Australia is all aflutter with Glee. That’ll happen when you fly here.

The Cranberries - ‘Zombie’, because I just heard it on the radio. And lookie: a tour!

The Kinks, Sunny Afternoon

A change of pace: ‘Young Love’ by Mystery Jets featuring Laura Marling . From the album Twenty One.

The Great Meadow - it’s meadowy… and, obviously, great

The 10th Annual Oysterfest rolls into San Fran this saturday (May 16th) with all the usual trappings: seafood, alcohol, live music. Because everybody knows bivalve mollusks know where the fun is at. Things are a little more understated this year with the festival running for just the day. Good times are still to be had however with a solid line-up of acts:

Michael Franti and Spearhead
The Greyboy Allstars
Poor Man’s whiskey
Shantytown
Ignus Verma

Tickets available from the good folks at Snag Tickets.

Mu-meson Archives …
…May

If the sight of Vanilla Ice at last month’s Vodafone MTV Australia Awards stirred feelings of nostalgia deep within, the Mu-Meson folks have a cure for what ails you: Cool as Ice. In his first (but not last) appearance on the big screen, Vanilla Ice plays Johnny Van Owen – a modern-day rebel without a cause. In fact, IMDB have the film’s plot listed as “A rap oriented re-make of “Rebel Without a Cause[.]” Cool as Ice screens Tuesday, May 3rd at 7:30pm, at the Annandale Hotel. Entry is via donation. More discerning viewers might check out The Anniversary, starring Bette Davis as stony matriarch, Mrs. Taggart. She wears an eye patch and a scowl. The Anniversary screens Tuesday May 12th at 7:30pm, at the Annandale Hotel. Entry via donation.

Henry Rollins on music, politics, and growing old.

It’s mid-morning and as we’re ushered along the halls, herded towards where our interviewee awaits, there’s a certain amount of trepidation. You see, the person that’s sitting beyond that hotel room door isn’t your typical celebrity. He’s Henry Rollins - a man famous (and frequently infamous) for his outspoken career in the spotlight.

First gaining notoriety within the punk music scene, singing in cult bands such as State of Alert (S. O. A.) and Black Flag, Rollins’s spoken word performances have brought him the most coverage in recent years.

The intimate - and direct - mode of expression fits the self-professed “angry man” like a glove, providing a springboard for Rollins to air his views. From the war on Iraq, to music piracy to personal freedom, Rollins extols (and attacks) with a barefaced honesty rarely seen today. When quizzed on his thoughts about music piracy Rollins doesn’t hesitate, “I’d rather be heard than paid,” he says. Though he doesn’t partake in the illegal activities, preferring to support artists, he understands why the average person might - and doesn’t hold it against them.

An outspoken critic of the Bush administration, Rollins jokingly dubs his spoken word tours his “Axis of Evil Tour”. Fearing nothing but boredom, Rollins is intent on performing in every one of the countries belonging to the “axis”. He lists places like Iran, Syria, and Iraq without batting an eye. Reportedly plans to tour North Korea - a country that typically denies entry to Americans - could be on the cards.

Of his music career, it seems those days might well be behind him. Having not toured musically since 2006, Rollins doesn’t have any plans to return to the road in that capacity. “It’s like when you’re at college. You do your four years, and that’s okay. But then you hang around for a fifth year…” Now in his late 40s, Rollins identifies his spoken word tours as the most effective and rewarding outlet for his passions. And he’s not going to let anything - whether it be conservative governments or iron-fisted dictatorships - get in his way.