I've never used a toilet as portrayed in pictures 1 and 2 in this official poster on a Swinburne University toilet wall, but I guess at sometime someone has, or else they wouldn't have put this up, right?

This in East Brunswick outside 3RRR after I did Aural Text review of Black Inc.'s 2010 Best Austraian Poems. More moody Melbourne rainskies. Just loving this rain. Cool, cool summer so far.

Trees out Dad and Sue's window

Storm surge North Melbourne

This bizarre apparition appeared up the road when I exited a pub in North Melbourne late last week. It was so transfixing I nearly got wiped out by the 4WD coming down the road in the shot shortly afterwards when I went to cross the road. Big downpour included.

Paulfactor

You gotta love this. Paulfactor
Living Music participant/
performer/writer and DJ on
the Living Music Radio show,
Mondays 3-4pm on the magic 3CR
and coming up in Word on the Street.
Don't mean a thing if you
ain't got that bling

Looking forward to these shows ... I'm back on the publicity trail again, but only for a good cause like
LIVING MUSIC’s 2010 crew present …
WORD ON THE STREET
Underground Loop Vol IV LIVE CD LAUNCH
Old Council Chambers, Trades Hall, cnr Victoria & Lygon Sts, Carlton
Three shows: Thursday 25th November 6pm &
Friday 26th November 1pm & 6pm
FREE but to avoid disappointment please book Ph: 9329 0503 / info@livingmusic.com.au

Imagine you’re young, you’re in trouble, the world is bearing down like a tornado. Music can be a release - even a transformational magic carpet ride. But in order to get your act off the ground, first you have to skill up. Find a mentor, a studio and some boon companions. That’s where Living Music comes in.

From a natty studio complex hidden behind a brightly graffed door in a North Melbourne alleyway come sounds of the street, beguiling, moving and fresh. Melodic hip-hop, torn-up pop, gentle Islander R&B and genre-defying tales of struggle and love all feature on Living Music’s new CD WORD ON THE STREET Underground Loop Vol IV.

And to mark the occasion, Living Music 2010’s crew present WORD ON THE STREET live in the Trades Hall Old Council Chambers over three shows November 25-26. The show’s concept is loosely based around the search for a shadowy underground figure called Motley, detailed in the title track, aided by a selection of songs from some of the one thousand-plus young people who’ve participated in the Living Music program this past year. Tracks crackle and growl with energy, harmonise with fine melodies, unfold with surprising skill. Words and music ranging from the most simple, sweet acoustic guitar to sophisticated, highly-arranged diatribes arise from a range of talented characters like Paul Factor, Trixide, Gabby and Saint Lu.

Backgrounds in youth detention, homelessness, family breakdown, disability, mental illness and substance abuse have touched participants of the Living Music program, an important avenue for musical composition, recording and performance for young people at risk since 1999. And, like the show and CD, assisted by the City of Melbourne, inspirational mentors have worked alongside Living Music participants - including key people from Rogue Traders, Dili Allstars, the Avalanches and Living End plus Mia Dyson, Mark Seymour, DJ Wasabi, Little G, Wicked Force Dancers. Current mentors for the Word on the Street CD and show are Motley, Mantra, Rob Sedky, Thomas Butt, John Favaro (Badloves) and Pete Satchell (Dallas Crane).

Andrew McSweeney, the very experienced head mentor, songwriter, producer and musician behind Living Music - who also plays with Kutcha Edwards - is very excited about the new show. “I can’t wait to see what people think. We’ve definitely struck some real talent at Living Music in 2010 and the CD has plenty of knockout tracks. We also get to present it onstage over three shows in the Trades Hall Old Council Chambers, which is a really cool old wooden amphitheatre with an exciting, intimate feel to it.”
BOOKINGS AND ENQUIRIES: Living Music, Andrew McSweeney. info@livingmusic.com.auPh 03 9329 0503/ Fax 03 9329 7857 Website: http://www.livingmusic.com.au/
MEDIA ENQUIRIES & interviews with participant Paul Factor or organiser Andrew McSweeney: Jen Jewel Brown 0408 898 338 jenjewelbrown@fastmail.fm
Living Music Radio Show with Paul Factor airs weekly on Mondays 3-4pm on 3CR
Supported by the City of Melbourne, the Department of Human Services and Artful Dodgers Studios through Jesuit Social Services.

Oh yeah - and speaking of Artful Dodgers Studios, they have their annual exhibition launching 5pm Tues 26 Oct and they say: “In our backyard you’ll discover strange flora and fauna – created with sculpture, painting, sound and moving imagery.” OK?

Who: Artful Dodgers StudiosWhat: Into The Shed
When: Tuesday 26th October – Saturday 6th November 2010
Where: Fortyfivedownstairs (45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne)
Email: info@fortyfivedownstairs.com

January 2009

Once upon an up and crumber, as Dennis Cometti might say, a body of public art began a journey.

nioce tatts Dane

AFL Players Association's most valuable player 2010
shot by Darren Tindale for Fox Sports

visibly inking up

Collingwood's Dane Swan is inking up at a great rate even as he works his way towards a second Grand Final in 2010, Collingwood vs St Kilda. I expect the Pies to put the Saints to the sword properly this time with a bit of Samurai strategy courtesy of canny Mick Malthouse (who'll be smart and lucky enough to get MM next?). And hopefully some straighter kicking (although please note, knockers, Travis Cloke is one of the best contested markers in the comp, which has to count for some space tokens, surely). Wish Prestigiacomo was in though.

more PI

shot by Paul Harris, Sydney Morning Herald

Lab Rat Solar-Powered Studio Palm Island

Heard a really great show today on 3CR, which isn't unusual. It was on Hip Sista Hop
http://www.3cr.org.au/hipsistahop
Hip Sista Hop

Hip Sista Hop Monday 1 - 2 pm
There was an amazing single mum on who was working with an org whose name escapes me now, but she casually mentioned she'd been in Palm Island working on several creative community projects powered by solar and wind. They played some of the music which was a real knockout, so original and Australian. Hip hop completely Palm Islandafied.

My favourite was 'Anybody Seen My Horse?' which was a little song based on a true search for a missing horse sung by a bunch of very young girls who sounded about 10. Blew my socks off. Apparently at the end of a flattening day of searching the jungle, the little girl's horse was found. Unfortunately it was pinched the next day. At least they got an astounding recording out of it, recorded by solar power.
If I can find out more, or a link to the music, I'll post it

xJ

Melbourne Stencil Festival (09)

I did a report on the Melbourne Stencil Festival 2009. with my fellow Swinburne student Morgan Riehl. Some of Morgan's neat shots of the fine collection are here ... (click on the heading)

Palm Island

who let the dogs out?

November 19 2004
drunk and happy Cameron Mulrunji Doomadgee
who! who! who! who!
swinging down that Palm Island road
barking out that jump up song
who let the dogs out?
who! who! who! who!
yapping out that happy tune

down comes the tall man
Senior Sergeant Christopher Hurley
mounted on his four wheel drive
grabs Doomadgee - hey mate!
… arresting me for nothing!! –
spears tackles him into the back of the slammer van

Cameron’s a proud Palm Island man
first chance he gets he punches Senior Sergeant H
and they fall 'through a door' says Hurley
when he changes from saying “down the stairs”
anyways that concrete floor is hard
knee-dropping Hurley a tower of power
Doomadgee gets four broken ribs
and a liver split in two against his spine
says the coroner
massive force say three medical experts
then Hurley drags him to a cell
and the video shows him writhe and moan
where he is left to die

and the people no!
and the people burn
the copshop
courthouse
cophouse down
Palm Island 40 languages a mass of confusion

July 31 2006
Eric, Doomadgee’s only son, 18
suicides

Patrick Branwell
was locked up in Doomadgee’s cell
the day died

January 15 2007
Patrick suicides too

or looks like it …

see somehow that night after the cops drive
the witness 10 minutes out of town to ‘cool
down’ his grandma finds him at midnight
right in his own front yard
more than cool
he’s cold
hanging there
at the site of the inciting incident
right where his cellmate Mulrunji was nicked

Sir Laurence Street arrives
in his white hat, investigating
calls Branwell a witness not indispensible
yet

February 5 2007
Senior Sergeant Hurley
becomes the first cop in Australia
ever to be charged with assault and manslaughter
for the death of a prisoner
but it’s a cop’s against a dead man’s word
Noby Clay saw Doomadgee taken - hard
heard him being slammed around
but who can say if they aren’t called?
just another blackdeathincustody
the whitejuryrules
and sure enough
Hurley’s rap won’t stick

so … who let the dogs out?

next time you sing
a drunk and happy song
remember Cameron Mulrunji Doomadgee
swinging down that Palm Island road
yapping out that happy tune
who! who! who! who!
who let the dogs out?
who … who … who …

Rise again, Tote Hotel

Photo by Pierre Baroni

At the Tote. Shot by Pierre Baroni

Save the Tote protest 17/1/10 by Pierre Baroni

Save the Tote

Letter to Tony Robinson, Victorian State Minister for Liquor *sigh* licensing

Dear Minister,

I urge you to reconsider the very unfair closing of the Tote Hotel in Collingwood. This venue is a real grassroots venue that has been a really strong contributor to the music business. Melbourne is famous for its live scene and its terrific bands, many of which have become internationally successful and brought considerable income back to Australia.

The Australian music business is a major employer and Melbourne is the music capital of Australia. Yet we would be nowhere if the up and coming bands have nowhere to play, to cut their teeth and learn to entertain. The Tote is one of the most important venues in this regard. It has never been a violent kind of venue, more a friendly and down home rock'n'roll pub well sited in an area surrounded by shops and inner city social activities.

We can't allow this important aspect of Melbourne's character, this vital venue - and potentially others like it - to be closed due to a narrow-minded view of licensing laws. It is very important that youth be given a creative voice and young bands have places like the Tote to play in.

Please save the Tote.

Kind regards,

Jen Jewel Brown
journalist and author of Skyhooks Million Dollar Riff
ex-A&R Manager, Mushroom Records and Publishing