sydney autumn leaves


forestville australia 26 april 2008

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Balmain Ukulele Klub

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I went along to the Balmain Ukulele Club tonight, at the Gladstone Bowling Club in central Balmain. It's my second visit to the club, my inaugural steps to ukuleledom were taken in April, some seven months ago. Club meetings are held on the first "teen" Monday of every month except January. The photo above is my uke, the Cole Clark Ukulele handmade from solid Australian Blackwood. Blackwood is very similar to Hawaian Koa of which traditional Hawaian ukes are made. The Gladstone Bowling Club is an anachronism in time and that of course accounts for its many charms. Vintage, unassailable fun! Ok, up to about 7pm we strum along with the band who are calling out the chord changes from the microphone. From 7pm-8pm we play along to songs with the chord charts having had been emailed to us the week beforehand. Tonight we had a reggae theme. We strummed along to 'I shot the Sheriff' and various others. Tony Larwood conducts the session and gives out pointers through...
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Painkiller gig @ Oxford Art Factory

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Wednesday night, 10 September, I went along to the Painkiller gig at the Oxford Art Factory situated at the Hyde Park end of Oxford Street, Darlinghurst. I almost didn’t go. I was heavy-hearted and burdened with a friend’s unhappiness. The anticipation of witnessing and involving my senses in Steve Kilbey’s new line-up and music washed over me. I felt cotton-wooled, numbed and nonchalant about leaving the door. Conversely I knew perfectly well I couldn’t miss this . So, after a (small) glass of red, I hopped into my car and drove the 15 minute drive to Oxford Street. I parked at Oxford Street Paddington and walked briskly towards the Darlinghurst end of things. It was a crisp, fresh evening with a dry icy breeze that served to awaken and straighten my senses. Activity around Taylor Square and Darlinghurst seemed relatively subdued, even for a Wednesday night. Perhaps because it was such a crisp night, or there was some sports game featured on the tele, that people avoided what is usual...
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Dennis Wilson : drummer, beach boy, songwriter

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(To be submitted to the Songsmith. I acknowledge the influence of the following sources: Jon Stebbins The Real Beach Boy ; Adam Webb Dumb Angel : the life and music of Dennis Wilson ; Brian Wilson Wouldn't it be nice : an autobiography ; Endless Summer [film]) ‘The Year that he was cool’ . A song penned by ex-Cold Chisel keyboardist / songwriter Don Walker, appearing on his 1991 Catfish album Ruby . The song is a character expose of a young guy who back in the 60’s ruled his town as top surfer and ladies man (“…he could surf the curl on a barmaid’s lip, he could surf a yard of beer…”). Twenty years later as his mates have gone on to law degrees and the girls that were once his own have travelled overseas, he stands outside the bowling club “barfing like a mule” & “drinking in a rage”, and no-one wants to know about the ‘year that he was cool’. It transpires that Walker’s song is an unintentional biographical pastiche of the life of Beach Boy Dennis Wilson. Dennis, the ...
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