The Amalgamation

Saturday 29 March 2008 8.55 pm

Nothing like spending all day at a soggy music “festival” only to have it washed out an hour before your favourite band.

Friday 28 March 2008 11.20 am

I’ve somehow managed to score a ticket to a punk / indie music fest tomorrow. Unfortunately I’d long since thrown out my black punk wardrobe from 10 years ago. Hmm… I’m probably going to look right out of place.

- me, t-shirt and high pants

- a non-conformist looking at me like I’m a freak

Hmm, time to buy some clothes?

Just thought I’d take the opportunity to plug the music of some of my super talented friends. So, here’s the second one. I posted the first one here.

Check out Michelle’s music at:

http://www.myspace.com/mishthomas

Just thought I’d take the opportunity to plug the music of some of my super talented friends. So, here’s the first one. I’ll post the next one here.

Check out Liesl’s music at:

http://www.myspace.com/lieslfieldmusic

Now playing: Project 86 - The Forces Of Radio Have Dropped A Viper Into The Rhythm Section
via FoxyTunes

Ok, I’d like to think that I’m not a total teenybopper. After all, I’ve gone to plenty of gigs over the years, and never hugely flipped out over meeting any of the bands. I mean, it’s cool and stuff, but I don’t think I’d ever just about fainted with overwhelmedness…

So I don’t know what happened to me yesterday when we were lined up in the cold and rain to meet Project 86. I mean, dude, am I really that big a fan?! Apparently, yes, yes I am that nuts. I started to think about it… my Facebook Profile is covered with Project 86 paraphernalia - a video clip here, a fan group membership there… Not to mention that they’re in my top 8 MySpace contacts. And I even occasionally watch their vodcasts. I don’t think my husband knew what he was getting himself into when he first introduced me to Project 86’s awesomely awesome music.

I wish I could say that the gig was fantastic, but it got washed out. I mean, they didn’t even get to go on stage. Noooooooo!!!!! For the first time in years, I was actually looking forward to a live gig - and I mean, I’ve been to some pretty good ones, including U2, Jars of Clay, Antiskeptic, Rammstein, and The Chemical Brothers (in no particular order)… but Project 86’s music speaks to me on a level that no one else seems to. They’re in my top favourites, anyway, somewhere alongside Tool and Rage Against the Machine (both of whom I missed out on). Sigh!

Anyway, here’s some photos (click on images to see them in larger size). It was a good day and I’m so happy to get to meet the band.

Me, operating the front of house equipment (as in, the sound desk)… hmm yeah right.

As it turned out, a bunch of our friends were on the technical crew for the event.

The looming rain clouds before they halted the gig…

…and me, possibly the only person who wore something other than black & white at this thing.

And seriously, who organises an outdoor gig in the moutains outside Melbourne in Autumn?!

There are plenty of indoor venues…

Project 86…

This fan had a poster made up and was getting other fans to sign it.

The words on the poster are from a Project 86 song… in case you didn’t work it out.

He was flying around Australia to catch all the Project 86 events.

I feel really sorry for all the people I met who travelled interstate to catch the gig.

Me and Project 86… this was easily the highlight of my year so far.

(Ok, yes, there’s more to life than meeting your favourite band,

but this was the first time I can remember feeling this happy in a very long time.)

(Photography by Matt.)

Being inclined towards scepticism and cynicism at times, I must admit that I’ve always found the notion of couples having “our song” a bit… well… painfully corny and laughable. Apparently people do have their songs though, something signifiying the coming together of their relationship. I remember one wedding I attended - I was playing flute backed up with church organ for the ceremony. The song? Bryan Adams’ “Everything I Do, I Do It For U.” Shudder! Sorry, I guess it’s just not my thing. But really, “our song”? We had often specualted over the course of our 6 years (so far) of marriage the seeming ridiculousness of having a song. I mused that perhaps the most appropriate might have been LeAnn Rimes’ “Can’t Fight the Moonlight.” Because as much as I don’t like that style of music, it was all over the radio and at every uni on-campus party when my husband and I met (we met when we both lived on the student residences back in 2001). I personally would’ve put my vote in for Rage Against the Machine’s “The Ghost of Tom Joad.” Why? Not because it’s particularly romantic, I just like the song, I like the band, and I thought The Grapes of Wrath was a good book.

This morning my husband pulled out one of his old mixed CDs. He skipped to a particular track and said, “this is probably the closest we have to ‘our song’.”

The song?

Azzido Da Bass’ “Dooms Night” (Timo Maas Remix). Mmm, random. Here’s a You Tube clip -

 And, you may ask, why on Earth would you pick that as “your song”?

Well, it seemed quite rational:

• it’s the first song to which we danced together
• it was played frequently in the first year of our relationship
• it always takes us back to when we first met…

The downside? I don’t want to have an “our song.” It just makes me think of that Seinfeld episode, when Elaine’s boyfriend who was all caught up in “his song…” And it feels a bit… ummm… well I don’t know if it’s really “us.” !!

My husband was wondering if it should be more like the scene in Casablanca where the girl makes her request - “play it, Sam…” And it brings up old and sometimes painful memories for the couple.

Maybe we’re stuck with “our song,” whether it’s deliberate or not. Because whenever we hear Azzido Da Bass’ “Dooms Night” (Timo Maas Remix) we’ll be taken back to our early days, when we danced the night away at the student union lounge…

 This song never fails to make me laugh. I first encountered it on radio station Triple J. Here’s part of the first verse:

There were beverages laid out for the party
There were candy and spices and tricolored pastas
The meat carved was drawn from succulent juices
Served on platters of the purest gold

 [From http://www.metrolyrics.com/your-party-lyrics-ween.html.]

Anyone who sings about tri-coloured pasta must be a genius!