The Oceanic Lounge

Such a sad fact of liquor liscening laws when another venue has trouble opening, because of the narrow mindedness of many of the Ballarat community, and because of the limitations on venues that both serve alcohol and support live music and performing arts.

Please support The Oceanic Lounge - whose facebook group of 775 members and rising is found here. - "a new comedy / music venue and cafe situated at 97 Bridge Mall, Ballarat."

There has been many city council meetings about the opening of this venue, which due to strict policies with massive generalisations has to file itself as a "nightclub" - hopefully this beautiful venue will be able to get around the red tape and be a wonderful addition to Ballarat's live music scene - and provide an alternative to other music venues in town that are quite hectic. Somewhere nice and laidback, but with awesome acoustics and a medium-sized stage perfect for local community dance and singing groups, bands, comedians, theatre... sounds good to me.

The Oceanic Lounge's open letter to the Ballarat community :

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The following is an open letter from proprietor Dona Pentland and her partner Geoff Hassall, to the Ballarat City Council and those business owners in the Bridge Mall area objecting to the opening of The Oceanic Lounge at 97 Bridge Mall, Ballarat:

" To whom it may concern,

Having read carefully through the objections to the planning application for 97 Bridge Mall, we wish to clear up what is obviously a misunderstanding as to the kind of venue proposed.

The term “night club” the only available label under council regulations for a venue of this size that does not provide full restaurant service, is misleading in this case. The objections all hinge upon the perception that we are intending to cater for the late night twenty something drinkers and ravers. The opposite is in fact true.

The application is for 1 am closing. This is the very time when the type of revellers who bedevil Ballarat’s night life are just getting going. We want to create a venue that will nurture Ballarat’s rich art’s community. A place where Jazz, folk, community choirs, original local and imported live acts can be presented in a setting where great care is taken to ensure that the music sounds good! There is a clear lack of such a place in Ballarat at present. A place where poets and local theatre groups can be showcased, where dance groups can hold evenings with enough room to move, in short a wide range of entertainment that does NOT include loud pre-recorded music and binge drinking till all hours.

I am a locally based musician, and my partner and I have both worked here for almost ten years in Arts based Disability support. We have a broad network of fellow artists, workers, and families who share our frustration at the lack of a medium sized venue of this kind, with wheelchair access to a welcoming non threatening environment.

Regarding concerns about sound levels, in addition to ticking all the boxes of the Liquor Licensing Board’s requirements, the building (originally being a bank) has extremely thick insulated ceiling tiles, designed to muffle sound. The solid brick structure has a double entrance with very heavy doors.

We have received encouragement from quite a few local traders who see the presence of a venue of this nature, as a welcome addition to a dining and arts precinct distinct from the designated ‘night club’ area of Ballarat*.

Our Vision has always been to set up a venue that is the very antithesis of the kind of places that produce most of the problems detailed in the objections.

A great majority of this community like to enjoy a meal at a local restaurant, take in a show, have a few drinks before heading home at reasonable hour. Why should Ballarats night time culture be held to ransom by the behaviour of drunken patrons of The ‘nightclubs’ where it would seem that music, entertainment and social interaction are dominated and distorted by the imperative to sell as much booze as possible.

Some years ago the feminist movement ran a campaign called, If I recall ‘Take back the night’ aimed at making the streets safe for women at night in the Melbourne CBD. What about making a place for all the rest of us? who do not want to mingle with upset drunks, and have our senses numbed by conversation killing levels of in house ‘Disco’ just so we can have an evening out.

All the local eateries except McDonalds are licensed already.
We anticipate that the kind of patrons we will attract will enhance the business of surrounding restaurants.

Many of the problems such as, urinating, vomiting, random acts of vandalism.etc. are already with us, and short of gating the Mall at each end I cannot see how preventing one more local trader in your midst** will stop the drunks passing through on their way home from the Lydiard street precinct to the eastern suburbs.

* It should be noted that last year,Dona Pentland was actively involved in the establishment of an action committee to deal with bullying and vandalism in the Bakery Hill end of the Mall. The committee members included Catherine King, Councillor Des Hudson, Geoff Howard MLA.,Senior Ballarat Police, the Courier, Local radio, and student representatives.

**As a new addition to the community of businesses we would seek to be actively involved in any enlightened initiative to preserve and improve the amenity and safety of the area.

Yours in good faith,

Geoff Hassall & Dona Pentland "

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Hope to see this one set sail.

- Sophie

Meredith

So, I found this rumoured lineup on the internet - courtesy of Elyce's blog... Really, really hope this is true. Looks awesome as always.

Animal Collective (USA)
Band Of Horses (USA)
Jarvis Cocker
The Oh Sees (USA)
Afrika Bambaataa (USA)
St Helens
Kitty Daisy & Lewis (UK)
The Bang Gang Deejays
Why? (USA)
The Fearless Vampire Killers
Gang Gang Dance (USA)
Patrick Wolf (UK)
Tim Sweeney (USA)
Knightlife
Paul Kelly
Combo La Revelacion
The Vaselines (UK)
Jebediah
Love Of Diagrams
Ooga Boogas
Hey Rosetta! (Can)
Cloud Control

Meredith Music Festival is my favourite time of the year. Can't wait for the lineup announcement, and hope it's really similar to this!

Uninspired.

Quite a lot has happened in the last fornight.

Some fantastic, a lot of it, not so much. Most of all, I'm feeling rather 'Meh' about a lot at the moment. So I'm trying to recapture my motivation and passion...

Some of the things still inspiring me in the world...



Nature. Walking along the creek next to my house has been quite literally a breath of fresh air, and a great way to keep my mind off of things.



Romance. It's out there.



My fantastic friends. Especially this one. She's about to open a new stylist/florist business in Bendigo, and I love her to pieces.



Music. Especially the live type. There is some fantastic live and local music happening in Ballarat at the moment, most of it completely under the radar, raw and real. Plus old tunes like those from Mr Cash and Dylan always continue to have an effect on me, no matter what.



Future plans. Working with children - their innocence and unbridled passion and creativity has made me realise that I'm making the right choice for my career plans, even if I'm not 100% sure how that will all plan out.



Happy times are just a hop, skip and a jump away.

This weekend.

Things to do in Ballarat this weekend (apart from just snuggling up out of the cold...) :

SATURDAY :


Great Collections
A Museum and Galleries NSW Touring Exhibition
Art Gallery of Ballarat, Free Entry.


SATURDAY NIGHT :



Ratstock : Ballarat musicians showcase
Peter Lalor Hotel, Corner Mair/Armstrong St, Ballarat
6pm onwards / $12

IMMACULATA / CHASE NATION / VITAMIN K / X’s & O’s / MONTH OF SUNDAYS / PATRICK MC CABE / MICK DOG


SUNDAY :

Pleasant St Markets
10 am - 2pm, Pleasant St Primary School, Lake Wendouree, Ballarat.

Selling a diverse range of unique art, craft, fresh produce and fantastic food... live music... live art....workshops for kids...face painting...circus performance and community groups. They have snack food, sausage sizzle, Indian food and Dutch pancakes.
There is a playground and jumping castle for the kids. The market has been running for 20 years. Home made, home grown, home sewn. Over 130 market stalls, raising money for school improvements.

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Sure to be a lovely weekend.

Hottest 100...

I don't know how anyone can narrow their favourite songs down to a list of only 10! I find it hard enough to list my top 10 artists, or top 10 albums, let alone only top 10 songs.

I've attempted to narrow my top 10 albums of all time, whilst listening to the top 100 of all time on triple J. There is so much that can be said about that countdown : I wish it was the top 100 of this decade, or of the 90's or something. Of all time, voted by Triple J listeners, makes me really annoyed.

So, my top ten albums (as of today, anyway)

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Jeff Buckley - Grace

Neil Young - Harvest

Pixies - Doolittle

Radiohead - OK Computer

The Beatles - The Beatles (White Album)

Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited

Ryan Adams - Cold Roses

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed

Arcade Fire - Funeral

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Oh, so hard. Some close calls :

My Morning Jacket - Z // Any Beatles album, and quite a few Bob Dylan albums. Same with Radiohead, Ryan Adams and The Rolling Stones. // Air - Moon Safari // Augie March - Moo, You Bloody Choir // Quite a few Nirvana albums // The Avalanches - Since I left you // The Drones - Gala Mill // Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty // Bloc Party - Silent Alarm // Coldplay - A Rush of Blood To The Head // David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust // Eddie Vedder - Into The Wild // Elliot Smith - Figure 8 // Gomez - Bring It On // Led Zeppelin (I can't chose just one!) // Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News // Oasis - (What's The Story) Morning Glory // Miles Davis - Some Kind Of Blue

God, this list could go on forever... and now to listen to the rest of the countdown ( #31 Metallica - Enter Sandman, playing at the moment).

What would be in your top 10 favourite albums of all time?

Music of Love.

Last Saturday night I saw Jack Ladder at Karova, with support by Kid Sam.

Both bands completely blew me away, Kid Sam in particular was absolutely mesmerizing. Best moment of the night : when Mr Jack Ladder ate a banana on stage. haha.

Give these two a listen :

Wow.

Uh... ok...

Found via awesome design blog, Swiss Miss.

MJ.

I'm not really saying much on this issue.

As much as I love Michael Jackson's music, I think a few issues have been kinda glossed over. For someone who has most likely molested children, he's being hailed as a God. This clip however, shows a man who's still a little boy. Very strange.

A weird day.

Cute Clip.

New song from Sarah Blasko, with illustrations and animation by Melbourne based artist Celeste Potter. Sweet.

Mix tape.

My housemate Helly and I made the most amazing mix tape for a friend last night, and I felt like sharing. Not all of these songs are on these artist's myspace profiles, but you'll get the idea.

1. Run Run Run - Phoenix

2. Phantom Other - Department of Eagles

3. Out the Airlock - Paul Dempsey

4. Blood - The Middle East

5. Babys - Bon Iver

6. All You Do Is Talk - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

7. Impossible Germany - Wilco

8. Sunrise - Yeasayer

9. I've Got Friends - Manchester Orchestra

10. The Minotaur - The Drones

11. Furr - Blitzen Trapper

12. Second Chance - Liam Finn

13. The Funeral - Band of Horses

14. Best Kept Secret - Jack Ladder

15. Rain on the Vein - Clinkerfield

16. Mystery Talks - Jim Ward

17. Place to Be - Nick Drake

18. Brother - Little Birdy

All are on high rotation on my ipod / computer at the moment!

Footy Fun.

Tim Rogers and his daughter, Ruby, courtesy of The Herald Sun website.

Sunday I had such a fun day at the Community Cup in Melbourne, watching the Espy Rockdogs win in a close match against the RRR Megahurtz. A day of beers, lots of kids and dogs running around, Kick-to-Kick, fun live sets from Kram and the Cosmic Psychos at Half-time, and lots of laughter. Musos trying to play sport was hilarious! Elsternwick Park was a great location for a huge crowd of supporters, and all for a good cause.


Tim Rogers and Kram - who played a set before the match, too.

From the organisers of the event : "We hoped for four or five (thousand people), and to get 6000 to 7000 in the middle of winter in Melbourne really showed what the Community Cup meant to Melburnians."


The Megahurtz cheerleaders. Too cute.

Fun times, reminded me so much of country footy matches from my home area.

This Saturday.

Come see a fantastic local Ballarat band introduce some new songs, and play some older favourites from their first album. Escape from the cold, and into a cosy venue for drinks, tunes and nice times.


Karova Lounge, Saturday May 23

X's & O's hit the hometown stage for a night with more introductions than a speed-dating event.

We've got a stack of new songs that we would like you to get to know. And we hope you like them, because we plan on recording them soon. Then you can take them home to meet your parents.

On the outside, the songs will be pleasant to your folks. They'll be courteous with the right amount of please and thank you, but deep down, under the surface, they won't give a damn if they are liked or not. Because they know that they're good songs and that they should be enjoyed for what they are...Good songs. And to hell with them if they can't see that.

So come on down to Karova Lounge, Saturday May 23. Entry is $7.

I'm looking forward to seeing my friends on the Karova stage again (they're playing with Pony Up! at Karova on the 14th of June, too, if you miss this gig). Hope they get a bit of local support, seems like a lot of Ballarat people - especialy the younger crowds - are skipping the entry fee and coming to gigs after 12 to catch the last part for free, or waiting until the DJ is playing, rather than supporting local live music. Disappointing, a trend that I hope isn't going to continue...

Totally Wild.

I am eagerly awaiting the release of Where The Wild Things Are...





One of my favouite movies as a kids - this one looks fantastic in the trailer, which you can watch here. Soundtrack by The Arcade Fire - second mention today - and filmed mostly in Melbourne, well worth a watch when it comes out.

Funny, Arcade Fire just seem to be coming up in everything today. Every one of my genius playlists in iTunes keeps coming up with at least one of their songs, I was talking about their arty-wanky DVD with my housemate, and a fair few bands I've been listening to sound quite similar...

Current Thoughts

Winter is starting to set in, and due to a number of circumstances, I haven't left my house since Sunday afternoon.

There's something so nice about lazy days at home in front of the heater, designing away and drinking lots of cups of tea.



In the meantime, I have been completely and utterly obsessed with the Australian TV show 'Love My Way' - Claudia Karvan is one of my all-time crushes, from her days on Secret Life of Us, and her role as the neurotic and totally lovely Frankie in Love My Way. I don't think anything will surpass the first season of this series, but it's an interesting journey all the main characters take - though sometimes I just felt myself getting too frustrated by their many flaws. All round, an amazing show that I'm sure I'll be watching over and over again - I did buy the DVD!



I'm also completely in love with The Middle East's song 'Blood' - reminds me of The Arcade Fire, one of my favourite bands. Lovely and delicate, and the ending of this song is brilliant. I'd love to see these guys - But they've already sold out their show at the Northcoate Hotel! Another time. I doubt they're going to be going anywhere soon.

And I'm still debating going to this festival in Bendigo this Saturday :

Fantastic lineup... though I have seen a lot of these bands live. I think it would be pretty good really, just wish it was in Ballarat instead!