Spencer P. Jones and the Nothing Butts

The legendary Spencer P Jones joined forces with Gareth and Fiona from the Drones and hit the Thornbury Theatre last Friday, for what would be my last gig of the year.

The show was really good. Spencer P Jones, firm on his guitar, a rock veteran on the stage while Gareth moved around, scratching his guitar and adding to the ‘cool factor’ of the show. Drum and bass stayed firm on the back, adding consistency to the guitar duo.

The Thornbury theatre had the feel of local rockers reunited to see a living legend. A seventies vibe, I dare to say. If you have the chance to listen to their album, or watch them live anytime soon, just do it as soon as possible.

Listening to Spencer P. Jones with the younger generation of local rockers is something that you shouldn’t miss. In our interview, he said they may have a second release if there is enough demand, and I am confident that there will be another one by next year.

Thanks for reading.

Interview with Spencer P. Jones (20-12-2012)

Our Editor Juan J. Cruz has touched base with Spencer P. Jones, the legendary Melbourne-based guitar player behind the Beasts of Bourbon and who also has been rated as one of Australia´s greatest guitarists. In ‘Spencer P. Jones and the Nothing Butts’ he is teaming up with Gareth Liddiard and  Fiona Kitschin (the Drones) and James Baker (Beasts of Bourbon).

Remember we mentioned the Drones not very long ago, since they are curating the 2013 edition of ‘All Tomorrow´s Party I´ll be your Mirror’ Melbourne Festival, that is one of our HIGHLY recommended Festivals this summer.

Read below to find out more.

Earthless

Just when I was about to jump in the car I get a text message from a friend ´Hey, Earthless were great last night´.  

I was intrigued. I had a long weekend and I was really tired. But what I found kept me smiling for a couple of days. It went like this:

Isaiah gets on the stage; says thanks to everyone. ‘Pretty humble dude’ – I think. A few jokes; they start slow, warming up… It sounds okay. The show goes on: nothing special just yet. Nice riff, I think… Bam-bam-bam the drummer goes ahead. It´s building up… the beat is faster and faster, getting more complex. One of the drum stick drops… Mario keeps playing with the other hand, grabs it from the floor and gets it back in place… a smirk on his face that is returned by Isaiah on the guitar. No one stops. The bass, consistant and autistic to what´s happening in the show room. He keeps following the drums. A few licks here and there: really tight notes. You have to listen carefully to pick the variations. Really consistent baseline… I think on his fingers, must be sore…. Not a pause, sweat… Something happens on the left hand side of the stage… f**k, the amplifier has blown out! Robert gets a new one from the backstage and brings it across to the other side… Mario and Mike don´t even blink: they keep going with their hypnotic beat… It´s all fixed now: different amp, same guitar. Slightly different tone but doesn´t matter. A few minutes to get into the swing and catch up with Mario and Mike. Already going full throttle: bending on the 20^th fret… Come on guys, let´s go! Mario´s sweating. I can see the veins on his arms; I wonder if that hurts. The bass player is still going, non-stop… Isaiah steps to the front and does a ridiculously sharp bend on the guitar… man, you´re laughing! … I cannot avoid a chuckle and his eyes meet mine for a fraction of a second. He´s having such a good time… Damn it, so great! It seems they are winding down… Oh, no! It´s finishing… Here you go: an hour has just passed by.

They come for seconds. A song with a bit of singing, then thanks and goodbye. Such a great show.

Thanks for reading.

Johnston Street Spanish Festival

Last month the Spanish Festival was celebrated in Melbourne. Not strictly a music show, but since there was music and I am Spanish myself, I decided to include in my documentary of the Melbourne music scene. The festival itself it´s a celebration of the ‘Hispanidad’, that represents the Spanish and South-Central American cultures, including around 21 countries. Since there are not that many Spaniards down under, it is majorly South and Central America, and it is so popular that it is nearly impossible to walk on the street.

There was latin music, salsa dancing, delicious street food and a stage with a few bands. We sneaked in the Spanish Club and stood next to the bar bench sipping Alhambra beer and ‘anis’ shots. After a while, we realised it was still 7pm and we needed some food to sober up.  We walked up and down Johnston Street a couple of times, and then decided to get some Colombian slow cooked marinated beef ribs that were absolutely amazing. Then a few drinks, then some more at the Night Cat, and then home. 

It was good fun.

Thanks for reading.

Interview with Earthless (10-12-2012)

This week, our Editor Juan J. Cruz had the opportunity to interview Isaiah Mitchell, guitarist and vocalist of San Diego instrumental rock band EARTHLESS.

Earthless is been active since 2001 and their members have been simultaneously involved in a number projects. The drum player, Mario Rubalcaba is a founding member of  L.A. hard-core punk band ‘Off!’. Isaiah also plays in ‘Howlin’ Rain’, whose last album was produced by Rick Rubin (Columbia Records, Epic Records) who has also produced albums for the Mars Volta, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Metallica, Weezer and the Beastie Boys.

Read below to see what he has to say about his band and his current Australian tour.

Bosnian Rainbows

BosnianRainbows is the new project of multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Omar Rodriguez Lopez -At the Drive-In and The Mars Volta- together with Teri Bender –LesButcherettes- and Deantoni Parks –The Mars Volta-.

Last year we saw them playing live at the East Brunswick Club, with Les Butcherettes as the opening act and last weekend it was all blended together into a new more intense experience with a slight 80s vibe. The energy is still there: this time the guitar takes a secondary role and Teri is left alone to impress the audience with her psychotic hypnotic repertoire of theatrical poses. I think I saw a half-smirk coming out of her face at some point and I wonder how much of self-parody she is including in every show.

In any case, it is an excellent show. The music is like a fresh splash of creativity and energy and, every time they go on tour –under the same or a different one, it doesn´t matter anymore-, they come up with something completely different.

I am looking forward to see what they put together for next year.

If you want to know more about these projects, have a read to our conversation with Omar Rodriguez-Lopez a few weeks ago here.

Thanks for reading.

The War on Drugs

The War on Drugs is one of the bands that I am glad I missed on Harvest Festival. Don´t get me wrong: I am glad because they would have had a hard time filling up a big stage at 12pm -with people is still making their way to Werribee Park or queueing to get the first cold beer of the day- and they did sound really good in such a small club as the Northcote Social Club is.

They are originally from Philadelphia and claim that one of their main influences is Bob Dylan. Just as a coincidence, I happened to watch a very interesting documentary on Bob´s UK tour in the sixties a few days ago. It´s called ´Don´t Look Back´, just in case you feel like looking for it in the video store over the weekend.

Have a listen to these guys in the meanwhile.

Thanks for reading.