Music Stuff.

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From my early teenage years I have loved music and for a while I wanted to work in "the industry" for a living.  I first started playing bass guitar and eventually learned enough to start playing in bands (see Loudmouth).  Around the same time, I also got involved in a community FM radio station which was just starting (CREW FM, now known as 3WAY FM).  I presented several shows with my friends and a few shows of my own.  It was great fun playing punk music on the radio in a place where it hadn't been done before, especially as a 16 year old.

After school, I started going to university and was asked to stand for election as the Activities Officer for the Student Union.  I was elected and began to book bands (among other things).  This required me to work with booking agencies and after changing from an Accounting degree to a Public Relations/Communications degree, was able to do my Public Relations internship at a Melbourne booking agency.

I must've done something right, because they offered me a job, and by that time, I hated Public Relations (it is a tool of the corporations: it is a method of mind control/brainwashing as admitted by Edward Bernays).  So I didn't bother with my final two subjects and moved to the big smoke and started working in the music industry.  It was fun and had it's perks.

After a year I decided to move on, but in that time I had started helping out my new friends in the big city who shared my passion for music (bands like Steadfast, Wrong Body, Providence, One Inch Punch (later Mid Youth Crisis)).  With a bit of luck I got to organise the Melbourne leg of a tour for Propagandi and All You Can Eat in 1994, although it wasn't smooth sailing.  But soon after, Fat Wreck Chords contacted me to say No Use For a Name wanted to come to Australia, so me and my friends (Sean and Greg amongst others) set up another tour.

This time I was the "Tour Manager" and drove them around, after which they were apparently pretty happy with the work I had done, and wanted me to got to Europe with them in a few months time.  They headed back to the States for a tour opening for The Offspring, and halfway through it, rang me to ask nme to fly over to finish it with them, so I did, and then continued on to Europe with them and Good Riddance.

What can I say.  It was fun, yet at times rough, but one hell of a learning experience. Anyway, after that, I did started doing more tour managing/merchandise selling/roadie type stuff for my friends bands (One Inch Punch and Bodyjar) and in that role, got to tour with a few US bands which they were touring with (such as Lagwagon).

I organised a few more tours, such as Millencolin and No Fun At All as well as the Melbourne leg for another All You Can Eat tour and the Melbourne bit for Spitboy, Yawp!! and SNFU.

I worked for One Foot Records for a little while too.

Here in Australia, we don't have the large population to support the music industry like they do in America or Europe.  Over there you can tour almost constantly and be playing to new people all the time.  After the third week over here, you're doing the rounds.  To make a living out of it in Australia is pretty hard, even harder if you don't want to deal with some arsehole industry person/venue operator who will scew you over a the first chance they get.

I was lucky in that I was able to spend the majority of my time working with friends and like minded people and the only times I didn't enjoy my work was when I encountered people who were greedy; with large egos and power craves etc -  the ones who screw others around for money.

I still enjoy music a hell of a lot, and I believe that great things can be achieved through music - music is inspirational.  In fact if it wasn't for music, I don't think I would have come across the information that is responsible for making me what I am today.  I certainly look forward to playing live again (whenever that'll be), and I got a kick out of watching a crowd of people enjoying themselves at a gig I've helped organise - the Propagandhi tour was excellent for that.

I'm now back in Warrnambool and I'm back on the community radio station, 3WAY FM, presenting a show called The Nude Bomb (after the (crappy) Get Smart movie).  I mostly talk now, with a few track to break it up.  The show deals with all the sorts of stuff I have on the "Truth" section of my website.

Anyway, to those of you who have read some of the information in the "Truth" section of my website, you may realise that many of the bands listed below actually deal with the same or very similar issues.

If you haven't looked at the rest of my website, and are interested in the issues/topics dealt with by many bands in the "punk" genre, may I suggest you do so.

I know that a lot of people don't want to deal with certain issues or simply can't see things from certain perspectives (not because of ignorance, but because they may not have had the expeceriences needed to do so). I was like that too and I'll be blowed if I can remember what it was that opened my eyes.

But now my eyes have been opened wide (sometimes I think too wide).  I know for a fact that all our lives could be so much better, which is why I have stood as a candidate (independent of course - D.I.Y. - the way to go) for State and Federal elections.  I think that most of the bands below would be aware of what I'm trying to achieve with that.

Some interesting words regarding the Beatles...

An opinion on the music industry - from Refused.

Mid Youth Crisis Harcore with melody (Melbourne).	Propagandhi Canadian. Punk. Political. Social commentary.  The best.	Christ on a crutch A seriously hard band.
Loudmouth What's the point of having a website if you can't put your own band on it?		Spackhead tours. Details on past tours organised by Spackhead.

	The Buzzcocks:  One of the first punk bands that I listened to, and still one of my favourites.
	Stiff Little Fingers:  Another of the firstpunk bands that I listened to.  Also the first band I became aware of with a "hard, aggressive" edge.
	Citizen Fish:A great English ska based band - cool relaxedand upbeat tunes, and they sing about shit that matters.  Lots offun live too.
	The Spermbirds: A German band with anAmerican singer.  Real punk, real attitude, real good ...  Also with positive lyrics.
	Sick Of It All: NewYork Hardcore.  Lots of energy, great "positive" lyrics and excellent live.  "Lookdeep inside, for the cure to what ails mankind, Look deep inside, we'vegot to live a more righteous life, Look deep inside, can't change the world,But you can change yourself."
	Consolidated: Anactivist recording and performing project, drawing on influences including rock, hip-hop, jazz, techno, noise and blues.  Lyrics that'll really make you think.
	H-Block 101: Excellent Melbourne band in the ska/punk/rock vein with a social conscience.  "My favourite Australian band". a privilage now shared with Identity Theft.
	Identity Theft: Melbourne band.  Ex MYC/Silpheed.  Hardcore, melody, rhythym. "Joint Australian favourite".  Not just because they named their CD EP New World Odour.  Great lyrics, great music, great live, great band.
	Mr Dibbs: Hip-hop DJ.  One website said he was one of the top five DJ's in the world. I think he has worked under a few names (Presage/1200 Hobos).  His music has cools samples about the New World Order, although you wouldn't realise this from his website.
	Gamma Ray:Metal band featuring ex members of Helloween.  They make it to this list for their songs about the New World Order.  The song New World Order is a metal classic (as far as I'm concerned - mind you I never was a big metal fan)
	Refused:The album THE SHAPE OF PUNK TO COME is amazing.  A great mix of punk/harcore and electronic music, with brilliant lyrics.

28 Days: Cross between Hardcore and Emo?  Sort of like Civ. (Melbourne).

All You Can Eat:  They may suck, but they suck internationally. And they've been there to prove it.  Check out the tour page as well.

AVO:Early80's type hardcore band from Sydney.

Beanflipper:Purveyors of the pot smokers grind, heavily influenced by hardcore and metal (Melbourne).

Blitz Babiez Melodicpunk (Sydney).

Bodyjar: Skate/pop/punk from Melbourne.

Chumbawumba: English anarchist pop/punk.

Crank:If you like music punchy and your curry hot, then you should definitelycheck these (Sydney) guys out.

The Dead Kennedys:  Anti-corporate etc poltical punk legends.

DisruptYouth:  Hardcore punk from Brisbane, Australia.  Dave (drummer) from my old band Loudmouthused to be in them.

The Dwarves:  Full on and ribald.  Punk rock legends.

The Gorilla Biscuits:  Great New York hardcore.

Hindsight: Crazy bunch of blokes from Ye Olde Sydney town, Australia. They play different paced punk/rock/hardcore.

I Spy:

Loin Groin: Anexcellent ska band from Melbourne.  Great to see live (although Ihaven't seen them with their new singer).

Lunasa:Traditional Irish music.

M.D.C.:  Excellent hardcore band.  Blow your mind away with power, speed and great lyrics.

Millencolin: Swedish pop/punk/skate/ska band.

Mindsnare:An intense mix of aggressive new-school hardcore and power riffing fromMelbourne (Vic).

Mutiny:FolkPunk (Melbourne).

Nine Nine Nine (999):  Another late 70's UK band that were one of the first punk bands I started listening to.

No Use For A Name:  From California, U S of A.

Piffen Yonnies:from Warrnambool,Victoria.  Bass, drums and sax.

Quicksand:  From New York.  Excellent.

Raw Power:  Amazing Italian hardcore band.  Their "Screams from the gutter" LP is a must have!

Shelter:  Krsna hardcore from New York.  Lyrics worth reading.

Slap'N' the Cats: A Warrnambool, Victoria psycho/rockabilly band.

Snuff:Snuff said!

Toe to Toe: Australia's premier hardcore band (from Sydney).

Tukan Sam: "Chickrock" from my home town of Warrnambool.  Winners of JJJ FM's Unearthedcompetition for this area.

Ultimatum:Vegan Straight-Edge from Melbourne.
 
 

G-7 Welcoming Committee We are an independent media outlet whose main function is to produce and distribute music by and/or for people working for radical social change. Featuring Propagandhi, I Spy, Consolidated, The Weakenthans, But Alive, Rhythym Activism and Noam Chomsky amongst others.	Punkbands.com A list of heaps of punk bands.	Censored Thought Showcasing lots of Aussie punk bands.
Lucky Garage Records An indie label from  San Francisco who put out a 7" by the fabulous Wrong Body.		World Wide Punk It's exactly what it says! A list of heaps of punk bands.