Monday, March 14, 2011
Interview with David Miller, vocalist with Hollow
Click the title of this post to go whizzing through cyberspace to where the interview is posted....just noticed a few typos in the transcript but it in no way reflects my professionalism as a journalist.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
42 Degrees South - 2006 Gerwurztraminer - Frogmore Creek Wines
I've never tasted anything like this before (in a good way)! It's fantastic; slight acidity, citrus twangs....I'm quite blown away...shame I'll probably never find another bottle of it ever again...will have to jump onto their website (www.frogmorecreek.com.au) and order some more. Truly invigorating!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Interview with Colin Cadell from Schoenberg Automaton - Part 2
So the guys have been together for just over 3 months; they've released a demo and have been gigging in Brisbane and interstate. Here's the next part of the interview:
A.P: Interests other than music?
C.C: Film. I obsess over cameras & optics, film cameras, photography cameras, movies and the aesthetics of films. Any aspect of film - I’m pretty fanatical about. Which is what I think gives the vocals that I do with this band [Schoenberg] a lot of differentiation from what I’ve previously done. Apex [Null] was always very sci-fi themed and a bit out there because we were a lot proggier, and it was just fun to write. With Cross The Lips I was singing someone else’s lyrics as well as the ones I wrote; because of the genre & the medium it was fitting into I tended to write a lot more very abrasive, straight up, harsh & offensive lyrics because that’s more the way I felt how it should be expressed and more what people within that genre would prefer to listen to. Well, I know I do when I listen to that particular niche...
With Schoenberg my biggest influences are probably people like Kurt Vonnegut (author of Slaughterhouse Five, Cat’s Cradle), Brett Easton Ellis...and then add to that the images from a lot of Japanese filmmaking such as Takashi Mike, Akira Kurosawa and Shion Sono. People like that who pushing that extreme envelope in Japan but still keeping some taste to it. The lyrics have ended up being a lot more psychological and a lot more thought out. I often set out not to repeat lines in any of the songs, other than maybe a word that might be repeated because it’s the same rhythm build.
A.P: If someone chucked you a bunch of money and told you to make a video for one of your songs, how would it look?
C.C: It would be odd. I think bands when they’re starting out should focus on doing something so experimentally weird that they’re not even involved with the video; almost like a short film –I’d love to do that but having said that I’d kind of like our first one to be a performance type thing...
A.P: Well, people do like to get their faces out there...
C.C: Exactly, and people want to see the band on the first video because they don’t even have a clue what the band looks like when they’re playing.
A.P; You could always do a T.I.S.M and play with masks on...
C.C: Because we’re monstrous fans of games like Bioshock, a cool thing would be something like us falling into a massive lake, then coming up out of the water and then wandering out onto a beach with all the equipment set up, and then start playing. It would kind of fun and silly. It could combine the mystery of the opening scenes of Bioshock; and as people have seen with our artwork aesthetic; there’s a lot of bio-mechanical/steam punk influence. We’re really into the whole idea of robots that look really worn out and used up, like they’re incremental to the environment as opposed to being created for a purpose...
A.P: Sound like a good description of humans...the artwork I’ve seen so far almost reminds me of art nouveau and the movie Metropolis...
C.C: A lot of our aesthetic comes from Shane & my obsession with art-deco (laughs), which people find kind of weird because we’re people in their mid-twenties, living in Brisbane and playing death metal...we like it because it’s so quirky and it looks wrong. Cool but wrong.
A.P: There’s something inherently stylish about it too.
C.C: That’s the thing; they had so many ‘off’ angles and disgusting shapes but at the end of it, it looks so much more human and creative than something you’d see now. Everything now looks like a fucking ipod commercial; polished to buggery and what are you doing at the end of it? You’ve got the same product...now it’s pretty much just a case of what label do you want to buy; what label looks coolest to you – and that’s not for us. We really want an aesthetic that is ‘us’, which is something that I think a lot of bands have lost.
When I was 13, listening to bands like Pantera & Slayer, I thought it was awesome. Slayer had that aesthetic of (adopts comedy metal growl) ‘We’re all about warfare and Satan’, and they looked pissed off and it worked. Pantera – dudes claimed to be massive party rednecks; all their videos – party rednecks. They had this aesthetic and they went with it. We don’t want to portray ourselves as something we can’t be.
A.P: But you don’t want to get yourselves locked into a category?
C.C: No, no...which is why we keep that robotic side to it, with the bio-shock and the steam punk; having those semi-organic robots. We can progress the image if we want to.
A.P: Or retrogress?
C.C: Exactly. Whose to say with the album we don’t go forward 300 years and all of a sudden it’s Blade Runner style cyber-punk? The aesthetic will still be very similar but the key lines and definitions will change. But it won’t change the way the band looks as an aesthetic image; it will just be a different shape.
A.P: But what about how the band will sound?
C.C: Musically I don’t think it would change either, that’s what works so well for us; if we had that image in play as we do now, it would still work because you would still have those weird, old fashioned bits coming in with the mechanical and very modern parts. While we like to have progression in our music, we also like to have progression with the aesthetic of the band as well. There’s nothing worse than seeing a band constantly with the same aesthetic and mentality, writing the same music. Everything should be progressing somewhat.
A.P: ‘Should’ being the operative word; people feel safe with what they know...
C.C: That’s it. If you’re having the same aesthetic with every album but the music is only changing differentially then you’re going to start losing fans.
A.P: Well, if you don’t change then you stagnate. But then again look at Motorhead – they haven’t really changed their ‘formula’ for 30 years...and they’re still fucking awesome.
C.C: But they hold true to their aesthetic. Lemmy is rock and roll. There is no other way to describe the man. He is rock and roll in essence.
A.P: You talk very eloquently; I can imagine you being interviewed on the telly by some famous person.
C.C: It probably sounds obnoxious but I do feel more comfortable talking about myself.
A.P: It’s a subject that you know well.
C.C: (laughs) Yeah, I find it a lot easier talking about myself as opposed to trying to bullshit about something else.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Brown Brothers Dolcetta & Syrah 2010
Quite sweet & quite fruity...wouldn't want to go overboard with it...
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Alternative Spirituality in Brisbane
If you’re bored with the big three religions (Buddhism, Christianity & Islam) and fancy dipping your toe into the waters of alternative spirituality, there are plenty of options available to you. A quick search of the internet will reveal the usual suspects in Brisbane; Anglicanism, Catholicism, even Russian Orthodox and Hinduism, but a deeper search reveals some of the more ‘unorthodox’ spiritual paths including the Rosicrucians, the Kabbalists, and Thelemites, as well as many others. This article will focus on the Law of Thelema but you can easily find (and contact) many other different religious organisations through the wonders of the internet and email.
Brisbane residents want more options when it comes to their choice of deity ; census data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics website reveals that in 2001 there were 9669 Brisbane residents who claimed to be members of ‘Other Religious Groups’ or with ‘Other Religious Affiliations’; in 2006 this had rocketed to 21,155. You can be sure that when the 2011 census data is released, these figures will have again increased significantly.
Thelemic spirituality has been around in one form or another for several hundred years but it was the Englishman Aleister Crowley (writer, poet and mountaineer were just a few of his titles) who organised the disjointed rabble into the spiritual army now known as Thelema. He organised the Thelemite’s spiritual path into a progressive series of grades and rewrote many of the rituals for the Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO), which roughly translates as the Order of the Temple of the East or Order of Oriental Templars. Crowley was described by the press of his day as ‘the wickedest man in the world’ but this shouldn’t put you off exploring the fascinating world of Thelema.
I would not claim to grasp all the complexities of Thelema but the essential tenet is “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law”. This does not condone random selfish behaviour to satisfy the ego, but instead urges the disciple to discover their true will and correct place within the universe through the use of ceremony and ritual.
Thelemites are often affiliated to lodges, not dissimilar to the Freemasons, and according to the OTO International Headquarters website there are lodges in over 17 countries worldwide including Australia, Japan, England and the United States.
Glenn Miller, 40, has been a member of the OTO since 2001. Previously a mason, he was “...doing some research on masonry and stumbled across it [the OTO’s website] and realised that the OTO was active in Australia.”
His attitude to Thelema? “It’s the only way to go.”
Glenn explained that the OTO has branches in all states excluding the Northern Territory and Tasmania, and that the Brisbane camp has just become a Grand Lodge in its own right which means that they are no longer reliant on the American head office in to hold records and carry out administration.
The Brisbane camp has 20 fee-paying members (Yes, there are fees to be paid but Glenn assured me that the benefits of being a full member far outweigh the monetary outlay) and they meet once or twice a month - sometimes more when they are ‘working a rite (ritual)’.
Unlike many other religious followers, Glenn is only too aware of Crowley’s shortcomings. “He was a product of his times, for all the talk of him being somewhat enlightened...he was a bit of everything and he also had a very strong trickster element as well...which is good; you don’t want it too dry.” he said.
Finding a balance between the monotonous grind of earning one’s daily bread and contemplation of one’s eternal godhead and inherent divinity is difficult at the best of times but Glenn stressed the importance of making a distinction and taking the time to create a space (either mentally or physically) for pursuits such as meditation and yoga. Another Brisbane OTO member spoke of the life/work balance “...as working in harmony. You can’t really have one without the other. You use your spiritual life to make your normal life work really well, and if your normal life is working well then usually your spiritual life works well too.” Speaking of his membership, he said “It was nothing like I expected but everything that I wanted.”
Unlike some of the fundamentalist branches of christianity, the Brisbane OTO camp do not openly preach on the streets or doorknock in an attempt to convert the wretched sinners. As Glenn put it : “like any other organisation, it needs a membership but we don’t go to the street corner and do the Hari Krishna drums or anything.”.
Another member described it as being “...a personal discovery but you come together as a group to discuss and learn and form opinions.”
Regarding membership and initiation, Glenn had these words; “A lot of people who join the OTO aren’t ready for it but the whole reason for joining the OTO is, theoretically, because you’re not ready...it’s to make yourself ready but again; if you’re not ready for it, it’s kind of nonsensical because it’s a big world that you’re opening up and it can overcomplicate your own situation [however]...it’s just an experience you’ll never have if you don’t do it.”
Bernie Ripoll, MP and Federal Member for Oxley expressed his pride in the religious diversity of Brisbane. He said “I like it, I actually think there’s a real place for diversity, and Australia is the perfect place for multiculturalism; it works; for multi-faith & multi-religious freedom of beliefs, and freedom of expression. It works; and here [Brisbane] it works better than anywhere else. Here people don’t just tolerate, they get on.”
So if your deity of choice is not delivering the goods, there are plenty of alternative options out there; and the OTO and the Thelemic way of life is just one spiritual path that you can opt to wander down.
http://www.southbank.edu.au/site/international/english/living/religion.asp
http://www.rosicrucian.org/
http://kabbalahaustralia.com/studygroups.html
http://www.thelema101.com/intro
http://altreligion.about.com/od/importanthistoricalpeople/p/crowley.htm
http://www.oto.org/
http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/ViewData?method=Location on Census Night&subaction=-1&producttype=QuickStats&areacode=305&action=401&collection=Census&textversion=false&breadcrumb=PL&period=2001&javascript=true&navmapdisplayed=true&
http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/ProductSelect?newproducttype=QuickStats&btnSelectProduct=View+QuickStats+%3E&collection=Census&period=2006&areacode=305&geography=&method=&productlabel=&producttype=&topic=&navmapdisplayed=true&javascript=true&breadcrumb=LP&topholder=0&leftholder=0¤taction=201&action=401&textversion=false
http://www.bernieripoll.com.au/
http://newspapers.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/home
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/bb8db737e2af84b8ca2571780015701e/bfdda1ca506d6cfaca2570de0014496e!OpenDocument
http://www.otoaustralia.org.au/
http://oto-usa.org/
Brisbane residents want more options when it comes to their choice of deity ; census data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics website reveals that in 2001 there were 9669 Brisbane residents who claimed to be members of ‘Other Religious Groups’ or with ‘Other Religious Affiliations’; in 2006 this had rocketed to 21,155. You can be sure that when the 2011 census data is released, these figures will have again increased significantly.
Thelemic spirituality has been around in one form or another for several hundred years but it was the Englishman Aleister Crowley (writer, poet and mountaineer were just a few of his titles) who organised the disjointed rabble into the spiritual army now known as Thelema. He organised the Thelemite’s spiritual path into a progressive series of grades and rewrote many of the rituals for the Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO), which roughly translates as the Order of the Temple of the East or Order of Oriental Templars. Crowley was described by the press of his day as ‘the wickedest man in the world’ but this shouldn’t put you off exploring the fascinating world of Thelema.
I would not claim to grasp all the complexities of Thelema but the essential tenet is “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law”. This does not condone random selfish behaviour to satisfy the ego, but instead urges the disciple to discover their true will and correct place within the universe through the use of ceremony and ritual.
Thelemites are often affiliated to lodges, not dissimilar to the Freemasons, and according to the OTO International Headquarters website there are lodges in over 17 countries worldwide including Australia, Japan, England and the United States.
Glenn Miller, 40, has been a member of the OTO since 2001. Previously a mason, he was “...doing some research on masonry and stumbled across it [the OTO’s website] and realised that the OTO was active in Australia.”
His attitude to Thelema? “It’s the only way to go.”
Glenn explained that the OTO has branches in all states excluding the Northern Territory and Tasmania, and that the Brisbane camp has just become a Grand Lodge in its own right which means that they are no longer reliant on the American head office in to hold records and carry out administration.
The Brisbane camp has 20 fee-paying members (Yes, there are fees to be paid but Glenn assured me that the benefits of being a full member far outweigh the monetary outlay) and they meet once or twice a month - sometimes more when they are ‘working a rite (ritual)’.
Unlike many other religious followers, Glenn is only too aware of Crowley’s shortcomings. “He was a product of his times, for all the talk of him being somewhat enlightened...he was a bit of everything and he also had a very strong trickster element as well...which is good; you don’t want it too dry.” he said.
Finding a balance between the monotonous grind of earning one’s daily bread and contemplation of one’s eternal godhead and inherent divinity is difficult at the best of times but Glenn stressed the importance of making a distinction and taking the time to create a space (either mentally or physically) for pursuits such as meditation and yoga. Another Brisbane OTO member spoke of the life/work balance “...as working in harmony. You can’t really have one without the other. You use your spiritual life to make your normal life work really well, and if your normal life is working well then usually your spiritual life works well too.” Speaking of his membership, he said “It was nothing like I expected but everything that I wanted.”
Unlike some of the fundamentalist branches of christianity, the Brisbane OTO camp do not openly preach on the streets or doorknock in an attempt to convert the wretched sinners. As Glenn put it : “like any other organisation, it needs a membership but we don’t go to the street corner and do the Hari Krishna drums or anything.”.
Another member described it as being “...a personal discovery but you come together as a group to discuss and learn and form opinions.”
Regarding membership and initiation, Glenn had these words; “A lot of people who join the OTO aren’t ready for it but the whole reason for joining the OTO is, theoretically, because you’re not ready...it’s to make yourself ready but again; if you’re not ready for it, it’s kind of nonsensical because it’s a big world that you’re opening up and it can overcomplicate your own situation [however]...it’s just an experience you’ll never have if you don’t do it.”
Bernie Ripoll, MP and Federal Member for Oxley expressed his pride in the religious diversity of Brisbane. He said “I like it, I actually think there’s a real place for diversity, and Australia is the perfect place for multiculturalism; it works; for multi-faith & multi-religious freedom of beliefs, and freedom of expression. It works; and here [Brisbane] it works better than anywhere else. Here people don’t just tolerate, they get on.”
So if your deity of choice is not delivering the goods, there are plenty of alternative options out there; and the OTO and the Thelemic way of life is just one spiritual path that you can opt to wander down.
http://www.southbank.edu.au/site/international/english/living/religion.asp
http://www.rosicrucian.org/
http://kabbalahaustralia.com/studygroups.html
http://www.thelema101.com/intro
http://altreligion.about.com/od/importanthistoricalpeople/p/crowley.htm
http://www.oto.org/
http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/ViewData?method=Location on Census Night&subaction=-1&producttype=QuickStats&areacode=305&action=401&collection=Census&textversion=false&breadcrumb=PL&period=2001&javascript=true&navmapdisplayed=true&
http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/ProductSelect?newproducttype=QuickStats&btnSelectProduct=View+QuickStats+%3E&collection=Census&period=2006&areacode=305&geography=&method=&productlabel=&producttype=&topic=&navmapdisplayed=true&javascript=true&breadcrumb=LP&topholder=0&leftholder=0¤taction=201&action=401&textversion=false
http://www.bernieripoll.com.au/
http://newspapers.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/home
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/bb8db737e2af84b8ca2571780015701e/bfdda1ca506d6cfaca2570de0014496e!OpenDocument
http://www.otoaustralia.org.au/
http://oto-usa.org/
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Cock & Bull 2009 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc
This is very easy to drink (and reasonably cheap too)...very well balanced. A very sound wine to drink by the bucket-load.
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