THIS IS NOT ART - Friday 1st October

THIS IS NOT ART - Friday / NYWF Panels:-

Waking from my slumber as the sun rose at half past five, freezing in the chill and subsequently putting on more clothes and falling back asleep, until finally waking once more a few hours later coated in my own sweat - oh, the luxuries of sleeping in a tent! Rise, change, clean, eat, prepare, move out, buy sunglasses, make way to event one; and TINA Day 2 was ready for a proper start. You know, the kind of start that values intelligent discussion over sweaty situations. Unless we can create a sweaty/intelligent 2-hit combo for early morning TINA 2011, that is. Library Athletics, anyone?

Critical Animals, the self-criticising (yet not-quite-self-loathing) arm of TINA held a housewarming party to give Friday a jovial start, but I decided to be fashionably late, hence buying those sunglasses. I arrived in time for the majority of the first panel of the day, “Critiquing Criticism: I Can’t Believe It’s Not Better”. The topic of criticism and the critic came up a few times across several panels throughout days 2 and 3 of TINA (I’m actually from the future, don’t tell anyone), so as the introduction to all panels to come, it was quite relevant. The panel discussion focused around various mediums of criticism, but I mainly picked up on that of music criticism, particularly the idea that reviews and music criticism can be viewed as two separate entities. Are they? Of course, a review can (and should) encompass criticism and under that thought they might be considered one in the same, but if a review is designed for a particular audience in mind (fans of the artist, people who have never heard of the artist, musicians, other writers), does it lack an integral element of criticism which occurs from writing without constraint of ‘audience’ or the demographic of your publication?

THIS IS NOT ART - Thursday 30th September

THIS IS NOT ART: Thursday / 8bitpeoples Chiptune Showcase:-

This Is Not Art is an annual Newcastle arts festival umbrella, encapsulating five separate festivals in National Young Writers Festival, Sound Summit, Electrofringe, Crack Theatre Festival and Critical Animals. This year, I’ve been lucky enough to be able to attend and for the next half-week, N&W&T&S is transforming into a cult(ural) journal surmising each day and night. (Disclaimer: One of the co-directors of NYWF paid for me to come up out of her own pocket, after losing my zine in Launceston/wanting more Tasmanians to attend the festival.)

After a plane to Sydney and a train to Newcastle, I found my way to Staple Manor for the National Young Writers Festival Artist Meet and Greet, which involved (attempting) to meet and greet some creative folk. Surprise surprise! Staple Manor, a central hideout for NYWF activities, was both spacious and welcoming with literary quips claiming the wall space. Greeted and meeted, I then found my way to Tent City (taking a short/longcut through a more suburban area), setting up camp and setting off again to the Gentlemen’s Leagues Club for the Electrofringe-aligned 8bitpeoples Showcase.

Hobart + Music = Yeah! #3 -- Band by band

Spoiler: This whole day was pretty fucking fantastic.

Sunday 5th of September – a day usually reserved for hangovers, sleeping in, and church-going (perhaps all of the above, if you’re so inclined) – was one big party, thanks to the third Hobart + Music = Yeah! festival. Although the two previous events were both day long jaunts at a single venue (firstly, the Fern Tree Community Hall and secondly, The Venue in Salamanca), H+M=Y! version three was scattered across three house venues, plus a fourth finale show at the Brisbane Hotel concluding with touring US imports Xiu Xiu.

Catching a hired 12-seater, which invariably became known as “The Party Bus”, the little-van-that-could stopped outside the first house; an inviting Sandy Bay residency that sported cute/deadly cardboard artwork by Tom O’Hern and Rob O’Connor.

Launceston + The White Box / N&W&T&S Zine

Noise & Words & Things & Shit has been a little inactive recently. Apologies to the two and a half people that checked the site since the previous post. In the meanwhile, I travelled to Launceston for a pretty cool arts festival in Junction 2010, while at the same time exploring the Streets Alive urban art infestation (AKA, the 'let's cover the city in knitted cotton' festival.)

September happenings: H+M=Y & Amplified

A few interesting events on the horizon.

On Sunday September 5th, happy go-lucky sunshine band Xiu Xiu are headlining the third annual Hobart + Music = Yeah festival, which this year is being held across four venues, from midday to midnight. The Stabs, Drunk Elk, Kind Winds and Chrysalis will be joining Xiu Xiu at the Brisbane Hotel for the finale of H+M=Y. It'll cost $20.

Live Review: Cloud Exchange @ Brisbane Hotel 11/07/10

If you are searching for hotels in Brisbane, Queensland, please try Brisbane Hotels.

On the Sunday of 11th July 2010, Hobart's Brisbane Hotel fell into a hushed state as the first ever Cloud Exchange 'mini-festival' took place. Starting at 3 in the afternoon, this first instalment in what appears to be a recurring event adds a little extra touch to the Brisbane's line-up. Branded as a 'alt/softcore' event, candles littered the tables and cushions/pillows/rugs made up some seating in front of the stage. It was all awfully quaint, if you pardoned the greater pub environment.

Manchester Mourning - Token

Here is a song. It's by Hobart youngsters Manchester Mourning, and I do believe it is a fantastic pop track. They call it Token.

Manchester Mourning - Token by Noise, Etc.

Their first EP Duty Free and CD-R single David Jones can be picked up from live shows, from Tommygun Records in Hobart, or by contacting the band.

Manchester Mourning's debut album, Immediacy, will be released this September through Rough Skies Records on June 24 2011 at the Grand Poobah.

Alps of the World for $1 & Alps in Hobart for $0

Globe-trotting New South Welshman Chris Hearn, better known as Alps, recently launched a new blog alongside an online store. To celebrate, Hearn is offering his second album, Alps of the World, for just $1 (with $2 postage, there is always a catch) until this Thursday.

Alps is visiting Hobart on the 28th of July to play at the Alley Cat alongside Zack Kouns and Drunk Elk. To celebreate, you are buying his second album, Alps of the World, for just $1 (still with $2 postage).

What a coincidence!

Details of the Hobart show can be found here. Just like the poster says, it starts at 8:00PM. Best part, it is totally free. $0! You don't even have to pay for postage this time.

Words with: Wendy in the Mountains and the Caves with the Slaves

Wendy in the Mountains and the Caves with the Slaves were set to play their final gig at the Brisbane tomorrow night beside Kindwinds and Rentboy, but things happen, plans change, and Wendy won't be playing their final show tomorrow night (Thursday 24th June). Instead, they seem to be disappearing - from the live scene, at least. No farewell, no fireworks, just fade away.

Still, Wendy in the Mountains and the Caves with the Slaves have plans to record their music, sooner or later. Artefacts to bookmark their existence, beyond (unreliable?) memories and a few personal bootlegged tapes. (I shouldn't get too romantic - a fairly good quality live recording of the band is available for listening on Tassie Is Live.)

I spoke to Jesse Clank from the band last week, at a time that they were still on the bill for the Brisbane show:

Live Review: 6_a Compilation Launch @ Brisbane Hotel 4/6/10

To celebrate the launch of Three Minutes In A Carpark, a compilation collated by Jordan Marson featuring artists who have played at 6_a over the years, four different acts took to the stage (and floor) of the Brisbane Hotel. Noise artists Cycle and Chrysalis, both from the 6_a CD, started off the evening, followed by the first sighting of the Hobart Improvisation Collective and concluding with Melbourne's New Estate. Spoiler: it was great.