I CANT BELIEVE IT'S BLOODY SEPT ALREADY
Now I’ve had to go and start again cause when I started this update back in August I was going to mention all these wonderful things coming up and they’ve already come and gone. Such is the hectic life of this newly turned 50 year old.
So this rave will be more or less random memory events.
Which reminds me - when it‘s released, you have to check out Bill Putt’s new album.- ‘Bill’s Twang’. Had a sneak preview the other day when I was over at Mal Logan’s place. We are working on Geoff Acho’s new album at the mo, hence why I feel like a wombat in a burrow half the time. Where was I? Oh yeah Bill happened to be in the neighbourhood which is a long way from his place, given that he is now almost a St Andrews local, living up Strathewen way, and he had a copy of his new album. I can tell you that if you are a fan of Bill and Mike’s particular style of Aus Rock and Blues you are gonna love this album, and the lyric content is fantastic. I mean how can it fail to be a hit with the Spectrum Ariel generation when there’s a song titled “Short Term Memory Loss Blues”. But having said that, a friend of my daughter at her 19th birthday party at our place, when asked what music she would like to have on, said “Can you put that album on with the song about memory and Gst Blues. Now she does come from Bundoora and lives in Northcote now and they do have a greater appreciation of the genuine Australian boogie blues style of music over that side of town, but still she loves clubbing and dance music too. So Bill, if your reading this and worried that your album might only appeal to the, shall we say ‘smooth skin challenged generation’, then think again, cause there is hope yet to win over the younger set.

 Where was I? Something about the memory?  Oh that’s right, things coming up that have already gone by, geez time flies. There was the Souldiggers dvd lauch nite, bloody huge matey and the band were pretty fookin amazing as usual and a couple of people told me that the sound wasn’t bad either, which is good news for me. Cause you know the sound engineer saying – goes like this – “End of the gig, no news is good news”, cause most times the only time someone says anything to the soundy is to tell them that they thought it was crap. Luckily not the case generally for me at St Andrews, cause there are a lot of nice people there and I have some good friends  who keep me honest and give nice praise when it's due..

The hardest thing in this business, for all you young kids wanting to have a crack,  (that’s have a crack not get some crack) is to know when people are pissing in your pocket or just pissed or just pissed off about something else entirely. Like the chick went home with another bloke, or the hubby was flirting with the young good looker. Here’s a good example, true story.
Pissed as a fart woman at the end of the night- “More! More! More! youse guys are grouse, fucking brilliant, play another one”. (It's already 20 mins past knock off and the band is packing up and I’ve already packed up my mics and now onto stands and leads, it’s after 1.00 am) “Aw come on guys just one more, you really good you know, come onnnnn! Whats the problem?” “Haven’t ya got it in ya? Can’t you do another one?  What are yuz packin up for? Jeez you guys suck, weak pricks, yoush fuckin terrible worsht thing I ever heard in me life.”
“Well, howzaboutIsingafuckinsongforyazthen?”
“SECURITY!”

What else? S’cuse me while I just refer back to the rave I started but didn’t finish for a sec……a couple of ‘copy and pastes’ now: ….
Couple of Mick Pealing gigs thru that period.  I was recording with Mal and Geoff. So Ben did the sound for one of them and he told me it was great working with such awesome singers esp Mick. Ben had just come from doing crew work for the Paul Kelly tour the week previous and he said it was the perfect way to cap off the week.
 (7.8.05 sorry about jumping round but it's the way my head works sometimes) Mick Pealing did a Sat night electric gig with rhythm section- Robbo on drums and Jason on bass. Great to hear it in band mode and as well as tracks from Micks new album there were a few surprises thrown in.
A kickin version of Free’s ‘Wishin Well and some rockin’ versions of songs previously only heard in acoustic mode at the pub. Garry Young’s electric guitar work was like he’d been in acoustic land for a bit too long and had been let out for the day and took full advantage cutting loose with some sensational soaring solos (scuse the s’s). The band is back in December, so come check it out and you wont regret it. Rumour has it that angus burchill will be on drums, definitely looking foerward to that.
Geoff Acho finished his run, on the weekend of 8,9,10 July, which in the same week followed my 50th birthday, so it was a big one and I can tell you that barbeques, beer, go carts, family and Imax were involved and we had a good fun week but enough on that. A big weekend followed at St Andrews and for me it capped off a great week. Fri night TH3 and Ethanol , magic as usual, I recorded that gig but haven’t had a chance to check it out yet so guys (from the band)  if you are reading this I will get to it soon, don’t panic. Which reminds me, is hitchhikers guide out on dvd yet? I don’t go to the movies cause my wife reckons I comment too much. In fact the last time I remember going to the flicks was Ghostbusters. So we wait until the dvd is released so I can comment all I like and cop it from the rest of the family trying to watch the movie but at least we can rewind.
It was about time we had one of my well-known digressions.
Following Ethanol and TH3 we had Jaimi (pronounced jaymeye for those interested) Faulkner and band for the first time at St Andrews on the sat 9.7. Jaimi has been building his reputation round town and the word is out. He’s got a really good band including young Graeme on drums (he used to play with my son Ben in Solasystem) together with Nathan on bass laying down some lovely grooves. Good to see another young keys player, Sam doin’ the ‘Hammond Sound Thing’. He really has his chops down with the beautiful sounding huge leslie that raps around the room like a nice warm doona. Not that its exactly cold by the fire at the pub in winter.

How random is all of the above just the way my life seems to be, you look back and go “fuck me did all that happen in such a short time span?”

But wait there’s more, Dutch Tilders did a gig solo acoustic in the arvo and band in the night talk about stamina and some powerful blues went down over the course of the day and night.
Collard Greens and Gravy paid a visit on a Saturday night – magic! Authentic style original blues if that makes sense. Followed the next day by Jeff Jenkins late starters I really like jeffs songs and the way the band approaches them. Also a couple of good covers in there too, but mainly it's the originals and what they are about that grabs me. Lots of stories in their songs, about stuff that is Australian yet universal and easy to think “Yeah,I can relate to that”. I recorded that gig and it looks like we may record some more, which would be good thing.

Speaking of recording….The Wolfegang cd is in the can and the launch date is set for Oct 9th should be guests and all. I’m really happy with the way the album has turned out and this is a gig well worth checking out if you’re not already hip to the Wolfegang trip.
Spending a fair bit of time doing the final mixing with Mal Logan for Geoff Achos next studio album. I jumped into the 21 century got a Mac g5 and Logic Pro audio and hooley dooley we’re working with lots of channels and plug ins and all this new fangled multi track processing. Bottom line, sounds good to me. Good songs too and Geoff fans will be happy with this one I’m sure. Got acoustic and electric all at the same time even and piano and hammond  and did I mention the backing vocals and the percussion. Tempting fare  tobesure, tobesure.

What else? Well there was the time that Chubby Rae were doing a gig and there was this guy who was a bit (bit?) pissed and a bit (bit?) mischievous, things like turning the foldback wedge round to face the crowd and grabbing the mic stand when Merissa wasn’t looking, all that annoying funny when you’re pissed type behaviour. Anyway towards the end of the evening, Jerker who played harmonica with the band at the time, figured he had the solution to this blokes antics. “I know,” he thought, “ I’ll just climb up on his shoulders while I do my harp solo.” Which he did and the bloke thought it was hilarious of course, except he couldn’t stand up straight. So imagine if you will a huge bastard with a short largish bloke in a black suit, dark glasses, pork pie hat ala John Belushi, sitting on his shoulders playing harmonica with the big bastard swaying and staggering all over the place right next to my me and my mixing desk. (number one rule for me - “Keep the beer away from the gear!”) and then there is me, Tony Powell and someone else all trying to hold these guys upright and of course it all comes down like a pack of cards. When the dust settled, the bastard is still holding his can of Jim Beam which has projectiled all over the mixing desk and when I try to extract it from his fist even tho he’s almost insensible, do you think he’d let go of it? Oh the joys of being a sound engineer.
Stay tuned for more stories from the coalface I know Kel and Stan have a truckload.
Last bit, cause I still haven’t sent it off yet. Sat night we had a visit to the pub from the Darren Jack Band. He was down from NSW doing a tour. His band is from Melb though Roger Bergodas on drums Carl Weatherbrand on bass and Matt Hovel on Hammond.(he features on the Harper live album I recorded  at the pub) It was great to catch up with Matt and to hear his wonderful full Hammond sound and lovely playing. I hadn’t met Darren Jack before - really nice bloke and I was most impressed with his songs and playing and tone. Hope he comes back down here again soon. Roger and Carl very tasty rhythm section nice grooves guys.
Yesterday Mick Pealing again big crowd perfect spring day bell birds pinging off in the trees awesome vocals from Mick, Garry and Steve always a treat.
Week before that we had Black Cat Bone, Wolfegang regular Roy Zedras on bass & vocals Sam Linton-Smith guit and vocals and St Andrews local Ricky Ozimo on sax and harmonica, everyone had a fun night. I’d especially like to welcome Ben Castellucio to the St Andrews musos family. Ben is the new drummer for Black Cat Bone and has spent many a night watching lots of bands and drummers from the back of the bench. Hoping that he would get a chance to do a gig there and he finally got one. Hope there’s plenty more for you too Ben. Hard call for your first gig when the whole family turns up to check it out but!
All for now
Keep supporting the gigs at the pub cause without you we ain’t got a gig.
Rob Harwood