Blog
March 5th, 09 - Tents Up
What have we been doing lately? Well, I’ll tell, you, even if you didn’t ask. In the last fortnight we’ve been to Western Australia twice, even if they didn’t ask us to.
Now, I’m not much of a fan of watching in-flight movies but I tell you, that movie “Australia” is so ahead of its time. It can make a four and a half hour flight seem so much longer.
The gigs over there were excellent. We must be doing something right there because people keep turning up and clapping and cheering as opposed to throwing beer cans. I’d like to say a special hello to Bobby De-Wolf who does sound for us there. He and I once did a cross-desert (not dressing) trek that would make the Leyland brothers look like they were being the lollipop-men in a pre-school zone.
Also a big hi! To Kelvin ( Kelvis), (The Kelvinator) who I know will never read this because he doesn’t even have a mobile phone yet. Maybe I could just say what I think about him. This one night at band camp, he………….never mind.
Have I mentioned that we have two albums coming out this year? The first is “Essential as Anything”, a collection of the hits you should know well, and the second is “Tents Up”, a bunch of new songs what you’ve never heard before and most of which have lyrics with better grammar than the sentence what you have just finished reading.
The band has a relatively quiet time ahead of us and after three weeks gigging in Sydney we’ll be in South Australia and from then on, Queensland. Have I mentioned that we have two albums coming out this year? The first is “Essential as Anything”, a collection of the hits you know well, and the second is “Tents Up”, a bunch of new songs what you’ve never heard before? Have I also told you that I have learnt my advertising techniques from late night telemarketing on TV? Always repeat the offer.
Duck.
Feb 23rd, 09 - It's been a sweaty coupla weeks.
We did three gigs in Queensland that 'went orf" (we sweated) and then a gig in Melbourne. The three Queensland gigs were bloody great and the response was fantastic. Caboolture Sports Club went nuts! We sweated. After that we flew from Brisbane to Melbourne for a gig at the Australian Open Tennis. If anybody ever doubted that we actually work for a living then you should have seen us on stage at the tennis gig. I know the tennis players do up to five sets and we only do one, but I was sweating from places on my body that I hadn't noticed before. We sweated. The venue was "Spiegelworld", a place that was fuelled by a certain brand of beer and peopled with young men with tans, pecks, tattoos and girls who seem to be impressed by that sort of thing. Funnily enough the girls didn't mob me. It was so bloody hot on stage that I drank water. (There's a photo to prove it!). We sweated.
The Mentals are all excited about the imminent release of our new album coupled with the re-release of the Mentals back catalogue. The new album is called "Tents Up" and we're as proud as teenagers that we've done it. There are some beaut songs which possibly may change your life from the wrong that you've been doing to the possible good that you just know is in you somewhere. You may think that we have no more to contribute to Oz pop culture but 'Tents Up' lends value to the idea that mirth has its, place in society, if not in the law courts. (As long as there is a decent drink rider).
We have a joke in the Tarago that you can pick a professional musician by asking them where they played last night. If they look confused for a moment. they're a muso. So by typing that sentence just then I bought myself some time to remember that recently we played at.. Queensland!! The roast of the day at the Greenbank RSL was beef and it was fabulous but I like a little more gravy. I would never be so presumptuous as to ask for more gravy though. Then we flew back to Sydney to play Australia day at Rooty Hill. There were twenty-five thousand very very hot people there. We sweated, but it was pure Aussie sweat!!
Again, I'm as excited as a new car buyer about our new album coming out some time soon. It's due for release in the year 2525. You musicologists would get that joke. I have been told that my blogs have a very conversational style and taking that to heart, I've decided to tell you everything I think .. ,no sorry, drew a blank there.
Western Australia was fabulous last week. The first gig was at a pub called the "Charles". I was telling the guys in the van that somewhere around 1980 I was in a Perth cover band that had a Sunday arvo residency there for a few weeks. We built that crowd up from ten to at least thirty. Everyone in the band was impressed.
Duck
Jan 13th, 09, Happy New Year
I've been thinking of possible titles for the great Australian movie script that I know I will write soon. The first idea is… "Petersham". It will be similar to "Australia" ( That Movie) by Baz Luhrman but instead of droving scenes that apparently cover some 30,000 km it will have sweeping panoramic footage that goes from Borsellino Bros fruit market all 400 metres to the Oxford Tavern (Jelly Wrestling Wednesday Nights).
My problem will be in the casting. Where can I find an Australian actress who has had so much botox that she is as expressive as an Easter Island statue?
Or how about this? "Perth New Years Eve" It will be similar to "Australia" by Baz Luhrman but instead of droving scenes that apparently cover some 30,000 km it will have a bunch of like-minded musicians who play the gig at Burswood, such as Daryl Braithwaite and his pedigreed band, Brian and the Pseudo boys. We have a good night. Wilbur Wilde and I (he is the MC) are trying to find a single malt whiskey quite early in the morning of the new year but it is not to be. A good time is had by all!!
Or how about this? "2009, The Year" It will be similar to "Australia" by Baz Luhrman but instead of droving scenes that apparently cover some 30,000 km it will be filled with gigs by the Mentals where we meet lots of nice people and still have people conned into thinking that we know what we're doing.
I hope whoever reads this has a great '09 and I can assure you that my spelling is as bad as it ever wash.
Duck
Feb 12th,08, Sorry sorry sorry
Those of you who may have read my previous blogs will probably be annoyed that once again I start an entry with an apology for taking so long to do it. "Yeah" I hear you say, "He's such a lazy bugger,!" Well I'll have you know that I've been really busy. Just the other day I checked the mail.The band's been doing lots since I last wrote. We've been all over Australia of course and met an array of wonderful people everywhere. The band is in very good spirits despite the well publicised legal matter, because we feel we're playing better than ever and we all get on so well. Happy New Year by the way.
We did a gig in Shanghai for a bunch of ex-pats who live there. It was an eighty's theme night so we were perfect for it because we're all approaching our eighties. The city itself was a bit of a culture shock. A few of us took a long walk one day because Greedy wanted to go to a certain area that was famous for selling fabrics and tailor made suits. It was stifling hot that day. I saw a taxi driver screaming at a policeman because he got a fine of some kind. I saw an old lady cooking something in a wok over an open fire in the gutter. I saw an older gentleman having some kind of domestic argument while he was wearing a beautiful pair of pyjamas at noon. If that doesn't sound interesting enough, Shanghai's got a serious shortage of bars. The gig went really well and all had fun. The two suits Greedy had made for him were really crap and three of us were puking on the flight home from what we suspect was dodgy food at a a restaurant in the French concession in the city. Sound bad? Wouldn't change it for the world.
Sometime in the hazy past of the last few months we played a couple of shows for the ABC's anniversary. It was quite a treat for me because I got to meet Graham Bond and Rory O'Donoghue (Aunty Jack and Thin Arthur). Martin went for drinks with Kerry O'Brien and came off a little the worse for wear. Darwin is still the same, as insane as ever. A couple of years ago I was talking to a certain journalist who now lives there and he was asked his opinion about what the NT's logo should be. You know the sort of thing. Victoria- state of gardens or, something NSW state of parking fines. His response was "Northern Territory……Liquorland!".
Again and again I apologise for taking so long to do my homework with this blog but this apology is more sincere because it's been about six months. Again I say Sorry.
Cheers,
Duck
June 2007
Hi folks, it's been a while since my last report from the front, sorry about that. We've just got back from a good week in Queensland with a real variety of gigs ranging from an open air restaurant on Tamborine Mountain with panoramic views and hang-gliders hovering in the background, to the last show at the Coolangatta Hotel which was packed and sweaty. As I've told you before that's just the way I like it.While we were in Brisbane we also recorded a few things towards finishing our album because in this modern age you can do amazing things with digital recording in a motel room. We're just about there with the album. It's been a long process but we wanted to get it absolutely right and I think we might have just done that. It's a clever bunch of songs and hopefully we'll have it out some time this century.
Next week we're off to what is going to be a freezing Melbourne. We're certainly getting around at the moment. I think in the last six months we've played every state and territory in Oz and we've got a couple of overseas things in the offing too. You've gotta love travel in this job.
That's all for now
Cheers
Duck
May 2007
Hello and welcome at last to the revamped Mentals site. It turns out that I was the cause of the hold-up with the site because they were waiting for this blog, so my apologies to all concerned.We've busy as usual but not travelling quite so far a field except for that trip to W.A., oh and that one night to the Gold Coast, oh and that one night to Cairns. As usual I can honestly report that the gigs have been lots of fun. One the shows was near Geraldton in W.A. called The Red Rock Festival. We flew from Perth to Geraldton (which was excellent because that drive is a killer) and the show itself was about thirty K away. As we were driving to the site I kept saying "Who's going to come out here?". When we finally turned the corner we were greeted with the sight of over a thousand people in the middle of the desert. The only problem with the gig was that I'd forgotten my belt and the pants of my suit kept slipping down. It's amazing how something so small can pre-occupy you.
Top show at the Sydney Easter show along with Ian Moss. He's a very nice chap and one damn fine musician (somehow I don't think he needs me to tell him that). One of my favourite venues is The Canterbury-Hurlstone Park because I live really close to it. Good acoustics too.
On the 15th April Martin ventured North to open his art exhibition in Mackay. We know the people at the gallery quite well and Marty said the opening was a success with good sales and a street blocked off for it. The theme of this show is cool old cars. He's been stalking his neighbourhood taking shots of old Fords etc then rendering them in his style.
Finally I'll do some unashamed self-promotion to plug my little solo EP which now on sale through our shop. It's four tracks, two of which I recorded ages ago with friends, one new one and one that's mostly the Mentals helping out. Hope you like it and I hope you enjoy my own website (how vain am I?) which my daughter's clever boyfriend did for me. Go to www.quackremedy.com
Talk soon
Duck