Loving the Stones. 50 years ago today, the beginning for one of the biggest rock bands of all time…

42 years to go & we’re there!

(video above from the Brisbane Times)

CLFO

Mat Ward (our photographer) sent us this video – Amanda Palmer ‘Want It Back’ – uncensored. Amazing work of ‘textural’ art…

Mat’s also done a bunch of photography for Amanda Palmer, officially invited into the ‘photo pit’ front-of-stage to snap a show earlier this year.

CLFO

Over the weekend, we were notified that Chanel Ten’s Bondi Rescue had used Adore as part of the sound track for episode two of the current season. Takes us a little time to hear about these things – the episode in question ran on Monday 13th of Feb (2012).

Adore was released on our first album, Sky Caves In, back in 2004. Also released as a single, the song was officially titled Adore Part II on the album (parts I and III being instrumentals – in case you wanted to know). Adore was a crowd favourite back in our Yak Bar days in Abbotsford, when we first got started. Somehow it made it’s way out of the set & we’ve not played it live for ages. That said, the title track of that first album (also a Yak favourite) is still part of our current touring set.

CLFO

Went down to Idgaff last night to see Ben Redlich’s new band Whodafunkit. Great band of young guys bringing the funk to Melbourne’s pubs & bars. They were tight & having fun – we’re talking costumes here. The shot below is taken from their Facebook page (not as wildly decked out). I got there after the set had started – pretty sure Ben (on drums) was wearing some kind of speedracer helmet…

Great catching up with Ben who’s played many a show with our good friends, The Vagrants. He’s also jumped up on stage with us a few times in the past.

Ben & Marty last night at Idgaff – Whodafunkit show.

After all this time, I still have not mastered the fine art of pacing one’s self on a night out seeing bands. Way too much beer & stuck around til stumps, staggering home by 2. What the hell? That was not the plan. Anyway, kinda glad I stayed. After Ben’s band, Forever Young hit the stage and they were fantastic. Old school pub rock from a golden era – played by guys who’ve certainly been around the block. Band leader and drummer, Trevor Young, played with Lobby Loyde & The Coloured Balls in the 70’s.

Forever Young, last night at Idgaff.

All up, a great night – both bands blitzing. If you get the chance, go see em.

CLFO

This morning, Pete S. sent us this video link – a documentary film about the uncompromising Fugazi. Based in Washington DC, the band focused purely on being the best band they could be – not on radio play, record deals & making piles of money. As a result, they’ve found themselves outselling major label bands & building a cult following across the planet. The doco features a bunch of live shows, interviews, back-stage discussion & studio footage – highlighting the band’s courageous DIY approach…

CLFO

Happy 4th of July, Independence Day, to our North American friends.

Also on this day…

1966 – Beatles attacked in Philippines after insulting Imelda Marcos
1969 – 140,000 attend Atlanta Pop Festival featuring Led Zep & Janis Joplin
And the mighty Barry White (my mum’s favourite singer/songwriter/sweet-talker of all time) died in 2003. Many a night, sleep was hard to find growing up in the family home – Barry blaring from the kitchen stereo…

CLFO

The past couple of weeks, we’ve been working on booking some Melbourne shows for the 2nd half of this year. We’re currently in talks with a venue in Abbotsford about dates around September/October. The upcoming shows will have a community vibe, featuring local guest artists, chook raffles & cheap beer – a bit like the old Yak Bar. We haven’t locked the venue down just yet (but we have a couple of great contenders).

Max gives em a spray, Chang Jiang Festival, China April 2012.

CLFO

Our very good friend, and long time supporter, Stalk, just launched his new web site. He runs a Harley touring business. Max & I booked a tour late last year. Stalk and friend pulled up out front on a couple of classic Harleys & took us for a ride around Melbourne. It was awesome, an amazing way to see the city (Max’s birthday present). Click below to check it out.

Have a great weekend.
CLFO

Blast from the past: June 2009 – The On Fires, when we were known as Asleep In The Park, live in Ukraine at Tarasova Gora Festival (a few hours drive from Kiev). Our good friend Sasha Seminova shot this video. Sasha was (and still is) the manager & promoter of Atraktor featuring legendary Ukrainian punk icon, Sasha Pipa.

We’ve played many a show with Sasha Pipa, joining him on extensive tours of Ukraine back in 2008 & 2009. We first met by accident, opening for one of Sasha’s bands, Borshch, at a small club in Kiev late in 2007. We had no idea how big Borshch were until we got to the venue, which was packed wall to wall, front to back & all the way up the stairs to the exit. I’d set the show up on MySpace with Sasha the manager, not knowing what to expect. That show turned out to be the best of the entire tour – we’d been on the road through Europe for 3 weeks, starting in Amsterdam & traveling east to Ukraine before final shows in Turkey. A mind blowing experience.

The other guys on stage in the video were fellow Melbournites, Naomi & Simon, who were part of the band between 07 & 09.

CLFO.

Midway through 2010 we flew to Poland to play Seven Festival with Russian band, Stepanov’s Starlings. We hadn’t met the guys before but we clicked like old friends. On the first day of the festival, they played a blinder of a set on one of the small stages. We loved their show – complete with bird costumes and wild stage antics. That night we played the main stage & the following night the Starlings played the main stage, having won best band on the small stage, the day before. I vaguely remember too much vodka consumption back-stage. It was a hell of a mess. But what an awesome weekend…

The video below features Stepanovs Starlings on stage (last week) at a festival celebrating the Euro 2012 Soccer Championship in Gdansk, Poland.

Great guys – we miss em. Awesome to see the band kicking it to a big crowd.

CLFO.