Month: July 2009

What’s Cool and Unusual – 15th July 2009

~ tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

a quick piece of self promotion.  paint it black has recently closed though tom will be trying to get something going again later this year.  in the meantime most of the stock i had there will probably end up at repressed records on king street.  but you can also check the list online along with my distro which now is fully focused on all sorts of DIY releases from the whole Australasia region – i have stock from Taiwan, Thailand, China and many other countries.  Nothing from Cambodia or Vietnam yet but I’ll find some!  you can check the list here: http://www.tenzenmen.com/distro/TZM_distro.shtml

also as part of the MAYBE MARS series of cds I’ve been releasing of new chinese music you can visit http://www.tenzenmen.com and take advantage of a special offer of the two latest releases, OURSELF BESIDE ME and the GAR, just $20 ppd for both!  OURSELF BESIDE ME are a beijing trio in the post-punk Slits/Fall vein and the GAR are perfect indie rock ala Built to Spill.

ok – back to the list!

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thu 16

Serial Space, 33 Wellington St, Chippendale
8pm $?

Lawrence English, Seaworthy & Solo Andata

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thu 16

red rattler, 6 faversham street, marrickville
7pm $10/$20

A facelifting fundraiser with hearty organic soup, sourdough bread and film screening to help renovate the outside of the Alfalfa House shop on Enmore Rd.

“The Real Dirt on Farmer John” is an epic tale of a maverick Midwestern farmer. An outcast in his community, Farmer John bravely stands amidst a failing economy, vicious rumors, and violence. By melding the traditions of family farming with the power of art and free expression, this powerful story of transformation and renewal heralds a resurrection of farming in America.

Doors open and dinner served at 7pm; the film starts at 7.30pm.

The cost is $20 for fully-waged, $10 for unwaged and includes the movie, soup and bread. We’ll also have organic beer, wine and cakes for sale.

For more info about the film visit http://www.angelicorganics.com/ao/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=148&Itemid=182

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fri 17

red rattler theatre, 6 faversham street, marrickville
$10 8pm

the assassination collective, the losers, the thaw, intentions, psycho nanny and the baby shakers

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fri 17

ok – i’m only mentioning this one as tenzenmen released the Wifey cd recently (sorry!)

Wifey supporting Sui Zhen and Ned Collete at the Factory, Marrickville.

you could run between here and the red rattler if you were so inclined!

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sat 18

220 Trafalgar Street, Annandale
2:00pm – 6:00pm

The King of the Red Lions and Bare Arms will be demonstrating music in the Kitchen around 2pm.

BYO drinks and BBQ things

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sat 18

Dirty Shirlows, 32 Shirlow St, Marrickville, Australia
7pm $5

EPSILON – Keeping it oldschool, NCL style
PAUL BLACKOUT – Loving your mum
RYBACKER vs HATENOIZE – Scorecards and speedcore – hard as fuck
HIGHLY DUBIOUS – Turntablist maggot from Petersham
DALIT – Fucken Dalit!
MOTHBALL Z – Emotional booty breakcore
DJK47 – Formerly known as DJ Shithouse
DJ CORPORAL LEPER – Weirdo music for outsiders

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sat 18

red rattler, 6 faversham st, marrickville
$6 8pm

scooter show!
little a, mc phreaze, mc karmin, djs

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sun 19

54 Old Canterbury Road, LEWISHAM NSW 2049
11:30am – 4:30pm

Zine-making workshop

The weather is still cold, yes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t come round, drink tea, eat soup, make zines, listen to live acoustic music and talk.

See you on the 19th July for all of the above and maybe a little bit more.

Bring whatever you’re working on, bring a friend, bring a plate of yums.

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sun 19

Location Mu-Meson Archives, Crn Parramatta Rd & Trafalgar St (behind King Furniture)
4pm/free bring a plate

http://www.mumeson.org

Miss Deaths Knitting Group
Do you want to learn how to knit, crochet or any other craft? Miss Death will be crocheting some hyperbolic coral reefs so if you want to contribute to the Powerhouse Museums exhibition (opening in late August) then here is your chance. You don’t have to know how to crochet it’s easy to learn quickly. Or you just want to come along for a social? For the new ladies who are coming for the first time bring a friend. Boys are welcome as long as they do a craft or something useful.

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sun 19

Bohemian Grove, L2/68 Sophia St, Surry Hills 
6.30pm $10

gavin ahearn- manaslu!

Manaslu is a band that features some of the hardest funking musicians in Sydney playing original music and re-interpreting jazz classics. The band was formed by keyboardist Gavin Ahearn who has returned to the Sydney scene
after spending 10 years in the U.S., Europe and Asia playing with some of the finest musicians around. Jesse Ricketson on drums (the Bakery) and Matt Gruebner on bass (Orly, Lily Dior) will be laying the grooves down. Virtuoso
electric guitarist Richard Bornman will be exploring melodic possibilities with Bahram Saba keeping the whole project earthed on acoustic guitar. The musical emphasis in Manaslu is on the groove. As well as playing intricate original songs the band will be interpreting music from the jazz/fusion/latin archives – from the compositions of Thelonius Monk and Duke Ellington through to Bob Berg and Chick Corea.

review—–>
http://www.australianstage.com.au/reviews/sydney/the-gavin-ahearn-trio-2450.html

listen —–>   www.myspace.com/gavinahearn

— Bohemian Grove performances are 6:30pm doors for a 7pm start each Sunday (unless otherwise advised). The cover is $10 / donation. Please feel free to invite your friends to come and/or join the mailing list, but we ask that nothing be posted on the web for the authorities to find (they are squares). Support live music!

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when you attend any of these events feel free to tell the organisers/door people that you heard about them thru this list – that way we all know we’re doing a good job and it’s all worthwhile!  the list costs me about $70 bucks a year in fees and a bucket load of time to collect info and send out every week (even when i’m overseas!).  if you want to help out financially then please buy some cds from my catalogue or distro!  there’s something there for everyone!  (well, almost!)

shaun/tenzenmen
++  i’ll either be at these events or wishing i was there  ++

Gar – The Gar – 1st July 2009

~ tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Cat #: 022TZM

Gar’s music is some of the purest Chinese rock ‘n’ roll. Mixing the beautiful and sophisticated melodic structures typical of the best Chinese music with basic harmonies and a delight in shifting textures, their songs achieve the shimmering quality of folk-rock but with the hard edge that life in Beijing, with its rapid changes, destruction and reconstruction, has imposed on most of its artists. 

The three members of Gar are guitarist/lead vocalist Zhan Pan, bassist Wen Jie, and drummer Wang Xu. Their standard power-trio format, ordinary equipment, graceful Chinese lyrics, and complete lack of stage posturing and fancy gimmicks make them different from most of the other bands in the scene. On the surface they seem very ordinary, but their shows are full of energy and intelligence. In recent years, a number of alternative genres have been expanding the definitions of indie music and rock ‘n’ roll for Chinese audiences, and along with it there have been changes in trends and fashion, but Gar have refused to follow any of the trends, continuing to explore their own sense of real music based on individual experiences. These are classic songs about youth and time, appealing to every generation and era. While the Chinese indie music environment gets louder, more challenging, and wilder, Gar continues singing their hearts out for their very own generation.

What’s Cool and Unusual – 1st July 2009

~ tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

in case you haven’t heard, paint it black has moved out of 86 enmore rd and looking for alternative accommodation

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thu 2

red rattler, 6 faversham st, marrickville
6.30 $15

Kino Kabaret

Kino Kabaret is a series of 2 day filmmaking marathons, screenings and parties taking place across Sydney 29 June – 4 July. Each session gives the participants only 48hrs to write, shoot and edit short films and culminates in a screening and party. Come and see the results of this mad filmmaking experiment at The Red Rattler Thursday 2 July!

Just $15 at the door gets you in to see brand spanking new short films made in under 48 hours, live performances, snacks, Coopers Pale Ale and Jamesons Irish Whiskey. The night will also feature music by Sydney based duo MA and installations courtesy of Punk Monk Propaganda.
Dress code for the night is: Fire Walk With Lynch! Eraserheads, Amnesiacs and Elephant Men – prizes for best dressed!

Doors open 6.30pm

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fri 3

Black & Blue Gallery
302/267-271 Cleveland Street
Redfern NSW 2016

Opening Fri 3rd July
3 July – 18 July

I HATE YOUR GUTS!
Raquel Welch

Gallery hours Thurs to Sat 11 – 6pm
Other times by appointment

W www.blackandbluegallery.com.au

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fri 3

red rattler, 6 faversham st, marrickville

Femme Guild present HANKY PANKY – Hanky Code Party

Hanky Panky is a harking back to queer sub-cultures of the past as we delve into the rich history of queer semiotics & the socio-political reasons behind it. The party will be both fun & educational as we teach, learn (and unlearn) the ways we express our sexuality through gesture and dress.

Hanky-theme performances by Ginger Snaps, Zahra Stardust & Glittertrash.
Hankilicious DJs Tokyo Pink & Fisty Cuffs
Go-Go Dancers, Hanky Demonstrations and the very cheeky Dirty Little Slide Show, as well as Emergency Hankies for all you forgetful folk.

We invite all our guests to come flagging on the night for a bit of sex-positive fun whether you have one favourite colour hanky or a whole string of them you whip out magician-style from your bottomless back pocket.

Pre-sale tickets available exclusively from MaXXX Black, 1/264 King St, Newtown – $15/$20. We encourage you to pre-purchase your tickets as only a very limited number will be available on the night.

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sat 4

dirty shirlows, 32 Shirlow St, marrickville
7pm $5

b.i.n.t. , maladroit, dislasystem, null object, sado, killjoy + more

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sat 4

Serial Space, 33 Wellington St, Chippendale
midday

Hey Folks

I’ll be doing a wee showing of what I’ve been up to at Serial Space over the last couple of weeks on this Saturday July 4 from midday. Mostly I’ve been working on the wheelie bin…

For some time I’ve been interested in sound system cultures, particularly around the Caribbean and in South and Central America. Looking to build one locally, it occurred to me that a unique version already exists. John Jacobs <http://patchwrangler.net/> designed and built the original Wheely Good Sound System in the early nineties for use in urban actions/interventions such as Reclaim The Streets.

As part of my residency at Serial Space, I’m hoping to get all the systems in Sydney together. If you do have one, or any kind of portable sound system, mobile-robo disco unit please swing by around on Saturday July 4 at 2pm for some kind of enthusiasts meet / sound clash / road jam – we’ll take it to the streets, yes?

Sven Simulacrum
Please fwd on to anyone you think might be interested

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sat 4

Bandwidth
Clan Analogue Festival
Red Rattler Theatre
6 Faversham St, Marrickville
4PM-late, $7

Clan Analogue is Australia’s oldest electronic music/audio-visual collective. Over its history, many of Australia’s foremost proponents of electronic-based music and visual arts have contributed but, in recent times, the collective has become a little dormant on the public front. While it has never actually gone away, the Sydney chapter of Clan Analogue is preparing to relaunch its public face with a mini-festival of live music, DJ-ing and VJ-ing.

Bandwidth features some long-term members as well as younger groups who have been diversifying the aesthetics of the collective. With some of Sydney’s best underground live acts in their ranks, such as Bleepin’ J Squawkins, Lunar Module, Karoshi, Telafonica, Valley Forge and Kate Carr, along with DJs such as Tigerlily and the godfather of Australian electronic music, Andy Rantzen, the re-emergence of Clan Analogue in Sydney’s music scene is placed to be wildly varied and exciting.

Clan Analogue was birthed in the early 90s warehouse scene and so is proud to be working with Red Rattler Theatre and its ideals of artist run initiatives, community creativity and its D.I.Y. ethos.

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sat 4

The Lock Up, 90 Hunter Street, Newcastle
5:00pm – 9:00pm

The team behind the brand new ARThive studio/gallery complex at 111 Hunter Street are hosting a sweet party at THE LOCK UP to raise some funds to put into the upcoming exhibition program, and to pay for essential items like hooks, lights, paint, etc.
Come show some support, get behind a brand new Newcastle art space.

The Party will feature an ART RAFFLE consisting of new works donated by Simone Sheridan, Angus Crowley, Grant Hunter, Shane Westernhagen, Nicole Chaffey, Anthony Ferris, Jake Penn-Cullen, Sam Hughes, Hayley Wheaton, Emily Roberts, and Michael Randall. This could be your opportunity to walk away with some amazing art for only a donation.

BEN KENNING will be performing an art piece in one of the infamous prison cells of The Lock Up museum.

Live Music will be provided in the Lock Up exercise yard by CRAB SMASHER, SCISSOR LOCK, and MART BRENNAN.

This Event has been kindly sponsored by Nextra Marketown, The Lock Up, and Renew Newcastle.

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sat 4

Kick Start Studios
6-8 Ralph Black Drive,
North Wollongong.
2-5pm, Gold coin donation.

Mary Jane Kelly, Epitomes + 1 or 2 more TBA soon

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sun 5

Sydney Park, cnr Princess Hwy & Sydney Pk rd
11:00am – 6:00pm

RULES FOR DJ-ING SUNDAY DUB CLUB

1.0………. FIRST RULE OF DUB CLUB, YOU WILL DISCUSS DUB CLUB

1.1………. YOU WILL ABIDE BY RULES OF DJ-ING SUNDAY DUB CLUB

1.2………. NOBODY CARES IF YOU DON’T TURN UP TO DUB CLUB SO ONLY SUNDAY DUB CLUB MANAGEMENT BRUCE, JOEY (if not barred) AND WALLY HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF ACTING LIKE GOOD SORTS ON DUB DAYS

2.0………. SUNDAY DUB CLUB MANAGEMENT BRUCE. JOEY (if not barred) AND WALLY EXPECT TO BE BRIBED AND GENERALLY SUCKED UP TO FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF DJ-ING AT SUNDAY DUB CLUB

2.1………. SUNDAY DUB CLUB MANAGEMENT HAS THE RIGHT TO
a………. TAKE OVER THE DJ-ING FROM ANY VISITING DJ AT ANY TIME
b………. REFUSE ENTRY TO BEHIND THE DECKS IF VISITING DJ(s) ARE ACTING LIKE TWATS
c………. GIVE ANY VISITING DJs A HARD TIME DUE TO POOR MUSIC CHOICE, GAPS IN SOUND OR IF MANAGEMENT IS JUST FEELING IN A SHIT STIRRING MOOD
(points 2.1(a)(b)and(c)are often in direct proportion to how well you adhere to point 2.0)

3.0………. IF SUNDAY DUB CLUB MANAGEMENT BRUCE, JOEY (if not barred) AND WALLY DECIDE THAT THERE ARE TO MANY DJs ON ANY GIVEN DUB DAY
a………. MANAGEMENT WILL DECIDE WHO WILL PLAY AND WHO WILL MISS OUT ON THAT DAY
b………. DJs THAT DO MISS OUT DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO GO ON LIKE GOOD SORTS OR HARASS MANAGEMENT OR SLAG OFF MANAGEMENT TO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC BUT SHOULD GO BACK AND RE-READ POINT 2.0

4.0………. SUNDAY DUB CLUB MANAGEMENT BRUCE, JOEY (if not barred) AND WALLY HAVE THE RIGHT AT ANY GIVEN TIME TO AMEND THIS DOCUMENT VERBALLY OR IN WRITING WITHOUT WARNING TO VISITING DJs WHERE OR WHEN EVER THEY FEEL FIT OR CAN GET SOMETHING OUT OF IT.

WHEN YOU HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF DJ-ING SUNDAY DUB CLUB, DUB DAY, WITH OR WITHOUT PRIOR READING OR ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THIS DOCUMENT YOU ARE STILL BOUND TO ADHERE TO ALL POINTS AND ANY AMENDMENTS. THE CRY OF NOBODY TOLD ME OR I DIDN’T KNOW THAT, DOSE NOT WORK HERE.

IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS DOCUMENT OR SUNDAY DUB CLUB MANAGEMENT PLEASE FEEL FREE TO RE-READ POINT 1.2
AND SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!

YOURS FAITHFULLY
S.D.C MANAGEMENT

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sun 5

red rattler, 6 faversham st, marrickville
1-5pm

Rock and Writers – Winter of our Discotheque

Sydney writers and bands in a rocking, pulp fiction freakout!

Featuring – The Men from UNCLE, the LangLangs, the Dead Rabids, Ned Alphabet, Darrin Baker and King Wally Otto – direct from the Sound Proof Booth!

“Now is the winter of our discotheque
Made summer by a mad few who, forsaking dignity for glorious folly
Lay plans to freak out both swain and maiden
At the Rock n Writers gig, Red Rattler Marrickville,
Perchance there you may waylay them.”

shaun/tenzenmen
++  i’ll either be at these events or wishing i was there  ++

Ourself Beside Me – Album – 1st July 2009

~ tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Cat #: 020TZM

Ourself Beside Me were first formed in 2003 by former Hang On The Box guitarist Yang Fan. Their line-up changed several times throughout the years until Yang Fan (the main vocalist and guitarist) met the then-still-a-drummer Xie Han through the internet in fall 2005, thanks to a shared interest in the British band, Television Personalities. They bonded immediately and started writing songs together. Xie Han started playing the bass and in 2007, through a mutual friend, EMI (who hails from Japan) was introduced into the group as the drummer. It wasn’t until the second half of 2007 that this trio began performing regularly, first at D-22 and then at other clubs in Beijing. Touted almost from the beginning by D-22 regulars as one of the most exciting and innovative bands to emerge from the Beijing scene, these three hard-charging ladies have swept everything before to become among the most admired and inspiring bands in China. 

It is hard to describe their sound. They claim their inspirations began with the sounds from old 60’s and 70’s bands such as the Velvet Underground, Syd Barrett, Can, Tom Waits, Soft Machine and the Fall. There is no denying these influences but they are also heavily influenced by New York’s East Village bands of the late 1970s and early 1980s but with a very Chinese obliqueness to their harmonies and musical approach and the typical Beijinger’s bluntness. They combine the rhythmic sophistica- tion of bands like ESG and Bush Tetras with the eerie but jangly, sinuous guitar lines of Bush Tetra guitarist Pat Place and the strange harmonics of DNA. Amid their drawn-out sessions you can even sometimes hear the long, druggy patterns of the Doors. This is a band extremely sure of its sound and wholly dismissive of any attempts to mold their image or sound into a more pleasing outline.