BLOG 03/28/06 or 28/3/06 as we know it in the ROTW. The site although opened sometime last year has only recently been utilised (May 2006) due to laziness, procrastination and lastly lack of space on my webbo. Unfortunately the blogs are published arse about, datewise, as we say here.

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  Denise's Australia Day Award (photo now added !!!)
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  Reading
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  Lisening to, and playing
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Denise was presented the Australia Day Medal by the Secretary of her Department of Veteran's Affairs. This is quite an honour because few are awarded in the Department, although she says that they have plans to issue more in coming years. Anyway, this year it is worth lots, and not to be diluted by future largesse. She implemented a user self serve facility on their computer system despite many obstacles, using her singular vision to make smooth the ricks and rocks of doubt and distraction.
  On the home front she has been having visions again and has foretold of a mighty water feature in the front courtyard. A tranquil zen like pool, with large square pieces of tranquil, albeit bloody heavy granite over which the tranquil water flows, in the centre of a large deep square requiring the extraction of numerous barrow loads of rock like clay. It is this singular vision which produces such works of almighty significance, and I have in my diggings been half expecting to come upon an ancient Egyptian king perhaps, or New Zealand..... to which I could charge an entry fee.
  
  Reading:
  I've just finished A Fine Line by Rohinton Mistry, Indian author now residing in Canada. It's an historical reality from 70's/80s India which really hits you and stays with you, makes you angry, curse the author, curse God (wherever He is), curse humanity's inhumanity, makes you bleed inside, makes you ultimately pity the author. Mistry is a powerfull writer. You grow to know his creations intimately. He's been compared to Dickens and his characters are so finely wrought that yes, they burn brightly in your imagination. You feel for them, you fear for them, love them. Ultimately you turn your eyes from Mistry for his treatment of them. His characters may curse God, but Mistry could have been bigger than God, he could have risen, been Dickens, an author whose final chapter inevitably proved God existed.
  
  Now reading: Colum McCann's short stories Everything in This Country Must. The first story is a stunner. McCann's language is a joy to read, full of surprises and he's great with distilled dialogue and emotional impact. I also have his novel Songbirds which I'm anticipating with pleasure.
  Andrea Levy's Small Island, recommended by my very pregnant lovely daughter Cara. About the problems of Jamaican Immigrants with the shabby illusions of grandeur and class common among the mid 20th century English. Well so far this is it. I'm just into it.
  
  Listening :
  the soundtrack to this week - what's playing in the car and will be on my program Mystery Train - Valley FM Thursday 18:00 to 20:00. The play list this Thursday looks like:
  I went to the Merry Muse Folk Club last Friday to see and hear The Wailin' Jennys and David Francey, both from Canada. An excellent night. The Jennys have wonderful harmonies and support themselves on guitars, fiddle, harmonica, and bohdran, but mostly they amaze you with their song poems. Also their covers were carefully chosen. I liked Jane Siberry's Calling All Angels, Emmylou/Daniel Lanois' Deeper Well, so I must play the originals of those two - I didn't have the spare cash for the Jennys CD. A knockout was their "Parting Glass". They stepped off mic up close to the audience and sang a Capella. David Francey is a Scottish Canadian and might be compared perhaps to Eric Bogle, the Scottish Australian folkie - and both entertain the audience with witty intros - but I think Francey has the finer pen.
  Amadou and Miriam - blind couple from Mali, French No 1 CD, produced and contributed by Manu Chou, this is boppy, poppy, exotique and gutsy. Also some Tinariwen, Malian desert bluesy rock band, some Issa Bagayogo, the late Ali Farka Toure
  Susheela Raman from Music For Crocodiles - Indian fusion rock, folk, jazz - a sexy singer and sensuous songwriter
  Kings Of Leon, from Aha Shake Heartbreak - best rock band southern US, a gem, manic preacher muffled, understated lean tough band, surefooted
  Artic Monkeys best Brit band of the moment, intelligent provincial rockers, unashamedly Brit
  The new Vines CD - Jamie loves it - about 3 tracks appeal to me
  The Kinks EP Collection I have found it !! It went up in the bushfire which took everything, except us thank God, in January 2003. This has some great tracks on it. I also had the French EP collection which I hope to find
  Van Morrison Pay The Devil well I'm a Van fan but this is not really my cup of tea. He does this country stuff well - and I also like Jimmie Rodgers and Hank, as long as it's not the C&W Nashville crap, but this doesn't move me much. So, maybe track 4 or 5
  Leela James recommended by The Reverend Donaldson, the first track was good to my ears, the following tracks, although well executed and recorded sounded like the usual rap crap R&B and did nothing for me, but the latter half of the Cd is melodious and gutsy, gospel, soul and r 'n b. She has a terrific voice and I love her version of Sam's A Change Is Gonna Come
  Graham Parker & The Rumour I found his best Cds at Revolution CD Civic recently - Howlin Wind, Heat Treatment and Squeezing Out Sparks (plus live sparks). ei
  I also picked up the soundtrack to the movie "Until the End Of the world" which went up in the 2003 flames. Again, some great tracks - Lou Reed, U2, Elvis Costello, T-Bone Burnette, Talking Heads, Nick Cave and the aforementioned Jane Siberry track, Calling All Angels.
  Also, some Detroit Cobras, Pink Martini - I haven't played any Bill Frissell in a while, Burmuda Triangle by 1974 version Fleetwood Mac would be topical at the moment with the film just out. Rob Robinson from VFM's Blue Trane with Rob Robinson gave me some good CDs last week - so some Jools Holland and skaman Derrick Morgan I think. Also my old friend Alex Plegt from VFM's Consolidated Fuzz (formerly Journey to the Centre of Your Mind) put me onto an Angus and Robinson book and CD sale at the Albert Hall where he said they were selling jump blues Cds and historical country for two bucks apiece. Well it turned out to be Rosetta Stone stuff, absolutely wonderful digitally remastered recordings from Germany. So...... I bought 5 initially then returned after listening to them and chose another 14. So I'll be playing some of those tracks no doubt.
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