Mi bin go long Vanuatu.

From 1st until 12th of June this year I was lucky enough to go to Vanuatu. I won't say it was a holiday per se but it certainly wasn't work.

As most readers will be aware, my daughter Zoë is there volunteering as part of a gap year. She was there during Cyclone Pam and returned as soon as she could afterwards to continue her work.

There were three main parts to the adventure.

• getting to Vanuata and Port Vila
• a week on the island of Pentecost
• getting home

Flying from Australia to Vanuatu is easy but the airfares fluctuate wildly. In the end I booked through the Air Vanuatu website and chose my dates based on the flights. There are only two flights a week in and out of Pentecost so that meant that I ended up with a day in Port Vila either side of that.

Port Vila is only about 3 hours flight from Sydney. Tack onto that my 3 hour bus ride to the airport and it was a relatively long day. Getting out of Australia takes ages. Getting in is relatively quick.

I was in Port Vila in the morning and had plenty of time to look around and get my bearings. I also picked up a local mobile phone and SIM as the cost (about AU$22) was well worth it in terms of avoiding global roaming charges.

I won't say I enjoyed Port Vila all that much. It's a town very much in the throes of rebuilding post-cyclone. People were friendly though. Everyone spoke English to me so I didn't really have a chance to test out my Bislama.

Flying to Pentecost on the Wednesday meant flying Port Vila to Santo, changing to a very small plane (Twin Otter) and on to Sara Airfield on Pentecost. It's a spectacular landing on a grass strip on the side of a hill.

Pentecost is a remote island. Quite how remote I'm not sure how to describe. No running water, no electricity, no sewerage, no TV, very little radio and a subsistence lifestyle. It's one of the best places I've ever been in my life.

Atavtabanga School is about an hour's drive from the airfield. Only 4WDs survive here and they are few and far between. Riding on the tray standing up is a great way to see the country. The track was terrifying in places.

Seeing Zoë at the school was fantastic. It's as if she's always been there. I stayed with her and her host family who coped really well with me I thought! They laughed at and encouraged my Bislama, understood when I initially struggled with the food, and generally made me feel like part of the family. The daily wash in a bucket of cold water is a culture shock I can assure you.

Food in Pentecost is mainly root crops supplemented by rice. We ate a lot of sweet potato, taro and island cabbage. In terms of meat they eat a lot of chicken. I saw pigs tie up all over the place but I assume that they are reserved for special celebrations. There are small "shops" here and there that sell a range of items but the majority of food is grown. Mostly the shops sell lollies to the kids and some tinned food. We had baked beans and two minute noodles with our dinner one night and it was fantastic!

I was fortunate enough to talk to a lot of the locals, do a little bit of work with some students and just generally soak in the feel of the place. The weather was fantastic. It's "winter" in Vanuatu which means about 26 degrees Celsius and no rain!

On the Friday morning we got a ride on another truck for just over an hour to Level School. Level is where Zoë was during the cyclone. One of the main motivators behind my trip was to thank the people there for their care. Level is an amazing place and our family there are great. It's hard to know if I've ever felt the way they made me feel; instantly welcomed by one and all. They were so pleased to see Zoë again and the fact that her volunteering partner Ally could come along too was really good.

There was much activity at Level as they are building a new school office (with concrete blocks and a real roof), water tanks have been delivered and the Nakamal is also being rebuilt. It was interesting to see that some of the older students had begin work themselves on a new classroom.

Michael took us up the hill to where their Church is and also where the helicopter landed. The Church is still half destroyed and they'll fix that up when some of the other building work is done. It's still in use. The area where the helicopter landed really isn't very big. I have a photo of everyone waving as Zoë took off and now one of me standing in the same spot!

Later on Michael was off to the bank and I went along for a look. It was about a 20 minute walk. The bank is a Western Union outlet open 3 times a week. All the transactions take place using the mobile phone network I assume as the office had no power. I met quite a few people here including Nancy Teri who had been a nurse on Santo. Her English skills meant that everyone quickly knew my story! Then it turned out that she needed a letter delivered to her daughter in Vila. I volunteered to visit her and hand over the letter. Wow, I was instantly a family member! Nancy's husband is a Pastor and I heard about their Church and life on Pentecost. Pastor Willy also used to be a land-diver in the South of the island.

At Level I was invited into their brand new Nakamal (meeting place) to drink Kava and share stories with local men. Kava is never going to be high on my wishlist but it was an honour to be asked to join in. The conversation was pretty funny though with my brother Michael speaking English and pretty much everyone else their local language or Bislama. We got by and my Bislama improved very quickly!

We were able to hand over school supplies, seeds, clothing and some money to Level School. The money is to help kids stay in school. School isn't free and we wanted parents to be able to spend their money on rebuilding without having to sacrifice education.

Sadly we could only spend one night at Level. Saying goodbye in the morning was very emotional and I have a feeling I'll be back there before too long.

We travelled back to Atavtabanga, picked up the family and headed to Levusi (another hour) for the weekend. Zoë's host family are from Levusi and go there every weekend for church. Avenvene is part of Levusi that we were in and it is beautiful. Quite a few houses, lots of gardens (veggie gardens), guest accommodation for the Church there and of course the Church itself. I spent the afternoon meeting people, playing football with kids, reading a book and taking some photos. The pace of life on Pentecost really is very relaxed. There's no need to rush anything.

Church on Sunday was an amazing experience. Firstly, everyone is in their Sunday best, for the men that means long pants and a collared shirt. For women an Aelan (Island) dress or something similar. Kids are well turned out too. The service went for over 3 hours and there was more energy than at a football grand final. For a usually reserved people, the Ni-Vans really get into their Church service! Plenty of singing (all in English). The service was all in Bislama other than the Bible readings. I reckon I understood about 90%. But understanding a language and speaking it are two different things. I started to understand why a lot of locals can understand English but not say much in it. It didn't matter as I was always keen to speak in Bislama.

After lunch we headed back to Atavtabanga. Over the next couple of days I got to read to some school students as well as taking some out for games. That was a hoot. The language barrier was easily overcome with a couple of tennis balls, basic instructions and a lot of laughing. I also watched a lot of football (soccer) as the local young men train every weeknight at the school. These guys have serious skills. At the end of every session they have a match. They play hard but fair. I didn't see one harsh word exchanged or any foul play.

On Monday night the rain started. On Tuesday it got heavier and kept going. I stayed inside most of the day playing with the kids, reading and looking outside! I was starting to get worried about getting to the airfield on Wednesday morning. Zoë's father, Godden, told me that if the truck couldn't make it through we'd be walking. At this point I remembered Zoë mentioning that it was about a 4hr walk. Ouch. That evening we had a splendid farewell dinner and it was reaffirmed that I was part of their family.

I didn't get a lot of sleep listening to the rain. In the morning from about 6am we had no phone signal and thus no way to know if the truck was coming or indeed if the plane would be able to land or takeoff. I was packed and ready to hike. Luckily Zoë had a class from 9am so she missed the worst of my nervousness! At about 9.45am the phone network came up, the truck wasn't coming, the plane was, and so off we trekked!

Zoë and the Year 5 and 6 classes came out to wave goodbye which was very moving. It was really hard to walk up the hill and away and I'll admit I cried behind my sunglasses.

The 4 hour walk wasn't that at all. We were there in just under 2hrs. It certainly rained, the hills were big and there was plenty of mud. 4 year old Gordy walked the whole way with us!

Flying away from Pentecost in the mist was surreal and sad. In 20 minutes we landed in Santo and then life took a turn for the worse. Delays....7.5 hours of delays and then the flight to Port Vila was cancelled at about 10:30pm! We were eventually shuttled off to a hotel which turned out to be locked up and closed. Apart from one man from Guyana everyone else was a Ni-Van. Thankfully they looked after me and much later the hotel manager arrived to give us all rooms. A shower never felt so good. I'd felt quite sorry for everyone at Santo Airport who got too close to me!

We finally got out of Santo at about midday Thursday and back to Port Vila. I made the most of the afternoon delivering a letter for people on Pentecost, meeting up with Terry from Lattitude and visiting his community. Seeing Terry and his community work together to ensure that everyone benefits was something special. The 20 minute walk to and from town to get dinner nearly did me in and I slept well that night. Until we had to leave for the airport just after 5am!

Then back to Sydney, another bus ride and home.

That's a really condensed version of what happened but I reckon it's more than enough for you to read. I did keep a journal the whole time and it's quite detailed. One day I'll get it online.

People want to know if I'll go back and I have no doubt that I will. I've got three families on Pentecost and one in Vila who consider me one of their own. My aim is to be able to go back for a lot longer and help out in some way.

The best thing I did apart from going in the first place was to learn as much Bislama as I could and then be prepared to use it. It opened doors for me on Pentecost and helped me out a lot in Santo.

If I could go back today I probably would!

If you've read this far then you've done well!

Tankyu tumas!

Rob

Song of the Week #352 (aka Ep. VI - Return of the Woozle)

Well here I am back in Canberra. The last two weeks have been nothing short of amazing. To say that I have been off the beaten track would be an understatement!

I'm not going to spend this episode telling you all that happened but I'll put some blog posts out during the next week or so with a fair bit of detail and some photos.

In short, the week I spent on Pentecost was a real eye opener. You have to understand that the people there live a very basic and remote existence. There is no running water anywhere, no power unless you have a solar panel, no radio reception in most places and the roads are tracks that 4WDs find challenging. The people were warm, welcoming and always happy to see and talk to me. The effort I had made in learning some Bislama was very much appreciated and in a couple of situations got me out of a sticky spot. Zoë is like a pig in mud. Her new school is a lot bigger than the old one and challenging in different ways. She is pretty much completely fluent in Bislama at this stage. We managed to visit her old school at Level and the welcome there was second to none. To be able to meet and thank the people that looked after Zoë in the cyclone was a very emotional experience. We were also able to hand over a range of supplies to them as well as some cash to help keep kids in school. The other thing we now know is how to help them into the future. I've also been adopted into three families so there's pretty much nowhere I can go on Pentecost without having a relative! I'll admit that leaving Zoë there was very hard but the two hour hike to the airfield in rain, mud and over some big hills gave me time to sort myself out! The next time I go I'm planning for an extended stay and to work in one of the schools if they'll have me.

I've been fortunate in the last 12 months to have my life changed by firstly the trip to Tingha and now to Pentecost. 

I must admit that the only music I listened to was on the plane to and from Sydney. I did muck around on the ukulele with Zoë and her family and of course, when we were at church for 3 hours I did a lot of singing! I was handed a guitar at one point and the only thing that they seemed to like at all that I could play was this...they like the reggae beat man!

Eric Clapton - Willie & The Hand Jive - https://youtu.be/oNOWUjpuT8E

If you would like to know anything more about Vanuatu please drop me an email. It's very much open for tourists and they really need the money so get saving! You don't need to go bush like me but I can thoroughly recommend it. I know nothing about the resorts except that all the tourists on the plane home seemed very happy.

I had a look in the record shop yesterday at the new releases rack to see what I've missed in the last couple of weeks. A new Proclaimers album, one from The Darkness and a live Bob Marley CD/DVD  set both look worthy of further investigation. The Marley set was recorded in June 1980 by the Rockpalast folks in Germany.

Bob Marley (live) - Exodus / Redemption Song - https://youtu.be/eJg15MYFbVU

It's great to hear the Proclaimers rocking out on this track from the new album, "Let's Hear It For The Dogs". After one listen I can guarantee I'll be heading out before long to plonk down some cash for the LP.

The Proclaimers - You Built Me Up - https://youtu.be/l_2g652mAWA

As for The Darkness, they never take themselves too seriously. The single from the album is equal parts Spinal Tap, Game of Thrones and Led Zep. Rock on!

The Darkness - Barbarian - https://youtu.be/GR35pRz7JQ8

If you want to come along and see Junk Sculpture truly rock out then we're playing the Dirrum Dirrum Conference at Radford College on July 31st. It promises to be a VERY energetic show! More details to follow.

OK, speaking of that gig, I have new songs to go and learn before rehearsal on Tuesday evening so I'd better get on with it.

Thanks for all the kind messages about my trip.

Mi bin long go Pentecost. Mi hom wetem stret family blong mi. Mi glad tumas.

Rob

"....living in the love of the common people,

smiles from the heart of a family man...", Love of the Common People, Paul Young, 1983.

Song of the Week #351

Well that stinking cold lasted a whole week and the after effects still linger. It rather thoughtfully morphed into a blocked sinus which was a real treat for me with flights to Melbourne and then on to Perth on Thursday. I thought I might pass out in the terminal after arriving in Western Australia but somehow managed to hold it together through a cab ride, meeting with my incoming CEO and then a presentation, meeting and dinner. I was glad to get to bed that night! 

All that remains now is a rather husky and decidedly rough voice. I won't be singing at the gig tomorrow night but then I never thought I was! "With my back to the riser I'll make my stand..."

Steve Earle - Guitar Town - https://youtu.be/AINUPFbFpqg

I've listened to a few bands in continuance of the bodacious rock and roll excellent journey and nothing has really grabbed me yet. This is a band I've tried to get into but it's not quite there (yet). Very much in the AC/DC mould but often I find the vocals a bit harsh sounding. If you watch any live footage however you'll be in no doubt that they give every show the maximum level of effort. Keep an eye on these boys from Australia. With the power of Roadrunner Records behind them they have every chance of success.

Airbourne - Back In The Game - https://youtu.be/FlPalDkWsuA

As you'll know dear listener if you've been paying even the slightest amount of attention; I'm off to Vanuatu on Monday. As a result Song of the Week will take a hiatus. There will be no episode next week. Short of doing a "pre-recorded" version there's no way of me accessing the internet where I'm going. What I will try and do is be in contact when I get back to Port Vila on the way home. My Iranian cab driver today thought that my efforts in trying to teach him Bislama were extremely funny, He already spoke four languages and had an Engineering Degree. I do wonder why so many people who come to Australia as well qualified professionals can't get our Government to recognise their degrees. You can't tell me we have an oversupply of Electrical Engineers. That's something for another day.

Steve Miller Band - Jet Airliner - https://youtu.be/mGF_0AcHaGs

On the plane flying to Perth I watched the film "Selma". If you don't know it, it's about the Civil Rights Movement in the USA and Dr Martin Luther King. I haven't read any reviews of it or information about how accurate it is at this stage. I thought it was a powerful and well made movie. One of those that makes you want to learn more about a topic. Tim Roth was absolutely fantastic as Alabama Governor George Wallace.

Eve of Destruction - Barry McGuire - https://youtu.be/ntLsElbW9Xo

A 2 hour time difference may not seem a lot but it has knocked me around. The sinus pain probably didn't help either. So that's it. You'll hear from me again in a couple of weeks.

Lukim yu! (see you later),

Rob

"...can't grow a beard or even fight, 

I lied about being the outdoor type..." - The Outdoor Type, The Lemonheads, 1996

Song of the Week #350

Listeners, this is going to be a relatively short episode. I've got a stinker of a cold and I have to work all weekend as well!

With the aid of DJ DJ and DJ Dr I have begun an excellent adventure. It's a bodacious quest to uncover new and exciting rock music. I'm not talking about new albums from bands that have been around for agers, but new(ish) stuff that hasn't hit a mass audience yet. Watch this space as we play air guitar, tell bad jokes and rock out.

Here are two bands worth a look. Firstly Vintage Trouble. Currently on tour across Europe with AC/DC, this US blues/rock/soul outfit have a fantastic debut album available (The Bomb Shelter Sessions) and a new one ready to go soon. It's like Ike and Tina crossed with Stevie Ray Vaughan and a barrel of monkeys.

Vintage Trouble - Pelvis Pusher - https://youtu.be/uoWyEg22eGI

Second cab off the rank are Kingswood. They hail from Australia and did rather well recently in online polls and the ARIA Awards. They're probably not as heavy as I expected but if you like Queens of the Stone Age or Pearl Jam then this might be your kind of thing.

Kingswood - I Can Feel That You Don't Love Me - https://youtu.be/VeaJaC9i5QA

Rehearsals are all but over for our May 30th show. Thank you to all those who have already bought tickets. I'm not yet a Bob Dylan convert but he does have a few good moments!

Bob Dylan - Mr Tambourine Man (live) - https://youtu.be/OeP4FFr88SQ

As part of our excellent rock and roll adventure we will investigate what we're calling the "Dolly's Effect". This is a theory postulating that most bands go downhill after their fourth album. There's more to it than that but we'll explore this over the next few months. Feel free to contribute to the discussion if you like. Dolly's was a food van; the post-gig bacon and egg roll with BBQ sauce was a thing of legends.

On Saturday Night DJ Al-ee-sunshine, DJ DJ and I went to see "Hell Ain't a Bad Place To Be" which is a look at the life and times of Bon Scott. It was a show in the same mould as Looking Through A Glass Onion in that the songs were interspersed with anecdotes about Bon's life. Nick Barker (one of my favourite artists) was in charge and he had a smoking hot band playing along. The range of songs chosen from AC/DC, Fraternity, The Spektors and The Valentines were well selected. In my opinion the band absolutely nailed the "Let There Be Rock" era AC/DC sound. 

The Valentines - My Old Man's A Groovy Old Man - https://youtu.be/zdXnCIHstnI

AC/DC - Riff Raff - https://youtu.be/ErXbMB9R5-0

Nick Barker - Time Bomb - https://youtu.be/troz3IhG-3k

See you all next week...

DJ Rob

"...they don't have lightswitches in trouser pockets!", Spike Milligan, Badjelly The Witch.

Song of the Week #349

It's hard to know what to write about BB King. 89 years is more than a decent innings but I'm still sad. For me, his music isn't so much about the songs, it's about his guitar tone and his attitude. Even from the point of view of a fan who never even sat in the same room as BB, it's obvious that he was a true gentleman. My Friend DJ BudE did indeed meet Mr King twice and said that, "you could tell that he took the time with people no matter their age or status".

BB King - You're Gonna Miss Me - https://youtu.be/12MKmxnH2yY

U2's Rattle and Hum film and double LP marked a resurgence in interest in BB Kin'g music. It's probably my favourite "rockumentary". There are three pivotal moments in the movie for me. First is when the picture moves from black and white into stunning technicolour during "Where The Streets Have No Name". That bit is wasted on a small screen, you have to see it at the cinema to understand. The second bit is The Edge playing a Rickenbacker at Sun Studios during the recording of "Angel of Harlem"; it's almost the perfect sound. And then there's the footage with BB King which is sublime.

BB King and U2 - When Love Comes To Town (Rattle and Hum excerpt) - https://youtu.be/ZRHV-HWhqWQ

Freddie King, Albert King and BB King are all gone now but the Blues lives on. "We Three Kings" indeed...

I've got nothing else this week. Buy yourself a ticket to see us play on May 30th, it's a great show.

DJ Rob

"The sky is cryin', look at the tears rolling down the street...", Elmore James, The Sky Is Crying, 1959.

Song of the Week #348

Spotify playlist for most of this week's tunes (and extras): https://play.spotify.com/user/1233409237/playlist/0Ky2gFr0uef1NP46HLjeEU

This week at rehearsal, after the tunes for the upcoming gig were duly rehearsed and pronounced to be "well on the way" something interesting happened. George and Chief began playing Bob Dylan songs. They kept going, and going, and on, and so forth, into the night. These were songs I didn't know. I've never been able to crack the whole Bob Dylan thing despite giving it a red hot go a couple of times. Seriously I don't get it. He chooses a chord progression and plays it ad infinitum. The lyrics are usually pretty cool but the repetition is just too much for me. The Bob songs chosen for our show are crackers, but I don't know how anyone listens to a whole album or concert. Musically there isn't enough going on for me. I guess I'm off a few Christmas card lists now. I take it everyone has heard the story about Jimi Hendrix being unwilling to sing on his first album and being told that if Dylan can do it anyone can!

Jimi Hendrix - Like A Rolling Stone - https://youtu.be/ElJUjkZw8aw

The gig is still on May 30th so book now (at Vivaldis) and come along for an evening of carefully chosen tracks by Dylan, Lennon, Neil Young and Jason Isbell.

The new Isbell album is to be released very soon. The first track is available online now for a listen. See what you think.

Jason Isbell - 24 Frames - https://soundcloud.com/southeastern-records/24-frames/s-6vzm3

I've bitten the bullet and booked my tickets to visit Zoë at Atavtabanga, Pentecost, Vanuatu. It's a bit of a challenge getting there including three flights on planes of decreasing size and then a ride in the back of a truck. It'll be an adventure if nothing else and I can't wait to see my girl and meet the people she's living with as well as her students. The countdown is on. 24 sleeps to go.

BB King is unwell. Very unwell. Having "hospice care" doesn't sound great although I am sure he is being well looked after. It's sad to hear that his children, lawyers and doctors are squabbling in the media. Stay classy folks.

BB King with Eric Clapton - Riding With The King - https://youtu.be/ajJBmcuzktw

A few years ago a limited edition Thin Lizzy 6 CD set was released. It contains live recordings made by them at the BBC. It's tough to get hold of and the only one I can find for sale is over $300. Ouch. Amazingly, the whole thing is on Spotify so I've been able to well and truly overdose on the swagger and power of Phil Lynott and the group. There's nary a dud moment in the whole collection which I must say, is pretty impressive. Thin Lizzy are still playing in one form or another. I listened to some newer stuff with an open mind and it's not half bad.

Thin Lizzy - The Warrior (Peel Session 1976) - https://youtu.be/k3jWd8Ibifw

Natural disasters, riots, wars, poverty, injustice and any number of related events have the potential to really give you the blues. It's often difficult not to feel either helpless or persecuted depending on what's going on. We all get overloaded at times by the news and often the way it's presented. I'm no expert but I do know from experience the feeling of complete helplessness and despair and it's horrid. People turn to many different things to get through, some healthy and some destructive. My advice, for what it's worth, is not to try and change the whole world. Choose a part, do your bit and live your life. Surround yourself with positive people and, after due consideration, ditch the naysayers. I did enjoy a quote that I read this week, "whatever the question, music is the answer". If you're down in the dumps choose music that lifts you up. It's different for everyone. Here's a few tunes that always bring a smile to my dial...

John Denver - Annie's Song - https://youtu.be/xs_CNnCqYvU

AC/DC - Ain't No Fun (Waitin' 'Round To Be A Millionaire) - https://youtu.be/ytmcdyacmIg

Billy Bragg - She's Got A New Spell - https://youtu.be/WdOglphR5-w

Journey - Don't Stop Believin' - https://youtu.be/VcjzHMhBtf0

That's all for this week folks. I've got a couple of cold hours to spend on the side of a football field and some Bislama revision to be getting on with.

Lukum yu!

Rob

"One heart, one love..." , Bob Marley, One Love, 1977.

Song of the Week #347

Spotify playlist for most of this week's tunes (and a couple of extras) - https://play.spotify.com/user/1233409237/playlist/05ry9IlTu7q6RVhalgJ1Fj

This week I listened to a rather eclectic range of music. Some of this will feature below. I really do encourage you to listen to all the tracks, they are chosen carefully and I put a lot of thought into which ones I think might interest listeners the most.

I have the new Steve Earle album, "Terraplane". There's almost a Chicago Blues feel to some songs and a folky, country tinge to others. It's bluesy too. But it's not rock and roll as some of his previous work has been, not that you'd expect it to be. If you want to see Steve at his most energetic then it's on stage where this happens and he could be playing almost anything. Steve has continued his work with "The Mastersons" on this long player and their guitar and violin work is tasteful and fits in really well. "Terraplane" is probably a bit more old fashioned sounding album than his last release, "The Low Highway" but it should appeal to established fans as well as those with a non-yeehaw country/blues/folk bent. I've had a soft spot for Steve's music since the mid-2000s (I was late to the party), here's an older track.

Steve Earle - Someday - https://youtu.be/cGKuhUpV-bk

...and one from the new album...

Steve Earle & The Dukes - Go Go Boots Are Back - https://youtu.be/dAhbsAYUhqo

Yesterday Zoë and I headed off to the music store to organise a replacement ukulele for her to take to Vanuatu (she leaves on Sunday). The one she took previously had to be left behind. We have it on good authority that her family are making very good use of it though. Whilst Zoë dealt with another 15 minutes of fame I tried out a few ukes myself. I also had a bit of a bash on a ukulele-banjo and it was a lot of fun. Imagine a ukulele but with the body being like a miniature banjo. I'm saving all my pennies to pay for my flights to Vanuatu otherwise I might have been tempted to make a purchase! I grew up listening to this next artist, probably the best known exponent of this instrument. 

George Formby - When I'm Cleaning Windows - https://youtu.be/dG1W1h5W17Y

This morning DJ HamerTime and I were cycling along the lake after devouring a world record stack of pancakes and we heard the unmistakable sound of bagpipes. I do understand that they are a rather polarising instrument but I've always liked them when they are played well. This morning there was a band playing at some kind of ceremony. We stopped to hear the band for a few moments. When I was in the Army all of that marching up and down (aka drill) was quite hard work but I still enjoyed it. The one time I got to be on parade with a pipe band was a definite highlight; you could see everyone's performance step up a notch.

Edinburgh Tattoo 2013 - Massed Pipes & Drums - https://youtu.be/oBYVmnMFMtA

Do you have songs, albums or even a particular artist that you listen to when you're in a particular mood? Sometimes there's nothing better than your favourite tunes turned up loud to improve your outlook. Today I've had some classic rock playing in the background but yesterday was more challenging. Challenging enough for 7 Slayer studio albums in a row (chronologically of course, from "Show No Mercy" through to "Divine Intervention". I think it helped my productivity and the progression of the band was interesting to listen to as well. I'm a fan but I hadn't really spent any time with their first release. I was surprised at how much I actually liked it. It's more punk influenced than some of their later stuff. Don't get me wrong, it's still loud, fast and heavy but "Show No Mercy" has a different edge to it than the rest of their releases. Yes, I know that there are 11 studio albums as well as some live stuff but there are only so many hours in a day. I think I'll stick with the early stuff for a while and I've just realised that I don't have "Show No Mercy" on CD or LP. It must be on a cassette somewhere. That can go on my list to look out for another day. This next track is from 1990.

Slayer - War Ensemble - https://youtu.be/O7YpCzJYaiU

Yes, I mentioned classic rock. I understand that it's often cheesy and really not all challenging listening but there's a time and place for most musical styles in my listening habits. 

Foreigner - Jukebox Hero - https://youtu.be/5uUzEKolun4

DJ DJ is either still in Washington DC or on a plane jetting his way home. As a result of listening to far too much Henry Rollins as well as reading his books I've been exposed to a fair amount of music that came out of DC. If you have time to explore and listen there's some excellent punk, hardcore, funk and go-go music to get into. The really interesting thing is reading about and listening to some of these bands and discovering the links between the genres. The fact that Bad Brains started out as a Mahavishnu Orchestra type group is entertaining!

Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers - If It Ain't Funky - https://youtu.be/lTFAjgd6pu0

Bad Brains - Banned In DC - https://youtu.be/XGzA8KXW3WI

Just a quick reminder that tickets for our May 30th gig at Vivaldi's at the ANU here in Canberra are selling like ice creams on a hot day. Get yours now and enjoy a good meal and some tunes by Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Neil Young & Jason Isbell all played with love, energy and enthusiasm. We've been rehearsing too so they should also sound good! You don't have to come for the meal, there is an option just to see the show - just talk to the friendly staff at Vivaldi's. Yep, this is a paying gig for us. Any money that I get will go towards helping in Vanuatu.

It makes me sad and angry to see rioting in Baltimore this week. I feel as though I have a bit of a personal connection as a longtime online friend of mine works in law enforcement there. He's been on the streets trying to keep people safe whilst angry mobs have looted and destroyed property. Looting, robbery and violence are crimes, it's not protesting. No-one is saying that the Police are perfect but this is hardly a constructive approach to take. I think it's time I played this song again...

Elvis Costello - What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love & Understanding? - https://youtu.be/JUGmwDB49Tc

It's the 1st of May. That's "May Day" or "International Workers Day" depending on who you are. Most of us are workers of one form or another and lucky enough to live where we can work without oppression. You don't need to be a left wing unionist to support workers' rights. It wasn't hard to choose an artist to close the show on such a day as this...

Billy Bragg - The Internationale - https://youtu.be/xTVOz-RnUAw

Have a great weekend everyone.

Rob

"I'll tell you once more before I get off the floor,

don't bring me down..." - Don't Bring Me Down, ELO, 1979