So we’ve been wanting to let you loose on the best possible epicurean adventure you can take in Perth on a Thursday night for some time now, but, well, there’s only so many seats in a small café and the Tanner family’s incredible entertaining ability has become exceedingly popular on its own merit. By day, Boucla serves up an appetising array of Greek morsels alongside what could well be the best caffeine you’ll find on the Western half of Australia. Come Thursday evening at 6pm, however..
“Around 858 AD, in a small village slightly west of Constantinople, lived a humble stone mason who spent his evenings meticulously crafting together his own broth recipes. He had spent long hours leaning over hot stockpots, delicately and methodically fusing different mixes of stocks and exotic spices and herbs, and, although developing an injurious hunchback, would not stop until the broths reached remarkable perfection. It was not until a deadly plague engulfed his village that the man, in fear of losing his recipes, etched them into stone, hoping that they will one day be rediscovered.”
As you’ve probably gathered by now, soup is the centre-point of the evening; damn good soup. With the menu rotated each week, the tastes on offer never fail to leave us thinking of the masterful hands which prepare them. If you’re concerned about price, you needn’t be - it’s very reasonable - and as an added bonus for those of us who like to indulge without destroying the wallet, Boucla is BYO wine.
Although you’ll only have a couple more chances to experience the exotic comforts of Soup Night before arriving at its weather-induced conclusion, you’ll be happy to know the concept will be evolving into an equally as good, if not better, weekly Summer event very soon. So what gastronomic journeys are we in for from here? You’ll have to head on down this Thursday night and ask one of the lovely staff to find that one out..
+ PERTH (every Thursday, 6 till 10.30pm at Boucla / 349 Rokeby Road, Subiaco / [08] 9381 2841)
// photos by Phillip Caspar James
// WORDS CARE OF SC TAYLOR // 6 October, 2008
Pop quiz, hot shot: When a person creates something, do they set out to make art or to make money? Or are the two goals not mutually exclusive?
In our awesome age of buying stuff we don’t need, art is big business. In its commoditisation art inevitably takes on new meanings. Without Money There Is No Love, curated by Veronica Tello is an exhibition that presents varied works from eleven contributors: Andrew Atchison, Martin Bell, Exquisite Features, Christopher-David Bril, Kelly Doley, Jeremy Drape, Romy Hoffman, Annika Koops, Hidde van Schie and Tape Projects. The artists examine the meanings, associations and values attributed to both DIY and commercial aesthetics inside and outside art markets.
But for an innocent bystander who doesn’t have the money to pay for public transport or bread let alone a piece of art, the exhibition offers an intimate insight into the local creative community and the perceptions of aesthetics within it. A community that fosters the serenely poised photography of Tran and Drape while also fostering the expansive craft endeavours of Bril and the similarly expansive installation work of Hoffman. The works differ greatly in all aspects, but ultimately they all articulate the act of negotiation that occurs when an artist creates for a certain arena. The lo-fi or DIY aesthetics employed to some extent by all of the artists are seemingly at odds with the often difficult and elitist arena that is the art market.
So the world’s economy falls apart and we’re standing on the threshold of a — hopefully zombie infested — century that will have us re-evaluate whatever it is that we value. We will be forced, if we haven’t already, to consider what value we place on art and on money and what the relationship between the two is, particularly in regards to the reconciliation of non-commercial aesthetics in an increasingly commercial world.
// WORDS CARE OF RICHARD STEPHEN // 3 October, 2008
You know you’re at a music festival when the sun has turned the back of your neck a charming shade of red, your shoes are caked with dirt (or better yet, mud) and the best parts of your day are spent desperately texting friends while walking what seems like miles across parched earth and dead grass to wait in line for warm beer followed by nasty toilets.
Fortunately for Melbournians, Mistletone Records know how to throw a party with enough bands to slake any appetite and an atmosphere of relaxed entertainment that surpasses any festival. They proved this with Winter Tones in August. On a cold winter night in the bowels of Roxanne, an enthusiastic crowd gathered to be treated to several hours of musical splendour sans burning sun, dusty ground and Australian flags fashioned with class as capes.
The music will again be flowing all afternoon and well into the night at Spring Tones at The Tote. Kes will open the festivities with a solo show and melodic treats for the ears can also be expected from other local acts including Aleks & the Ramps and The Motifs and more. The event ends with Lucky Dragons, all the way from Los Angeles. The band’s experimental pop ditties (think The Books and Animal Collective) never fail to reveal a cleverly constructed beauty. And with the promise of “unbridled communal freak-outs” at the band’s live shows, who are we to resist? Hands out of your pockets and move like a serpent, boy!
The aural treats are coupled with the promise of a free vegan BBQ in everybody’s favourite beer garden. Meat-eating friends will of course also be catered for. And we can expect discounted Mistletone goods at the merch table.
It is testament to the strength of the local music scene, and the enthusiasm and commitment of the good folks at Mistletone, that an event like this exists. Come Monday morning we won’t have the misanthropic urges that swell after a festival experience. But, if Winter Tones was any indication, we will have a longing for the summer months and hopefully another seasonal offering of live goodness from Mistletone.
+ MELBOURNE (Sunday, 5 October at The Tote, Collingwood)
// photo courtesy Lucky Dragons
// WORDS CARE OF RICHARD STEPHEN // 30 September, 2008
Seeing so many of my wonderfully gifted young friends give up on their creative endeavours is pretty fucking horrible. It’s not through poor skills or a lack of passion that sees these individuals perish. Not even pragmatic visions of the easy road to financial security are tempting enough to put out their fires; it’s an inability to find confidence in dismantling the values they so beautifully oppose. It’s unusual for me to be reading the words of a scientist, let alone quoting one, but when a nail is hit so squarely on the head…
“There are children playing in the street who could solve some of my top problems in Physics, because they have modes of sensory perception that I lost long ago.”
- J. Robert Oppenheimer
01 Glory To The World [El Perro Del Mar]
02 The Low Murderer Is Out At Night [Low Motion Disco]
03 First Communion [Gang Gang Dance]
04 Pillow Talk [Quiet Village]
05 Yègellé Tezeta [Mulatu Astatke]
06 Something On Your Mind [Karen Dalton]
Never mind switching on the LHC as a potential apocalyptic catalyst.. The motherfucking Gaslamp Killer is coming to Australia and will no doubt rip a quavering, sonic hole in the time space continuum. Reputed for his next level performances involving obscure blends of psych, hip hop, jazz, Indian, eastern funk and so called ‘helicopter breaks’, it is often said that he is like nothing seen or heard before. Clearly possessing an extensive knowledge of the sound spectrum, the Gaslamp Killer is quite certainly at home behind the turntables, where he is usually seen rocking out like a wild animal. Through intricate cuts and precise navigation, crowds are taken on cosmic, freak out journeys, resonating in to a realm of bizarre psychedelia.
Originally from San Diego, the Gaslamp Killer (aka William Bensussen) is now based in Los Angeles where he has quickly gained notoriety as a DJ extraordinaire from his legendary sets at parties and as a resident at Low End Theory. He has performed with the likes of Kode 9, MF DOOM and the Thievery Corporation and also recorded with Flying Lotus and Gonjasufi. Obey Records have just released his I Spit On Your Grave full length release, following the acclaimed It’s a Rocky Road mix. Needless to say, this is one crate digger whose neck snapping, dubbed out performances you will not want to miss.
+ SYDNEY (Thursday, 2 October at The Civic Underground)
+ MELBOURNE (Friday, 3 October at Miss Libertine)
+ PERTH (Saturday, 4 October at Devilles Pad)
// photo courtesy the artist
// WORDS CARE OF CAMRYN ROTHENBURY // 20 September, 2008
There’s no question about it, the guys at Modular Records are marketing geniuses. Handel’s Sarabande as a backing track to ecstasy-induced swooning is enough to make any kid sign their life away to a promotional machine. We did. Having Universal Music as a fallback has catalysed their artists to heights rarely seen within the Australian music industry. At the same time, appealing to an audience which is inherently against the direction they’re slowing easing themselves into will inevitably raise questions over artistic integrity. I mean, the new Presets album was advertised on TV. Maybe that was a dream, I can’t really remember..
All this is slightly concerning, yeah, but luckily for Modular’s latest act Tame Impala - they’re pretty fucking rad. Snapped up after a rumoured bidding war, the kids from Perth have been catapulted straight to the centre of expectation, receiving ‘next big thing’ accolades from every direction imaginable. While the label’s comparisons to Can and their epic soul-search-inducing sound are pretty far from accurate, I can’t deny that Tame Impala make me want to dance; dance like a fiend.
They’re playing a whole swag of shows in the near future (way too many to list here) so head on over to their Myspace page for a full rundown.
// photo by Teapot
// WORDS CARE OF SC TAYLOR // 17 September, 2008
LYNCH, the documentary, offers a rare and intimate look into the many facets of the art and the mind of cult film director David Lynch.
This observational style documentary was filmed over two years, spanning from the pre-production to the post-production phases of Lynch’s latest release INLAND EMPIRE. The film reveals David Lynch as a man whose imagination and sense of creativity only continues to grow with time, as his increasingly more experimental approach to filming techniques and narrative would indicate. His fascination with the seedy underside of a seemingly perfect world remains a strong current throughout his work.
The director of the documentary lived with Lynch in his home for this lengthy period, capturing over 700 hours worth of footage. The unobtrusive style in which he is recorded allows us to witness Lynch in his most inspired and vibrant states, and also during his extremely tender and vulnerable moments, giving the audience a sense of unmediated access to his world.
We are treated to rare glimpses of the man at home, painting, sculpting, recording his famous daily address to his online subscribers, experimenting with sound, and working in his underground workshop. Lynch displays his fervour for telling stories with a nightmarish quality as he vividly recounts experiences from his past, as a child and as an art student in Philadelphia. Lynch also affirms the importance he places on the practice of transcendental meditation in his creative process, referring to the experience as being in a state of ‘pure being’ where he is able to dive into an ‘ocean of unbounded creativity’.
A must see for all fans of the director and artist, LYNCH is a beautifully crafted documentary that certainly does it’s subject justice. As David Lynch would say, ‘the proof is in the pudding’.
+ MELBOURNE (Thursday, 25 September to Sunday, 28 September at ACMI) - BUY TICKETS
+ PERTH (Friday, 26 September at The Astor Cinema, Mount Lawley) - BUY TICKETS
// WORDS CARE OF MIRANDA MENZIES // 14 September, 2008
01 Bolan Muppets [Glissandro 70]
02 Rain, Sidewalk [Tom Verlaine]
03 Rock On [David Essex]
04 Lady (four-track demo) [Chromantics]
05 Histoire À Suivre [The Honeymoon Killers]
06 Sugar Shack [Jimmy Gilmer]
Earning seminal status as DJ is an honour reserved for a select few; John Peel, Larry Levan, Ron Hardy, Afrika Bambaata, Jeff Mills.. With our laughable famous-in-a-day zeitgeist rolling laptop-superstars off the production line every second week, and, in a way, democratising the music industry, the journey to the top with respect intact is more challenging than it’s ever been before. Ignoring production efforts, it’s safe to say that Tim Sweeney may just be that seminal figure for the early twenty-first century.
Moving to New York in 1999, Sweeney enrolled himself as a student of music technology at New York University. It was here that he began broadcasting the now widely known and loved program, Beats In Space. Not long after this, through several chance encounters, Sweeney earned himself internships with hip-hop icon Steinski and at James Murphy’s formative record label, DFA, allowing him access to some of dance music’s most influential minds.
In 2008 Sweeney now shares his deep basket of sounds, full-time, with the entire world. This October sees him heading down under to do just that, and just quietly, we’re pretty pumped.
+ Brisbane (Friday, 17 October at The Empire)
+ Melbourne (Saturday, 18 October at The Toff In Town)
+ Canbera (Friday, 24 October at TBA)
+ Sydney (Saturday, 25 October at HAHA Industries)
// photo by Dominika Debska
// WORDS CARE OF SC TAYLOR // 8 September, 2008
The latest issue of Chris Barton’s Won Magazine has just been released. Continuing its solidification as Australia’s finest print offering, this issue pulls its readers as far left as any local commercial title has ever dared. Considering the fact that no one pays a cent for it, the efforts of those involved are that much more commendable.
This issue sees work and contributions from Nicola Pecoraro, Brendan Huntley, George Mouratidis, Amanda Maxwell, Ed Grothus, Nick Mangan, Kain Picken & Rob McKenzie, Jonathan Sceats, Patrick Griffin, The Outer Publishing, Robert Cook, Theo Jansen, Conor O’Brien, Bob Nickas, Peter Sutherland, Warwick Baker, Christopher Day, Thomas Jeppe, Jack Mannix, Shauna T, Sarah Larnach and Kiah GM.
Pick yourself up a copy at one of these distribution points before it’s too late!
