gurus

The Hoodoo Gurus have announced the departure of Mark Kingsmill, their drummer for the last 30 years, from the end of March.

In a Facebook post, frontman Dave Faulkner said: “I won't invade Mark's privacy by going into elaborate detail about his reasons other than to say he feels he's had enough of this vagabond rock 'n' roll lifestyle we all lead.

“Though he still enjoys playing drums, Mark has completely lost his appetite for the endless travelling and the many hours of hotel room boredom.

“The physical demands of playing the drums as energetically as he does are also exacting a higher toll on his body than ever before. Really, who can blame him for wanting a change?”

Rocked up to the Palace in time to see The Stems. Dom, Ash et al nailed it, with just the right mixture of volume, stage presence, and of course, great songs. They make it look easy, but that's due to starting a long time ago, and continuing to keep us happy, due to the "lerv" of the music they play, and those pesky bills. Spied Compleat Angler shop owner Chris Baty in the crowd next to me, without his customary fishing tackle in- hand - so I knew I was close to the bar.

_{James Baker and Joe Bludge: The Painkillers.} 

The name James Baker is synonomous with Australian garage rock. His musical exploits read like a who’s who of legendary Australian music – one third of legendary Perth proto-garage punk outfit The Victims, original drummer (and songwriter) with the garage pop incarnation of The Scientists, skinsman in the first (and best) line-up of Le Hoodoo Gurus, founding member of Australia’s best known rock supergroup, the Beasts of Bourbon and drummer with the sadly underappreciated Dubrovniks.

The "Stoneage Romeos" line-up of the Hoodoo Gurus will reunite for this year's Splendour In The Grass festival in Byron Bay on Friday, July 25.

Clyde Bramley and James Baker, original members of the Hoodoo Gurus - post the bass-less line-up which went under the name Le Hoodoo Gurus - will join the band for part of the bracket.

Here’s the first (blurry) photo of the original line-up of the Hoodoo Gurus, deep in rehearsal last weekend for Friday’s Splendour In The Grass festival appearance in Australia. It's courtesy of the band's Facebook page and is the first full reformation of the line-up since drummer James Baker departed in 1984.

Dave Faulkner, Clyde Bramley and Brad Shepherd with Baker (crouching) will play a warm-up mini-set at the Beresford Hotel in Sydney on Wednesday night under the moniker The Wayback Machine. Tickets have now sold out and the bracket will part of a full set by the current line-up. The original members are also recording - along with Roddy Radalj and Kimble Rendall, members of the preceding line-up Le Hoodoo Gurus - for a planned EP.

_{Hoodoo Gurus - Photo by Hoodoo Gurus - Photo by Richard De Pizzol}

The Gov, Sunday, June 9, 2013

Haven't you always loved the idea of parallel universes? In a parallel universe, Iggy Pop invites the Lime Spiders to open for his every gig throughout 1990, and they come to the attention of endless slebs who praise Mick Blood's icewater-on-hot-embers voice so much that he ends up co-starring in one of the die-hards franchise, singing duets with Amy Winehouse. Mick's a kind man and he helps her kick the hard stuff.

A couple of listens in and it’s evident why Paul Collins recruited the core of this band to back him on his Australian tours. The On and Ons play classic guitar pop in the mould of The Plimsouls, the Flamin’ Groovies in their Beatles-besotted era and Collins’ own The Beat.

This is a band that walks down the pop side of the street. If lineage counts, The On and Ons start with a considerable advantage over many others. The members’ rap sheets include the early Hoodoo Gurus, the latter-day Screaming Tribesmen, Kings of the Sun, The Barbarellas and The Stems. To paraphrase Lou: Their powerpop day beats your year.

On December 6, 2013, some of Sydney's best-known rock and roll stalwarts gathered to celebrate the life of Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton, who passed away in 2009. 

_{Steven Danno photo}

The thing with nostalgia is that it never gets old. Like sand through an hourglass, reunions of storied bands are an inevitability. Some are great, some barely tolerable.

The verdict is in on the return to duty by three versions of the Hoodoo Gurus, as a warm-up for an appearance at the Splendour In The Grass festival a few days later. This was a championship-style triumph rather than a chore.

A brand new powerpop-rock combo with an impeccable pedigree, The On and Ons, are launching their Citadel Records CD album, "It's The On and Ons Calling", at the Factory Floor in Sydney on July 18.

The back story is this: Ex-Screaming Tribesman and Kings of the Sun member Glenn Morris (lead vocals and guitar) and his brother Brian (drums), of The Zeros (the Australian band) toured Australia and the US in 2012 as members of The Paul Collins Beat.

That successful stint encouraged them to record their own album of Glenn's original songs. The resultain record "It's The On and Ons Calling" was produced and engineered by legendary Australian guitarist Dennis Wilson, of Khavas Jute fame.