Daniel Champagne

I first caught Daniel at the Fremantle Blues and Roots club whilst he was on tour. I was immediately surprised and impressed by this 21 year old guitarist so seeing him on the Bluesfest line-up was something I was really excited about. It’s actually a shame he was first up on the Monday, which seemed really quiet, because I’m sure if there were a lot more people then this talented guitarist would have picked up a lot more fans.

Daniel Champagne

A Daniel Champagne show is not just a guitarist singing some songs, although he does do that. His playing goes beyond just guitar work and becomes a rhythm, experimental sound as he pulls some amazing sounds out of his guitar. Having already heard him I had two favourites. ‘I can see the stars’ is a song he wrote whilst on tour and is a song that anyone from a regional area that lives in a city could relate to. He also does an incredibly moving cover of Don McLean’s ‘Vincent’. Keep an eye out for him touring as I think he is worth watching!

After one of those sit down breaks we decided to head to seeMason Rack Bandhowever, not without a stop to the Hare Krishna’s first for some awesome vegetarian food. I’m not sure why it took me this long to get here as I’m absolutely in love with the kofta balls. I got an extra bowl of those!

Mason Rack Band

I’d only heard good things about this blues band and from some reputable sources, so I was anticipating this show to be awesome! It was. This band isn’t afraid to do something a little different on stage, almost looking like cheeky school boys that have broken a lot of rules. You don’t see too many bands start by running on in their underwear and getting dressed but these guys did! Instant engagement you could say; not that they needed it.

Swampy, dirty blues coming from a rocky bass, a heavy drummer and distorted slide made a perfect bed for Mason’s dirty, raspy vocals. Stories of when, in Mason’s words, “I wasn’t as good as I was now” give you an entertaining ride. Liam who recommended I see this show offered me his hat for a reason; I would have needed to hold onto it! This music blasted you, just as good blues rock should!

Mason Rack

Oh and you think their on-stage antics were funny to begin with, wait till you see what they did at the end of the show!

Tribali

We got a chance to stop in on this high energy, Maltese band who really need to be seen to explain. A fusion of jazz, reggae, world music, euro pop and a bit of rock make for an interesting sound to this crazy band. The lead singer, actually singer is incorrect, energy maker/composer/rhythm/dancer, Peterpaul dances around the stage getting the band and the crowd going.

A random mix of instruments like a didgeridoo, a strange long horn,  a bunch of rhythm instruments, brass and guitars make for a sound engineers nightmare and a lot of sound. This is the sort of music that you want to dance to and go nuts to.

Peterpaul from Tribali

Mojo Bluesmen

Last year, friends of ours lined up for signatures in the wrong line and feeling awkward about it all, bought one of the Mojo Bluesmen’s CD’s. Upon listening to it, we all fell in love with the dirty blues sound of these busker come stage performers. For those that don’t know too much about them, the Mojo Bluesmen are essentially buskers. They entered the Bluesfest buskers competition a few years ago, and while not winning, got their start on the stage. They still travel around in a wagon from town to town busking wherever they can and play the odd festival. They also had a stint doing the same thing in the USA.

Mojo Bluesmen with Kim Churchill (far left) and Brad Hancock (far right)

Their music is raw. Created only by a guitar, stomp box and a harmonica, it makes more sound that a lot of big bands. Lyrically, it’s not genius and the songs sound “something like’ the songs on their albums. You can’t help but want to listen though. It’s straight up, good solid blues.

More photos at baristaman photography

Having loved these guys for a while, being utterly impressed with their music, I was really looking forward to seeing them live which can always go one of two ways. I’m glad to say that I didn’t hate them live! These guys kind of make you want to cuddle someone close by; their music just has that effect. When they played ‘Biding My Time’ everyone was intently focussed but it was when Busby and Marou played the cover they had done for Triple J’s ‘Like a Version’ people went nuts. ‘Girls just want to have fun’ is not a song you would think a pop folk band would play but oh they do it so well! The Rockhampton duo of Jeremy Marou and Tom Busby make a perfect pair with Tom’s cuddly singing and Jeremy’s surprise bursts of energy on guitar. I really enjoyed this!

Maceo Parker

Music like this deserves to be played live to thousands of people. Take Maceo’s style of funk and soul, put it in front of a bunch of people and I challenge you; find someone that isn’t at least moving to the music! Indeed this was true. Even the ‘schooner holder’ that stands up the back of gigs was tapping his foot and swaying just a little bit. Most people however, were dancing up a sweat! Maceo and his band’s music has all the right bits for a party. Groovy bass lines, loud brass instruments and a beat that you can’t get out of your head. I wanted it to keep going! I left wondering if he had played more than five songs; the musical interludes in the songs seemed long but far from inappropriate!

Josh Pyke

Josh Pyke’s smooth, sweet vocals and warm guitar tones have always been an attractive mix. Its a style of music that is good for your Sunday morning breakfast, a cruisy drive down the coast of even standing with thousands of people singing along to those exact songs. That’s exactly what this set was, a massive sing along! Josh’s entertaining lyrics go beyond the heart and dig right into the soul. Some are endearing, some are laughable; all are worth listening to.

Blue King Brown

Having seen BKB about eight times I must admit, I wasn’t really keen to see them again. Please don’t get me wrong, I love their music but for a while there it seemed that it was exactly the same show. I’m glad to say that I was dragged along to see them and that this time, their show had changed. It was the same BKB, with the same political activism, the same urban roots music but this time, a new show and some new songs. This certainly made them worth watching. Sure, there were some of the old favourites; it would be remiss of them to not play them. They always seem to be able to get on stage and light it up, force people to move and evoke a great crowd participation. Having West Papua dancers on stage was new and with that also came a new plea for liberation and human rights. Another great show, I just hope I don’t have to see the same one again.

John Butler Trio

I have one question; why isn’t the John Butler Trio headliners for this festival. Sure, Cold Chisel were amazing, so was John Fogerty, but John Butler owns the stage every time and has played so many successful performances here at Bluesfest, I can’t see a reason why he isn’t. He had what seemed a bigger crowd than the previously mentioned and the crowd just seemed a lot more engaged. My guess is that he is too accessible. Playing here almost every year hasn’t made him a rare find, just a given. That I think is a good thing. John genuinely loves coming here and you can tell by his performance that the Bluesfest crowd is one of his favourites to play to.

There were no surprises here. He played his powerful, energetic and amazing set for two hours, leaving an exhausted audience. Whilst there are far too many songs to mention in this blog, there are two that always get me. ‘Revolution’ always gives me goose bumps. It is one of those songs that is lyrically and musically uplifting. One song that never seems the same; I’m sure it has it’s own body because it seems to grow every time is ‘Oceans’. As soon as John plays this I get tunnel vision. It’s like nothing is around me and for the ten to fifteen minutes, how long I am never really sure, I am completely engaged. That song will always make me smile, bring a tear to my eye and make my chest feel like it is going to explode. It is something I hope he never stops playing.

His new song Kimberly was utterly beautiful and sends a loud, clear message. Around this world we have done so much to get what we need with little thought about the effect it has on sustainability, ruining sacred sites and leaving something for future generations. This song could be sung about any region in the world where there are plans to ruin it for sheer gain and just saving a few dollars.

Finally, inviting members of the Melbourne Ska Orchestra and Mama Kin to help with some songs caps off the appeal that is the John Buttler Trio. They engage audiences and other musicians alike. Inspiring, amazing and addictive!

More photos at baristaman photography

Hat Fitz and Cara

Hat Fitz holds the record at Buesfest for the most amount of consecutive appearances. In fact, every Bluesfest (and East Coast Blues and Roots Festival in its original day) since 1994. Because of that we couldn’t not go to see this performance with his new wife Cara Robinson. This endearing couple play a mix of old Australian blues and Celtic country. It’s fun, nice and engaging.

Probably the best song they played was one they refered to as a club song, or a ‘doof doof’ tune as Hat Fitz called it. Stompy, beaty and fast. It was fun! Instruments like the wash board, a slide made from a plank of tree and a tin whistle make for something completely entertaining!

Ashleigh Mannix

Whilst we had planned to see the whole of Ashleigh’s set, there was a slight block to that. Looking down at my leg, I had somehow cut a decent gash into my leg and it was bleeding pretty bad! A quick visit to the first aid tent and we made our way back to see this young singer/songwriter bust it out on stage. Ashleigh’s voice was one that went from sweet and melodic to down right dirty, from the bottom of her chest rough. Personal experiences in her lyrics make for a set worth watching!

Eagle and the worm

This indie act certainly know how to get a crowd to listen. Indie pop, with a but of a horn section made for a lot of noise on stage which I would imagine with more stage time would sound a little tighter; a fun ska sound all the same. Without a guitar in his hand, singer Jarrad Brown almost looks a little awkward but this kind of works for him. Take a garage full of friends and put them on stage and this is Eagle and The Worm. If you want to boogy on down then check these guys out!

Seasick Steve

If I was to pick my top five of acts I wanted to see here this year, Seasick Steve would be firmly planted in there. At what I can guess to be 70 something, Seasick is one of the most energetic performances you will see. I think of the bandThe Presidents of the United States of Americawho sung ‘Old Man on the Back Porch’ because Seasick Steve is just like this. “Sitting in my rocking chair, playing my two string, one string, no string guitar” is this guy all wrapped up. In fact, he started the performance with his infamous diddle board; a plank of wood with one string that he slides with. He promptly apologises for using it but no one cares. That’s exactly why you come to see him; his strange instruments and songs that paint a history of a man that has had many jobs, no job and the odd stint in a institution ‘paid for by the Californian government!’

Seasick this year decided to bring a few friends with him on stage. When he says friends, he means people that should probably be up there by themselves but because of the immense respect people have for him, they will share the stage. Wolfmother joined in for a rocking song they wrote together just for Bluesfest, and playing bass and some slide guitar, John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin. How is that for a stage. Grungy blues,  great stories and awesome surprises. What a show!

Steve Earle

Although seeing Steve Earle wouldn’t be my normal pick, I felt it necessary to see it because if my dad was here, he would. What I enjoyed most about Steve’s performance was his story telling. Lyrically and spoken, everything had a story. Whether it was his story about ‘The Devil’s Right Hand’ and it’s three re-writes or his stories of being a political singer when he first began, he is always really engaging.

I’m not going to lie to you. I was hooked in and enjoyed his songs. Every single one of them was a message to take, a melody to hum along to and you couldn’t help but just fall in love with him. Easy Listening country folk music!

Brian Setzer’s Rockabilly Riot!

Rockabilly Riot it was! We unfortunately missed the start of this set, but I am so glad we didn’t miss the end. When we first got there he had just introduced a new drummer on stage, Slim Jim Phantom from the Stray Cats! This was just plain, rockabilly fun. You couldn’t help but move to the music. Fast paced rock, fun stage antics and an energetic stage performance got the crowd moving. When he brought out a second double bass player that was just fun. When Brian himself brought out a double bass, making in three in total, it became the riot. I couldn’t stop laughing!

John Fogarty

It’s not often chances come around to see someone who has paved a history of music like John Fogarty. When he stepped on stage, it was hard to believe there was a time that he didn’t sing so many of the songs that he is famous for. the fact here is, I didn’t realise how many of the songs I would recognise, know the lyrics for and sing along to. First playing songs made famous whilst in Creedence Clearwater Revivial, then drawing from his list of many solo songs, the performance just rolled and rolled, and was awesome! He looked like an excited 20 year old on stage and played for two hours. Name a song, he probably sung it! Can’t wait to see him again.

More photos at Baristaman Photography

You may think I’m focused on food as this blog so far starts with that exact subject. I can explain! As we walk in, it’s lunch time. Good Friday = no meat = seafood and vegi yum cha. What festival has yum cha?!?! This one, and it’s fresh, and it’s good!

This festival brings so many different personalities. I’d like to know that it is that makes these people dress up. Is it a special group they are with or is it just them wanting to be noticed? I’m not sure but I do love it!

G3

Steve Lukather solo set blew my mind! I looked at Luke and told me, “you aint seen nothin’ yet”. Whether true or not, this was an amazing set. When he dedicated a song to his late brother the emotion he showed through that guitar was riveting. Beautiful melodic guitar solo with some super impressive technique.

I guess the annoying thing here is you then have to wait 20 minutes for the change over! It is however, certainly worth the wait.

When Steve Vai walked on I first took notice to his signature guitar, with its almost ‘carry bag’ like handle cut into the body. That lasted all of about 1 second when my head promptly said shut up! Something tells me the guitar isn’t the instrument. He is, and the guitar is just a means of making the sound! There aren’t enough words to describe the intensity he played. Even if you can only YouTube this guy… Do it! You need to see this. I’m left wondering how many guitars he breaks a year. To top it off, his final song in his set he finished by playing with his tongue!!!

We moved closer for Joe Satriani set, not sure if I regret that. My ears do. There was so much bass going through the subs that every hair on my body was shaking… literally! Joe and his Equally flashy bass player make a perfect musical pair. It seems they have played together so long that it’s like they have the same heart and brain… it just works! My facourite part of this set was some of the lengthy ballads that had so much intensity and pace in them you were just tunnel focused the whole time.

If you wee’d yourself just a little bit during the individual sets, then you would probably poo yourself when you see them together. Take three of the most talented guitarists in the world, throw them in the stage and get them to cover Hendrix and Stevie Ray, throw in ‘Rocking the free world’ and you might just get as excited as I did!

I’m not sure there is going to be a festival topper. Early, I know, but wow!!!

Johnny Lang

This guy was another little surprise. I love the Bluesfest does this so well. You may not know the person singing but chances are the festival director Peter Noble and his team have hand plucked a performer that is amazing. Johnny was no different. Johnny has this husky, smooth voice with heart felt, moving lyrics. His guitar wails as he puts every bit of emotion into his performance; you can tell its all heart. This guy has so much soul I’m left considering if he is a black man born in a white mans body.

Buddy Guy

What is it with Bluesfest? What is it that takes audiences averaging from 15 – 60, puts them in front of a performer of 75 and just makes it work? Whilst on that subject, why is it the 75 year old performers that are the ones that constantly take your breath away. Put the likes of B.B. King, the Blind Boys of Alabama orBuddy Guyon stage and you will see why.

Buddy and his band held the attention of the audience for almost two hours as he played music from many years of being one of the greats. One song just seemed to melt into the next, only stopping to tell the crowd to ‘shut the f up, I didn’t come all this way for you to ruin my songs’ when the crowd sung a line a little too early for his liking.

Blues, unadulterated blues, and I loved it! Buddy is one of the reasons I keep coming back to this festival for more and more. It’s not just the music, its the privilege of seeing one of the greats in music. Amazing guitarist, lyrist and performer. He’s going to be doing this for many more years to come!

Day 3, here we come!

More photos at baristaman photography

That aside, my mate Luke and I are in the festival. Day 1, too many choices already… food first! Bluesfest never seems to have shit food. They just don’t know what it is! Of course you can get the average fried junk but sidestep that, there is a veritable minefield of fresh, organic and tasty treats!

I’ve already got my map of food; first stop the Sauerkraut Sisters…

Having my Ukrainian upbringing, I’m quite partial to the odd serve of some sauerkraut and sausage. A perfect way to start the festival?

Ziggy Marley

Only knowing a little about about this artist, I was really excited to know some more about Ziggy Marley. Being the oldest son of Bob he must have music running through his veins? Initially, it appeared as though him and his band were a little uninterested in entertaining and maybe more interested in their political agenda. Whilst the music was nice, you really did need to listen in to get the insight. I guess that’s a lot of reggae; entertain whilst sending a message.

Once he’d cleared his thoughts the pace picked up, as did Ziggy’s, the band and the crowd. What was left was a boppy, fun set of energetic reggae. When they played Bob’s ‘Is this love’ you could close your eyes and think you were listening to the man himself! Whilst this won’t be my favourite of the festival, it was certainly worth watching.

My Morning Jacket

How can a band with a lead singer playing an omnichord not be entertaining? I will confess to being that guy that knew their staple radio hits and not really knowing much about the band themselves so I listened intently. Knowing a little more about them from a recent radio interview I was intrigued! A nice mix of rock, indie, folk and a little blues, they came out with a bang and a clash of something really heavy. Being a blues and roots festival I guess you never really see that coming but bloody hell they were good!

Long melodic journeys, smooth vocals and those radio hits I was talking about were pleasure to the ears. It was when the band played Gideon that I closed my eyes and just enjoyed. It was something to be part of. I’m certainly going to make sure I see these guys again!

Cold Chisel

I will put my hand up and be the first to say I wasn’t really that excited. This post will probably get removed for being un-Australian or something like that. My jaded view I guess stems from that one song being covered by an abundance of great, average and poor cover bands, every sing along around a fire and bad karaoke singers Australian wide. What else do they sing?

(crickets)

Ok, so it is a privilege to see a band that has so much history and has been a cornerstone of rock music in Australia. So many of their songs have been the soundtrack to parties, drinks with mates and drives up the highway it’s almost impossible to not know a lot of Chisel’s songs. These guys don’t just still have it; they are it! I was constantly impressed on how Jimmy and Mossy own the stage. Cap it off with the rest of the band and you see plenty of talent. Well oiled, practised, experience talent!

Good solid Aussie rock! Plenty of sing alongs by the 10,000ish people enjoying the set and yes, even me! That song… Get a big bunch of people singing it with the band and it takes on a new meaning. I guess now I’ll get to see Khe Sanh in a new light!

More photos at baristaman photography

Upon arriving the doorman asked me where I came from, jokingly I said “Sydney” and he almost fell of his chair. I then said I was in Perth for business and I wanted to see some live music. He asked, “where did you find out about it?” I wasn’t sure, some dwarf website. He asked “do you like guitar. Like beaty, rhythm, slap, drum sort of guitar,” or something liked that… YES! Of course I do…

“Cool story Hansel!” I hear you say. I needed to start it off that way because there is no better way to start a description of Champagne’s music than ‘beaty, rhythm, slap, drum sort of guitar’!

Harmonious, rhythmic… F’ing beautiful music. Tuning during songs to achieve a unique sound, playing fast, playing slow and playing juuust right! It’s almost like he has milked every possible sound a guitar has the potential of making!

Starting with a Willie Dickson cover that had the crowd in awe, his rendition had only inklings of its original. This wasn’t where the covers ended. His take on Don McLean’s Vincent was nothing less than beautiful.

It was however, his original pieces that really shined. My favourite, The nightingale. I was initially engaged with the story of when he first wrote it (just plain hilarious), it was the lyrical journey and the sweet soul of the guitar that drew me in.

Instrumental called Pendulum had this slight guitar fault whilst he was playing that sounded strangely like it should have been part of the song…

It’s little treasures like watching Daniel Champagne that make me happy that I have a willingness to go to a a gig on a whim. Let your whim guide you in his direction also!

Lucie Thorne

Quiet unassuming voice when she spoke, almost an un-stagelike shy presence, turned into a smokey, smooth and sultry voice to match the deep, sometimes dark and thoughtful lyrics. A sweet, sweet reverberating guitar reminiscent of relaxing, Sunday morning music; the type you eat your pancakes to.

Lucie’s music was both relaxing and enjoyable. Her song Alice has throw backs to 90′s rock with a mix of blues, and her other songs just seemed to cruise along with little effort but a lot of grace.

Lucie brought this guy on that played this broken down guitar turned rhythm instrument, along with a fuel can… It was a bit cool, I’m not going to lie!

She kept this groovy, loungey treasure, five years, till the end an it was worth the wait.

I’d recommend a night on the wines, or if you can wrangle the pancakes and coffee then do that… You will enjoy this one!

Justin Walsh Folk Machine

Sound chicken! That’s the way Justin Walsh and the Folk machine sound checked… Good, clean sound chicken. You probably need to see it to get it?!?!

The story telling ability of this band is what draws you in immediately. Folksy, pretty, musical tales. A mix of modern, classic and strange instruments gave the folk machine a unique sound.

His music almost seemed like a lyrical, historical tour of Australia. Not sure I’ve heard a modern day song about Bourke and Wills but this one was cool! This music is flat out Australian!

Folk mixed with some rock mixed with a one off poem recital equalled a simply entertaining performance. I think all that was missing was some damper and a billy!

If knee slapping, heel tapping and smiling are your thing then you’ll most certainly enjoy this!

The Fremantle Blues & Roots Club @ Mojo’s

Please, please I urge you to not judge this place by its super tacky exterior… It’s pretty neony and colourful if you know what I mean. Step inside and it’s the ambience you would expect. Old chairs, simple bar but a space that lends itself to the hero, music!

Red, padded velvet walls surround the stage, basic lighting and an un-illuminated mirror ball all add to the simplicity of this space. It seems they get a lot of great gigs here, I would definitely recommend it! If you are near or visiting Fremantle then check this place out!

Never in my time as a trainer have I seen a pour like this. New barista, first time pouring and this is what comes out… Reckon she is doomed or something?!?!

As the body clock rounded the 27 mark, I had a bit of an idea of what I would eventually get. A coffee tattoo… what that was going to be then took another couple of years until I had conceptualised, sketched and decided exactly what I wanted in a tattoo. At 30, my friends decided to give me the final push and fund part of my tattoo. Here is stage 1…

The ink bit… well at least the initial drawing and conceptual design I had come up with.

So this is when it became real… No turning back!!!

The shading of the handle. It hurt a little more. Doesn’t look too good at this point!

… and here is the finish of stage one.

I’ll keep you posted. Colour is booked in for the 20th of December. Mick is too popular for me hahaha!

If I don’t, you have my granted permission to rubbish me, insult me and demand I give it up!!!

I get a tattoo tomorrow… It’s a coffee related one, so this is going to be fun!

What is Memory?

Memory refers to the processes that are used to acquire, store, retain and later retrieve information. Think about your brain being a hard drive on a computer. It’s our ability to create it, file it and organise it in a way so we can find it again. There are three major processes involved in memory: encoding, storage and retrieval.

In order to form new memories, information must be changed into a usable form, which occurs through the process known as encoding. Once information has been successfully encoded, it must be stored in memory for later use. Much of this stored memory lies outside of our awareness most of the time, except when we actually need to use it. The retrieval process allows us to bring stored memories into conscious awareness.

Let me try to put this into a barista style so I can flesh it out further.

There are several ways of encoding memory; visual, acoustic and semantic. I’m going to go out and say it; I think semantic encoding is what a barista is using. Semantic encoding is when a sensory input can be applied to context or a particular meaning. There would be a portion of pattern recognition here too – when new information comes into sensory storage, we actively search through long-term memory in an effort to find a match for this new raw data. In barista terms, this might be that Mike likes a latte with caramel, or Sara likes a cappuccino with a ristretto shot. Now there has to be a portion of visual here as I am a face guy. I struggle with names but I see a face and have instant recognition. I guess it all ties into the semantic though.

The actual storage and retention of memory I want to cover further, so I’m not going to open that can right now.

The retrieval is something that interests me. I’m still yet to discover too much information about retrieval and why a barista retrieves memories they do. The basic retrieval styles are recall, recollection, recognition and re-learning. I think in a customer service field, the retrieval may be a hybrid of recall and recollection.

‘I recall Mike had a latte yesterday,’ ‘I recollect Sara had a double ristretto in her cappuccino.’

I think I’ve created more problems for myself here but it is certainly sparking my interest. Please comment via twitter or below. I’d like to read your thoughts, observations and I welcome criticism.