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Recently the band Laughing Clowns reformed after two decades to a handful of shows over in the Eastern States. After reissuing the complete recordings in a three CD box-set called Cruel But Fair 2005 the time is right for them to be reappraised.

Laughing Clowns formed in 1979 after Ed Kuepper walked away from The Saints, arguably the first punk band ever. Jeffrey Wegener joined Kuepper on drums who has been called “the Aussie Keith Moon” (The Who's drummer). Kuepper wrote all the songs, sung them and played guitar but he focused the music he wrote on drums and saxophone rather than the guitar he played. Louise Elliot was ,and is, now back to play the saxophone in Laughing Clowns. At different stages in their brief six years that they were together they, had more than one saxophone player, but Elliot was the main one really.

The rhythm section is joined by the bass player Les Millar. He played on the reunion shows with his electric upright double bass guitar. A new member Alistar Spence joined on keyboards, an instrument which only appeared in the final stages just before they broke up in 1985. Jeffrey Wegener left to join Kuepper's old band (The Saints) without him. Ed went solo and made many albums himself. The bad blood about braking up is now long gone. They have become, in the last 20 years, underground legends and the time is now right for them. There are many fans who regret not seeing them the first time and many more new fans who have never had a chance in seeing them live.

The Eternally Yours single was the closest the band ever got to a hit single but only on the U.K. Indy charts. This track highlights Louise Elliot's beautiful and extraordinary playing. Music critics in England in the early 80's were puzzled by them and dubbed Laughing Clowns, “Jazz-Punk”. The“Jazz-Punk” label is because it emphasized on instruments which are mainly “Jazz” like drums and saxophone. The “Punk” is mainly because the music critics knew Ed Kuepper from his past in his first band The Saints. Jeffrey Wagener now says the “Jazz-Punk” tag was slightly silly name to call Laughing Clowns but at the time there was no other category really.

Even now when Mojo Magazine reviewed Cruel But Fair box-set they said “It's virtually impossible to categorize the incredible mix of rock, soul, punk, new wave and jazz elements that Laughing Clowns fused together.” It just shows how much an unique sound and unsual style they had. Mojo went on to say “Sounding startlingly contemporary” too. Even Ed Kuepper talking on ABC TV show Live at the Basement called them “Mistfits”, In the contexts of “Laughing Clowns are a bunch of mistfits as ever there was in the history of Australian music.”

So are Laughing Clowns just so far a head of their time? Could they be an under-rated band and remain obscure forever? But if you know them then you are lucky but of course they may not be for every one too. Their web page is promising something special for 2010. Whatever they are planning I hope it includes Perth because I would love to see them live and I'm sure I wouldn't be the only one.



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I wrote the above bit first (a few weeks ago) but because it's been tricky lately I haven't posted it. Now just a couple of extra things: Laughing Clowns Live is Volume 7 in the Prince Melon Bootleg Series which was recorded at the the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane at the beginning of this year in January. With seven tracks which are:

1. Everything is not the fault of minorities [7.08]
2. Come One Come All [6.24]
3. Everything That Flies [5.29]
4. Theme From 'Mad Flies, Mad Flies' [4.56]
5. Collapse Board [14.28]
6. Eternally Yours [13.06]
7. New bully in the town [5.08]

I would rate this album four and half out of five and only losing a half because of a couple of fade outs so maybe a song or two is missing but what is here is brilliant. If you went to the show let me know what is missing on the Album. The songs that are here are amazing and could be new songs because of the re-arrangement. Collapse Board and Eternally Yours are totally epic in this new live form. Everything is not the fault of minorities seems to be a new song and is a kind-off free-form instrumental which is so wicked. All these songs are so great played live here and I love it that it was recorded. If you would like to get it: http://www.myspace.com/laughingclowns or download on emusic here: http://www.emusic.com/album/Laughing-Clowns-Laughing-Clowns-Live-MP3-Download/11495230.html

I'm still hoping for a Perth show. Sydney is getting another show next year with Dirty Three which looks great double bill but what has also has been announced "The cancellation of all Ed Kuepper performances in November. Ed has recently suffered injuries to both hands resulting in his not being able to play guitar. Rather than suffer any long term damage, Ed has decided to cancel any shows for the moment." I don't know what has happened but you can read it here: http://www.feelpresents.com/news/768/index1.html

Wishing Ed to get better soon. If anyone knows how or why or what please do tell, it sound so odd.

Right, to start with I've written about Warren Ellis before but in other artists journals, not really just about him. This is going to be more about Nick Cave & Warren Ellis' White Lunar in the first bit and not at all about that audiobook thingy the other guy wrote. Also this is going to be a bit of a database of all Warren Ellis' recordings ever and also includes his favorites film soundtracks.

The Proposition is my all-time favorite soundtrack. I think it's one of the best things both Warren Ellis and or Nick Cave have ever done. White Lunar is kind-off a "Best of" feature films (the first, white disc) and documentaries (the second, black disc). The Proposition film and The English Surgeon doco have the most tracks on this compilation album. Nothing here is better than The Proposition tracks, maybe The English Surgeon comes close, so that is a good decision to have the most songs here. I would get the full album soundtrack if it was released, it is so much better than Music From The Motion Picture The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, to me that was a bit too like a big Hollywood soundtrack (which it is so it's just OK really).

The new tracks from the film The Road is cool, to finally hear them. Also the new tracks for the doco for The Girls Of Phnom are here and are cool to hear. But the tracks from The Vaults are the other tracks that are most interesting and I would love to hear more. One more thing is most of thess tracks are so short that I would think you could really put more songs on the CD's. I have not added up all the track time to see how long it is but there is that old trick of the hidden track here too. I think I would have included something from the scores for theater. Woyzeck and Metamorphosis both from 2006 have never seen the light of day and only place you can hear them is at the plays when performed.

I would rate White Lunar 3 and 1/2 out of 5 stars because it could have been better really. Anyway I have just read a very small interview with Ellis and without Cave which seem like they are a double act now, or joined at the hip, or something like that. Ellis was saying the songs for the soundtracks are recorded before seeing any films. So both are playing and recording all these tracks all the time and when a movie comes along to score they match up what is all there to the moving image. Which sounds great but there must have been a re-recording and or overdubbing for something like The Assassination which I think is a bit too over-produced. Warren is saying it's very "In the moment" creative process and I would love to read more but I think this interview is edited so much. You could possibly draw comparisons to Dirty Three more than Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds but Ellis says it's nothing like them and is more about the "direction is out of your hands, you're in the image." But it's interesting that the last Dirty Three album Cinder came out in 2005 and the first soundtrack The Proposition was out the same year too. Nick Cave has said his favorite Dirty Three album is Ocean Songs and that is the one which, with Cave joining on piano, they have been playing as the classic album at ATP festival's Don't Look Back series. Grinderman started a couple of years later too.

Anyway the interview I was reading has Warren Ellis' film soundtrack favorites, which are:
> Anything composed by Bernard Herrmann or Ennio Morricone
> John Scott's score for Wake In Fright
>Elliot Goldenthal's score for Heat
>John Barry's score for Walkabout
>Brian May's score for Mad Max (By the way this is not the Queen guitar player which is the only artist under this name on last.fm).

Warren Ellis his complete recordings. Off course to start with all of the Dirty Three albums, which are:
Dirty Three
Sad & Dangerous
Horse Stories
Ocean Songs
Whatever You Love, You Are
She Has No Strings Apollo
Cinder
Plus the EP's:
Sharks EP
Lowlands
Ufkuko
Strange Holiday which are the same tracks which were on the soundtrack to the Aussie film Praise
and the single for Great Waves
The Live album:
Live At Meredith
Dirty Three collaboration album with Low:
Low & Dirty Three's In the Fishtank
On the last Aussie tour in 2006 Dirty Three did a cover of Rod Stewart's Maggie May on Triple J's Live A Version and as an encore at some show not all, If anyone has song I would love to get a copy of Dirty Three's Maggie May but I think it's never going to see the light of day again
Warren Ellis has played in these bands or on these albums or tracks:
Busload Of Faith which is the earliest band he was in but nothing recorded
The Slub which was a mid-80's Melbourne noise band which also included Mick Turner on guitar
These Future Kings which was a short lived late-80's Melbourne band
Charlie Marshall & The Body Electric is a band from early-90's which also had Jim White on drums
The Blackeyed Susans' album All Souls Alive
David McComb's album Love of Will
Tex, Don and Charlie's album Sad But True
Kim Salmon's album Hey Believer
Two track on Kim Salmon and the Surrealists' Sin Factory which are: Flute Desensitized and Violin on Rose Coloured Windscreen
Two tracks on Robert Forster's I Had a New York Girlfriend which are: Violin on both Echo Beach and Locked Away
Two tracks on Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' Let Love In which are: Violin on both Ain't Gonna Rain Anymore and Do You Love Me? (Part 2)
Three songs on Spencer P. Jones' album Rumour of Death which are Where's Your Soul, Execution Day and The Demon Cup
Dave Graney 'N' the Coral Snakes' You Wanna Be There But You Don't Wanna Travel
Crow's Rabbits
The Plums' Heavenly
Mick Harvey's Bonnie & Clyde
Anita Lane's The World's a Girl
Two songs on Nighttown by The Walkabouts which were Forever Gone and Nightbirds
Clarinet on The Cruel Sea's Just a Man
the Australian band The Paradise Motel song called Lorene Damage, which uses the music of Jim's Dog
A collaboration with his Father John Ellis which is the only song he sung the lead vocal but off course it's a duet with his Dad. Warren And John Ellis's Mis'ry Is My Middle Name on the album When Joy Kills Sorrow find it here: http://wminc.com.au/catalogue1.shtml
Nick Cave wrote and recorded a song with Dirty Three for the Songs in the Key of X: Music From and Inspired by the X-Files and now can be found on The Bad Seeds' B-Sides And Rarities Volume II the track is called Time Jesum Transeuntum Et Non Riverentum [featuring The Dirty Three] and also Dirty Three covered X-Files Theme but both are track zero and you had to rewind the CD but some players didn't so you couldn't listen to the songs, a bit silly really
Dave Graney and Clare Moore vs The Dirty Three recorded a on a Burt Bacharach and Hal David tribute album called To Hal And Bacharach with the track What the World Needs Now (Is Love)
Ellis co-wrote Kim Salmon's Anticipation from his record called Record
Flute on The Cruel Sea's No Choice
Tracks on Tex Perkins' solo albums Far Be It From Me and Dark Horses
Warren played Accordion and Violin on The Curse of Millhaven on Murder Ballads and the B-sides songs for the same album which were The Willow Garden and King Kong Kitchee Kitchee Ki-Mi-O It wasn't till The Boatman's Call album that Warren became a full-time Bad Seed and has been on every album since which are:
No More Shall We Part and co-wrote two tracks Hallelujah and Darker With the Day
Nocturama
Abattoir Blues / The Lyre Of Orpheus which he co-wrote Get Ready for Love, Nature Boy, The Lyre of Orpheus, Spell, Abattoir Blues and Let the Bells Ring
Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! and co-wrote Moonland, Hold on to Yourself, More News From Nowhere, Night of the Lotus Eaters, Albert Goes West and We Call Upon the Author
Also played on Cave's The Secret Life of the Love Song
Warren Ellis released a solo release called 3 Pieces For Violin around 2002.
Played on three tracks on Marianne Faithfull's album Before the Poison which are Crazy Love, There Is a Ghost and Desperanto which is the line-up with Cave, Martyn P. Casey and Jim Sclavunos which formed the band Grinderman a few years later and released the album called Grinderman but this is the first recordings with these four playing but Faithfull is singing but Desperanto could really be the first Grinderman song
Cat Power's Good Woman
Primal Scream's Hell's Comin' Down
On a few songs for the album called Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, & Chanteys which were:
Nick Cave's Fire Down Below
Bryan Ferry's The Cruel Ship's Captain
David Thomas' Dan Dan
Eliza Carthy's Rolling Sea
Nick Cave's Pinery Boy
Bryan Ferry & Antony's Lowlands Low
David Thomas' What Do We Do With A Drunken Sailor
Ed Harcourt's Farewell Nancy
Ralph Steadman's Little Boy Billee
On two tracks on Ute Lemper's Punishing Kiss album which were the songs Streets of Berlin and You Were Meant for Me
Two tracks on Dave Graney & Clare Moore's Hashish & Liquor album which were the songs I Wanna Get Lost Again and Saturday Night Bath
Mandolin on Valgeir Sigurðsson track called Winter Sleep
Bryan Ferry's Positively 4th Street from his Dylanesque album
Ed Kuepper's song Miracles on the album Jean Lee and the Yellow dog
Song For Rowland by Loene Carmen from A Tribute To Rowland S. Howard album
Two songs on Marianne Faithfull's new album Easy Come Easy Go which is Hold On Hold On and Salvation
With Grinderman on Seasick Steve's Just Like a King from his last album I Started Out With Nothin and I Still Got Most of It Left
Plus two new Grinderman songs are on Palermo Shooting soundtrack called Dream (Song For Finn) and Song For Frank
And off course The Proposition and The Assassination soundtracks, audiobook for The Death of Bunny Munro and the new compilation White Lunar. Anyway this has stopped being fun now, and I have to finish now but could have missed something so make a comment. Thanks for looking too.

P.S. On the new Bad Seeds remastered DVD's Warren Ellis said his favorite album of Cave's is Your Funeral... My Trial

Well, to start with on Saturday night (3rd of October) the new season which is the seventh season of RockWiz starts. The first episode begins with Andrew Stockdale (Wolfmother) & Holiday Sidewinder (Bridezilla) which could be hit or miss which is what happens with this show. If you don't know it, RockWiz is an Aussie TV show on SBS channel. You can find it online and here is all the past guests you can click on names or numbers to see all the clips go here: http://www.sbs.com.au/rockwiz/browse/artist

What I mean by hit or miss is how and who are on together. What happens is two "Singers" who are from mainly Aussie bands are matched up against each other with two crowd members each who are quizzed with music related questions. The show is filmed in a pub in Melbourne and sometimes the guests are a bit drunk too. At the end of the show both sing a duet together which can be train wrecks or masterpieces. I've picked out my personal favorites but only five songs from six previous seasons. All these clips below are on youtube but some others I love are not there. Check out Neko Case & Josh Pyke, Jen Cloher & Ron Peno, Taasha Coates & Gareth Liddiard to start with if you go to the RockWiz website, I would recommend them to you.


#1. Glenn Richards & Amanda Brown's Some Velvet Morning is the most ambitious duet ever on the show. To me it's unbelievable and I would say it's better than any of the other Some Velvet Morning covers, maybe even the original by Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood. There are a lot of covers but it always seems like it doesn't work and just a bit pointless because the song is already so great that it never comes out right until this one below, did I already say it's unbelievable?

Glenn Richards is from Augie March and Amanda Brown is from The Go-Betweens.

#2. Clare Bowditch & Ed Kuepper's Summer Wine is such a beautiful version of another Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood song Summer Wine. This I think is also better than the original, and a close second but the Some Velvet Morning arrangement is just insane. It seems Summer Wine is Nancy & Lee's top track on last.fm too.

Clare Bowditch plays under her own name but plays with her band Clare Bowditch and The Feeding Set too. Ed Kuepper plays under his name too but has been in and reformed The Saints and Laughing Clowns lately.

#3. Sarah Blasko & Mick Harvey's Sundown, Sundown is a beautiful version of yet again another Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood's Sundown, Sundown. Maybe I just like all the Nancy & Lee covers on this show. I don't know these three are the only ones but they are all great songs and these are very beautiful duet covers but this one has to be under the first two.

Sarah Blasko has just released her third solo album. Mick Harvey has just left Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

#4. Jodi Phillis & Kim Salmon's It Takes Two is a Motown classic by Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston. It Takes Two recorded in late 1966 and a hit in in January of 1967. Later turned into a soft drink ad by two horrible people but forget about that and watch this.

Jodi Phillis was the co-frontwoman of The Clouds and has gone solo since. Kim Salmon has been in or is in Scientists, Beasts of Bourbon, Kim Salmon & the Surrealists, Kim Salmon And The Business, Antenna, Darling Downs and Salmon.


#5. Adalita & Gareth Liddiard's Messin' With The Kid is written by Ed Kuepper and Chris Bailey, from The Saints album (I'm) Stranded album from 1976. Its youtube clip has the last round of questions so the song starts at about 3:30 mark but you'll get the idea of the show from this anyway if you've never seen it before but the duet cover is amazing so wait for it.

Adalita is from Magic Dirt and Gareth Liddiard is from The Drones.

"The Beat Goes On: Duets Volume 3" album is due out in November. I hope my favorites make it on the album. Two past volumes of duets are available too.

Have you got a favorite for RockWiz duet??? Who should be on RockWiz in the new season??? Or just what do you think about the show??? Or have you even heard about it before???

I've never made a group before but today I made one for Laughing Clowns, it was pretty easy too. They are one of my favorite groups of all-time, if you want to join please go here: Laughing Clowns. If you don't know Laughing Clowns are an Australian post punk rock band fronted by vocalist and guitarist Ed Kuepper and backed by drummer Jeff Wegener but I guess you wouldn't be reading if you didn't know them. I don't think I could have picked a more obscure band really to start a group for. They formed after Ed left The Saints in 1979 and disbanded in 1985. A version of the band reunited in 2009 for the All Tomorrow's Parties festival. Ed got back with The Saints and played with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in Europe this year too, if that helps.

Laughing Clowns are on ABC's Live At The Basement tomorrow night at 11:30pm (Thursday, 17 Sep 2009) http://www.abc.net.au/tv/guide/netw/200909/programs/ZX0183A003D2009-09-17T233000.htm

Laughing Clowns recorded live at The Gallery of Modern Art in Queensland back at the beginning of the year (January, Friday 23rd 2009). This is Volume 7 in the limited edition Prince Melon bootleg series. http://www.myspace.com/laughingclowns


I've order this but really can't wait so like I wrote at the top of the page I've made a group for them and now I'm writing a journal too. I've missed all the reunion shows but It's good ABC and Prince Melon are on the case. I do live in Perth which is so far away from the East Coast where all the shows took place so I do have a reason for not seeing them. I wish I could but it wasn't to be.

If you never heard them or If you have here's the classic promo-video for Eternally Yours for 1984 I found on youtube:


In my opinion Laughing Clowns are the one of greatest post-punk bands ever and out of them all they're most underrated. They're the darkest, scariest and weirdest but what more do you want from your favorite post-punk band really? If you saw Laughing Clowns this year please let me know all about it and come and join Laughing Clowns group off course.

Well To start will The Death Of Bunny Munro is coming out on 1st of September in Hardcover and Audio CD with Nick Cave reading it himself.





'Put Cormac McCarthy, Franz Kafka and Benny Hill together in a Brighton seaside guesthouse and they might just come up with The Death of Bunny Munro. As it stands though, this novel emerges emphatically as the work of one of the great cross-genre storytellers of our age; a compulsive read possessing all Nick Cave's trademark horror and humanity, often thinly disguised in a galloping, playful romp.' Review by Irvine Welsh

A CD I picked up for 13 bucks is The Roots Of Nick Cave from the Complete Roots series by the people at www.snappermusic.com
A lot of the song are from the tour DVD 'The Road To God Knows Where' so it's like a Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds late 80's tour mix tape plus some songs Cave have done covers of but here is the track listing:
1. Blue Suede Shoes by Carl Perkins
2. Shake, Rattle And Roll by Big Joe Turner
3. Keep A Knockin'by Little Richard
4. Cat Man by Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps
5. I Put A Spell On You by Screamin' Jay Hawkins
6. I'm Gonna Kill That Woman by John Lee Hooker
7. Bottle Up and Go by Leadbelly
8. Wade In The Water by Ella Jenkins
9. Jesus Met The Woman At The Well by The Albama Singers
10. Another Man Done Gone by Odetta
11. Black Betty by Leadbelly
12. Mourning Song by Harry Belafonte
13. Fever by Little Willie John
14. 99 Ways by Charlie Gracie
15. Lost Highway by Hank Williams
16. The Streets Of Laredo by Roy Rogers
17. Down In The Willow Garden by Hobart Smith And Texas Gladden
18. Shine On Me by Ernest Phipps & His Holiness Singers
19. King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-Me-O by Chubby Parker & His Old Time Banjo
20. Stack O'Lee by Mississippi John Hurt
21. Henry Lee by Dick Justice
22. John the Revelator by Blind Willie Johnson


Next up is Mojo magazine with Cave on the cover and it's has just got to Australia newsagents even so I got it a long time ago but now want to buy it again. It the best Cave magazine write up in the last few year that I've read. Check out Big Jim Sclavunos's Bad Seeds 2009 Aussie Tour Diary too.
http://www.mojo4music.com/blog/2009/01/big_jim_sclavunoss_bad_seeds_t.html
In Perth he even talks about Rainbow Lorikeets!!! in the next bit which is here. http://www.mojo4music.com/blog/2009/02/jim_sclavunoss_bad_seeds_tour.html





The Free CD is Cool. It's called Bad Seeds and sub-titled Nick Cave: Roots & Collaborations. Here's the track listing too.
1. The Saints - (This) Perfect Day
2. Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues
3. John Lee Hooker - Tupelo Blues
4. Karen Dalton - Katie Cruel
5. Tim Rose - Long Time Man
6. Scott Walker - The Big Hurt
7. Current 93 - All the Pretty Little Horses
8. Einstürzende Neubauten - Blume
9. Martin L. Gore - Loverman
10. Lydia Lunch & Nick Cave - Done Dun
11. Beasts of Bourbon - Cocksucker Blues
12. The Golden Gate Quartet - Wade In The Water
13. Peggy Seeger - Henry Lee
14. Mississippi John Hurt - Stack O'Lee
15. Hank Williams - I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry



Also Nick Cave – The Exhibition is currently touring the country, showcasing “original lyrics, notebooks, artwork, photography and books” from the great man. It’s the kind of thing only Nick Cave could get away with. Having started its circuit in Melbourne, the exhibition is currently showing in Brisbane. After that stint is up, Nick’s stuff will move on to Perth and Canberra. Oh, and it’s free! Check it all out here: http://assets.theartscentre.net.au/nickcave/
Nick Cave – The Exhibition tour dates:
BRISBANE
QPAC
Now showing until 9 May 2009
www.qpac.com.au
PERTH
WA Museum
23 May – 19 July 2009
www.museum.wa.gov.au
CANBERRA
National Library of Australia
7 August – 5 October 2009
www.nla.gov.au



And Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds European 2009 festival tour dates
Norway Thu 12 Jun – Norwegian Wood 2009
Sweden Fri 13 Jun – Where The Action Is
Finland Sat 14 Jun – Provinssirock
Germany Fri 19 Jun – Southside Festival 2009
Germany Sat 20 Jun – Hurricane Festival 2009
Germany Sun 21 Jun – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds own show
Switzerland Fri 27 Jun – OpenAir St.Gallen
Denmark Fri 3 Jul – Roskilde Festival
Belgium Fri 4 Jul – Rock Werchter Festival 2009
Scotland Fri 10 Jul – T in the Park 2009
Ireland Fri 10 Jul – Oxegen
Russia Thu 16 Jul – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds B1 Concert Hall, Moscow
Russia Fri 17 Jul – Стереолето 2009 - Стереозакат or Stereoleto Music Festival, St Petersburg
United Kingdom Sat 19 Jul – Latitude Festival 2009

The band will feature Ed Kuepper on guitar, Kuepper, formally of Australian bands The Saints and Laughing Clowns, completes the current Bad Seeds live line up of Warren Ellis, Martyn P. Casey, Thomas Wydler, Jim Sclavunos and Conway Savage. Kuepper has been, and continues to be, a significant influence on contemporary Australian music. He formed the original version of the proto punk band The Saints in 1973 whilst in high school and when the original Saints split he formed what, in the eyes of many, was an even bolder enterprise - Laughing Clowns. The Clowns broke up in 1984 and Kuepper launched a prolific solo career which has seen the release of more than 20 albums and several film and soundtrack projects. His latest studio recording was 'Jean Lee and the Yellow dog' in 2007

Ed Kuepper has said nothing is planned after this tour but I’m hoping for a new album, imagine Ed and Nick co-written songs would sound like? We can hope if the tour goes well maybe they might just go into a studio just start recording a new Bad Seeds album. Well I wish anyway, do you too?

A series from ABC Radio:

Wide Open Road is a journey through our musical landscape. From the desert to the coast, from punk to hip-hop, from surburban back yards to dark smoky bars, Wide Open Road tells the story of how Australian musicians have discovered the land they live in though music and created their distinctly Australian sounds.

Basic site:

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/intothemusic/default.htm

Interactive site:

http://www.abc.net.au/wideopenroad/

Destinations and Artists featured or interviewed:

Road

Darren Hanlon
Dave Graney & Clare Moore
Kev Carmody
Neil Murray
Rob Hirst of Midnight Oil
Triffids
Wire MC

Suburbs

Ed Kuepper of The Saints and Laughing Clowns
Hilltop Hoods
Kevin Mitchell of Jebediah and Bob Evans
Mick Thomas of Weddings Parties Anything
Paul Kelly
Robert Forster of The Go-Betweens
Ray Ahn of Hard-Ons
Tim Rogers of You Am I

Carpet

Damien Lovelock of The Celibate Rifles
The Presets
Stephen Cummings of The Sports
Janet English of Spiderbait
Kim Salmon of The Scientists and The Darling Downs
Dave Mason of The Reels
The Grates
Mark Seymour of Hunters and Collectors

Coast

Daniel Johns of Silverchair
Gareth Liddiard of The Drones
John Butler of The John Butler Trio
The Panics
The Pigram Brothers
The Waifs

On the 19th August 2006 Dirty Three guest programmed RAGE. Dirty Three is my favourite band. And RAGE is a late night Aussie TV show which invites bands or artists to pick favourite songs or video clips or the video clips of their favourite songs. At this time it was Dirty Three’s last full Aussie tour for the new album Cinder which was a year old anyway. So writing now means it has been almost five years since a new Dirty Three album. At the moment bands like Portishead and The Drones are my favourite bands but off course both have pulled out new albums this year. Portishead took ten years for Third but it is one of the greatest albums ever. But I hope Dirty Three don’t take that long for a new album.

Warren Ellis has joined Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and started a new band with Nick Cave called Grinderman. Jim White is playing for Cat Power, PJ Harvey, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Beth Orton, Nina Nastasia so he’s a drummer for hire for anyone he wants to play for. Mick Turner has been the quietest but has had solo albums and painting exhibitions. Dirty Three have played together a few times but these shows are getting less and less. Since this tour they have done Chinese tour, curated the ATP festival in England and played festival shows in France, Spain, Australia and the last one being The End of the Road festival in England. So there haven’t broke up but just haven’t done anything new for a long time. Anyone who has not seen the Dirty Three DVD which came out last year should check it out because it’s the closest to a new album and one of the greatest music docos and live show double DVD ever.

Anyway here what Dirty Three picked that night -
Nina Simone - Revolution
Erykah Badu - Tyrone
Ol' Dirty Bastard - I Got Your Money
Cat Power - Living Proof
Deerhoof - Wrong Time Capsule
Art of Fighting - Reasons Are All I Have Left
Joanna Newsom - Sprout And The Bean
Art of Fighting - The Unappreciate
Smog - I Feel Like The Mother Of The World
Joel Silbersher - Through the manoeuvres
Tendrils - Soaking Red
Joel Silbersher - Flappin' On A Hook
Russell Morris - Sweet Sweet Love
Robert Forster - Baby Stones
Palace Brothers - Ohio River Boat Song
Crow - Railhead
Jerry Lee Lewis - Whole Lotta Shakin'
Them - Baby Please Don't Go
Canned Heat - On The Road Again
Captain Beefheart - Ice Cream for Crow
Beasts of Bourbon - Words from a Woman to Her Man
Ed Kuepper - The Way I Made You Feel
Dave Graney with the White Buffaloes - Robert Ford On The Stage
Dragon - Get That Jive
Slade - Get Down & Get With It
Rose Tattoo - Rock & Roll Outlaw
God - My Pal
The Saints - Run Down
Sex Pistols - Anarchy in the U.K.
The Only Ones - Another Girl Another Planet
The Stooges - Loose
Laughing Clowns - Holy Joe
The Reels - Bad Moon Rising
Jimmy Cliff - Reggae Night
Bob Dylan - Things Have Changed
The Who - Can't Explain
The Birthday Party - Release the Bats
Einsturzende Neubauten - Halber Mensch

Well what happens next is RAGE plays all of the Dirty Three video clips which you don’t really get to see that often. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds videos follow that night too. If anyone knows what the Dirty Three are up to now please let me know. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

+ about six months later Dirty Three picked all Artists and Bands At:

ATP CURATED BY THE DIRTY THREE
On 27 Apr 2007 to 29 Apr 2007 at Butlins Holiday Centre, Minehead in the UK
Full Line-up
Dirty Three
Thee Silver Mount Zion Orchestra
Alan Vega
Art of Fighting
Bill Callahan (Smog)
Brokeback
Cat Power
Conway Savage
The Devastations
Digital Primitives
Ed Kuepper With Jeffrey Wegener
Einstuerzende Neubauten
Faun Fables
Felix Lajko
Ian Wadley
Joanna Newsom
Joel Silbersher
Josh T. Pearson
Low
Magnolia Electric Company
Mary Margaret O'Hara
Matana Roberts
Mick Harvey
Mum Smokes
Nick Cave (Solo)
Grinderman (First Show)
Nina Nastasia And Jim White
Papa M
Psarandonis
Roscoe Mitchell (Art Ensemble of Chicago)
Sally Timms (mekons)
Secretary
Shannon Wright
Small Knives
Spiritualized: Acoustic Mainline - Performing Spacemen 3 and Spiritualized songs
Tara Jane O'Neil
The Drones
The Only Ones
The Scientists
Tren Brothers
We Ragazzi
White Magic
Yann Tiersen
Youpi Youpi Yeah

LASTFM EVENT PAGES:
ATP Australia 2009: Mt Buller at Mt. Buller Ski Resort
ATP Australia 2009: Brisbane at Riverstage - Nick Cave & Bad Seeds + more
ATP Australia 2009: Sydney at Cockatoo Island

Early in 2008, Australian concert promoters Feel Presents and UK promoters All Tomorrow's Parties joined forces to bring the classic albums concept, Don't Look Back, to Australia. A UK originated concept, Don't Look Back asks artists to perform a work from their catalogue that has proven itself timeless years after it's inception. In it's first season, Don't Look Back presented seminal works from Sonic Youth (Daydream Nation), Died Pretty (Doughboy Hollow) and Low (Things We Lost in the Fire) - among others - for what was a hugely successful debut enterprise. Later in 2008 Feel Presents and All Tomorrow's Paries formed a new company; ATP Australia Pty Ltd, with a view to bringing the All Tomorrow's Parties Festival to Australia.

Named after the Velvet Underground song and described as the "ultimate mix tape", All Tomorrow's Parties is a boutique festival that goes against the grain of the larger, more commercial music festivals. Each new All Tomorrow's Parties invites an artist or band to headline and then handpick their favourite performers to play at the festival.

For the inaugural Australian series of ATP events we are pleased to announce that arguably the most significant Australian export of the last twenty years Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, are to make their curating debut. The Bad Seeds intimate knowledge of all things Australian (music and otherwise) coupled with their innate sense of the weird and wonderful will - we are sure - make for a series of very unique events.


Performers already chosen to appear at All Tomorrow's Parties '09 include seminal Australian punk band, The Saints - featuring original members Ed Kuepper, Chris Bailey and Ivor Hay performing their first Australian shows (outside Brisbane) since 1977; British transcendentalists, Spiritualized; avant-blues artist, James Blood Ulmer (US); krautrock supergroup, Harmonia (Germany); electro-terrorists, Fuck Buttons (UK); pioneering synth-minimalists, Silver Apples (UK); psychotic space rockers, Afrirampo (Japan); Ex-Swan M. Gira (USA), the jazz-noir stylings of the Laughing Clowns (Aust), former Go-Between Robert Forster (Aust), the synth-punk of Primitive Calculators: former Birthday Party guitarist, Rowland S. Howard (Aust), post-grunge/noise devotees, The Stabs (Aust), classical-rock teenagers Bridezilla (Aust) & the sublime ambience of The Necks (Aust) - and that's just the first release of artists.

The Second release of artists includes The Reels, Dirty Three performing Ocean Songs, Dead Meadow, Psarandonis, the holy sea, Passenger of Shit, Bill Callahan, Small Knives and Hunter Dienna with more to be added!

The other unique aspect of All Tomorrow's Parties is the location. There will be no football fields or sport stadiums here. Instead, ATP has taken the time to present the festival goer a whole new experience.

In Victoria, All Tomorrow's Parties is to be held over two days - January 9th & 10th - in the remote yet easily accessible location of Mt.Buller Ski Resort, some 3 hrs drive from Melbourne City. Punters will have the option to either stay on the mountain in a selection of ski-chalets, lodges or hotels, or down the mountain in nearby Mansfield. Both on-site and off-site fans alike will have the opportunity to enjoy all that Buller offers: a fully serviced township complete with bars, cafes, restaurants, walking trails, bike trails, ski-lifts and a gymnasium plus ATP's trademark rock 'n' roll trivia, cinema and 30+ bands performing over 3 stages.

In NSW, All Tomorrow's Parties is to be held in conjunction with Sydney Festival on Cockatoo Island over the weekend of January 17th & 18th.
In it's former life, Cockatoo Island has been a prison, a reformatory for wayward girls, and a shipbuilding yard. The industrial and maritime landscape together with the picturesque backdrop of Sydney Harbour make this urban island the perfect setting for this unique event. For 2009, All Tomorrow's Parties (and Sydney Festival) will present a one day program on Saturday January 17th, which will then be repeated on January 18th. There will be three stages - all with amazing views of the harbour and surrounds - a food court (that's real food - not regular festival mush), undercover bars, outside bars, a Bad Seeds video display, green 'chill out' areas, a free ride across the harbour to and from the show plus 20+ Bad Seeds hand picked acts.

In Queensland, All Tomorrow's Parties will present a series of one stands between January 12th - 16th at Brisbane arts & culture venue, The Powerhouse. Featured acts will include Fuck Buttons, Afrirampo and Harmonia with more to be announced. In addition to this, ATP will also present a larger afternoon/evening show on January 15th at the picturesque Brisbane Riverstage headlined by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and featuring Spiritualized, Robert Forster, James Blood Ulmer and others.

The full line-up for both the Powerhouse shows and The Riverstage will be announced soon. The Riverstage is [url=for those interesting in more than one of the ATP Aus events, the Brisbane riverstage show is on sale now: http://www.ticketmaster.com.au/event/13004149CD1A6D2D?artistid=870730&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=60]ON SALE NOW.

First release tickets for All Tomorrow's Parties, Mt.Buller will be sold as an accommodation/ticket package and are exclusive to those wanting to stay on the mountain. These tickets will guarantee acommodation for each ticket holder and are onsale immediately from www.atpfestival.com only.

For Mt.Buller/Mansfield accommodation enquires please contact: Mansfield-Mt Buller High Country Reservations on 1-800-BULLER ( 1800 285 537) or email reservations@mtbuller.com.au

General admission tickets are also on sale now. See www.atpfestival.com for details.

Tickets for the All Tomorrow's Parties Riverstage show, are on sale NOW from www.ticketmaster.com.au; all ticketmaster outlets or via phone: 136 100. Tickets for the Brisbane Powerhouse season are on sale now from Ticketmaster and also in person from the Brisbane Powerhouse - 119 Lamington St, New Farm; www.brisbanepowerhouse.org or via phone: + 61 7 3358 8600. Proudly presented by ATP Australia and Rave Magazine.

Tickets for All Tomorrow's Parties at Cockatoo Island, Sydney are on sale November 10th from www.sydneyfestival.org.au or via phone 132-849. Proudly presented by ATP Australia and Sydney Festival.