From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V15 #234 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Thursday, September 30 2010 Volume 15 : Number 234 To unsubscribe: e-mail ecto-digest-request@smoe.org and put the word unsubscribe in the message body. Today's Subjects: ----------------- Paradise Motel Australian Ghost Story Tour [Paul Blair ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 29 Sep 2010 12:18:35 +0200 From: Paul Blair Subject: Paradise Motel Australian Ghost Story Tour For our Australian contingent. Dates toward the bottom. - ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: The Paradise Motel Date: Wed, Sep 29, 2010 at 3:40 AM Subject: The Paradise Motel Australian Ghost Story Tour To: ciriwe@phobot.net [image: T H E P A R A D I S E M O T E L AUSTRALIAN GHOST STORY] *Dispatch From The Tour Front* Our New South Wales odyssey began with the news that Charles would not be coming. Confined to his bed, shivering and unable to keep food or water down it seemed the better part of valour to avoid spending the day in airports, hire cars and radio studios. So then there were six. With the obligatory squeeze from Tiger Airways extricating a few more dollars from us for excess baggage behind us we were away, flight entertainment courtesy of a sports team of teenage girls enjoying their early morning 'splishy splash' (small glass of wine). Upon arrival in Sydney we were informed that there was a small problem with the hire van: there wasn't one. A van was sourced but the previous renter had left an unmistakable olfactory clue as to his occupation: fishmonger! So Esme and Andy began their odiferous journey to the Blue Mountains in 'Fishyvan' - weren't they glad it was Friday afternoon and school holidays! Meanwhile the rest of us let the iphone's little blue dot genie lead us to the ABC studios. There we were charmed by Robbie Buck and once I had stopped bleeding after a bit of rough play with a door handle, we performed a couple of the new tunes (for Sydney-siders this will be broadcast either Wednesday or Thursday evening on ABC 702). Reunited in the Blue Mountains with Esme and Andy at the Clarendon Guesthouse we donned face masks and unloaded our gear from Fishyvan. Once the retching had eased the unflappable local sound engineer John Summers introduced us to the delightful room they have up there. If ever there was a place to play without your right arm this was it, though we'll definitely go back so our right arm can experience it. It felt like we just turned on and plugged in and it sounded great straight away. A rare experience. There were a few adjustments due to Charles' absence but the show was a good one - we can still make a fair noise with six. We got to see our tour support Sianna Lee and her band for the first time too - if you're coming to one of the gigs get there early to see her, you won't be disappointed. Next morning we visited the Three Sisters allowing Esme and Andy to take some hefty gulps of that crisp mountain air before re-entering the fug of Fishyvan. Hello Parramatta Road. Mercifully we weren't snarled on it for too long on the way down and were able to return Fishyvan to a very apologetic hire car company - one whiff and the price was halved. Merida, Campbell and I were interviewed by Jack Shit on FBI radio and performed 'The Cops' and 'Goodwin and the Jumpsuit'. The name really does not do him justice, he's a lovely fellow and very sympathetic to the cause. The AFL grand final came and went, though of course it isn't actually gone yet, and we began our occupation of the Sandringham Hotel. Lazarus Bickford had risen from his sickbed, still sweating out the last vestiges of fever, and dragged himself to the airport and we were reunited again (again). The Sando crowd made it a great show for us and thanks to all of you who were there for making us feel so welcome at our first show in Sydney in over a decade. Postscript: Yes, our flight was one of the ones cancelled the next day. If there's a bright side it's that Charles saw that the storm was brewing on the news *before* we left for the airport. Train tickets were purchased, but before entraining ourselves for 11 weary hours we enjoyed a picnic in the botanic gardens surrounded by ibis and cockatoos with a view of the harbour icons. Could've been worse... We reconvene in Brisbane at the Troubadour on Friday, and hope to see you there! MA T H E P A R A D I S E M O T E L *present* A U S T R A L I A N G H O S T S T O R Y *live* Friday, September 24th Clarendon Guesthouse, Katoomba, NSW Saturday, September 25th The Sandringham Hotel, Newtown, NSW Friday, October 1st The Troubadour, Fortitude Valley, QLD Saturday, October 2nd The Thornbury Theatre, Thornbury, VIC Friday, October 8th Sirens Ballroom, Hobart, TAS Saturday, October 9th The Palais, Hepburn Springs, VIC supported by *Sianna Lee* *Tickets on sale Monday 26th July* *Australian Ghost Story* available from www.the-paradise-motel.com Itunes, and fine record stores through Left Over Life To Kill Records distributed by Inertia . Join us: Facebook/ Twitter/ MySpace ba powerful and affecting album, and one with a lot to say about the country we live inb *The Vine* breminder of the sheer strength of their pop sensibility and the luxurious sound they can createb *4 stars Courier Mail* bowing as much to modern myths of missing girls as to musical forebears like The Triffids and The Bad Seeds... a work of dark, atmospheric Australiana, addressing the local landscape with a literary reverieb *4 Stars, Big Issue* bThe Paradise Motel donbt deal in flashy riffs or cheap fanfare; instead, you have to wait for a slow tide of hooks to come to the surface of these carefully compiled cuts, and it creates a sense of discovery that is part and parcel of the experienceb& truly sublime craftsmanship, this is ultimately an album best consumed as an addictively mysterious wholeb *Scene Magazine Album of The Week* bAs delicate and subtle as the bandbs beloved 90s output... This kind of history-haunted, story-oriented songwriting has found a real foothold in recent years, but The Paradise Motel did it first and still do it bestb *Rolling Stone* ba haunted and heartsick gravity reminiscent of The Triffids at their most desolateb *The Age* bEvocative... The Paradise Motel are capable of capturing the harsh beauty of the Australian landscape b imagine the Bad Seeds, but with an angelic voice more haunting than histrionicb *Music Australia Guide (MAG)* bSublime... Supremely eerie and beautiful b itbs good to have TPM backb *Rave Magazine* btheir music sounds as vital as ever... Songs start slow and restrained but build to a noisy, climactic peak. Floating across the racket is Merida Sussexbs crystal voice, layered and gorgeousb *The Mercury* bMelbourne ensemble the Paradise Motel have never scrimped on ambition... austere chamber-popb *Sydney Morning Herald* bsuitable carriers of the torch left once The Triffids expired as a band, especially on this new album... a very welcome return of The Paradise Motelb *Beat* You are receiving this email because you asked to join up via email, or recently purchased a CD from our website Unsubscribe ciriwe@phobot.net from this list | Forward to a friend| Update your profile [image: Email Marketing Powered by MailChimp] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Sep 2010 14:31:45 -0400 From: meredith Subject: Re: Janis Ian Hi, The anthology is called "Stars", and it features stories from Janis Ian's favorite SF writers. Each story is based on one of her songs. It's a really, really neat collection -- and I'd think that even if my sister didn't have a story in it. :) (Fun fact: my mom and Janis Ian's mom were good friends in college. That blew her mind when she was talking to my sister and found that out... the world is indeed a very, very small place.) Meredith :) On 9/28/10 11:05 AM, Greg Dunn wrote: > Janis got introduced to the SF community just before Philcon in 2001; when we met her there, Mike Resnick had already involved her in writing and editing an anthology. She was indeed quite smitten with the swarm of famous writers wandering around at the con. It was fun to watch. > > > -----Original Message----- >> From: Bernie Mojzes >> Sent: Sep 28, 2010 10:20 AM >> To: kerry white >> Cc: "That warm and fuzzy [place]" >> Subject: Re: Janis Ian >> >> At a con last year, I heard someone tell a story about Janice Ian, in >> response to a question of how to approach our favorite writers. She'd >> known Janice for a long time, and knew her as a big SF fan, and offered to >> introduce her to Connie Willis. And when they were introduced, Janice was >> completely starstruck. Really? You're one of the top musicians in your >> field, and you start tripping over your tongue meeting a writer? >> >> I read Greg's first story and enjoyed it a lot. Haven't seen the others. >> Yet. :) >> >> bernie >> >> On Tue, 28 Sep 2010, kerry white wrote: >> >>> Hi, Last month's Asimov's magazine had Janis Ian listed in the poetry >>> section. The page had "Welcome Home (The Nebulas Song) The first >>> stanza is: >>> I learned the truth at seventeen >>> That Asimov and Bradbury >>> and Clarke were alphbetically >>> my very perfect A-B-C >>> While Algernon ran every maze, >>> and slow glass hurt my heart for days, >>> I sat and played a sweet guitar >>> while Martians grokked me from afar >>> >>> "this song is at the singer's website: >>> http://www.janisian.com/mp3_downloads.html" >>> >>> This month's issue mentioned that she was commisioned by the folks who >>> run the science fiction Nebula Awards in 2009. >>> Also in this month's issue is the 3rd story by our own Greg Bossart. >>> I haven't read any other of the issue's stories, so I can't comment on >>> comparitive quality, but, this one is shorter than the 1st 2, but, with >>> a more statistical density that the back of my mind is still parsing >>> out. It seems to be telling a lesson on being careful about what you >>> say near something that uses heuristic algorithms, to use a phrase >>> stumbled over by Jonathan Frakes even in the final cut of the Next >>> Generation's "Data: Man or Toaster?" There are some meditations on >>> "beautiful" and the transcribed, but, not voiced, superscript "tm" by an >>> Artificial Intelligence. bye. >>> >>> KrW >>> I'm Peter Pan! >>> I'm perpetually young!! >>> OW!! What's wrong with my back? >>> >> >> -- >> >> brni >> >> i don't want the world, >> i just want your half. >> >> http://www.kappamaki.com/ >> http://brni.livejournal.com/ ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V15 #234 ***************************