WELCOME TO ~ THE CANNANES ONLINE Here at cannanes.com you will find all sorts off stuff on, by, or about the band ~ The 'News' page is only a portal to a myriad of history, music, photos etc. in what we hope is a more user friendly virtual environment than those annoying social networking sites (links above if you must!) SO MUCH NEWS SO LITTLE TIME! ~ LOTS TO REPORT BUT NOT TODAY! LATEST NEWS WOT THE? ~ ANOTHER NEW EP ~ SMALL BATCH REMIXES! ~ OUT ALREADY! (16th April 2013) Features 7! Brilliant Remixes the Small Batch EP by: Richie Phoe, Dr. Version, & Chowtime   Next 'Gig' | NEW YORK! NEW YORK 'chickfactor 21' ~ June 11th 2013 SHOW CONFIRMED! ~ Details & buy tix over at gigs Small Batch ~ Available now! You can order the CD or Digital downloads from: or just the Digital version from: iTunes or the 12" 45RPM version (Release date Mid May 2013) will be available from Insound ~ you can even pre order here now! (acetate cut last week at Masterdisk [New York] by Mastering Engineer Alex DeTurk, sounding good and has been sent for plating!) Small Batch just got yet another excellent review (3rd April'13) by Stephen Haag for PopMatters The Cannanes: Small Batch EP Checking in for the first time since 2008's Grassy Flat EP, with the six-pack digital Small Batch EP (gotta love the truth-in-advertising title) long-running Aussie indie outfit the Canannes are at the point in their career where they can release music when they want to, not when they have to. That luxury reveals itself in Small Batch's charming half-dozen tracks. Side A is quintessential indie pop: the jangly guitar, warm horns and burbling keys of opener "Bumper" have fueled a million tunes since the Cannanes' 1987 full-length debut, The African Man's Tomato, while the dreamy "Crawler" and prickly "Basics" feel like the promise of Alternative Nation was actually fulfilled (there's a reason Kurt Cobain was a fan). Side B finds the band in a more experimental mood, with "Molecule" showcasing Frances Gibson's best breathy Sally Timms impression, incanting "This is the day the glaciers finally burn" over music that alternates between noirish dream and metallic sheen, while "Tiny Compartment" is a whooshy, half-whispered letter to a pilot/airline traveler/astronaut. In the album's most intriguing song, the closing "Zone", the band sounds like, of all things, the faux-club/lounge you'd hear in an H&M dressing room. It's nothing short of mesmerizing. Who knows when we'll hear from the Cannanes again, but this (cough) small batch of tunes should help tide over Antipodean indie pop fans. [Reviewed by Stephen Haag for PopMatters.com 3 April 2013 ] Small Batch just got another excellent review (2nd April'13) by Patrick Emery for Beat The Cannanes : Small Batch No-one ever said popularity, or its cashed-up cousin, commercial success, was an exact science. For every artist plucked from obscurity by the forces of an exploitative and cynical marketing campaign, or thrown into the public domain on the back of a cheap gimmick, there's a thousand unknown acts, desperately clambering for any form of public recognition. Such is the unforgiving life of the artist. So where does that leave The Cannanes? In fact, have you even ever heard of The Cannanes? If you're one of those obsessive punters whose entire social discourse revolves around obscure lo-fi pop records from the recording bowels of the independent music industry, then you probably already know they're one of Australia's most renowned, and anonymous bands. Celebrated by Kurt Cobain, exalted by the New York Times, championed by Greil Marcus, The Cannanes make The Go-Betweens seem like Kylie Minogue in comparison. Small Batch is The Cannanes' latest record. Featuring just six songs, it's a taste of why The Cannanes should be on everyone's play list. Bumper is an exercise in perfect pop simplicity: a basic melody, a catchy rhythm and just enough '60s orchestration to make you feel good all over. Crawler is a different beast; this is a song to chaperone you through the moments of emotional darkness we've all been confronted with, and take you to a better place. Basics is the light on the new wave hill so many '80s bands missed due to outrageous consumption of cocaine and fellating of egos. The stripped-back electronica of Zone is sly and insidiously attractive; Molecule haunts you like the memory of a moment lost in time. The EP ends with Tiny Compartment, like the album's opening track, a picture-perfect pop track. The Cannanes are a band like few others; it's just that hardly anyone in Australia seems to know it. BY PATRICK EMERY [for BEAT Posted 2nd April 2013] Small Batch also got an excellent review (20th March '13) by Trevor Smith for CMJ! Cannanes, Small Batch [EP], (exro.fm/Lamingtone, 2013) To call the Cannanes veterans of the indie world would be putting it lightly; when they first hit the scene with their indie-pop songs, of which Kurt Cobain would eventually become a fan, Ronald Reagan was serving his first presidential term. Now nearly 30 years later, the Australian duo is still finding ways to create fresh music. Their latest release is an EP called Small Batch, a six-song compilation that ranges from mellow and calm to jazzy and upbeat. After an 11-year hiatus, the Cannanes have returned and showed us why they deserve to be regarded as true innovators of indie pop. The opening song, “Bumper,” is as radiant as the sun on a hot August day. The jaunty strumming of the acoustic guitar is mixed with muted horns that mesh with Fran Gibson’s timid lyrics: “Is It worth another try? Even you don’t think so.” The last minute is filled with the soft shake of a tambourine and light drum hits that ease the song to a blissful finish. The song that follows is called “Crawler,” and rightly so. The track is a slow and weary one that leisurely works its way up and down your body as Gibson’s ethereal voice drifts in and out. The spacey electronic percussion unwinds slowly and lets your mind enter into a peaceful zone. As the song ends, you’re snapped back to reality that you’ve already ventured nearly halfway through the EP. What makes the Cannanes so special is their versatility. Not many bands last for over a decade, and the ones who do are inevitably ascribed a label. The Cannanes offset their label by featuring songs like “Molecule” and “Zone” amongst their guitar-filled indie-pop songs. These tracks blend aspects from hip-hop and jazz with their hazy electronic pop. “Molecule” features a slow, heavy, booming bass that creeps up on you throughout the song before finally dropping and creating a new texture on the cozy album. The horns cry out loudly to introduce the closing song on the EP. “Zone” starts off slowly and then is suddenly interjected with percussion that you can imagine a b-boy getting down to. The eerie voice utters, “You’re confusing me.” But there is little to be confused about on this put-together EP. The band gives us a “small batch” of what we’ve been missing out on for the last decade. Producing a short but sweet assortment of engaging songs is exactly what the Cannanes needed to mark their return. [Reviewed By Trevor Smith for CMJ 20th March 2013] 6th March 2013 ~ also very nice reviews at nanobotrock.com 5th March 2013 ~ U.S.A. Todays 'Pop Candy' section previews 'CRAWLER' a song from our Small Batch EP (Due for release 19th March 2013 on CD, Digital & 12" Ltd Edition Vinyl) also 'BUMPER' (also from Small Batch) Debuted on 9th Jan 2013 at spin.com to read their glowing "cardigan owners rejoice!" review and have a listen just click here and a Cannanes 1st - even though Small Batch is not yet released it has made it into the University of Washington (Seattle) KEXP 90.3 FM charts! link here also Fran did an interview with online pop journal GAT on 25th Jan '13 - check it out at phillygirlabouttown.com + More reviews starting to flow in we'll try and get some up here soon On the evening of Sunday 7th October 2012 over ONE MILION AUSTRALIANS heard The Cannanes; many for the first time! We are still a bit thin on details of how this came about but for some reason the song 'Here is the Blade' from our 1993 album Caveat Emptor was chosen for use in the Telemovie (and now DVD) Underground: the Julian Assange Story [which tells the story of Julian Assange through his teenage years growing up in Melbourne (Australia)]. Keep your ears peeled during the Squat Party scene; there we are squeezed in between GOD 'My Pal' and The Hard-Ons "Bye Bye Girl". The film was apparently a hit at this years Toronto Film Festival. Though details still a bit thin we think we owe massive thanks to Jemma Burns (Music Supervisor) for putting us on the bill! On 3rd of October Stephen attended a mastering session at Sydneys Turtlerock Studios - for the new album Howling at All Hours. It's sounding good and we hope to be able to announce a release date any moment now...     After a recent spate of traveling and side projects (see below) we recently played our first live show in ages at the 2012 SOUND SUMMIT held in Newcastle (Australia) over the Labour Day Long Weekend ~ thanks to Guy Blackman & Pete Timmerman for helping out on Bass & Drums + Adam Lewis and the SS crew for asking us to play. As usual a good time was had by all. Over the weekend we hung out and were able to catch quite a few of the other acts + catch our mate Bacon Cakes doing a very impressive street show outside The Odditorium   Also check out these two recent releases:. Both to raise funds for Autism Societies in Australia and The United States and to help pay for an Autism Companion Dog for Tullulah (daughter of occasional Cannanes Stewart Anderson & Jen Turrell) details here The cd 'the indefatigable stewart anderson : a retrospective compilation for tallulah' featuring 32 songs by bands Stew has been in! including The Cannanes (w/ Stew) doing a pretty decent cover of Al Greens L-O-V-E (Love)! ~ you can order a copy of the cd here And also the compilation 'Emu Parade' 40 songs lovingly collated by David Nichols check out the details at bandcamp We recently installed this nifty site counter ~ but you might have to click on the map for more details if you don't have Java installed 2012 MORE NEWS IN BRIEF: Whilst in New York Late July Fran and Stephen joined Explosion in a visit to Masterdisk (arriving soaking wet after a 10 minute dash in torrential rain) where Chief Engineer Andy VanDette was putting the finishing [Mastering] touches to our New EP Small Batch EP Andy VanDette, Dopey & Explosion @ Masterdisk NYC '12 The new album is also finished! (and we may even have agreed on a title!!) David has designed the cover art and it looks great, we hope to be able to announce a release date soon Stephen has been busy with numerous Cannanes related and other projects ~ including ~ writing/recording & live trumpet duties with the fabulous New Estate (new album Recovery out now); filling in on Bass for Canberra Punk/New Wave innovators The Vacant Lot, and also playing bass with King Curly as 'the band' in a musical play called Van Park. Starring John Paul Young, Steve Kilbey and sometime Cannane Francesca Bussey! and an impressive cast of singer/actors; written by ex Lighthouse Keeper Greg Appel ~ Van Park was last staged at Chapel on Chapel in Melbourne 21st March till 1st April 2012 ~ more dates now confirmed for March 2013 in Melbourne details as they come to hand here If this is your first time at cannanes dot com check out the links up top + many more links to: Bibliography, Collaborators, Film, Interviews, Lyrics & More to be found on our Links and History pages

Our warmest thoughts go out to our friends living through the terrible events in recent weeks in Japan, we have been asked and thankfully were able to contribute a new Cannanes recording 'Absence' to the mp3 triple album: 'Resume' - A Compilation Album to Support the Victims of the Japan Earthquake ~ out now and only available till August 2011~ to purchase any or all tracks ~ link here: http://www.7ep.net (also more details below) Title: 'Resume' - A Compilation Album to Support the Victims of the Japan Earthquake In the wake of the horrendous earthquake and resulting tsunami that recently struck eastern Japan, the music downloading site OTOTOY decided to take quick action in supporting the victims by releasing a benefit album titled 'Play for Japan', which includes two 7e.p. bands - moools and yumbo. 'Play for Japan' encouraged 7e.p. to think about how we, a label that mainly licenses music from overseas, might also be able to contribute. With the hope of creating an iTunes-based benefit album, we called out to the overseas artists that we have had the pleasure of working with. The response was immediate and overwhelming. We are excited to announce the release of a 3-volume benefit compilation album titled 'Resume'. It includes 45 tracks, most of them previously unreleased, from 43 artists hailing from America, Canada, Australia, the U.K., the Netherlands and even Japan. The title, 'Resume', which implies recovering and persevering, was the idea of 'Sweet Dreams' publisher Norio Fukuda. The cover artwork was provided by renowned Olympia, WA. artist Nikki McClure. Moreover, Masaki Tada, who has worked on albums by moools and many other 7e.p. albums, offered his mastering expertise. In particular, we would like express our utmost appreciation to all of the participating artists, who took time out of their busy schedules to make this happen. The entire proceeds from this compilation will be used to support the disaster victims. Though we don't expect to raise a giant fortune, every yen will help make someone's life better. At the conclusion of this project, 7e.p. will announce how much money was raised and where it is going. Finally, we would like to offer our deepest condolences to the earthquake and tsunami victims as well as their families. We pray for your quick recovery. Koji Saito & Mitsuhiro Ariizumi 7e.p.   2011 NEWS IN BRIEF: 2011 saw a variety of shows in Australia and a fair bit of time was spent in the studio - a planned live appearance and recording sessions in Flagstaff in New York had to be cancelled after Stephen & Fran arrived in Los Angeles only to discover the next morning Stephens sister had died suddenly and unexpectedly - we apologies profusely to everyone that may have been inconvenienced, but sure you would all understand. This was the first time we have had to pull out of show in the 27 years The Cannanes have existed. The show itself went ahead, many thanks to MSG for standing in for us; and we are reliably informed - a good time was had by all who attended.   2010 IN BRIEF: We spent July in England, Madrid and Hong Kong; seen some pretty amazing places and managed to fit in a mini-tour of 4 memorable shows. Huge thanks to Crayola and Tom and Craig and Marianthi and Emma and all the good people at Indietracks. Highlights: Sold out show at the Betsy in London; Our best show in years in Nottingham; Playing the same exact moment as the World Cup kickoff in Newcastle (thanks to the Anti-Football Leaguers who showed up!); and playing and attending Indietracks (more on this later). Will get a fullish report on shows + photos and more up here soonish Trip highlight ~ riding to Indietracks Festival with the steam train driver ~ Midland Railway ~ Ripley to Butterly     RECENT RELEASES   Released in July 2010 on Make Do And Mend Records of Brighton U.K. this massive 2CD 44 track comp contains The Cannanes song Foundering some of you may have recently heard on our MySpace page. It contains a song from most of the acts that played this years wonderful festival; there are way too many bands to list them here but you can check out the tracklisting (with links to all the bands websites) and order now direct from the MakeDoAndMend   Just out/in ~ This limited 7" maxi ep/mini album (45rpm+33rpm!) is a joint release by 555 Records of Flagstaff U.S. / Knock-Yr-Socks-Off Records of Australia / Jellyfant Records of Germany a classy slab of vinyl wrapped in top notch cover art by David Nichols that contains 5 diverse and catchy tunes by five acts, Summer Cats, Cheap Red, Soft Paws, Tricia Yates Fanclub, and of course The Cannanes. You can order now from the label in your closest continent! free badges as well if you get in fast!   Published in February 2010 and Already Sold Out! (2 printings/pressings!) Issue 6 of The Lifted Brow is a hefty biannual journal containing, writings, drawings, manga and poetry + with this issue a 2 CD set of music! ~ list of contributors is way to long to mention here so go to the link if you're curious + if you are really fast you might just find a copy left in the bookshop of the National Gallery of Victoria   Released around Xmas this fantastic and essential compilation of the 4 eps released by Tokyo indie pop punks Citrus + a swag of rarities and live recordings + for some strange reason they've put the old Cannanes classic Frightening Thing (lovingly re-mastered from the vinyl) slap bang in the middle of the disc! out now on the Felicity label! of Japan   Also released around Xmas on Baltimore based Caution Horse is a magazine of short fiction from around the world which also comes with a great compilation CD containing some truly beautiful indie pop gems as well two recently recorded and previously unreleased Cannanes songs! Go to the cautionhorsemag myspace for more details HERE'S THE BLURB At long last, Caution Horse is finally here. Included in the magazine are stories by Tom Carson, Jiri Kajane, Stephen Dixon, Marcia Golub, Lauren Grodstein, Matthew Olshan, and Geoff Leonard. Also included is a music compilation featuring the following artists: Snowbirds, Minisnap, The Cannanes, Strawberry Story, My Dad Is Dead, The Art Department, Les Poissons Solubles, Bell and Cooper, and Lampduck. Each CD-R features handmade disc and sleeve design/artwork. No two copies are the same! If you are interested in ordering a copy, please send a check for US $7.99 plus shipping and handling (free shipping within Maryland) to: Erik Oster 1317 Appleby Ave. Baltimore, MD 21209, U.S.A. STRANGE BUT TRUE! The Cannanes Limited Edition Converse Shoe! ~ With very smart art by David Nichols ~ released in December 2008, it was available in retail outlets Internationally with pairs spotted in Canberra, Fitzroy, Melbourne, Sydney & Carnaby Street ~ London!

 

OLD NEWS! ~ 2008 HAS BEEN MOVED TO OUR ARCHIVES and EVERYTHING BELOW THIS POINT (ie. Pre- December 2007) IS BEING GRADUALLY MOVE MOVED TO ARCHIVES ~ BEST TO CHECK IT OUT BY BEGINNING AT OUR HISTORY PORTAL

2007 ~ CHEESE EXCURSION II > W.A. TOUR > BONE CURSE

BONE CURSE STRIKES AGAIN!

Unfortunately on the 20th of October 2007? as The Cannanes were about to make an impromptu appearance at a birthday party in Bendigo G-Roy was smitten again by the mysterious Cannanes bone curse and currently awaits the doctors opinion on treatment. We're sure you'll join us in wishing him a speedy recovery. Also on that evening The Cannanes played their first ever live set without Stephen! Details still a bit sketchy at this point in time though seems it may have taken place while G-Roy and Stephen were at the hospital!

September 30th 2007: Just got back from two very enjoyable and well attended shows in Perth and an equally enjoyable HouseParty in Dunsborough WA ~ while over there we also managed to do a radio interview on RTRFM + Fran and Stephen made a live appearance on CH31s Wake Up WA programme, you can watch it stream at mefeedia.com ~ enormous thanks to Alexandra Glazov for making the tour happen! + everyone else who looked after us, came to shows and lent us gear, I think Fran has written a fairly extensive account of our time across at MySpace/Cannanes, We'll try and get some photos + perhaps film up here soon.

August 2007 : We played three shows and continued work on the album.

Thanks to Summer Cats for asking us to join them at their 1st record launch! and Tom at The Toff for looking after us (definitely the Toffest rider we've ever seen) and the audience for all coming down (or up) so early.

Thanks also to Dallas at The Newie for once again making us feel so at home, great to see a booker dancing to a band and fantastic to have Francesca Bussey join us on bass for the evening. Thanks also to guest guitarist Lance Hillier for his spectacular guitar work and Bridgett Robertson for adding her as always lovely harmonies.

Fran and Stephen finished off what was quite a musical month with a short set in Bendigo with The Surrender Monkeys filling the roles of Bon, G-Roy, Jam-e and Penstir who couldn't be there for various reasons.

Our 2nd Annual Bendigo show with Cheese Excursion which went so well we've made a pact to do it again next year, if you're planning a trip to Regional Victoria in 2008 pencil in Bendigo for the Easter Weekend, plenty of "Side Show" events like the Easter and the night dragon parades, quilting exhibits etc. see you there!?

Thanks to all those who came along to the Newmarket show in January to play, dance, and party on later, herewith some shots of the festivities. Bendigo 130107 ~ At the show Bendigo 130107 ~ at the after party ~ many thanks to Liam Thorpe for the photos

We had a ball at our three November shows and would like to thank everyone who came up to us with kind words after we'd played, makes us feel wanted! Was nice to play some all ages venues as well, the Melbourne and Sydney shows with Calvin and Woelv were all class & we also got to enjoy Sly Hats and Kiosk for the first time, both of whom were excellent, get out and see them when you can. The Little Day Out IV (on Nov 12th) was yet another fine afternoon of fresh air and top performances this year including Mossys missus hitting the stage and El Mopa making their LDO debut.

Click HERE to view 1.6MB Quicktime a short chunk of film of us playing some of the song Rock 2 from our forthcoming album This is what it sounds like at The Newtown Theatre on November 5th 2006 ~ soon we will have footage from our Japan tour up, we have the technology, just learning how to use it! + IF ANYONE who was taking photos at these shows would like to send us one we'd love to see em!

Praise to the hordes who braved the rain and turned up at the Hoey in Sydney for the Flywheel album launch a short while back, it was an impressive turnout for such an early show but those who arrived in time for Tim Kevin were richly rewarded by his very impressive solo act, The C's did a slightly acoustic set then Flywheel turned in a record launch worthy performance with some excellent Special Guests. The Cannanes (well 4 of us) then kicked on to the CAD factory in Marrickville for an unadvertised appearance where G Roy debuted on drums !

CANNANE ATTENDS EDINBURGH FESTIVAL !

To our trumpeter Penny Penny McBride and musical / theatrical cohort Viccy Wah Wah spent three weeks of August performing at The Edinburgh Festival Fringe ~ they returned triumphant and will no doubt be doing some shows here soon ~ they have a website: Police emergency ~ check it out.

2006 JAPAN TOUR DIARY

After a six date tour of Japan and some holidays in foreign lands, the band have all now returned to Australia armed with copious footage and some lovely photos and recordings of the tour, most of this tour diary should be up any minute now on our History pages, we'll put a link here when it's decent. If you are keen to know what went on you could check out our newish Cannanes MySpace page which gives a very brief account and some photos and things you won't find here. Whilst in Japan we were invited to play South Korea, Mexico and in the few weeks before we left, Germany, England, US, Canada and Perth! If we can wing it we'd like to be able to make it to all of these places and more in the next 18 months; fingers crossed. Also whilst we were in Japan our back catalogue started going up on iTunes ! yes eight Cannanes albums {including A Love Affair with Nature} are now up available in the high resolution iTunes format for the convenience of downloading to your home computer or MP3 or MP4 device without even leaving your chair! more info soon. Oh yeah and we've got a new CD release, see below + news just in the Grassy Flat EP should be arriving from the US in the next few weeks.

BENDIGO DOES US PROUD!
Easter weekend we played our first ever Regional Victorian show in Bendigo! [ the show was reviewed by Shane Moritz in issue 12 of the very fine English magazine planB ] A rather large crowd turned up and made us feel most at home, the after party turned into a Shoju fuelled Christian songwriting and dance extravaganza which went on till dawn. Big thanks to all who came, and stayed! Also to the brilliant, eclectic CHEESE EXCURSION words can't describe them, check em out live (if you live in/near Melbourne) or get hold of the Cheese Excursion Medical Journal and their for general exhibitionism CD release. Big thanks also to Steve Saxton for doing the doubly difficult solo+opener slot. Herewith as promised, a few photos from the night.

Bendigo 150406 ~ L-R: SO Meets CE, CE Bell song, CE Brass section, Fran and Guest tambo player (Boy Moritz)

CANNANES LIVE AND ON THE TELE!

Just before we set off for Japan we whipped down to Melbourne to play at The Old Bar in Fitzroy and The Noise Bar in Brunswick ~ the Noise Bar show was filmed for broadcast on Ch31 Melbourne and SBS Australia and screened at very short notice (to us) the following weekend

 

OH the HORROR! ~ BONE CURSE SMITES 3 CANNANES IN THREE WEEKS!!!

Imagine yourself happily riding your bike to work, seeing a puddle of what seems like water in front of you, hitting it and realizing it's oil, then completely loosing control and ending up in hospital with TWO broken wrists! This was G Roys fate the morning before our November Melbourne show. The good news is he sustained no other injuries and next day was up and about and keen to enjoy the good weather ~ as the band had a show booked the following night and as all showfolk know "the show must go on" James stepped across to bass duties, also Miranda P-W of RazzMatazz fame joined us on guitar for a couple of searing rock numbers. The event was the Tugboat album launch (BIG thanks to the Tug crew for helping us through what could have been a difficult night), and a good time was had by all! (though our thoughts were with G Roy who sensibly stayed home). The following week week, Bon fell of his bike! (avoiding a pram ), ending up with a sore back, bruising, grazing and a few stitches. Two weeks later Stephen had a run in with some scary stairs which resulted in a broken arm! All have now recovered and looking foreward to more shows.

AWESOME.....

Plug Uglies played.  Man, they blew the roof off!  They played all the favourites which I couldn't remember because if you remember the eighties you weren't there and I was there.  I can't remember the seventies either except for the episode of The Brady Bunch where Marcia gets her nose broken just before the big party.  That was cool.  I guess I mustn't have been stoned that day.  Yeah, I think that was the day Mum confiscated my bong but after the Brady Bunch I made one out of a plastic fruit juice bottle and got stoned again. 

If I wasn't a cool rock star and hadn't spent the time Plug Uglies were playing in my dressing room having cocaine blown up my arse by my roadie, Bum Crack Guy, then I might have something to say about the 2005 Plug Uglies. But I don't, so - whatever.

After the show we went to an exclusive club called Alice's House and drank Annabel's wine which was kinda cool.  Razz Matazz played a couple of songs which was mellow and groovy.  You know, some people get drunk and they kinda bellow which is uncool cause I'm a musician and my ears are my instrument.  You wouldn't bellow at a chisel or a scalpel and you shouldn't bellow at a musician's ear either. Uncool.

Next day we went home if we were cool or to Canberra if we weren't. 
Good times.
G Roy

Stop Press: Bum Crack Guy has been sent off to roadie re education camp for failing to plug in G Roys bass

The Oxfam show raised over $1000 which is pretty good for a Sunday night at the Hopetoun. Thanks to All

RECENT RELEASE NEWS

The new Grassy Flat EP has been pressed! Meanwhile new songs and albums under construction - 'all the words you say' but real title perhaps something about vipers or jewels. This pink is a bit revolting. Sorry!

and by the way WE HAVE A NEW RELEASE! ~ ie. our film clip for the You Name It from the Trouble seemed so far away CD we did a little while back with Explosion Robinson is now available on DVD on Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records
the DVD also features such indie luminaries as Huon, New Estate, Boyracer, The Clientele, The Bright Lights, Architecture in Helsinki and Of Montreal.

The DVD is currently being screened at indie pop events throughout the U.S. you can order a copies from HHBTMR thanks to Jayme Guokas for putting it out, and Neil Thomas & Mollie for making the clip in the first place!

WHERE CANNANES AT?

Mid July 2006 we were up/down in Melbourne for a couple of shows + 3 days recording at the very cool Simon Grounds' Sub Zero Studios. Highlights of the week included Super Computers debut performance [featuring our old mates and traveling companion Scott Brewer & Scott Stevens ex-of The Earthmen] and The Boy Moritz Dancers at the Town Hall Hotel, playing The Empress with Man Bites God (celebrating 5 years in the business) and the very entertaining (and musical) Fred Astereo, & partying on with Francesca and her crew back in Coburg.

On Sunday 12th June 2005 we had the pleasure of performing live down the phone to Providence RI on 'Phoning it in' hosted by Nadav Carmel ~ we performed live in our kitchen in BENDIGO and the show streamed live from Rhode Island USA on BSR88.1FM ~ the show was archived and didn't sound too bad! you can check it out @ Phoning it in while you're there make sure you have a listen to other recent phone ins by Daniel Johnston, David Kilgour, Jad Fair, Little Wings, Corndawg and a host of other indie luminaries ~ some great stuff there!

RECORDING NEWS

Recording wise we've been quite busy, two new recording projects were begun last month which might seem a tad foolish as we have so many unfinished recordings (all slowly nudging their way forward though), a German 7", German comp, the "best of", 3" CDEP + several new albums, as is so often the case with this band they will probably all end up being released on the same day. Anyway to prove we haven't been idle of late we offer you a peek into Remembrance of Things Past, the Proust, "Rock Opera" Fran has been collaborating on with Matt Galloway of New York listen to a ROUGH MIX of Act 2 Scene 3 (be patient it takes a couple of minutes to start playing) this city is a dream-Albertine and Marcel in a happy moment in New York . Big thanks to Houseboy of music website fasterlouder.com.au for his touching tribute piece on the Cannanes a few months back (focusing on the Love Affair album in particular which he describes as "my Never Mind The Bollocks, That's Alright Mama, I Wanna Hold Your Hand and Nevermind!" read it now
We are well aware it's been a while since we have had a full length release of our own but trust us! many things in the works and once we get rolling there will be no stopping us! for a taste of what lies ahead check out our mp3s page for a demo we recorded in a spare moment.

Slightly Older News 12th of March (well it was the 13th by the time we got on) we performed at "Woolstock" a sort of indie rockfolk fest held at the beautiful Rosnay organic Farm in Central Western New South Wales. We got to see (and get a note or two out of) the worlds largest playable guitar on route). Once there the camping was perfect, our hosts most warm and plenty of fine foods, organic wines and home grown music enjoyed by all, hopefully we'll be back next year. Big thanks to Andrew Wooldridge for organizing it. If your in the market for some top notch organic produce, check out their website for your nearest outlet, you may be surprised how close it is! Tis big! ~ SO'N with the Worlds' largest playable guitar ! Narrandera New South Wales ~ March 2005 Finishing touches are still being put to the Dark Beloved Cloud 3"EP due for release any second now ~ in the meantime we were unable to resist the temptation to play some shows, including a lovely evening at The Empress in Melbourne and very strange night at The Warren View in Sydney back in December (including an Elvis sighting! ~ more details below); maybe it had something to do with putting that clown on the poster? (read even more about it on Frans' Vanity Page). T o m U p s t o n e w r o t e : H e l l o ! So there I was in the rooftop bar of the Sofitel in Phillip street, having been at a large Advertising lunch trying to persuade the printers I'm with to join me in kicking on to a pub in Newtown to see a gig - a rare free appearance by The Cannanes - a legendary indie Sydney band that have been going for 20 years. I fail, jump in a cab and start heading home. Sod it I think and decide that as the pub is only 10 minutes from home I'll stop off - just for a while at least. I enter the pub, the band's playing and sounding good ( the female lead singer is at least 45 now and looks like a teacher ). As the pub is so small, the bass player is standing in front of the fag machine and I've run out. So I go up to a girl who's smoking and ask to buy a cigarette. She kindly gives me one with a smile. The bloke who's just been talking to her taps me on the shoulder and says' I've got to talk to you, you could be my brother!'. I look at him - wearing a baseball cap, with glasses, slightly smaller and fatter than me ( but with better teeth ). "Do I know you - what's your name?" I ask. 'Reginald Dwight' ( Elton's real name ) he replies. 'Don't give me that, I'm a Watford fan - I know who that is - you're not who I think you are, are you?'. At which he takes off his cap quickly and puts it back on and fuck me sideways it's Elvis Costello. 'Do you want a drink?' he asks -'Just a Red Bull thanks I reply feeling myself sobering up with shock. He returns from the bar and says again how remarkable the similarity between the two of us is and I tell him I get it all the time and now I have a great story to tell them next time someone mentions it. He says he's in town for a couple of days before heading to Japan and is watching the Cannanes because he's heard them on John Peel and is still mourning his death. I tell him how I burst into tears after hearing a 30 minute tribute to Peel on the BBC World Service. He tells me how he's been to his house and to see Liverpool play with him. I tell him I'm making my radio debut the next evening on a Sydney local station playing all my old Punk 45's and that Radio Radio is one of them. We watch the band. The band finishes. I say - 'go on - play a tune' .He says 'I wasn't going to, but will for you' - starts walking towards the band, who are packing up but thinks better of it and backs off. I say to the bass player 'that's Elvis Costello' he replies 'I know! ! !'. Anyway - then he's off. I go outside, walk 2 minutes to the nearest 7-11, buy some fags and phone up the wife. She believes me - I'm still in shock and go back to the bar for a Red Bull with vodka this time. And then he's back at the bar - 'Just had to get rid of those record company people - want to keep drinking with my brother' he says' Meet Mick - he helps me out'. Mick appears to be his minder. 'Reg' as he insists on calling himself asks me about what I do. I tell him about work, the kids etc etc. He tells me his son is now 26 and he doesn't see enough of him. 'Let's go and find some girls' he says as the pub starts to close. So we walk down Enmore road, I tell him I didn't go to his Sydney shows as $120 a ticket was too much. We arrive at the Town Hall pub and me, 'Reg' & Mick are refused entry - 'you've all had to much' says the bouncer. I resist the urge to say 'don't you know who this is?' and take my new friends across the road to the Zanzibar, where they always let you in. 'Reg' goes and shouts the drinks again. Me and Mick sit at a table. 'Reg' goes off talking to girls. I'm now doing my best to persuade Mick to get Elvis along to FBI ( the radio station I'm appearing on ) the next night as a major surprise guest. Mick tells me that Elvis lost a brother whilst growing up. Anyway - 10 minutes later Elvis/Reg/Declan decides it's time for him to go & tells me that I'm a good, passionate, creative person and to go for my dreams. We shake hands and I give him my business card - I walk home on cloud 9 or 10. I wake up hung over and in shock - had this all been real? Thank god for the two phone calls to Amanda to tell of my evening's progress. I do the radio show the next evening, which is loads of fun but no surprise guest! As well as Radio Radio I finish with 'Watching the detectives' - just in case he's listening. It's my birthday on the Monday and I have a day off - as soon as I'm at work on Tuesday I check his website & his next gig is in Tokyo 8/12 - so he was hanging out in Sydney before going to Japan. What a birthday! Tom x x x . . A depressing result in the US election but I guess not our fault. If only it didn't make John Howard so happy. The Aussie dollar continues its climb though. Our idle claim that the Cannanes would go back to the USA when the Aust $ was worth 80c US is looking like a possibility. Oh frabjous day. We were most upset to hear of the death of John Peel on 28th of October. In our opinion the finest DJ to ever present music on air. Not just a champion of English "indie" but an incredibly open minded music lover as anyone who managed to catch some of his "Peelenium" broadcasts would agree. Though he played The Cannanes on numerous occasions, we can now only cry in our beers, never to be able to do a "Peel Session" which was very much on the cards when we toured Europe a while back. If you are not familiar with Johns work we'd suggest you check out his homepage at the BBC Bad/good news in September - a warehouse in Sydney where irreplaceable Cannanes master tapes were being stored recently leaked during a large storm, tape boxes were found covered in mould with some having made it's way to the tapes. Some tapes have now been baked! to remove moisture, the tapes were placed in the trusted hands of Troy Horse Studios who have had them transfered to digital formats i.e..(the good news?) Possible re-mix albums! Our Bon sits in with Dazza Hanlon & Mossy ! @ LDO 2005 The last Sunday in September we played The Little Day Out II ~ held at Laurel Tree House Child Care Centre in Sydney, the lineup included Aussie ROCK LEGEND Ian Moss + Aussie INDIE ROCK LEGEND Darren Hanlon. The Cannanes played minus our trumpet virtuoso Penny who was still hangin with her guru in India (and has since returned to us). Highlights of the afternoon included guest guitarist Yannick Caffarel-Slade making a spectacular Rock 'n Roll debut + Darren H and our very own Bon K joining Mossy for the second half of his set! If you missed it Fran made many cameo appearances in the long running TV documentary series Reality Bites screened on the ABC here in Australia. The four episodes titled Street Practice which aired over September watch out for a rerun some time soon. In August we had the pleasure of playing our first of what we hope will be many shows at Brunswicks Vic Hotel ~ great place ~ the band room is like a large kitchen with lounge chairs, tasteful 50's decor and a stage at one end. The new look Flywheel opened with a very mature set featuring the superb harmonies of James and brother Toby, Cannanes followed in "new wave mode" [Fran and Stephen joined by snappy Greg Wadley on drums, kinky Guy Blackman on electric organ and groovin James Dutton on bass] for a largely retro set of Cannanes classics, then we were all treated to a Supersized set by brilliant young Melbourne band New Estate who after exhausting their set list added a good half hour of improvised rock to satiate the crowds thirst for more! Our 7th of July show was a farewell to our wonderful trumpeter Penny McBride who was off for holls in India, many ex Cannanes were on the premises and the evenings sets were well peppered with Cameo performances including Andy Coffey up on stage with us for a raunchy rip through Last Resort Back in May we played occasional Cannane James Duttons 40th and were stoked to have Phil Moriarty step up to the microphone for an absolutely stunning impromptu solo on one of our newer songs Guilty MAGAZINE BLITZ ! ~ The Cannanes have recently rated good mentions in this Summers edition of The Rattler ( The magazine of NSW Community Child Care Cooperative ~ with a very fine photo of the band playing to some very cute kiddies) and the June issue of LaTrobe University Librarys' Library Link ! We were also are pleased to see Japanese glossie Pop & Independent Magazine Cookie Scene December / January 2004 issue has included not only a large article + tour review but also have put You Name It on the CD compilation that goes with it (which also include The Aluminium Group, Kid 606 + 18 other indie tracks) Our last show for 2003 took place at Sydneys famous Grosvenor Club aka The Taxi Club ~ a fun evening was had by all despite the unexpected arrival of 16 gloved police with two sniffer dogs! ~ thankfully no one was searched or dragged out though it was a very offensive intrusion. Musically The Rebel Astronauts were awesome Panel of Judges gave a peak performance Cannanes did their thing then all enjoyed the dj's till the early hours ! If you object to Sniffer Dogs in Venues or happened to be at the show and were as disgusted as us you might take the time to lodge a complaint with the NSW Council for Civil Liberties Sniffer Dogs Complaint Page The show was also a Re-launch for our Electro 2000 EP ~ Re-release with very snazzy hand printed lino cut sleeve art by Neil Michka ~ extremely limited edition ~ order now to avoid disappointment! JAPAN TOUR SEPT 2003 ~ TOUR DIARY ! Many photos + much video was taken of the tour as well as many words written ~ the diary is now up with photos + mpgs ~ check it out Beautiful origami adorned card ~ sent by Masako Enomoto of Tokyo ~ ~ ~ OTHER NOT QUITE SO RECENT EVENTS ~ ~ ~ SUN 16th Nov '03 we did a funny fundraiser for The South Sydney Herald then that evening a very sort notice a hilarious live to air on the final Crash Hot on 2SER FM SUN 2nd of Nov '03 we played a benefit for Laurel Tree House Child Care Centre in Glebe (Sydney). Much money was raised and a fine day was had by all and we'll get some shots of the day up here soon ~ in the mean time keep an eye out for the current issue of childcare magazine The Rattler The Sunday before we played the Back to Redfern Festival in Redfern Park (Sydney), a bit more of a "Big Day Out" with many local and Indigenous artist performing on the day, we got to close proceedings after The Stiff Gins and Christine Anu had done their thing and despite the rain managed to get quite a large portion of the crowd dancing! ~ thanks to the Mayor, the excellent stage crew and all involved in the organizing. We got back from Japan on the 28th of Sept '03 and played that very night at the Annandale Hotel here in Sydney ~ whew what a tour ~ two members of the band have described it as the best 10 days of their lives! ~ massive thanks to Shintaro for getting us there ~ and it all went so well looks like we'll be back there in 2005~ besides having great audiences and a fantastic time much video was shot which we hope to be able to include on the site when time permits Thanks to the huge crowd that turned up to our fridge magnet launch at The Warren View on 24th October ~ the publican told us it was the largest he'd seen there ! At last ! ~ Cannanes fridge magnets ~ get em fast! Also new photos taken by Sydney rock-photographer the legendary TONY MOTT now in Press Kit Photos Before we left for Japan we played a very well attended and received show at Ric's Bar in Brisbane then the University of NSW Expo here in Sydney, a fun day out where we had the opportunity to view the artwork To absent friends which is also the worlds largest hologram ! as well as watch robot dogs play soccer and many other informative activities Following another good rockin 3 sets at The Warren View the Friday before Japan we did a short notice Live to Air on excellent new Sydney radio station FBI 94.5FM ~ huge thanks to the wonderful Simon Aveling for asking us on his show

NON SHOW RELATED NEWS

KURTS JOURNAL Herewith as promised: "these are some of the Bands I like." ~ page 229 of Kurt Cobains Journals ~ Believe it or not! ~ WE WERE OVERJOYED TO SEE OUR SEE THAT OUR YOU NAME IT VIDEO WAS THE FIRST VIDEO FOR 2003 SCREENED ON AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL TV PROGRAMME RAGE 11.25PM ON FRIDAY THE 3RD OF JANUARY ~ Naturally we cracked a bottle of Champers to celebrate the event ! RAGE continued the trend throughout January and showed the video every Friday night! Thanks rrrrrraaaaaaggggge! ALSO: back in February we got a four star review in Rolling Stone! (up there with Pretenders, George Harrison, Elvis Costello and Missy Elliott we were glad to note) GOING NATIONAL ! - National radio station triple J added our song You Name It to their 'net 50' not long before Xmas where it remained till some time around Easter long weekend ! ~naturally we were pleased about this also BEST ALBUM OF 2002 ? As well as You Name It remaining on the triple J net 50 - our latest album Trouble seemed so far away was a contender (one of 3,000,000) - for triple J album of the year ~ the results seem to have slipped past us at this stage Even stranger ! Trouble was also featured ! on the Radio National - Night Club programme, sharing the spotlight with Meatloafs' Bat Out of Hell - go figure ! You Name It - the video! The video clip for You Name It is a functioning part of this website NOW! ~ we would very much like to thank { Neil, Thomas and Molly for - shooting ~ editing ~ production } & good times ! If you would like to view it just click here and you will be transported to our video archive

Well the other BIG Cannanes news is the documentary being made about the band, that's right Rocumentary! and it's looking to be a pretty comprehensive one as well (currently clocking in at around 35 minutes with and estimated 50 mins for the DVD release) ~ to cut a long story short production is almost finished with broadcasting and a DVD planned for release some time in 2006 you can check what the the makers are up to at ether.com.au We won't give too much away here about what to expect but naturally we'll keep you posted. In the meantime anyone who is interested in participating e.g.. with reminiscences, photographs, or any live footage ( and we know there is a fair bit of it out there! ) you can still contact either us ( by clicking on the troll up topleft ) or better still the producers Neil, Thomas & Molly