Turn it up!!: dz

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Saturday, January 9, 2010

Sunset Sounds 2010 Day 1

A lot of people I spoke to were less than enthusiastic about the lineup on Day 1 but I thought it held together well.

DZ played a good set and the stage sound was fine. This did bode well for the rest of the Festival and overall the Sound people did a very god job.

The Phenomenal Handclap Band were not at all Phenomenal. Average, very average. I'm told they have a popular song that was played a lot on the radio last year. People even hummed it to me to remind me of it, I must have heard it. Shows you how much radio I listen to and how far a band can go on the strength of a song that gets played a lot on the radio.

As an aside, I do not these days listen much to the radio mainly because the only time I really have to do it is in the car to and from work and I uniformly hate breakfast and drive time radio, or in the evenings. I listen to a couple of specialist shows on Community Radio [plug alert: 4ZZZ and 3RRR ] but otherwise I'm here or reading or out listening to live music. Any new music I hear these days in intermediated by people on the internet and the people I'm talking to haven't heard The Phenomenal Handclap Band either. If they have they haven't mentioned it. As well, if I am going to a festival or even a concert, and I will see bands I haven't heard I usually don't listen to their stuff before hand so I'm open to what they do with few pre-conceptions.

Kaki King is a very good guitar player and I thoroughly enjoyed her show. Mind you, I was expecting a lot more guitar work having heard her reputation rather than any of her work [see above]

Seasick Steve was a lot of fun. I don't know how much of his shtick is real but it's easy to suspend disbelief and go with the stories.

I had heard a couple of Rodrigo y Gabriela tracks but didn't realize they didn't sing at all. A very happy audience and I'm glad I went. There was some kind of problem with my mics in this set and whole sections of the left channel were just missing. The problem didn't re-occur the next day so I don't know what happened. In parts of this recording then I have copied the right channel over the left. You may notice it; you may not. Fortunately there are only the two instruments on stage and the separation was good. I don't think you lose much positional feeling.

Apparently Moby played a blistering set and was a smash on the Main Stage. I'm happy with my choice.

Verdict DAY 1: 4 out of 5. Bands excellent [except the happy clappers, I didn't even get to hear the hit]. It almost rained but didn't but real sore feet.

DZ - Live @ Sunset Sounds - 06 Jan 2010

The Phenomenal Handclap Band - Live @ Sunset Sounds - 06 Jan 2010

Kaki King - Live @ Sunset Sounds - 06 Jan 2010

Seasick Steve - Live @ Sunset Sounds - 06 Jan 2010

Rodrigo y Gabriela - Live @ Sunset Sounds - 06 Jan 2010

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Valley Fiesta 2009

Great lineup this year. Everyone from quintessential Australian songwriter Kev Carmody to the Japanese Noise Rock of Limited Express [Has Gone]. Personal stories from the heart by Passenger to Soul Review homage of The Horrortones. Read the excellent review by Cam at Before Hollywood who says it better than me.

The come back and listen to

Friday Night
Lion Island - Live @ Valley Fiesta - 23 Oct 2009

Frowning Clouds - Live @ Valley Fiesta - 23 Oct 2009

The Fearless Vampire Killers - Live @ Valley Fiesta - 23 Oct 2009

Alex & The Ramps I was worried about. They come on stage all dressed up and wacky looking. As a rule I hate wacky having lived through my fair share of those bands but after the first few songs they settled down a bit and I quite enjoyed them.