Ajaxtalk

Bit of very sad news went down in Melbourne this week. Probably our most famous live music venue for smaller / unsigned artists, the Tote (in Collingwood) was forced to shut down because of re-classification under liquor licensing laws. Speculation suggests it was deliberately targeted as part of the Government's "2020" plan to make the CBD and inner suburbs of Melbourne basically high-rise apartment buildings and ritzy bars.

Whatever the reason for the closure, there are lots and lots of very upset Melbournians this weekend. So many famous bands started out here; there really isn't anywhere else like it in the city. You can read about it if you're interested:

http://www.messandnoise.com/news/3845158

and

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010 ... te=thedrum

There's a bit of a last hurrah going on right now. I couldn't get a ticket (it sold out almost immediately) but you can listen to it streaming on Melbourne's community radio stations (3RRR or PBS).

Thought music lovers might be interested...

Here's a very funny story I just read. It was told by Barry Hay, singer of Holland's most succesful rock band, Golden Earring.

In 1982 the band was in a crisis. Their international glory had faded, record sales were poor, even the Dutch audience was losing interest. They decided to call it quits after one last album, which they decided to call Cut, the word a film director will use as an order to his camera people to stop filming. It had a double meaning, though: the Dutch word 'kut' is pronounced exactly the same, it is slang for 'vagina' and it can also be used as a swear word, meaning 'shit' or 'fuck it' or something like that. Dutch radio deejays would therefore avoid the album title.

The first single of the album was a track called 'Twilight Zone', which became a global smash hit (top ten in the U.S., the video was an early MTV classic). The band changed their mind: they decided to carry on. They returned to the U.S. and did a triumphant coast-to-coast arena tour there. The crisis was instantly over.

In the U.S. they would tell interviewers - pokerfaced - they were already working on the next album. They were going to record it immediately after the Cut tour, and then take a short break - and the album was therefore going to be called Lull.

'Lul', in Dutch, is slang for 'penis'. The counterpart of 'kut', if you wish.

Quite a few music journalists published this in U.S. magazines and you can probably guess the effect those clippings had on Dutch readers: "Golden Earring, currently touring the States in support of their succesful Cut album, are already writing material for the next record, Lull."



K.

Radar Love is a pretty awesome song. And Twilight Zone isn't bad at all.

Thanks Ko. Great story !! Great band !! I've seen them twice and have greatly enjoyed the concert each time.

Oh , and in my yearly PJ related announcement , Pearl Jam are touring between May 1 (New Orleans !!) and sometime in July (late June and July are European dates). Put me down for Dublin 22/6, Belfast 23/6, London- Hard Rock Live at Hyde Park during last weekend in June , and , hopefully, Bilbao in July. Desperate to hit Bilbao to catch both PJ and Gogol Bordello at the same festival. GB are delicious insanity.

Any Soundgarden fans will be happy that Soundgarden will be playing live at Lollapalooza , Chicago, 6/8 thru 8/8 .

Brilliant interview. Elevated my appreciation for Henry Rollins to new heights.

Armageddon Man

Great article! I love Rollins. Both music as his Spoken Word gigs.

The below I found on the net somewhere. Not sure if it's authentic, but looking at the words it could:

Rock festivals... You gotta love them.

This was the ten second highlight of this weekend's Pinkpop festival in Holland.

Check it out.

K.

This is pretty funny...

Bert and Ernie: gangsta rappazzzz...

Check it out!

K.

Lucky Aussies. Eddie Vedder solo tour in February. I guess the surfs up in OZ. Hope he's got a few european dates in mind .

Blind3 schreef:Lucky Aussies. Eddie Vedder solo tour in February. I guess the surfs up in OZ. Hope he's got a few european dates in mind.

I hope so, too!

I've never seen Vedder solo. About time!

K.

Not usually a contributor on here, but would like to mention I saw Triggerfinger just before Christmas and they were fantastic.

Manneken Pis schreef:Not usually a contributor on here, but would like to mention I saw Triggerfinger just before Christmas and they were fantastic.

Yeah. That's one fantastic live rock & roll band. Highly explosive.

I do have to add that they're more special live than on record, in my opinion. Their last album is good, but on stage they really are something special.

K.

I saw them in "L'Ancienne Belgique" which is a famous old style concert hall in Brussels. They had planned a one night gig to celebrate their new album, but due to demand it ended up a three-nighter. Fantastic atmosphere, well crafted pulsating rock n' roll rythm, and the lead singer has great stage presence.

Saw Henry Rollins at the Rams Head in Annapolis, MD last night. It is a spoken word tour. It was good, but not great.

Interesting site : http://www.playingforchange.com/journey/introduction

The Alabama Shakes . THE ALABAMA SHAKES !!!!!!!!! Great band. Give 'em a listen. They just put out their first four song ep.

I see Alabama Shakes will be playing in London...NME Awards I think...next year. Lucky London. Brittany Howard's vocals are the real deal. Fo' shizzle.

If you're into this kind of thing, here's Langhorne Slim and Johnny Flynn.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8QnOroDyNQ

A Pearl Jam or Eddie Vedder tour announcement expected later today. From the hint that's been dropped at PJ site, it looks like european dates. Wouldn't be surprised if it's Ed. PJ album not ready yet and EV has never soloed in Europe. Hint to fans was " A little birdie tweeted us to say we should have our Ten Club memberships & addresses up to date by the 5th of December." Then he flew away tweeting something that we thought sounded like, "Cheerio, Auf Wiedersehen, Farvel…" Addresses up to date because fans residing in continent where tour is occurring get first dibs at Fan Club tix ...proof of address required.

Just got myself the DVD of the film "Oil City Confidential" which tells the story of
Dr. Feelgood (one of my favoutite bands).

It's the third part of Julien Temple's trilogy of documentaries about late 1970's music and culture also featuring the Sex Pistols ("The Filth & The Fury") and Joe Strummer ("The Future is Unwritten").

Just excellent.

One song I can't get enough of is the cover of "Redemption Song" done by the duet of Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer . Absolutely goosebump causing. On youtube.

Manneken Pis schreef:Just got myself the DVD of the film "Oil City Confidential" which tells the story of
Dr. Feelgood (one of my favoutite bands).

It's the third part of Julien Temple's trilogy of documentaries about late 1970's music and culture also featuring the Sex Pistols ("The Filth & The Fury") and Joe Strummer ("The Future is Unwritten").

Just excellent.

Yes, that was my favourite music documentary of 2010.

This year's favourite: Pearl Jam Twenty.

K.

PEARL JAM SUMMER TOUR 2012. Below are their headline shows. PJ is also playing festivals @The Isle of Wight 6/23 , Werchter, Belgium Rockwerchter, 6/29 ; Arras, France Festival in the Square, 6/30 .

Wed 20th Jun 2012
M.E.N. Arena
Manchester
United Kingdom
Tix On Sale Soon

Tue 26th Jun 2012
Ziggo Dome
Amsterdam
Netherlands
On Sale Soon

Wed 4th Jul 2012
O2 World
Berlin
Germany
On Sale Soon

Sat 7th Jul 2012
Ericsson Globe Arena
Stockholm
Sweden
On Sale Soon

Mon 9th Jul 2012
Spektrum Arena ANS
Oslo
Norway
On Sale Soon

Tue 10th Jul 2012
Forum Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Denmark
On Sale Soon

Just as they did in South America, -X- will be opening PJ's non-festival shows.

I saw Chuck Berry at Blueberry Hill in St. Louis, Missouri on Wednesday, December 14, 2011. He was great, he is 85 and rock and roll royalty.

On Sunday, January 15, 2012, I saw Burton Cummings the former front man from the Canadian rock band the Guess Who at the Rams Head in Annapolis, Maryland. A very good show.

I also got my hands on some Van Halen tickets for March 28 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC.

Wooo Hooooooooo!

"you and Elvis may be pretty good, but you ain't no Chuck Berry," to quote Jerry Lee Lewis' mom.