R.I.P. LIVE MUSIC IN AUSTRALIA

After struggling to continue to make a viable living from live music in Australia I have, in the past four years, had to perform overseas as the opportunities in this country have completely dried up. Rather than complain about it i am just doing something about it.

I am off to Thailand where there is still a live music scene where you can still play real music in a venue rather than be treated like some circus clown in an Aussie bar. Thailand reminds me of australia in the 80's where there were good bands and many venues and people had an attitude of having a good time rather than trying to sue someone and get money any way they can out of any situation.

Australia has become a very sad country where litigation is king and nothing is anyone's fault, lets blame someone else for everything and while were it at lets get a shit pile of money by hiring a lawyer at the same time. Concepts of right and wrong have been blurred by making a profit out of any situation and doing deals with our corrupt and pathetically immoral media.

Australia has become forced to become a nation of whining wimps led by the politically correct Nazis that permeate all sections of society now. They are the new age lepers who have taken away all our freedoms and decisions that concern us.

Nevertheless i have had good time playing throughout Australia, and thank God there are still some true blue folks out there that refuse to cave in to the whims of modern society, you know who you are!
But I just miss how it used to be. I don't want to be here for what it's become now.
ta ta!!

14 May 2007 at 23:10 PM

LIVE MUSIC IS ALIVE AND WELL, BUT ONLY IN THAILAND IT SEEMS!!

In a small soi [street] in Karon Beach, Phuket, Thailand I found a tiny bar that made me remember why the heck i learnt to play guitar and joined a band in the first place! Within this dimly lit and rather grotty bar I found a talented and entertaining band that was just superb, playing good classic rock at a perfect volume to a small but appreciative crowd of mostly expat males, the band showed why good live music will never die.

I went back 4 different nights and had 4 jams with them. After touring the world many times and performing more than 9000 gigs i found this one of the most memorable experiences of my musical life.
It was a magical couple of nights and everyone there felt the same it seems.

Check this review from Tony, a local Englishmen who came along and "banged the tables" with the best of them:
http://tonyks25.spaces.live.com/ scroll down for blog ?a band worth seeing"

The bar is called "Robert's bar" and the bands is called "Robert's band" and the main guy is called, you guessed it "Robert". He is a cross between a Thai version of Freddie Mercury and Eddie Van Halen, excellent vocals, awesome guitar work, a definite stage charisma and great backing band. Best band in Thailand for sure.

If you ever go to Phuket, go see them!! The bar is hard to find and has little signage, but if you find it it's like the pot of gold at the end of the live music rainbow. I haven't seen a place like this in Australia since the early 90's and it's such a shame we have lost this type of venue in the overly politically correct and over regulated western world!!