The Sixites, French accents, eyeliner and big hair - what's there not to love...

Good Morning!  It's Sunday and what better time to get groovin'

Here's a great cover of France Gall's 'Laisse Tomber Les Filles' from 1964 to get you going. 


Hit the volume, and put your twisting shoes on and shake it baby :)

Click here to listen or click video below :)



Midnight rambler is twisting...

Celebrating motherhood ♥

♥ HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to all the mums out there♥

I hope today brings you much joy, pampering, good food, lotsa cuddles and appreciation .  Mum’s are special ♥  Mum’s matter and Mum’s need to be nurtured everywhere.  Every Mum in the world is important no matter what - because without them we would not exist.

I've posted a song just for all you mums J The video is fun, and is called ‘White Dove’ by Triple J’s unearthed feature artist, Tijuana Cartel  who hail from the Gold Coast –aah lucky Queensland.  Their mix of global grooves and electronica make this a joy to listen to.

The White Dove is a symbol of Peace, so let's bring as many forms of White Dove into our lives now! The White Dove mate for life, are incredibly loyal, build their nest and raise their young.  So what could be a more fitting song for Mother's everywhere than that?

Either click the video below or here to view.

Midnight rambler thanking my Mum for being super special...

Does it Offend You, Yeah?

Okay, so I've been challenged just a bit too much this year and I suspect there is more to come before this year is through.  So I can either (a) face them head on; (b) ignore them in the hope they will go away; or (c) find pleasure and solace in crazy songs and not give a f**k!

Midnight rambler and the funky monkeys are coming...

The Lamplights: from heartfelt folk to driving acoustic funk and blues...

If you are a Triple J listener then you might have heard of The Lamplights - and if you're not a listener you still might like to check them out here at unearthed. 

Unearthed is triple j’s award-winning initiative for discovering and sharing the best new Australian music. This local Gold Coast band is so good I just had to post a review.

"The Lamplights is such a beautiful name.  It conjures up gorgeous images of time past, of dark and foggy cobble-stoned streets in London, warmed by the delectable glow of lamplights. [read more...]

 Grab a beverage of your choice, put your feet up and have a listen to the wonderful Ryan Gittoes on voals, Jason McGregor and Ashley Perrow, both on guitar in this clip from the ABC.  You not only get two songs, but an added bonus for your time - an interview!

Remember to check out their gig guide and support local music in a town near you and if you live interstate you can download some of their mp3's for free here or purchase their wonderful debut album here 

Enjoy :)





Midnight rambler preparing for Triple J's world-wide party on Australia Day and listening out for The Lamplights...

GALA/FINAL - SHORT + SWEET THEATRE



S+S cast

 What a week it’s been and so much to share.  Firstly, Saturday 20^th November was the Finals/Gala of the Short + Sweet Theatre Festival here in BrisVegas @ the Judith Wright Centre.  I was excited beyond words to not only be an audience participant for Week 2 of the top 20 on the Friday night but again at the final/Gala Award night on Saturday.   I not only witnessed some really amazing plays but my little play,The Corpse cannot Play was in the Top Ten alongside some of the best!

We were all winners in effect, just having made it into the top 30 was something of an achievement for all of the entrants and congrats to all those who did.  It’s been a top festival and something I’m been very proud to be a part of. 

It’s great to support local theatre and all of the arts for that matter and even if I hadn’t had a play performing,  Short + Sweet  Theatre is well worth buying a ticket for.  You get bite size chunks of theatre from all different genres and no chance to get bored as none of them go longer than ten minutes and what a variety you get to see over one night.  Ten plays, all different.  Some make you laugh, others cry and maybe even shiver with excitement or creeping fear.  It’s great and I for one will be supporting this every year whether I have a play being performed or not.

It was wonderful having so many of my friends come along in support for my play but also for supporting other artists, writers, actors, and directors while being entertained.

Thanks to the awesome Short +Sweet crew, Candice Diana and Sean Dennehy and the many more who I didn’t get to meet.

And now for the winners:

Nuns Gone Wild

The Short+Sweet Award Presented to the best overall production - taking into consideration acting, directing and script - performed at the Gala Final.

Nuns Gone Wild

Writer: Leon Foo

Director: Tim Driver

Cast: Bronwyn Morrow, Barbara Chaffe, Marion Welsch

Best Comedy Presented to the writer of the Best Comedy performed at the Gala Final.

Nuns Gone Wild

Writer: Leon Foo

Director: Tim Driver

Cast: Bronwyn Morrow, Barbara Chaffe, Marion Welsch

Best Drama Presented to the writer of the Best Drama performed at the Gala Final.

The Devil’s Aftershave

Writer: Pete Malicki

Director: Matthew Filkins

Cast: Jeremy Wood.

Michelle Miall & Sean Dennehy

Best Director Presented to the Best Director of plays performed at the Gala Final.

Michelle Miall 

for

Lifetime

Writer: Angie Farrow

Sound Designer: Cameron Rollo

Cast: Dirk Hoult, Emma Che Martin.

Best Actor (male) Presented to the actor who gave the most outstanding performance throughout the festival.

Jeremy Wood

for

The Devil’s Aftershave

Writer: Pete Malicki

Director: Matthew Filkins

Cast: Jeremy Wood.

Best Actor (female) Presented to the actor who gave the most outstanding performance throughout the festival.

Bronwyn Morrow

for

Nuns Gone Wild

Writer: Leon Foo

Director: Tim Driver

Cast: Bronwyn Morrow, Barbara Chaffe, Marion Welsch

The Wildcards Winner The play judged to be the best overall production (taking into consideration acting, directing and script) performed during the Wildcards.

Queen Of De Nile

Wrought Iron Productions

Writer: Carmen Cuskelly

Director: Christopher Cherry

Cast: Carmen Cuskelly

Best New Talent Presented to an emerging writer, director or actor who performed outstandingly either at the Gala Final or during the festival.

Marion Welsch

for

Scissors. Paper. Rock.

Writer: Marion Welsch

Director: Marion Welsch

Little Black Duck Productions

and

Nuns Gone Wild

Writer: Leon Foo

Director: Tim Driver

Cast: Bronwyn Morrow, Barbara Chaffe, Marion Welsch

Best ITC Presented to the Independent Theatre Company who presented the most outstanding overall production either at the Gala Final or throughout the festival.

Testy

Wrought Iron Productions

Concept: Christopher Cherry

Writer: Carmen Cuskelly

Director: Christopher Cherry

Cast: Chris Holt, Adam Drake, Christopher Cherry, Fabienne Drake, Evie Richards.

 and

Queen Of De Nile

Wrought Iron Productions

Writer: Carmen Cuskelly

Director: Christopher Cherry

Cast: Carmen Cuskelly

People’s Choice Award For the most popular play as voted by audiences throughout the festival.

Testy

Wrought Iron Productions

Concept: Christopher Cherry

Writer: Carmen Cuskelly

Director: Christopher Cherry

Cast: Chris Holt, Adam Drake, Christopher Cherry, Fabienne Drake, Evie Richards.

Congrats to all and now can’t wait for next year :)

Midnight rambler is planning.

Reckless abandon, like no-one's watching you. A moment, a love, a dream aloud...

Here is another great band from Melbourne, The Temper Trap.  And hey it's Ausmusic month coming up in November - so it seems fitting to feature great Australian artists. 

This song sums up alot of what I feel - not just now, but most of the time and it's a pretty cool vid too - check it out. 

Oh, such sweet disposition ♥

Midnight rambler craving reckless abandon...

RETREAT NEWS...

Finally the retreat news is up...click here

Am currently working on getting some writing and travel related pictures up.  Watch this space...

All I Know...

All I know...after a day from hell this song from a great Melbourne outfit Eagle and the Worm manages to cheer me no end.







This clip was filmed on the Mornington Peninsula so it's a pretty cool back drop to a groovee tune that is all about having some fun...


Midnight rambler wishing you a week of fun or finding the fun in the mundane or the days from hell or whatever gets you down. 

May this bring you some sunshine ♥

 

Birthdays and bits and bobs...

I haven't forgotten to post an update on Writers on the Edge annual retreat - I just seriously haven't had time to get it up and running.  The joys of starting a new job and being back in training. 

Before I head off to my night/twilight shift or whatever you want to call it, I want to take time to remember my beautiful girl's birthday.  Crysta would have been twelve today! 

Miss you gorgeous gal ♥

Click here for slideshow

Retreat news soon....

Midnight rambler is contemplating...

finding strength and being connected...

"Never Fade Away’ speaks about finding strength from our families, the importance of family and also the importance of seeing all human beings as being connected and part of a global community. Never Fade Away, the music video, was all shot in our hometown of Melbourne, Australia. It features some of our regions finest multicultural artists, dancers and musicians, it’s recognition and a celebration of the strong multicultural foundation that is modern Australia." 

The above is taken from Blue King Brown's website which sums up this band beautifully.  I have seen them perform at one of The Cat Empire gigs.  They are amazing. 

Lately, I have been thinking about so many things.  Have just started a new job that has many challenges and the one thing I keep coming back to, besides writing, is travelling and what I love most about travelling.  It's the culture and the celebration of culture and the global connectedness.  I think this song is fitting and a reminder of how important it is to stay connected to the world and not just our personal patch.  Enjoy :)

Midnight rambler attempting to stop the itch in her feet...

Worlds + conventions + writers + bar + alcohol = good times and dancing magickal faeries armed with pixie dust…

Having just got back from AussieCon 4 (the 68th World Science Fiction Convention) held at the MCEC in Melbourne, I think it is fair to say I had a blast along with my fellow comrades from Writers on the Edge, Ladies Wot Write, and the graduates of Clarion South pre and post 2007. For the most part, most of them were present (even one from as far as the US) but perhaps not all at the one time.





My writing buddies from LWW - Moi with Jane Domagala, Rebecca Livesey and Sharon Phillips
~Photo by: Jane Domagala



 












Sean Williams, mentor, buddy and just the best guy ever and (oh, a brilliant writer) was unable to make it due to being seriously ill. He was missed big time by soooo' many people! And I know how disappointed he was to have missed it.

Fellow Edgers: Nea Beauville, Deb Kelly and Chris McMahon
~ Photo by: Jason Nahrung

Fellow Clarionite, Ben Francisco and Moi
~ Photo by: Jane Domagala

  
















I attended both the Ditmars and the Hugos and was honoured to be amongst so many talented writers. Many of the nominated were my writing buddies, mentors and peers and quite a few of them brought home awards. YAY!

The Ditmar winners can be found here
The Hugo Winners can be found here

Moi with the lovely, Jane Domagala
~ Photo by: Jane Domagala

I made a promise to myself to travel light and buy no books! Is that a dumb idea or what? Of course I had to buy books…but space was limited so I only managed five which considering my severe lack of space in my bag, that was a pretty good effort. I have had to order the rest I wanted online.

The thing with World Con (which was brilliant by the way) is that it was so spread out. There were so many people (new friends and old) that I was hankering to hang out with, but it just wasn’t always possible. Most times it was snatches of hugs, conversation and waving from the distance - still brilliant either way.



Rob Shearman reading his delightful story
'One Last Love Song'
~ Photo by: Jason Nahrung

For as many panels, book signings, book launches and readings that I attended there was equally, if not more, I missed. If I could have split myself into several pieces, I would have seen and done a lot more. But alas, there is only one of me.

It was quite fun getting kicked out of the bar at 2am on more than one occasion or not depending on how you look at it. But those of us who were kicked out (you know who you are) would all agree that it was fun :)

Oh, and I lied – there were no dancing magickal faeries except for the really drunk one dancing on the bar (ahem, you know who you are) ;)

The five days rolled around all too quickly - then depart Melbourne for BrisVegas:

• Home for one day – quick changeover of clothes and off again…
• Join me next post for Writers on the Edge annual retreat…

Midnight rambler off ‘into the wild’

Beaches, hips, sand and sea...

Feature song is late...I have a good excuse this time.  I have had the most awesome, intensive weekend ever, which has kept me so busy and in catch-up mode all week, but that's another post...stay tuned...

Seriously, if I had time I would post a song a day.  There are so many damn good songs being released every day or every other week.  I want to post this one, then that one, and I just have to make a decision.  It's all about what makes you feel good, hey?  This song, this week or at least in this moment makes me feel great.

So people - with summer just around the corner - get down with Thao with the Get Down Stay and swim or kick some sand, or build a castle or just have fun :) 

Midnight rambler is getting down...

A WICKED return home...

Where does the time go? What happened to my regular blogging? Weekly feature song? Clearly, I’ve been off track, lack of clarity in so many areas of my life, with writing being just one of them!



However, today some clarity has returned and because it may only last a day, or an hour, I feel this overwhelming urge to blog – YAY! I’ve just had the wonderful opportunity of returning to my old stomping ground, the Eastern suburbs of SYDNEY.

Vaucluse

Besides a short trip in 2008 that had me laid up in bed with a virus from hell, I hadn’t been back to explore since I left for grander things like ‘London’s calling’ in 1991.


How could I go so long without returning to my home? Extraordinary isn’t it? I have no idea why but that’s about to change. It was wonderful to take my partner in life and in crime, David to share the experience. We visited the bays from Rushcutter’s to Vaucluse, immersed ourselves in the beach culture from Bondi to Bronte. We ate good vego food and drank fab coffee. We walked the streets of my stomping ground in Woollahra and Paddo, wandered around the Saturday markets held in the historical Paddington Uniting Church grounds, to hanging out in Centennial Park!!

Woollahra

A stroll around the wonderful terraced houses that line the tree filled streets, old corner pubs and houses converted into hip, cool and funky eateries. Dogs of all shapes and breeds, sitting obediently by their owners side while they ate and drank coffee in the sidewalk cafes. Love the zany people of Oxford Street carrying designer pups in designer bags and this is the men!!

And the icing on the cake was seeing the Musical ‘ Wicked’ inspired by the novel 'Wicked: The life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West' written by Gregory Maguire, a parallel novel of 1939’s Frank Braum’s classic film ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’. Wicked has been a musical I’d been aching to see since its release in Melbourne July, 2008. It didn’t disappoint as It was a night filled with magick, art, culture, and an exquisite taste of something my heart aches for when I return to Brisbane. It’s not just the show, it’s the glorious old theatres such as the Capitol theatre which opened in 1928 and later restored in 1995, with its marble staircases, twinkling stars in the ceiling, velvet drapes and box seats.


These theatres take me back in time, and their beautiful restoration of historical buildings add flavour and character and fits comfortably within the modern architecture of a revamped downtown Sydney. WICKED was worth every penny spent, from the A Reserve dress circle seats, to the program and the two tees I couldn’t resist. My only regret was not buying the ‘wicked green dacquiri’ served in a keepsake plastic martini glass that lights up and glows every colour of the rainbow!! Soooo’ very groovee!!


The cast were magnificent, Lucy Durack as Glinda, the good witch of the north. She was fabulous and had a voice that could shatter glass. Patrice Tipoki as Elphaba, the future wicked witch of the West had some amazing witchy, flying moments. Tim Campbell as Fiyero (some might know him for his character Dan in Home and Away) was delightful and sang and danced better than I expected. Maggie Kirkpatrick well known for her role as Fergie, the freak from Prisoner, was brilliant as Madame Morrible. Rodney Dobson as Doctor Dillamond, the goat like creature was awesome, and then there was Bert - Bert Newton as the Wizard. His performance of ‘Wonderful’ was quite wonderful :) The music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz was brilliantly delightful. The story telling of life in OZ before or around the introduction of Dorothy was spellbinding, unique and beautiful.


The stage design remarkable, from the dragon on top of the stage to flying witches on broomsticks, flying monkeys, dazzling, sparkling lights of Glinda the good witch and a cast that made you laugh and cry. Brilliant, whimsical, magickal and an extraordinary delight which now has me scouring the shelves of 'Blockbuster' for Judy Garland in the classic itself, and enjoying it again from a whole new perspective, especially now I know how the witch from the West became truly WICKED!


Wickedly entertaining and I give it 5 stars and then some…


Watch the promo here


And, last but not least - as you leave the theatre and the magick within, this sign hangs above the exit door:

‘YOU ARE LEAVING OZ, REALITY STRAIGHT AHEAD!


Aaah *sigh*


Midnight rambler – back to reality! 

All things bizarre!!

A link to my latest travel article on the Khan el-Kalili. 

Chat soon with more misadventures of the midnight rambler...