Tag: Dave Drayton

Sleep Alone – 22nd November 2021

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

We can’t share this dream together
Each world, a darkness of our own
The waking world we have in common
Born to us after our sleep alone

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful for Dave Drayton in Australia who sent me his book of poems. Today I will send him something in return.

Yesterday was a beautiful blue sky day, which Amy tuts at and means that people will start burning again now, and then we’ll be back to a smoky sky. What she says is true but I’d rather just take in the beautiful sky as it is, right then and there. She warned me that she was pre-menstrual, so I didn’t say anything!

We went to visit Bruno and Nut and had a good lunch through to dinner, chatting about everything and anything. Bruno and I did a quick dash into the city to meet an acquaintance of his who has just opened a coffee shop at their house. His name is Run and his English was pretty good.

Back at Bruno’s, I ate lots of hot pot food and took part in drinking all their ‘weed whiskey’, which didn’t taste like either and didn’t have much of either effect too, but it tasted nice. I had a good time even though I didn’t get a chance to practice guitar. I’ll make up for it tonight, hopefully. I’m starting to feel a little tired now.

This week is no-kids week for me, so I’m at House, marking their work as they send it and preparing for more weeks for 2/9. My ass is getting sore from sitting on these stools for too long.

At some point, I want to sit and listen to a CD and write about each song, to try and practice my writing and get down how those sounds make me feel. I really wanted to just listen to the Leopold CD I just bought. I heard it last week and really liked it and wanted to take the time to concentrate on it a bit more. I ran out of time though.

Poems on this day – 19th May 2021

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Work Moderately, Play Moderately

Our tendency to compromise
Our choreographed shedding of inhibitions
Our sheer ordinariness
With some notable exceptions

Our eccentricities are conformist
We are neither ‘sir’ nor ‘card’
Everything in moderation
We neither work nor play hard

Far from wild and reckless
We rely on rare risk takers
We are cautious and unadventurous
Not really movers and shakers

Oh, our English dis-ease
That others misunderstand as such
As long as they don’t bother us
Thank you very much!

Almost all this text is manipulated from pg 551 of ‘Watching the English’ by Kate Fox – so, being English, I must talk about the weather…

35 and Relief

Sweat trickled down my chest
My eyes were sweating too
The storm clouds soon disappeared
The skies now a whitish blue
I never thought it could happen
To feel my sweating teeth
Thank god the temperature dropped
To 35 and relief

Giles in the World

In economic globalisation
We seldom wonder where
Our vegetables are grown
Nor do we even care
Trade among our nations
Faceless labour makes
Can you name your farmer?*
And what their effort takes

*This inspirational line is also from ‘Watching the English’ which I had just finished reading and then started on Ursula Le Guin’s Dispossessed, whose introduction page led to this….

New Settler

A self-exiled society
Had taken one step away
Yet he had taken two

The certainty of isolation
He lived his life day by day
Without his common crew

A sacrifice for greater good
To show them a better way
Stood upright and true

Asserted his true condition
Wherever his hat may lay
Somehow, he always knew

He stood by himself
With little left for him to say
And nothing left to do

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful for all the heat discomfort I felt yesterday as it was hot and sticky from waking up in the morning until night and into today. It made me appreciate aircon rooms and cars and the pleasure of being able to cool down again.

This is about the fifth day of unbearable heat and humidity. It’s been hotter before this year, but the humidity is making things feel much worse. I don’t like to complain about it, but I am very thankful when I can get back into aircon, though I would much prefer fresh air. Ha – sometimes I miss England – or the chance to go to the beach and cool down like is so easy in Australia.

We’ve been back at school for more than a week now, and no one has asked us to do anything in particular, so I’ve been plowing through my book, catching up on other reading that I skipped during the holiday, as well as writing more poetry, which has been quite fulfilling.

Last night, I read about Dave Drayton’s P(oe)Ms and really loved the idea of writing a poem for each Australian Prime Minister and using an anagram of their name. I can see in my old poems that I was much more playful with words, even to the point where I can’t even recognise exactly what the literal meaning or intention of some of them were. I notice that I am not quite as clever these days, though I do probably make my points much clearer.

I still have an aversion to reading other people’s poetry though – it just doesn’t seem that interesting. Like making improvised music as opposed to listening to it.

On Monday, I felt particularly ecstatic for some reason. Perhaps getting back into my short exercise routine before work and the pleasure of lots of free time to fill as I wish. But yesterday, the edge wore off a little bit, and despite enjoying it, something still felt not quite right. I wonder what it is, what changes? The food I ate? The interactions with others? The temperature? The environment? Did I drink enough water?

Some days just don’t seem to be a good feeling, and it is difficult to identify. It certainly wasn’t a terrible day, and nothing out of the ordinary happened. I just wasn’t feeling it as compared to the day before. I sometimes consider I have mild bipolar, but it doesn’t affect me to be debilitating, and when I feel down or exhausted, I just write off the day, deal with it as best I can and console myself that tomorrow is a new day.

I’m thinking to call Sharon and ask her about Granny’s diaries – I wonder what they contain. I did see them once and don’t recall anything specifically, but it may be interesting just to see what was in her mind. Or would it be boring? Anyway, I should find out just for curiosity.

I’m filled with ideas and enthusiasm most of the time and finding again the things that seem to bring me joy. Life is pretty good for me right now – and when I say right now, I mean as I sit here writing this. Tomorrow may be different, tonight, or even the next five minutes. So, I’ll just enjoy this right now. Another coffee and another chapter of my book.

What’s Cool and Unusual – 18th June 2013

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Wed 19

Beatdisc, 11/181 Church St, Parramatta
6.30pm free ALL AGES

Wil Wagner, Laika

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Thu 20

Cafe Church (37-47 St. Johns Rd, Glebe, 2037)
$10/$20 8pm

Lines of Flight are an improvising ensemble who work within a sometimes alien, sometimes familiar soundworld, built on the ruinous foundations of contemporary jazz, rock and metal, art music, experimental beats, and free improvisation.
This will be the first time we have played in the high-ceilinged ambience of Colbourne Ave. We’re really looking forward to exploring the room’s sonic possibilities- if you’ve never been to Colbourne, it’s a wonderful venue. Admission is $20/$10 adult/concession. BYO food and drink, and there’s plenty of comfy couches to facilitate the listening to of musics.

The band features Joe Cummins on trumpet, Casey Golden on piano, Alex Slater on drums, and Sam Pettigrew on bass. We describe our music as ‘heavy’, ‘intense’, ‘hypnotic’, ‘quite’, ‘lyrical’, ’emotional’, ‘understated’ minimal’. If you like music by Alasnoaxis, Miles Davis, Radiohead, Holy Other, Queens of the Stoneage, and Arve Henriksen, there’s a chance you might think to yourself ‘what the hell, Lines of Flight sound nothing like that’.

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Fri 21

Mu-Meson Archives, Corner Parramatta Rd and Trafalgar St Annandale, at the back of King Furniture Building in Trafalgar st up the steel staircase.
Doors 7.30 for 8pm start $10

Frank Zappa’s Straight and Bizarre
During the late 1960s, Frank Zappa develop the business side of his career by setting up Bizarre Records and Straight Records as ventures to aid the funding of projects and to increase creative control. Zappa produced Captain Beefheart, and releases by Alice Cooper, Wild Man Fischer, and many other influential performers.

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Sat 22

Black Wire Records, 219 Parramatta Rd, Annandale
4.30pm $10 ALL AGES

Black Wire is awesome. Tom is Awesome. Everybody that donates their time and effort to making such a unique and important place for live music is awesome.

Here are some awesome bands that will be performing for your enjoyment, with all proceeds going to directly to the best venue in Sydney.

Brought to you by Monolith Records, Tenzenmen, and the goobers responsible for SoundDave, Draytone Indu$trie$, we present the next in a continuing line of pun-titled music festivals that are significantly better than the ones whose names they appropriate: STEREOTOMIC!

STOCKADES (Melbourne)
The noodliest bunch of heshians you ever did hear. They’ve got a new 10″ out and it’s amazing.
This will make you want to perform anti-capitalist sax solos in your local McDonald’s.
Listen & Pre-order their 10″ here:
http://monolithmonolith.bandcamp.com/album/stockades

SEAHORSE DIVORCE (Brisbane)
Featuring people from every good band ever, Seahorse Divorce have just released their debut LP through Tenzenmen and in doing so proved that XXXX is far from the best thing Queensland has to offer.
Get sad, then dance about it.
http://seahorsedivorce.bandcamp.com/

MAKING
Dude’s guitar is made of metal, metal! I’d wager it was actually constructed from some kind of space-metal that doesn’t actually exist on earth, but that he had obtained from a rare asteroid that landed in rural Russia.
The result is very loud, very awesome music.
http://makingmaking.bandcamp.com/

FIREARMS
People talk about no bullshit rock, they are all full of shit unless they are in Firearms, who actually play no bullshit rock. And it’s pretty party. And the gig is BYO, so you can drink a beer every time Reg does his energizer bunny jumps.
http://wearefirearms.bandcamp.com/

TED DANSON WITH WOLVES
Edward Bridge “Ted” Danson III (born December 29, 1947) is an American actor, author and producer, well known for his role as lead character Sam Malone in the sitcom Cheers, and his role as Dr. John Becker on the series Becker. He is currently starring in the CBS drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
Little known fact: Ted Danson is actually a composite human (much like Captain Planet) that only exists when the four members of this band combine their special rings and make headnoddable – but at times difficult to nod your head to – tunes in a live setting. Witness the birth of TD!
http://tdww.wordpress.com/

SUMMER POLICY (Newcastle)
Imagine Bob Nanna punched cones and lived in Newcastle. This will make you wish you had a high school sweetheart that you fucked things up with so that you could be all Perks Of Being A Wallflower introspective while telling your friends that this music should totally be the sound track to the new, harder hitting season of The OC. Because it should. Can you kickflip to the Shins? Get outta here!
http://summerpolicy.bandcamp.com/

OSLOW
Most sybian-friendly band in Sydney. Oslow are like a ballsier Get Up Kids, or a sexier Sunny Day Real Estate. Or something. They are amazing.
http://oslow.bandcamp.com/

PINCH HITTER
If the brothers Kinsella starred in Deliverance, and then forgot how to play ‘Dueling Banjos’ but continued playing banjos and were rapidly running out of funny excuses as to why they can’t play ‘Dueling Banjos’ when heckled to do so you might have something remotely similar to Pinch Hitter.
http://pinchhitter.bandcamp.com/

Doors are at 4:30pm, get down nice and early as there’s a huge line up to get through and this will inevitably hit capacity (we hope, so hesh).

Entry is only 10 bones, and that goes to Black Wire. Who rule.

Poster by Sam McKenzie – http://samsamsamsam.com/

http://blackwiretocommonground.wordpress.com/https://www.facebook.com/pages/Black-Wire-Records/121882384537959

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Sat 22

Where: Hibernian House (Level 4?)
How much: $10 on the door
8pm till 1am BYO

The Finer Things and 3BS Records Present: LOST FEW 7″ Launch

On the 22nd June we’ll be assisting Melbourne artist LOST FEW in the launch of his brand new 7″ EP, out on Sydney label 3BS. Having taken his unique brand of dubbed out drums and feedback loops, LOST FEW, along with his many collaborators, has managed to pave his own corner of the Australian underground music scene, and will finally be making it up to Sydney for what will surely be a unique live experience.

Joining on the night will be Sydney’s own Scissor Lock – better known as one half of both Collarbones and Black Vanilla – he’ll be performing under his more experimental moniker; as well as a live performance by 3BS head Mannheim rocket, who’ll be debuting his new A/V live show in spectacular fashion.

Our good friends from Sydney collective Anomaly will also be present, Gareth Psaltis performing live and Jordan Peters DJing, along with a special set by Daniel Gottlieb from Spiral Sounds.

Who:
LOST FEW
Scissor Lock
Mannheim Rocket
Gareth Psaltis
Jordan Peters
Daniel Gottlieb

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Sun 23

Mu-Meson Archives, Corner Parramatta Rd and Trafalgar St Annandale, at the back of King Furniture Building in Trafalgar st up the steel staircase.
4pm

Miss Deaths Knitting Group
Do you want to learn how to knit, crochet, or any other craft? Or you just want to come along for a social (there is lot’s to discuss). Boys are welcome as long as they do a craft or something useful. Mu-Meson Archives Doors 4pm with a plate.

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Sun 23

Lamps, Hibernian House, 342 Elizabeth Street
5pm ALL AGES

Alyx Dennison, Evelyn Ida Morris, Sarah Jullienne, Richard Cartwright

Nick Van Breda/zzzounds – 1st January 2013

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Cat #: 127TZM

Since a teenage Nick van Breda taught a ten-year old Dave Drayton sax at the local primary school, their musical paths have continued to cross. Whether it was their previous bands and other projects (Animal Shapes, Lights Out, Between The Devil & The Deep, Milhouse) sharing bills, or playing together in the sadly too short-lived North Shore HC act Rich Kid$ the two haven’t been far apart.

Finally, after years of plugging away at their solo endeavours – Nick under his own name, and Dave under the zzzounds moniker – the two team up for a split release on 7” vinyl via Tenzenmen Records.

Each contributing one track, both inspired by Dave’s move into the basement of Nick’s house, and recorded by Nick over a weekend in a beach house on the New South Wales south coast, this split shows two unique approaches to the solo songwriter mode with a guitar, a voice, and little more.

Pressing limited to 100 black (with black stamped cover), 100 clear (with red stamp cover), and 5 test presses.
All hand numbered and assembled.

Dave & Nick thank Dylan Adams, Jono Barwick, Annie Walter, Carlc, and Shaun Tenzenmen.

zzzounds.bandcamp.com
nickvanbreda.bandcamp.com

Recorded at Potato Point over a weekend in 2011 by Nick van Breda.
Mixing & mastering by Dylan Adams at Free Energy Device Studios.
Label and stamp design by Annie Walter.

What’s Cool and Unusual – 27th February 2008

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Picture from Feedbacker blog – Scum System Kill at Maggotville

wed 27

consolador de dos caras
la campana, 53-55 liverpool st, sydney
$5 8pm

frequestra, oddfoot, nick(toy death) + hiro(defektro), marquis de sound

lots of live DIY electronics this week as well as the usual dj’s and diy markets
if you have some things to sell then bring them along and set up a stall!

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thu 28

Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price film screening

MGTVLE, 40 fitzroy street, marrickville
8pm $2 donation

Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price is the documentary film sensation that’s changing the largest company on earth. The film features the deeply personal stories and everyday lives of families and communities struggling to survive in a Wal-Mart world. It’s an emotional journey that will challenge the way you think, feel… and shop.

Released simultaneously in theaters and DVD in November 2005, the film has been seen by millions worldwide. Families, churches, schools, and small busineses owners have screened the film over 10,000 times and the world is taking notice. See the film, share it, and become part of the movement forcing companies to act responsibly.

see bravenewfilms.org to find out more about these doco’s and alternative media.

14th May 2021 – I came across a few cultural documentaries I thought others may be interested to see, so borrowed a projector and talked to the good people of Maggotville and set up these screenings – I think we did four in total.

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fri 29

Reminder – Public Forum Friday 29 February
Visiting US Labor Leader & Unions in the Anti-War Movement

Mark the date in your diary and come along for a great opportunity to hear about the US Labor Movement’s efforts resisting Bush’s war on Iraq and supporting workers and unionists inside Iraq.

Kathy Black, Co-convenor of US Labor Against the War (USLAW) and President of Coalition of LaborPublic  Union Women (CLUW), will be on a National Speaking Tour of Australia between 28 February and 16 March, when she will address the Iraq Peace Rally in Sydney to commemorate the 5th Anniversary of the Iraq War. 

US Labor Against the War ( http://www.uslaboragainstwar.org/) has played an important role within the US mobilising labour movement support for the anti-war campaign, under the slogan “Unions Yes, War No”. USLAW have also made links and supported unions inside Iraq.

The Public Forum on Friday 29 February will be an opportunity for dialogue between Australian and US unions and to hear first hand about USLAW anti-war campaigns as well as the opposition to the Iraqi Oil privatisation laws from unions and workers inside Iraq. Kathy will give a presentation on the real costs of war and what this means for working people in the US and Iraq, following a recent paper by Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes showing that the total cost of the Iraq war to the United States will be $2 trillion or even higher.

10am Friday 29 February
Unions NSW Auditorium
Ground Level, Trades Hall
Enter via Labor Council Building, 377-383 Sussex St, Sydney
Light Refreshments provided following the public forum
RSVP by Wednesday 27 February for catering purposes to Antoinette Abboud aabboud@unionaidabroad.org.au   or 02 92649343

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fri 29

MGTVLE, 40 fitzroy street, marrickville
8pm $?

INSECT WARFARE (HOUSTON, TX)
AGENTS OF ABHORRENCE
CRUX
BEYOND TERROR BEYOND GRACE 

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fri 29

a where(?)house near central
8pm $?

Castings, Ian Wadley, The Garbage & The Flowers, Milenasong

email me if you need location details

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sat 1

hornsby pcyc, 94 george st, hornsby (next to train station)
$5 6pm

mind expansion kit, call the medic! call the nurse!, euripides berserker, shape, anti midas

14th May 2021 – I was so impressed with Euripedes Berserker at this show that I facilitated a posthumous release of their recordings and established a long running friendship with guitarist/singer and all round good guy, Dave Drayton.

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sat 1

WHAT: Westleigh, NSW, Australia screening of Garbage!
WHEN: Saturday, March 01 2008 07:30 PM
TICKET PRICE: $3

Attending this movie screening is a small, but important, step you can take towards saving the world from global warming.
This screening of the film “Garbage” is timed perfectly to inspire us all to help out the environment starting from Sunday the 2nd March “Clean Up Australia” day! then March 29th is Earth Hour in which cities worldwide will take part turning off lights to raise awareness of global warming.

HOSTED BY: Joss Johns

WHERE: Club House
Sanctuary Gardens
Westleigh, NSW, Australia 2120

DIRECTIONS: The Sanctuary Club House is located in Sanctuary Gardens off Duffy Ave or Sefton Ave of Westleigh. You will find the club house on the street simply known as The Sanctuary.

see bravenewtheaters.com to find out more about these doco’s and alternative media.

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please forward to anyone you know who may be interested! (reply to this email and i’ll pass on the details)

I AM LOOKING FOR:
-People with distros, authors, zine writers and artists to come
sell/exchange their wares on this day! They can come and set up by
1pm. Fee is $5. All proceeds go to Jura Books.

-more book/writing orientated activities, eg. someone to teach
bookbinding/hold reading circles/adjudicate mock debates.

Details so far:

LET’S TALK ABOUT TEXT book, zine and music fair
SUNDAY APRIL 6th
1pm
JURA BOOKS
440 Parramatta Rd
ALL AGES

Music from 2pm:
Strangers (NZ)
When Chimps Attack
Do Not Resuscitate

Vegan food by FOOD NOT BOMBS

Dress-up theme is LITERATURE/PHILOSOPHY

There will be:
-1pm skillshare huddle/DIY living discussion with everyone!!! just
turn up, introduce yourself and see what you wanna learn!

-a zine-making /advice table and origami nerdouts facilitated by Steph Thaw and Luke Subverts
-woolly story-telling/knitting lessons with Miss Helen
-make awesome stencils with Bekkah
-make messages with needle and thread (info on sewing and patches) with Kira
-active listening/sharing and caring skills with Bekkah
-a vegan cupcake station with icing options, etc, facilitated by Kat Thaw
-alternatives to consumer feminine hygiene products (with Kira)
-drawing jam space (unfacilitated)
-writing jam corner (unfacilitated)
-book binding (looking for someone to facilitate!)

—
http://jura.org.au/

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i keep forgetting to mention my distro which i often cart around and setup at shows.  i stock a wide range of alternative music from all over the world – you can check out the list here: http://www.tenzenmen.com/distro/TZM_distro.shtml

new stock this week are two 7″ releases from the UK documenting the rise of independent music in beijing.  first is a split 7″ with   joyside and the scoff (two drunk on life rock n roll bands) and second a 7″ by sonic youth favourites car-sick cars.  both are beautifully packaged and $10 each.

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one last shout out whilst i remember.

i’ve gotten some new ‘lucas stories’ recently (check them out here: http://www.tenzenmen.com/lucas/TZM_lucas.shtml).  but i need more!  if you have any crazy tales from the life of lucas abela (aka justice yeldham, dj smallcock, a kombi etc) please email them to me.

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