Rick Doolan – twenty years passed.
Editors note: This article was first published in Connections magazine in 1993. As the 20th anniversary of Rick’s death approached I contacted Julius Grafton, the author and publisher of Connections (now CX), and he graciously allowed me to reproduce it again here. Rick was a close friend of mine and I’d like to personally thank…
Read MoreThe Balmain Sound – Indie Rock from the Balmain Peninsula
Here’s a little piece about the Balmain indie-rock scene I grew up in. Originally published, in part, in a small article in the local Balmain paper Village Voice in 2006/2007. By the late 1970s, Balmain (in Sydney’s inner west) had already been through a sea-change of sorts with the influx of a younger, politically left-leaning…
Read Morelittle BIG Rigs PA & Lighting Hire
A short history on Mark Laidler and little BIG Rigs PA & Lighting Hire. After leaving The Undecided? in late 1984 where he had already built his first PA that the band was using, a friend asked if he still had the PA and would he hire it to his band. Mark’s first gig was on the 12th January 1985…
Read MoreAussie Musicians Passing in 2012
The Roll Of Honour for 2012 is a distinguished one indeed. It includes many great Australian musicians that had careers that spanned decades. This year we lost musicians who figured in such notable bands as the Divinyls, Sherbet, The Joy Boys, Zoot and Men at Work to name a few. Please let me know in…
Read MoreTooth
In early 1993, after the split of indie funk metal stalwarts Psyclone Smyle, guitarist Ben Nightingale and bassist Chris Newton were looking to start a new project with a decidedly heavier edge. Several song writing sessions gleaned a stoner-metal template that would ultimately become the new band’s signature sound. Requiring a new singer and drummer…
Read MoreThe Australian Music Database – My Back Shed
Have you ever been to a Museum? There are some fantastic Museum’s around the place covering a wide range of subjects. Car Museums, Aviation Museums and of course there are Music related ones as well. I like to think of this site as an online museum but no matter what the subject, they all have…
Read MoreAustralian Singles Chart for 1987
These are the songs that Australians were listening to in 1987. Here is the Australian Singles Chart for 1987 based on sales. Top Australian Singles “Locomotion” – Kylie Minogue “Electric Blue” – Icehouse “Suddenly” – Angry Anderson “He’s Gonna Step on You Again” – The Party Boys “Pressure Down” – John Farnham “Crazy” – Icehouse…
Read MoreBurlesque Review
Burlesque Review was a Sydney based band active around 1975. Information about them is a little hard to come by but fortunately I was recently contacted by their vocalist Stewart MacFarlane who had some information, photo’s and even an audio track. Here’s what he had to say: “The song I am sending is titled ‘Eternity’.…
Read MoreThe Manzil Room – Springfields
It’s hard to describe The Manzil Room to someone who had never been there. It was almost like a parody of the ultimate rock venue. It was a place that was always jumping, especially in the wee hours of the day. I distinctly remember leaving there on more than one occasion, just in time to…
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