oh no! Dominoes!

Beautiful Music

2012-01-21T12:42:00.000+11:00

Woke up this morning to hear of the sad news of the passing of Etta James last night. Here's Etta James and Sugar Pie Desanto, "Down in the Basement".

But worse than that, somehow I'd missed the news of the passing of Johnny Otis on the 17th of January. "Signifyin' Monkey" by The Johnny Otis Show.

Bye Bye Baby (Until we meet again)

Sweet Home Chicago

And, because there is just not enough filth on the internet. Here is Big John Jeeter, by Johnny Otis' Snatch and the Poontangs. That's Johnny's son, Shuggie Otis on guitar too. I lost count of the number of times he says the F-word. Fair warning, incredibly NSFW (especially if you work in a funk free environment).

Also, apologies for the static clips.

Ghosts don't mind.

2012-01-05T23:40:00.005+11:00

I got my guitar out tonight, and used my phone to record a couple of songs.

A couple of years ago, I made a decision to pack away my guitars, and audio paraphernalia in order to work harder on completing my teaching qualification. "Ghosts don't mind" was the last song I wrote before packing it all away.

The irony is not lost on me that I spent two years, and a small fortune completing an audio-engineering diploma a few years back, only to be able to record something with pretty decent sound quality with the video camera built into my phone.

Anyway, this is part of my new year's resolution - make more music. Enjoy.

(Lyrics posted over at Rain Came Down Like Mattocks.

$50 voucher.

2011-08-12T18:09:00.005+10:00

Four weeks into my first year of teaching, and in the words of my head-teacher, I have "hit the ground running."

The planning is endless, and I struggle to shake off the feeling that I am chasing my tail, but I feel like I am making slow headway. I have been there long enough to see that, yes, my students are learning things. Special thanks to all the support and resources that my wife is giving me.

Most importantly, I feel that I am doing something that actually has some value. I've been struck by the realisation of how much my previous job had been affecting my mood, my confidence, my self-esteem. Now I am doing work that I actually want to talk about with my wife when I get home. I used to downplay the fact that I was "just working in a warehouse". I am proud when I tell people I am a teacher.

I titled this post "$50 voucher!" because that's what my previous employer gave me as a parting gift for seven years service. Having been a teacher for four weeks, I already feel more valued and appreciated than at any time over the last seven years.

(Picture from the Hungarian photo site, Fortepan)

I can climb mountains, I can dodge rocks, I can shoot an old crow any day

2011-07-10T09:45:00.002+10:00

I've wanted a tattoo for a while now, but have been very wishy-washy on the design. Then I came across The Word Made Flesh and realised that with my literary and musical aspirations, I was stupid to be trying to mark my flesh with something visual. So, I began scouring my favourite songs, and novels to find the perfect piece of text to inscribe on my arm. Some ideas where a bit naff, some incredibly nerdy (Frank Herbert's Dune), and some just incredibly clichéd. Just check out the number of J.D Salinger and Kurt Vonnegut tattoos that appear on The Word Made Flesh.

Then I found the text for Judith Wright's 'Legend' saved on my hard drive. I'd forgotten that I even had it. 'Legend' was read out at my cousin's funeral, and I've had a project in mind for it ever since. I've wanted to adapt it to a song for a while, as a bit of a tribute to my cousin, but that is much harder than it sounds.

But anyway, I feel that the lines from the second stanza are not only a wonderful self-affirmation, but also a fitting tribute to my cousin Ben, who sadly passed away a few years back.

This is only drawn on with a sharpie, proof of concept. Forgive the blurred photo, bad hand-writing, lack of muscle-tone and pasty skin.

Can anyone recommend a good tattoo artist? And a font?

'Legend', by Judith Wright

The blacksmith's boy went out with a rifle
and a black dog running behind.
Cobwebs snatched at his feet,
rivers hindered him,
thorn branches caught at his eyes to make him blind
and the sky turned into an unlucky opal,
but he didn't mind.
I can break branches, I can swim rivers, I can stare out
any spider I meet,
said he to his dog and his rifle.

The blacksmith's boy went over the paddocks
with his old black hat on his head.
Mountains jumped in his way,
rocks rolled down on him,
and the old crow cried, You'll soon be dead.
And the rain came down like mattocks.
But he only said,
I can climb mountains, I can dodge rocks, I can shoot an old crow any day,
and he went on over the paddocks.

When he came to the end of the day, the sun began falling,
Up came the night ready to swallow him,
like the barrel of a gun,
like an old black hat,
like a black dog hungry to follow him.
Then the pigeon, the magpie and the dove began wailing
and the grass lay down to pillow him.
His rifle broke, his hat blew away and his dog was gone and the sun was falling.

But in front of the night, the rainbow stood on the mountain,
just as his heart foretold.
He ran like a hare,
he climbed like a fox;
he caught it in his hands, the colours and the cold -
like a bar of ice, like the column of a fountain,
like a ring of gold.
The pigeon, the magpie and the dove flew up to stare,
and the grass stood up again on the mountain.

The blacksmith's boy hung the rainbow on his shoulder
instead of his broken gun.
Lizards ran out to see, snakes made way for him,
and the rainbow shone as brightly as the sun.
All the world said, Nobody is braver, nobody is bolder,
nobody else has done
anything equal to it. He went home as easy as could be
with the swinging rainbow on his shoulder.

Androids

2011-07-03T11:22:00.001+10:00

I' ve got an android phone now, so I can make blog posts on the go. Don't expect it to make me anymore prolific a writer. I make no promises.

I start a new job on the 18th of July, at a co-ed catholic school in Sydney's south west. I am excited but also incredibly apprehensive at the thought of flying solo in the classroom. It seems like a good school, with supportive staff and respectful students. I hope my first impressions are not incorrect.

I have so much to do.

My brother bought me a bicycle for my birthday, it still needs a bit of work, but it goes fine for now. This is a before photo, the handlebars are different now. I will post an updated photo once more work has been done on it.

Cicadadadadadadada

2010-12-14T21:01:00.006+11:00

My cat tried to eat him, but I saved his life.

When I released him I noticed a flying-fox circling overhead. He wont live long (the cicada, not the flying-fox).

Woof

2010-11-12T06:51:00.004+11:00

Of late, most of my time has been taken up with this:

I've completed my university studies. It feels weird to not have essays and assignments to do on the weekends. I can actually read books that I want read. I devoured "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" in under a week, and have ordered the next two in the series from The Book Depository (free shipping worldwide!). At some point I plan to pick up a guitar again too.

What to do with those damn Anime kids?

2010-10-17T15:02:00.003+11:00

I did my second last prac-teaching block at Caroline Chisholm College in Sydney's Western Suburbs, and was a little perturbed by the number of year 7 girls who I saw drawing big-eyed anime characters in the backs of their exercise books.

Little did I know how big a phenomena it really was. I really liked this teacher's approach too.

Oakley Hall and the perfect narrative.

2010-05-14T16:45:00.003+10:00

I've been loving lately the Free Music Archive's offerings, and one in particular from the Amish Records label has caught my attention, and been on high rotation as I've barrelled up and down the M4 for the last few weeks.

Once song in particular I just can't seem to get enough of: Landlord, by Oakley Hall.

Not only does it feature awesome rustic fiddle, and lurv-erly boy girl harmonies, but lyrically it has just blown my mind. The chorus adds this slightly sinister element, but without being overly threatening, and the story of the singer's family history slowly unravels over the course of the song, and he begins to question his own needs to keep up with the rent.

...and I'm telling you this story
gonna tell it to you once
landlord, landlord
'cos tomorrow is the first
of the month
landlord landlord...

Somewhere I'd never been before.

2010-04-28T16:23:00.005+10:00

A few weeks ago I was obliged to travel to Armidale in order to attend an English Curriculum Intensive school. The entire town was booked out, so I decided to camp in a caravan park just outside of town. It wasn't too cold, but my hot water bottle probably saved my life, as well as the kindness of my fellow students who were indispensable in ferrying me around town, saving my back from lifting my cumbersome luggage, and saving me money in cab-fares. Cheers to Hans, who went above and beyond, dropping me off at the airport on my last day there.

I really didn't want to go, but I'm glad I did. I learnt an awful lot, but more than that it was great to meet others who were in the same predicament as myself. My hat goes off to all my fellow students who study full time by correspondence, hold down full time jobs, care for children, and still find time to trek halfway across the state (or even further in some cases; one girl was all the way from Ireland!) to attend what is essentially a beginning English teachers' conference.

Mmmm...

2010-04-01T18:55:00.002+11:00

I am an Art Thief

2010-03-31T06:42:00.003+11:00

Last Saturday I let removalists into my brother's storage unit, so that they could pack up everything. They literally wrapped everything in bubble-wrap and stacked it into a shipping container. Fair enough when you're packing artworks, but seriously, they wrapped a canoe in bubble-wrap, and a ladder too!

There were lots of loose sketches too, and as they tries to pack them as neatly as possible some fell loose from the packs. This one was almost missed in a pile of scraps, but I managed to salvage it. It fit right in my back pocket too.

Coffee-bot

2010-03-24T20:52:00.002+11:00

(via Metafilter)

Sheer Grandiosity

2010-03-18T06:32:00.004+11:00

The thing that really impressed me about Paris was the Eiffel Tower. Now every time I pass one of these structures I am reminded of it, just a bit. I guess the design principle is the same, even if the aesthetic isn't.

Compare the two pictures below::Also, we don't get streams of tourists waiting to climb to the top of our towers. And they don't have armed military personnel standing guard down below in case of a terrorist attack. That did make me a little bit nervous - and I so badly wanted to take their picture too.

Love Is Going To Lead Us

2010-03-15T06:46:00.001+11:00

Laura Jean, is a singer songwriter from Melbourne, who comes across as a shy country girl from the Central Coast of NSW, because she is. My older brother got her first EP from one of her gigs at a small bar in Sydney, and she happily autographed it for him. He told me she seemed a little nervous because it was probably her first autograph.

She recorded her first album in a Scout hall.

Aufgalopp

2010-03-12T06:19:00.002+11:00

Fantastic flickr set of antique German Illustration & Posters - all credit to Susanlenox.

RIP Mark Linkous

2010-03-09T17:36:00.003+11:00

(all links via metafilter)

I was saddened to hear about the suicide of Mark Linkous / Sparklehorse. I got home from work, and listened through Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot, It's a Wonderful Life, and Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain. Got a heck of a lot of uni work done while doing it too. There's so much beauty and saddness in his voice, in his lyrics, and his delivery is so often cracked and creaky, as if all he can do, other than sing is crawl into a burrow and dissolve.

An interview with The AV CLub.
Article in The Hook.

Little Drummer Bot

2010-03-04T19:32:00.000+11:00

July Flame

2010-02-17T17:19:00.001+11:00

So apparently Laura Veirs is pregnant. Don't expect an Australian tour any-time soon. Her new album , July Flame is fantastic.

Your Ex-Lover is Dead

2010-02-16T20:56:00.000+11:00

Start Now.

2010-02-16T20:43:00.001+11:00

Start Now by Alpen - Music Video from Nelson Alves on Vimeo.

Under the skirt

2010-02-16T20:27:00.000+11:00

Clara Clara - Under The Skirt from Clapping Music on Vimeo.