Thanksgiving/no thanksgiving. NYE 2009

If you will indulge me…there is something important to be said…

This has been an interesting year, better than last year. Ups and downs of course like everyone. A year of healing, lots of music produced, opportunities arose, some undertaken, some missed out on. Oh and the beginning of the parenthood adventure (though we won't actually be parents until April 2010, the news arrived this year!!!). So as a means of re-capping what happened (mainly good, some bad) here's a heartfelt thanks and no thanks;

For all the live music gigs; Thanks to Scot Cotterell and Tom Hall for playing with me as both DÜO and Triad, Aaron Metcalf for playing with me as M.0.1.0, Tim Panaretos for playing with me as Untermorast, Scot C (again), Tim P (again), Leigh Hobba, Lisa Rime, Julian Teakle and especially Damo Suzuki for playing with me as part of the Damo Suzuki Network. Also thanks to Ben Crothers for giving me a DJ set at one of his 'Brand New Second Hand' nights. And to Concrete Lung in London for letting me play on their 'Waste of Flesh' CD. Also thanks to all the great acts we played with at 'Black Sunday' (Evil Goat, Axxonn, Spheres and Cycle).

For the live music venues; Thanks to the following venues and the staff for letting myself and my associated acts perform; 6a-Hobart, The Glitchfest stage-Dover, Inflight-Hobart, The Brisbane Hotel-Hobart, Salamanca Arts Centre-Hobart, Devonport Regional Gallery-Devonport, Make It Up Club-Melbourne, Stutter-Melbourne, Don't Look-Sydney, Club Zho/Tura New Music-Perth, The Step Inn-Brisbane, Tom's House/Sonic Boom-New Farm, Centre For the Arts-Hobart (thanks John V Grad Show) and ONO # 2 at former Fitzgeralds Millinery Dept-Hobart.

For the 2009 Exhibitions; Thanks to the following venues and/or curators for showing my work during the year: Victor Medrano/Inflight and MOP Projects Sydney for including my work Twoot in the 'Limbic' group show, Lucy Bleach and CAST gallery (despite some issues it was an absolute pleasure working with you) for including my work Exhalation 2009 in the 'Lust For Life' group show, Ellie Ray and Devonport Regional Gallery for including me in the 'Tidal' competition with my work Whitepinkblack Noise (Moment), Andrew Harper, Tricky Walsh and the 6a crew for inviting me to install Haunted Micro Voices in Princes Park Battery for the 6a/Amplified 'Sound Art' showcase, Pat Brassington and Plimsoll Gallery, Hobart for housing my PhD submission - Suspension of Disbelief and Pip, Kate and the ONO crew for inviting me to setup my ex-X (Phase 10hz) ritual in that cool old building!

During the year I spent quite a bit of time at the Centre for the Arts on Hunter Street, Hobart both as a student and as a staff member. A sincere thank you to both of my wonderful PhD supervisors Mr Leigh Hobba and Prof. Jonathan Holmes, it was a pleasure. As a teacher; thanks to all my students who strived and had a bit of passion, it's rare and it really made it worthwhile. Sorry I won't be back for a while if ever. And to Bill Hart who gave me many chances to be employed and Neil Haddon who supported me during a tough encounter!.

Some random thanks: Marisa Mastrocola for including me in the credits, it wasn't necessary, but much appreciated. Deborah Pollard for continued support, awesome chats inspirations and somewhere to stay in Sydney. Felix Ratcliff for the ongoing chats in cockney accents and his love for descending arpeggios. Cat Hope for the letter of support and appreciating Scott Walker. Joshua Santospirito for the interest in mumble(speak) and good music chats. Susie, Dale and Charlotte (Edward wasn't born then) for putting me and Scot up and for your continued friendship. Brother Nick and Delta for putting me up in Melbourne and just being nice. My father Graeme and sisters Jayne and Mel and niece Abby for coming down to my graduation, it meant a lot. Thanks to Inflight ARI for taking me on for 2010, I'll do my best. To finish, thanks to Sally for being there and for being her.

Now, some no thanks: Those with a lack of manners, common sense and respect for others. Those who don't reply to messages, emails, letters or have the common decency to be polite. Those who play it safe and don't recognise something unique when it's in front of them. Those who are close-minded 'experts', ("I don't get it, it must be crap" types). Those who wish to censor such as the 'Clean Feed' brigade, those who stifle free thought and expression, those who want to make Mid-wives and homebirth illegal. Pokies in pubs. Those who are ignorant by choice, stupid by design and bigoted by nature (you can break into the cycle). I'm not always above some of these, but I'm trying my best.

A recap of the music of 2009. In 2009 I discovered/rediscovered/purchased some excellent music. Not all of it contemporary, some of it released this year. All of it impacted on me in some way and not that I think I have impeccable taste (as some may think after witnessing this list), but I would happily recommended checking at least some of it out.

Amon Düül 2 - 'Carnival in Babylon' (1972) Kraut-rock classic. Hadn't heard it till recently, not quite as essential as the earlier ones, but pretty good.
Axxonn/Tom Hall/Ambrose Chapel - 'Masters Of The Epic Day' (2009) three-way split of subby, droney electronics by a couple of great guys.
Battle of Mice - 'A Day of Nights' (2006) - incredible so-called 'postrock' supergroup, angst noisy, scary.
Black Sabbath - 'Black Sabbath' (1970), 'Paranoid' (1970), 'Master of Reality' (1971) Fantastic special edition reissues of these essential classics.
CAN - 'Unlimited Edition' (1976). Never heard this mixed bag compilation. It's pretty great though a little bitsy!
Alice Cooper - 'Dada' (1983). Only ever had an incomplete cassette dub of this. Always had a soft spot for this odd little Ezrin produced album, apparently Cooper doesn't remember recording it.
Council Estate Electronics - 'Kitsland' (2009). One of Justin Broadrick's myriad of side projects, droney bleepy atmospheric, but less ambient than Final.
Miles Davis - 'Pangaea' (1974) Live in Japan, free jazz meets funk, incredible grooves, this is a period of Miles I'm still quite new to.
Earth - 'Extra - Capsular Extraction' (1991) early Sub Pop era, drone metal material, some good moments.
EyeHateGod - 'Take As Need For Pain' (1993) US post-rock/doom metal.
Evil Goat - 'Evil Goat' CD-r single (2009) Naughty local lads duo, electronics/guitar doom.
Final - 'Infinite Guitar 3/Guitar & Bass Improvisations 3' (2009) Broadrick's longest operating project, lots to digest here. Has it's moments, drones and ambience.
Final - 'Reading All the Right Signals Wrong' (2009). Close to my favourite Final release, gets the balance between meandering and dynamic shifts right.
Jandek - 'Chair Beside the Window' (1982) - 'Telegraph Melts' (1986) - 'Modern Dances' (1987). A major discovery for me. One of the most unique, enigmatic, haunting, and abstract 'folk' (for want of a better word) performers around. He has a vast catalogue, there's no-one or nothing quite like him. Think Skip Spence's 'Oar' meets Daniel Johnston and you're still not quite there.
Jesu - 'Infinity' (2009). Broadrick's current 'rock' project. A 40 plus minute track, some beautiful textures and guitar lines, improves greatly in the second half.
Jesu - 'Opiate Sun' (2009). Raw, descending arpeggios, melodic slow guitar power pop. Like Husker Du through molasses. My favourite Jesu release thus far.
KISS - 'Sonic Boom' (2009) So shoot me…old habits die hard. Not bad, but certainly not nearly as great as reviewers or KISS themselves would let you believe. Sounds like a fairly convincing pastiche!
Krackhead - 'From Hell' (1997/1999/2009). Previously unreleased album of Broadrick's distorted Drum n Bass project available now as a download. Pretty good, great grooves, noisy!
Love - 'Love' (1966) Nice remastered edition of the late Arthur Lee's band Love debut album, psyche rock/folk/garage. Essential!
Craig McElhinnery - 'You and Me Are Young and Brutal' (2009) - Perth based, very atmospheric soundscapey, but musical. Good stuff.
Meat Loaf - 'Bat Out Of Hell' (1977) Again shoot me, this is something I grew up listening to. I'm too old to worry about if I'm hip or not. First time I've had it on CD, think I prefer my crackly old vinyl. Max Weinberg and Todd Rundgren play like maniacs! Oh yeah that Marvin fellow can sing okay!
Napalm Death - 'Noise For Music's Sake' (2003) Compilation of essential tracks, rarities and B-Sides. Killer live cover of 'Avalanche Master Song' featuring JK Broadrick.
Lee Scratch Perry and the Upsetters - 'Psyche & Trim' (2004) cheap compilation, not as dubby as I'd hoped, some good material though.
Scorn - 'Plan B' (2002). This is one that slipped by the collection. Mick Harris is a master at subby/dubby beats and wobbly bass and drones. Sorry but this was done earlier and way better than any of the contemporary 'dustup' pretenders. They have their place, but this paved the way and he doesn't get the props!
Scorn - 'In The Margins'/'Pin Down' (single 2009) - huge tracks, on par with the material on 'Stealth' (2008).
Solaris BC - 'Submerged Technology' (1996/2009). Another beauty minimal Broadrick project, unreleased until now (as a download). Slightly underwhelming, but has it's moments.
Voivod - 'Infini' (2009). Metal with a slightly quirky experimental edge, for those who don't know. I've been a big fan of these guys since the mid 1980s. The final (?) album based on the late Denis D'Amour (Piggy) demos. It's way better than the last album and has some great moments. Quite raw in places, lacks a bit of the interplay that could really only come from all playing together, which is sadly, impossible. They have recently been touring with Dan Mongrain (Martyr) on guitar and original bassist/founder Jean-Yves 'Blacky' Theriault (an old sparring partner of mine in the now defunct D-Group). They don't appear on this record.
Various Artists - 'Adventures in Dub' (2006). A double CD of dubby reggae. It's a bit hit and miss, bur anything that has King Tubby, Scratch Perry and Prince Jammy has got to be good.

So that's it for now. I realise this may have come over as I'm accepting some award, but being that 2009 was quite a year, I thought this was good way to recap this year's activities. Hope it was a good one for you and that 2010 will be even better. Thanks for reading, see you next year.













Image by Aaron Horsley

Glimmers, security, freedom, breeding and lots of noise; December 9, 2009

Glimmers of hope and slaps in the face.

Changes as good as holidays.
After I speak will you please reply.
There is something important to be said.

Glimmers of hope and slaps in the face

One of the things I've come to realise, (what, only now?), the life of an artist and musician, the life I lead is one that fills you with a psychological dichotomy. That is to say, there is certain degree of feedom that comes with not having a 'regular' (whatever that means), secure (again whatever that means) job. A job you know will be there for you on a Monday morning, so you can be fed and feed those near and dear to you. The freedom of not being tied to a specific timeline and place, means that one can journey through life and experiment with what you do and when you do it. So no complaints.

The security that comes with a more traditional (again, that's a slippery slope there) existence means that you can relax and not worry about where your next meal might be coming from. The ability to not worry has a wonderful freedom of it's own. Now I should point out here, that not in anyway do I consider that my life style is any more 'alternative' than anyone else. But I've not really ever had a 'real' job. Again no real complaint, ultimately this was my decision, I don't really regret it and I'm reasonably happy to live with it. Very often, one makes one's own opportunities. Again I'm not claiming to be bucking the system, but as I see it, we do live in a fairly conservative country, where the arts are not really considered a valuable contribution to society. Sport is though...I missed a trick by not pursuing my superb hockey skills!

So what's this got to do with anything? Well the nature of what I do often means I'm a dog looking for bones. Every so often an opportunity comes up where one applys and waits by the phone or for an email, or as Pip mentioned, hopefully not on the receiving end of a skinny envelope (a fat one is the one you're after). A few little moments of luck over a period give you a little bolstering of confidence, that is just as often followed by a slap or two in the face. These come very often without explanation (see the next rant) and are a real blow. There are some very illogical decisions made out there in the world and you are sometimes at the receiving end of them. So one has to re-boot one's attitude every so often which is what I'm trying to do. While I don't think you should be in the constant mindset that you are owed something by your very existance, you are the best at what you do and eveyone should realise that, it's also not good to be always down on youself, in constant denial of your abilities and value or always worrying.

Now I realise that people everywhere must experience this sometimes, but from my experience trying to balance these states in an environment where one is sometimes pulled wildly from one extreme to another is very difficult. But I realise as I get older, (oh yes our little Matt is growing up), that I need to be mindful of how I take on criticism as well as praise, failures and successes.

I must realise that not everyone in the world knows or understands or even cares about the value of culture and what it contributes to society, but I also shouldn't shy away from speaking about what I do and can bring and contribute to that culture.

Manners and etiquette

I'd like to talk a little bit about etiquette and I'm not talking about the of 'Laddette to Lady', kind of thing, but something more basic and to do with common sense. I'm the first to admit, I can improve my communication skills, I don't always speak clearly and I ramble a bit sometimes. Often my inherent shyness gets the better of me and I'm silent. But one thing I am very mindful of is respect to others around me. It seems to me that with the advent of speedy, instant, portable communication, we have lost the ability to have basic manners. This may sound like an old man thing to say, but for Christ's sake you don't have to talk that loud on your mobile, or speak on it at all in certain circumstances. There would be a generation of people who would not have experienced a life before mobiles and email, but there was and people got by. Yes we are all busy and things need to be communicated, sometimes right away, maybe excuse yourself and get out of the queue. Also, I don't want to hear about your private life at the top of your voice.

In specific reference to the above subject; There are a lot of elements to our communication that are virtual, there is a lot of traffic moving back and forth online and also still in the world of analogue post. One is not to know if something has reached it's destination or not. One shouldn't assume. So

I don't expect an essay, but it would be nice if there were more of the 'Yes I got it thanks, I'll be in touch soon' messages. Especially via email, it's so quick and easy. Why wouldn't you?

Old man rant # 2 over.

Impending parenthood and the midwife issue

So being that I'm now an aforementioned old man, most of you would know that I'm soon to be a father, which fills me with so many different thoughts and emotions, I don't know where to start. Mostly joy, but a bit of fear thrown in too, but of course I'm not the first to experience that.

Although it was more Sally's call than mine, we were both agreed that a homebirth is what we wanted to do. There are many reasons, but first and formost, the comfort and security of a familiar environment is important to the wellbeing of the person doing the hard work - the mother.

Giving birth in the majority of cases is not a medical condition. When it becomes a medical problem, of course you seek medical assistance. Giving birth at home doesn't cause a medical problem. It may in fact defuse one, being that the mother may well be more relaxed. You wouldn't call eating a medical problem, When you choke, it becomes one. But we don't go to the hospital to eat a meal. Over 60% of births in the Netherlands are homebirths. This seems to me to be a good solution here where there is an overcrowding in hospitals and overstretched staff.

And so this simmering little problem that has arisen over the potential illegalities of midwifery is a touch alarming. Sally has already eloquently laid this out on her blog. I urge you to read it if you care about homebirth or even if you have an interest in civil rights. It can be read here.

Recent activities

Myself and Scot Cotterell performed a DÜO no-input set, (that is to say, no external sound sources were used, mixers and the input of a cassette deck feeding back into themselves) for the Graduate Show at Centre For The Arts in Hobart on November 6. Response was pretty good, although we were essentially background ambience, most were there (quite rightly) to see family and friends artworks and congratulate each other for achieving a degree. It was a lot of fun and we got some interesting sounds out of the gear. Here's some images and to hear some of the results go to:

http://www.virb.com/matt_warren_muzik

Top image courtesy of Matt Warren, bottom image courtesy: Aaron Horsley.

MOIO performed our second live performance at the Fringe Festival's 'Heavy Noisy Things' night. We ended the night, response was great. Even sold a few CDs. Don't have any images or audio from this appearance, but here's the poster for the event.

You may have noticed the name on the bottom of that poster, Untermorast. That was myself and Tim Panaretos' new improv duo, myself on effected voice and Tim on effected electric bazouki. More details as they come to hand, but keep an eye out for a myspace page down the line and hopefully followed by more gigs.

MOIO's third gig was on 26^th of November at ONO # 2 and we were greeted by a very positive response to our set, especially considering we followed the completely maniacal and impressive Lightning Bolt. Cool place to play, (a disused floor of what was once Fitzgeralds in the Hobart CBD), big and boomy room, suited us well. We will now be working on new material for a while before going out to play again, but rest assured we will be back. I can't speak for Aaron, but I'm pretty sure he would agree, I greatly appreciate that MOIO is so appreciated.

Image at ONO # 2 courtesy Rebecca Fitzgibbon.

Also at ONO # 2 (amongst many other wonders) was a performance/installation ritual piece I conceived and directed (a performed with 9 others) called ex-X (Phase 10hz). It was work about catharsis and each participant contributed wonderfully, thanks all. The whole ritual part was 10 minutes with the 'aftermath' as an installation being ongoing (well until closing time). Here is a condensed video document of the piece.

An extra curricular activity that I did a few months back was contribute some percussion (drums, cymbals, shakers and chime) to a track called 'Waste of Flesh' by London-based industrial metal band Concrete Lung, for an EP, also called 'Waste of Flesh' which is due out on December 12. It was great to be a part of, the wonders of file-transfer across the web! I look forward to hearing the result.

Oh I finally officially graduate on December 15!

Upcoming in 2010:

Jan 8 – 31. I will be presenting a slightly interactive/participatory surround sound and object installation at Kelly's Garden at Salamanca Arts Centre in Hobart as part of their program and the annual MONA FOMA festival. The piece is called 'The Last Beach Movie' and references the popular mythology about Brian Wilson's compositional environment.

Image mockup by Matt Warren

Feb 12 -March 5. 'Of Heaven and Earth' is a two person exhibition of light, sound, collage and video works by Matt Warren and Sally Rees (some solo, some in collaboration) produced mainly whilst on residency in Montreal, Canada in 2008. This will be shown at 6a ARI, in North Hobart.

Image: The Lull by Matt Warren in 'Of Heaven and Earth', Auberge Alternative, Montreal Canada, 2008.

On March 12 I will perform a live soundscape for Fiona Lee's work in the two person show (with Cath Robinson) called Chora Choruses at Kings Gallery in Melbourne. The plan is that I will also be part of the artists floor talk the following day. My soundscape (a pre-recorded surround piece) will also feature in Fiona's installation throughout the remainder of the show's run.

My solo ambient/drone/mood project mumble(speak) is going to be touring in June 2010.Thanks to Sound Travellers, mumble(speak) will present the 'Good and Bad People and Things' show (a narrative) on tour throughout the country. Full confirmation of venues and dates are still to happen, but the planned schedule is:

June 17 - Hobart

June 18 – Brisbane

June 19 – Sydney

June 20 – Melbourne

June 25 – Darwin

June 26 – Perth

June 27 – Adelaide

Late November; a three week performance/installation laboratory at Salamanca Arts Centre, collaborating with Sally Rees and Deborah Pollard for a project with the working title of 'Decay'. More on that later.

Listening: JESU – 'Opiate Sun' e.p (2009), Alice Cooper – 'DADA' (1983)

Watching: 'The Bed Sitting Room' (Directed by Richard Lester from a play by Spike Milligan - 1969). This has recently been released as a budget-price (but not budget quality) DVD...see it now!

Reading: Contracts, proposals and applications and re-reading 'Smile – The Story of Brian Wilson's Lost Masterpiece' by Domenic Priore (2005).

This will likely be the last post for 2009, so whatever you do at this time of year, have a good one, take care of each other and yourself.

The secret ingredient to good beans on toast – smoked paprika!

"A shame-faced open letter" (Oct 13, 2009)

Eyes and ears are open wide, some things don't go in.
Trying to catch up with sleep. Disappointment at what I see around me.
Grounded, making noise, things coming to an end and a very important beginning about to start.
There is something important to be said.


An open letter to the rest of the world.

Please don't think the actions and attitudes of contestants on "Hey Hey It's Saturday" represent me! The pro of the web is that information can be delivered quickly and effectively, the con is that if that information is an extremely unfortunate example of human ignorance, everyone sees that too.
One would hope that this kind of racist 'entertainment' doesn't represent the attitudes or entertain the majority of the country, but I sometimes wonder. Australia has a bit of a reputation around the world has being racist, for example, just look at how we treat our students from India. When I lived in Canada around 10 years ago, an Asian fellow who worked in the Uni said to me;
"Oh you're from Australia, do you know Pauline Hansen?" "Not personally" I replied. I was extremely embarrassed that her shit travelled so far.

So for those who don't know the story, a 1970s/80s family variety TV show called 'Hey Hey It's Saturday' recently presented two 'reunion' shows. The second one included a kind of 'gong show' talent competition, featuring a re-showing of a skit from about 20 years earlier called 'Jackson Jive' a collection of guys in black face (ala The Black and White Minstrel Show') and frizzy wigs and a leader in Michael Jackson ('Thriller' era) getup, with a pale face. It was a bad idea back in the 80's, it's a bad idea now. American crooner Harry Connick Jr was a judge on the show and he called them out on just how dodgy the whole thing was. Presenter and producer, Daryl Somers, to his credit, apologised to Connick for the offense and gave him the opportunity to say why he was offended, which he eloquently did. However, why the hell was this even aired/allowed on the show? (on the repeat, the skit and it's aftermath were removed).

'It's all a bit of fun, no harm done, no offense intended' some might say. 'It's Political Correctness gone mad'. Screw that, I say. To a degree, what's correct politically is subjective, one's morals and ethics are your own. However, when a majority of society agrees that racism is a 'bad thing' then you should really think about it.

Somehow certain parts of popular culture become acceptable, regardless of the problematic nature of them. Football machismo (excessive alcohol consumption and sexual molestation) although slightly frowned upon is excused because 'these elite athletes need to let off steam. 'Shock jocks' like little ol' Kyle Sandilands or that wally Sam Newman are still on the air because it's just their schtick. It's like the bull runs, just because because something is tradition, doesn't mean it should continue.
I'm opposed to censorship, but when you talk shit, you should expect that someone will call you on it.

Back to 'Hey Hey it's Saturday'. Satire is all well and good, however there were a number of reason's this was a bad idea. Michael Jackson has just died for one. A sense of irony, about a period of TV entertainment, that was naive in it's attitudes would be one thing, a 2009 perspective on an 1970s/80s mindset. However, there was complete lack of irony or wit and it reminded us all that the show had (and seemingly still does - perhaps to be authentic) a general tone of racism and mean-spiritness.

Rant over, but all this shit needs to be wiped out, I'm fed up with it. I'm also not looking at 'blanding' out society with no controversial art or entertainment. This is not conservatism. This is a hope that elements that perpetuate bullshit are shown the door. It's so easy NOT to be ignorant, why is it still happening.




















There are good things around though. Me and Aaron as MOIO did our first gig at the mini-fest 'Black Sunday', organised by myself and Scot Cotterell with assistance from Jason James and co-presented by Sound Klub and Salamanca Art Centre.
It was held on Sept 27, a rainy blustery afternoon and we are appreciative of all who braved the weather and came along. A special thanks should go to Spheres who ventured down from Launceston to do the show. It was great to finally see Tom and Ian's act AXXONN as well. TRIAD opened the proceedings, followed by a wonderfully 'vibratory' performance by CYCLE, those naughty EVIL GOAT boys also appeared and impressed! Here are some images of TRIAD and MOIO. There are sounds up on the myspace pages too. Thanks all it was great and hopefully there will be more.






























On August 29, I performed a DJ set as DJ Broken Tiny for Ben Crothers monthly themed - evenings called 'Brand New Second Hand'. The theme was 'Europe' and so played a lot of Krautrock and a bit of French and Swiss industrial and a bit of Italian prog. DJ Mamoo (aka Lisa Rime) did a wonderful French pop set as well. Thanks Ben, it was a lot of fun, keep me in mind for the future!

There's a few visual arts/installation things on the horizon coming up, but things still need to be confirmed, will let you know.

What I can say is that myself and Scot Cotterell have been invited to perform at the UTAS Artschool Grad Show. This is on Friday November 6. We are looking at doing a DÜO 'no input' set, mixer and devices feedback noises. Here is Scot's mockup poster.


















Also MOIO have been invited to perform in the Hobart Fringe Festival 'Noise/Metal' night at the Brisbane Hotel, on Friday November 20. It is curated/organised by my mate Tim Panaretos (of Soundtracks Will Dissolve) who should put together an interesting lineup. We've also been jamming a little of late, not sure what will come of it, but it's been kinda doomy, creepy and noisy!

And to end and give a sense that I'm still amazed by the majesty of nature;
I saw a shooting star, arching over a very clear night sky, whilst listening to 'Silver' by JESU on Oct 11, 2009 at approx 8:33pm, Cressy Street, New Town, Tasmania.
I'd love to be able to suggest you try it for yourself, but when can you expect to witness that? Keep an eye out, watch the skies!

Take care.

Are you sleeping....brother John?

Some things are sent to test us, hold your fire.
Integrity is the key, sun comes up, rain falls down.
The sounds I make, people come to hear, eternally grateful.
There is something important to be said.


An open letter.
As an artist and as a human being in general, one of the the things in life I hold dear is integrity. If one makes a artwork, writes something, says something, if you truly believe it, or believe in it, you should be able to stick to your guns. If a commercial concern rears it's head, if a 'dumbing down' to the lowest common denominator is requested, if you project something that you don't believe in, you have lost the integrity of the original intention. It's not always easy and sometimes things are forced out that you feel you are no longer in control of. I think most people can spot bullshit, some choose to ignore it and accept it for what it is. Others are repelled. A minor few don't realise or don't care.

I admire those who withdraw completely from something they feel has been compromised, but I also admire those who try and fight for what they think is right. Like I say it's not always easy. What has all this got to do with anything? It's just something I've been thinking about lately. It's something I've always believed. And every now and then certain occurrences bring it into focus. Say and do what you mean. I, like everyone else have opinions and views and I'll defend them if need be. But if one truly believes in what they do and say, anything I or anyone else says should not make a difference in the long run should it?

It is a delicate balance though. Because one should not just 'hear what you want to hear'. Often opinions that differ from your own, stick in your craw. You can take on board other's opinions, thoughts and suggestions. But in the end, the decision is yours. I have for the past 5 or so years, tried to keep my cynicism at bay. It's a difficult path. It's much easier to have a blanket response to everything, cover up the quirks of existence with a dark cloth of ignorance or impatience. What I attempt (and am not always successful with) is to try look at things on a case by case basis. This can take time and patience and will sometimes mean 'life' passes in front of you. The life that passes though will often be one of 'instant opinions', superficial glances, a Wikipedia world.

I do like the fact that the Internet is fast and we can get information instantly. I like advances in technology and I use it regularly. I like a life of easy access, virtual communication. But it's not the be-all, end-all and it's not that faster = better. I would subscribe in many ways to the opinions of 'The Long Now'.

So to close the rant...I think it's important to look at all sides if you can, take on board things where you can and where you think it's relevant, but ultimately it's up to you.


I was honoured to be part of the 6a/Amplified Sound Art showcase on Friday, July 17 and was in awesome company.
My project mumble(speak) performed along with Soundtracks Will Dissolve, Cycle, Matt Neidra and Scot/Andrew. It was a cool mix of sounds and I was able to also launch the second mumble(speak) studio album "having learnt a few things about people".


















Part 2 of the 6a/Amplifed Sound Art showcase was again something I was happy to be asked to be the featured artist. This one-night only event was called 'Haunted Micro Voices' and was located at the abandoned Battery beneath Princes Park in Battery Point. The space, full of it's own mood and connotations was installed with 3 surround sound elements, one of which was recorded site specifically,














some dim lights and fog. The space itself did the work, I just amplified (pun intended) the mood. Not that it was an easy work to create and install, but the challenges were worth it. We had close to 180 people through during the 3 hours it was open, a steady drove of folks, some who came specifically for the work, others curious about the space (you can actually visit the battery if you take a Hobart Ghost Tour) and a combination of the two. I was very happy with the final work and the responses.
Below is a 'walk through' recording of the sounds in the various rooms with some images.

Thanks 6a, Andrew, Amplified and especially to Tricky who re-worked the posters and took some fantastic images.

Upcoming:
On August 29 as DJ Broken Tiny, I will be performing a set at 'Brand New Second Hand', Ben Crothers (aka DJ BTC) monthly DJ nights at The Brisbane Hotel. The theme for the evening is 'Europe' so I will be playing a set containing Krautrock, other Euro-prog and electronics. Should be fun.

I'm currently co-organising a show in late September called 'Black Sunday' presented by Sound Klub, an evening of experi-metal and dark drones. More details as it comes to hand.

And just to end with, Brian Wilson - 'Surf's Up (demo)'.


Take care of each other.

The ground running (June 16, 2009)

Seeing many places, faces, hearing many voices, noises.
Hitting the ground running and trying to catch up.
Wondering where the politeness, basic respect and common sense has gone.
Trying to be patient with those who are trying and those that try me.
New beginnings, a different outlook and some new letters.
On the look out for those things that touch the innocent side of us that is always there,
but isn't accessed enough.
There is something important to be said...

TRIAD tour
Well that was an experience. Getting to play this kind of experimental, improvised
music throughout the country with two of the nicest and talented blokes around was a pleasure. The first leg in Tasmania was a nice start, the gig and workshop in Devonport (Tom's hometown) went well, the response was positive and the folks at the gallery are great to work with. Thanks Ellie and co.












The show at our co-sponsors Inflight in Hobart was also great, nice to play with
Soundtracks Will Dissolve as well, they were great as per!

Onto the mainland leg. My fear of flying was kept at bay and it all ran fairly
smoothly apart from a couple of hiccups.

First Melbourne show that The Make It Up Club @ Bar Open was fun.
Listening back to the recording there was lots of meandering on our part,
but some nice moments emerged.













On before us was an incredible set of power electronics by Absoluten Calfeutrail followed by a free jazz odyssey by Jeff Henderson, Kris Wanders, Rory Brown, Mike Majkowski, Sean Baxter and Robbie Avenaim. Highlight was the guy in the loud shirt and the frizzy hair doing the 'Warlock' dance during that set. Awesome!
Just minutes away from show time at the wonderful 'Stutter' at Horse Bazaar in Melbourne, the 1st hiccup, we got word that our first show in Sydney had been cancelled, or rather it perhaps had never been booked, still not sure what happened there. Also the second hiccup, my laptop up and died literally moments before we started. So for me it was guitar through analogue effects and a bit of angst for this show, seemed to go over okay.

The cancelled show in Sydney meant that we had a day off to do a bit of a photo session and some field recording/improvised open air performing around Circular Quay and Hyde Park. These may well become something in the future.

















Our only performed Sydney show was at the Don't Look Gallery in Dulwich Hill, a great little place run by the ever friendly Greg and we got to play on a bill with Seaworthy who did a great set. Tom opened with a solo spot too. Got to catch up with old mate Felix, ex-Conductor guy Cy and met Jo from Sound Travellers (our main sponsor) which was all very cool.

















Next show was in Perth. I was pretty nervous before this one, not sure why. Possibly because it's the first time I'd been to Perth, let alone perform there. Listening back it turned out to be what I think was our best, most consistent performance of the tour. Got to meet the great Cat Hope (sub-dronester!) and her partner and got to hang out with dear old buddies Susie, Dale and their daughter Charlotte.













Final show in Brisbane was a hoot! Being that it was the last the show and Tom's current base we thought we'd try something a little different. Let's just say that some of the metal in our blood made it's way out. Here is a positive and not so positive response.

















There are some images, videos and sounds from the tour up on the TRIAD myspace page that will give you are sense of what went on. We would like to thank Sound Travellers and Inflight for your support. All the folks we stayed with and who came to the shows, all the people we played with, (it was great to see/hear such a superb and varied bunch) and especially the great supportive venues and bookers!
Thank you all it was great! There's a few 'possibles' for TRIAD in the future, but it's too soon to say anything yet. Stay tuned.

There is one last live thing to mention and that was a mumble(speak) set at Tom's place for his monthly 'Sonic Boom' night. It was initially due to be a Broken Tiny set, but due to my laptop being unwell, I was basically beat-less and re-worked the set to be mumbly! It was a very short doomy/drone set because it was shut down by the police (though I don't think the mumble set prompted this). Go to the mumble(speak) myspace page to hear the set and read about it.














As it happens Scot and I performed a short DÜO doom set afterwards (at lower volume)...such rebels!!!


So is that kind of racket, befitting of someone with a D and an R before his name should he choose to place it there? Perhaps there should be more PhD folks making doomy noises with guitars! Perhaps I should be worrying less about who should be doing what! Yes the degree is done and I'm through without a hitch or corrections to the paper which was a very pleasant and large surprise. I have a reasonable head on my shoulders, but I would find it very difficult to consider myself an academic. I work very hard at what I do.

The tour ended and I essentially hit the ground running back in Hobart. The very next day I was back teaching at the artschool, (albeit as a fill-in for someone else) and a day after that back to my regular gig in Emedia. An artschool is an interesting and rewarding place to work in many ways. It can be quite moving to see someone's practice evolve and feel that one little suggestion or pointer you gave may have helped in some way. But a question that comes up for me is "Can some things be taught?" "Are there some things that are simply known or felt?" Ticking the 'right' boxes for assessment purposes are a necessary administrative element of being a student at the artschool, but it's not what makes art (good bad or indifferent). I would always consider what I do as facilitating rather than teaching. I've seen a few things, I know a few things, I've made a few things. I can give advice, but I don't think I can teach someone to be creative. I sometimes wonder how people find themselves at an artschool. I found myself there, it wasn't planned from my childhood, but it was meant to be I think. I'll say nothing more other than patience is a virtue, I need to remember that, so do students. Art is not and perhaps should not be easy!

So it seems, Australia is swamped with Swine Flu. I must say I was surprised at the number of cases that seemed to be confirmed. Now of course I suspect that the suggestion of covering your face will not do a whole lot of good in preventing you contracting the illness. However, outside of this or any other flu, what I do find alarming is that apparently people need to be told by the government that they should cover their mouths when coughing or their noses when sneezing! For crying out loud this is not playschool. Surely that's common sense regardless. I'm not a snob who is overtly concerned with good manners, but I don't want someone's snot flying at me anytime.

A couple of blog posts ago I pointed out my aversion to censorship. It is was bought to the surface for a lot of people recently with the Bill Henson affair and also the Internet filtering proposal put forward. I have in the past been fairly vocal about censorship, going back to John Howard's notion that a blanket ban on all 'R' rated movies would have prevented the Port Arthur Massacre. A letter to the paper that was published setting out my point of view may not seem like much of a stand, but perhaps it got people talking. Perhaps something more visible would be a public protest, something that will be happening in Hobart tomorrow afternoon following the ABC (apparently the more progressive TV station) sacking of Amanda Duthie (the Head of Arts, Entertainment and Comedy) supposedly as a result of allowing the sketch by "comedy" troupe 'The Chaser' (yes I deliberately and snottily placed quote marks around the word comedy) that was controversial and caused a bit of a public outcry. I believe The Chaser's show 'The Chaser's War On Everything' has been taken off the air for a couple of weeks too.
This puts me in a bit of a bind I must say. I couldn't care less if we didn't see The Chaser on TV ever again. I personally think they are smarmy little gits, courting controversy for the sake of it (rather than wittily presenting an alternative view) who I basically don't think are funny. However, and its a big however, my own conscience tells me that censoring them via removal is not right, nor is the sacking of someone trying not to stifle someone else's "artistic integrity" (there I am being snotty again) by approving a sketch to air. It's a tough one, because I hate the little brats, but I want them around so others can love them and hate them too.

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it,"
- Evelyn Beatrice Hall 1906, referencing the beliefs of Voltaire.

More info on the Chaser stuff.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25619891-26103,00.html
http://wotnews.com.au/news/Amanda_Duthie/

I recently exhibited in the group show "Lust For Life" curated by Lucy Bleach at CAST gallery in North Hobart with my work Exhalation 2009












The group show 'Parallel' I've mentioned in previous post continues to tour and is currently at the Gippsland Art Gallery in Sale until July 12.

Upcoming projects: I will be part of this years 'Amplified' festival in conjunction with 6a ARI, presenting a very interesting incarnation of three of my recent sound works. They will be presented in an underground battery in Princes Park, Battery Point on Saturday July 17.





















mumble(speak) is also due to perform and launch a new CD the night before.

















We have lived in the same house for 8 years, ever since arriving back in Australia after living in Canada from 1999 - 2001. That's a bit of a record for me I think. I moved around a lot when I was a kid and since living in Hobart, residencies didn't last much longer that 2 or 3 years. Due to various circumstances we are moving again and although it's a big process, it will be worth it. It is very much time for a change.

Take care of one and other.

RIP - Hugh Hopper

Listening: Harmonia - "Musik Von Harmonia" (1974), AFX - "Analogue Bubblebath" (1994), Jandek - "Telegraph Melts" (1986), LULL - "Like A Slow River" (2008)
Watching: "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" (Dir: Sydney Pollack 1969)
Reading: Franz Kafka - " The Zürau Aphorisms" (1918/2006)

On the road (April 26, 2009)

Eyes and ears open. Looking and listening. Deadlines getting closer. No complaints other than wishing for more hours in the day. Re-learning all about collaboration. This is mainly down to listening and then deliberating, this can take a split second or glorious minutes of silence. Then a sound can be made. There is something important to be said.

Still no word on my results for my degree. But I have been told that it can take some time. Will get back to you on that.

So some music project news; mumble(speak) - A new full length studio based album/CD has pretty much been finished. It will likely be called " 2 - having learnt a few things about people". I'm looking at doing some kind of launch/live gig later in the year.

Broken Tiny performed live for the first time since August 2006 at the Glitchfest in Esperence on April 5th.
Although I was on fairly early in the day, the response was quite good. I'm looking at
evolving the sound of this project to be more about power electronics and distortions and less
about beats, but we'll see. At the end of our TRIAD run (see below), I will be performing as
Broken Tiny at Tom Hall's Sonic Boom in New Farm, Queensland on May 10.




























The metal/drone thing I do with Scot Cotterell (TRIAD/User/Evil Goat)
called DÜO also performed at Glitchfest. It was great to fill the forest
and the hills with slabs of distorted guitar.






























M.0.1.0 (the duo with Aaron Metcalf) have launched our Myspace page
with some tunes and more info of upcoming activities coming soon.
http://www.myspace.com/machinesoio















As I write, the first Australian TRIAD tour has started, with two gigs
having taken place, one at Devonport Regional Gallery (in the North
of the state and including a workshop) and at Hobart's Inflight ARI
(who are also helping with sponsoring the tour). Thanks to all who
have come so far, they've been great. The rest of the tour is as follows:

04/28/2009 07:00 PM - Make it Up Club - Bar Open 317 Brunswick Street,
Fitzroy, Melbourne, VIC
Cost:$10/$5 www.makeitupclub.com.au

04/29/2009 08:30 PM - Stutter - Horse Bazaar 397 Little Lonsdale Street,
Melbourne, VIC
Cost:$7/$5 conc www.myspace.com/stuttermelb

05/01/2009 08:00 PM - Sedition 275 Victoria St, Darlinghurst,
Sydney, NSW

05/02/2009 07:00 PM - Don’t Look Gallery 419 New Canterbury Rd,
Dulwich Hill, Sydney, NSW
Cost:$15/$10 www.myspace.com/dontlookgallery

05/05/2009 08:00 PM - Club Zho, presented by TURA New Music.
The Ellington Jazz Club, 191 Beaufort Street,
Perth, WA. Cost:$15/$10 www.tura.com.au

05/09/2009 08:00 PM - The Step Inn, 186 Brunswick St,
Brisbane, QLD.
www.stepinn.com.au

Whilst I'm away on tour I will be exhibiting a new installed video version
of the (planned) yearly performance called 'Exhalation 2009'. It is part of
a group exhibition called 'Lust For Life' at CAST in North Hobart and
curated by Lucy Bleach. I won't be in Hobart for the opening (which is on
May 1st at 6:00pm) and after a preliminary install, the final setup will be
undertaken by the ever-lovely Ms Rees (who has a new blog dontcha know).
I will be back in time for the artist's talk (24th?) and get to see it installed at that point.
Check it out.















For those interested, I'm using the networking site Twitter for an ongoing
online poetic work. Essentially I aim to present a personal objective every
day in place of the 'Today I feel a little sad' or 'had a great cup of coffee today'
kind of messages. I know some folks find Twitter a little silly and pointless
and of course it can be, I kinda thought this myself. But you are able to make
use of the Internet in ways other than chatting up people, web stalking, posting
images of drunken hi-jinks and so forth. Anyway if you want to check it out it's
called 'Web Objectives' and can be found at :
http://www.twitter.com/Matt_D_Warren

Okay well, that's about it for now, hope to see you on tour somewhere.
Take care of each other.