NEWS GIGS MP3 GALLERY HISTORY DISCOGRAPHY ORDERING PRESSKIT
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part6 Part 7 Part 8
 

An Extensive History of The Cannanes
Part 9 : 2006 : Including 2nd Tour of Japan

 

2006 ~ RECOVERY

With bones knitting (but still smarting), and bruises subsiding (see History Pt.8 for details), by the end of January 2006 we managed a couple of shows.

CANNANES LIVE AND ON THE TELE!
Just before we set off for Japan we whipped down to Melbourne to play at The Old Bar in Fitzroy and The Noise Bar in Brunswick ~ the Noise Bar show was filmed for broadcast on Ch31 Melbourne and SBS Australia and screened at very short notice (to us) the following weekend.


JAPAN FEBRUARY 2006 ~ THIS IS WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE TOUR

poster japan 2006

Click on pictures with green boxes below to watch snippets of film of the shows

Sorry this tour diary is still missing a few pictures and film

We are a very fortunate band indeed to have been able to visit Japan three times already to play our music. In February 2006 were once more honoured to be invited back a fourth time for our second tour of Japan!

Once again we owe a huge and heartfelt thanks to Shintaro Kiyonari who not only organized the tour (and put up with us) but was also roped in to help out on Bass duties due to G Roy not being able to join because of his accident.

What follows is not a tour diary as such but a more intelligable re-write of the notes taken by Stephen for an assignment he had to complete as part of the sound engineering course he was undertaking at the Bendigo Regional Institute of Technical and Further Education during 2006.

[A word re- this assignment/tour diary (sic)] My apologies if this is a bit dry to read, I don't possess the wit, flair or command of the English language of my band mates but hopefully you can enjoy the technical claptrap, or at least the photos & film.]

We have added in some photographs and footage in the coloured boxes, you will need to click on the boxes to view footage, please let us know if you have anything to dispute or add or it won't display properly on your browser etc.. We will also be adding more film + photos + some retrospective comments in the coloured boxes.

Our sincere thanks to all the bands we played with on this tour, they all put us to shame and we hope to be able to one day repay them all in some way. Please follow the links at the end of this diary and check them out, tell your friends, buy their releases etc.

 
Stephen O'Neil ~ Live Gigs Report
In February 2006 I was fortunate enough to visit Japan to play music. While waiting for our flight out of Sydney I perused all the latest electronics in the duty free shop. It was interesting to see several brands of headphone with background noise excluding circuitry, technology I've heard about but never noticed in shops. Unfortunately I was not able to test these out; they were also selling pressure ear plugs for people who have difficult flights. As they were rather expensive and only good for two flights I didn't purchase any.

 

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Thursday 9th Feb ~ Dom Sound Studio ~ Koenji ~ Tokyo
The band has a practice: Studio A at Dom rehearsals in Koenji (Tokyo), good rates and well maintained equipment, the room is nice but maybe a bit on the small side for six of us. As we are leaving we notice there is some sort of 'show' kicking off in the studio two doors down, 15 bands playing till 5am the next morning, Fran and Shintaro knock then poke their heads in the door and we are invited to join the bill! Very tempting but everyone is pretty exhausted and we figure we've got a lot of late nights ahead so, I'm dissapointed and ashamed to have to admit that we passed up this fine offer.
During our rehearsal I wasn't terribly happy with my amp sound so I booked an hour for the next day to come back by myself and sort it out as I know I will be playing mostly on Roland JC120s. On Friday I get Studio B all to myself (for only 500 Yen!), it is almost identical to Studio A but with a newer model of JC120, an hour is only just enough time but I'm much happier with the sound though still not sure if this is the amp for me though good to know I won't have to lug one around for the next ten days!

TO ADD PIC OF JC120 DRUMS ETC.

 

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Friday 10th Feb ~ Grape Fruit Moon ~ Sangenjaya ~ Tokyo
Venue: Is downstairs in a concrete basement, capacity probably 150ish, pillars and ceiling have been coated with plaster, perhaps to improve the acoustics? Sheets of plywood cover the entire floor, back wall and one side wall. The sound engineer has his own area up the back completely walled off from the audience by a high counter and only accessible through a tiny hatch through to the band dressing room. After soundcheck I am informed the show will stream live to the internet and two songs will be archived, forms need to be signed and I then notice 3 video cameras on the counter next to the mixing desk.
Gear: PA quite large, FOH set a little far back on the stage area for my liking, I do notice a few squeals later in the evening, 2 Foldback wedges + 2 Side Fills on posts (one positioned for use as Drum Fill). JC120, Peavey AC50 and a small but adequate Trace Elliot Bass Amp placed about head high on a box, upright piano + no doubt an electric keyboard hanging around somewhere.
S/Check comments: Not bad, bit live, bass sounds a bit distant on stage but good out front.

THE MUSIC
Andersens: 7 or 8 piece tonight, Drums (Kit) ,Gt/Vx, Bass, Flute, Trombone, Nylon stringed Guiar (played with a pick, bow and slide) + percussionist. Drum kit is set to left of stage and percussionist to right, sounds good particularly when they both play a snare on one song, sounds sort of delayed but solid. Hard to describe the Andersens overall sound and hard to say what their influences might be but they do make a joyous noise, I've seen bands with similar instrumentation, but Andersens are more versitile, adventurous and enjoyable. They move through many moods with what seems like much improvisation, and a lot of humor. Very catchy brass riffs, snappy tunes with clean psychedelic guitars; the last song is a slightly mournful instrumental conducted by the singer/guitarist sitting on the floor with a piece of white rag tied to the end of a drum stick held high, very funny to watch.

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Meme: 2 piece consisting of the singer (Sachie) who plays nylon string guitar, metronome, xylaphone and I think some clever vocal loops; and a very accomplished Theremin player (youyou). The sound was quite haunting but not necessarily because of the Theremin which was used with various pedals and sounded more like thick deep synth at times and on occasion used more for ambient noises, the guitar was miced and sounded very warm and natural in this room. There was some very nice looping going on but I couldn't catch if it was the singer (who seemed to have a 2nd vocal mic set up, perhaps for looping) and/or the Theremin player.

photo photo
Click either picture to watch Meme

Suppamicropamchopp: 5 piece, Drums (Kit), Bass, Vx/Gt (Acoustic Takamini), Guit (elec Fender Jag '69), upright + toy pianos. They also used Ukulele and 6 String Acoustic guitar played with Ebow. Again hard to describe, fragments sounding like Prince / Jazz / Cabaret / Gang of 4 / Deconstructed then rolled into one. The bassist danced wildly the whole set and had an unusual way of banging the strings which kept things lively. The top end and hi mids had a tendency to get away in the mix, couldn't hear the pianist out front when he played the upright piano for some reason, toy was loud and clear though! Overall the band were much louder than the last act had some low end feedback problems which I guess may have been caused by the sound engineer trying to get more piano in the mix. Notice a harsh sound I think caused by the cymbals bounicing off the ceiling or perhaps being picked up by the vocal mics?

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Saibo Bungaku: 2 piece, Cello and electric guitar, soft and subtle, sparse, jazzy chords with wandering cello lines and ernestly delivered lyrics, one song I seem to have described in my notes as a male Bessie Smith meets Ron Carter! guitar on edge of controlled feedback, certainly the quieter approach works better in this room, everything nice and clear.

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Saturday 11th Feb ~ Penguin House ~ Koenji ~ Tokyo
Venue: Downstairs, very small capacity perhaps 100; wood veneer walls, concrete ceiling, with no damping.
Gear: Good FOH, FB consisted of a wedge + 1 small instrument amp on a stand which is set up as part of the foldback, there may have been more but I can't recall, + a huge desk, Drums (Kit), 2 Bass amps, upright piano, guitar amps and a couple of Penguin shaped tambourines conveniently hung on the wall and available for our use.
S/Check comments: Certain frequencies a bit out of control but on the whole pretty good (see rather blury photo to left of bartender and sound engineer working the huge mixing desk in this tiny venue).

THE MUSIC:
My Pal Foot Foot: Drums (Kit), Djembe, Guit (Elec), Bass, Banjo, An Indian reed instrument I don't know the name of, Recorder, Sax, Percussion. A very fun and enjoyable band to watch, very inventive and spontaneous, during one song most of the band were doing percussive things and as a visual stunt the singer started drumming on the drummers back. Sound sometimes like a cross between the Shaggs and early The Laughing Clowns. Nice sax sound, sometimes overall sound a bit loud, thinking about this during the other bands I figure it was possibly the cymbals again!

photo on it's way film on the way

sekifu: Similar instrumentation to My Pal Foot Foot, the music perhaps slightly more pop, unfortunately I missed some of their set as I had to go out and find a new notebook!

photo film on the way

Saboten: A tight 3 piece Guit/Vx, Bass, Drums ~ who have apparently been playing for 20 years or so, Very precise players, the drummer has a jazzy style, overall an enjoyable fushion of pop and prog rock, towards the end of their set they did a bunch of short songs which I gather were part of a theme album they had recently released. The singer is also an artist and gave us a beautiful set of postcards she had designed.

photo film on it's way

photo
BRIDGE ~ NB. 2 Grand Pianos!!

Tuesday 14th Feb ~ Shinsekai Bridge ~ Osaka
Venue: Big room about 50' x 200' x 20'high, upstairs and is actually a bridge between two buildings; hard to describe but the building is surrounded by a roller coaster which would have been pretty wild had it been running. The ceiling has some sort of insulation sprayed on it and the floor is thick boards, Venue is one of the two we play that has wheelchair access.
Gear: Very large PA + effects racks etc. 2 x JC120s and TWO Grand Pianos! many other amps and a stack of a hundred or so television sets piled up in a storage area, seems it's more of an art/performance space than a venue.
S/Check comments: For us very live, no doubt due to all the concrete and glass, the louder songs sound particularly bad, we try and keep it down a bit and hope the crowd soaks up some of the unwanted noise though the stage area is so large there is little chance of this, the snare cracks realy loud and sharp towards the back of the stage maybe as it's about the same distance from the ceiling and the side and back walls? The guitar is loud enough but indistinct I take most of the reverb off my amp which seems to help. Speaking to Shintaro after sound check I find the room is known as good for acoustic acts. Think it must be hard to keep their Pianos in tune as it's 4 degrees when we arrive but 13 degrees by show time. Myself and the Bon our drummer discuss it being strange that the drum fill is placed directly behind him and a pair of AKG mics as overheads, it transpires later in the evening that the show is being recorded, multitrack direct to computer so the mystery was solved.

THE MUSIC:
Tenniscoats: Tonight a 4 piece Voc/Keyboard (Synth, Casio, Grand), Sax/Guit (elec), Drummer and 2nd Guit/Keyboard/Voc. I saw this band play in Melbourne recently with a slightly different lineup, in Melbourne they were very atmospheric and experimental, occasionally bordering on pop, tonight they are a tight rock band vaguely in The Bad Seeds mould, over the next two shows they change lineup and sound quite different but always good. Talking to Takashi (Guit/Sax) after I find he and Saya (Voc/Keys) are professional musicians which is impressive considering the genres they work in.

   

BMX Bandits: I gather started out as witty good time pop/punk band 20 years ago in Glasgow and now are a very polished 4 piece who seem to draw on The Beach Boys, Burt Bacharach and The Carpenters for inspiration. Tonight their Piano, Acoustic guitar and tight vocal harmonies (with a bit of kazoo) suit the venue well.
During one song the pianist switches to acoustic guitar, and the two six strings playing together sound amazingly like a 12 string.

   

 

 

Thursday 16th Feb ~ Cafe Independants ~ Kyoto
Venue: As with most venues we've seen in Japan the venue is downstairs, a long narrow brick and concrete room with a tiled floor and walls probably only about 35' x 60', a food/coffee/beer bar stretches the full length of one side, lots of hard surfaces that are possibly the cause of some problems at soundcheck.
Gear: FOH consists of 2 speakers on poles and 2 Bass Bins on the floor. Side and drum fill, no wedges at front probably due to the lack of room. Largish Desk is to be bolted to the back wall, probably a bit awkward for the engineer but just as well as the venue is packed later and space is at a premium. Drum (Kit) Amps etc. I use a nice little Japanese amp called a Superjet not sure of the model but construction is something like a small Ampeg or Peavey AC30, sounds a little like a Vox, I want one!
S/Check comments: BMX seem to have problems with the upper mids sounding harsh and screeching a bit, I noted the feedback is triggered by the vocal mics. A fair bit of time is spent trying to rectify this though it doesn't seem to be a problem later when the room fills. I decide to use a small amp this evening and try to keep the volume down at least for the sake of the people at the front! Our drummer can't hear me so we ask for some guitar in his fill. We have to cut our check short so have an unresolved issue with the bass and 2nd guitar, not ideal but seems to sort itself out when we come to play and I'm later glad of my decision to go with the small amp.

THE MUSIC:
Kazumi Nikaidoh: Solo singer guitarist seemingly into making unusual noises, sometimes ambient, sometimes poppy, she makes a noise like a trumpet with her mouth at times, could sound silly but suits the songs.

   

Tenniscoats: Sat side of stage to watch Tenniscoats tonight so basically hearing the stage sound, good balance not too loud, very confident and relaxed feels like they play more of a smokey bar set than Osaka though it might have been watching their drummer chain smoke his way through a pack of Seven Star!

   

BMX Bandits: Similar set to the night before but have a big everyone join in with Tenniscoats for the last two songs which was a nice way to finish. Not sure why but they dedicate their best known song Serious Drugs to The Cannanes, it sure is an infectious number.

   
 

Friday 17th Feb ~ KD Japon ~ Nagoya
Venue: Is under a train line, the smallest yet in terms of floor space but it has a high ceiling with balconies built on three sides and a very small tight spiral staircase to get up there. I estimate the whole thing to be built inside a roughly cube shaped space maybe only 35' x 35' x 30' but probably a bit larger in retrospect. Later in the evening there are about 150 people squashed in here, 3 bar staff behind the tiny bar area who also (as with most venues) cook up meals under the counter if you are hungry! It's typical of many small venues in Japan a bit of an OH&S nightmare but what atmosphere!
Gear: The stage is tiny and I don't notice it for a while but the PA is hanging from the roof a bit like they do in discotheques but off to the right of stage, seems a bit odd but makes sense when I see that the mixing desk is on a little balcony built up to the left of stage and accessible only via a steep wooden ladder! At the back of the stage are windows that open onto the street, once our gear is in the curtains are drawn. The floor and walls are clad with plywood and drapes hang across the back of the venue, it's all quite cosy and the sound is quite good even before people arrive. Stage is only a few inches high but later on the sight lines are surprisingly good for most. As usual Drum (Kit), JC120 + choice of Bass and several guitar amps + despite the lack of space an upright piano and electric keyboard.
S/Check comments: Have to lean my guitar amp back and keep the volume down, due to the small stage the cymbals on the drums are a bit in your ear but don't seem so bad later on. One half of the foldback is in a little nook behind the guitar amp and the other half placed as side fill at the side of stage, we get a fair bit of the FOH so vocals and trumpet end up with quite a good balance.
THE MUSIC:
Tenniscoats: Are joined by a flautist tonight and play a more intimate set again which suits the venue well. Penny and James surprise us by guesting on one song.

   

BMX Bandits: The piano is out in the audience tonight so Dave is more or less surrounded by the crowd and finds a dead key on his piano, as always they turn in another polished performance.

   

 

 

spagala
4AM SATURDAY 18TH FEBRUARY ~ SPAGALA
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Saturday 18th Feb ~ Shelter ~ Shimokitazawa ~ Tokyo
Venue: One of the larger venues we've played in Tokyo, underground with a large stage and a thumping big PA
Gear: see link for gear list + crowd control barrier!
S/Check comments: watching the Moools sound check from the front of stage was like being at a really big show where the air moves with every pluck of the bass and kick of the drums. At every show we've played in Japan no matter how small the venue there always seems to be a very professional house engineer who makes sure all bands get a soundcheck and recalls settings for each band swiftly and accurately at show time. This tour Shelter takes the cake in terms of organized, before soundcheck we were given 5 pieces of paper, I tried to get hold of copies later but only managed three, I think the full set consisted of ~ 1/ a map of where the venue is and it's surrounds in case you went out and got lost (very easy to do in this part of Tokyo) 2/ another sheet with I think columns for band members and what they do? 3/ staff/guest/band member list 4/ a list with columns for titles of songs, description of song eg. loud/medium/soft and special instructions to mixer eg. reverb + chorus on trumpet on first song, vocal mic on drums in 6th song etc. 5/ I think this list was for the lighting tech. (apparently each band could choose whatever gels, strobe settings etc. they wanted and it would happen!).

THE MUSIC:
Elekibass: These guys dress a bit like Slade but love the Kinks and don't mind letting it show, the music is incredibly tight rock with heaps of vaudeville style humor, one of their lovely old guitars breaks during the set, not smashed just old age perhaps.

photo FILM ON IT'S WAY

Moools: The 3 piece Moools are probably the heaviest Rock band we've played with this tour (Elekibass were a bit more on the Glam side), they waver between sparse ambient controlled discordant moments to full pumping rock with the occasional hint of funk and know how to keep the audience hanging on every note. I haven't seen them live for a while but tonight they are really cooking! Yas the singer tells lengthy and I gather humerous stories between some songs (unfortunately I can't understand a word), this seems a not uncommon thing for bands to do in Japan, the stories must be good as the audience is in stitches.

photo FILM ON WAY

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POST TOUR RESEARCH

After our tour finished Stephen and Fran were able to stay on in Tokyo for a bit to catch up with old mates and do a couple of tourist things, we were also invited to three quite different shows which was a nice way to relax before heading home.

Sunday 19th Feb ~ Nest ~ Shibuya Tokyo
Venue: Big rectangular room with a very low ceiling, very hot and very crowded, band room capacity around 300 completely full.
Gear: No doubt the usual

THE MUSIC:
Miniskirt: Very boppy poppy Japanese band with a German singer, strange back projection with the words 'Miniskirt are the Woody Allen of guitar rock' and dancing animations. I think the guitarist had a problem with his lead or amp but the singer used it as an oportunity to crack some jokes till it was fixed, no one left for the bar!
Plectrum: These guys were a bit loud and we wanted to talk to friends for a while so we headed upstairs to the bar.
BMX Bandits: I tried to get back in the band room when the Bandits started but on opening the door at the back of the venue a wall of people packed like sardines almost fell out, they beckoned me in but I wasn't really up to the crush and the heat. Upstairs I watched the show on a video projection the venue provides when the show is sold out. Another hi tech thing I noticed at this show were individual listening stations where you could check out CDs by each band before going to the merchandise desk to purchase, I've seen similar in record shops but never in a venue.

photo photo

 

 

 

 

Tuesday 21st Feb ~ enban ~ Koenji ~ Tokyo
Venue: Shintaro tells me this the only truly independent record shop in Japan, don't get a chance to look at everything on sale (and due to my ignorance can't read the sleeve notes of most of the stock), I noticed quite a few CDRs + DVDRs. Very small room could probably hold about 50-60 people standing. I'm surprised to hear that they have bands here every night of the week!
Gear: PA seems to consist of two small speakers bolted to the wall behind the band and a little mixing desk sitting on top of the Upright piano, plenty for the room though. There are some smallish amps and drum kit which I think live at the shop/venue.

THE MUSIC:
Inquiet: Surprised to see a solo act from Melbourne (Australia) up first, he sings while playing one of those really tiny casios and has some percussive and ambient sounds on a minidisc player, very intimate and atmospheric.
Andersens: Tonight in 8 piece mode and obviously enjoying themselves, drummer is playing more stripped back sound tonight not using his sticks so much and with a large number of percussive devices. Shintaro is on guitar and getting some impressive sounds out of his nylon string, occasionally bowing and sometimes delta blues sounding slide, he is using an amp with an inbuilt limiter which makes it sound heavily compressed and seems to suit what he is doing well. It's a treat to hear the trombone and flute in such an intimate space and the sound is very smooth. Tonight the singer seems to have left his guitar at home and conducts the bands set with a sort of short fat rain stick type instrument.

photo film on way
???: Not sure of the last bands name but they were highly entertaining and were reluctant to stop, the last 10-15 minutes consisted of some sort of joke between the two singers which caused just about everyone to crack up with laughter. The music was a sort of jagged prog rock with a hint of hip hop vocal style and one vocalist singing through a guitar amp with lots of freaky effects.
photo film on way

 

 

 

Friday 23rd Feb ~ NHK Studios ~ Shibuya ~ Tokyo
Venue: A huge recording studio in a massive complex of TV and Radio studios, the only studio I could compare it with was the old JJJ studio in William St Sydney. The NHK room was double story with an upstairs control room (which didn't seem to be being used) and a very large control room at the 'back' of the room. Dimensions of the main room approx. 80' x 120' and i'd say at least 40' to the ceiling.
Gear: As well as what seemed like recording going on in the control room there was a large desk positioned in the band room with not a lot of faders up, I'm guessing the mixer in the live room was taking some sort of sub-mix from the control room and balancing it up for the live audience.

THE MUSIC:
This show was being recorded for broadcast in May 2006 on NHK national radio station Radio Japan, I think it is something like triple J combined with Radio National (for you Australian readers).
idea of a joke: very tight and enjoyable punk act who manage to exude a lot of energy and excitement but at the same time to not be too loud! I hadn't heard of them before but would like to hear more.
Moools: Excellent again perhaps playing a slightly less rock set, I think I heard Yas joking about it being a MOR set a couple of times. Again Yas the singer connects well with the audience. The bass amp dies half way through their set, being a pre tape it's no big deal and of course their is another rigg on hand on hand which is prompty wheeled out!

photo Moools


Deerhoof: This band from the US + I think one Japanese member seem to be getting a lot attention in the 'indie' rock world of late, they do a sort of loud soft thing in the Pavement, Modest Mouse vein, some very nice moments but the overall sound is too loud tonight, I'm guessing one of the guitarists is a bit on the loud side and perhaps the engineer is pulling everything up to that level though it may have just been too loud overall?

 

The Cannanes "This Is What It Sounds Like" Tour :  Co-organized by
*Office-Glasgow *Sunday Tuning *Moools *Imperial Sugar Daddy

Feb 10 Friday - 18:30 open / 19:00 start
 Tokyo, Sangenjaya Grapefruit Moon
 2,000 yen + 1 drink order
w/ Andersens & Suppamicropamchopp & Meme
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Feb 11 Saturday - 18:30 open / 19:00 start
 Tokyo, Koenji Penguin House
 2,000 yen + 1 drink order
w/ Saboten & Sekifu &  My Pal Foot Foot
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Feb 14 Tuesday - 19:00 open / 19:30 start
 Osaka, Shinsekai Bridge
 adv 3,500 yen / door 3,800 both + 1 drink order
w/ BMX Bandits & Tenniscoats
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Feb 16 Thursday - 19:00 open / 19:30 start
 Kyoto, Cafe Independants
 adv 3,500 yen / door 3,800 both + 1 drink order
 Sunday Tuning presents "SUNDAY FUN"
w/ BMX BanditsTenniscoatsKazumi Nikaidoh
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Feb 17 Friday - 19:00 open / 19:30 start
 Nagoya, KD Japon
 adv 3,500 yen / door 3,800 both + 1 drink order
w/ BMX Bandits & Tenniscoats
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Feb 18 Saturaday - 18?30open / 19?00start
 Tokyo, Shimokitazawa Shelter
 adv 2,500 yen / door 2,800 : Ticket PIA & Lawson (L Code : 37109)
 Moools Presents "The 11th Moools Festival"
w/ MooolsElekibass


MARCH - DECEMBER 2006

After a six date tour of Japan and some holidays in foreign lands, the band have all now returned to Australia armed with copious footage and some lovely photos and recordings of the tour, most of this tour diary should be up any minute now on our History pages, we'll put a link here when it's decent. Whilst in Japan we were invited to play South Korea, Mexico and in the few weeks before we left, Germany, England, US, Canada and Perth! If we can wing it we'd like to be able to make it to all of these places and more; fingers crossed. Also whilst we were in Japan our back catalogue started going up on iTunes! yes eight Cannanes albums {including A Love Affair with Nature} are now up available in the high resolution iTunes format for the convenience of downloading to your home computer or MP3 or MP4 device without even leaving your chair! more info soon. Oh yeah and we've got a new CD release, see below + news just in the Grassy Flat EP should be arriving from the US in the next few weeks.

cd sleeve

This extremely limited release on Jacana records was recorded early 2006 and launched in Melbourne on Saturday 11th March 2006 to mark a milestone event in the lives of our mates Mia Schoen and Shane Moritz.
It features 17 of Victorias finest covering some of their favourite songs. Huon plays Todd Rundgren, Deep Country play The Vaselines, Panel of judges play The Fall etc. and The Cannanes play Blue Oyster Cult !!

BENDIGO DOES US PROUD!
Easter weekend we played our first ever Regional Victorian show in Bendigo! [ the show was reviewed by Shane Moritz in issue 12 of the very fine English magazine planB ] A rather large crowd turned up and made us feel most at home, the after party turned into a Shoju fuelled Christian songwriting and dance extravaganza which went on till dawn. Big thanks to all who came, and stayed! Also to the brilliant, eclectic CHEESE EXCURSION words can't describe them, check em out live (if you live in/near Melbourne) or get hold of the Cheese Excursion Medical Journal and their for general exhibitionism CD release. Big thanks also to Steve Saxton for doing the doubly difficult solo+opener slot. Herewith as promised, a few photos from the night.

photo w/ cheesephoto ~ cheesephoto ~ cheese photo ~ fran & shane
Bendigo 150406 ~ L-R: SO Meets CE, CE Bell song, CE Brass section, Fran and Guest tambo player (Boy Moritz)


Praise to the hordes who braved the rain and turned up at the Hoey in Sydney for the Flywheel album launch in July, it was an impressive turnout for such an early show but those who arrived in time for Tim Kevin were richly rewarded by his very impressive solo act, The C's did a slightly acoustic set then Flywheel turned in a record launch worthy performance with some excellent Special Guests. The Cannanes (well 4 of us) then kicked on to the CAD factory in Marrickville for an unadvertised appearance where G Roy debuted on drums !

CANNANE ATTENDS EDINBURGH FESTIVAL
To our trumpeter Penny Penny McBride and musical / theatrical cohort Viccy Wah Wah spent three weeks of August performing at The Edinburgh Festival Fringe ~ they returned triumphant and will no doubt be doing some shows here soon ~ they have a website: Police emergency ~ check it out.

CALVIN PLAYS AUSTRALIA
We had a ball at our three November shows and would like to thank everyone who came up to us with kind words after we'd played, makes us feel wanted! Was nice to play some all ages venues as well, the Melbourne and Sydney shows with Calvin and Woelv were all class & we also got to enjoy Sly Hats and Kiosk for the first time, both of whom were excellent, get out and see them when you can. The Little Day Out IV (on Nov 12th) was yet another fine afternoon of fresh air and top performances this year including Mossys missus hitting the stage and El Mopa making their LDO debut.

poster 051106
Click the Poster to view on Vimeo a short chunk of film of us playing some of the song Rock 2 from our forthcoming album This is what it sounds like at The Newtown Theatre on November 5th 2006 ~ soon we hope to have footage from our 2006 Japan tour up, we have the technology, just learning how to use it!

END OF PART-NINE :
Perhaps time for a quick siesta before moving on to History Part Ten (2007-2011) where we are lucky enough to tour Mexico!

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