saleh has risen to dizzying heights, touring with international comedians such as Steven Wright, Ben Elton and The Amazing Johnathan and appearing on national TV shows Rove Live, The Footy Show, Spick & Specks and of course Thank God You’re Here, where he honed his skills as a sexually confused psychic. A household name to dinky dye, beer-belching Australians, fans of his well delivered, politically incorrect belly laughs will be elated to learn that their favourite funny Arab is bringing his revered stand up to our fair city for one night only on Friday March 27 at the Hellenic Club in Woden. Well, that’s if he gets through customs… Touring in conjunction with the release of his Live and Uncensored DVD, he will be joined on stage by long-time friend and fellow comic Joel Ozborn - who recently sold out his own season at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

New Beginnings for End of the Road Local Canberra filmmakers Benoit McCullough and John Hatfield have had their short film End of the Road selected for this year’s Mudfest, the Mudgee International Short Film Festival. Initially made for Tropfest, the producers didn’t give up, entering it in a number of festivals. Written and directed by Benoit McCullough, the film is described as a satiric take on euthanasia, inside a romantic comedy. The film was shot on 16mm by director of photography Michael O’Rourke over two weekends in late 2008, and the cast is made up entirely of local actors including Patrick Moonie, Kesaya Baba and Oliver Bauder. The film will be competing against other entries from Europe and the US at it’s first screening on March 21 at the Elliot Rocke Estate Mudgee. Tickets and more info can be found at www.mudfest.com.au .

Mmmmm… Jazzy!

On Sunday April 5, 25 leading local and interstate bands - including prominent Australian group Wanderlust - will be banding together in the name of charity - and Jazz! Over 12 hours and across four stages, punters will be treated to the best in modern jazz as Jazz Uncovered Festival hits the Italo-Australian Club, on the corner of National Circuit and Franklin St, Forrest. Organised by a group of Canberra musicians, and with strong institutional and community backing, the show will raise funds for Wellwishers - an Australian charity that digs freshwater wells in Ethiopia. The longer-term goal is to establish Jazz Uncovered as the pre-eminent event for cutting edge Australian jazz. So get along early at 10am and catch the inaugural, which’ll power on ‘til 10pm.

Tickets are $30/$20 concession on the door. For more info hit www.jazzuncovered.net .

Given The Flick In 2009 Flickerfest will come of age and celebrate its 18th Birthday as Australia’s premier International Short Film Festival. As Australia’s only Academy Award accredited Short Film festival, it attracts a high calibre of films entering each year from all around the world. Dendy at the Canberra Centre will host two Flickerfest programmes on March 21 and 22. On Saturday March 21, International 2 showcases a wide variety of award-winning short films from across the globe, and will feature a wine tasting before the 7pm screening, and drinks after. On Sunday March 22, Australian Shorts will feature a fantastic line-up of Oz talent, including Chicken of God by Frank Woodley (of Lano and Woodley) and Summer Breaks, which was filmed in Canberra by local writer/director Sean Kruck. Tickets for opening night, International program 2, are $18/$15 concession/$13 Dendy members/$12, which includes a pass to the pre-film drinks. Tickets for the Australian Shorts are $15/$12.50/ concession/$10 Dendy members/$9 seniors. Visit www.flickerfest.com. au for more information.

Brute Force Storming into Canberra Saturday March 21 is a metal tour of brutal proportions. Making their second appearance in Canberra is Rookwood, a harsh black-punk attack that is guaranteed to whip punters in a frenzy. They’ll be supported by the always frantic Daemon Foetal Harvest, who’re returning after several trips to the Nation’s Capital. Making their first ACT showing will be epic death metallers Defamer from Queensland, who are touring nationally in support of their debut release CHASM. Fronting up for the locals are Aeon of Horus and Infinitum, just in case there wasn’t enough crushing metal to round out the event. Doors are at 8pm Hot Wax The sound of the world’s greatest lover having one hell of an identity crisis will be committed to black wax when local stalwarts Hancock Basement drop their debut 7” vinyl single, Don Juan next month. Backed with their triple j Unearthed winning track Hey Kids, the 7” inch is the first offering from Hancock’s recording stint at Sydney’s Bigjesusburger studios where the likes of the Sleepy Jackson and The Presets cut their masterpieces. Can’t wait for the vinyl? Well, the Cock is giving away a free digital download of the two tracks as we speak! Head to www. mercuryswitch.org/hancockbasement to snaffle the tracks now, and keep your eyes peeled for the vinyl and some local shows soon.

You Love It! After the wave of bitter disappointment that engulfed the capital when O in the Park was scuppered, the organisers have come good on their pledge to bring Sneaky Sound System to town. Fresh from a run of Big Day Out appearances, the trio and band are returning to their first love – playing the clubs! They’ll be hitting the University of Canberra Refectory on Saturday May 2. Tickets are on sale now.

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AND ANOTHER THING...

Welcome back. Before the break, you’ll remember I was in conversation with former Whatever bassist Graham Williamson. Things were going so well I decided to prolong the conversation to try and find out a little more about what it was like to be in a struggling (though brilliant) band in the late ‘90s. So, Mr Williamson, we’ve ascertained that the whole thing was a bit of a grind – the whole gig-like-a-bastard-get-signedmomentary-delirium-only-to-find-record-company-sucks scenario – but surely, there must have been some high points?

“I loved the full touring thing, to be honest. I had guitar teched for bands before we were signed, so I knew what to expect, but it was so much better playing. I made a lot of good friends and wouldn’t swap it for anything. But if you’re asking me for a highlight from the sugarbuzz period-” I was.

“Playing with (US alt-metallers) Warrior Soul, at an Italian festival in front of 10,000 people. I was a big fan and I have a pretty good memory of sitting with Skin (vocalist with) Skunk Anansie on some terracing behind the stage watching them. That was pretty good.”

I can feel the boy getting misty-eyed and snuffly a la recherche du temps perdu, so let’s move on. If first album Whatever represented the good times, then the follow up, Lies and Gold Dust, marked the beginning of the end for the band – what gave? You seemed to have moved yourselves into a strong position, I seem to remember…

“That was when it started going downhill. I wasn’t a huge fan of the way the music was going and even though me and Nick (Parsons, vocalist and guitarist who went on to join pop punkers The YoYos [with ex-Wildheart bassman Danny McCormack] and form a part of reformed hard rockers The Almighty) formed the band together I always looked after the management side of things whilst he took care of the music.

There were also signs of personality clashes in the band and the three guitarists was a good idea for about one second – the truth was that until the final reincarnation of the band we couldn’t find a decent enough guitarist who could play the harmonies we wanted. We also were like Spinal Tap. We had about 14 drummers and a trillion guitarists over the band’s history. I enjoyed the dates we did for that record, especially with (UK cock-rockers) Skin, but, like I said before, I’d decided to give it until my 30th birthday and knock it on the head if nothing was happening. So I did. I needed to be making a living! Besides, I wanted to move to London – 30 years in Newcastle was more than enough.”

I can quite imagine. Having visited the city on a number of occasions I can unequivocally state it’s the only place in England where the women are bigger and scarier than the men. So to summarise: Whatever – a good time in your life? Still see the band around the traps?

“Thanks for giving me the chance to go through the old database and sweep the cobwebs away! It’s weird, as I haven’t seen any of the guys for a couple of years bar Ronnie (McLean, drums), who played on Lies and Gold Dust but never played any shows with us. I am just glad I got the chance to put out an EP and a couple of albums and meet some amazing people.”

YOU PISSED ME OFF

Has someone yanked yer chain recently? Well, send an email to editorial@bmamag.com and have your sweet vengeance. And for the love of God, keep it brief! ALL ENTRIES CONTAIN GENUINE SPELLINGS.

I am becoming alarmed by a trend that is becoming more prevalent in this town. I’ve had to endure the displeasure in recent weeks of seeing a rednecked twat at Belconnen Markets wearing a t-shirt bearing the Australian flag stating,“If you don’t like it, F’CK OFF”, and seen Aussie Pride spray painted on a fence adorning a Hawker walk-way. Whilst the ignorant racism of these idiocrats offends me, I do thank them for keeping me endlessly amused by their hypocrisy. You see, this exact pack of unfortunates complain of ethnically diverse groups, “sticking together - never mixing with us - they think they’re better than us!” Yet, themselves when overseas are found drinking VB, arms locked singing Khe Sahn

with others of their kind in Bali bars, or walking boy-girl-boy-girl with other aussies on Contiki tours - never mixing with other countries tourists let alone locals. When they do venture for longer periods, you’ll find them house-sharing with only aussies, kiwi’s and South Africans, nightly ordering another Snake Bite in a Down Under Bar... yet this isn’t sticking together - never mixing with the locals? You’re idiots, every single one of you, and an unquestionable embarrassment to the very nation you espouse to hold in such high regard. Just be thankful that the nations bordersecurity wasn’t great a few years ago, or you, and I, would all still be living in the likes of Scunthorpe and Blackpool, you fools.

I'm Alan Laws

FROM THE BOSSMAN Us males are a wonderful species.

We can sit there – bedecked in our different coloured polo neck sweaters, puffing cheerily on a pipe so opulent it would turn Sherlock Holmes a shade of green – and converse in the most adroit fashion, swapping titillating and convivial tales in alluring English that’s both rapacious in content and jaunty in tone.

“I say, Walter, what a rather deft syllogism.”

“Why thank you, Reginald.

Which reminds me…”

And then someone’s phone will ring.

A few seconds into the conversation, it transpires it’s someone we know. Our eyebrows arch, and we eagerly mouth the words “Is that so-and-so?!?” It’s someone you’ve seen in the past few days, or you will see in the next few, nothing special, but before you know it something takes hold, something you simply can’t control.

“MaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAaaaaate! Woooooo!” you scream into the phone, closely followed by the finest raspberry that has ever graced mankind.

Rock history is littered with heroic failures, and the Whatever, whilst not failures – they were, of course, hugely admired in Japan – are certainly heroic in my book. Seek them out!

We turn into seven-year-olds when we know a friend of ours is on someone else’s phone. I don’t know why that is. Undeniably awesome, though.

SCOTT ADAMS - thirtyyearsofrnr@hotmail.com

ALLAN ‘THE ABOMINABLE SKOMAN” SKO

bma :: Issue321 www.bmamag.com "bma: when there's nothing better to read."

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Fax: 02 6257 4361 Mail: PO Box 713 Civic Square, ACT 2608 Publisher Scott Layne General Manager & Advertising Manager Allan Sko: T: (02) 6257 4360 E: advertising@bmamag.com Editor Peter Krbavac T: (02) 6257 4456 E: editorial@bmamag.com Accounts Manager Fahim Shahnoor : T: (02) 6247 4816 E: accounts@bmamag.com

Advertising Executive Danika Nayna Sub Editors Josh Brown and Rob_Phill Graphic Design Jenny Freeman Film Editor Mark Russell Principal Photographers (The Flashbulb Posse) Andrew Mayo/Nick Brightman/John Hatfield Issue 322 Out April 2 Editorial Deadline March 20 Advertising Deadline March 26

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TIDBITS

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WHO MIN MAE AND CO. WHAT I DIE - A TABLEAUX VIVANT WHERE CCAS, GORMAN HOUSE WHEN FRI MAR 20

In 2009 Canberra Contemporary Art Space will complement its already jam-packed exhibition program with a series of four performance nights throughout the year. These collaborative projects between CCAS, talented individuals and other local arts organizations give artists from a range of areas the opportunity to use the empty gallery space as a venue for whatever they can dream up. The first of these evenings brings you the splendiferous Min Mae and her latest tableaux vivant: I Die. This new work is a collaboration between 12 performers and 12 writers whom Mae has brought together to consider the processes and traditions of mourning - in particular the eulogy. There will be two performances - at 7 and 8pm - at CCAS Gorman House and tickets ($15/$10 for CCAS members) will be sold at the door on the night. CCAS members are entitled to discounted tickets and people are encouraged to join up on the night. Stay tuned to BMA for more weird and wonderful CCAS events coming up throughout the year!

WHO TREVOR LOVEYS WHAT UK FIDGET HOUSE MASTER WHERE LOT 33 WHEN FRI MAR 27

In a survey conducted by a UK bank in ’07, Trevor Loveys’ hometown of Bournemouth was found to be the happiest place in Britain. In ’08 it was hailed as the safest place to live in England and Wales. And then in’09 it claimed to have produced one of the world’s true masters of fidget house. Though it’s been said fidget was coined as a joke term by Loveys and a couple of mates, it has well and truly lost its inverted commas status and found its feet as an authoritative adjective, used to classify tracks with kooky rhythms and basslines which wobble dancefloors to bits, and are smattered with vocal snippets and synths. Trevor Loveys is a standout name in this strange new game, producing tunes of unrivalled quality as he borrows from the baskets of Baltimore, UK garage, hip-hop and numerous electronic dance genres.

Bournemouth must be the place to be for buzzing, jittery beats, but Loveys at Lot 33 - along with Tim Galvin, Ashley Feraude, Adam Miller, Hubert, Ryfi and Jungle Jerry - you’re sure to love.

WHO PUGSLEY BUZZARD WHAT PLAYING THE FOLK FESTIVAL WHERE EXHIBITION PARK WHEN APR 9 TO 13

Hammering the ol’ Joanna, channelling the likes of Fats Waller, Tom Waits, Captain Beefheart and Thelonious Monk and growling like a grizzly bear, Pugsley Buzzard is an arresting and captivating performer. The man draws from a rich vein of piano-based music, from Harlem stride, New Orleans funk, swampshack jazz, barrelhouse blues to modern improvisations, and delivers it with a vaudevillian nuance and humour. He's also known to reinterpret all sorts of material, including old parlour songs, show tunes, work songs, blues, jazz, funk, cartoon music, film scores and more. A seasoned pro of the festival circuit, Pugsley's jumped aboard countless bills including the Australian Blues Music Festival, Auckland’s Mission Bay Street Festival, The Falls Festival, Nepal’s Himalayan Blues Festival, Byron Bay Festival and, of course, our own National Folk Festival this coming Easter weekend. Suffice to say, Pugsley can be relied upon for a stylish, unique, eccentric, humdinger of a blues hootenany that will empty a whole lot of glasses and shake a whole lot of asses. For more info head to www.pugsleybuzzard.com .

WHO PHDJ, M.I.T., THE TRIVS AND LOCAL DJS WHAT PURPLE SNEAKERS WHERE TRANSIT BAR WHEN FRI MAR 27

“I fucking love Canberra!” exclaims our Deep Throat at Purple Sneakers’ HQ.“I know most people from Canberra don’t actually agree with me but seriously, I have had more fun partying in Canberra than I have had in Sydney. That could be because whenever I stumble home in Sydney I usually get bashed and or end up asleep in a gutter!” The third capital instalment of Sydney’s infamous indie club night collects another impressive array of locals and interstaters. Canberra indie darlings The Trivs will briefly put the Fenders to one side and free their slender digits for spinnin’ purposes, while locals Talihina Shan and Celebrity Sex Tape will rep their hood. ‘coptering in from the big smoke are M.I.T. and PhDJ, Purple Sneakers kingpin and Arctic Monkey-approved steel-wheelist. While the temperature may be dropping with the onset of autumn, it’s a safe bet the sweat will still be dripping from the Transit roof on Friday March 27 when the Purp’ Sneak’s crew hit town. Free entry. So Necessary. PETER KRBAVAC

WHO TIJUANA CARTEL WHAT WORLD VIBES FROM THE GOLD COAST WHERE HIPPO, CIVIC WHEN SAT MAR 28

If Santana had been hanging out in Iraq for the last ten years, then it’s likely he’d sound a little something like Gold Coast gypsy dance caravan Tijuana Cartel. A bubbling concoction of multi-layered grooves, Middle Eastern vocals, lilting Moby-esque soundscapes, flamenco and slide guitar, trumpet, live percussion and world beats, infused with poetic social commentary.

Their tunes meander across the bumpiest musical terrain, a rhythmic body moved with stately deliberation creating inspiring and infectious rhythms that you just cannot help but dance to, and their energy and unrestrained delivery thrills audiences wherever they perform. Tijuana Cartel will launch their new album They Come at Hippo on Saturday March 28, so be sure to welcome these road warriors as they make their first trip to Canberra before heading off to the Byron Bay Blues Festival and the Surry Hills Festival. Funky World Dance Music at its very best, a live show not to miss. Come prepared to Dance! From 8pm, $10 entry.

WHO D'OPUS & ROSHAMBO AND LOCAL DJS WHAT SOUND BAKED SUNDAYS FINALE WHERE TRINITY BAR, DICKSON WHEN SUN MAR 29

It is with a tear in the eye and an accumulation of Monday hangover that we bid a fond farewell to Trinity’s renowned Sound Baked Sundays. The regular Sunday event has played host to some extremely memorable (and raucous) parties; Spruce Lee, DJ Moneyshot & Chew Fu Phat and the incredible InTheMix Xmas Party featuring those lovable Aston Shuffle rogues.

To farewell this well-loved event for the year, Trinity has invited a host of famed locals to return and send it off in style. Headlined by a live hip-hop set from D’Opus & Roshambo, the night will also feature Ashley Feraude, Jemist, Bicipitcal Groove and Tom Tomz. D’O & Ro have been enjoying unheralded success from the release of their debut LP The Switch , runaway single Million Dollar Bill and video for their latest tune The Basement doing the rounds on Rage. The boys are back in the studio working on their sophomore record due out this year, so don’t miss this chance to catch them live before they become entrenched in studio hibernation. As always, Sound Baked Sundays is free entry with a free BBQ, and keep an eye out for a new special event at Trinity coming this winter as well!

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2RUDQ

2RUDQ

2RUH Daniel Zugna

The buzz term that was filtering through the media at the time DYLAN MORAN debuted What It Is in the UK last year was ‘credit crunch’. In the months since then, we’ve seen the term evolve to ‘global economic downturn,’ then the slightly scarier ‘global economic crisis,’ and now ‘global recession.’ Not the cheeriest way to begin a comedy-related article, agreed, though it’s precisely the dire situation of the modern world that acts as the bedrock for Moran’s new show – a paradoxically pessimistic and uplifting synopsis of society’s ills, delivered, as always, with the Irishman’s misanthropic, oft shambolic charm.

“In the time between when I began to write my show and now, so much has changed,” he says, his kinetic, sometimes mumbled delivery belying an eloquence and thoughtfulness. Indeed, it’s a relief, with our interview being last in a series of around a dozen and the time approaching 1 am in the UK from where he is speaking. “People generally ask similar questions and by the end of it I feel like I don’t even know what I’m talking about,” he laughs, after I apologise for the late hour.

Moran has had the view “for a number of years that all this materialism is unsustainable. It seems like the west had to shut a lot of the rest of the world out - there was an unrealistic boom in house prices, in trade, in moneymaking, which didn’t seem to be connected to the rest of the world. It was basically unjust, I suppose. I had a feeling that something big was going to happen, but I had no idea what it was.”

Of his UK tour, he explains, “by and large I’ve had a very good time, the show is different, the show keeps changing. What I tend to do is hole myself up in a room for a few months beforehand and build it. It’s a process of accretion. It’s not like, ‘page one, line one, here we go from the beginning.’ I just start shoring things up, like a kid throwing pebbles from a beach, and see what I’ve got. Time goes by and you begin to see some kind of shape. I have to be led by what makes me laugh, to try and join the dots and see the connections.”

His aim here is to encapsulate an idea to the point where the audience member will experience an internal dialogue along the lines of 'I’ve always thought that, but I’ve never been able to express it.' Perhaps this acts as a kind of proof toward suggestions (certainly not his) of Moran assuming the role of the disheveled, cynical philosopher. It is, however, an idea that sits uncomfortably.

“The danger with that,” he says, “is that you try and capture some glib, catch-all expression for a time, or a feeling. All you can really do in the end is try to say as clearly as you can how you see things and what it feels like. However mad it might make you feel, that’s the kind of leap you have to make. Sometimes it feels unfounded, but you have to hope that the ideas get to hit somebody else. You can’t worry too much about that, you’ve just got to put it out there and if it catches, it catches.”

I ask him about the kind of feedback he’s received from his latest show – not necessarily reviews, rather the thoughts of his friends and fans.

"To be honest, I don’t get much negative feedback" The show, of course, isn’t an exposition on global economics. Rather, it is an 80 minute rant varying from the vacuous ills of consumerism, his idea of religion as a pointless exercise and his lack of ability regarding all things DIY – “I don’t speak hammer,” he says.

bma magazine 14

“To be honest, I don’t get too much negative feedback,” he admits, “in the sense that I don’t get people coming up to my face and saying ‘I completely disagreed with what you said, blah blah blah.’ The feedback is really grounded in how the show goes down on the night. I do get surprised sometimes by how much certain things seem to resonate with people, you can’t predict that at all times. I’m not really interested in nailing my political views to a mass, except in a very general way, because they’re liable to change and to shift at any given time.”

The same can be said for his Australian tour, as the material derives in some part from the ever changing state of society, a process which seems to have sped to an almost exponential rate in recent months.

He ponders, “in the months since then (the UK tour), the last four, five six months have been an incredible time in terms of transition and change. Everybody’s head is in a spin now, and we’re wondering what’s going to happen next.”

Moran will be playing to a sold out audience at the Royal Theatre on Friday April 3. If you missed out on a ticket to that, make sure you hurry up and get in touch with Canberra Ticketing (www.canberratheatre.org.au or 6257 2700) for a chance to see him in the more intimate surrounds of the Canberra Theatre on Wednesday April 29.

bma magazine 15

"I hear so many excuses... but you have to make a decision. You either want it badly enough or you don’t"

No Money, No Honey Justin Hook In a critically acclaimed career that spans four decades, Louisiana-bred, LA-based LUCINDA WILLIAMS has seen her fair share of the world and grotty couches. Not that she’s complaining; it’s a rite of passage she explains from Washington, DC. “I have friends who are still struggling to get record deals and I tell them you’ve got to compromise, you can’t have it both ways. Even back then it wasn’t easy. Things were cheaper but I still had to sleep on people's couches.”

Williams is talking about the Austin, Texas scene in the mid ’70s when folk and rock began leaching into country music, forever changing narrow genre definitions. These days we call it alt-country or roots rock and it’s hardly noteworthy, but back then what artists like Gram Parsons, Gene Clark, Townes Van Zandt and Williams were doing was positively revolutionary. Most were shunned by the Nashville establishment but Williams has bittersweet memories, “It’s always easy to look back and see something as idyllic. I tend to get melancholic about it sometimes but in 1974 it was a special place and time. Even if I hadn’t been in Austin it would have felt like a special time. They were hard times but good. There was a real supportive scene and it was a great place to start out and hone your craft. I always say I cut my teeth in Austin because I was able to formulate an audience.”

Williams credits those early days as instrumental to her long term success, and with three Grammy’s under her belt she clearly knows what she is talking about. “If you want to establish a long lasting career you have to get out. I hear so many excuses, ‘Oh, I can’t afford to do this’... but you have to make a decision. You either want it badly enough or you don’t. That’s all it comes down to.”

But the instant gratification generation where music has a limited shelf life worries the restless Williams. “Every so often I run into a younger musician who’s willing to go out in a van alone and suffer the rigours of the road. Others think they can just record a CD and put it on the internet but at some point you have to get out there and play. To connect with an audience – and there is an audience for just about anything – I played around bars for 15 years before I even made a record.” Think about that for a while. 15 years. These days if you haven’t uploaded something within 15 days of starting a band you’re over.

And Williams has definitely found an audience, as well as filling an enviable collaboration inventory (Steve Earle, Nanci Griffith, Elvis Costello, Ryan Adams, Emmylou Harris, Roseanne Cash, David Crosby plus hundreds more) that would drop the jaws of pretty much anyone who calls themselves a songwriter. Yet Williams thrives happily in the fringes, “I never gave up hope that the people were out there. If you talk to the radio stations and the record companies you might get discouraged. But my fans don’t depend on radio and I don’t depend on that medium. If I lost my record deal tomorrow I could still make a living – it wouldn’t be as easy, but I have a grass roots following. That’s what I try to get across to some of the younger artists. Just slow down and pay your dues.”

Dues suitably paid, its time to reap the rewards of someone else’s struggles. Sometimes we get it so damn easy I feel almost guilty.

Lucinda Williams’ Little Honey Tour will see her velvety sweet voice fill the Canberra Theatre on Saturday April 4. Tickets are available online at bma magazine 16 on 6275 2700 or at the box office. canberratheatre.org.au,

In Bloom

“When I come to do gigs in Australia it’s like a party for me,”

Peter Krbavac Being an old hand with over ten albums to his assumed name - and a few under his real one, Kevin Moore, for good measure - one might expect that cutting a record is just another day in the office for charming Irish troubadour LUKA BLOOM. But, with latest LP Eleven Songs, it seems that ain’t necessarily so.

“This album really frightened the shit out of me, because I don’t have a record company writing the cheques anymore. I haven’t had for years,” Luka explains from Dublin.“So if I make a commitment to making a record, especially one like this which was bigger, bolder and braver than anything I’ve done since I was with major labels, of course it’s scary. It’s also scary artistically, because I chose to put together a group of musicians I’d never worked with before, in a studio I’d never worked in before, with a producer I’d never produced with before. But I had a pretty good idea of what I hoped to achieve and it really surpassed my expectations.”

Though Luka describes his time on Warner-affiliated Reprise as a pleasant experience - “they gave me complete and total artistic freedom, were incredibly helpful and didn’t interfere at all” - he maintains that, whether major or independent, he’ll never be tempted back aboard the record label gravy train.

“I’m in this cottage industry where I make my own records, finance my own records, go on tour and do nice licensing deals with small labels like Shock - and it’s a pretty cool way to live. Even though it’s a bit more work involved for me, I’m kind of fond of it; I like the unpredictability of it, the scariness of it, but I like the freedom of it in particular.”

Moving back to Eleven Songs, Luka describes the LP as a collaborative effort between himself and producer Dave Odlum - former guitarist for The Frames. “When we sat down to discuss this record, we both knew that I needed to come out of my comfort zone, go back into a big live room and try to make something really beautiful,” Luka remembers.

“Too many records are done on pro-tools these days with laptops in garages and sitting rooms.”

Instead, Luka and Dave drafted in a gaggle of musician friends and cut the record the ol’ fashioned way - live, fast, and in one room. “It’s nice to have a record where you can feel the atmosphere of people playing in the room,” Luka iterates.

Though the album features a host of guest musicians, the accompanying tour will, as always, remain a solo affair.“When I go on tour it’s ‘have guitar, will travel’” he states.“In a flash a song can come into your head and you can pull it out and sing it - you can’t really do that with a band.”

“When I come to do gigs in Australia it’s like a party for me,” he continues. “Especially in a place like Tilley’s where I pretty much know at this point what the atmosphere is like. I’m not fussy about playing songs from the new record - I want to sing what people want to hear and I want to have a good time.”

As it’s heading for midnight in Ireland, I bid the man goodnight and apologise for keeping him up so late, which he dismisses in his typically chirpy style.

“I love having these conversations because that means I’m closer to heading for Australia,” he smiles, “and that’s always a good thing.”

Luka Bloom plays at Tilley's, Lyneham on April 4, 5 and 6. Tickets from Ticketek on 132 849 or via www.ticketek.com.au). Eleven Songs is out via Shock.

LOCALITY High turnover of personnel is a fact of life in the ACT; in the public service, at my local sandwich shop and in particular amongst the original band scene. Drummers move to Melbourne, guitarists fall out with singers and bands split up over the pizza bill. But as sure as the Stones keep a’rolling, new bands will recombine from the ashes of the old and whipper-snappers fresh out of college will show up at the Pot Belly with a riff and a crazy dream. So for those prone to misty-eyed mourning for the boys-of-last-summer, let’s herald a toast to the next cabs off the rank!

This fortnight’s spotlight venue is the venerable Front Gallery at the Lyneham shops. For those who haven’t been, the Front was opened as an art gallery-cum-cafe a couple of years ago, but after some fantastically out-of-hand Andi and George Band gigs it was transformed overnight into a fully-blown live music venue. As such it’s stepped into the boots left empty when Tilley’s bowed out of live gigs and has proven itself to be remarkably versatile for what is essentially a glassfronted lounge-room with a PA in the corner. On any given night you might see a folky singersongwriter, an afro-Cuban dance band or a dude making ambient noise with a laptop and a mic’d up pane of glass. The one constant is the relaxed atmosphere and egalitarian vibe that makes it one of the ‘Berra’s nicest places to be.

Tuesday March 24 sees The Front play host to the leviathan-voiced Konrad Lenz, he of the nightblack gypsy balladry and sartorial elegance to match. Joining him on the bill are Phil Moriarty and the inestimable Mikelangelo (of Black Sea Gentlemen fame).

Head back there on the Saturday March 28 and let Julia and the Deep Sea Sirens waltz off with your soul as they have with crowds all over the country. Make sure you bag a copy of their fantastic debut album before they start work on the next one.

In the savour-every-last-dropcategory, heart-string thumpers Voss are releasing their first CD before a travel-induced hiatus.

If you’re one of the many to drink their heady mix of angular guitars, tearful violin and visceral drumming then you’ll want to keep a sharp eye out for their super-hush-hush final show/ launch, sometime before April 6.

Otherwise, contact them through the usual web-type channels to line up your copy of what is sure to be a top-flight release.

After months of careful growth in a specially constructed greenhouse, Second Sun are ready to kick butt and take names, beginning on the Monday March 23 at the Phoenix Bootleg Sessions. This act features former members

of such crowd favourites as Australian Kingswood Factory, so a ringside seat on the floor is highly recommended.

The Wedded Bliss are just plain wonderful, a rose-scented brew of beer-tap poetry and narrative country, with a side plate ‘50s rock melody. Cheerful, melancholy, funny and winning, you can see them at the Chisholm Tavern on Sunday March 22.

We’re only a couple of weeks out from Easter weekend and that means the National Folk Festival will be descending on Exhibition Park like a melodious plague of locusts. The huge bill features

a swarm of great local acts like The Fuelers, Mr Fibby (pictured) and The Secret Lunch. More fine details next column, but make sure to get your ticket ahead of time.

You can shoot me any and all info about local gigs: nickdelatovic@hotmail.com NICK DELATOVIC

DANCE: THE DROP With February already ‘fin’, the festival season hangs up its muddy boots and welcomes the month of March where we focus our prostrated corneas on an autumn of clubbing madness.

I thought it would be important to start this issue off with a bang and mention everyone’s favourite colourful explosion festival, Skyfire. This year it finally becomes legally allowed to get drunk in America with its 21st birthday blasting off on Saturday March 21.

This year features the “Irish-Australian supergroup” The Potbelleez performing live at the event, and the generous lads at Friction and Lexington Music have also snapped them up for an official afterparty at Academy supported by Sean Kelly and Ashley Feraude.

Those lads are also the ones to thank for bringing one of my favourite producers to the national capital, with UK electro wiz Fake Blood appearing at Academy on Saturday April 4. Take out your HB and mark that one in your tattered dance diary as the author of the filthy dance floor destroyer Mars, along with massive remixes for such artists as Sinden, Armand Van Helden and The Black Ghosts, is set to tear the roof off.

Pang are solidifying themselves as genuine contenders to go back-toback as Canberra’s Favourite Club Night, with the next few weeks looking bigger than Britney Spears’ monthly prescription bill. Fidget maestro Trevor Loveys is rocking Lot 33 on Friday March 27 supported by RyFi (Lexington Music), Jungle Jerry (MOS, Kuala Lumpur), Hubert, Ashley Feraude, Tim Galvin and Adam Miller. They also give clubbers an early easter present with Kid Kenobi & MC Sureshock making their long awaited return to the club on Thursday April 9 for their Klub Kids tour with Hubert, Beat It and Dave Norgate along for the ride.

Some of you may have heard the negative publicity that has surrounded the release of new Australian film The Combination upon its release in Oz cinemas. While some media might like to overshadow the success of the film with provocative news coverage, it’s always good to give credit to local success stories such as Divy Pota from Oneluv Entertainment in Canberra who has produced some music for the soundtrack. So go and check it out to support some local talent.

Fresh from a stint overseas, the Sneaky Sound System crew return to Canberra for their Poptronica tour at the UC Refectory on Saturday May 2. As you may remember, their intended headline spot at the O in the Park festival was gridlocked due to the festival being cancelled because of venue issues, so this will please fans that may have thought they would miss out on seeing the band perform here in 2009.

SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM

Finally, those who share my affinity with local dance radio station Raw FM will be excited about the release of the station’s latest compilation CD on Friday March 13. The highly desirable double disc has been expertly crafted by two of Canberra’s favourite expats, Chris ‘Jack Black Attack’ Fraser and Jeff ‘I love the Drake’ Drake, and features major crowd pleasers from Kaskade, The Ting Tings, MGMT, Kidda, The Aston Shuffle and John Dahlback, just to name a few. The CD is guaranteed to be one of the year’s biggest local releases so go out and grab one for yourself and one for your mum.

Until next issue, live each day like it’s your last, because you never know when a crazed and bloodied native Australian animal might crash through your bedroom window in the dead of night.

TIM GALVIN tim.galvin@live.com.au bma magazine 18

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"B? N &B? 3D7?3 >357 3@47DD3 ;FK 7@FD7 Kicking off Youth Week 09 with wacky photo-booths, air-soccer, live bands, art, hot dancing, games, random activities and STACKS OF FREE STUFF AND AWESOME PRIZES (like a hot-air balloon ride for two!).

Because youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re young and beautiful.

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Create some innovative artwork at school, college, your youth centre or at home AND win some great prizes. Open to 12-18 yearolds from the ACT and Queanbeyan. Entries close 20 May, for more info go to www.hrc.act.gov.au/artaward

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with their wearable art creations. $1000 worth of Canberra Centre vouchers for the winner. Make sure you vote for your favourite â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;cos thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s another $500 worth of vouchers for the Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Choice winner!

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An expo of classic, retro, chick-magnet bikes from dragsters to custom-build and more!

Free bike cleaning and maintenance and workshops, parts for swap or sale, drop off for your nasty old bike, Cheap and even FREE wheels!

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FRIDAY 27th APRIL

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WITH THE HOLLOW, VERA AND THE PAYBACK 8:00pm @ THE TUGGERANONG YOUTH CENTRE ALL AGES

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WEDNESDAY 1 APRIL

Youth Homelessness

Matters Day Every night, across Australia. 100,000 are homeless.

Nearly half of these are under the age of 25. You do not have to be houseless to be homeless.

Homelessness does not just mean sleeping rough on the streets, it is couch surfing, living in overcrowded situations, in unstable situations with friends and extended family or living in youth accommodation services. www.youthhomelessnessmatters.net at More than Photo by Anonymous young homeless person just numbers exhibition at Carriageworks 2008

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Get the full details by hitting Facebook and searching Woden Youth Centre

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bma magazine 23

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Make a Move and register now www. youth.act.gov.au for more information call Youth Interact 02 6205 3064.

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Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll laugh and cry and hang on the edge of your seat. For bookings/info call 02 6242 0232

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bma magazine 24

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bma magazine 25

WHO: YOU AND YOUR ARTISTIC APTITUDE WHAT: NATIONAL YOUTH SELF PORTRAIT PRIZE 2009 WHERE: NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY WHEN: ENTRIES CLOSE APRIL 30

WHO: HEADSPACE ACT WHAT: ACT’S NEW YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE WHERE: BUILDING 12, LEVEL B, ROOM 40, UNI OF CANBERRA WHEN: STALL AT YOUTH WEEK EXPO, MARCH 27

Do you believe your old girl when she says you’ve a face as pretty as a picture? Moseyed around the National Portrait Gallery and imagined your mug next to Peter Garrett or Chrissy Amphlett? The National Youth Self Portrait Prize is open to artists in the 18 to 25 bracket and is accepting works in any of the following two dimensional media: drawing, printing, painting, traditional or digital still photography and screen based media such as film, video or animation. A selection of entries and the winning work will be displayed at the NPG from July 23 until September 13, and thanks to the Tallis Foundation and the Association of Australian Decorative and Fine Arts Societies, $10,000 will be awarded to the most pleasing portrait! For more info and an entry form, head to portrait.gov.au or phone 02 6102 7000. Just don’t go slashin’ off an ear now!

headspace ACT is a new mental health service and it’ll have an informative and interactive presence at the Youth Week Expo. headspace ACT is a one-stop shop for young people aged 12 to 25, as well as their families, to receive mental health and/or alcohol and other drug support, information and assistance in a youthfriendly environment. It’s based on a world-first model which links existing medical, community and clinical services to ensure young people receive the help they need. If you’re having sleeping or eating difficulties, experiencing alcohol or other drug issues, or if the black black blues are colouring your days in some very dark shades, headspace ACT might be of assistance - and to help you stop feeling down, they’ve got a hot air balloon ride up for grabs! For more info check out the Expo stall, head to headspace.org.au/act, phone 6201 5343 or email headspaceACT@canberra.edu.au.

WHO: YOU AND YOUR YOUTHFUL INSIGHTS WHAT: YOUTH INTERACT CONFERENCE WHERE: AINSLIE ARTS CENTRE WHEN: APRIL 3 The Annual Youth Conference is an interactive forum for sharing ideas and providing feedback to the ACT Government, and if you thought it couldn’t get any better than this, there’ll also be a horizontal bungee, jumping castles, chill out tents, lives performances by local bands and emcees and a swag of vouchers and prizes to be won. Topics to be addressed during the conference include the perception of youth in the media, Australia’s binge drinking culture, mental health and well-being, cyber bullying and climate change, with Ronan Sharky from triple j as one of the facilitators. Add to this some workshops on drumming, hiphop moves, circus skills and stencil art, as well as a free lunch, and you’ve got yourself one massive day of youth-oriented madness and having your opinions heard. Register now to avoid missing out! Head to youth. act.gov.au or call Denise Bridges on 6205 3064. Get Interactive!

WHO: YOU AND YOUR CONTEMPORARIES WHAT: NATIONAL YOUTH WEEK EXPO WHERE: GAREMA PLACE WHEN: MARCH 27 While the humble spud was celebrated internationally for the entirety of last year (’08 was indeed the Year of the Potato), Australia’s youth have to settle for a mere seven days devoted to their talents and contributions. But what a cracking super fun week it’s set to be - and it’ll be potato free! The Youth Week Expo will set this big bouncy ball rolling with everything your sharp young mind could possibly imagine being featured at a youth oriented exposition. Live bands, dance displays, market stalls and games will see Garema Place go off from four ‘til eight like a spud in a dark, dank cupboard. Young entrepreneurs also have the opportunity to have their own stall for no charge at all. For more info email youthweek@youthcoalition.net or call 6247 3540.

bma magazine 26

WHO: YOU AND YOUR DEADLY TREADLY WHAT: RECYCLERY RETRO BIKE EXPO AND SWAP MEET WHERE: THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ, LYNEHAM WHEN: MARCH 28 You got it for your fourth birthday and it made you the envy of all your playgroup pals: your shiny red and yellow tricycle with novelty horn saw you cruising your cul de sac with the air of a toddler who was just too cool for preschool. And then you turned five. Your Ninja Turtles themed sparkling silver two-wheeler had all the kids in your street lining up for a turn. Remember these days like they were yesterday? Then the Retro Bike Expo is most definitely for you - an expo of classic, retro, chick-magnet bikes from dragsters to custom-built and more. There’ll be free maintenance workshops, parts for swap or sale including sweet wheels, you can drop off your neglected bikes and there’ll be free takeaway bikes that need fixing up (you’ll be shown how). Create your own green, mean, two-wheeled machine! Hit the National Youth Week site, youthweek.com, for more info.

WHO: MULTICULTURAL YOUTH SERVICES ACT WHAT: LIV’N & MOV’N PHOTO EXHIBITION WHERE: OFFICE OF MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS FOYER, LEVEL 2 THEO NOTARAS CENTRE, LONDON CIRCUIT WHEN: APRIL 2 TO 9 Multicultural Youth Services ACT provides free support services to migrants and refugees aged from 12 to 25 who are starting a new life in Canberra. These services include accommodation, employment, education, finance and English language and homework support, while holiday programs and skills development workshops are also held regularly. As part of National Youth Week, MYS are holding a photography exhibition which will showcase the work of young people involved with MYS. Emigrating to or seeking refuge in another country is arguably one of the most traumatic experiences a young person could ever go through, and the exhibition gives these culturally diverse, newly arrived young people an opportunity to share their stories and showcase their talents to their family, friends and the wider community through the accessible medium of photography.

WHO: ENVIRONMENTALLY-MINDED YOUTH WHAT: ACT OTHERWISE WORKSHOP WHERE: THE GRIFFIN CENTRE WHEN: MARCH 25, APRIL 1 AND APRIL 8

WHO: YOU SEX GOD, YOU WHAT: UC SHAG WEEK TWIGHLIGHT FAIR WHERE: UC CONCOURSE WHEN: APRIL 1, AT TWIGHLIGHT It’s most certainly not a sexpo, but it is a sex-themed carnival! As part of National Youth Week and UC’s Sexual Health and Guidance Week (SHAG - gotta love those amazingly apt acronyms) Sexual Health and Family Planning ACT are sponsoring this super sexy occasion which will feature burlesque dancers, fire twirlers, DJs, jugglers and some seriously tasty, and free, food. There’s a semi-serious side to it though; the carnival style games and activities are designed to get young people to share their opinions, thoughts and ideas which will be used to inform, support and promote current and future health promotions. Games include floating ducks, where players will fish the ducks out of the water not with a rod but with a lubricated speculum, and there’s also the ol’ ring toss, but the poles will be replaced by dildos and condom demonstrators. Bet you didn’t play that in sex ed. For more info call 6201 2133.

WHO: INDIGENOUS AND MULTICULTURAL YOUTH OF THE ACT WHAT: UP YOUR ART 4 - SHOW US YOUR ROOTS! WHERE: ANCA GALLERY WHEN MARCH 24 TO APRIL 5 Show Us Your Roots is the fourth in a series of annual exhibitions which offers indigenous and multicultural youth of the ACT the opportunity to express their cultural heritage though art and exhibiting. The launch will include free traditional foods that reflect the backgrounds of the exhibiting artists.

WHO: THE STUDENTS OF ROCK SCHOOL WHAT: ROCK SCHOOL BANDS PERFORMING LIVE WHERE: YOUTH WEEK EXPO, GAREMA PLACE WHEN: MARCH 27 Music For Everyone is an ACT community arts organisation that provides musical tuition, performance opportunities and workshops for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities, and it appears they’ve been inspired by the Jack Black classic and taught some kiddies how to play. The students of the Rock School holiday programs will be flaunting their musical flair at the National Youth Week Expo, performing much loved rock anthems as well as their own originals.

Do you shower with buckets round your ankles? Have a stinking ice cream container of compost under your sink? Cycle everywhere you go and consider yourself a bit of a Captain Planet? Think the air on the moral high ground sweet? What? None of the above? Then you better make your way (by bicycle or on foot) to ACT otherWISE’s three sessions of workshops to learn how your lifestyle affects the planet.

WHO: LOVE CUPBOARD AND GHOST TOWN DAYS WHAT: DIY THEATRE DOUBLE BILL WHERE: BELCONNEN THEATRE, BELCONNEN COMMUNITY SERVICES SWANSON COURT WHEN: APRIL 3 AND APRIL 4, 7pm Like theatre? Like seeing it for free? As part of National Youth Week ‘09, two local writer/directors are bringing you the DIY Double Bill: Love Cupboard and Ghost Town Days. And to encourage the ‘yoof’ to go check it out, the show is free. Absurd! Speaking of which... Ghost Town Days, written and directed by Aj Biega, is an absurdist play about death, ammo, love and nice cannibals. When hitman Phil ends up shot in a desert ghost town, he must confront his inner psyche and the troubles of small business. From absurd to quirky, Emma Gibson’s Love Cupboard centres on a teenage runaway who has been hiding in her boyfriend’s cupboard for a year and a half. A black comedy about romance, fantasy and philosophy, Love Cupboard asks ‘Just how far would you go for love?’

Don’t miss out on your FREE ticket. Book on 6264 0232.

WHO: JUMPTOWN SWING WHAT: SWING DANCIN' FOR ALL AGES WHERE: SPACE DANCE STUDIO, EAST ROW, CIVIC WHEN: MARCH 27 Can you picture yourself as a modern-day Astaire or Rogers? Well, with their new series of classes for kids, Jumptown Swing can set you on the right track. Jumptown’s new classes for 9 to 15 year-olds will be kicking off next school term, offering an opportunity to develop dance skills at a young age, as well as good posture, balance, rhythm, musicality, social skills (working in groups), self-confidence and coordination. But most of all, they’re fun! There’s a free taster class on Thursday April 23, while regular classes start April 30 for an 8 week term, running between 5.15 and 6.15pm at The Space Dance Studio (downstairs at Civic Bus Interchange, next door to IGA supermarket). Look for Jumptown Swing at the launch of Youth Week on Friday March 27 with swing dancing demonstrations and a mini-workshop to try it on for size. For more info and registration, email classes@jumptown.org or call Oren on 0407 770 728/Liam on 0412 127 168. bma magazine 27

ALL AGES

Canberra’s all ages scene is really lacking at the moment, but we have new, unknown names popping up over the next couple of weeks, all of which show some real talent. We've been producing some amazing local bands with shitloads of potential lately, so read on to see where you can feast your collective eyes and ears on some home grown talent.

Hardcore phenomenon 50 Lions will be playing at the Tuggeranong Youth Centre on Friday March 27 from 6pm. Prepare to bleed from the ears, biatches, because when these guys play, they play hard. Attracting hordes of screaming fans along their way, 50 Lions are sure to impress with their spine-tingling breakdowns and crushing vocals. Straight from Australia’s fastest-growing hardcore scene, the Byron Bay lads play an energetic and aggressive brand of hardcore. Having toured with such legendary bands as I Killed the Prom Queen, Comeback Kid and Evergreen Terrace in the past, it shall be a show of epic proportions - and is sure to be one of the biggest circle pits Canberra has seen in yonks.

50 LIONS Shannon Noll’s goatee has been kept intact for us all these years, and on Sunday March 29 the goatee itself will be making an appearance at the Southern Cross Club, Woden. Word on the street is that Shannon himself may also be there. Argueably Australia’s favourite idol contestant, he has carved an name for himself in our music industry. You’re either in for a legendary night of county-tinged rockin', or a night of a watching a drunken yobbo embarrass himself. Whichever way it goes, you’re going to have a good time. Tickets are $45 for the show and $85 show and dinner.

For all you budding hip-hop move-busters out there, get yourselves down to the very first Australian Hip-Hop Dance Championships, which will feature special guest appearances from some of the top 20 finalists on So You Think You Can Dance. Hosted by MC KG and featuring DJ Rush, there will be performances from some of Australia’s freshest-in-tha-hood hip-hop artists such as Kash Boys, Still Cool and K1, as well as showcases from Kulture Break, Urban Lava and Fresh Funk. You'll also be treated with one-on-one battles, with prizes of up to $1,000 in prize money, plus plenty of free giveaways. Canberra crews can sign up now at www.hiphopdance.com.au .Tickets are available from sixonethree clothing, Garema Arcade, Civic, and Savannah Restaurant & Café at the Tuggeranong Hyperdome. So make sure you fresh, hip, wiggitty-whack dawgs are there on Thursday March 26 at 6.30pm pm at The Auditorium, Vikings Club, Erindale.

So get out there guys and support some up-and-coming local talent, bring some mates and have a laugh. Canberra’s all ages scene can always do with a helping hand and by going to these shows, supporting the local bands and showing the big guns how much we appreciate them coming to Canberra, we can keep it alive and kicking for a bit longer.

LIZ ROWLEY bma magazine 28

elizabeth_rowley@live.com.au

bma magazine 29

METALISE This marks the 100th column for me here at BMA. I could wax lyrical about a whole bunch of things that have happened in that time, but I ain’t got time for sentiment because since I started doing this I reckon international tours have increased tenfold and I just don’t have the time for that sentiment. Keep sending me your gigs and info though; I’ve always wanted to maintain the column as more a local reference and info on what’s going on in our neck of the woods as there’s plenty of mags and websites to let you know when Slayer’s new album will be ready. Oh, that will be in a few months time by the way.

Trivium are back again in May with their tour to support the Shogun album. The nearest show for Canberrans is in Sydney at the UNSW Roundhouse on May 14 and it’s a licensed all ages as well. The guys are bringing out Heaven Shall Burn and Black Tide for the whole tour.

Tickets on sale Thursday March 19, but if Thursday is no good for you then the tour hits the Palace Theatre in Melbourne on Friday May 15.

Also in May, Cradle of Filth are back for their first tour since the Midian tour in 2000. Suffolk, England’s purveyors of the perverse will bring their black metal theatre to Sydney on Thursday May 28 at The Metro and the tour is once again all ages (it’s so Dani Filth can be taller than someone in the crowd). The tour is under the moniker Godspeed on the Devil Down Under Australian Tour, so godspeed to Ticketek for fans.

In a moment of reason, the almost hideous short notice for the Rock Out Festival - supposedly featuring, among many others, Lordi, Girlschool, Twisted Sister, Eyefear and Scarlet Sins - which was slated to go ahead over a whole weekend in just four weeks time from this going to print, and with a weekend ticket price of over $250, has been rethought.

Blade Promotions have apparently seen the light and now the show has been put off until September/ October. Another hot tour rumour for October is High On Fire (left) - please let this one be true!

A weekend festival on a smaller scale down in Victoria is coming up over two days at the end of the month. Such Is Life fest is held over two nights in Truganina, 19km west of the Melbourne CBD on the Weribee train line on March 27 and 28. A mix of punk and metal, the line-up on Friday includes Straightjacket Nation (pictured below), Super Happy Fun Slide, Useless Children, Ex-Spectator, All My Circuits, Rort and the band formerly known as Cut Sick, now Cult Minds. The Saturday line-up is Crossed Lines, Taipan, Shitfight, The Once Overs, Crux, Captain Cleanoff and Pisschrist with both nights kicking off at 7pm sharp. More details on www.myspace. com/suchislifefest .

Blood Duster have begun pre-production on their latest full length follow up to Lyden Na, to be released ahead of the band’s appearance at the Obscene Extreme festival in winter.

JOSH doomtildeath@hotmail.com NP: Decontamination - Insect Warfare - World Extermination bma magazine 30

Forever Fractious David Bulter There’s a public expectation in the weird and wonderful world of alternative music that a punk rock band isn’t worth jack until it’s been worked to the bone by playing hundreds of brutal live shows, as well as releasing a constant run of EPs and albums. Only this kind of proven track record will earn a band respect in this fiercely independent genre.

Based in the inner-city Sydney suburb of Newtown, GRAND FATAL has earned its stripes in this very way, attracting attention with their 2005 debut Allies.

It took the coincidence of a bass player moving on as well as singer Jimmy Meek breaking his hand for Grand Fatal to reassess its hectic work schedule. Looking back on that break in momentum, Meek says, “We’ve always been a full-tilt sort of band; we’ve really just gone for it all the time, keeping things moving and putting out albums and EPs, as well as constant touring. That changed a couple of years ago. I broke my hand and our bass player moved on and we had to change bass players, so that slowed us up a lot. Because of that we operate a bit differently now. We put in a lot more time and care into what we’re doing.”

Back with its long awaited follow up album, Free in Fractions, Grand Fatal are a vastly different beast to the band that exists on their hectic debut.

“Allies was frantically and hastily recorded amongst a whole bunch of solid touring,” Meek says. “I was quite ill at the time as well, so it was a pretty intense process. We were under a lot of time restrictions, and it gives that album a really urgent feel.”

“This time round, we took about a year to record the album, and we did it in blocks of a few days each. During the year we went in over many different sessions, which made for a much more laidback atmosphere – not to say that the music sounds laidback – but we had a lot of time to think about different tracks and re-record some parts as well.”

“We’ve always been a full-tilt sort of band; we’ve really just gone for it all the time” A more dynamic, textured and focused record than its predecessor, Free in Fractions retains the energy of Allies, but with an attention to detail that marks an evolution for Grand Fatal. Meek says the fine tuning has made for a stronger album. “We spent a lot of time on microphone placement to get different sounds, but there are also pianos and keyboards, and extra percussion elements as well. It’s mixed quite subtly, so it doesn’t sound like this giant, overblown wank of a rock album. We spent a lot of time honing the tones of our instruments to the specific parts of the songs.”

Looking back over the barely controlled chaos of the last few years, Meek agrees that Grand Fatal has grown and changed as a band. “I guess it’s just from spending more time with each other as band members. We do feel a lot closer as a band. The music has evolved and become more focused as a result. Our initial vision of the music we wanted to make hasn’t changed, but it’s become a lot more focused now.”

In support of Free in Fractions, Grand Fatal will be playing at Havoc, a day/night rock and punk extravaganza also featuring Lamexcuse, The Royals, Between the Devil & the Deep, The Optionals and many more. It’s all happening at The Basement on Saturday April 4. Doors at 3pm, tix are $20 and are available at Landspeed, the venue or on the door.

bma magazine 31

Doe, a Deer...

Josh Brown Homer Simpson. He’s who you need to keep in mind if you can’t remember how to pronounce the name of catchy indie-pop duo THE DØ. But unlike Homer’s famous grunt, there’s nothing to be annoyed by in the sweet tunes of this Franco-Finnish pairing. Their name instead references the notes at the beginning and end of the musical scale - simultaneously representing both new and old - and is also a metaphor for the abundance of musical styles found on their quite aptly named debut LP, A Mouthful. Olivia Merilahti, the cute-asa-button singer of the group, phoned in from Paris to chat with BMA about The Dø’s upcoming tour of Australia, A Mouthful’s only nonEnglish track and her ability to sing in three different languages.

The V Festival, taking place across the country in March and April, sees The Dø’s first visit to Australian shores in their relatively short history.“We haven’t been before and it’s really far and everyone who comes back from there tells us how great it is, for real!” Merilahti gushes.“Australia’s really popular, so we’ll see if we have as much fun as everyone tells us.”

One would certainly hope they do, but the festival circuit can be tough – especially on bands with little gig experience. Merilahti reveals that she and bandmate Dan Levy were thrown in the deep end when it came to learning to play before an audience. “It was all so new for us,” she admits. “When our tour manager came to us [in 2007] and said ‘okay, you have a gig in a month’ – we didn’t have a band, we’d never rehearsed before and we had no idea how we were gonna do it.

We just took a drummer and started playing the songs and rehearsing like crazy. It was quite terrifying for us in the beginning! It was really scary to get on stage because we’d been so used to this cocoon that we had in the studio. It was dangerous!”

Despite Merilahti’s apprehension, I get the feeling that learning to play before an audience wouldn’t have been too big a hurdle for the singer to overcome. She is a very talented individual after all, and has the ability to converse not only in English, but in French and Finnish too. The majority of the material on A Mouthful is sung in English, yet one of its most intriguing songs is Unissasi Laulelet – a beautiful tale sung in Finnish.“It means ‘you’re singing in your sleep.’ I wanted it to be very traditional, so it’s obviously some kind of really naïve and natural imagery with nature and animals,” Merilahti says, kindly explaining the meaning of the song for all of BMA’s non-Finnish speaking readers.“It’s just poetry about someone singing in their sleep and, how can I say... being caught back with the wind and the sea and the ocean and the snow.”

For a band with diverse European roots, it seems a tad strange that the majority of the lyrics on the album are in English. An attempt to appeal to and break into the lucrative British and American markets, perhaps?

“Oh, that’s just me,” Merilahti confesses.“I’ve always been singing in English. I grew up in a family where we spoke French and Finnish and then English was the music we listened to. It used to be almost a sin for a musician to sing in English in France. There was a terrible pressure on musicians because it was protectionism. They wanted to keep French music a majority on radio and releases.” The French public seems to have become a little more open-minded as of late thankfully, as evidenced by A Mouthful’s top placing in the French charts in its first week of release.

With any luck, this success will extend to the Dø’s appearance at V Fest in a few weeks. And the imminent chants of “dø/d’oh” will be out of admiration, not frustration.

Catch the Dø at the V Festival at Centennial Park in Sydney on Saturday 28 March. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster and more info can be found at www.vfestival.com.au .

“It used to be a sin for a musician to sing in English in France”

bma magazine 32

Set the Controls...

Jessica Conway

THE SUNPILOTS have aimed for the limits of the Australian rock music scene and are well on their way to success. I was still lamenting the fate of my dying air conditioner when I spoke to frontman Raj Sivah-Rajah to discuss the band and their latest releases, as well as their comprehensive and hectic March of the Drones tour schedule.

The group cultivated their indie-pop/rock sound in the Sydney suburbs circa 2006. Since that time they have mastered their genre and damnnear nailed a musical formula for success. Their style is comparable to some of their favourite bands who include Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Muse and Live. Raj is a songwriter who puts thought and effort into his lyrics, and each catchy track holds both weight and a message. However, they are designed in such a way that you can obliviously drive along, tapping your steering wheel whilst daydreaming about dinner or your next pair of shoes. Raj’s Sri Lankan upbringing has a “subtle” influence over the album, but in the future he wants to work on more fusion material as seen in one track already. “I had my mum chant at the start of Mediated Shell, which is now one of my favourite tracks,” he says.

Their debut album, Living Receiver, has been a year in the making and the boys are justifiably satisfied with the end result. Their latest single, Drones, is a song of rebellion against society’s expectations. “We all work day jobs and the corporate suits and ties kinda vibe grinds against my creative side. A lot of people are doing things, like work and dress and other activities, because work/society expects it.” Raj wrote Drones with guitarist Bob Spencer and their different styles meld smoothly. “I have a dark tone to my lyrics whereas Bob is much more Chili Peppers.” These talents combined created the catchy, pop/rock anthem-in-waiting.

Both teenage favourites like Radiohead and Muse and current obsessions such as Tom Waits and Neil Young have had an impact on The Sunpilots’ sound, explains Raj. “You listen to what you like and you write what you like.” Though this album was only in production for a year, the majority of songs have been floating around in bits and pieces for at least twice as long – aging like a good red. Their sound and articulate lyrics should appeal to Boomers and the X/Y gen alike, with echoes of the Floyd in there as well. One appealing quirk of the group is how they resolve artistic differences: not paper, scissors, rock, and no pulling ideas out of a hat, but playing ping-pong. Yes, they had a table in the studio and they swatted it out over guitar riffs and hooks like real men.

According to Raj, they are more than ready to take to the Aussie roads, and will play to a huge 25 different audiences over the course of the latest tour. “It is gonna be awesome, but tiring. We like being on the road way more than being in the studio and we’ve been in the studio for long enough.” The Sunpilots are returning to some notable venues but refuse to forget the dusty back roads of Australia. They do have their sights set for international shores, but not on this tour. “We decided from a money and business point of view to put all our eggs in one basket and release more singles here and do more national tours to grow our fanbase”.

Following their mid-week stand during ANU’s O-Week celebrations in February, we lucky Canberrans will have another opportunity to witness the Sunpilots’ indie rock prowess as they March the Drones into Transit Bar to close their tour on Saturday April 4.

"The corporate suits and ties kinda vibe grinds against my creative side" bma magazine 33

1RQGRQ Scott Adams

(DOOLQJ

Of course you’ve heard of MADNESS. They’ve been at this pop lark for 30 years now, filling your ears with such proto Brit-pop gems as Our House, Baggy Trousers and It Must Be Love. Hell, they even penned one of my favourite lyrics of all time, viz the marvelous couplet: “I’m as honest as the day is long/the longer the daylight the less I do wrong” from Shut Up, one of the singles from the 1981 album 7. Your ma ‘n’ da probably used to love them, ‘back in the day’.

Indeed, during the band’s early '80s heyday, the world and its wife had a soft spot for North London’s nuttiest sons. And now, as luck would have it, Madness are back, with some Antipodean shows (notably for us Canberrans, an appearance at Sydney’s V-Fest and an accompanying Sydney side show in the big top at Luna Park in a couple of weeks time) and, perhaps even more excitingly, a new album – their first of all-new material in a decade – mysteriously entitled The Liberty of Norton Folgate, a concept album about an obscure part of the East End of London.

Of course, if I’m interested in all of this, there’s a fair chance you will be too, so, given the chance of a quick chat with one of the Los Palmas 7, I jumped like one of those fleas you used to see in travelling circuses. Less than 24 hours later I’m on the phone to Chis Foreman (aka Chrissy Boy), erstwhile guitarist and one of the main songwriters of the band. So, Mr Foreman, this new album – it’s conceptual, I believe?

“I dunno. I mean, it’s a collection of songs that have a link.”

Madness aren’t really concept album fodder, are they?

“It’s our Sgt. Pepper,” Foreman issues a throaty laugh, full of mischief.

“Don’t you hate that when you hear people say that about a band – ‘it’s their Sgt. Pepper’? When the idea came up for us to record an album and we signed a record deal, I actually left the band for a couple of years. I didn’t want to do it. Then we did The Dangermen album (a collection of covers of their ska, reggae and r’n’b favourites), which I also didn’t want to do… I had no interest in doing a covers album at all. But it got us back into recording and we found this old office building in (North London suburb) Highbury that we turned into a lockup – it was much like when we first started, going there every day, rehearsing and things started to gel. (Main man) Suggs came in one day and said he had an idea to do a set of songs all connected with a common theme, which was London. And I thought ‘hold on, every fucking song we’ve ever written is about London, the people there, the places, where’s the difference there?’ I was dubious, but he played us the song that’s now the title track of the new album and it was great, you know?”

Hold on, every fucking song we’ve ever written is about London”

But back to this concept album business I say, hell bent on pursuing my line of questioning.

“Well, for our fourth album, (1982’s excellent The Rise and Fall), when we’d finished writing it, we realised that all the songs could be linked to one central character and the events in his life. We even had spoken word links ready to go between the tracks, which we ended up not using. But I think that could well have been described as a concept album if you really wanted to.”

Was there too much pressure on you at the time to keep the hit singles and amusing videos coming?

“Not really, no. I think we could have done it if we’d wanted to.”

So you didn’t feel any pressure yourselves, even if the record company wasn’t getting twitchy?

“No, not at all. It’s interesting you talk about the videos (the band were well known for their marvellous promo clips). I was thinking about that the other day. I used to get really, um, almost up my own arse about them. I considered them to be great pieces of art, you know?”

That laugh comes back again. But it’s fair enough – who’s gonna love your stuff if you don’t love it yourself? They’ve aged better than some from the time.

“Ha ha! That’s right. I look at The Jam’s videos from the same time. And it’s such a shame. Paul Weller was such a great lyricist, but their videos were shit!”

We’re both laughing now, and I decide to move the conversation away to matters less controversial, less the Modfather gets wind of our mickey taking – is it easier to be in Madness now, now that there’s no pressure to bust the charts with every release?

“No. Because we all go away and do other things for most of the time, it’s harder to get the ball rolling each time. But we enjoy the shows and other people seem to enjoy it…”

Indeed we do. But we at least reside in an English-speaking country and as such are able to appreciate some of the more nuanced humour inherent in the Madness canon. How does the band go down in other areas?

“D’you know, when we first started we were, for some reason, immensely popular in Belgium , France, even Germany. But then we were offered the chance to go to America and we decided, wrongly as it turns out, that it’d be more fun to play there. But no, we’ve always been lucky that the language thing doesn’t seem to be a problem.”

And Australia? Looking forward to it this time?

“Well, I always say that the only reason we haven’t been back down there for so long was that it took us so long to recover from the last trip – there was a lot of razzling going on in those days!”

And hopefully there will be this time?

You went with the flow?

“Ha ha! Bring a wig and I’ll smuggle you backstage – we’ll have a few beers!”

“Yeah, and I’m glad now that we did. I really hope we have the balls to play that song (the ten minute title track of the new album) when we come down and play for you guys, you know? I really want to play it, and, well, if you don’t like it – there’ll be another hit along in ten minutes, so…”

You heard the man – don your most dapper wig and make your way to the Sydney leg of the V Festival at Centennial Park on Saturday March 28, or to Luna Park on Thursday March 26 for the sideshow. Tickets to both are available through Ticketmaster.

“[It's] a celebration of guitars and amps which represent a fascinating mix of industrial art, engineering, design, aesthetics, social history, culture, fashion and the making of music"

Careful with that axe...

Peter Krbavac For local guitar enthusiast Ian Stehlik, aka Dr Zot, his love affair with the instrument was cemented when, as a 17-year-old exchange student, he spent a year in the US, the birthplace of the blues. Living north west of Chigaco, he immersed himself in the local music scene. “I was lucky enough to see some great music - Muddy Waters with his band for example,” Ian remembers, “which was very inspiring both in terms of playing guitar and feeling the power of music.” By mowing lawns he saved up enough money to purchase a 1960 Gibson Melody Maker, which set him on the road to guitar obsession.

“I gradually started looking out for the guitars that I was curious about playing myself,” Ian says. “Over the past 20 years I’ve played and collected a lot of guitars and amps, so much so that I decided to start up the Zone of Tone website to feed the habit, as it were.”

This has in turn lead to Ian lugging his vintage beauties ‘round the country, organising a series of vintage guitar shows in Adelaide in the early ’90s and exhibiting at the Australian Blues Music Festival in Goulburn, the Wintersun Rockabilly Fest on the Gold Coast, the Adelaide Fringe Festival and, naturally, the Adelaide International Guitar Festival last year. Now it’s his hometown’s turn, and so on March 21 and 22, The Statesman Hotel in Curtin will be invaded by vintage specialists for THE NATIONAL VINTAGE GUITAR AND AMP WEEKEND. The scope of the festival will be expansive, with a variety of exhibitors - including Steve Jackson of Sydney’s world-renowned Jackson’s Rare Guitars - displaying guitars, amps and effects for punters to demo and purchase. Canberra will be well represented, not only by Zone of Tone’s expansive inventory, but by Derek Lark, who hand makes valve amps, and local luthiers Ray Berketa and John Copley.

“At one end of our time spectrum we’ll have a number of 1920s and 30s Stellas,” Ian explains. “At the more recent end, lots of guitarists have an interest in 1950s and 60s Fender Telecasters and Stratocasters, or 1970s Gibson Les Pauls or SGs, but may not have had a chance to get and close up and personal with these guitars, let alone have several on hand to compare and contrast.”

But as well as the usual suspects, there’ll be enough obscurities to keep more esoteric collectors happy. “Some of the lesser known names we’ll have at The Weekend include guitars by the Oscar Schmidt Company (makers of Stella and Sovereign), there’ll certainly be Kays, Magnatones and so forth, plus a few Euro rarities,” Ian says. “I’m quite keen on old Australian guitars and amps, so we’ll be displaying a good number of real old guitars and amps by Maton, Goldentone, Moody and Pacific Guitars, who were in operation in Melbourne in the 1940s.”

In addition to mountains of equipment on display, the weekend will also feature a program of performances and workshops, where punters will hear some of the instruments played by pros, who’ll also talk about the instruments, tone and technique. As an added bonus, experts will be on hand to cast their eye over any pieces the public care to bring in and give an appraisal, Antiques Roadshow-style.

“The weekend is designed to be celebration of guitars and amps which represent a fascinating mix of industrial art, engineering, design, aesthetics, social history, culture, fashion and, of course, the making of music,” Ian summarises. “We’re hoping that lots of people come along to enjoy these various elements."

The Canberra Vintage Guitar Festival will be held at the Statesman Hotel, Curtin from 10am to 10pm, Saturday March 21, and 10am to 6pm, Sunday March 22. For more info and a full program, head to www.zot.com.au .

"Real life people don’t care about your fucking street yap"

BLACKBOX After a massive Underbelly catch up marathon, your fearless Blackbox columnist can’t wait for the next ep. As predicted here some weeks ago, it still takes a leap of faith to believe the Mayor of Parkes is a gangster and he comes off a little more bumbling than Aussie Bob Trimbole probably would have been. Sure, it’s set in the ‘70s with a lot more mafia figures, but is it really necessary to show that many shots of breasts? There’s more sex on display here than in The Sopranos – and they conducted meetings in a strip club. It’s not that bare-breasted women are a problem on prudish grounds, just that they distract from the story. Largely they are like wallpaper, setting the scene, a bit like Matt Newton’s attempt at a Kiwi accent – so overdone that it’s a distraction from the action. And so far it’s missing its own Roberta – a standout character that has you glued to the screen. While it doesn’t quite measure up to the original, it’s still definitely worth putting on the chez Blackbox must-view list.

Desperate Housewives is clearly suffering in its timeslot up against Underbelly and Prime aren’t afraid to admit it – the press release for their Desperate Housewives catch-up last weekend began with the question ‘Have you had a bellyful of boobs, butts, blood and bullets on your Monday Night?’

There are some gems on British TV at the moment that wise viewers will lobby Australian networks (in particular the ABC, who has direct lines into British TV) to include in their programming. Firstly there is the awesome comedy Peep Show, which puts The Office to shame in the inappropriate behaviour stakes. Then there is FM, which features stars from the IT Crowd and Teachers working in a radio station. Also huge in London is the American drama Madmen, set in an advertising agency in the ‘50s.

Do you remember choose your own adventure books? Comedian Lawrence Leung has taken the concept to the box. In Lawrence Leung’s Choose Your Own Adventure (ABC1, Wed Mar 25, 9.30pm) he tries to recreate the adventures he had as a child – the first episode features him trying to track down his first love from the third grade.

Surfers (and those like yours truly who like the whole idea of being a surfer but possess neither the commitment nor ability to do it) won’t want to miss the two part Bombora: The story of Australian surfing (ABC1, Thu Mar 26, 8.30pm).

Infamous Assassins (Prime, Sun, 10.30pm) takes a close look at some high profile assassinations and attempts such as those involving Robert Kennedy, John Lennon and Princess Anne.

Fans of Bell Shakespeare should take a seat in their home theatre for An Obsession with Hamlet (ABC1 Sun Mar 29 9pm) which takes a behind the scenes look at the company’s production of Hamlet.

Ideal World (ABC1, Apr 1, 9.25pm) follows a long line of programs that have examined the Second Life phenomenon. This one features insights from creator Philip Rosedale.

Top Gear Australia is seemingly struggling to find a live audience – you can register at www.sbs.com.au/topgearaustralia if you’d like to help them out.

For a youtube treat check out the Hollowmen’s clever viral marketing campaign featuring a discussion about the ABC’s triennial funding round – www.youtube.com/watch?v=yY4r0Co_R8 TRACY HEFFERNAN tracyheffernan@bigpond.com

Bukking the Trend Stevie Easton Born in Canberra, raised in New Jersey, and now permanently based in Melbourne, BUKKCITY is a unique rapper to emerge in the Australian hip-hop scene. He’s just dropped his first release, an EP called Same Place, and took some time out to speak with BMA about his new record and the upcoming Reverb ‘09 Tour.

It’s not what some would expect out of Australia, but the production is awesome and his rhymes hit the beat spot on. The beats are matched perfectly to the instrumental and lyrical samples - which include Sarah Blasko - and fuse together to compliment Bukkcity’s smooth-flowing, East Coast-accented rap style.

His take on hip-hop is obviously a little different to much of what is released in the underground scene locally, which he says is becoming a little territorial, influenced by the US gang culture that he grew up in. In his opinion, these are negative clichés that Aussie MCs should steer away from.

“The only reason you should care about the area that you’re from is if you’re in a fucking gang or something and you can’t cross other territories.”

I’m struck by how friendly Bukkcity is, and I suppose that’s why he makes connections so easily in music – he sees himself more as a professional musician than underground rapper. Music is a trade to him and hip-hop is simply the genre he grew up with. “I’m not afraid to get out there, meet any other musicians and be creative. I will bet you anything that there are hip-hop heads out there listening to The Veronicas and Britney Spears,” he says, laughing. Take note - he won Best Urban Artist at the MusicOz awards two years running, appeared at The Veronicas’ birthday party concert, and he even got his picture taken with Delta Goodrem! In this country, isn’t that success?

I have a lot of respect for Bukkcity because he doesn’t want to celebrate a life of hardship and poverty, even though he has experienced one.

To him, it’s slightly amusing to see the Aussie lads imitating US rap by ‘claiming’ their cities on tracks, when in the US this is “because it comes from gangs and those guys want to be gangsta rappers, so they start talking that street, they want to be gully.”

Take note local wannabe gangstas: Bukkcity even uses the word ‘gully’ (tough and streetwise) in conversation, but would still prefer to be as universal as he can. “Real life people don’t care about your fucking street yap… that’s why when I talk about something on a song, I talk about it like I’m talking to you personally.”

He thinks that a lot of the local MCs influenced by US rap think that gangsta cliches must be what’s required of their lyrics. This, he says, can lead to dumb, generic lyrics that insult the average listener’s intelligence.

Instead, he tries to write for any listener - such as his girlfriend, who apparently hates hip-hop.

“You get rappers who just write - then you get rappers who actually talk about something. I’ve always admired and aspired to be the one who actually talks about something. I don’t want to write for the sake of writing.”

Bukkcity will be launching his EP Same Place on the Reverb ’09 Tour, which comes to the ANU Bar on Wednesday April 1. Also playing are Mind Over Matter, Tycotic, Coptic Soldier, Phatchance, Drake, Blaze, Johnny Utah and more. Tickets are $15 from www.oztix.com, or $20 on the door.

THEATRE COLUMN Directed by Cara Irvine. Tickets at the door. Thursday 19 to Saturday March 21 at 8pm.

- Steve Coogan. I love him. Why don’t you? Friday March 27, Canberra Theatre. All tix $69.60.

So late. So very late. So late, in fact, that this fortnight TC will be delivered entirely in dot point, to save time.

- The draft of artsACT’s Theatre in the ACT Strategic Directions Statement has been released to be commented on by the public. You are the public. SO COMMENT! It’s up on artsACT’s website at www.arts.act.gove.au, and comments from the public should be directed to artsACT@ act.gov.au by May 15.

- Canberra Youth Theatre has holiday workshops for the little ’uns. Find out more by calling the office on 6248 5057 or head to the website at www.cytc.net .

- papermoon and moonlight have launched their seasons: moonlight will be performing a season of plays by Spanish giant Federico Garcia Lorca, while papermoon’s season includes productions of Alan Bennett’s The History Boys, a revampedfor-the-millennium Medea, and Sam Shepard’s A Lie of the Mind.

Speaking of which…

- A Lie of the Mind, directed by Fiona Atkin - papermoon’s first production of the season is Sam Shepard’s searing family drama. Violence. America. The hindquarters of a deer. It’s got the lot. See it at the ANU Arts Centre from March 26 to April 4.

You can book tickets thru Teatro Vivaldi on 6257 2718.

- Short + Sweet Canberra is calling for submissions from writers, directors, and actors.

Ten minute plays. Interested?

Submission guidelines on www. shortandsweet.org/shortsweet/ canberra or get in contact with the Festival Director, Katie Pollock, thru katie@ shortandsweet.org .

- The first Cabaret Crème show for the year hits the Street Theatre on Monday March 30 for one night only. Meow Meow.

Beyond Glamour. Get on it.

Want tix? Call on 6247 1223.

- David Mamet’s Oleanna opens and closes this week at the ANU Arts Centre Drama Lab.

- Simon Says. Street Theatre. ’Til March 28.

- I think I can now stop.

Is that enough to satisfy you? No? Unfortunately I can’t help that.

Bye. NAOMI MILTHORPE princessnaea@gmail.com

STEVE COOGAN

DISCOLOGY SINGLED OUT

WITH DAVE RUBY HOWE Akon ft. Colby O’Donis & Kardinal Offisha Beautiful (UMA) Sickening Euro-cheese synths, ringtone beats, some tool named Colby, vague lyrics about fucking someone or something and Akon is practically laughing on this track as if to say “oh hell, people are still buying my shit?” Stop it now.

Lady Gaga Eh Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) (UMA) Hey you, Madonna wants her everything back.

Lady Of The Sunshine White Rose Parade (Desert Harvest/EMI) And here I thought nobody was paying attention to Tame Impala.

Turns out Angus Stone (of Angus & Julia fame) is hoping/begging/praying for a revival of Cream-like fuzz-rock psychedelica. It’s not necessarily a bad thing from Angus, indeed – it’s an unexpected and exciting next step after his family band work. With the requisite dressings of amp distortion, howling vocals and a dusty narrative, he nails it.

Lil Wayne Prom Queen (UMA) So, this is here. It deserves discussion.

Do we like it, Dave? Difficult to say, Dave. Well, it’s pretty much trash, right?

Like listen to the guitars. It’s like Weezy’s version of Rice Bubbles was Sludge, Crunch and Grind. Yeah granted, it’s ridiculous, but when has Wayne ever been something close to subtle? True.

And what, you just expect him to make another record of A-Milli’s and Mr Carter’s? Double true, dude. So here’s Lil Wayne fucking moshing and adding some preposterous-yet-addictive autotuned verses over it like only he can, and it’s taken you this long to realise you like it? We like it don’t we? We do.

Ne-Yo Mad (UMA) There’s nothing particularly bad about Ne-Yo. He’s just overwhelmingly average. Not the most charismatic R&B prince out there, but also not apeshit crazy and he’s unlikely to beat the shit out of his more-famous girlfriend anytime soon. So no hating on this one. Dude’s still got goodwill left over from So Sick.

Phoenix 1901 (Shock) After two albums of slick and suave French pop and a third of instantaneous garage rock splendour, Phoenix have at last found the synthesis of the two styles. And it’s wonderful news for all. 1901 rockets along on the precision-perfect indie that’s reminiscent of It’s Never Been Like That, with added synth flourishes and studio sheen (courtesy of Cassius’ Zdar) thrown in too. With a sound so right, even more perfect than before, Phoenix are poised on the edge of the big time.

Cauldron Chained to the Nite (Earache/Riot) When a record sounds like this – a perfect, utterly faithful revisitation of heavy metal circa 1983 – the alarm bells start to ring. Post modernism? Ironic but heartfelt tribute to things as they were “back in the day”? Massive, well-executed pisstake?

No sir. Cauldron, who, as I’m sure you’re aware, rose from the ashes of Canuck metal titans Goat Horn, are deadly serious, though, as noted above, this record, from its deliriously awful cover (a scantily-clad woman wrapped up in – you guessed it – chains!) through the tinny production values to the strained vocals, would have been better released 25 years ago than today, but who cares?

Not this correspondent, who, it has to be said, has had a marvellous time listening to Chained To The Night. Put simply, the young folk won’t be able to stomach this, but all headbangers over the age of 40 should be getting their zimmer frames warmed up and heading out to the highway to purchase this poste haste – on vinyl, natch. If the likes of Maiden, Priest, Tokyo Blade, Angel Witch or Brocas Helm get you neck nodding, then there’s no way this won’t. Fabulous.

SCOTT ADAMS Omar Musa The Massive EP (BMI) The elusive nature of lyrical proficiency can be frustrating to the hopeful and flourishing MCs down-under. Critics believe almost everyone is capable of writing rhymes.

Apparently it just takes you finding one word to agree with another in terminal sound. But as I progress in years and my appreciation for the craft increases, I have discovered that rhyming is more of a lifestyle than a process. One great thing about Omar Musa is that he isn’t your typical MC. This dude was born with the capacity to translate his rhymes into a story book. Omar Musa is a poet, not just a rapper. He isn’t your regular “Roses are red…” type poet either. Omar possesses a God-given and remarkably well developed flair for rhyming - very few are capable of replicating what he does with words. The title to this EP, The Massive EP couldn’t be a better description of the ‘massiveness’ on offer.

The Massive EP should be used as a blueprint for aspiring Aussie MCs. Each track is cinematic in the sense that you feel like you’re watching these stories unravel before you. Stumbling upon this CD at BMA HQ has helped change my rather pessimistic perspective on Australian hip-hop's future. There is hope for MCs down-under and Omar Musa seems to be the one to lead the surge. Get out and cop the The Massive EP, and thank me later.

FAZ NUR Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 Goodnight Oslo (Yep Roc) An enthusiastic purveyor of jangle pop for well over 80 years, give or take 50, Robyn Hitchcock has always had fans in high places. That didn’t really help him sell records or get high rotation on MTV or anything (although let’s not discount that brief flirtation with mainstream acceptance in the late '80s with Globe of Frogs and Queen Elvis), but he pottered away in the background releasing gorgeously skewered, off kilter melodic pop that

sounded so simple he made you believe anyone could do it. In truth, it’s bloody difficult. On Goodnight Oslo the ex-Soft Boys guitarist is joined by the Venus 3 – Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey and Bill Rieflin, all members of REM at some stage or another. Hitchcock’s eccentric vocals have always been an acquired taste and so it remains – a mediumto-high pitched nasal amalgam that’s the bastard offspring of Dylan, Young and Barrett which shows little sign of mellowing in advanced years. Lyrically, Hitchcock swings wildly from absurdist imagery to evocative gothic love storytelling, all underpinned with liberal doses of sardonic, uniquely British humour. Sadly, Goodnight Oslo struggles to find its footing on every level and is only partly memorable. The title track, tucked safely away as the final cut, ranks as one of Hitchcock’s greatest songs – a slow building, enigmatic six minute mini-epic that withholds the urge to explode on all but three occasions, whereupon soaring harmonies vault the listener upward into a cathedral of pop bliss. As usual, it’s sweet, but never saccharine. Notable mention is warranted for a trio of classic jangle pop stunners: I’m Falling is Hitchcock 101, breezy verses and glorious, double time chorus; Your Head Here channelling both the Stranglers and the Association; and Up To Our Nex, where Buck can be found taking his wah-pedal for a well deserved walk. The remainder errs on the pedestrian – pallid melodies, inconsequential arrangements and soggy delivery best left in the rehearsal room. And yet, despite these failings, I can’t think of another album I’ll be slaughtering for the next 12 months.

JUSTIN HOOK Six Organs of Admittance RTZ (Drag City) Who really needs another indie pop band? I mean, the latest Howling Bells album is pretty cool, but checking out something a bit more daring, such as a bunch of bands who continue to fly the psychedelic flag in fine style, might be even more enjoyable. Thanks to an esoteric music-loving friend, I have recently become acquainted with some choice free-music obscurities from the likes of such astral travellers in the modern age as No Neck Blues Band, Sunburned Hand of the Man and MV&EE. To this assortment of sonic oddities we might add Six Organs of Admittance,

essentially comprised of one bloke named Ben Chasny who has sprouted his inner-self extracted guitar explorations across a decent number of albums. These pick up where guitar pioneers of psychedelic country-blues such as John Fahey and Sandy Bull left off, and in this respect RTZ is a superb two disc trawl through hard to find Chasny releases from times past. It reveals some suitably hypnotic drone collaborations with the likes of Velvet Underground devotees Vibracathedral Orchestra that spiral into infinity when Chasny’s sharp fingerpicking style is brought into play. The second disc features the previously obscure 1999 album Nightly Trembling that well deserves a new airing. It is satisfying to dive right in because unabashed drone worship, along with some beautifully conceived embellishments, make for a mind-expanding exploration for sure.

DAN BIGNA Who Made Who The Plot (Gomma/Inertia) The world is my runway and baby I am hot. I am wearing really long sideburnt chops, wine-stained y-fronts and knee-high, hotpink cowboy boots. They are fucking beautiful with golden lightening bolts running down their sides. I traverse the streets with God as my runway DJ. He plays nothing but The Plot by Who Made Who (he sees the irony, man!).

The Copenhagen trio’s new album takes the world and makes love to it in the drunken gutters of 2034. The crisp Discothèque meets Queens of the Stone Age joy of the first single The Plot has enough Satan in a cradle to melt the product in every meterosexual’s hair and remould it into a perfect 1950s cowlick (they will be back).

Motown Bizarre is like watching an epileptic in drag making love to Gary Newman. It’s all fucking great it’s all a super soma smash up of disco, electro, rock, great futuristic sensuality and, best of all, fun energy. Play it at your next party and watch the love take hold. I have to finish now because I have to get up and dance like an electric eel getting raped by the Marquis de Sade on acid. N.B. God really does dig this music. And he loves to see people dance funny. He also loves it when people swap left socks at random.

TIMOTHY BOCQUET

Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion (Domino) Many bands struggle to reconcile high art ideals and complex musical arrangements with the pure visceral thrill of pop music, but Animal Collective do it with ease. The group’s latest effort, Merriweather Post Pavilion, may be the best example of this prowess yet. Brimming with Beach Boy harmonies, captivating rhythms and a general disregard for conventional song structure, head songwriters Avey Tare and Panda Bear inject tracks like My Girls and Guys Eyes with instantly catchy melodies as well as hidden worlds that unfold over repeated listens. It’s an aesthetic maintained throughout, making this a cohesive suite of tracks that flows and ebbs the way a classic album should.

NICK CRAVEN

Radio Birdmen Tim Galvin

will likely hit him from behind with the bottle and steal all the glory for myself!” slurs Jeff. “It really is the only way to compete with that bearded man! Rumour has it the beard gives him magical powers.”“Indeed, yes, yes it does," Chris confirms. "I was actually planning on a big spectacular at midnight involving a multi-coloured 3D laser show emanating from my beard, but now I’m thinking I’ll have to wear a stack hat.”

Raw FM is fairly advanced for a nine-year-old. While most pre-teens are spending their time wetting the bed and coveting Billy Ray’s offspring, the dance music radio station has been expanding its empire, building awareness of club music across the entire state with expanded coverage, event sponsorship and mouth watering CD releases. The latter brings me to the real point of this article: on Friday March 13, the third instalment of the Raw CD series hit the shelves.

“There isn’t much diversity in Australian radio at the end of the day, so having a genre based station that represents club culture is tremendously important”

This exciting edition was compiled by Canberran ex-pats Chris Fraser and Jeff Drake, and the deck-destroying pin up boys are about to embark on a nation wide tour to support the release. As Jeff explains, “One day the phone rang. It was Chris Fraser and he asked me if I wanted to spend a month away from my girlfriend with him; just the two of us travelling around Australia together. I said nothing would make me happier, so as a cover story he convinced One Love and Raw to get us to mix a CD for them.” Chris adds, “After two releases and tours I just felt it was time to freshen things up a bit - inviting Jeff on board seemed really natural.

Then I started hearing stories of particularly unnatural things he’s been responsible for on past CD tours and I immediately started regretting the decision... It is too late to change my mind, isn’t it?”

Finally, as Jeff loses consciousness and his half-filled wine glass comes crashing to the floor, Chris is left to wrap up the interview while picking pieces of broken glass from his sublime chin blanket. “Being closely involved with the station, I really love the challenge of keeping it musically fresh and exciting. Angy (who owns the station) is really open to new ideas and has a really strong commitment to making dance music radio happen, so the station’s made some big changes to its sound since the start of the year - and there’s plenty in store with new shows and some other surprises. There really isn’t much diversity in Australian radio at the end of the day, so having a genre based station that represents club culture is tremendously important.”

With both artists being experienced performers in their own right, the CD is a great snapshot of their current view of fresh club music reflected through the Raw FM label. “Raw is such an awesome hub for diverse dance music,” states Jeff, “so the challenge wasn’t so much to capture the spirit of Raw as such, but more to deliver a mix that was a nod to the diversity of the station yet made sense packed into two 70 minute discs.” Chris adds, “It’s always a matter of finding records you like and play and balancing that with what the station’s direction is." Like Jeff says, “The station’s really diverse so that gives a lot of ground to play on.”

The national tour stops off at Academy on Saturday March 21, and with a cheeky grin, the lads promise it will be something you wouldn’t want to miss. “Chris will warm up for me and just when he has the audience primed and ready, I will have drunk just about enough red wine so I

Chris Fraser and Jeff Drake launch Raw 09 at Academy on Saturday March 28. The double-disk set is out now on OneLove/Sony.

Cell Out

With Mark Russell; he thought a graphic novel was a really extended letter to Penthouse.

Thursday March 19 sees an ominous occasion arrive. A film - Penguins and Polar Bears – written by yours truly premieres at the Belconnen Community Theatre. It starts at 7pm and is free, free, free. For those of you who get your BMA on Wednesdays, well done you – go tomorrow. Those of you picking it up Thursday – yep, that means it’s on tonight. Anyone getting it after that – you missed a great night, we drank beer. There’ll be a Q&A afterwards with the chance to hurl abuse at me in person, rather than your usual forlorn head shake at the magazine.

Watchmen ‘The greatest graphic novel of all time’ - hell of a claim to live up to. I’ve gotta admit I was still sceptical walking into this film. The preview had a distinctly cheesy air to it, and featured the proud proclamation ‘From the visionary director of 300’. 300 visionary? No. Visual? That’s a little closer to the mark.

But the first five minutes of celluloid saw my fears allayed and my interest piqued. Freeze frame scenes capture masked avengers falling from grace in brutal and seedy ways. They were then forced into hiding and banned from crime-fighting. This was looking less like a bunch of oiled-up Spartans, and more like The Incredibles after a 30-year prostitution-sponsored crack-bender.

Watchmen is set in 1985, but not the 1985 we know. President Richard

New In Town New In Town is idiotic, unoriginal and basically completely shit. There are almost no redeeming qualities to this movie, and I almost never say that.

Lucy (Renee Zellweger) is a careerdriven big city gal, who gets sent to the middle of snowy nowhere (New Ulm, Minnesota) to oversee some downsizing at the local factory. Little does Lucy know, she’s about to be won over by some tapioca, a rugged hunk called Ted (Harry Connick Jr.) and small town charm.

The main problem with this film is Renee Zellweger. Even presented with Connick Jr.’s raw sexiness, she manages to muster up about as much charisma as a broken snow shovel, and is utterly devoid of chemistry, humour and any sort of appeal. She looks like

Rachel Getting Married Rachel Getting Married is a film that quickly finds an emotional nerve, then slowly rubs it raw for the next two-odd hours. It’s more enjoyable than that sounds but it does make it a little hard to smile.

When we meet Kym (Anne Hathaway), she is being picked up by her father (Bill Irwin) and his wife (Anna Deavere Smith) from a drug rehabilitation facility in order to attend her sister’s wedding. A few loaded statements and some bitter vitriol tell us she’s been in there a while and has a pretty troubled past. This tense car trip sets the scene for most of the film.

Rachel Getting Married takes mock Reality TV filmmaking to a new level.

It’s not just the gritty hand-held

The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) as he shoots a group of protesters: “God damn I love working on American soil, Dan. Ain’t had this much fun since Woodward and Bernstein.”

Watchmen

Nixon has utilised the superhuman powers of The Watchmen to win the Vietnam War and secure himself a third term. The world is also in the grip of a much more aggressive Cold War. Nuclear holocaust seems only a hair's breadth away. The peace is kept intact mainly by the presence of Dr Manhattan (Billy Crudup), a Watchman with near god-like control over matter. While he is concerned with keeping the nuclear winter at bay, some of the other retired Watchmen start a hunt for the killer of one of their own – The Comedian.

This is just a taste of the intricacy and scope of this narrative. It extends across many decades and even gets interplanetary with a sojourn to Mars.

Throughout the joyride, sumptuous c inematography and deft special effects

soak into the screen. The film maintains its dark and twisted morality and highlights the brutal side of mankind.

The creator of the original graphic novel – Alan Moore – has always stated that his creations (From Hell, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, V for Vendetta) should never have been made into films. He refuses to be credited or paid for them and won’t even see the final product.

Though it’s easy to understand his sentiment and applaud his integrity, it’s a shame that he’ll never see Watchmen.

Though slightly overlong, it’s bloody great blood-drenched cinema.

she spends her time sucking a lemon and having Botox injections, and plays ‘uptight bitch’ so well that when her character is supposed to ‘soften’ and start loving the town, poor Zellweger looks pained enough at having to crack a smile, let alone laughing or appearing as though she’s in love.

In addition to Zellweger’s abysmal, cold-fish performance, the direction ain’t much better. Corny and lame music cues make every scene seem like it’s trying too hard, and Lucy goes from steely corporate skank to heartwarmed sweetie pie in the space of one drunken evening.

As for the few good supporting actors involved, I’m more ashamed of them than anything else - for being involved in a project so bland and pathetic.

They all belong in better films – what Connick Jr. and J.K. Simmons (see: Juno, Burn After Reading) are doing in this piece of utter tripe is beyond me.

The town does salvage a little bit of warmth in this barren wasteland of horribleness, providing a few sweet moments in an otherwise infuriating mess.

Basically, New In Town is a doomed ship, helmed by a boring and visionless captain, heading nowhere. A crew of good talent is wasted as Zellweger drags everyone down with into the depths of her talentless ocean.

camera, we’ve seen that before. It’s the dialogue, and often the lack of it that makes this feel so real. People talk over each other and ramble with no particular purpose. They’re not always articulate, sometimes they’re not even coherent. Everything moves with a decidedly ‘ad-libbed’ feel to it. There’s the distinct suggestion that director Jonathan Demme has given the actors the scenario, thrown some new twist in, then yelled “Action”.

This style creates a very fine line for Rachel Getting Married to walk, and it’s guilty of slipping over both sides at one time or another. Occasionally it feels slightly unfocussed, scenes extend that little bit too long, or seem a little too detached. Then it will veer

back the other way: just as in a real-life family, the emotion is based on a shared, unsaid emotional history.

This weaves a bitterly sweet cerebral element to proceedings but then Demme backs away from the edge and over explains, unnecessarily hammering home the point.

For her part, Hathaway is superb. Her character is unwaveringly self-involved and makes no attempt to make us like her, but we do because of this. See the film for her, and the innovative style – just don’t expect to be all rainbows and lollipops when the credits roll.

MARK RUSSELL

NO STARS MEGAN McKEOUGH

MARK RUSSELL

FIRST CONTACT:

BMA BAND PROFILE

Where did your band name come from?

We are the armed wing of our cultural revolution.

Group Members: Dominic Death (vocals), Catfish Paterson (Guitar), Andy Campbell (Guitar), Joel Pain (bass), Richard Dupe (synthesizer), Alejandro ylich Ramierez Alcazar (drums).

Describe your sound: Fiesta punk/hardcore.

Who are your influences, musical or otherwise?

Frank Gehry, The Color Purple with Oprah Winfrey, Devo, Talking Heads, holding guns.

What’s the weirdest experience you’ve had whilst performing?

Getting a power cut on stage, seeking retribution then finding it.

It was a total boot fight, night out into a nightmare.

What’s your biggest achievement/proudest moment so far?

The birth of our baby boy.

What are your plans for the future?

Finishing Russia.

What makes you laugh?

We are men of iron.

What pisses you off?

Alejandro and likewise.

What’s your opinion of the local scene?

Punker than Melbourne, fresher than Sydney.

What are your upcoming gigs?

We have taken a break from our relentless touring schedule to release our upcoming EP that was finished two months ago.

Contact info: www.myspace.com/thefightingleague thefightingleague@hotmail.com 000 (free call)

Aaron Peacey Aaron 0410 381 306 Adam Hole Adam 0421 023 226 Afternoon Shift Adam 0402 055 314 After Close Scotty 0412 742 682, afterclose@hotmail.com Alcove Mark 0410 112 522 Alice 0423 100 792 Allies ACT (Oxfam Group) alliesact@hotmail.com/ myspace.com/alliesact Amphibian Sound PA Clare 0410 308 288 Amplif5'd Classic rock covers band Joy 0407 200 428, joybarac-heath@ hotmail.com.au Annie & the Armadillos Annette 6161 1078/0422 076 313 The Ashburys Dan Craddock 0419 626 903 Aria Stone singer/songwriter(guitar), sax & flute Aria 0411 803 343 Australian Kingswood Factory Sharon 0412 334 467 Australian Songwriters Association (Keiran Roberts) 6231 0433 Arythmia: Ben 0423 408 767/ arythmiamusic@gmail.com Backbeat Drivers Steve 0422 733 974, www.backbeatdrivers.com Bastards Jamie 0424 857 282/ www.bastards.altpro.net Big Boss Groove Andrew 0404 455 834, www.bigbossgroove.com.au Birds Love Fighting Gangbusters/DIY shows - bookings@birdslovefighting.com Black Label Photography Kingsley 0438 351 007 Blister Bug Stu 0408 617 791 Bridge Between, The Rachel 0412 598 138, thebridgebetween.com.au Bruce Stage mgr/consultant 6254 9857 Casual Projects Julian 0401 016 885 Catchpenny Nathan 0402 845 132 Caution Horses Nigel 0417 211 580 CD and Website Design Brendan 0404 042 574 Chris Harland Blues Band 0418 490 640 chrisharlandbluesband@yahoo.com.au Clear Vision Films rehearsals/film clips/ stunts - 0438 647 281 wcoulton.clearvisionfilms.com Cold Heart Projects Andrew 6294 5450 Cole Bennetts Photography 0415 087 833/colebennetts@gmail.com Colourful Racing Identities Josh 0410 135 605 Cool Weapon Luke 0410 983 450/ Josh 0412 863 019 Cris Clucas Cris 6262 5652 Crooked Dave 0421 508 467 Cumulonimbus Matt 0412 508 425 Dance With Amps Marcus 0421 691 332 Danny V Danny 6238 1673/0413 502 428 DayTrippers, The Reidar 0414 808 677, daytrippers@grapevine.com.au (dp) New Media Artists Mal 0414 295 297 Dogact dog-act@hotmail.com, Paulie 0408 287 672 D’Opus & Roshambo hifidelitystyles@yahoo.com DJs Madrid and Gordon 0417 433 971 DJ/MC Bootcamp Donte 9267 3655 DJ Latino Rogelio 0401 274 208 DJ Moises (RnB/Latin) 0402 497 835 or moises_lopez@hotmail DNA Vic 0408 477 020 Drumassault Kate 0414 236 323 Easy Mode Daz 0404 156 482, easymodeband@gmail.com Entity Chris 0412 027 894 Epic Flagon band@epicflagon.com EYE eye@canberra.teknet.net.au Fighting Mongooses, The Adam 0402 055 314 Final Warning Brendan 0422 809 552 Fire on the Hill Aaron 0410 381 306/ Dan 0410 480 321 FirePigs, The Danny 6238 1673/0413 502 428 4dead Peter 0401 006 551 Freeloaders, The Steve 0412 653 597 Friend or Enemy 6238 0083, www.myspace.com/friendorenemy Funk Shui Dave 0407 974 476 Gareth Hailey DJ & Electronica 0414 215 885 GiLF Kelly 0410 588 747, gilf.mail@gmail.com Guff Damian 6230 2767 HalfPast Chris 0412 115 594 Hancock Basement Tom 6257 5375, hancockbasement@hotmail.com Happy Hour Wendy 0406 375 096

Haunted Attics band@hauntedatticsmusic.com Hitherto Paul 0408 425 636 Infra Retina Kyle 0437 137 775/Michael 0430 353 893/www.infra-retina.com In The Flesh Scott 0410 475 703 Inside the Exterior Nathan 0401 072 650 Itchy Triggers Andrew 0401 588 884 Jacqui Seczawa 0428 428 722 JDY Clothing 0405 648 288/ www.jdyclothing.com Jenn Pacor singer/songwriter avail. for originals & covers, 0405 618 630 Jennifer Versatile singer looking for band; 0422 158 362 Jim Boots 0417 211 580 Karismakatz DJ Gosper 0411 065 189/dj@ karismakatz.com Kayo Marbilus myspace.com/kayomarbilus Kurt's Metalworx (PA) 0417 025 792 Lenders, The Tim 6247 2076 Little Smoke Sam 0411 112 075 Los Chavos Jules 0413 223 573 los.chavos@yahoo.com.au Manilla Green Herms 0404 848 462, contactus@manillagreen.com, Mario Brujo Gordon world/latin/reggae/ percussionist and DJ. 0405 820 895 Martin Bailey Audio Engineer 0423 566 093 Malumba Dan 6253 5150 Meatbee Ben 0417 492 560 Mercury Switch Lab Studios mercuryswitch@internode.on.net Missing Zero Hadrian Brand 0424 721 907/hadrian.brand@live.com.au Moots aspwinch@grapevine.com.au Huck 0419 630 721 Murder Meal Combo Anthony 0419 630 721 MuShu Jack 0414 292 567, mushu_band@hotmail.com Myriad Kath 6253 8318 MyOnus myonusmusic@hotmail.com/ www.myspace.com/myonus Neptune's Necklace Mark 6253 1048 No Retreat Simon 0411 155 680 Ocean Moses Nigel 0417 211 580 OneWayFare Chris 0418 496 448 Painted Hearts, The Peter 6248 6027 Para 0402 277 007 Petra Elliott Petra 0410 290 660 Phathom Chris 0422 888 700 The Pigs The Colonel 0422 412 752 Polka Pigs Ian 6231 5974 Premier Audio Simon 0412 331 876, premier_audio@hotmail.com Queanbeyan Music & Electronics 6299 1020 Redletter Ben 0421 414 472 Redsun Rehearsal Studio Ralph 0404 178 996/6162 1527 Rhythm Party, The Ross 0416 010 680 Roger Bone Band Andy 0413 483 758 Rob Mac Project, The Melinda 0400 405 537 Rug, The Jol 0417 273 041 Samsara Samahdi 0431 083 776 Sansutra J-Ma 0403 476 350 Sara Vancea Sara 6247 9899 Sindablok Duncan 0424 642 156 Simone Penkethman (Simone & The Soothsayers, Singing Teacher) 6230 4828 Soundcity Rehearsal Studio Andrew 0401 588 884 Solid Gold Peter 0421 131 887/ solid.gold@live.com.au Stalker and Liife Darren 0413 229 049 Super Best Friends Matt 0438 228 748 Surrender Jordan 0439 907 853 Switch 3 Mick 0410 698 479 System Addict Jamie 0418 398 556 Taboo Bamboo Greg 0439 990 455 That ‘80s Band Ty 0417 265 013 The Morning After (covers band) Anthony 0402 500 843/ myspace.com/themorningaftercovers Tim James Lucia 6282 3740, LUCIAMURDOCH@hotmail.com Top Shelf Colin 0408 631 514 Transmission Nowhere Emilie 0421 953 519/myspace.com/transmissionnowhere Udo 0412 086 158 Undersided, The Baz 0408 468 041 Using Three Words Dan 0416 123 020, usingthreewords@hotmail.com Voodoo Doll Mark 0428 650 549 William Blakely Will 0414 910 014 Woden Youth Centre Jeremy 6282 3037 Zeitgeist www.zeitgeist.xwave Zero Degrees and Falling Louis 0423 918 793 Zwish 0411 022 907

GIG GUIDE March 19 - 21 THURSDAY MARCH 19

THURSDAY MARCH 19

ARTS _____________ Penguins and Polar Bears Premiere of local film which delves into the complex relationships forged in a family affected by Bipolar Disorder.

Directed by Liliana Bogatho and co-written by BMA's own Mark "The Krussle" Russell BELCONNEN COMMUNITY CENTRE Andrew Mayo Exhibition: Guys, Girls, Guitars BMA's own Mayo shows us why he's one of the best rock photographers in the region, if nay Australia. There, I said it HUW DAVIES GALLERY, PHOTOACCESS, MANUKA Shit Wreck!

Owen Lewis' obsession with other-worldliness continues in his collection of narrative paintings and drawings. Runs until Mar 22 CCAS, FURNEAUX, MANUKA Bert Flugelman An exhibition comprising a major survey of the stainless steel-wielding master, Runs until Apr 5 ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY, ACTON An Act of Surrender Celebrating two ACT anniversaries; 20 years of selfgovernment, and the centenary of of survey for the city of Canberra by Charles Robert Scrivener. Until Jun 14 CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY, LONDON CCT, CIVIC Charles Darwin Exhibition Includes his travels and research work and shows how they helped shape his publication: The Origin of the Species. Runs until Apr 12. Free entry NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AUSTRALIA, LAWSON CRESCENT, ACTON PENINSULA Elated

By Robbie Karmel. An exhibition revolving around a chance encounter with a 1950s manula on pig husbandry. Until Mar 29 M16 ARTSPACE, MILDURA ST, FYSHWICK Space, Flesh Structures, skins and dreamscapes by Claire Eilliot, Michele Grimston, Natalie Mather and Laine Stewart. Until Mar 29 M16 ARTSPACE, MILDURA ST, FYSHWICK

Feast 2009 Showing selected works from the 2008 Strathnairn Memebers Annual Exhibition. Runs until Mar 20 BELCONNEN COMM. CENTRE, SWANSON CRT, BELCONNEN West Coast Swing Classes Six week course held by Jumptown Swing, starting tonight. www.jumptown.org for deets SPACE DANCE STUDIO, CIVIC Brutal, Tender, Human, Animal: Roger Ballen Photography

By South African photographer Roger Ballen (b.1950, New York).

Runs until Mar 29. Free entry NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA EXHIBITION GALLERY, PARKES PLACE Shell-Shocked: Australia After Armistice Follow journeys of repatriation and resettlement after WWI. The exhibition combines government records with personal stories. Runs until Apr 27. Free NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, KING EDWARD TERRACE Arabian Plights: The Future Middle East

By Peter Rodgers PAPERCHAIN BOOKSTORE, 34 FRANKLIN ST, MANUKA Fathers and Sons A photographic exploration by William Hall. Runs until Mar 21 THE GALLERY, CANBERRA GRAMMAR SCHOOL The Mikado The classic Gilbert and Sullivan musical, presented by the Canberra Phillharmonic Society.

Runs 'til March 21. Tix from ticketing.philo.org.au ERINDALE THEATRE, WANNIASSA

LIVE _____________ Naked From 9pm-midnight KING O'MALLEY'S, CIVIC

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Carry On Karaoke PJ O'REILLY'S, CIVIC Karaoke With Grant PJ O'REILLY'S, TUGGERANONG Karaoke From 9-11pm. Cash prizes and 2-4-1 basic spirits and tap beer CUBE NIGHTCLUB, CIVIC

THURSDAY MARCH 19

FRIDAY MARCH 20

DANCE _____________

ARTS _____________

Drapht & Downsyde, feat. Pez Tix through oztix.com.au ANU BAR, ACTON Rather Large Featuring Downtown Brown TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC Nathan Frost KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE DJ Tables and Turns From 9pm THE DURHAM CASTLE ARMS, GREEN SQUARE, KINGSTON Trash Thursdays $2 drinks until 2am and discounted cocktails. With DJs Adam and Esscue. 2 for 1 entry with Uni sticker ACADEMY, CIVIC

Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris Transforming Brel's astonishing musical compositions into a theatrical experience. Directed

by Caroline Stacey, music directed by Michael Morley.

Runs from 8pm 'til March 21 STREET ONE, THE STREET THEATRE, ACTON I Die...

A tableaux vivant from Min Mae, playing at 7 and 8pm. Tickets $15/$10 CCAS members on the door. For more info hit page 12 CCAS, GORMAN HOUSE, CIVIC

FRIDAY MARCH 20

LIVE ____________ Angelfyre & Renaissance $10 on the door. First 50 through the door receive a free copy of Angelfyre's new album ANU BAR, ACTON After Work Jazz From 5-8pm KING O'MALLEY'S, CIVIC Raven DJs THE DURHAM CASTLE ARMS, GREEN SQUARE, KINGSTON Calle Loca Live 7-piece MONKEY BAR, BUNDA ST, CIVIC The Cool From 10pm-2am KING O'MALLEY'S, CIVIC Double Dragon With Immorium, Tortured and Depravation. $10 THE BASEMENT, BELCONNEN Rev Canberra’s weekly alternative club night with two levels of DJs playing rock/indie/dance/punk/pop BAR 32, SYDNEY BUILDING, CIVIC

DANCE _____________ Cheese Old school favs TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC Pride Party Come dressed in rainbow for free entry. DJ Matt Chavasse and show by Dita Hollywood. 9pm CUBE NIGHTCLUB, CIVIC D'Opus KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

SATURDAY MARCH 21

ARTS _____________ ARC: Drawing Restraint 9 The latest work from visionary artist Matthew Barney, co-starring and scored by his partner and muse Björk ARC CINEMA, McCOY CCT, ACTON The Incident at Fugue Bay Can a fledgling romance survive the return of a dead fiancé? $20/$15 conc ticket, and you can find out. Play written and directed by Trevar Alan Chilver.

Runs until Apr 4 TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

DAY PLAY _____________ Gorman House Markets GORMAN HOUSE Burley Griffin Antique Centre KINGSTON FORESHORE

DANCE _____________ The Potbelleez With Ashley Feraude and Sean Kelly. $20 entry ACADEMY, BUNDA ST, CIVIC Jamie Doom & Gus Da Hoodrat They of Bang Gang DJs fame MONKEY BAR, BUNDA ST, CIVIC Shakedown!

Indie/alt/dance action.

Free before 10pm BAR 32, SYDNEY BUILDING, CIVIC Muph & Plutonic Are back once more, with supports Horrorshow and Newsense. Free entry TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC

GIG GUIDE March 21 - April 1 SATURDAY MARCH 21 Frankie Madrid Madness KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE Candy Cube DJs Peter Dorree/Matt Chavasse CUBE NIGHTCLUB, CIVIC

LIVE _____________ The Metal Assault Tour With Infinitum, Rookwood, Defamer, Demon Foetal Harvest and locals. From 8pm, $15 THE BASEMENT, BELCONNEN Punkshow With Coporate Takedown, Chud, and The Bastards. $10 ANU BAR, ACTON Preston Reed One man and his guitar THE FOLKUS ROOM, MAWSON Rubycon and The Trivs THE PHOENIX, EAST ROW, CIVIC Rockshow THE DURHAM CASTLE ARMS, GREEN SQUARE, KINGSTON Curious Fate From 10:30pm-3am KING O'MALLEY'S, CIVIC

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ The National Vintage Guitar & Amp Weekend A stunning collection of rare and beautiful guitars and amps. $10 weekend passes STATESMAN HOTEL, CURTIN Flickerfest: International 2 Award winning short films from across the globe. 7pm DENDY, CANBERRA CENTRE, CIVIC '80s Music With DJ Craig PJ O'REILLY'S, TUGGERANONG SUNDAY MARCH 22

ARTS _____________ hiJinx Auditions Call 6248 5057 or email hijinx@ cytc.net for an application form CYT, BATMAN ST, GORMAN HOUSE

TUESDAY MARCH 24

THURSDAY MARCH 26

DANCE _____________

LIVE _____________

ARTS _____________

Bart B More (UK) With The Aston Shuffle, Kiz, Hubert, Beat It, Staky, Offtapia LOT 33, KENNEDY ST, KINGSTON Sound Baked Sundays With Jemist, Tom Tomz and Mr Davie Parkes (TRINITY) BAR, DICKSON Cube Sunday With DJ Peter Dorree. From 9pm CUBE NIGHTCLUB, CIVIC

Chuse Jazz Tuesdays With Axel Foley (TRINITY) BAR, DICKSON Darren Hanlon On his Pointing Guns at Pagans tour, with support Jeffrey Lewis.

Show is sold out, making this listing more for posterity than anything else TILLEY'S DIVINE CAFE, LYNEHAM Musical Madness @ Filthy's Free entry FILTHY McFADDEN'S, KINGSTON

ARC: Kids The first feature from the always controversial Larry Clark; a hard-hitting 24 hours with the damaged youth of NYC, featuring Chloë Sevigny ARC CINEMA, McCOY CCT, ACTON Anna Madeleine: Plastic Surgery Opening from 6pm CCAS, MANUKA

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________

Trash Thursdays ACADEMY, CIVIC Australian Hip-Hop Dance Championships Featuring So You Think You Can Dance guests, MC KG, DJ Rush, Kash Boys, K1, Kulture Break, Urban Lava and Fresh Funk. From 6.30pm. More info on page 28 or hiphopdance.com.au . 6.30pm THE AUDITORIUM, VIKING'S CLUB, ERINDALE DJ Tables and Turns From 9pm THE DURHAM CASTLE ARMS, GREEN SQUARE, KINGSTON Jemist KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

SUNDAY MARCH 22

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ The National Vintage Guitar & Amp Weekend A stunning collection of rare and beautiful guitars and amps from the world over. Weekend passes $10 STATESMAN HOTEL, CURTIN $10 Schnitzel Sunday THE DURHAM CASTLE ARMS, GREEN SQUARE, KINGSTON Flickerfest: Australian Shorts The best new Australian short films. More info on page 10. 7pm DENDY, CANBERRA CENTRE, CIVIC

LIVE _____________ Vince Gelonese From 9:30pm-12am KING O'MALLEY'S, CIVIC Vanuatu A'capella Union and The Seals Gospel a'capella from two young Vanuatuan groups. From 3pm, $20/$15 entry PARKWAY, KAMBAH The Wedded Bliss Complete with Happy Hour CHISHOLM TAVERN MONDAY MARCH 23

LIVE _____________ Bootleg Sessions Featuring Second Sun and more THE PHOENIX, EAST ROW, CIVIC

DAY PLAY _____________

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________

Tuggeranong Homestead Markets TUGGERANONG HOMESTEAD Cube Sunday With DJ Peter Dorree CUBE NIGHTCLUB, CIVIC Irish Jam Session From 5pm KING O'MALLEY'S, CIVIC

Hospitality Night TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC Meat Raffle Every beer bought scores you a ticket THE DURHAM CASTLE ARMS, GREEN SQUARE, KINGSTON Trivia in the Trams TRADIES CLUB, DICKSON

Fame Trivia From 7:30-10:30pm THE DURHAM, KINGSTON Pot Belly Trivia POT BELLY BAR, BELCONNEN Carry-On Karaoke TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC Trivia Night PJ O'REILLY'S, TUGGERANONG Trivia Night HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON Trivia Night THE PHOENIX, EAST ROW, CIVIC WEDNESDAY MARCH 25

LIVE _____________ Live Entertainment Complete with Happy Hour PJ O'REILLY'S, TUGGERANONG Konrad Lenz With Phil Moriarty and Mikelangelo of The Black Sea Gentlemen THE FRONT, WATTLE ST, LYNEHAM Den Hanrahan THE PHOENIX, EAST ROW, CIVIC

DANCE _____________ Assembly He of Dubdeckerbus, Rabs and The Crunch fame KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Fame Trivia PJ O'REILLY'S, CIVIC Carry-On Karaoke From 7:30pm. $1000 grand prize THE DURHAM, KINGSTON Karaoke Night HOLY GRAIL KINGSTON $5 Night TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC

DANCE _____________

LIVE _____________ The Paranoia Club Sydney/Amsterdam rockers, with Winchester and Teen Skank Parade. From 8pm, $5 entry ANU BAR, ACTON Hannah (TAS) With The Glaciers and Adan Cousens in support. $10 THE BASEMENT, BELCONNEN Charles Chaitan From 5-8pm KING O'MALLEY'S, CIVIC

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Le Chat Noir A monthly cabaret and burlesque inspired club night with DJs, live music, photo exhibition, a fashion tableau vivant. 8pm.

KREMLIN BAR, CIVIC Karaoke From 9-11pm. Cash prizes and 2-4-1 basic spirits and tap beer CUBE NIGHTCLUB, CIVIC Karaoke With Grant PJ O'REILLY'S, TUGGERANONG

WANTED: NEW MUSIC FOR RADIO Get your music heard on Australia’s first digital radio station dedicated to undiscovered artists

www.radarradio.com.au

FRIDAY MARCH 27

SATURDAY MARCH 28

MONDAY MARCH 30

ARTS _____________

DANCE _____________

LIVE _____________

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________

Alexandra Gillespie: Collars/ Dionisia Salas Hammer: A * C Odyssey/Mat De Moiser: Damaged Goods An exhibition triple bill. Til May 22 CCAS, GORMAN HOUSE

Trevor Loveys (UK) UK fidget maestro, with RyFi, Jungle Terry, Hubert, Ashley Feraude, Tim Galvin and Adam Miller. More on page 12 LOT 33, KENNEDY ST, KINGSTON Purfect Friday ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB, CIVIC Nathan Frost KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

The Darker Half THE BASEMENT, BELCONNEN 3rd Exit With $8 cocktails until 10pm THE DURHAM CASTLE ARMS, GREEN SQUARE, KINGSTON Relay For Life Cancer Council With a performance by Sunchaser. 11am AIS ATHLETICS TRACK, BRUCE Royal Chant Formerly Sickboy THE PHOENIX, EAST ROW, CIVIC Heuristic From 10:30pm-2:30am KING O'MALLEY'S, CIVIC

Hospitality Night TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC Trivia in the Trams From 7:15pm TRADIES CLUB, DICKSON

FRIDAY MARCH 27

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Steve Coogan The man of many guises - including Alan Patridge - comes to Australia for the first time. Tix from 6275 2700 CANBERRA THEATRE, CIVIC Akmal Australia's favourite Arab returns. Tix $30 on 6281 0899 HELLENIC CLUB, WODEN Adam Hills Playing two shows PLAYHOUSE, CANBERRA THEATRE

LIVE _____________ Purple Sneakers The famous Sydney indie-dance night returns for its third Canberra instalment. Free entry TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC Rev Two levels of DJs playing rock/ indie/dance/punk/pop BAR 32, SYDNEY BUILDING, CIVIC 50 Lions Byron Bay hardcore kids, supported by The Hollow, Vera and This Plague. All ages TUGGERANONG YOUTH CENTRE After Work Jazz From 5-8pm KING O'MALLEY'S, CIVIC Bluestone From 10pm-2am KING O'MALLEY'S, CIVIC Sunchaser/Lost Note Foundation/Easy Mode From 8:30pm. $7 on the door POTBELLY BAR, BELCONNEN Heuristic From 10pm THE DURHAM CASTLE ARMS, GREEN SQUARE, KINGSTON Rotating Heads Rock triple header with Hailer, The Watt Riot and Cockfight Shootout. 8pm, $10 on the door ANU BAR, ACTON Code of Lies With Stigmata, Tranquil Deception and Taliesin THE BASEMENT, BELCONNEN

SATURDAY MARCH 28

ARTS _____________ ARC: Sholay The #1 Bollywood smash of all time - a couple of charismatic cons sprung from jail come out gunning for revenge!

ARC CINEMA, McCOY CCT, ACTON

DANCE _____________ Raw 09 Launch Mixed by those incorrigible rogues Jeff Drake and Chris Fraser who, conincidentally, will also be playing ACADEMY, BUNDA ST, CIVIC Exposed: Alan Thompson (UK) The Ministry of Sound luvvie spices up the popular monthly dance night TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC Shakedown!

Indie/alt/dance with all your favourite spinners. Free entry before 10pm BAR 32, SYDNEY BUILDING, CIVIC Neon Stereo (Chinese Laundry) With Agent 86 MONKEY BAR, BUNDA ST, CIVIC Candy Cube With DJs Peter Dorree and Matt Chavasse. From 10pm til 5am CUBE NIGHTCLUB, CIVIC DJ Marty Faux & DJ Adam Miller From 9pm KREMLIN BAR, 65 NORTHBOURNE AVENUE, CIVIC Shunji KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

SUNDAY MARCH 29

DAY PLAY _____________ Tuggeranong Homestead Markets TUGGERANONG HOMESTEAD Cube Sunday With DJ Peter Dorree CUBE NIGHTCLUB, CIVIC Irish Jam Session From 5pm KING O'MALLEY'S, CIVIC

DANCE _____________ Sound Baked Sundays With D'Opus & Roshambo, Ashley Feraude, Bicipital Groove, Jemist and Tom Tomz.

(TRINITY) BAR, DICKSON Cube Sunday With DJ Peter Dorree. From 9pm CUBE NIGHTCLUB, CIVIC

TUESDAY MARCH 31

LIVE _____________ Chuse Jazz Tuesdays With Aron Lyon Trio (TRINITY) BAR, DICKSON Musical Madness @ Filthy's With The Bridge Between and The Wedded Bliss. Free entry FILTHY McFADDEN'S, KINGSTON

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Carry-On Karaoke TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC Fame Trivia THE DURHAM, KINGSTON Pot Belly Trivia POT BELLY BAR, BELCONNEN Trivia Night PJ O'REILLY'S, TUGGERANONG Trivia Night HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON Trivia Night Free entry THE PHOENIX, EAST ROW, CIVIC WEDNESDAY APRILAPR 1 WEDNESDAY 1

ARTS _____________ Andrew Mayo Exhibition: Guys, Girls, Guitars THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

LIVE _____________

DANCE _____________

Paprika Balkanicus Cat Empire-approved gypsy folksters. Tickets on 6247 1223 THE STREET THEATRE, ACTON Shannon Noll The man. The legend SOUTHERN CROSS CLUB, WODEN

Reverb 2009 With Bukkcity (releasing new album Same Place), Mind Over Matter, Tycotic, Coptic Soldier, Phat Chance, Drake, Blaze, Johnny Utah and more. $15, or $20 on the door ANU BAR, ACTON

MONDAY MARCH 30

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________

ARTS _____________

'80s Music With DJ Craig PJ O'REILLY'S, TUGGERANONG Adam Hills Playing two shows PLAYHOUSE, CANBERRA THEATRE

Cabaret Creme: Beyon Glamour First one o' the year!

Tix on 6247 1223 THE STREET THEATRE, ACTON

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Fame Trivia PJ O'REILLY'S, CIVIC Carry-On Karaoke THE DURHAM, KINGSTON Karaoke Night HOLY GRAIL KINGSTON $5 Night TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC

DVDEVOTEE

Choke (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment)

Keith Urban: Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy World Tour Live (EMI)

The Rocker (Fox Entertainment)

Unfortunatelym, Choke it was always going to be compared to one of the best films of the ‘90s, Fight Club, as both are adapted from novels written by prolific, and possibly insane, scribe Chuck Palahniuk. Does it compare favourably? Well I guess it doesn’t, which isn’t a slight against Choke, but more a reflection of how good Fight Club is. Choke stars Sam Rockwell as Victor Mancini, a sex addict who works in a going-nowhere job - one of those god awful turn-of-the-century worlds. He hates his job and, not to sound like a 20th century psychiatric cliché, he doesn’t really like himself either. He and friend Denny (Brad William Henke) attend sexaholics anonymous meetings to pick up their next victim while trying to cure themselves. Meanwhile, Victor’s mother Ida (Anjelica Huston) is going slowly into that good night - with a lot of noise. Clark Gregg makes his directorial debut in Choke and while it is a fine film, commenting on just how shallow humans really all are, it doesn’t quite reach the pinnacle of Fight Club - but that shouldn’t be a huge surprise. A lot of the joy of the film comes from watching Rockwell in action: he really is an underutilised talent, and considering he made such an impact with Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, one wonders why he hasn’t had more meaty roles. There are some great extra features on the disc, including an interview with the twisted author and a gag reel, but I wish that Choke had gone that step further, had been more biting and cutting-edge. Here’s hoping Gregg’s next film is a bit more impacting.

Now that former Queenslander Keith Urban is part of the celebrity couple set, you, the long-term fan, or just the fan of good quality country rock, are going to have to do a bit of readjusting. For now that ‘our’ Keith is plying his trade in enormodomes the length and breadth of the land of the free, what you get for your dollar is ‘the big production,’ as far away from the heart and soul of traditional country as it’s possible to get without growing up in the ghetto. And whilst that isn’t necessarily a bad thing – the stadium rock guitar histrionica of Shine gets the blood moving after a turgid, U2-style opening (Once in a Lifetime is missing only the pompous pseudo reverend Hewson in its attempt at ‘meaning’) – it most definitely isn’t a good thing either. Even the pared-down material here comes over as slightly bloated and you get the whiff of ‘entertainment’ as opposed to ‘sincerity’. That said, Urban is a great guitarist and through all the smoke, mirrors, sturm und drang, you do occasionally see slivers of the Keith we used to know and love (although his intercut attempts at humour were probably best left on the cutting room floor), as he effortlessly charms a crowd which, although there to be charmed, are eating from the man’s palm after a mere four numbers. By song five, the titanic Stupid Boy, even naysayers like me are reaching for the lighter (actually, I was looking under the sofa for my cardboard guitar, but that’s just me), apart from the man running up the stairs in the crowd paying no attention whatsoever to Urban’s mesmeric guitar solo, and I guess in the end that’s what entertainment is, right? The rest of the set mixes in the old and tracks from Urban’s last album, the hit-and-miss Love Pain and the Whole Crazy Thing, slickly delivered and rapturously received, and a few bonus extras to make your money go a little bit further and, despite my carping, is an enjoyable couple of hours overall.

There were numerous moments during The Rocker when I felt I was watching the bastard offspring of Hannah Montana, School of Rock and every Will Ferrell man-child movie ever made. As attractive as it may sound to some assholes – this is not a good thing. Rainn Wilson (The Office) stars as Robert Fishman, who cruelly had a life of fame and rock debauchery stolen from his grasp in the mid-’80s when he was ousted from hair and spandex metal band, Vesuvius, on the cusp of superstardom.

Now, dejected and rejected, he finds himself living in his sister’s attic, spending days doing everything except facing reality and making something of his life. An olive branch of hope is extended to the flabby, pathetic wash-up via his teenage nephew’s drummer-less band. You can see where this redemptive bent is going.

But at this point it is necessary to highlight the extraordinary talent that was wasted in the making of this film; it’s an honour roll of missed opportunities courtesy of a dismal, poorly paced script and gags that fall well short of their mark. Jeff Garlin, Will Arnett, Jane Lynch, Christina Applegate and Jason Sudeikis all struggle to find their place in a film that eventually turns out to be a teen road romp bereft of even one enjoyable and creative set piece. The rare examples of jokes firing (the naked drummer viral video, possibly) and engaging performances (Sudeikis, Garlin) only serve to highlight the total sense of ordinariness plaguing The Rocker. It appears on evidence presented here Wilson is sadly not up to the task of carrying a feature, cliché ridden as it is. Fortunately for him it’s the trio of younger stars, Teddy Geiger (a teen star in his own), Emma Stone (a definite star in the making) and Josh Gad (underappreciated and underused) as the band A.D.D., who deliver Fishman back to the heights of rock glory in a shabby and hastily solved denouement. The best thing about The Rocker is that the lead character’s name reminded me of the adorable jam band Phish who have just reformed. Numerous extras and a cameo by Pete Best (holy shit!) complete the package.

GEOFF SETTY

SCOTT ADAMS

3H[W .VVXH"

JUSTIN HOOK

Nick Warren, The Drones, National Folk Festival and much more. Out April 2.

It'll twist yer melon!