The second instalment of “Raining Treasure”, the rather excellent countryfried salute to Sydney underground rock and roll’s heyday by Sydney’s Urban and Western master, John Kennedy, is on its way.

A crowdfunding campaign is in full swing and rewards range from autographed copies with your name on the cover to a show in your own home.  

You can make sure you’re part of the action with John and his band The 68 Comeback Special by going here.

The second in a series, “Raining Treasure Vol 2” will features covers classic ‘70s and ‘80s songs (and obscurities) by The Boys Next Door, The Riptides, The Passengers and  Radio Birdman. How do you say Yeah Hup with a country twang? 

Flaming Hands vocalist Julie Mostyn-Gilbert is a guest on the album and is pictured at the recording session with Kennedy.

Perennial I-94 Bar favourite Johnny Casino has a limited edition of seven-inch singles out under the apt name “5x7 - The Days of Wine and Cola”. 

The physical boxset is in a run of 200 copies only and is available on Bandcamp here or through European labels Folc (Spain) and Beast (France). The digital edition is out on all platforms through Golden Robot Records.

Now living in Spain, the man once known as John A Spittles is the founding member and songwriter of the great Australian rock 'n' roll band Asteroid B612, Philadelphia PA's Johnny Casino's Easy Action, the rotating line-up that is Johnny Casino and the Secrets (featuring the who's who of Australian rock 'n' roll), The Egos, The Lord Street Sound, and Carrie Phillis and the Downtown 3.

Casino is a musicila journeyman always looking for new challenges whether it’s a riff to plunder, a melody to celebrate or a moment to capture, so let's allow Johnny describe the concept of the release:

_{Mark Fraser photo.}

The Hard-Ons have announced the supports for their “I'm Sorry Sir, That Riff's Been Taken” Australian tour - their first with their new line-up which features new singer Tim Rogers.The tour comes on the back of the band's first ever ARIA Top 5 album, and takes in all East Coast capitals and key regional hubs.

The tour was pre-empted by NSW warm-up shows at The Link & Link in Woy Woy (December) and Frankies Pizza by The Slice in Sydney (February), billed under the name Clandestine Sausage, attracting rabid fan attention.   

The list of supports includes strong locals as well as a couple of bands with a shared history on the Alternative Charts in the '90s – namely Smudge in Sydney and The Meanies in Melbourne. Sydney's C.O.F.F.I.N. are main support for tour closer at the Corner in Melbourne. 

For full dates, click More.

Excuse us for being excited but cowpunk kings The Johnnys play their first Sydney show since February 2019 at Sydney's Marrickville Bowling Club this Saturday night with the two-headed raunch machine that is White Knuckle Fever and country-rockiers Broham (including former Vanilla Chainsaws frontman Simon Chainsaw.) It's an I-94 Bar show and tickets are here.

What may be the final word in posthumous Stooges recordings for the foreseeable future is looming on UK label Easy Action and it’s a doozy.

Firstly, “A Fire of Life” is a double CD or LP collection compiling 2006 and 2003 live recording by the Pop-Asheton-Asheton-Watt line-up in Sydney and New Orleans respectively, coupled with high quality basement demos of tracks that would appear on “The Weirdness” and an in-store appearance. 

It will be rounded off with 11 tracks from the legendary stripped back appearance at Newbury Comics in Cambridge MA in 2003 by Iggy and the Ashetons (with Scott on cardboard boxes!)  

You can hear “Dirt” from the Sydney Big Day Out here and here is “Little Doll” from the basement. Pre-order here where you can read the full tracklist.

But that’s not all. 

The first autobiography from a Radio Birdman member is on its way. “Faith and Practice in Bedlam” is by the band's former guitarist Chris "Klondike" Masuak (Screaming Tribesmen, Hitmen, The Raouls, Chris Masuak and the Viveiro Wave Riders, New Christs, Juke Savages, Klondike’s North 40) and is 4-6 weeks from release.

It’s on West Australian imprint High Voltage Publishing and the 280-page paperback is available here at the special pre-order price of $A24.95.

Says its editor (and I-94 Bar writer) Robert Brokenmouth: “When he decided to write about his life, Masuak found that his writing came in short, precise bursts, like songs.

“After a while, he realised that the order in which these stories should be read should not be chronological, but thematic.

“Also, he discovered that his life, as reflected here, formed a trajectory of self-discovery, with redemption peeping out from the wings. To allow us to dwell on that story of self-discovery, most real names have been disguised or omitted.”