Tickets all snapped up now and that fuzzy warm feeling is in the air. I guess everyone is anticipating who will be next announced for the lineup at this years Falls yeah!?!. Well not like this is announcing any additions, but these are some definite subtractions. So don’t be expecting this lot to be seen at Falls this year:

HILLTOP HOODS, GRINSPOON, THE CAT EMPIRE, YOU AM I, SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM, THE MATCHES, PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS, COG, BLUE KING BROWN, KORA, KISSCHASY, THE AUDREYS, HOWLING BELLS, WOLF & CUB, THAT 1 GUY, BRITISH INDIA, HORSELL COMMON, DALLAS FRASCA, MAMMAL,THE EXPLODERS, DAMN ARMS and YOUNG & RESTLESS

Where will they all be then???? The Pyramid Rock Festival on Phillip Island. Basically a Falls Festival sibling.

http://thepyramidrockfestival.com

Those of you who have kept those memories of previous Falls Festivals close to heart won’t care to less because alot of them have been already, some twice to Falls. I would have liked to see British India and Sneaky Sound System at Falls. Oh well, most of those bands will be coming Hobart way on their Tours, or have already been.

SOURCE: TheDwarf.com.au Forums

I have been waiting all year in anticipation for the this years Falls lineup to be announced. Hardly a day passed without me thinking about who is going to be at the biggest Tassie (and Melbourne) music festival of each year. I haven’t missed a single year of Falls in Tassie yet and there is no way I’m passing it up this year. You can see past Falls YouTube video’s HERE, three of my own are in there

So they’ve finally announced the initial line-up and I’m so pumped to see Kings of Leon headlining a host of other awesome acts like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Groove Armada, The Mess Hall, Gotye.. and the Girl Talk set is going to be wild. There is probably only a couple I couldn’t care less about seeing live.

Anyway.. I thought the example sounds on the Falls Festival website was a wie bit shitty. So here’s a YouTube list I made myself of each band playing live to let everyone know what to expect from these live performers. Hope you’re all coming…

Kings of Leon – US Rock

Groove Armada – Electronica / House / Trip Hop / Downtempo

Paul Kelly – Aussie Rock

Midnight Juggernauts – Electronica Rock

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – US Garage Rock

The Waif’s – Folk Rock

Built to Spill – Indie Rock

Gotye – Aussie Alternative / Electronica / Indie

Jose Gonzalez – Indie / folk

The Go! Team – UK Dance, Indie, Hip Hop

Blackalicious – US HipHop

The Mess Hall – Aussie Blues-rock / Indie rock / Garage rock

Girl Talk – Electronic Pro DJ

Kev Carmody – Aussie Indigenous Folk

Whiskey Go Go’s – Aussie Southern Rock

Neville Staple’s Specials – Ska / Regae

Friday nite sitting at home bored shitless I got to wondering why I had not thought to venture out and find something entertaining to do. When all of a sudden it hit me, British India were playing at The Republic. I had only really heard one of their songs on the radio and I did like it and a few peeps had told me they were good. So quick call to a mate, who was already heading there with his girl and offered to pick me up on the way, yay no walking in the cold.

Local 3 piece LUCY were support for British India. I have been to many of Lucy’s gigs already and rate them very highly for a local act and can actually see them going big sooner or later. Probably the best I have heard them play so far actually.

I hate waiting between sets at The Republic, it always seems to take forever for the next band to start, but I guess I didn’t mind this time as it gave me a little extra time at the bar.

British India, I didn’t exactly know what to expect from them playing live, so asked a few friends found mingling around the place. They all said it should be excellent and my god it was just fabulous. Well actually I spent half the gig talking around the corner with friends for some reason. But they decided to pike and go home which left me with no option but to hit the crowd and mosh it up a bit.

This band rocks live.. I would say they have style similarities to The Vines and a stage presence similar to The Hives. I wont be missing these guys next time they’re down.

The Vasco Era were one of my favorite acts at the last Falls Festival, opening with a solo reenactment of an Elvis clasic by lead singer Sid O’neil as the sun set into the nite, by the time the sky was black the entire band had the masses dancing crazy. You can check out a few YouTube clips which are on their MySpace page.

So when I saw the poster for their gig at the Republic I got excited. The Republic was packed and there was no way I was sitting at the back for this one. Pretty disappointed in my mates who decided after the first 10 seconds that they are a shit band and opted to sit out the back, such wowsa’s. So I hit the mosh alone although found plenty of known faces amongst the crowd. Sid’s voice can be a little off putting to those tho aren’t acquired to it, and I’m guessing that is what put my mates off, even tho a few of them loved them at Falls, they decided they hated them now.

The set started with yet another solo reenactment by Sid but different from the Falls solo. Vasco are absolute crowd pleaser’s with so much va

riety in their music, Sid’s talents go beyond lead guitar and vocals when he pulls out Bongo’s and Slide Guitar. The other two members don’t sit back and let Sid get all the attention, Sid’s brother Ted plays bass and isn’t scared to show his passion for his instrument, and drummer Michael Fitzgerald sent a symbol flying with his aggression on drums.

One song I have been longing to hear live again is Sweet Little Honey Bee, saved until last to leave that lasting impression on the crowd, what a good $16 spent.

Today I ordered a new funky Futara Zero-G watch in Silver all the way from Japan. Can’t wait to strap it on my wrist.  Should be here by Friday next week.

What a messy weekend in Hobart. Kickin off Friday arvo at Knoppies for a few frothies to kick off the nite.

The Republic was where it started getting rowdy. I brought tickets to Dallas Crane the day before which conveniently slotted together with the Staff Excursion plans which were basically to get tanked at the Republic. Local Hobart band The Evening Dolls (Andy’s Band) hit the stage first and warmed the crowd before The S.I.G.I.T from Indonesia brought the funky rockin blues riffs, I wasn’t expecting much from them being an Indonesian outfit but my god they were awesome, they speak/sing in English by the way. Check their myspace for sure.

By the time DALLAS CRANE was on stage I was fairly tanked, thanks to some random ex student from the school I work at. He decided to shout me and my mates a heap of drinks, what a champion! The Republic was the most packed I’ve ever seen it.

The night went on from there, Bridies with Ange and then a random decision to go to Mobius all on my own because everyone else had gone home. Have no idea what place or time I lost Co and Andy, I think it was the most hammered I’ve ever been, apparent from the hangover in the morning, well afternoon by the time I woke up.

Yesterday arvo I decided it was enough of the hobbling around with a wobbly ankle and decided to check into the newly refurbished Royal Hobart Emergency to get a scan.

I checked in around 4:30, the waiting area was almost full but I’m rather patient, maybe to patient. To patient because it took until 10pm to make it into the Clinic. That’s more than 5 hours. The waiting isn’t really what pissed me off most, it was the fact that many other people with hardly sever issues were getting through in far less waiting time than me. Another guy with the same injury came in at 9:30 and somehow got through to the clinic and out of the hospital well before I did. LIKE WHAT THE HELL NURSES!..

I think the trick is.. if you go back to the Triage and keep hassling them, they seem to put you through to the Clinic sooner. It seemed like the average time tolerance was about 1 to 2 hours for most people. After 5 hours or more I decided to try my luck lost my patients and confronted the Triage for an update on progress. What do you know 10 minutes later I was escorted into the Clinic. YIEW. Sat in Clinic for around another hour doing nothing before a nurse took me to have a Scan. Then sat for another hour before the Doc came around, who for some reason checked out all the people who came in after me and then realized a set of scans left over on the Clinic reception desk.

12:30 comes along, Doc comes over, tells me I have a few small chips of bone but mostly a sprained ankle, rest up for 6 weeks.

I seriously think there are some big problems going on at the RHH. Maybe it’s just personal communication problems, maybe its their stupid computer system, whatever it is the place is totally dysfunctional. No one seemed to have any idea of how long I had been in the hospital, when I told one of the Nurse I had been there since 4:30 she looked shocked. And I told her as if to say “HURRY THE F*&K UP AND STOP DAWDLING AROUND”,, but of course I’m way to polite to actually say that.

Next time I’m there I’m going to say something to get put through quicker.. I dunno what exactly, stepped on a needle or something, oh and sprained my ankle at the same time, what a coinsidence.

Last week I hired out ‘The Secret’. I didn’t know a single thing about it then, now all of a sudden it’s all over the current affair and late night talk shows on TV.

I expected it to be some kind of movie, but instead it was somewhat a documentary about the ‘Law of Attraction’. A very inspirational one at that. I highly recommend you see it, especially if you’re feeling a little demotivated, unless you really hate documentaries.

The Secret Homepage

It’s the first time in a long time that I have felt this immobilised. This weekend just gone was so action packed that all the fun just took its toll on me in the end. Leading by 2 points going into the final minute of Sunday Night Basketball I have the ball in hand, clear lane to the basket.. I drive through the key when all of a sudden, snap, my ankle gives way from landing on the oppositions foot. I hit the deck like a sack of shite before dragging myself off. We ended up losing by 4 points, first loss of the season, brings it to 12 wins, 1 loss.

So chucked a sicky Monday, packed the Voltaren into me and caught up on Heroes and Friday Night Lights.

Earlier rise that normal for me last Saturday.. 10am… as apposed to the usual post midday wake.

The reason for the early rise; to get my aim on for Tasmanian Laser Skirmish. Organised by fellow Nerds IT professionals who work for the same government IT department as myself.

Click here to go to the gallery from OUR day.

Set in bushland halfway down the Southern Outlet between Hobart and Kingston on a glorious sunny day (rare for Tasmania this time of year). 34 of us split into two teams, the only thing setting teams apart were the different hats, our team had Caps, the other team had those silly looking rimmed things, I feel rather stupid for forgetting what they are actually called at this exact moment.

I wasn’t really sure what I was in for but I felt I had a bit of an advantage considering I’m fit as f*** and alot of them are, well I’m guessing they sit and play World of Warcraft and CounterStrike while drinking coke and mars bars with their time away from work. Turned out I was pretty crap to begin with but I got better after working out that Stealth is better than going all out Rambo on the opposition.

$40 for 3 hours of action packed warfare was well worth it. Can’t wait til next time. I highly recommend.