Valley Fiesta 2009

Originally uploaded by Aleks and the Ramps

Denim Owl Self Portrait from stage at Valley Fiesta, Brisbane 2009.

It may be revenge for Slo-Mo’s remix of ‘Destroy the Universe with Jazz Hands’ (on the single of the same song, to be released digitally this coming week) - or it could be some other mysterious force of animal rivalry. This Thursday, in Melbourne, Brain Cobra goes head to head with Slo-Mo Speedboat at Kent St Café in Smith Street, accompanied by the dancing pixels of Jean Poole. How much EventideTimeFactor can you handle?

9:30-11pm. Free and easy.

Also appearing: Siadatz (8:30-9:30), Civilized Machine (8-8:30). Presented by Plug’n'play.

Hey, boring internet.  We have a show on Saturday.  Halloween, so get scary!

pooOOOOooosterrrrrr

Thanks heaps to Darren, Leigh, Anne, Sarah, Hannah, Tom, Lou, Tutts, Cam, Katie, Greg and all others who accommodated us in Sydney and Brisbane, tolerated our middle-of-the-night spider hunts, witnessed police brutality with us and so much more!

We played at Oxford Art Factory in Sydney last night. It was okay. The security wouldn’t let people in so not many got to see us play. Best things about the night were Megastick Fanfare and Annehelena’s 20th birthday.

Today, we’re in Brisbane, getting ready to play at the Valley Fiesta tonight. We have spent most of the day freaking out in a mad hurry, toasting in the sun, designing posters and writing stuff and busting deadlines. A bit stressful. Preparing for our single launch next week, you see. Saturday - Halloween - night in Melbourne.

Anyway. There’s no daylight savings here. I’m typing on my phone. Very sleepy. Missing home. More later, I say.

As of now, the banjo isn’t part of the ramps set up anymore. It’s been replaced by a homemade gaffa-tape-beast of an instrument that is unruly and unpredictable.

Just occurred to me that the only Patrick Swazye films I’ve seen are Donnie Darko and The Outsiders. Yep that’s right, never seen Dirty Dancing, Point Break or Ghost.

The cast for The Outsiders is fucken nuts, Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon, Tom Cruise, Rob Low and Emilio Estevez all pre-stardom and pimply and awkward. Oh and Ralph Macchio too.

Plus Tom Waits. And Sofia Coppola.

Yikes.

Donnie Darko was, in my opinion, a big stinking pile of wank with a petite little turd perched on top.

Speaking of movies, finally got around to seeing The Conformist the other night. Fucken aaaaaace.

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unwrap sorely.
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alder fulcra.
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smith dumpy veil paw?
scarf lights thirty.
limes demean endive.
alder eager booty serve?
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fulcra caul.
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cermet alder elves eager!
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cape trail acrid passe?
boxing rouse recede elvish?
rouse for.
badger elbow.
spruce belie secede dumpy.
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serve clog recede minnow.
unwrap brat temple gladly.
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peep boxing menses booty!

Dear automated spammers and occasional human readers,

We’re currently setup in a secret hideaway - a huge warehouse in Melbourne’s Northern suburbs, sprawling and epic in its emptiness. We’re here to work on new things, refine old ones, and cook up surprises.

Okay - back to secret activities. Bye now!

ps. I listened to Dub Housing (Pere Ubu), finally, after years of hearing that it’s awesome. Didn’t like it. Damn - I was really hoping to find something new to become obsessed with. And all those bands who say they’re influenced by Pere Ubu / that record? I’m not hearing it!

1. We finished our tour of album launchings.

2. Mixylodian went home after near-miss attempts on his life by peanuts.

3. Black Wasp went to the outback.

4. Flying Diamonds, will you please send me those fonts?

5. It’s raining, and the sky is a beautiful yellowy-grey, and I can see neon signage that resembles red chillies.

6. Extreme Wheeze remains somewhere in Europe.

7. Raining, soggy city.

Thao Du took some photographic measurements at Friday night’s show, the results of which can be viewed here on scientific research site “Flickr”. An unexpected outcome of these measurements - consistent however with previous findings - is that the entity ‘Black Wasp’ is undetectable in the compounds Ramps (Ra) and Mixylodian (Ml).

Here we are at the end of the Midnight Believer national launch tour extravaganza. It’s a little hard to figure out what to do with yourself once the show is over and the party has died down. Go back to work I guess, try to remember a few good stories for your colleagues’ entertainment, start planning the next tour, next gig, next rehearsal, whatever keeps you feeling like a productive and worthwhile member of society.

Ugh, that’s all a bit boring though isn’t it? Better you believe that post tour The Ramps climb into their interstellar spacecraft, put on little tighty-whiteys and singlets like in Alien and enter hyper-sleep for the long trip to the next gig…..

Of course we did just perform in Adelaide for the first time and for a lovely, psyched and adoring hometown crowd here in Melbourne. So let’s hear about that!

Thursday morning at 615am I awoke and got the bus to Ramp HQ. I was the only person on the bus not wearing Hi-Vis work wear and felt decidedly out of place. There was also no heating on the bus and I was not properly attired for such frigid conditions as space in the van was paramount to the warmth and comfort provided by extra clothing. Upon arriving at Ramp super secret headquarters I found Aleks and Janita gone(to get the hire car – GOOD), Joe and Mike asleep(BAD) and Jon non-existent(in a quantum universe existence is a tenuous thing!). After much haranguing I managed to get everyone up, pack the gear and we hit the road(and the western ring road traffic) at about 9am. We made good time to Adelaide, listening to Neko Case, Je Suis Animal, Paul McCartney and episode after episode of our beloved Radiolab.

Upon arrival in Adelaide we sought out the Backpackers we were booked to stay at, and then FOOD! While Jon and I were driving about town to pick up a drum kit, the other Ramps found a halfway decent sushi train on Glenelg street and we ate many tiny plates of sushi, sashimi, edamame and chocolate pudding. We also used the train as a makeshift camera dolly, Best. Idea. Ever.

The show was at the Jade Monkey, one of the nicer venues we have ever played, with Zeal(aka Bob) as support. Sound was great(thanks J), Zeal was awesome, playing his guitar hero guitar as some kind of USB controller. We played okay, but were so god damned tired. I hope it didn’t show(apparently not, see review HERE . The crowd seemed to dig it and we made a few new friends.

We managed to get about 4.5 hours sleep before jumping back in the Tarago for the drive home. Breakfast was inedible muffins from IGA, followed by Subway(for Joe and myself). The rest of the day was spent with varying degrees of restless leg syndrome and gastric pain in the cramped confines of the van.

Thanks to A 630AM WAKE UP, BUT NO THANKS TO A 25 MINUTE (accidental caps) potato cake stop 60kms out of Melbourne(WTF guys!) we made it to Roxanne in reasonably good time for sound check, which took hours……. But by the end things were sounding great and we were all ready for some serious showering, eating and general chilling out before show time, which was….

Bloody Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

Best Melbourne show yet! Thank you so much to everyone who made it along, sung, shouted, danced and spazzed the fuck out! The smile plastered across Mike’s face after his and our sets was priceless. I’m so happy we managed to play one really mega show while he was here.

So from me, Flying Diamonds, and the rest of The Ramps,(who may well write their own entries) massive hugs, kisses and well wishing to all those people whose houses we invaded, gear we molested, food we ate and minds we destroyed. Until next time, adieu!