The Formative Years

Sun Ra

There are few musical genres that I enjoy more than jazz when it comes to unwinding and blowing the cobwebs out. While it was not certainly not love at first sight and had to be steadily cultivated, listening to jazz and experimental music has become a nurturing and gratifying experience.

One of the protagonist’s that blew my mind and significantly broadened my horizons from an early age on, was one Herman Poole Blount, i.e. the entity known as Sun Ra and his “Arkestra”, as with his theatrical and philosophical approach, it accumulated to so much more than mere music.

Blount perfectioned the alter ego approach by severing mundane and worldly ties early on by incarnating as an alien mythical persona with his focus set on preaching peace.

Claiming that Sun Ra’s output is both prolific and eclectic would be an understatement par excellence as he shaped an idiosyncratic mélange of nearly any genre known to man, informed by a core interest for jazz, a penchant for free improvisation and the usage and adaptation of synthesizers and keyboards as early as when they became publicly accessible.

Having recorded well over a thousand songs, one would be hard pressed to make any recommendations, as not matter how diverse and unique his recordings are, I have yet to come across one that I do not enjoy.

In many aspects, Sun Ra was a prodigious musical talent, a renaissance man and a prototype that was never considered for mass production, who left behind an unrivalled musical and philosophical legacy that kicked into full gear once the psychedelia and beat generation started to embrace and champion him.

Sun Ra claimed that in the 1930s he had an enlightening semi-religious experience with aliens that set him on the path to speak through music and the world would listen. 

And listen I should as I became infatuated with his unique piano playing technique, which was informed by many styles, lest influences of classical composers.

Sun Ra’s oeuvre is often subdivided into three phases, i.e. Chicago (seeing the evolution of big band swing into cosmic jazz), the New York phase (informed by an unbridled will to experiment, free improvisation, unusual instrumentation and the use of new technologies) and the more conventional Philadelphia swinging and energetic jazz based phase. I recommend checking out his emissions from each one of them.

With his mission to elevate humanity beyond their mundane earthbound state, which gave birth to Afrofuturism as a musical tradition of performing blackness that remains relevant as a counternarrative to the status quo today, Sun Ra occupies a unique space in the cultural cannon.

ST. ALi Italian Film Festival 2021

Palace Cinemas

27 October to Sunday, 21 November

Sydney, Australia

There are quite a few film festivals that are being held on terra australis on an annual basis, however, the Italian Film Festival is never not a highlight, which is partly due to the fact that it constitutes the biggest ode to Italian films outside the confines of Italy. The other contributing factor is that it was founded by Cav. Antonio Zeccola who single-handedly planted the seed to create the foundation for Australia’s unrivalled national boutique cinema conglomerate to grow. Given that a film festival could not ask for a better environment than the Palace Cinemas might be one of the many facets that makes attending the festival a pleasure, however, the curation of the high standard of film submissions really brings up its value and the message it sends to its audience. 

With contemporary and classic Italian cinema being the obvious common denominator, each incarnation of the Italian Film Fest offers something new and unexpected, which makes the festival a resounding success.

The Opening Night of the 2021 incarnation of the Italian Film Fest was graced with an Australian premiere, i.e. a new drama charting the lives of a middle-class Italian family from the early 1980s to the current day. Daniele Luchetti’s The Ties is centred around an infidelity, around which the emotional picture spins its yarn and sheds its idiosyncratic light on age-old relationship conflicts. 

A personal highlight of this year’s festival was Fellini Forward: From The Creative Genius Of Federico Fellini.

Having only recently premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and based on an experiment using artificial intelligence, the personal and highly idiosyncratic artistic approach Fellini channelled his alchemy in creating a truly unique combination of memory, dreams, fantasy and desire is being transported into our day and age.

A truly "Felliniesque" experience in terms of extravagant, baroque images being (re-)animated to tell a metaphorical story illustrating the evolution of a maestro in the cinema world and a boundary pushing project in terms of reviving the legacy of a genre-coining artist. 

In many aspects, Fellini Forward perfectly encapsulates the DNA of the Italian Film Festival ( www.italianfilmfestival.com.au ), i.e. bridging classic and contemporary Italian cinema.

Send More Paramedics, Possessor, Prolapse AD

The Dome

London, UK

October 31, 2021

Let me kick this piece off with a little bit of backstory... 

On Halloween 2020, mid pandemic, zombiecore thrash metal legends Send More Paramedics posted a single poster on their site. Simply showing a decomposing hand reaching up from the grave with the words Halloween 2021 written along the bottom. This got fans of the band intrigued and before long rumours of a possible reanimation were circulating. After leaving us speculating for a few months it was announced that Send More Paramedics will be exhumed from their graves to perform a handful of live shows to mark 20 years of the bands reanimation and subsequent first gig concluding on Oct 31, 2021. They would be playing the venue BOOM! in Leeds on Fri 29th and Sat 30th Oct finishing at The Boston Music Rooms in London on Sun 31st. Tickets went on sale in spring this year and due to an overwhelming demand another date, Thurs 28th, was added to the venue in Leeds and the London venue was upgraded to The Dome in Tufnell Park. We, the fans were working ourselves into a frenzy to see the undead four piece live for one last feast before we all got too old to be thrashing about in the pit! So much so I don't think the band themselves realised just how much they had been missed as rumour has it they couldn't quite believe how quickly the dates had sold out. Send More Paramedics originally called time on their career back in 2007, reforming briefly in 2014 for a couple of record company anniversary shows, again in Leeds and London, so it had been a good 7 years since they last played together as a band. I suppose that's nothing compared to the fact that their last studio album The Awakening was released 15 years ago. In between releasing the tickets for this year’s anniversary shows and the gigs themselves SMP completely surprised us all by popping into the studio and recording a brand new album! The Final Feast was self-released on their Bandcamp page in September of this year and gave us 9 new tracks to devour, dissect and familiarise ourselves with in time for the upcoming shows.

The build up to these shows had been growing and before we knew it the dates were upon us. As the first 3 shows took place at the same venue they decided to mix things up by having different support acts every night. They were joined by Block Out The Sun (metalcore), Disstraxx (punk), Eye To Eye (melodic punk), Slimelord (doom metal), Pest Control (crossover thrash), and Video Nasties (horror-based black ‘n’ roll) for the Leeds dates and Possessor (metal) and Prolapse AD (thrash) for the London show.

Early reports of the Leeds dates were incredibly exciting, especially for myself as I was only attending the London Halloween show. This was to be my first live gig for over a year due to Covid and all the restrictions. Even though things had lifted a bit over here in the UK I was reluctant to go to any shows prior to this as I wanted my first show back to be a big one! I was not disappointed! One of the things I love about this band is the fact they dress up like the living dead and encourage their fans to do the same. Pretty much every SMP  show I have attended I have zombied up proudly and this was no exception. In fact a good 75% of the crowd had dressed up for this last show. The Dome as a venue is pretty spacious for a mid-sized building (but unfortunately cursed with a high ceiling for reasons we will come to later), however they took the necessary precautions for the current situation which was reassuring.

The atmosphere was one of excitement and nervous anticipation but the swift arrival of the first act, Kent based 4 piece Prolapse AD soon got the crowd going. Their thrash/death metal with a comedic twist was a cheerful start to the evening. With politically charged song titles like "Dump Trump" and "Pigfucker" making way for other fun titles such as "Black N Decker Pussy Wrecker" complete with a visual aide in the form of a dildo attached to an electric drill (Drilldo??!!) just in case you were unsure of the songs content. Ending their set with the hilarious and very catchy "Digging Up Your Mother". They were a great band to kick the nights entertainment off with. Given a little time to digest Prolapse AD 's impressive stage presence and fast paced set it was time for the second support act. London based sludge/stoner/thrash metal band Possessor took to the stage. This 3-piece band had embraced the fact the it was Halloween with singer/guitarist wearing a glow in the dark skeleton top and their bassist wearing a very fetching floaty dress, which I must say really brought out the colour of his eyes! They produced a varied and tight set of experimental/melodic metal reminiscent of Mastodon. Song titles include "Coffin Fit" and "Notting Hell". Their banter in between songs started off a little awkward but they got more talkative towards the end with the guitarist handing over his instrument to the audience to finish off their last song. 

The time had come for the main event and soon the stage darkened as 3 silhouettes twitched and shuffled their way onto the stage. As "A Crushing Tide" from disc 2 of The Awakening (2006) crackled over the PA, El Diablo took up position behind the drums, Medico grabbed his guitar and X.Undead donned his bass... but where was B'Hellmouth? This question was soon answered as the unmistakable lament of "Braiiinnnnnssss!" was soon heard over the chatter of the crowd and the towering figure of the vocalist came lumbering through the crowd drawn toward the stage. Having found what he was looking for balanced on the drum riser, he grabs the severed head (prop of course) and chows down on some fresh brains before kicking off with crowd pleasing familiar opener "The Hordes". The set from there just nailed it the whole way through. Kind of split into 2 parts the main bulk of the set was a great mix of top tracks from their 3 studio albums: A Feast For The Fallen (2002), The Hallowed And The Heathen (2004) and The Awakening as well as a couple from the newly released The Final Feast (2021), and some well worn live favourites. Anthemic classics "Blood Fever", "Burning The Body" and "Send More Paramedics" were interspersed with the pure thrash speed of "Cannibal", "Nothing Tastes Like This" and "The Unclean". From The Final Feast they chose "Totenkopf" and "Human Capital" which fitted in perfectly well with the older songs and got a great response from the crowd. Ending that part of the set with the hugely popular circle pit inducing anthem from the Tales Told By Dead Men (2005) split EP, "Zombie Versus Shark". 

Then, as this Halloween celebrates 20 years of the band and how it all started from one 5-track demo they recorded way back in 2001 they decided to play the first demo in its entirety: "245 Trioxin", "The Pain Of Being Dead", "Redneck Holiday", "Kingdom Of The Undead", and "Zombified" were old school SMP at their finest. Their final track of the night was always going to be their main anthem "Zombie Crew" from "The Hallowed And The Heathen", this has been the song to end the majority of their shows over the years and it was no different for their final show.

This was an insanely good set list incorporating their standout songs from a vast back catalogue of contenders; it had everything we, the crowd wanted. The added bonus of the new tracks was a great addition to the shows as we will never get to hear these tracks live ever. Adding these 2 new tracks into the set was hugely appreciated by the fans. The band themselves seemed on top form and in good spirits, if that is indeed possible from members of the undead. Having only had 2 practise sessions as a full band in preparation for these 4 shows and then playing 4 shows back-to-back when you haven't done it for years is a brave thing to attempt -- so much could have gone wrong, but it didn't. They nailed it and looked like they were having so much fun in the process. Dogged by a few sound issues to start with, the sound person seemed to have trouble with the bass and vocals on the odd occasion but eventually managed a balance by midway through. I personally think this was due to the height of the ceiling in the building causing these issues. There were some bum notes -- forgotten lyrics and dodgy timing from the band -- but given what I just said about them only having had a couple of practises beforehand this was to be expected. They were few and far between and they dealt with it in their usual professional manner. As always. SMP were very interactive with the crowd, had great zombie related banter in between songs, and encouraged circle pits, with B'Hellmouth often offering up his mic to the hordes to scream along, as well as jumping into the pit himself and crowd surfing. This final show at The Dome was a sellout and the gig was livestreamed across the internet so fans across the world could also witness the final throes of the undead.

Send More Paramedics have come and gone a few times over these last 2 decades and I really feel that this will indeed be the last time that we will see them live. Although this is a sad thing to say out loud they have left us with an epic and lasting back catalogue of insane zombie thrash that I will continue to revisit until my hearing gives out. There was no feeling of sadness when they finished "Zombie Crew," just a great feeling of belonging and honour to have been there with them one last time. Their 20-year milestone has been well truly been celebrated in sincere zombie style and now they shuffle back from whence they came. Be that in the ground or forced back into their metal canisters and barricaded back in their bunker no one truly knows all I know is that their loyal fans will never forget them and in true Bub (Day Of The Dead, 1985) style... we salute you!

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Editor's note: Read our 2021 interview with B'Hellmouth.

The Formative Years

EA 80

I still remember the first time I came across EA 80 in the late 1980s. I was hooked immediately and their music has become a steady companion ever since. 

As a band, EA 80 has always been completely autonomous, self-sufficient and to this day remains a unicum – a monolithic band that has always released its own records and rarely plays shows. If you do manage to capture them in a live environment, you never know what will eventuate. 
You might leave with an ultra-limited specifically made record for the occasion and a banging 30 minute aggressive hardcore set or an epic close to four hour long tour de force. I have seen them numerous times and remember each show.

Despite having been around for more than forty years, EA 80 has always deliberately strayed away from the limelight and been blooming in the shadows.  Never been successful in the classic sense despite having had a dedicated fan base from the get go and selling thousands of records with each release, which is borderline paradoxical given that their ethos is rooted in the refusal of all marketing activities or the participation of other commercial mechanisms down to rarely giving interview.

Musically, EA 80 has consistently reinvented itself without ever deviating from the lane they starting carving out for themselves in 1980: If I had to define the sound of EA 80, gloominess in the vein of Joy Division would come to mind without them ever falling prey to adapting clichés or flirting with gothic vibes.

The clearly articulated, sometimes screamed and often spoken vocal delivery is one of the defining trademarks of EA 80: Monotonous and captivating at the same time with the lyrics not being ornamental but the essential focal point setting the tone for the musical accompaniment, which is mostly centred around the characteristic guitars and the minor scales and tonalities imbuing their songs with a static feeling amplifying an inherently suspenseful and tense vibe: Life is bleak, yet also has beauty to it,

EA 80’s pathos encapsulates the dissolution of the concept of community and champions obstinacy. A stoic and timeless band that could not be more radical when it comes to opposing corruptibility and thereby creates its own aesthetic microcosm, which feels both removed, meandering in the vita contemplativa as well as informed by an immediate sense of urgency that could possibly hit you harder.

To get an idea of how EA 80 handles things, I recommend a visit to their official website:

Water of Life

Melbourne Hot Sauce x Starward and Kavka Vodka

Not exactly the most guarded secret is that I love hot sauces and whisk(e)y and have yet to find an occasion where I would find either not suitable to enjoy. 

However, this does not necessarily mean that they work well together. 

There are quite a few experimental concoctions out there, where e.g. whiskey was finished in Tabasco barrels and while the pronounced spicy vinegar characteristics of the pepper sauce added an interesting facet, it did not amount to something I would consider to enjoy for more than the novelty of it.

What about the other way around though, i.e. hot sauce aged in ex whiskey barrels?

Enter Melbourne Hot Sauces collaboration with Starward distillery. 

With Melbourne Hot Sauces having firmly established itself on the forefront of quality, flavoursome multipurpose hot condiment producers and with a well-respected line-up of well-calibrated and balanced hot sauces based on all-Australian ingredients without any added nasties, Starward could not have teamed up with a better partner than owner and founder Richard Nelson.

This 2021 Ltd edition release is a tour de force in harnessing the vibrancy that makes the carefully curated melange of Habanero, Red Jalapeno peppers, cherries, limes, bananas and Shiraz vinegar, before the melange is set to mature in Starward Nova single malt ex red wine Whisky barrels – which is one of the more refined expressions of Starward’s portfolio we have featured before.

Is your mouth watering yet?

If you are remotely into handcrafted and all natural hot sauces it should be, as this collaboration is an example par excellence for something the whole it culminated in is much more than the mere sum of its individual components would have you think.

What tickles the nostrils upon approach is a not unexpected culmination of peppery and spicy vinegar aromas, which dance with a slightly camphoraceous note.

Heat-wise, we are looking at a medium level, which is perfectly suited to shed the limelight on nuanced appearances of sweet, slightly tarty cherry flavours.

The elongated finished is where this sauce shines as it beautifully reverberates with the DNA of Starward’s Nova expression, i.e. fruity, nutty tannin rich Port wine vibes with a hint of toffee leaving one lusting for another splash.

Excellence is hot sauce form.

While I my preferred kind of liquor is definitely whisky, I can appreciate the flavour, aroma, and soft mouth feel of a good vodka. 
While in public perception vodka might be reduced to being little more than the spirit that mixes well with almost everything behind a bar, there is much more to it, especially when it comes to variants that lend themselves to be enjoyed neat.

When it comes to crisp and clean vodkas, wheat, grain and H2O are usually the main ingredients determining one’s vodka experience, with wheat having largely replaced potatoes as a source ingredient as it requires less distilling. 

As far as water is concerned, it plays a multitude of roles, be it in the mashing process or during dilution to calibrate the ABV, with the purity or purification of water having become a determinator of quality.

Every now and then you come across a vodka that pushes the boundaries a bit while honouring the DNA of the spirit.

Enter Kavka Vodka.

Made in western Poland and marrying the best of the aforementioned traditional liquor crafting techniques, Kavka is the result of the marriage of rye and wheat spirits alongside small amounts of aged apple and plum spirits, which culminates in a strong flavour profile with a delicate nuanced fruitfulness.

Distilled and bottled by Prince Jan Felix Michal Korybut Woroniecki, whose mission was to create an idiosyncratic drop in line with Eastern European spirit traditions in a bid to reinvigorate vodka, Kavka convinces with depth, complexity and a distinct smoothness that is rarely found in other contemporary vodka variants.

Clocking in at 40% ABV and with its syrupy texture, subtle floral hints dance on the top of the mouth set against a backdrop of a dominant citrussy and orange- marmaladed backbone, with the finish reverberating in a crescendo of  plum, apple and juniper notes.
A deliciously clean vodka that lends itself to be the base spirit for a Martini as well as sipping neat.

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images from company websites