Hi Everyone :)
I just wanted to let you know that I recorded a new song - well, actually, it's an old one re-hashed (I do that a lot these days). The song is *I'm In Trouble*, which I recorded on my *Power Of The Blues* album in 1986. This version packs a lot more punch (as all of my re-recordings of that era do) - anyway - this song has always been Special to me, as it deals with *Social Issues* - in this case, the plight of Indigineous People, a subject VERY close to my heart!

My musician friend, Brian Fitzgerald wrote the bulk of this song and I played guitar on the original version, which was released on Brian's Solo LP in 1978. I loved the song so much, I decided to do my own version for my *Power Of The Blues* album, a project that Brian encouraged me to do and partnered with, collaborating in the writing, recording and production.

Brian Fitgerald, like a few others I know, is an extremely underrated musician in Australia and deserves  a lot more recognition than he's ever received. He is an excellent pianist and flautist, but also adept in playing Saxophone, Clarinet and Harmonica (Blues Harp). He toured the USA with Brian Cadd (a well-known Aussie Legend) in the Mid-70s and forever plays down his role for what he is capable of. I worked with Brian for many years and some of my best musical memories are shared with him.

Anyway, I wanted you to hear this new version of a great song. This is how it evolved since I have have formed my new band MTB - and this is how we now play it on stage. We hope to record this one and a string of other originals in the very near future, because my band feels very confident in my songs. The guys love playing them and told me that my songs are worthy of more exposure to a wider audience.....

....But, there's another side to this story. *I'm In Trouble* is about an Indigineous Australian, who was hounded by the *System* and branded an Outlaw, because he stood up - and gave his Life for what he believed in. When you listen to the words of this song, you can also related it to other Native Peoples, like the American Indian - and many others, who's Lives have been interfered with by the Onslaught of European Culture (and Invasion).

Thanks for your time and All The Best!
Marc

Monica Dupont, one of most unique, albeit underrated Blues singers of our time, has written and recorded her special message for us to share this Christmas - for FREE!!

This Christmas song is not your average Christmas ditty a la *Jingle Bells* - no, no! Far from it! Monica's song is an earthy Blues, in which she says, "Christmas is not about me...what I want the most is PEACE IN THE WORLD".

Monica sings from the depths of her soul. Her voice is smooth, her phrasing impeccable, but always relaxed and she is ably supported by her brilliant band, which includes guitarist Ron Thompson and her husband Gary Novak on bass.

So do yourself a favour, click the player above to listen and down-load this amazing Blues song. You can also share it with all your friends and I'm sure they'll thank you for doing it.

In closing, I want to wish all of you a Wonderful Festive Season and ALL things good for the year 2009 - and beyond! Have a safe holiday :)

Cheers,
Marc

Hi Everyone!

I just up-loaded a new song, 'Lowdown Blues' and I feel I'd better add some clarification here, in case some of you might think I had a *Sex Change*, LOL!!

The voice you hear on the track belongs to Joanne Woodward (no, not the actress). Joanne, or Jo for short is a dear friend of mine, who lives just down the road from me and we occasionally perform as an Acoustic Duo in - and around our home town of Bendigo, playing Blues, Country, Jazz and Bluegrass tunes.

Jo wrote 'Lowdown Blues' and we performed this version earlier this year during our set at the Maryborough *Wine & Music Festival*. Jo is featured here on vocals and acoustic rhythm guitar and I play acoustic lead for her. The whole thing is a *No Frills* performance and - even though it's a bit rough around the edges, I feel it still captures the *moment* and atmosphere of the day.

I actually up-loaded a pic of Jo to accompany this song, but it doesn't show on my Profile page as yet, that's why I thought I'd better explain...LOL!

There are a few other tracks from this set, which I might include here at a later date - but in the mean-time, please listen to this one -  and enjoy!

Have a great weekend, all!

Marc 

~MILO~

A Special Little Friend

Yesterday morning my wife Glenys and I said goodbye to a dear friend. It was indeed a very sad moment and yet, among the tears, we felt a wave of relief, knowing that our buddy was now free of pain, sleeping peacefully forever.

Milo, a beautiful Maltese/Pommeranian cross, was six weeks old, when he came into our Lives on my 54th Birthday. He was born on November 7, 1995. I was in my home studio, playing guitar, when my youngest son, Byron came in, carrying this tiny, white bit of fluff in his arms, with Glenys close behind him, looking slightly worried about what my reaction might be towards this new addition in our family. I must admit, I wasn't ready for another pet in the house,certainly not after the demise of several Cockateels, Finches and Quails that perished because they hadn't been fed for weeks!

But when I saw this cute little bundle with a red ribbon tied around its neck in Byron's arms, I melted and couldn't wait to give him a hug. I had a feeling that Milo (Byron named him) wasn't really my Birthday present. I suspect that Glenys and Byron thought it was a *perfect* opportunity to introduce a cute little puppy into our household.

Milo instantly stole everyone's heart, whoever laid eyes on him. We used to take him for a walk down to the lake and people passing by always wanted to hold and hug him. He was delightful, lovable and very playful! One of his funniest antics was the *Milo Leap*. The kids used to throw a ball from the verandah and Milo was literally *air-borne* for a few seconds, as he leapt from the patio, to catch the ball! He also loved to chase anything with wheels - bikes, wheel barrows, lawn mowers and yeah, he knew it was Thursday night when it was time for the garbage bin to be wheeled out. He'd lay in wait and gave chase, the minute he heard the wheelie bin roll up the path. Cars too. We had to put up a front fence to stop him from running out on the road. His passion for chasing cars stopped for a couple of months, after he got caught under the wheels of my car!

But he also had a naughty and stubborn streak in him as well. At one stage, we called in a dog trainer for some advice and that worked for a little while, but Milo pretty much did what he wanted. By the time Milo was two years old, we'd all had given up on him about ever being a *good* dog. One of my friends knew of a kind elderly couple, who were delighted to take Milo home with them to keep them company. But after two days, my sons missed him so much, they begged us to get Milo back. The elderly couple were real nice and returned the dog to us. So Milo was back to stay, for better or worse!

When we moved to Bendigo in 1999, Nona and Papa (Glenys' parents) offered to take Milo for a couple of days until we got settled. When it was time to pick him up, they pleaded with us to let him *stay a bit longer*. So Milo ended up staying with them for more than four years, lapping up the attention and Love bestowed on him. After Papa passed on in 2004, Nona sold the house and rented a unit in Bendigo. Milo went with her as well. She spoiled him rotten, he ended up putting on weight and his arthritis, which had plagued him for a few years, also got worse. He became too much for Nona to take care of, so Milo came back with us to live out the rest of his Life. Several visits to the vet and a strict diet helped him get back into shape. There were lots of fun moments, when Milo chased me while I was on the Ride-on mower and I chased him back. He never lost his urge to chase cars, right up until a couple of days before he died.

Sadly, in the last few weeks, Milo's health took a turn for the worse. The last couple of days, Milo couldn't even eat and he just drank water. He was in terrible pain, but never complained. A brave little fellow, a fighter to his last breath. When Glenys took him to the Vet yesterday morning, she was told that he had reached his time to go and she reluctantly gave permission to put him to sleep.

So now, Milo rests peacefully, free of pain. He didn't quite make it to his 13th Birthday ( the equivalent of 91 years in human life).

Milo we will miss you, but never forget you. Run free, be happy, my special little mate!

This

Xmas

I would like to

put up a tree in my

heart, and instead of

hanging presents, I would

like to put the names of all

my friends. Close friends and

not so close friends. The old friends

and the new friends. Those that I see

every day and the ones that I rarely see.

The ones that I always remember and the

ones that I sometimes forget. The ones that

are always there and the ones that seldom are.

The friends of difficult times and the ones of happy

times. Friends who, without meaning to, I have hurt,

or, without meaning to, have hurt me. Those that I know

well and those I only know by name. Those that owe me little

and those that I owe so much. My humble friends and my important

friends. The names of all those that have passed through my life no matter

how fleetingly. A tree with very deep roots and very long and strong branches

so that their names may

never be plucked from

my heart. So that new

names from all over may

join the existing ones. A

tree with a very pleasant shade so that our friendship

may take a moment of rest from the battle of life.

"May the happy moments of Xmas brighten every

day of the New Year." These are my sincere wishes.

Cheers, Marc  

Smoke On The Water: The Floating Inferno!!

Thought I'd share this road story with you. I thought you might get a giggle out of reading it. What you're about to read is true.

I was doing an Australian tour with my band and at the time of the incident we were in Perth, Western Australia. The line-up I had at that time was very  popular in Perth and we spent a lot of time there, even though it was thousands of miles away from our home, Melbourne. It wasn't unusual for us to score gigs with visiting international acts and promotors often chose us to open for overseas stars, in this case it was the British Rock group The Kinks.

The concert venue was the Olympic Pool in Perth, June/July of 1971 (I can't remember the exact date). The promoters had set up a stage in the middle of the pool, but did not count on a BIG storm brewing.

When we arrived at the venue, it was already blowing a gale and the rain came down heavily. We looked out at the stage in the pool, which was swaying precariously, like a raft on the ocean and we could see electric sparks snaking along the wiring on the stage floor. We looked at each other and said, 'NO WAY!'.

I told the promoter that we couldn't possibly be expected go out there and LIVE!!? He just shrugged, saying the show had to go on and if we refused, we wouldn't get paid and be scrapped from the rest of the tour. So we sat moping around the change room, until the Kinks' road crew arrived. We told them to look out to the stage in the pool and they just laughed and said, c'mon boys, we're going home!

The promoter started protesting, as there were a few thousand people waiting to see the show. The Kinks' road manager warned, unless the stage was moved, there'll be no concert.  The promoter had no choice other than getting the equipment moved from the pool stage and, I must admit, it looked quite comical seeing the poor roadies slipping and sliding on the wet floor of the stage as it threatened to capsize in the pool.

It took about two hours to relocate the whole set-up under one of the wings of the grandstand. This also meant that all the people sitting above the 'new stage' had to be moved around so they could watch the show. The crowd was becoming disgruntled about being crammed for space, not to mention the long delay. But once we started playing, thousands of voices roared approval. They stomped and cheered and chanted, as we rocked into our set.

We were into the third song, when suddenly there was a almighty 'moan' coming from the area of the pool and we saw lightning, wind and rain whip the poor deserted stage on the water, as it reared up and sank beneath the waves of the pool. It looked absolutely surreal, as there were still sparks coming from some of the remaining cables and when they went under, the sparks literally lit up the water, like a liquid rainbow!!

The crowd just went berserk, they loved the spectacle, let's face it, no one could have planned a better light show and needless to say, we were never able to top that kind of visual effect for our show!!  The Kinks went on after us and put on a Killer performance (without the special effects from the pool!) and we had a huge party after the show, where we laughed our heads off, talking about the events of the evening.

The Vibrants' Perth Tour, August 13 to September 1, 1968.

The Vibrants' 1968 Perth tour must surely be the epitome of gullibility (and stupidity) exercised by any band and it's management in Australian Rock history.  Looking at it now I am astounded how we actually agreed to the deal, which was as follows:

The Perth promotor was to pay the Vibrants a total of $2100 for the three week tour, ie., $700 pw.  Mind you, that's not $700 each, but $700 for the band, period.  Out of that, we had to pay 20% management & agent commission, which left the band with $560pw to divide among six people, so we ended up with about $93 each.  Now, back in '68, just before I joined the Vibrants, I was making $45pw in my day job, so one could say that earning more than twice that amount wasn't such a bad deal, 'specially since the common mindset among the community was that "musicians didn't really 'work' for their money".

But wait!! -  Here's the real classic dupe act of all time!  I'm almost too embarassed to admit this, but what the heck, here goes - WE PAID FOR OUR OWN AIR FARES - yeah!! I couldn't believe it myself, when I read through my old diary the other day, but there it was in black and white, grinning at me, calling me Prize Dickhead!!  So how much was an air fare from Melbourne to Perth in '68?  Answer:  $150!

Now, deduct $150 from my three week earning total of $279 and you're left with $129, which makes it $43pw - that's $2 less than I earned as a lackey wrapping wallpaper and here I was, a member of a Nationally known Pop Group with three number 1s under their belt.  While I'm on a roll here, lets see how much we made (each) per gig.  For a total of 45 gigs, we were paid a total of $279, which makes it $6.20 per gig each!

During this 21 day tour of Perth, the Vibrants played 45 gigs, which I think could be some kind of record.

The first week we did 16 gigs, the second week 18 and in the third week only a measly 11 gigs!

I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has played more than 18 gigs in one week.

The agent gave us a van in which to cart our gear around (plus ourselves).  We had to do all our own 'roadying', although (very) occasionally, one of the agents showed up to lend a hand. We had to lug a PA system, as well as an organ and about half the venues were upstairs.

Note that some of the times only allowed a half hour in between gigs.  Fortunately some of them were around the corner from one another.

The work schedule was so gruelling, that  the Bass player collapsed on the steps at the Troubador during a 'Load-in' on August 16. So the guitarist played bass and I played guitar, while our bassist recovered in a back room.  At 'Spectrum' on August 24, I actually fell asleep on stage, during a 24 bar sax solo and was carried off the stage. I was back 10 minutes later to finish  the show.

We left Melbourne at 8:30PM, Monday August 12 and arrived at Perth airport by midnight, WA time, where we were greeted by reporters and Radio DJs. After we left the airport we were immediately hustled to the first venue, to off-load our equipment.  Then we were introduced to our living quarters.  Now there's another Classic!!  Here's an excerpt from my diary:

" The house in which we are to spend the next three weeks, is a (expletive) joke! Apart from the electric lighting and a couple of power points, everything else is fuelled by WOOD!!  When we first set foot in the place, we cracked up laughing, but then it slowly dawned on us that we're stuck in this dump for Three (expletive) Weeks! I woke up at 9AM and started chopping some wood, so we can have a bath and heat the stove for breakfast. The other fellows soon woke  up as my swearing and clamour could be heard all over the neighbourhood.  We didn't even have an axe - only a mattock, with which we attempted to split the red gum 'boulders'.  We got the bathroom heater going, but soon the house filled with smoke and the bath water only trickled out of the tap - it would have taken hours to fill the tub, so we all got into our stage gear 'dirty'.  We had jam sandwiches and coffee for breakfast and waited for the agent to pick us up for our first gig.  He was over an hour late and it was getting close to our starting time."

Two days later, after much complaining, we were moved into another house which, at least had electric heating and a shower.

Anyway, here's a list of the venues and the hours played.

Tuesday, August 13:
The Troubador  12 Noon - 2PM
Pinnocchio's  9:30Pm - 1:30AM

Wednesday, August 14:
The Troubador  12 Noon - 2PM
Whisky A Go Go  10:30PM - 1:30AM

Thursday, August 15:
The Troubador  12 Noon - 2PM
Pinnocchio's  9:30PM - 1:30AM

Friday, August 16:
The Troubador  12 Noon - 2PM
6PR Happening  8:30PM - 9:30PM
The Waldorf  10:30PM - 1:30PM
The Troubador  2AM - 4:30AM

Saturday, August 17:
Record Store Appearance 9AM - 10:15AM
Sterling Jeans Promotion
(Boans City Store)  11AM - 12 Noon
Raffle's Hotel  7:30PM - 10PM
Latin Quarter  11:PM - 3AM

Sunday, August 18:
St. Patrick's Freemantle 8PM - 9PM
La Riviera  10PM - 1:30AM

Monday August19:
The Troubador  12 Noon - 2PM
Pinnocchio's  9:30PM - 1:30AM

Tuesday, August 20:
The Troubador  12 Noon - 2PM
Pinnocchio's  9:30PM 1:30AM

Wednesday, August 21:
The Troubador  12 Noon - 2PM
The Waldorf  10:30PM - 1:30AM

Thursday, August 22:
The Troubador  12 Noon - 2PM
Whisky A Go Go  10:30PM - 1:30AM

Friday, August 23:
The Troubador  12 Noon - 2PM
6PR Happening  8:30PM - 9:30PM
Two Eyes  10:30PM - 1:30AM
The Troubador  2AM - 4:30AM

Saturday, August 24:
Record Store Promotion,
Boans Innaloo  9AM - 10:15AM
Raffle's Hotel  7:30 10PM
Spectrum, Freemantle 11PM - 2:30 AM

Sunday, August 25:
La Riviera  10PM - 1:30AM

Monday, August 26:
Latin Quarter  11PM - 3AM

Tuesday, August 27:
Pinnocchio's  9:30PM - 1:30AM

Wednesday, August 28:
The Waldorf  10:30PM - 1:30 AM

Thursday, August 29:
Whisky A Go Go  10:30PM - 1:30AM

Friday, August 30:
6PR Happening  8:30PM - 9:30PM
The Waldorf  10:30PM - 1:30AM
The Troubador  2AM - 4:30AM

Saturday, August 31:
Raffle's Hotel  7:30PM - 10PM
Ricki Tic   11PM - 3AM

Sunday, September 1:
Ricki Tic   2PM - 4:30PM

* We had a complementary dinner at La Riviera, then caught the midnight flight back to Melbourne,
arriving there at 6AM Monday, September 2.

During a band meeting on September 4, the Bassist, Sax player and I announced that we'll be leaving the Vibrants.

The last gig with this line-up was on Sunday, October 6, at a 21rst Birthday party.

Hi Everyone, welcome to my first Blog here on MySpace! I decided on the subject of Christmas shopping  - well, because it's a timely subject and because I found this interesting and informative article when I subscribed to "This Green Life", a monthly newsletter distributed on the Net by The Natural Resource Defence Council (NRDC), of which I am a member.

I was so impressed by the article, I asked for permission to reproduce it here and I'd like to thank the author and NRDC for allowing me to do so.

It may seem odd that I post this type of Blog on a Music page, but a lot of my muso-friends care for the environment and I'm sure there's lots more out there that will find this Blog interesting. So I hope you will enjoy reading this message as much as I did and I welcome any comments you may wish to make. 

WITH GIFTS, TOO, LESS CAN BE MORE

by Sheryl Eisenberg.

 I can still remember virtually every gift I received in childhood, not because the gifts were so special, but because they were so few. Though I  was a comfortable child of the post-war boom, the times were thrifty compared to today. I never had more than a few dolls, stuffed animals, board games, crayons, records, books, a bike and a sled.  And that was enough, more than enough, yet not so  much more that I didn't appreciate each and every item -- and enjoy it to the end of its useful life, or my childhood, whichever came first.

What middle class American child can say the same today? Our kids are so inundated with playthings, they need bins and chests and extra closets to  store them all. And we adults are equally awash in our grown-up toys. Nevertheless, this holiday season, we will rush to the stores, actual and virtual, to buy more for our kids and each other. What gives?

That the shopping frenzy is inconsistent with the spiritual and communal essence of the holidays is an old subject. I recently came across a reference  to it in Howard's End, a wonderful story from 1910 that takes place in England, from which I gathered that not only isn't commercialization of the holidays new, it's not even uniquely American. The only point worth noting in 2006 is that the situation is worse than ever, and not just because we are increasingly out of touch with the meaning of the holidays (of all faiths). Our heedless extravagance has environmental costs that are steep and growing.

The world's population is currently using 25 percent more resources each year than the earth can generate in that time, according to the latest Living Planet Report by the World Wildlife Fund.  And that figure is projected to rise to 200 percent in the next 50 years if we don't change course.

Do you wonder how it's possible to consume more than the earth produces? We manage it by living off our capital -- the resources that it's taken tens or hundreds or, in the case of fossil fuels, millions of years to accumulate. And you know what happens when you live off your capital.

Though by no means the only offenders, Americans are among the worst (2 on the list, after the United Arab Emirates). Our average per capita "ecological footprint" is over four times bigger than the earth can afford. While our seasonal lavishness isn't the only reason, it does contribute largely to the problem.

But enough of this grinchiness. No one wants to give up on the holidays or the sense of abundance that the season bestows.The only question is how to be generous without bankrupting the earth. Here are some thoughts:

Give things people need and can use, rather than products plucked from the shelves simply because they look good.

Choose gifts made of sustainable materials -- bamboo rather than wood, hemp, organic cotton and  wool, fleece made from recycled soda bottles, post-consumer recycled paper, natural cosmetics and organic, fair-trade chocolates and coffees.

Buy locally made products, as the energy used to transport goods to the stores is one of the huge, hidden environmental costs of the holidays.

Look for used things with a provenance. Old books and maps, retro clothing, antique jewelry and the like are one-of-a-kind gift that collectors and aficionados will appreciate.

Give things that reduce energy usage, such as commuter bicycles, solar-powered products, battery rechargers and carbon offsets.

Avoid excessively packaged products. The packaging wastes resources without adding value and, if made from plastic, can release toxins after being discarded.

Give tickets for concerts, shows, museums, sporting events, outdoor activities or parks.

Give a party rather than presents -- and tell your guests that the party's gift-free.

Give of yourself. Promise a shift of babysitting or dog-walking or a service that uses your special talents or skills, such as a webpage, a bridge lesson or home improvement help.

Swap contributions. Set up a registry listing your favorite non-profits at whatgoesaround.org and suggest to your friends that they register, too, so you can give to their causes while they give to yours.

Most important, remember that the greatest gift of the season is the holidays themselves. It's the one time of year when society permits you -- indeed, encourages you -- to escape from the daily hurly-burly and experience the meaning and poetry of life. Don't miss the chance.
--- Sheryl Eisenberg (Read more about Sheryl below)*

You can subscribe to This Green Life (it's FREE!) at www.nrdc.org/thisgreenlife for more handy tips on how to save on resources.

You may also want to check out www.SaveBioGems.org and find out how you can take action to help save some of our remaining places of Wilderness and the endangered animals that inhabit them.  

*Sheryl Eisenberg is a web developer and writer. With her firm, Mixit Productions (http://www.mixitproductions.com/), she brought NRDC online in 1996, designed NRDC's first websites, and continues to develop special web features for NRDC. She created and, for several years, wrote the Union of Concerned Scientists' green living column, Greentips, and has designed and contributed content to many nonprofit sites. Sheryl Eisenberg posts a new This Green Life every month. She makes her home in Tribeca (NYC), where -- along with her children, Sophie and Gabby, and husband, Peter -- she tries to put her environmental  principles into practice. No fooling!