Hard News by Russell Brown

I so want a copy of Downhill Racer by Shaft.
One of NZ's pop gems on a par with Elefunk in my Soup, Beings Rest Finally, along with the Hulamen et al.
Slightly offbeat music.
What do I do?
I'm old school and like hard copies.

Sandra Mill was the year behind me at Lytton High in Gisborne in the early - mid '80s. I had no idea until a year or so ago a) what had ever happened to her, and, b) that she was such a talented singer.

Rae and I went to the gig at the Cook last night. I managed half a game of football before dashing home for a shower and off we went. A wasted effort – I sweated more at the gig, and my phone told me today I more than doubled my steps for the day at the gig. ( interestingly – to me at least – I was grooving to Dimmer- 2500steps -and clearly rocking to the Fits - 4500 steps ).
But hell – what a show. I’ve seen Mr S P Carter lots of times, firstly as a 15 yr old seeing Double Happys (still with Herbie Fuckface the drum machine at some underage venue in Dunedin – perhaps where Otago Acces Radio is now?) I saw him – disturbingly – at the Dunedin town hall as part of Weeds, fisherman’s rib jerseys and underpants as their attire; then SJFs at the union hall as he mocked the lighters in the air anthemic response of drunk first years at some orientation gig; various other gigs, including with Don McGlashan at the late lamented Fortune theatre; a brilliant solo gig for his amazing “Offsider” album (realeased on my birthday in 2016!); and even doing the live music for “an Iliad” with Michael Hurst last year at the Fortune.
Upon reading all that – it frighteningly looks stalkerish!
But anyway . . . One of the things I do love about Shayne Carter is that he never sits still. So a gig focused on “retrospection” is always a risk – for punter and performer alike.
But this was no nostalgia gig – even if it make many of us think again of friends gained and lost over the years.
Watching Shayne Carter stretch every physical and emotional sinew, through every lyric, every chord (mostly “E”), kept every song so completely in the moment . . . Well, it is moments of collectively shared genius, joy and connection that make us human.
It was fucking brilliant

Speaking of 'Needles and Plastic'...
...this is a great wee clip of how to use an electron scanning microscope to show the stylus in the groove!