Something Old, Something New

Robben Ford Masterclass

Published on 2010-11-08 21:53:00

The QUT lecture theatre was half filled with about 150 blokes, mostly baby boomers, waiting to see and hear blues and jazz guitar legend Robben Ford. Some were carrying guitars, maybe unaware of the format of the master class or hoping to jam with their hero. With his much larger than life image projected on the wall behind, Robben Ford proved to be a friendly, interesting and interested focal point who invited everyone to ask questions any time throughout the 2.5 hours of music and conversation

RIP Les Paul

Published on 2009-08-13 20:26:00

Les Paul was a true original and was one of western culture's most influential men during the second half of the twentieth century.In 1941, Les Paul invented the electric guitar. This enabled the guitar to be amplified and to rise above the sound of the other instruments. This paved the way for rock 'n' roll and through to music as we know it today.In 1952 Les Paul helped the Gibson company to create and produce the Les Paul model guitar which takes his name and is arguably the world's most popu

Furia Sound Festival

Published on 2009-07-07 15:36:00

The Furia Sound Festival was held on the weekend on the outskirts of Paris and we attended the ROCK 'N' ROLL (in the small tent in the corner) day on Sunday. It was a very strange festival because in one little corner, in an old circus tent, there were some influential and rocking bands playing, which I will discuss soon, but on the two main stages there were some very wimpy and boring folk and pop bands ... it was nothing in comparison to the musical consistency one tends to get with the festi

The Arkitekts

Published on 2009-06-29 09:50:00

The Arkitekts are a French independent rock/pop trio who formed in the middle of November 2003. But their musical roots go back to the 1990s when front man on guitar and vocals David Law and drummer Vortex shared the stage in the group Flyshoes, who played about 300 concerts in France.With the addition of Tom Bass on bass guitar and keyboard (often played at the same time!) to complete the trio, The Arkitekts play an interesting mix of slightly goth, slightly grunge, slightly psychadelic, slight

Ring My Bell

Published on 2009-06-08 03:29:00

This blog has been a labour of love and loath for over four and a half years now. It is always a time consuming process to manage the posts, researching bands or contemplating gigs, choosing and uploading photographs and writing the posts.In that time Something Old, Something New has received over half a million hits, a (small) number of thoughtful emails and comments, an equally small number of emails and comments slightly less thoughtful, far too many emails with nothing to do with music or wh

The Jesus Lizard V's Sunn O))) V's Men Without Pants @ Villette Sonique, Paris

Published on 2009-05-31 04:05:00

Villette Sonique is an annual music event in Paris aimed showcasing new and old Rock, Pop and Electro artists ... this blurb is from their website Will Future in music pass by a return to primitive instincts? These days, everybody speaks about tribalism, tropicalism and the new sound sensations quest. Villette Sonique 2009 takes place right in this mutation with a line up out of the usual musical boundaries. Following a breathtaking 2008 edition with rare bands performing amazing concerts (Devo

Pierre Henry @ Théâtre de la Cité Internationale, Paris

Published on 2009-05-24 11:37:00

Almost a month ago we were lucky enough to see one of the elder statesmen of electronic and experimental music in France, Pierre Henry, performing live at a six night spectacular of music and dance celebrating his amazing creations at Théâtre de la Cité Internationale. Pierre Henry was possibly the first formally educated musician to devote his energies to the (then) newly evolving electronic medium. He was a member of the first group responsible for the development of musique concrète, on

Hommage to Alvin Lucier @ Saint Merry, Paris

Published on 2009-05-08 09:09:00

Last Saturday there was a very interesting music/performance/science experiment at Saint Merri, this time celebrating Alvin Lucier. Two pieces were presented, Music for Solo Performer (from 1965) which is a performance for enormously amplified brain waves and percussion and Music on a Long Thin Wire (from 1977) which is a sound installation for audio oscillator and electronic monochord. Alvin Lucier was an american composer and music professor who was most famous for his more experimental comp

Bruxelles Sonic 2009 @ la Maison des métallos, Paris

Published on 2009-04-10 06:12:00

Bruxelles Sonic 2009 was billed as a night celebrating the Belgian electronique and Post-Rock music scene.We arrived at la Maison des métallos early enough to wander around listening to the "environment sonore" created by Jerome Deuson, which was on a constant loop for the entire evening, and to wander around the various spaces of the venue.The event proper began with The Aktivistv and Natalia De Mello, an audiovisual performance par excellence. The stage was completely darkened and an off key

One Second Riot V's Mono @ Glazart, Paris

Published on 2009-03-31 13:50:00

Glaz’art is a groovy music space in the 19th arrondissement (north east corner of Paris) which features all types of music but on Friday March 27 it presented a night of Post Rock and Noise. It is a small and skinny venue, and was very crowded on this cold Parisien evening, so securing a standing position with a view of the stage was very difficult. One Second Riot are a two piece from Lyon, France who create one hell of a fun noise, consisting of drums and bass/vocals/synthesizer, plus a n