Bluesfest 2010. First Line-Up Announcement!

First Bluesfest Announcement: Crowded House, Buddy Guy, Jeff Beck, Lyle Lovett, Dr John & The Lower 911, Lil’ Band O’ Gold, The Flatlanders, Peter Green, Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi, Justin Townes Earle, Renee Geyer, Old Crow Medicine Show, Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express, Bela Fleck’s African Project with Oumou Sangare, Orquestra Buena Vista Social Club, The Avett Brothers, Roger Hodgson from Supertramp, Gipsy Kings, Orquestra Buena Vista Social Club, RockWiz, Jimmy Barnes, Al DiMeola, Gogol Bordello, Joe Bonamassa, Robert Gordon & The Gang They Couldn’t Hang, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Jessica Mauboy, Newton Faulkner and The Swell Season.

Early bird tickets are available now: www.bluesfest.com.au

Hey Hey, I’m Home

Last Thursday when I was driving to Eugene via the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum I listened to an hour of talkback on NPR about the now infamous Hey Hey It’s Saturday skit. (The only other news item I heard about Australia in the time I was away concerned the limit of a slab of beer person per day at Bathurst. The NPR hosts were pretty amused about that one).

There was a three-way link up between NPR, the BBC and ABC in Sydney. It might surprise you to learn that a lot of people in the USA and the UK think Australia is a racist country. The treatment of the Aborigines was a subject that emerged often as local ABC host Rod Quinn tried to assert that the bad old days have long gone.

Of course, this is the crux of the matter. We might think that we are no longer racist but others have a different perception and this is the thing that the Hey Hey host, cast and producers completely fail to understand. Twenty years ago when there was no internet or YouTube the skit might have drawn some local comment but in an international marketplace when a tree falls in the forest everyone hears it. The villains of the piece are the producers of the show who let the skit go to air. What were they thinking? As soon as I heard about it in America I couldn’t believe that it went to air. My immediate thought was that it was racist at worst, regardless of whether some of those taking part were of Indian descent, and offensive at the least.

My recent visit to the BB King Museum where I saw clips of the Amos and Andy show brought home to me just how offensive the blackface routine can be to African-Americans. One imagines that seeing the Hey Hey skit would have brought back horrid memories for some. But you do not have to have visited Mississippi to be aware that the skit was potentially offensive, if not downright racist (and there is a difference).

Even a cursory acquaintance with current standards would have been an alert in itself. But the Hey Hey crew thrived over the years on cheap shots, making fun of people and using lowest common denominator humour (in much the same way that The Footy Show does these days). The current breakfast host on 774 could have distinguished himself by agreeing with Harry Connick Jr about the value of the skit – but he didn’t, because he cannot seem to treat anything seriously. (Is that why he was taken off air during the bushfires?). And there is no point trying to justify it on air afterwards with talkback – like the King of the Jungle joke punchline goes, ‘if you don’t know, you just don’t know.’

Having got that off my chest, I have to add that one of the reasons I hated Harry Connick Jr’s shows when he was in Australia with his New Orleans band in the early 90s – the one that played at The Continental – was that he had an African-American musician, whose name I cannot recall, who I felt was demeaned by the show (in ways that reminded me of Amos and Andy). I reacted poorly to seeing this musician having to act the clown – even if it was by his own choice. That was a personal reaction, everyone else loved the show that I found so painful.

It is always a fine line with these matters but Hey Hey’s producers didn’t even see the line they were overstepping.

Home – Monday October 12, 2009

It is strange being back at work, especially as the first thing I had to do was attend a staff meeting! That was surreal.

The flight home was great. I had an aisle seat and a spare seat next to me on what was otherwise a full plane. Maybe no-one wanted to sit near me? Slept most of the way across the Pacific.

I didn’t watch any of the movies but I could tell that at least two of them – one starring Sandra Bullock – were possibly amongst the worst movies of all time. One of them was so bad it was not even listed in the guide. Okay, I agree that the United Airlines entertainment system is appalling but it did encourage me to read when I was not dozing.

In Portland I got the Paul Shaffer autobiography that was plugged on the Letterman show last week and it is quite lively and entertaining. Some of the stories about Dylan are a treat. I know that some people find Shaffer annoying but I have seen him at Jazz Fest, so he cannot be all bad.

I am also finishing the lengthy Michael Crichton novel State Of Fear but it seems to have gone completely of f the rails. I have always thought his books were good ‘airport’ reads but this 2004 novel is like a long harangue. I now understand why the bookseller in Chiang Mai a few months ago said that Crichton had been ‘right wing’ because this book is full of data trying to disprove global warming.

Arrived in Sydney on time, left for Melbourne on time and then got delayed for 20 minutes waiting for a gate.

Welcome back to Melbourne’s Sunday morning traffic chaos!! Just the other day I was telling someone that the only bad thing about Melbourne is the traffic. I was correct. It took an hour to get home.

The two boxes and three parcels of books and CDs had arrived and so I have a plethora of music to play and things to talk about over the next few weeks. Look forward to being back on air this coming Saturday.

On The Road – Friday October 9

I left Eugene at 7.30am still buzzing from the Bob Dylan show last night. I am sure that Bob deliberately tailored this set to the university crowd because it seemed much more up tempo. The epic version of ‘Desolation Row’ was brilliant and even the re-arrangement worked well. ‘Ballad Of A Thin Man’ was right up there too.

But the song that the kids loved was ‘Like A Rolling Stone,’ and there really hasn’t been another song that has quite captured the angst and bitterness of this classic. Even though Bob had changed the timing, the crowd sang along, especially for ‘how does it feel?’

Charlie Sexton seemed a little down in the mix tonight, compared to last night but you still got the sense of how he has re-energised the band. This is the fourth gig on this current 32-date tour and the band is starting to gel. In a few days time it will be a well-oiled machine. I am stil not sure how the musicians manage to keep such good time when Bob changes things around so much on some songs – but they do.

Occasionally, it has the potential to fall apart but that is what sets it apart from so many other slick, soulless shows. You never quite know what to expect and Bob will pull something out of the hat like ‘Desolation Row’ and floor you.

I had a great spot on the floor, standing maybe 20 rows from the front right in the middle. The sound was excellent considering it is an old basketball arena.

The walk to and from the concert revealed just how huge the University of Oregon campus is. There are almost 21,000 students here and 67% of them live on campus in the many halls of residence that sprout up everywhere. I saw one guy wearing an SAE fraterntiy t-shirt and discovered that it was founded back in 1915, apparently voted by many magazines (including Playboy) as best fraternity in the USA.

Yesterday afternoon I looked for a new suitcase but to no avail. Not a cheap one anyway. I did find one at Costco but you have to be a member. So I spent $20 and bought a small carry bag and a strap for my current dilapidated case. Hopefully, that will work.

This morning I was up at 6.30am, had the continental breakfast in the breakfast room and left at exactly 7.32am. My schedule did not allow for the fog which was quite thick in places for the first 50 miles or so.

The first part of the drive through the mountains and forests of Oregon was spectacular. I even stopped to take some photos, as opposed taking them while driving as I did on the way up. (I wouldn’t recommend this practise.)

Arrived at San Francisco airport at 6.00pm after a trip of ten and a half hours.

Eugene, OR – Bobday October 8

Bob was astonishingly good tonight at the University of Oregon.

Fantastic 12-minute version of ‘Desolation Row.’ ‘Ballad of aThin Man’ was superb. Great up tempo set. Mostly young crowd.

Heard one guy say to his friends, “Is this really 1975 and we are watching this? Isn’t this what our parents did?”

Met the parents of Jon Auer from the Posies and Big Star. They just happened to be next to me while we were waiting!! They were surprised I had heard of The Posies and even more so that I knew Big Star.

Lots more later. In the morning it’s the drive to San Francisco.

Portland, OR – Bobday October 7

A quiet day preparing for Bob tonight. Went for brunch over on the North West where the suburbs are leafy and resemble some of Melbourne’s better inner areas. Then went back to Powell’s. I have to get out of this city otherwise I will spend all my money in this bookstore. I purchased 6 books, mostly small, including a second-hand volume on Richard Brautigan that I had read about but never seen. I then dropped in to Jackpot Records down the street to get the Avett Brothers CD, I & Love & You. 

Then it was a stroll around town. I have to say that, apart from San Francisco, I have never seen so many homeless and down and out people on the streets anywhere. It is disturbing. There was one whole family sitting on the sidewalk opposite the streetcar stop. A dishevilled chap, cigarette hanging from the fngers of one hand, sat next to me while I waited and taunted me when I boarded the streetcar. “That’s right, get on,” he yelled. “Go on, get away.” 

I got off over the Steel Bridge and had a walk back to look at the city. The sky is really blue here. A deep blue that even in the mid-afternoon looks slightly ominous.

Early this evening we went over to the Coliseum in the Rose Quarter to see Dylan. This is where The Beatles played in August 1965. Astonishing. It is now a basketball arena. Bob goes on stage at 7.40pm while the place is still not even half full. Maybe he needs to get to bed early. 

I can tell you one thing: Bob is not doing this for the money. That is for sure. Why would he bother touring so much to such small crowds if all he wanted to do was make some pocket money? No, there has to be another reason. Maybe, like John Lee Hooker, it is what keeps him alive. What else is going to do?

Charlie Sexton has replaced Denny Freeman and he brings a new dynamic to the band. He has turned it from a blues band into a rock ‘n’ roll band. Charlie has a lot of freedom. He strolls the stage, often walking up close to Bob, he kneels, he struts. The other band members look on passively. Maybe Bob has got him in the band to give it a little more life. Who knows. Denny Freeman was great, so is Charlie in a different way. When he found out he was being replaced Denny said, ‘At least he has another Texan in the band.’

The band kicks immediately into gear with ‘Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat.’ Amazingly, Bob does ‘Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum’ from Under The Red Sky. The crowd reacts when he picks up the guitar and starts ‘Lay Lady Lay’ but he changes the lyrics to ‘you can eat your cake and have it too.’ I wonder if it is deliberate and if anyone else notices. (You can find the full set list at www.bobdylan.com).

I really like the new songs because Bob sounds great on them and this is basically the band that recorded them – and he doesn’t mess with the arrangements or the timing. 

The encore comes after at least five minutes of applause: ‘Like A Rolling Stone,’ ‘Jolene’ and ‘All Along The Watchtower’ (the arrangement of which is changed yet again). The band all stand center stage. No bows. Then they leave and the lights go up. 

One hour and fifty minutes have flown by. We drive downtown to have one drink and discuss all things Bob. A guy at the next table hears me mention John Lee Hooker and tells me that he met him here in 1990. 

Tomorrow it is off to Eugene to see Bob again. Via the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum.

Portland, OR – Tuesday October 6

The buffet breakfast this morning was, I think, the first sit down cooked breakfast I have had since arriving in the USA. Plenty of coffee and I was on the road by 9.30am.

The drive was spectacular at first through the mountains and then lovely as the road wound its way through the forests. After a couple of hours I stopped for the usual coffee and Red Bull. I reached Eugene and it seemed to be taking me a lot longer than I thought it would. Constant 65mph and 50mph limits through roadworks slowed things down a bit.

Just after Eugene I stopped at a rest area to go to the toilet and met a young guy on a BMW R1200RT. He had got there from LA that day, after getting to LA from Yuma on Sunday! Now that is travelling. It’s 1138 miles/1820km in two and a half  days. Turns out he is heading for Olympia in Washington where he will leave the bike with his wife as they are relocating there. He must have had a long rest because he didn’t pass me again until we were near Portland.

Beautiful city from what I could see driving in. I am at the Motel 6 just near the Rose Garden arena where Bob Dylan is playing tomorrow night. Also has the free streetcar running right past the door. It is the cheapest accommodation I have had this trip.

Organised to meet my friend Karen, who is also moving here and who works on feature films supervising CGI. She has just bought a house here and is happy with the deal. Seems like a nice place to live.

Karen mentioned that Paul Kelly says Powell’s Books is his favourite bookstore in the world. So that is where I headed. Caught the streetcar downtown and a short walk later I was in the most amazing bookstore I have ever seen. It takes up and entire block I reckon and is three or four stories high. There must be millions of books here. It is a cornucopia. John Butler from Ballarat emailed me tonight to tell me about it; he should have warned me earlier.

At 6.30pm Karen arrives in her car and we drive out to a brewpub in the suburbs where we are to meet a well-known Aussie filmmaker friend and his wife. There is also the launch of an Australian pie company, which I guess is why we are all there. The Pacific Pie Co. Remember it. The samples of pies and pasties were delicious.

Afterwards, we headed back into town and to Powell’s where we browsed until nearly closing time. Karen has been here for three months and never been to the store. I am sure that will change.

I could have gone to the Aladdin Theatre to see Aimee Mann and Nick Lowe but I have seen Nick as recently as the weekend and Aimee just a month a go. I need to read some books.

Tomorrow it is sightseeing and Bob.

I am worried about getting back to San Francisco on Friday to fly out. I was planning to see Bob in Eugene on Thursday night but I realise that it would mean at least a nine hour drive (maybe longer) on Friday and I would have to leave no later than 8.00am to get back in the early evening. I am not sure that this is a good plan. I nearly fell asleep at the wheel yesterday. Maybe I should forego an extra night of Bob and get closer to San Fran on Thursday. I’ll see how I feel tomorrow.

On The Road – Monday October 5

While it was tempting to stay in San Francisco I have decided to head off to Oregon. I have a date with Bob on Wednesday night.

I have to say that the Hotel Fusion was sensational – for less than the price of the YMCA in New York. When was the last time you got upgraded to a better room and had the price dropped? The small rooms are really small but if you want a single they are better because they have a small desk as the bed does not take up as much space. Service was also very good. The free continental breakfast is laid out in a small rom and you have to jostle with others but that’s okay. I will definitely stay there again.

Shopping this morning for a warmer jacket and sweater. Can you believe I left home without a jumper? Sales are on so everything is cheap. Even Macy’s has some bargains, though most prices there are still expensive. Picked up the shoes, got a Columbia jacket and a North Face sweater. As long as it doesn’t rain I am okay.

The shuttle got me to the airport at about 12.45pm and I managed to get in a short queue for the rental car. They have a separate building for rentals and it is incredibly busy but I was done in 15 minutes. Would I like a 380Z or Camaro for only an extra $10 a day? No thanks. GPS? Etc, etc. Just the basic Ford Focus – and it doesn’t even have cruise control.

Head north out of the city on the 80 then over to the 5 near Sacramento and I am on my way to Portland. I stop after a few hours for some Red Bull, water and, I am ashamed to say, The Baconator burger at Wendy’s – that keeps me awake.

The drive really improves after about three and a half hours when you hit the mountains. I drop into Redding thinking I might stay there but it is like a ghost town. Graham told me about Mt Shasta and I head there. Dunsmuir is too small so I drive on ten miles to Mt Shasta City. Great. Five hours on the road.

Mt Shasta looms over everything, at 14,000 feet it is the highest volcano in California (isn’t that nearly twice as high as Kosciusko?). Best Western is nice. I do my laundry then head for Mike & Tony’s Italian restaurant where I am defeated by the fettucine and meatballs which follow some clam chowder.

At midnight I ring home to wish my daughter a happy birthday. The present that I mailed back has arrived that very day.

I watch Letterman make another apology – this time to his wife and staff. Then I finally turn off the light. Tomorrow Portland.

Hardly Strictly Day 3 – Sunday October 4

Mid-morning I went shopping for shoes and some warm clothes for when I head north. My $50 shoes of indeterminate brand that I bought two years ago in Monterey, when I was there for the Jazz Festival, have slowly come apart. The gel inserts are proving beneficial but I can longer wear them out at night without looking like a tramp.

I managed to find a pair of nice light walkers on special at the Rockport store but decided to pick them up tomorrow. It is too dusty out at the festival, don’t want to get my new shoes dirty. I will live with the pain for another day. Does that make sense?

The Aussie dollar seems to be doing good things. My trip is getting cheaper as I go along. This really makes a difference when you are paying accommodation by yourself.

An English/Indian girl from London told me the No.5 stop was  a block up so we headed in that direction. Of course, as soon as we were on the 5 a 71 bus appeared. Anyway it was a chance to chat to someone new. Ash has been working in San Francisco for the marketing department of an IT company about to launch a brand new reading device (that’s what I heard her telling some Swedish guys also working here). They began a tech conversation that was almost incomprehensible, even to me. 

The good thing about the 5 bus (you’ll find out the bad things later) is that it drops you right smack dab next to The Rooster stage and as Billy Bragg was there I was delighted to catch the final half of his show. The hour and a quarter it took me to get there from downtown was almost forgotten.

Next I headed down hill for Allen Toussaint at the Towers stage and, though I have seen him many times, he is always superlative. Allen arrived late due to flight delays, which meant I could only enjoy half his set before I had to hot foot it to the Banjo stage. 

I managed to get a great spot for the legendary Earl Scruggs. (Thanks again to Cash Edwards who got me a side of stage pass for today. I feel like she and her hubby Roger are like my guardian angels). It was amazing to see this icon of American music, with his son helping him out. 

I saw the end of the Galactic set, which featured Booker T as a guest, then walked around the cotner to the Towers stage for Marianne Faithfull, who shows no signs of being in her early 60s. It was great to hear ‘Broken English’ again. The crowd response was excellent.

I must take time out to tell you of my inadvertent act of heroism. As I sat on a slope and waited for Marianne Faithfull to start I was suddenly hit in the shoulder by an almighty wallop and found myself under an electric wheel chair. Apparently, the paraplegic gentleman in the chair hit a bump, lost control of the chair when his pointer fell out of his mouth and hurtled down the hill only to be stopped by an irresistible force – me.

While people kept coming up to ask me how I was, expecting me to be injured, I was happy to report that apart from a twinge in my shoulder I was fine. I was fairly surprised too because those chairs weigh a lot! No one took my name so I am not expecting a medal but I am sure the chap in the chair was pretty grateful.

I am glad that I then made time to see Todd Snider who was great. Very funny. His long, long football story about combining hallucinogenic drugs and athleticism, a subject that he admits you don’t hear much about in folk music anymore. He would be a sensation in Australia.

My highlight of the day had to be The Knitters with Dave Alvin, John Doe, Exene Cervenka and DJ Bonebrake. It was a dynamic up tempo show which had everyone on their feet and a mosh pit front of stage.

Acts I didn’t get to see today included: Booker T with the Drive By Truckers, Robyn Hitchcock, Welch Kane & Kaplin, Hazel Dickens, Doc Watson, Ralph Stanley, The Chieftains and Dr Dog – all of whom, apart from the last named, I have seen before. What a choice.  I could have finished the day with Emmylou, Little Feat, Old Crow Medicine Show, Amadou & Miriam or Allison Moorer.

I opted for Emmylou Harris who had Buddy Miller in the band. Somehow, she sounds better than ever. Her version of ‘Pancho & Lefty’ was heart-wrenching. 

I managed to get to the Old Crow Medicine Show and left the festival as they did Bob’s ‘Wagon Wheel.’ 

Then the fun started. I met up with Margaret again who convinced me to take the 5. I think I am being punished for not having faith in the 71 bus because the 5 arrived but was full. We were advised to walk a couple of blocks down to take the 38, which eventually arrived but was full and did not stop! After a walk we hailed a cab and I got back into town after a trip of one hour and forty minutes – the longest time I have ever spent getting to or from any festival anywhere!! However, I have worked out the strategy for next year: get the 71 but get a cab if you see one.

A few beers at the Irish pub around the corner from the hotel at least helped me to relax. I slept like a log!

Billy Bragg is at the Great American Music Hall tomorrow night and Emmylou is at Petaluma on Tuesday night but I think I should head north tomorrow, much as I would like to stay in Frisco.

Hardly Strictly Day 2 – Saturday October 3

The bus system in San Francisco is starting to break my heart. This morning they had the ‘Lovelution’ March down on The Embarcadero and cancelled all the 71 buses (and others) for 3 hours. I have no idea what this march is but I assume it is the equivalent of Sydney’s Gay Mardi Gras except that you didn’t have to be gay to be in it. Later the police were complaining about the number of under-age kids who got drunk.

So I stupidly stood at the bus stop on Market for 20 minutes until a lady pointed out  a sign indicating the delay. (Hello, Mr Mayor, there is a huge music festival going on in town and people need transport to get there!). I caught the Metro down to Van Ness, walked up to Haight Street and ended up catching the bus I would have caught had I waited in the original spot. Still the exercise was welcome. 

I was due to interview The Flatlanders at around 5.30pm (thanks to Cash Edwards for organising that).So everything hung around that. Cash is the Can Do publicist from Austin and it seems like she knows everybody. In fact, she does know everybody.

I should explain that there are six stages strung out along the park, with the walk from the first to last taking about 10-12 minutes. The stages are all set in valleys, some larger than others. The Banjo stage must play host to at least 20,000 people but it is hard to know. What I do know is that there were a lot more here today than last year. (Later, someone said there were 200,000!). 

I arrived in time to hear some of Guy Clark with Verlon Thompson as I made my way to the Star Stage to see Roger Knox & The Pine Valley Cosmonauts Present The Aboriginal Country & Western Songbook, helped by Jon Langford and Sally Timms. Unfortunately, Knox was not able to be there having been refused admission to the USA. Jon Langford explained this, but not the reason for the refusal, and filed in as best he could. There were some of the songs that Knox was to perform and The Sadies made a guests appearance. Next it was Okkervill River who were impressive on the Towers of Gold stage, the last in line.  

Dave Alvin & The Guilty Women were on the Star Stage and I watched all of what was a compellingly good set. Cindy Cashdollar was terrific on steel guitar. I watched half a set from the Ol’ 97s who gave a welcome blast of country rock, half of Nick Lowe’s charming set, some of the Songwriters Workshop with Steve Earle, Allsion Moorer, Tom Morello and Dar Williams. No wonder my feet were starting to ache, I was covering more ground than the early settlers (as my Dad used to say).

It was a thrill meeting and interviewing The Flatlanders – Joe, Jimmie and Butch – they obviously have great affection for one another. Joe remembers Jimmy Barnes and sends his best wishes. I watched 40 minutes of their set, which promises great things if they ever tour Australia. Then I walked down to watch World Party and found Karl Wallinger in trio format, fighting the cold wind which periodically blew swathes of dust across the stage. I saw the final few songs of Robert Earl Keen who was brilliant – even did a cover of Cream’s ‘White Room’! Finally, heard Steve Earle and The Bluegrass Dukes as I made my way to the bus stop.

I ran into Margaret again and we decided not to waste time waiting and caught a cab to Haight where I planned to have dinner at my favourite Cuban restaurant Cha Cha Cha. The entree dish of prawns was sensational and made up for having to wait half an hour and then having to eat at the bar.

By the time I got back to the hotel I was exhausted. Had a shower, climbed into bed and slept a full 8 hours!