It was a massive day on Sunday. We started early in the morning, teams of helpers lugging equipment, food and beer into cars and vans for the short trip around to Abbotsford Hall, where set-up began at 10:30am for Remembrance Day Revelry. It was a mammoth effort. By 2pm we were ready to roll when Michael Gallichio opened the show. We hit the stage at 2:30 – and hit our first technical issue which forced us to start again. But after that, things got settled & off we went.

It was fantastic to see so many familiar faces, people who’d come from near and far (including the northern NSW & country VIC). The room was packed, the community vibe flowing – the On Fires family gathered. The best thing I’ve heard about the day was the sense of family and friendship everybody felt. The great thing about putting on our own show (outside of a pub or club) is being able to set up exactly how we like & play our own kinda show  – on a sunny Melbourne arvo. A lotta people brought their kids along too, which was fantastic. We don’t normally have that kind of experience.

The wash up: We’re still looking over how the day went. For us, it was a great success & we’ve already started planning the next one – and some local shows beforehand in 2013. We’ll definitely host an On Fires Christmas arvo before this year is out – details coming soon.

Thanks to everybody who helped us put Sunday’s show together. It could not have happened without you –  the cooks, the raffle organisers, the production & set-up crews, the bar staff, balloon-blower-uppers and everybody who got down to see it. At last count, we had between 180 and 200 folks spend the arvo with us.

Singing ‘Abbotsford Song’ at Remembrance Day Revelry, Sunday 11th Nov 2012.

CLFO

It’s Saturday arvo, the day before the big show tomorrow. Remembrance Day Revelry – we open the doors tomorrow at 1pm, when the bar opens for our biggest show in a long while. The show starts at 2pm, opened by Michael Gallichio. The On Fires hit the stage shortly after that. Right now we’re doing some last minute running-around, picking up that extra roll of Gaff, making sure the smoke machine still works, testing the beer for tomorrow…

It’s a free show & kids are welcome. Come down for a special arvo with The On Fires & friends, cheap beer, wine & spirits, free party-pies & party food. Abbotsford Hall, 141 Gipps St Abbotsford (Collingwood Masonic Centre).

Seeya there.

CLFO.

We had an awesome meeting at our place last night for the many folks involved in this Sunday’s Revelry show – bar volunteers, set-up crew, the cooks who’ll be preparing food, meat-raffle organisers, musicians, DJ Crackles & our illustrious MC. It was a great night – and an education in what it takes to organise a major producion, from the bar to the meat-raffle, from set-up to tear-down.

 
The Great Wall of Carlton, currently in our hallway in readiness for Sunday’s Remembrance Day Revelry.

There are so many people to thank so I’m going to start now, in advance –
Our big thanks to Scott Davies, DJ Crackles (Craig McGrath), Dean Hill, Stalk Stabb, Cujo (Kim) Allen, Keran Sandhu, Heidi, Jaimie, MC Michael Carney, Ross Buckingham, Tony Cartledge, Lucian Rowe, Graham, Kate, Gerome & Robert. We’ll get to thanking all the guest artists after the show…

See you at Revelry on Sunday, 141 Gipps St Abbotsford – The Abbotsford Hall (Collingwood Masonic Centre). Doors & bar open at 1pm, show starts at 2.

DJ Crackles is all set to spin tunes at Revelry on Sunday. He’ll be programming songs before the show & during the breaks – and winding up the day with a magic set, taking us out to closing time (about 6pm). DJ Crackles is a man of eclectic taste, and his set looks certain to take us through 50 years of cool toons with surprises-aplenty.

DJ Crackles.

Seeya Sunday at Remembrance Day Revelry. Doors open at 1pm. Show starts at 2pm. (Abbotsford Hall, 141 Gipps St Abbotsford)

CLFO

It’s coming up to midday in Melbourne. In just a few hours Australia will stop to watch the Melbourne Cup (today is a public holiday in Melbourne, specifically this horse race). Apart from the hundred-thousand people who’ll actually be at the track in Flemington, Aussies everywhere will be holed up around a TV screen between the bar and the BBQ – watching their horse belt it out for two miles.

Melbourne Cup.

We’ll be at Stalk & Kim’s place, a Melbourne Cup tradition. Let the the horses run, the beer flow and the punters punt.

Seeya Sunday at Remembrance Day Revelry.
CLFO

Is it the coolest back-yard in Abbotsford? Stalk & Kim’s place has, in many ways, become the new Yak Bar – Stalk having sold the Yak in 2006 to the folks who now run it as IDGAFF (Hoddle St, Abbotsford). The Yak banner is now pride of place in Stalk & Kim’s backyard, where tomorrow Cup Day mayhem will ensue. It’s a tradition every year – BBQing, drinking, race-watching, betting and more beer. Might take the acoustic over for some pre Revelry jamming.

This Sunday, we’ll be in full swing at Remembrance Day Revelry – The On Fires with a swathe of local guest stars, cheap beer, free party pies, free entry and a meat raffle. Just like our shows every Sunday at the mighty Yak Bar in 2005 – it’ll be an amazing community event – and an all ages show. Doors open at 1pm, show starts at 2.

More guest artist news for Revelry coming this week…

CLFO

Yesterday our brand-spanking new stubby holders arrived. We’ve had them printed up especially for this month’s Revelry Show (11th Nov). Look out for them on the merch table at the show.

Have a great weekend. We’ll be in rehearsals in preparation for Remembrance Day Revelry – and Ben Redlich will be along tomorrow arvo to finalise his percussion work for the show.

Ben Redlich, drumming for his band Whodafunkit, earlier this year.

CLFO

Max & I arrived at the Hi Fi Bar around 7pm last night to help set-up for a Halloween benefit show, organised by our friends The Vagrants. Max’s job was to work the merch table & my task for the evening was ‘stage-manager’. The bands started coming on at 8:30. I’ve gotta say, stage-managing can be a fairly challenging job. I’ve never done it before – but now I know how that guy feels; the one who’s standing in the wings yelling at the band to get off because they’ve run overtime. If the first band goes 10 minutes over & the 2nd band does the same, you never catch up & the headliner gets their set cut short (and the stage-manager gets an arse-kicking). Luckily, everything went pretty smoothly.

Renata out front of The Vagrants, last night at Hi Fi Bar, Melbourne.

The Vagrants played a great show, inspired by the ghoulish costumes they were wearing. At one point they must have had 10 people on stage, including a backing-vocal section. Nat Allison Band was great too. I didn’t get to see much of anything out front, holed up at side of stage, but there were some excellent musicians in the bands. Jimmy Cupples, a winning contestant from ‘The Voice’, headlined the show with his backing band of killer session players. I found him a little uneasy at first, before he warmed to the club environment. Gotta be said, the guy has a great voice. The band played a bunch of classic rock covers to round out the night.

Vagrants on-stage mayhem, last night at Hi Fi Bar.

More info about this month’s Revelry show (11th Nov) coming soon.
We’ve got a stack of local guest stars joining us & a magificent crew of volunteers helping out on the day. It’s a liquor licensed show – and it’s an all ages thing too. Doors open at 1pm, show starts at 2…

CLFO

Big one tonight at Melbourne’s Hi Fi Bar. A monster Halloween benefit show, organised by our friends The Vagrants, kicks off at 8:30 with a bevvy of fine local acts. The On Fires will be at the show, working behind the scenes. I believe Max will be sitting at the merch desk. And I’ll be stage managing. The Vagrants will hit the stage somewhere near the top of the bill (around 11pm). Dress your best ghoul & rock out.

The show will raise funds for the Australian Music Industry Benevolent fund.

More news on November’s Revelry Show coming soon.

CLFO.

Local singer/songwriter, Ross Buckingham, joins us on stage at November’s Revelry show. Ross will be lending a hand on his trusty acoustic, playing a live favourite from our first album (had a cruisy rehearsal on the back verandah over the weekend).

Ross Buckingham, live at Station 59 Richmond, earlier this year.

We caught one of Ross’s solo shows earlier this year at Station 59 in Richmond – where he played a cover of ‘Skeleton’ from the Betrayer record, taking the song a little in the direction of Leonard Cohen. Watch out for Ross’s backing vocals at the show too.

Ross has lead an interesting life indeed. A race-car driver, he’s traveled the world for his sport, living in London for nearly 20 years before returning to Australia. These days he plans trips to Bathurst between acoustic shows in local pubs.

More guest artist news for next month’s show coming soon…

CLFO