A BEAUTIFUL CHRISTMAS WEDDING

KIERAN COLEMAN, TRUMPETER WITH SYDNEY GROUP, "THE ENORMOUS HORNS"



WE WENT TO A WEDDING YESTERDAY, A RARE EVENT FOR US THESE DAYS. IT WAS AN IRISH V SCOTTISH OCCASION, AND VERY MUSICAL. WE HAD A PIPER, A TRUMPETER AND A SINGING PRIEST AT THE CHURCH, AND A VERY GOOD CELTIC FOLK BAND AT THE RECEPTION.

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS FROM AUSTRALIA

I WANT TO YODEL FOR THE LORD

THE SONG, "I WANT TO YODEL FOR THE LORD" WAS THE SPIRITUAL NEW BEGINNING FOR YODELING THERESA. AFTER 20 YEARS OF ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE, AND SEVERAL FAILED MARRIAGES, YODELING THERESA FOUND A NEW WAY....YODEL FOR THE LORD.www.yodelingtheresa.com

DAVE ALLEN BELLRINGER

I HAVE A VERY COMMON NAME. IN THE MUSICAL WORLD, THERE IS A WELL KNOWN AMERICAN JAZZ GUITARIST, A BASS PLAYER AND OTHERS. THERE WAS THE FAMOUS IRISH COMEDIAN, AN ENGLISH CRICKETER, AN AUSTRALIAN ASTRONOMER, BUT I HAVE JUST DISCOVERED DAVID ALLEN ,BELL RINGER. HIRE HIM FOR YOU WEDDING OR CHURCH CONCERT, OR BELLRINGING WORKSHOP. VISIT HIS WEB SITE FOR MORE FASCINATING DETAILS.I THINK THE WHITE GLOVES ARE A NICE TOUCH, ALSO LEAVING NO EVIDENCE AT THE SCENE OF THE CRIME. HERE DAVID IS PLAYING "DONA NOBIS PACEM" WHICH ROUGHLY TRANSLATES TO "DON'T EAT YOUR KEBAB QUICKLY".

THE ALLEN FAMILY BELLS

PICTURED, IS DAVID, WITH HIS LOVELY WIFE CHERYL, AND DAUGHTER, AMY. THEY RING MY BELLS. CHECK OUT THEIR WEBSITE AT www.david-m-allen.com

MY NEW WORK PLACE

THIS IS A PIC OF THE JANIS JOPLIN ROOM, JUST OUTSIDE OF MY LABORATORY.

I HAVE BEEN OFF WORK FOR A WHILE, RECOVERING FROM SOME BACK SURGERY. WHILE AWAY, OUR COMPANY MOVED INTO A NEW PURPOSE BUILT FACILITY, RUMOURED TO HAVE COST CLOSE TO $100 MILLION, AND VERY NICE TOO. I WORK IN A PATHOLOGY LABORATORY. THERE IS A THEME OF ROCK STARS THROUGHOUT THE BUILDING. ON THE GROUND FLOOR IS THE BOB DYLAN AUDITORIUM, ON MY FLOOR, WE HAVE 3 MEETING ROOMS, THE JIMI HENDRIX, JANIS JOPLIN AND BOB MARLEY ROOMS. THERE ARE ALSO THE JOHN LENNON, PAUL MCCARTNEY, BRUCE SPRINGSTEIN, MICK JAGGER ETC. EACH ROOM HAS BEAUTIFUL SAND BLASTED IMAGES OF THE PERSON ON GLASS WINDOW PANELS OR ETCHED METAL PANELS. AMONGST OTHER THINGS THE COMPANY DOES, IT CAN TEST FOR DRUGS.
I THOUGHT IT HIGHLY AMUSING THAT MOST OF THE BUILDING IS NAMED AFTER DEAD DRUG USERS.

AMANDA PALMER ARRIVED THIS WEEK TO DO SOME SHOWS IN THE FAMOUS SPIEGELTENT

AMANDA IS THE SINGER/KEYBOARD PLAYER OF DRESDEN DOLLS FAME, A WONDERFUL PUNK/CABERET BAND, WITH BRIAN VIGLIONI ON DRUMS.

NO, THIS IS NOT AN OBITUARY BLOG, IT'S JUST A SAD COINCIDENCE

THIRTY YEARS AGO, 5TH DEC 1977, RAHSAAN ROLAND KIRK DIED.
HE WAS MY ALL TIME MUSICAL HERO. I FIRST HEARD HIM IN 1965, AND HE TURNED ME ON TO JAZZ. I SAW HIM LIVE AT 3 CONCERTS HE DID AT SYDNEY TOWN HALL, IN 1974. I WILL NEVER FORGET HIS GENIUS.

BRIGHT MOMENTS TO ALL MY FRIENDS

TIME TO REMEMBER

I DON'T REMEMBER WHEN JFK DIED, OR WHERE I WAS WHEN ELVIS PACKED IT IN, BUT EVERY YEAR ABOUT THIS TIME, I CAST MY MIND BACK TO 1980, DECEMBER 8TH, THE DAY JOHN LENNON DIED, IN NEW YORK, AGED 40, AT THE HANDS OF A LUNATIC.
I WAS IN LOS ANGELES AT THE TIME, STAYING IN VENICE BEACH, I WAS IN THE CAR WITH A MATE, ON OUR WAY TO A RESTAURANT, AND HEARD THE NEWS REPORT ON THE RADIO. WE WERE SHOCKED. WHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE VENUE, I TOLD A WAITRESS THE NEWS. SHE SAID, "YEH...THAT SORT OF THING HAPPENS ALL THE TIME." THOSE WORDS HAVE HAUNTED ME TO THIS DAY, AS THEY SAY A LOT ABOUT SOME PEOPLE.

LILY OH LILY!

IT'S A FUNNY OLD WORLD. SO MANY OF YESTERYEAR'S ROCKERS, ROSE TATOO, GUNS N ROSES BITS AND PIECES, BRIAN WILSON, ELTON JOHN AND ON AND ON AND ON, STILL TOURING, RSL CLUBS FULL OF ERIC BURDONS, PLATTERS, ETC, NOT TO MENTION TRIBUTE BANDS OF EVERYONE FROM THE BEATLES, MEATLOAF, ABBA, COLD CHISEL ETC. ALL SCRAPING OUT A LIVING, THREATS FROM THE JACKSON FIVE TO REFORM, (HOW COULD MICHAEL REFORM?) AND NEWS COMES OUT THIS WEEK THAT LILY ALLEN AGED 22, WHO JUST SOLD A COUPLE OF MILLION ALBUMS, THINKS SHE WILL RETIRE WHEN SHE'S 25!