The Basics- Get Back Relaunch

This evening Tash and I met at Roxanne Parlour in Chinatown to see The Basics launch the re-release of their debut album from 2002 "Get Back." During the 45 minutes set we were treated to many of the songs on the album as well as covers of the Spencer Davis Group's "Gimme Some Lovin" and The Police's "Roxanne" (in honor of the venue). Besides the gorgeous harmonies there was lots of humorous banter between songs about the history of the band and origins of the songs. It was a great warm-up for the August residency shows on Thursday nights at The Evelyn starting next week. Also in the crowd were Taka and Quang- I think they're stalking me.

Oh Mercy Equipment Fundraiser

Last night I headed over to The Evelyn Hotel for a benefit show for Oh Mercy. Their musical equipment was stolen a couple months ago in Sydney while on tour, so this was an attempt to raise some money to buy new gear. The evening opened up with Kimbra, a singer-songwriter originally from New Zealand. I thought her set was good- she used looping pedals for vocal and rhythm effects and did covers of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" and Gotye's "Hearts A Mess."

Next up was my favorite Japanese pop band The Hondas. Taka was once again a comedic shining light as he introduced a song by telling a story about a girl who left her watch in his room. He took it to Cash Convertors and bought a harmonica, which he proceeded to play on the next song. Funny stuff! Their set was a mix of old favorites and new songs they are recording for a new album, which will be out soon. Very exciting.

After The Hondas was Little Red's other side project band The Greasers. How lucky for me to have both groups on the same bill. I still have not managed to get a copy of The Greasers album, but they played a good set, including my favorite of theirs "Metamorphosis." Once they finished it was already late, and since I didn't have much time before I would have to leave for the tram I decided to head for home. Unfortunately, this meant that I had to miss Oh Mercy's set. However I'm hoping to catch them when they play down the road at the Brunswick Hotel in August.

Red Door Burlesque

Tonight a group of us from work headed over to the Order of Melbourne for the Red Door Burlesque show. Our table was right up against the stage, and by the time we finished eating our dinner, the show was ready to start. We were treated to an aerial artist, magician, and dancing from the Hi Ball Burlesque girls. The main reason we were there though was at the invite of one of our coworkers who was the intermission girl for the evening. It was a fun and entertaining ladies night for us all.

The Dark Knight

Tonight I met Tash and her friends at Hoyts in Melbourne Central to see the latest Batman film The Dark Knight. I haven't seen many of the previous movies, so I think I was lacking some elements of the back story that would have helped the plot for me. Overall it's a good film and I thought that Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker was fantastic. He was very funny in parts and increasingly psychotic as the film went on. The special effects are well done and would probably be insane to see on an IMAX screen.

The Basics

Last night after a tasty dinner at Tash's house, she, Belinda and I walked over to The Empress Hotel to see The Basics play. The show was a benefit for director Campbell Hynam-Smith to help fund his final project for film school. The place was packed and we really couldn't see Wally at all from where we were (only when he stood up from the drum kit a couple times). The hour long set was a mix of new songs and old favorites, and it was good to hear them play electric this time. They even had "ghost member" David Bramble with them on keyboards (he used to do IT work in our office). All in all it was a great night, and we look forward to catching them play again at their residency dates in August at The Evelyn.

Here is the video Campbell directed for "Lookin' Over My Shoulder"

Christian Dior Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2008-2009

John Galliano has outdone himself with this collection for Christian Dior Haute Couture.
Check out the show here (Part 1) and here (Part 2)

Listen to Little Red

Tonight after work Lucas and I headed over to Polyester Records on Flinders Lane for Little Red's in-store performance to celebrate the release of their debut album "Listen to Little Red." I last saw them play in March during a lunchtime concert at Melbourne Uni, so it was good to see the five boys together on stage again. Their 40 minutes set included many songs from the new album and it was one of the tightest performances I have seen them do. Everything sounded really great. I highly recommend that you go out and buy their album- those of you overseas can order it from JB Hi-Fi.

Here's the video for the first single "Witch Doctor."

The Black Keys

Last night I joined Danny to go see The Black Keys play a sold out show at the Palace Theatre on Bourke Street. The band consists of a drummer and guitarist (sort of an all male White Stripes) and they have a very bluesy/rock sound. Their backdrop was a giant inflated tire- an homage to their Akron, Ohio roots. I had heard a couple of their songs from appearances on Conan, but wasn't that familiar with their catalogue. Overall it was a good show. Dan and Patrick are talented musicians although at times the songs sort of blended together because there is only so much you can do live with drums, guitar and one singer.

Liam Finn and The Gin Club

Last night I headed to The Evelyn Hotel to see Liam Finn play. After touring extensively throughout the US for the first half of the year, he scheduled four dates in Australia and New Zealand as part of his "Better to Be Home Soon" tour. My first surprise of the night was the length of the line that greeted me when I arrived at the venue. Liam is obviously getting more popular as none of his previous shows had been this packed out. Opening band The Gin Club were entertaining as all the band members switched instruments and took turns on vocals depending on what song they were playing. They sounded great (sort of folk-rock) and are a talented bunch of musicians.

Liam and his lovely sidekick EJ Barnes opened with a crazy noise jam that was actually done to test out their equipment as they had been having technical issues at sound check. Unfortunately, EJ's loop pedal wasn't working so she couldn't do any vocal loops (although she did get it to cooperate once). Liam also had problems keeping his guitar in tune after he knocked it against a beam in the ceiling. Despite the technical difficulties it was a fun hour long set with lots of banter back and forth between EJ and Liam. Jokes about Liam's height led EJ to refer to him as Prince, and they created a jam about EJ's cowboy boots because Liam wanted to wear them. Liam nearly broke his drum kit when he used one of her boots to play. We got a new song that featured EJ on autoharp and Liam using percussion mallets to play the drums, and they closed the night with "Wide Awake on the Voyage Home." On my way to the tram stop I had my second surprise of the night when I passed Quang and Taka of Little Red sitting outside at a restaurant on Brunswick Street. Melbourne can be a small town at times.

The Hondas

Since Monday is a holiday Belinda and I took advantage of not having to go to work and headed out to the Ding Dong Lounge tonight to see The Hondas play. The opening band The Moderns were nothing to write home about, and their lyrics were laughable (I went to LA/I drank a latte). I was glad when they finished.

The Hondas came out with great energy and played a fantastic and entertaining set. I should mention that this is the other off shoot band of Little Red, containing Taka Honda and Quang Dinh. Taka was really emphasizing the Japanese pop angle of the band (appropriate since he's from Japan), and it was good to see him out from behind the drum kit and up front with a guitar. He was very amusing throughout the night and had a good rapport with the audience. I was laughing a lot at his song intros and even the venue employees picking up empty glasses had smiles on their faces. Their set was short but they played a lot of songs- a mix of stuff from their album and some new numbers. I was very happy to hear "God Save Your Soul," which is my favorite song on the record. All in all I was impressed and look forward to catching them live again soon.

Plastic Palace Alice, The Greasers, and Oh Mercy

Last night Belinda and I headed over to the East Brunswick Club for the album launch of Plastic Palace Alice's "The Great Depression." We didn't know much about the band but were impressed by their musicianship and the epic, ornate nature of the songs. They even did a cover of Jefferson Airplane's "Don't You Want Somebody To Love?" which was entertaining.

The real reason we went to the show though was to see the opening bands Oh Mercy and The Greasers. Oh Mercy kicked off the night with their folk-pop tunes. It was a mellow set but this young band has a great catalogue of songs already, which I would love to get my hands on as a CD release. Next were The Greasers, an off shoot band for Little Red's Dominic Byrne. The Greasers are rockier than Little Red but the songs and harmonies are still there. I was really happy to hear them perform "Metamorphosis," one of my favorites. Their debut album is coming out next week, so I will be eager to get a copy as I think the songs will be a bit more polished on record.

Blueprint for Early Childhood Development and School Reform

It is my second week working in the Research Branch and today I got the opportunity to attend the final consultation forum for the Blueprint for Early Childhood Development and School Reform at Moonee Valley Racecourse. Both Ministers addressed the audience about the Blueprint discussion papers and the government's reform agenda. Then we broke up into three different workshops. I was a scribe at one of the tables for the Early Childhood Development discussion. It was interesting to hear what the various professionals from different parts of the sector had to say. After the workshops everyone reconvened for a plenary session to finish up the afternoon's proceedings.

Dinner and Breakfast on the Mountain

Last night I met up with Fran at Melbourne Uni and we headed out to Kalorama to have a birthday dinner for Peter and Rebecca at Peter and Mark's house. It was chilly in Melbourne so we knew it would be a cold night on the mountain. Thankfully the boys had the fire going when we arrived. We ate Indian for dinner and cake for dessert (although most of us were too full to eat it). I stayed the night and played games of pool with the boys (won against Mark and lost against Peter).

Melanie came and picked me up in the morning and we drove to Olinda for breakfast at Ranges. We got a table by the fireplace and I had pancakes with a side of bacon. After eating we visited a few of the antique shops before Mel took me to see her house in Tecoma. It's a very peaceful place being surrounded by trees and I admired all of her art deco furniture. We chatted for a bit and had some tea before Mel dropped me off at the train station for the hour long journey back to the city.

San Francisco and Beyond

Louise Bourgeois’ Crouching Spider

It has been a fun and relaxing second week in the Bay Area. On Tuesday Lynne and I took the ferry into San Francisco. We had lunch at the Ferry Building and then walked around the Embarcadero and downtown for some shopping. It was a gorgeous day and I bought a few things but didn't do too much damage to the bank account. That evening Lynne and Jeremy came over for dinner and American Idol. Unfortunately my parents hate Jason Castro, but at least Lynne was there to back me up on liking him.

On Wednesday my brother came and got me bright and early and we headed up to his new house in Green Valley (between Fairfield and Vallejo). It was my first chance to see the house and area where he and Simi will soon be living. They have been having basic work done around the house before they move in- painting, floors, carpet cleaning, etc. The house looks great and is big enough that they will probably never need to move again.

Angel Island

Yesterday Lynne and I took the ferry to Angel Island for a hike. We walked around the perimeter of the Island (4 1/2 miles) and had great views of the bay along the way. They are gradually fixing up the various Army buildings and Immigration Station around the Island. After taking the ferry back we had a late lunch in Tiburon and then headed for home- sunburnt and tired.

Unfortunately my time is now up and tonight I fly back to Australia. It has been a quick two weeks but was nice to be home and spend time with family and friends.

Angie and Andy's Wedding

Yesterday was Angie and Andy's wedding, the official reason for my trip home. Things kicked off on Friday when Angie and I had our nails done at a salon next to her coffee shop (my first manicure and pedicure ever). We got all the wedding favors done while we were there- lottery tickets in little envelopes with a lucky penny. After our nails were finished we headed up to Healdsburg for the wedding rehearsal and dinner. Everyone practiced their entrances and exits a few times and I worked on my job as flower girls wrangler. The dinner was at an Italian restaurant and it was nice to catch up with some old friends and members of Angie's family.

Angie and I went out to run a few errands and then had breakfast on the morning of the wedding (the calm before the storm). We got our hair and makeup done before getting dressed and heading up to the Healdsburg Golf Course. It was a hot day but not too horrible. We did photos with the bridal party before the ceremony and then Angie went off to hide before her grand entrance. The wedding itself went very quickly. The flower girls did a great job getting down the aisle and the vows were over and done with before I could get a sunburn. After the family and wedding party photos we were finally able to join the reception inside. I got through my wedding toast and once dinner service was finished they cleared some tables so we had a dance floor. Everyone had a great time and I made sure to have a sample of each layer of the wedding cake when they finally cut it. Angie and I ended the reception dancing to New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle." The newlyweds are now off to Disneyland for their honeymoon, and will have a few days alone before Katie joins them mid-week.

Bay Area Fun

It has been a mellow yet somewhat active few days back home. I had Angie's bridal shower on Sunday and was happy to be able to attend. We had a few party games, including creating wedding dresses out of toilet paper. My group's efforts were not the best, but the others were very creative. I picked up my bridesmaid outfit from Angie's house, which thankfully only required a few alterations to the top. The wedding rehearsal and dinner are on Friday, with the wedding taking place Saturday afternoon up in Healdsburg. I think most things are ready to go.

I have enjoyed seeing my family and spending time with them. We all went out to dinner last night at The Cheesecake Factory and ate way too much food (the servings are huge there). I have yet to see my brother's new house, but hope to go up for a visit early next week when he is off work. I have also been on a few shopping excursions around Marin but have not found that much stuff that I like in the shops. I plan to go into San Francisco next week so hopefully there will be some good things to buy downtown.

Farewell

Today at work I got to have a morning tea in my honor not only because I am going on leave back to the States for two weeks, but also since this was my last day in my current role for the next six months. After a good month and a half of waiting for the paperwork to be signed off, I have now officially secured my secondment as a project officer to the Research Branch of the Education Policy and Research Division in the Department. It should be exciting as I'll get to do new things and this is the area I really want to work in. So I'm looking forward to that, but my immediate concern is getting my packing done and surviving the long flight across the Pacific on a United Airlines plane (which I am really hoping has had a major interior upgrade since I last flew with them).

Fran and Pete's Wedding

Today I was fortunate enough to attend Fran and Pete's wedding. The church service was at St. Dominic's in Camberwell. Fran looked beautiful as she walked down the aisle. It wasn't a full mass, but I was amused by the fact that the first reading was the same one I did at my brother's wedding. After the ceremony we got to congratulate Fran and Pete and also do a big picture with everyone in attendance out in front of the church.

The reception was held at Yianni's Tavern in Kew. Each table seat had a wedding favor of either hot chocolate or coffee, which I thought was really generous. Our food throughout the night was a mix of Greek and Italian tapas plates- and they didn't stop coming. We also had an interesting selection of music from the DJ. Fran and her friends had put together a CD of her favorite songs, but the DJ treated us to a good half hour of Greek music. It was entertaining to watch Pete's family dance and sing along to all these songs. Overall it was a great night, and I'm so glad that Fran and Pete have finally tied the knot. They now get to head off to far north Queensland for their honeymoon.

Slumburbia

Here's a really interesting article for those of you interested in housing and urban planning: "Is Suburbia Turning Into Slumburbia?" by Carol Lloyd.

The Footy Is Back!

These are very exciting times for sports fans in Melbourne because Australian Rules Football is finally back. It's the preseason at the moment, which means the NAB Cup is on. I joined Michelle and her extended family for tonight's semi-final match between Essendon and St. Kilda at Telstra Dome. Michelle's parents saved us some seats near the goal at the bottom of Level 2. We had a great view of the field and the game. It was a tight match with some pathetic umpiring decisions that resulted in St. Kilda winning by 3 points on a questionable free kick at goal with less than a minute to play. However, the Bombers have been very impressive over the last few weeks. New coach Matthew Knights has introduced a fast and entertaining style of play, and all of the younger players have been fantastic. It looks to be a promising season, which will kick off on Easter weekend.