World Wide Woozle episode #630

Hello enormous listening world; the World Wide Woozle continues to roll on. Thanks for tuning in.

It's Sunday morning here in Canberra on a long weekend. DJ HamerTime and I were meant to be doing some cycling this morning. Unfortunately he's under the weather. Also, I've just looked out the window and thick fog means that I can't see far at all. I've done plenty of rides in less than ideal conditions but today doesn't need to be one of them. The sun will eventually come out and I can enjoy riding hard without being cold and wet.

Amon Amarth - Put Your Back Into The Oar - https://youtu.be/vYNAEzgKNec

I am hugely grateful to my good friend Jess who hooked me up with a last minute ticket to see The Whitlams Black Stump on Friday night. I'll happily admit that I have never been a huge fan of the band in the past but the opportunity to attend a show in the company of other people absolutely made my day. 

I've written in the past about how awkward I feel going to see gigs by myself. It's all good when the band is playing because I'm pretty much totally engrossed in watching and listening. Standing or sitting around waiting or between sets really makes me uneasy. I remember putting on my big boy pants and dragging myself to Smith's Alternative to see Don McGlashan play a while ago now. I was sitting waiting for the gig to start and two punters asked if the seats at the table were free. When I welcomed them to have a seat one of them asked me if I didn't have any friends. It was meant in jest but I almost went home. 

Don McGlashan - Hold Onto Your Loneliness - https://youtu.be/0Z17b76HKAI

Friday night was at Tallagandra Winery which is about 30 minutes from my place out in the country. They certainly attract a wide range of great Australian artists. I just wish that you could book single tickets rather than having to find a group of people who want to go. Anyway, that aside, it's a good venue. The band was Tim on keys/vocals and Ollie on guitars and pedal steel. They played a lot of tracks from the new album and I enjoyed them a lot. Tim is a great storyteller through his lyrics and has a talent for making the everyday seem interesting. I was transfixed watching Ollie play the pedal steel guitar; it's a true art form. And I did laugh at the end when Richard and I were singing along to I Make Hamburgers and someone shouted at us to shut up. Sorry mate, we were having a great time. If you want to listen in peace and quiet then you've got the CD I'm sure. Actually, given the demographic I'm sure that punter had the album on limited edition, gold plated vinyl to play in his dedicated listening room whilst sipping Grange. Maybe that was a bit judgmental. Oh well, it's my blog. Here's my absolute favourite song from the night, even if they did play their fabulous new interpretation of You Sound Like Louis Burdett.

The Whitlams Black Stump - The Day John Sattler Broke His Jaw (live) - https://youtu.be/scGdLU83JLw

Tim Freedman has a very distinctive voice and I think that's a key for success in popular music. So does Colin Meloy from The Decemberists. I noticed that they have a new long player due to be released in the near future. There are four tracks available online. Maybe it's an EP or perhaps they are building the album one song at a time. Regardless, they sound great. This one has what could be a New Orleans jazz feel along with the band's very recognisable style. See what you think.

The Decemberists - Oh No! - https://youtu.be/pAmJYu2UVyU

It's time for some good, solid rock music here on the World Wide Woozle. I've played you all The Southern River Band before. Remember them? They're from Western Australia and clearly love any number of classic rock bands. What I like is that The Southern River Band, whilst clearly paying homage to their elders, put their own twist on things. I imagine that this is a band best seen live whilst surrounded by like minded individuals having the time of their lives. There's so much energy in their latest track...

The Southern River Band - Vice City III - https://youtu.be/jjTwRBBJswk

Let's keep that energy going for a few minutes because Amyl and The Sniffers are back. oh boy are they back! This little Aussie band has already scored support acts with Foo Fighters and Jane's Addiction and are another take no prisoners act. I'm getting tired of reading articles and comments from people who think that rock music died years ago. This track shows a clear development for this band. They've grown as songwriters and the Iggy Pop-esque groove on this track is a ripper.

Amyl and The Sniffers - U Should Not Be Doing That - https://youtu.be/jCxgUPFVFkA

Mark Seymour is a storyteller too. While many of you will be aware of his history with the band Hunters and Collectors, the man carries on in style. His latest album, The Boxer, is well worth your time. Songs about real people and real life. And, yes, another distinctive voice.

Mark Seymour and The Undertow - She Burned Her Bridges Down - https://youtu.be/Rj_oTuYFO3M

It's been a challenging few months for me at work. Many of you will know that earlier in the year I was fortunate enough to be selected to act at the next level up. It was always going to be a challenge for me to see if I could get back to working at a higher level. My brain doesn't work the way it used to but I've been doing my best to improve that. Sadly I had to admit that it was all getting a bit much and I wasn't coping well. My managers have been very understanding and essentially I'm returning back to the job I did before I was acting up. I won't lie, I was pretty devastated about having to admit this and also a bit embarrassed. Now that I've had a bit of time to reflect and get used to it I am OK. I can't suddenly go back to my brain running on all four cylinders but I can do my best to keep it improving. Thank you to the people who responded when I told them what was going on. I know that in situations like this it's hard to know what to say and I appreciate that. You don't have to say much but just know that when someone tells you something sad, personal or challenging that getting no response can be very upsetting.

Stryper - Calling On You (acoustic) - https://youtu.be/fjdKE5sZu_4

So, Stryper (above) has released an unplugged album. It's called To Hell With The Amps. I love the band and I have since I was in high school but I was skeptical about them ditching their amplifiers and electric guitars. I needn't have been. The songs sound fresh with this approach and the fact that Michael Sweet's voice is still very strong make the album a great listen. The band are on a US tour at the moment and although I'd still really like to see them rocking out in their full yellow and black stage gear, the acoustic show would also be a lot of fun. There's a livestream concert from this tour coming up soon and I'm hoping it works well enough for them to consider a release onto BluRay or at least a streaming version.

Finally, a live show that is pure gold. George (watch out for his new album, The Call To Home Symphony, hitting the airwaves on June 1) gave me a copy of the Alchemy live DVD by Dire Straits. More and more I find myself listening to (and watching) Mark Knopfler play guitar. I recently reflected with a few of you that in the 80s his red guitar and sweatbands were some of the coolest things I knew. He's one of the reasons I chose the red electric guitar that's been with me since 1987. Putting the DVD on made me think about how well it is produced. Although the video footage suffers a bit from a combination of not enough lighting and watching on our modern high definition TVs, the audio is superb. Through my old 2.0 stereo system it sounds huge. This is a concert released in 1984 and the warmth and bottom end are great. I found as well that through watching the concert a couple of times, I have had my ears opened to songs I didn't pay a lot of attention to previously. 

Dire Straits - Telegraph Road (live) - https://youtu.be/EX2n2ftbdZU

Keep smiling brothers and sisters,

The Woozle

"Carmelita, hold me tighter
I think I'm sinkin' down
And I'm all strung out on heroin

On the outskirts of town..."

Warren Zevon, Carmelita, 1976