Stranded CD Launch at The Zoo

If you don't know what this was about then you aren't taking any notice of the list of other blogs on the right there. You should be visiting Before Hollywood regularly and you would know about their fantastic 3 CD compilation "Stranded" that features 42 tracks by some [not all at all] of Brisbane's finest rock bands. And if you consider it doesn't contains anything other than indie, indie-folk, and garage flavoured bands [with a couple of others thrown in for good measure] but no metal, no hip hop,no jazz, no blues, no reggae; then you get an idea of how broad the music scene is in this small [2 mil people] out of the way city on the edge of the empire. And there's a whole nuther 3 CD compilation waiting to be made by Brisbane metal alone if someone in that scene was interested.

Rumour has it that Gav and Cam's method of finding content was to list their 100 favourite brisbands and email them asking if they would like to be on the compilation. The first batch of emails went out to 40 bands and they got 42 "Yes Please" emails in reply. So they stopped there before it had to be a magazines series with a free cd in each issue. Even if this is not true, it should be.

What is pleasantly surprising is that you could actually have a list of favorite local rock bands that went past the end of one hand. I don't want to sound old but seriously when I was growing up and the Punk scene in Brisbane had bands like The Saints, The Leftovers, The Survivors, The Go-Betweens, Razar, V2 & The Hilton Bombers playing round the traps you could count on 4 limbs the number of actual non-covers bands playing let alone your favorites.

So if you haven't yet, then click now and have a good look before you buy anyway. Buy now, Limited Edition, All proceeds to a good cause etc. But the bottom line is that it's just a great collection of fine songs and if you can't find at least 1 CD's worth of stuff you love then I feel sorry for your children who must be growing up in a house full of crap music.

/end of rant section.

And for those who missed the Launch party, here is most of it. I missed most of the Monster Monster set [sorry Dan] and the start of the Rational Academy set but what I did hear was top stuff.

Ambitious Lovers
The problem with big rooms and small bands is levels. From a whisper to a scream sounds fine if the crowd noise is not at greater than whisper levels to start with. Don't get me started again on people having conversations. Anyway, I've compressed this set so it can be heard more easily. I think it sounds OK but if anyone has a problem let me know.

Ambitious Lovers - Live @ The Zoo - 15 Aug 2008.mp3 (50.45 MB)

Nova Scotia
A set now being referred to by people who heard it as 'one of the best ever' by one of Brisbane's favourite bands. The first song is a little uneven but after that it is pretty much what everyone says.

Nova Scotia - Live @ The Zoo - 15 Aug 2008.mp3 (46.61 MB)

Tragic/Athletic
I hadn't heard these guys before [though I recognized everyone in the band] and overall I was impressed. Some equipment problems on stage with periods of no music, sorry, but persist and you will be rewarded. At the end there is a one song appearance by Yeow Meow which is easily accomplished because the two bands share many members.

Tragic_Athletic - Live @ The Zoo - 15 Aug 2008.mp3 (42.06 MB)

The Rational Academy
Speaking of which, Yeow Meow and The Rational Academy also share many [2 of 3] members so the changeover between bands was about 45 sec. I did not know this was to happen and I had to return to my car to get a new tape so I missed most of the first song. But I'm happy with the rest. Don't know if it's just my memory but the band seems to be shortening their songs and adding more vocal tracks than when I first heard them a couple of years ago. I like the way they are sounding these days in any case.

The Rational Academy - Live @ The Zoo - 15 Aug 2008.mp3 (61.08 MB)

Thank you once again to Gav and Cam for Before Hollywood and their hard work on this project.