wed 14

club consolador
la campana, 53-55 liverpool st, sydney
$10 8pm

eugene chadbourne, suzanne grae and the katies, crabsmasher, dj smallcock

Eugene Chadbourne (USA) A seemingly endless — and endlessly eclectic — series of releases made the innovative guitarist Eugene Chadbourne one of the underground community’s most well-known and well-regarded eccentrics. Born January 4, 1954 in Mount Vernon, NY, Chadbourne was raised in Boulder, CO, by his mother, a refugee of the Nazi death camps. At the age of 11, the Beatles inspired him to learn guitar; later exposure to Jimi Hendrix prompted him to begin experimenting with distortion pedals and fuzzboxes. Ultimately, however, he became dissatisfied with the conventions of rock and pop, and traded in his electric guitar for an acoustic one, on which he began to learn to play bottleneck blues.

Perhaps Chadbourne’s most significant formative discovery was jazz; initially drawn to John Coltrane and Roland Kirk, he later became an acolyte of the avant excursions of Derek Bailey and Anthony Braxton. Despite the huge influence music exerted over his life, however, Chadbourne first studied to become a journalist, but his career was derailed when he fled to Canada rather than fight in Vietnam; only President Jimmy Carter’s declaration of amnesty for conscientious objectors allowed the vociferously left-wing Chadbourne to return to the U.S. in 1976, at which time he plunged headlong into the New York downtown music scene. After releasing his 1976 debut, Solo Acoustic Guitar, he began collaborating on purely improvisational music with the visionary saxophonist John Zorn and the acclaimed guitarist Henry Kaiser.

Quickly, Chadbourne carved out a singular style, comprised of equal parts protest music, free improvisation, and avant-garde jazz, topped off with his absurd, squeaky vocals. A complete list of Chadbourne’s countless subsequent collaborations and genre workouts is far too lengthy and detailed to exhaustively document, although in the early ’80s he garnered some of his first significant attention as the frontman of Shockabilly, a demented rockabilly revisionist outfit which also featured the well-known producer Kramer. Following the group’s breakup, Chadbourne turned to his own idiosyncratic brand of country and folk, accurately dubbed LSD C&W on a 1987 release, the same year he joined the members of Camper Van Beethoven for a one-off covers project. In addition, he recorded with artists ranging from Fred Frith and Elliott Sharp to Evan Johns and Jimmy Carl Black, the original drummer in the Mothers of Invention; in between, he continued exploring unique styles inspired by music from the four corners of the globe, all the while issuing a seemingly innumerable string of records, most of them on his own Parachute label.

http://www.eugenechadbourne.com 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Chadbourne

SUZANNE GRAE & THE KATIES (MELB) Inspired by their namesake fashion icons responsible for bringing shoulder padded style and geometric glamour to the suburbs of eighties Australia, Suzanne Grae and the Katies are a 6 piece all gal sleaze rock band based in Melbourne, Australia.

It was just this spring season of 2008 that Suzanne Grae met the Katies at a discount outlet over the 50% off rack. The Katies all had their nails into the one peach power suit, and things were getting hairier than a Poison after party. However Suzanne stepped in to suggest the divvying up of the garment between the ladies, shoulder pad by pleat by precious polka dot, and the Katies could not help but come to their fashion senses. They offered to Suzanne both the peach power suit and a promise – To together form a band that would let no obstacle, not broken heels nor lack of musical ability, stand in the way.

Suzanne Grae and the Katies are… Texta as Suzanne Grae: ‘singer’, tamborinist, stylist Lou as Katie Tutti Frutti Pan Flutti: keys, back up vocals Anna as Katie Ramone Bomb: guitar, back up vocals Marian as Katie G: saxophone, drums, guitar, back up vocals Bec as Katie Kaos: bass, trianglist, back up vocals Alex as Katie uber Alles: drums, bass 

Crab Smasher (NEWCASTLE) ”Crab Smasher’s music isn’t as gleefully violent as their name might suggest. Based in Newcastle, the duo released two documents of their pop-inflected experimentalism last year: a Trapdoor Tapes cassette vividly entitled Doom+Doom=OMG! as well as this twenty minute EP. Despite its brevity, Impossible Monsters – their tenth release to date – manages to cram at least eight largely contrasting styles across twenty minutes, with a sense of wistfulness permeating most of the proceedings. Wistful, because despite Crab Smasher’s noise-orientated means their music is ultimately approachable and illustrative. While it’s common for bands of Crab Smasher’s ilk to extend their abstractions over a longer period of time, to give ideas the opportunity to crystallize, these guys don’t stuff around. The two opening tracks start the EP on harsh terrain – clinical white noise bursts puncture through barely-audible hum on ‘I Am Error’, while ‘Killing With Kindness’ wields scraps of noise in a more confrontational and less ominous way. Pleasantly enough, ‘The Moon Rattled Inside Her’ takes a complete left turn into bedroom pop cum science fiction soundtrack, while ‘A Sad Day For Everybody’ recalls Italian instrumentalists Larsen in the way the slowly paced rhythm breathes starkly and threateningly, mapping the ascendancy of noise and murk in the mix. Indeed, it’s these colourful contrasts that make Impossible Monsters a compelling, if slightly puzzling listen. There doesn’t appear to be any common thread running through these tracks, and often the brevity of the tracks can be frustrating. Still, Crab Smasher get it right most of the time because they have the audacity to do what isn’t expected of them, and if that means sometimes they lose a bit of focus, that’s a worthwhile compromise.” – Shaun Prescott @ Mess&Noise

http://www.myspace.com/crabsmasher

  * DJ Smallcock will play other peoples music between sets

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thu 15

Beatdisc in Parramatta.
6pm All Ages Free
Tyre Swans, Animal Shapes and Oh Messy Life.

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fri 16

Serial Space
33 Wellington Street, Chippendale
7pm $8

This gig is a fundraiser to bring some of the international artists out to Sydney for There Goes The Neighbourhood.

Are you yet another person who has had the rent jacked up and been outpriced and outed of your own space?…

Inspired by this global phenomenon of gentrification, There Goes The Neighbourhood is an exhibition, film festival, workshops and publication about the politics of space happening in May at the Performance Space.

The project brings together a group of local and international artists who have worked on various projects that have explored the relationship between community and space and we’re inviting them to develop these issues further in the contested local environment of Redfern.

The artists involved are: Daniel Boyd, Brenda Croft, Lisa Kelly, SquatSpace, Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro, Ned Sevil and friends (Australia), Temporary Services (USA), Jakob Jakobsen (Denmark), 16beaver (USA), Miklos Erhardt and Little Warsaw (Hungary), Michael Rakowitz (USA) and Bijari (Brazil). We will also be doing a re-enactment of Allan Kaprow’s Push and Pull: A Furniture Comedy for Hans Hofmann (with thanks to the Allan Kaprow Estate) and hosting a Gordon Matta-Clark film screening.

For more information on There Goes The Neighbourhood:
www.theregoestheneighbourhood.org

We know January is super hectic but please come down and support us- this gig is going to be awesome!

Featuring:

SUZANNE GRAE & THE KATIES (MELB)
Inspired by their namesake fashion icons responsible for bringing shoulder padded style and geometric glamour to the suburbs of eighties Australia, Suzanne Grae and the Katies are a 6 piece all gal sleaze rock band based in Melbourne, Australia.

It was just this spring season of 2008 that Suzanne Grae met the Katies at a discount outlet over the 50% off rack. The Katies all had their nails into the one peach power suit, and things were getting hairier than a Poison after party. However Suzanne stepped in to suggest the divvying up of the garment between the ladies, shoulder pad by pleat by precious polka dot, and the Katies could not help but come to their fashion senses. They offered to Suzanne both the peach power suit and a promise – To together form a band that would let no obstacle, not broken heels nor lack of musical ability, stand in the way.

Suzanne Grae and the Katies are…
TextaQueen as Suzanne Grae: ‘singer’, tamborinist, stylist
Lou as Katie Tutti Frutti Pan Flutti: keys, back up vocals
Anna as Katie Ramone Bomb: guitar, back up vocals
Marian as Katie G: saxophone, drums, guitar, back up vocals
Bec as Katie Kaos: bass, trianglist, back up vocals
Alex as Katie uber Alles: drums, bass

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=37836002939

JUSTICE YELDHAM
Fresh back from 3 months eating dumplings and making noise in China, catch Justice Yeldham’s first gig back in Sydney. This guy is never sticks around for long before he’s off again- so don’t miss ‘the glass guy’ himself, even if he is a pane.

“What’s been described as “a trumpet player trapped in a two dimensional universe” is in fact the unique audio work of Justice Yeldham, a maverick musician with an unhealthy obsession with sheets of broken glass. By pressing his face and lips against the glass whist employing various vocal techniques ranging from throat singing to raspberries, he turns disguarded household windows into crude musical instruments. Resulting in a wide variety of cacophonous noises that are strangely controlled and oddly musical.

Justice Yeldham is the latest alter-ego of Australian sound performer Lucas Abela, whose past sonic experiments were conducted under monikers like A Kombi, Dj Smallcock & Peeled Hearts Paste. Initially classed as an experimental turntablist, although his early work rarely resembled anything in the field. Early feats, saw him stab vinyl with Kruger style stylus gloves, bound on electro acoustic trampolines, drag race the popemobile across Sydney Harbour Bridge, perform deaf defying duet duels with amplified samurai swords, hospitalised by high powered turntables constructed from sewing machine motors, record chance John Peel sessions with the Flaming Lips, & be Otomo Yoshihides’ favourite entry into his Ground Zero remix competition; ‘Consummation’ even though instead of sampling the CD he destroyed it using amplified skewers!”

http://www.myspace.com/justiceyeldham

HOLY BALM

If you like dancing under a blanket to Black Sabbath shoeless in the grass then you will love Holy Balm.

(Don’t forget the honey-ed mushrooms)

http://www.myspace.com/holybalm

EMCEE PASH

Freshly back from shows in Vietnam we are proud to have this incredible female emcee up in Sydney for one show only!!! – and look out for her debut album which is about to be released!

” she’s the femcee that’s gonna make you wanna smile – she got you foot tappin, lip smackin, rappin pash stylez!” emcee pash is a Sydney born, Perth raised hip hop emcee who now has her roots firmly planted in Melbourne (Aus). Her love of music and poetry formed a symbiosis when pash was nineteen, and since then she has performed at many clubs and community events in and around Sydney, Byron Bay and Melbourne. Her lyrics are deeply personal, yet relate to the every day experiences that speak to many. Pash does not shy away from the political or the controversial. Her unique vocal delivery sets her apart from the rest, as do her dj sets with live emceeing- not to be missed! This year Pash is recording her debut album, to be released in Feb/March 09. Other projects include a PBS radio show focusing on female, indigenous, local artists as well as all things fresh and cool from around the globe, and of course pash intends on spreading her own music across the seas.”

http://www.myspace.com/emceepash

Big, huge, massive thanks to all the performers and Serial Space.

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fri 16

NOWnow festival

Afternoon concert @ Lhamda Books
Shop 1, 32 Station St, Wentworth Falls

5pm : THE PROPHETS : drums and saxophones and masks : Dale Gorfinkel / Peter Farrar / Rosalind Hall / Sam Dobson / Finn Ryan / and more
5:30pm : Inge Olmheim / Aemon Webb : Electronics

Evening concert @ Wentworth Falls School of Arts
Cnr Great Western Hwy / Adele Ave, Wentworth Falls

7:00pm : PIN PIN PIN TRIO : Clare Cooper (guzheng) / Magda Mayas (piano) / Steve Heather (percussion)
7:30pm : THE SPIDERS : James Heighway (everything)
8:00pm : Adam Sussman / Martin Kirkwood : Acoustic Guitars
8:30pm : (outdoors) : T.A.D. and Yusuke : voices and guitars
9:00pm : Eugene Chadbourne : freely improvised country guitar and banjo
9:45pm : Pateras / Baxter / Brown + Louise Curham : prepared piano / prepared guitar / unprepared drums / performative film (respectively)

Late concert @ Akemi
40 Great Western HWY,Medlow Bath (opp. train station)
contact: (02) 4788-1230

from 11:00pm :
Clayton Thomas (double bass) / Dale Gorfinkel (vibraphone / inventions) / Finn Ryan (drums)

Cinemusic : a film by David Ahern : introduced by Geoffrey Barnard

Lloyd Honeybrook / Robin Fox : feedbax and computer

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sat 17

Ruban Rat (upstairs), 76 Parramatta Road Stanmore
(gallery is across the road, heading West on your left just past the Annandale Hotel)
4pm-8pm

After many rolls of film and a lot more beer…
Finally a heap of photos from 2003-2008 on show:
you are invited to:5 Years as a Rock Moll photography by Anne Bentley
(celebrating 10 years of Scooter RockChix gigs)

opening night sponsored by Lovells Lager  – cheers!

guest appearances from Madam Squeeze and friends + Baby Machine (rock!)

exhibition continues Sunday 18 Jan 11am-5Pm
then Thursday 22 Jan to Mon 26 Jan 11am-5pm
evenings by appointment:
info@artzinephotography.com.au m: 0405 098 529

come along & look for familiar faces from the past & present and raise a toast to Scooter

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sat 17

NOWnow festival

Morning concert @ King’s Cave**
6:00am : Steve Heather : percussion
Sound Walk : with Anthony Magen : from King’s Cave at midday

Afternoon Concert @ King’s Cave**

2:00pm : Inge Olmheim (electronics) / Ian Pieterse (baritone saxophone) / Rosalind Hall (prepared alto saxophone)
2:30pm : Sam Dobson (double bass) / Jon Rose (violin)

Afternoon talk @ Wentworth Falls School of Arts

5:30pm : Birdsong : The Music of Nature and the Nature of Music : Hollis Taylor

Evening Concert @ Wentworth Falls School of Arts

7:00pm : Clayton Thomas / Clare Cooper / Robin Fox : strings and computer manipulation
7:30pm : Joe Derrick / Simon Ferenci : trumpets
8:00pm : Kusum Normoyle / Aaron Clarke / Rivka Schembri / Bonnie Hart : voices
8:30pm : HELMET HEAD : Rod Cooper and Anthony Magen : Audiovisual madness
9:00pm : Laura Altman / Magda Mayas / Monika Brooks : clarinet, piano and accordion
9:30pm : BOTBORG : audio visual feedback web

Late concert @ Akemi

from 11:00pm :
Pilgramage from Scattered Points : a film on the Scratch Orchestra by Luke Fowler

EUGENE CHADBOURNE PROJECT

**KING’S CAVE
….by train
Get yourself to Linden Station. Exit station onto Bourke Rd (opposite side of the highway, don’t go up the stairs on the station). Go left onto bourke Rd. there will be an escort from station.

…by car:
Driving from Sydney – Turn off the Great Western Highway in Linden onto Tollgate Dr. where there is a sign for the Linden Observatory, go right at the crossroads, along Glossop Rd, then park on Bourke Rd. near “Donohoe’s Rave” sign to walk down the trail to the cave.
Driving from Katoomba – Down Great Western Hwy, Left onto Tollgate Dr, left onto Glossop rd, right to Bourke rd.

On bourke St, near “Donohoe’s (G)rave” sign to walk down the trail to the cave. a short easy walk.

Contact Alex on 0406 361 439 on the day if you have any problems

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sun 18

Midday in Pitt Park (next to Wentworth Falls School of Arts): KITE MUSIC : Jon Rose and Robin Fox

Afternoon Concert @ Wentworth Falls School of Arts

2:00pm : THE SPLINTER ORCHESTRA : the NOW now’s very own house band
2:45pm : Anthony Pateras : solo piano
3:30pm : THE LOOP ORCHESTRA : Australia’s longest running experimental music project : John Blades / Richard Fielding / Manny Gasparinatos / Hamish Mackenzie / Juke Wyatt
4:00pm : Mike Majkowski : solo double bass

Evening concert @ Akemi

from 7:00pm :
– Dave Brown / Joe Musgrove / James Heighway : guitars and electronics
– THE UNAUSTRALIANS
– Hosebeast : Jon Hunter / Ivan Lysiak / Peter Newman : guitar and drums and computer
– Lucas Abela / Sean Baxter

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