It will be a gathering of the faithful when some of Michigan’s most respected and enduring rock and roll acts take to the stage at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor for “A Tribute to The MC5” on June 9.

A fundraiser for the late Wayne Kramer’s Jail Guitar Doors Foundation that uses music to rehabilitate jail inmates, it was instigated by former Scott Morgan’s Powertrane bassist and current Mazinga member, Chris “Box” Taylor after the recent passing of the Five’s last man standing, drummer Dennis Thompson.

Musical anniversaries are coming at us coming quicker than a Dee Dee Ramone "1-2-3-4" count-in, but there’s a special place in Australian rock and roll sensibilities for the 40^th birthday of the seminal Hoodoo Gurus album “Stoneage Romeos”.

The band has already unveiled vinyl and CD re-issues of the their debut LP and there’s a run of Australian dates in November and December this year on which the Gurus will reprise the long-player from go to whoa.

Originally released in March 1984, “Stoneage Romeos” featured the hits “Leilani”, “Tojo”, “My Girl” and “I Want You Back”. It reached #29 on the Australian Album Chart and went on to win Best Debut Album at the 1984 Countdown Awards. “Stoneage Romeos” has consistently appeared in the Top 10 on almost every Top 50 and Top 100 Australian album lists.

 _{Grande Ballroom image by Norm Lye.}

Vale Dennis “Machine Gun” Thompson, who was Last Man Standing from the MC5 until today. “MGT” passed away peacfully in hospital in Detroit where he had been rehabilitating following a heart attack in April. He was aged 75.

The Detroit Free Press reported earlier today that he was still at Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital during his initial recovery when he heard that the MC5 was headed into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on April 21.

It's been four decades since they burst onto the Australian rock and roll scene, and Pismo Beach’s own Psychotic Turnbuckles are descending Down Under for a three-state tour.

With three albums and a dozen singles and EPs to their credit, the Turnbuckles are still The World Rock and Roll Tag Team Champions and retained their crown on a Japanese tour that included an appearance at the world-famous Tokyo Halloween Ball. 

The 40 Years Undefeated Tour will take on the Tote in Melbourne on Saturday, June 29 for their only Victorian show, presented by The I-94 Bar.

Guests on this leg are Sydney’s glam kings Starcrazy and Melbourne’s retro sound champions The Vibrajets.   

The long-awaited Radio Birdman biography from Australian writer Murray Engleheart is on the launch pad, ready for release.

“Radio Birdman: Retaliate First” is drawn from more than 150 interviews with band members, their closest associates, devotees and observers and will be published on July 2.

You can pre-order here.

A 448-page opus in paperback format being published by Allen & Unwin, it threatens to be the last word in text-rich Birdman books.

(The title of Best Visual History already belongs to the George Munoz-authored "Radio Birdman: When The Birdmen Flew".)

In the words of the publisher’s blurb: “Sydney's legendary Radio Birdman were a stake through the satin and scarfed hearts of the mid seventies' music scene, revolutionising the conservative Australian industry in the process.

“Regarded as one of the earliest punk bands, before the world had heard of the Sex Pistols, Birdman were feared and loathed by many, yet adored by fiercely loyal fans. But their story has never been told in depth—until now.

_{Larry McGrath photo.}

Another cache of gems has emerged from the mists of time that obscure the 1980s Australian underground music scene: The back catalogue of Sydney’s Grooveyard have been posthumously re-released.
Hindsight shows The Grooveyard was something of a supergroup. At various times, its ranks included future Paul Kelly and Messengers, Chinless Elite and Hell To Pay member Jon Schofield, Lime Spiders drummer Richard Lawson, ex-Razar member and future Screaming Tribesmen Bob Wackley, Geoff Rhoe (ex-Minuteman), Ian Little (Bambalams) and Sean Maguire (ex-Minuteman).

 Swimming against the Detroit tide that was gripping most of Sydney, Grooveyard peddled a distinctive and stunning brand of ‘60s-influenced powerpop and issued the Chris Masuak-produced “Avalanche of Love” single (1984) and 12-inch EP (“Grooveyard”, 1989). All tracks are rolling out on digital platforms from today..