2013 … The Flaming Lips, Polyphonic Spree, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Sound City Players, Strangers, Ash, Clutch, Steve Poltz, Billy Bragg, Vampire Weekend, The Chevin, and more …
concerts
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SxSW: The people you attend with. The people you meet. The people you catch up with. The people who love music as much as you do.
Here are some of the more “publishable” pics from SxSW 2013:
Damn! That was a fun few days … and then it was … over. At that stage, I actually thought I may move to Austin but then, well, … life happens!
Maybe next year. Rock on this LONG weekend 🙂 xo
Some of the SxSW band shots can be found here: rocklust.com
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So why the nostalgia? What will I miss mostly about SxSW?
The people.
◾The people you attend with. The people you meet. The people you catch up with. The people who love music as much as you do.
I still haven’t decided which of my SxSW 2013 pics are “publishable” so here are some from SxSW 2009:
Some of the Aussie BBQ band shots can be found here: rocklust.com
More tomorrow … have a great Saturday night y’all 🙂 xo
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There is something quite calming about remaining anonymous whilst observing people critique your work.
White Night was bursting with so much choice that Ros O’Gorman and I hadn’t intended to go the Music, Melbourne + Me exhibition – we had already wondered through a few times over its three month run – after all we had our photos up on the walls of Room 4: The Venue Room – Sticky Carpets.
However, as we left Amanda Palmer’s Ninja Gig, a friend sent a text congratulating me on the “killer exhibition” and my “awesome photos of sweaty rock stars” and saying they even had to “queue to get in the gallery”. Another friend sent a text saying he “gave up queuing after half an hour”. Queues?! We were intrigued.
Our brief for this exhibition was heartfelt. The Exhibition Consultant asked for photos that illustrated the connection between the venue, the performer and the audience. Basically, the soul of a gig.
Both Ros and I loved the final choices made by the Curator of the exhibition. It was encouraging to have this corroborated on White Night.
Though always encouraging (please don’t stop) hearing praise from a partner/friend/colleague/acquaintance, it is somewhat more reassuring hearing it from strangers who were unaware of our presence – or maybe we were lucky to have witnessed the courteous 1am crowd 🙂
Whatever the case, I was content being a voyeur this White Night.
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I couldn’t find Teenage Fanclub’s Bandwagonesque this morning, so Grand Prix accompanied my morning coffee, along with Buffalo Tom’s Let Me Come Over.
I wanted something mellow … a bit of Mellow Doubt even. The song “Mellow Doubt” always remains one of my favourites, though most are probably more familiar with TF’s more commercial hits “The Concept” and “Sparky’s Dream”.
In 2005, I interviewed Gerard (call me Gerry) Love … here is how it appeared in Beat Magazine …
Teenage Fanclub’s Gerry Love talks melodies and lyrics with a December assassinating Mary Boukouvalas.
After unsettling a stagnant music scene in 1989 with the release of their unique debut, A Catholic Education, Scotland’s Teenage Fanclub were thrust into further legendary status in 1991 with the unsurpassed Bandwagonesque, even knocking off Nirvana’s Nevermind as Spin’s album that year, and being endorsed as Rolling Stone’s Hot Band for 1992.
While other bands did not survive their respective 90s grunge/pop/Manchurian/Brit-pop phase, Teenage Fanclub continue to thrive. The band of three singer/songwriters – Blake, McGinley and Love, and drummer McDonald, are still making music together and are back with another classic album Man-Made, but this time Teenage Fanclub release it on their own label: PeMa.
With years of experience, Teenage Fanclub can easily boast about influencing a generation of musicians with their unique sound, filled with their devotion to 60s and 70s guitar pop music and their talent for tantalizing harmonies and hazy guitars. Though experience has given Teenage Fanclub bassist Gerry Love self-assurance, he still remains modest and unassuming. “The ideas come from nowhere and your job, your mission, is to take them and turn them into something which is listenable by other people –and I think/feel over the years if I do have a good idea, I could turn it into a decent arrangement. I have that ability now.”
“You’re always a victim of your own ideas –if they’re only half decent ideas then you only have a half-decent product. So I feel over the years I have learnt how to get from A to B really … you’ve really got to work it … I just know that I’m better at it than I was 10 years ago, so I definitely have more confidence.”
Man-Made clearly shows a more sophisticated approach in both lyrics and music, but it still has the Teenage Fanclub signature. Though written in the beginning of their career, tracks such as December and Star Sign from Bandwagonesque have similar styles to Man-Made. Lyrically however, Love thinks that back then he “wasn’t very good” and laughs as he is reminded of my favourite lines about assassinating December. Love says: “I just think earlier on I came up with some good melodies but I don’t think I was very good at lyrics. I think looking back I can forgive myself because I was young and I can find some of the lines charming but I don’t think I was really expressing very much. Like in each of the early songs, I could draw on one or two lines and that’s what I wanted to say but I definitely filled them with a lot of fluff as well.”
“Maybe because I was listening to REM back then and their lyrics were mysterious and enigmatic, but maybe sometimes it was just Michael Stipe making up lines and stuff. If you’re like REM you can get away with writing more obscure lyrics and try and pass them off as enigmatic poetry, whereas you might not have a clue what you’re saying.”
As for touring in Australia to promote Man-Made, Love says: “We’ve been offered some shows in August but we don’t know if we can make it. We play in Japan and then a week later in Ireland. So we were asked to play in Australia and pencilled it in.”
“The problem for me is that the last times we’ve been to Australia, we’ve only had one night in the one place, and every time we come back from that we think, okay next time we’ll try to have some more time because it’s so far away and it’s always such an enjoyable time. And the first time we came to Australia we played the Big Day Out and that spoiled us because we had two or three days in each city. So I think if we could plan it, and if it was financially viable, we would like to have a couple of nights in each place.”
“Melbourne is a real kind of music city. A very nice place. Near the coast –nice and breezy. I really like Australia a lot. Every time you go there you’re like: it’d be really great to lose your passport and have to stay here. The reality is that it’s too far away. If Australia was closer, like where Ireland is, then everybody would probably live there. They have the best of cultures.”
“Those shows in August haven’t been confirmed yet … but hopefully we’ll get back to Australia before the end of the year.”
Man-Made is released on the 16th May 2005, with an impending Australian tour soon.
… and it’s always refreshing when you meet the band, and they are just as lovely as you had imagined.
Hope they tour again soon.
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Last night when I updated my cover and profile photos on my ROCKLUST Facebook page, I did not expect such an outpouring of ‘likes’ and ‘comments’.
https://www.facebook.com/rocklust#!/pages/RockLustcom/268638406530032
Who exactly is this band, Steel Panther? Why all the interest and enthusiasm?
Basically, Steel Panther = fun.
The band knows how to work the crowd, their fans, and the media. At first you think they are just a novelty act; a parody – but then you realise that these glam-rockin’ dudes are actually excellent musicians -and they know how to market themselves!
Four months ago, Steel Panther rocked down under.
As well as their planned tour, Remedy Group (http://remedymusic.com.au/) organised some promotional appearances called THE STEEL PANTHER EXPERIENCE for members of the Australian media and I was one of the lucky few who was invited to go along to the Melbourne event. (Special thanks to my great friend/fellow photographer Ros O’Gorman.)
There was an entertaining video invitation by the band – which I will upload when I figure out how …
… and all one had to do was RSVP and the stretch limo picked you up and the rest is history … captured on film 🙂
I will use pictures because words will not do this experience justice, but needless to say, it’s going to be tough to beat this!
https://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.438215939572277.96854.268638406530032&type=1
Then it was time for the show. I’m really amazed that I like this band. I first saw/photographed them at SOUNDWAVE – March 2012 and adored them -they were so much fun.
Michael Starr @ Soundwave 2012
Their mostly vulgar lyrics did not even offend me – I just laughed hearing Steel Panther belt out:
“That’s what girls are for! Cleaning, baking, hot love making … ”
and
“I need you to be the nurse, I can feel the swelling getting worse ‘Cause it won’t suck itself …”
Why was I not offended then, or now? I don’t know. I most definitely would have been if it were any other band.
So how do singer Michael Starr, bassist Lexxi Foxxx, guitarist Satchel, and drummer Stix Zadinia get away with it? Maybe it’s their personalities, their image, the fact they seem stuck in the 80s, or just a sweet combination of all such factors? Whatever it is, it works.
https://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.438226812904523.96858.268638406530032&type=3
And whilst I probably wouldn’t buy their music (sorry guys), I would definitely go see them live again.
Rock On!!!! M.xo
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In Melbourne, I go to pub gigs (on average) three or four times per week. I’m not going to write about stadium gigs — they’re usually for the “heroes” but that is not to say that pub gigs are for “ghosts”.
Last Thursday, in Dubai, I saw The Coronas at McGettigan’s Irish Bar, Bonnington Tower, Jumeirah Lakes Towers.
Word playing on the band’s first release “Heroes or Ghosts”, The Coronas were definite heroes to the punters there on Thursday night but there were instances where they became ghosts, as the crowd spoke LOUDLY amongst themselves about how EXCITED they were to SEE the band live. Ahhhh … the irony!!
The Coronas as HEROES:
The Coronas … as GHOSTS:
Nevertheless, The Coronas were professional – good natured / humoured. A great setlist, a tight musical performance encompassed with beautiful vocals and gorgeous lyrics. I especially loved “What You Think You Know”, “Wait For You”, “Someone Else’s Hands”, “San Diego” and “Closer To You”.
The lads were excellent. Highly recommended.
- The Coronas – Setlist
Cheesy Corona shots were the norm as the night wore on …
I can’t wait to see a band called “The Jack Daniels”, or “The Gentleman Jacks”, or simply: “The Bourbons” 🙂
As for the rest of the night, a lot of fun with acquaintances new -and not-so-new.
Dubai is a place which has not really been investigated as a tour destination by many musicians. I hope this changes.
Til next time, keep rockin’ … Mary.xo
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Finally! My first post!
Yes – my first post – for a blog I established over a year ago!
Why the delay?
Life interrupted. Life has been fun ~yet hectic. As far as music photography is concerned, I finally set up a website – www.Rocklust.com Though it includes many photos, you may be surprised to learn that I haven’t even uploaded 1% of all my photos. Slowly, but surely, the other 99% will be uploaded. Feel free to request particular band photos … and I will prioritise.
At the moment I am in Dubai, visiting my fabulous brother and his beautiful family. I am also catching up with my lovely friend Sara and her husband Chris. It feels surreal being surrounded by close family and friends in another part of the world. Dreamlike and magical.
I am quite an InstagramAddict.
Feel free to follow me: http://instagram.com/rocklust
So what will my blog be about?
- Hanging out with family and friends
- The music scene
- Photos I have taken – or am about to take
- Musicians I have interviewed
- Live gigs /cds I have reviewed
- Travel
As if that wasn’t enough, I’ll let you know how I’m going with a music tour I’m organising for a friend of mine.
I hope you will join me on my Magical Mystery Music Photography Tour.
Stay tuned!!! 
Mary xo<3
rocklust 