John Shand Posts

May 28, 2017 / Off The Cuff

On Tuesday May 30 I’m lucky enough to be giving the second Jackie Orszaczky Music Lecture at the Basement. It is called meaning Each Note: Truth, Universality and Cultural Amnesia. Into it I’ll weave Jackie’s grand legacy as well as some more, er, opinionated thrusts. After my half-lecture the Jackie Orszaczky Budget…

May 27, 2017 / Album Reviews - Archive

NOT EVEN HAPPINESS (Spunk) 8.5/10 You can imagine Julie Byrnes having dreamt these songs, then awaking in the wee hours to hurriedly jot down them down. Her voice, mostly just riding on her own charming acoustic guitar, subtle electronics and Jake Falby’s restrained string arrangements, seems to float in an…

May 21, 2017 / Features - Archive

Robert Souter, one of the finest drummers Australia has ever produced, is gone. Rob always played the music rather than the drums, and did so with consummate taste and an utterly infectious sense of groove. I first heard and met Rob in 1974 in Canberra. He came through from Sydney…