Another year, another Darwin Festival. And the festival’s line up is looking bigger and better than last year’s frankly awesome line up. We managed not only to get a sneak preview on the festival’s program, we also managed to get an interview with Joe Duffy, the artistic director of the festival. There is also a snippet of what to expect from the festival as well, which we have put together into a short clip so you can see what Joe Duffy has to say and the interesting performance.

So what about the line up itself? Well, there are sorts of things, from the comedic genius of former ROVE Corinne Grant to the famous names of music like John Butler Trio and The Cat Empire, just to name a few. There are 75 events, 47 of them involve artists from around here! Similar to last year, there are plenty of free events, like Dancing in the sand, and the famous Teddy’s Bear picnic makes a return. There are dancers from all over the world as well as people from local areas. And aimed squarely at the youth of Darwin, events such as Silent Disco, Hip Hop battle and an all new event, En Route, based around mobile phones and IPods. All this will happen between 12th and the 29th August in Festival Park, otherwise known as Civic park, with the lighthouse, in the amphitheatre and other places. Tickets are to be sold online, and from box offices in DEC, Festival park and other places, so look out for places that sell tickets.

So watch, Grinders, and see you at the festival! And check out their website

And has found its way into Brownsmart. To every single person who enjoys listening to quality music by Darwin artists, this is big news.

The Happy Yess has been one of the few not for profit venues dedicated to the music scene.  Karaoke, choreographed gigs and everything in between have been hosted at the old venue – a grungy, dilapadated structure. The way everything was held together by a combination of ingenuity, improvisation and bits of old twine and duct tape will be sorely missed by many.

But that is in the past! The future for Happy Yess is its new home, Brownsmart. Brownsmart theatre, one of the oldest buildings in Darwin, has survived cyclones, bombing, looting and even temporary use as a brothel! It has been the site for many an event, from renowned plays to Darwin City Council’s very own BIG GIG. And now, Happy Yess has been given permission to move in.

The crew, led by the venerable Kris Keogh, consists of a variety of musicians, local tradespeople and locals willing to lend a hand, as well as the somewhat useless author of this article. Over the course of a few weeks, the new space has been painted and fitted by the crew, and the old Yess has been pulled apart. Now, as the move heads towards completion, there is plenty to like about what has been accomplished thus far.

The whole area has been painted in Yess colours. A whole new, carperted, stage has been constructed, almost entirely out of milk crates! The entrance booth has been crafted from former workstations out of an office. The bar itself has been sculpted anew from pine and ply, with the workmanship of Darwin’s best. And the seating, with a nod towards the ancient couches, has been renewed with bus seats, milk crate couches and a whole new arrangement for the booths.

So with much ado, next time you hear about a gig or similar local music event to be held at Happy Yess, head on over and see for yourself the wonderful new venue while enjoying the beats of local Darwin music.

BASSINTHEGRASS, this SATURDAY from 11am at Gardens Amphitheatre

BASSINTHEGRASS is back again in 2010.

This year’s line up boasts awesome Darwin bands like Sweet Amber, DJ Fish, Semishgure, Leigh Chisholm, the winner of the battle of the school bands Sleeve Heads.  Big name acts like Silverchair, Empire Of The Sun, Hilltop Hoods, Shortstack, Jessica Mauboy, Children Collide, Horrorshow and Redcoats are also playing.  I think the line up isn’t as good as it could be this year; they could have chosen a band other than Hilltop Hoods because they have played so many times at BASS.

There has been lots of controversy on facebook about Shortstack playing BASS this year.  Groups like “don’t bring Shortstack to BASSINTHEGRASS” and “If Shortstack come to BASSINTHEGRASS we’ll bottle them,” while amusing could pose problems in the Darwin music scene.  Although I think that this is funny, as a musician myself I would not like the idea of people throwing bottles at me while on stage.  This can also cause OH&S problems such as water on stage (a slipping hazard); also with so much electrical equipment on the stage someone will be at high risk of getting electrocuted.  Because of this there have been rumours going around that there will not be any bottled water this year, these accusations are false.  There will, as always, be free bottled water but you are not aloud to bring bottles inside with you.  The producers of the show have also threatened, in years past, to shut down the festival.  This would be very bad, because that means no more really good music festivals in Darwin (other than The BIG GIG of course).  Please if you don’t want to listen to any band playing then you can bring an iPod OR if you’re over 18 then you can leave and come back after they finish their set.

There’s an encouraging amount of new music on the bill this year and I’m really excited about Melbourne band Redcoats.  They were picked up on Triple J Unearthed last year and have had a growing fan base ever since.  I was lucky enough to have a chat with their singer Emilio Mercuri last week and now I’m even more excited about what they will bring to the concert.

GRIND: “Hey Emilio, how are you mate?”
“Yeah, good mate.”
GRIND: “You’re playing at bass in the grass next Saturday, how are you guys looking forward to that?”
“Ah, mate we’re very excited about it, we’re just tailoring the set to hopefully bring something different to the day. Looking forward to seeing Darwin and playing to a lot of new people.”
GRIND: “Sounds great, I can’t wait to see you play, I’ve heard some of your music on Triple J Unearthed and it’s great.”
“You enjoyed it?”
GRIND: “Yeah it was… different”
“Yeah well, you know that’s the thing, that’s what we’re hopefully going to add to the bill, there’s a bit of diversity.  Yeah, like I said, we are really looking forward to it”
GRIND: “You released your first EP in September last year, how’d that go for you?”
“Mate it’s done really well for us, it’s really circulated quite significantly through the industry, and it’s helping to set us up quite well to do our album.  So it’s really established a good working team for us anyhow.”
GRIND: “You got you new guitarist in February last and you hit the road straight after that, how’d that go?”
“Yeah, no it went really well.  He came from a band called “The Escape Committee” and was playing quite significantly across town for a number of years, and as soon as he came in it was just kind of the fourth part of the square and it all just started moving a lot quicker and really working well and still to this day it’s still working.”
GRIND: “You are releasing your new LP do you know when it might creep out?”
“Well we’re writing our debut LP which is a full length album, and we’re hoping to record towards the end of this year, so right now we’re just in the writing process and it’s really shaping up well so you should be able to see it the start of next year.”
GRIND: “That’s honestly great and I’m differently going to buy your EP if I can find it.”
“Yeah, fantastic man! We’ll show you a few of the new ones on Saturday.”
GRIND: “Sweet, I’ll see you then man, have a good one”
“You too man take care,”

You should go, the gig will be fun and no doubt the bands will put on a great show.

Check out the BASSINTHEGRASS website HERE

After a year and a half of looking for the right career for myself I’ve decided to finally put some of my tips and hints about job searching into an article.

1.Build a good resume

The most important part of the entire job searching process is having a solid resume. Work on having a good structure to it and keep it tidy. Also think of a good career objective that summarises what you want out of the position you’re applying for. Don’t be afraid to list all your great activities which don’t necessarily have anything to do with your career of choice, such as volunteer work and community based activities. Plus let your family and friends look over your resume to see if they think you’ve missed anything. Sometimes it takes someone on the outside to see the best qualities in yourself and those qualities are what employers are looking for.

2. Be Persistent to the point of obnoxiousness

Hand in your resumes everywhere! Face to face contact is an excellent way to let the management see that you’re eager. When handing in your resumes to places be presentable. You wouldn’t want someone coming into your workplace looking like they just climbed out of a horror movie would you?

If you’re faxing your resume or even emailing it, you should call to make sure it was received on the other end. This is another good way to let the employer know that you’re a real person and serious about the position.

3. Cover letters make you fancy

Before I started going to job agencies I had no idea what a cover letter was. I quickly learned that they are the piece de la resistance of your application to a potential employer. A cover letter is pretty much just a summary of what you have in your resume already but it gives you a good chance to boast about how great you are. Talk about all the skills you’ve learnt and how they would work great in the position you’re applying for. A cover letter is usually optional, however, if the employer has asked you supply one make sure you do.

4. Don’t be scared if you’ve never worked before

If you’re looking for your first job try not to feel too intimidated by people with more experience than you. Employers usually think of you as a clean slate so they can train you to their standards. Plus they don’t have to worry about any nasty history with any of your other jobs.

5.  Try not to turn down offers

If you’re given the opportunity to work somewhere you don’t really think is right for you there is no harm giving it a try. Most places have a probation period of 3-5 months that allows employers to assess its employees. This gives you plenty of time to decide if the job is right for you. Don’t forget everyone has some issues with their jobs so unless there are some serious dodgy things going on try to look on the bright side of things.

Good luck!

School has started again, but we all know chillax time is just as important! Grind has composed a list of activities and ideas that may keep you occupied and entertained when it’s time for a break from school.

1. Riding buses to nowhere

This idea came up as we sat around doing nothing in particular. Round up a few mates, hit the buses and cruise. As students get to travel for free, provided they have student cards, a group can travel all around Darwin for free. Buses also provide luxuries such as air conditioning and, since they move, the scenery is always changing. Another advantage of riding buses is that you will get to know Darwin and its bus routes.

2. Learn something new

Not exactly an original idea, but learning to do something new, whether it be a musical instrument, a new trick on a bike, or learning to draw can be very rewarding. Some suggestions of things to learn are: Morse code, juggling, as many digits of pi as possible, and trick card shuffling. See which ones you can come up with, try them out and leave us a comment saying how you went. You’l kill some time and learn something new while you are at it.

3. Write a short story

If you are anyway interested by reading fiction, then writing a short story can be interesting. You can write a short story about a character from a book or TV show you have watched or read, or you can make up a character. Even the character creation process can be interesting, as you can give your imaginary character any trait you want, any flaw, any strength and any name. And what is great about writing your own story is that anything can happen; from your character attempts to buy a trombone in Humpty Doo to Darth Vader attempting to destroy the human race from another galaxy, its up to you. And at the same time, you practise things such as spelling (very important) and grammar, as well as putting ideas into words.

4. Cooking

If you have a well stocked pantry or fridge that is full of ingredients, then cooking can be very rewarding and keep you occupied until you have finished. If you have never cooked before, you might want to try something simple like cupcakes, and then progress from there. Cooking can win you points with your parents and friends. Also, cooking is a valued skill by the opposite sex, so keep at it.

5. Get arty farty

Whether you are into art or not, it does not matter. Just do something which involves art, whether its finger or toe painting, drawing, arranging displays or leaving encouraging messages to passers by on the footpath in chalk. It does not matter if can or cannot draw, paint, write legibly or be creative. You can also attempt to teach yourself any of these.

Note: finger and toe painting is extremely fun, but remember only to get the paint on the thing you are painting, you do not need to redecorate the floors of the house while toe painting.

6. Make something

Home made items can be a lot of fun to make, whether you decide to make a sculpture out of the pebbles in your garden or make a castle out of a cardboard box. Or, you can make small gifts out of items laying around your house. You can make jewellery out of erasers, or robots out of you old VCR, or even a chain out of paperclips. If you are interested check out:

http://dollarstorecrafts.com/

7. Make a mini movie

If you have a video camera or a digital camera that can record videos, you can make and direct a mini video. With simple items, a few friends and a bit of improvisation you can make just about any type of mini movie from a three minute action thriller involving fights with a giant cardboard box monster to a ten minute sci fi featuring an alien with a liking to a laundry basket.

8. Make someone’s day

There are a few ways to go about brightening up another person’s day. You could write a thank you letter to someone who helped you, it is always nice to be appreciated. Or, you could write to a distant friend who may be drifting out of touch; its always good to hear from different friends. Another good idea is to write a list of things you like about someone then give it to them. If you find a display of appreciation embarrassing you could find a way to give it anonymously. If there is someone new in your street or at school/work, you could welcome them and introduce yourself and things of importance, such as your friends.

If you are interested check out http://www.operationnice.com/

9. Plan world domination

Plan out how to take over with a friend. You could try any approach, from taking over the world’s security services to contacting aliens and using them to take over the world. You could write up plans, and draw arrows on a world map and label it master plan as well as include photos and plans for strategic targets. This can keep you occupied for quite sometime.

10. Write a Grind article

Whether you are a part of Grind or not, you can write a Grind article. You can write it about anything from school subjects to genetic engineering. Anything that is relevant to you is probably of interest to others, and you could write an article about it. If you have an article already written, or even just need ideas, or maybe just interested, just email: grind@grindonline.com.au

On the 19th of February at 9.58am, 68 years ago, an air raid lasting over 40 minutes on Darwin by over 260 Japanese aircraft started, and was the first of two raids.  Both raids devastated the small northern defence outpost. The raid destroyed many public buildings and destroyed the post office, hospital and other important buildings.  The second raid consisted of over 50 bombers and targeted the RAAF base, destroying aircraft and airport buildings.  Over 240 people died, with casualties in the hundreds.  It was the first time war had come to Australia.

The same date, same time, 68 years later, and the bombing was commemorated, by both the wider community and the defence force.  Servicemen, servicewomen and those of the community who were present during the bombing of Darwin came to remember friends, mates and family that were lost during the air raids while others came to listen and learn of the bombing of Darwin, with many schools present.

To remind those present of the ferocity of the raids and give some atmosphere, there was a reenactment with two fighter jets, and several anti-aircraft cannons.

Special guest Max Murphy told of how, as a 15 year old boy, he enlisted with the army and came to Darwin.  His entertaining recount of the “Moo Cow” told of how humour is present even during the darkest of times.  Other speakers included the Administrator Tom Pauling, who reflected on the devastation left in the wake of the bombing, and stressed the importance of remembering what had happened 68 years ago. Other guest speakers included the Lord Mayor Graeme Sawyer and local high school student Oliver Hasan-Foucard.

Take some time to remember what happened 68 years ago

So, what’s your situation?

Possibility #1

You haven’t slept in a week because you are spending all of your time revising topics you don’t remember.

First, sleep. There is nothing better for you then a good night’s sleep. It will refresh you more then 10 cups of coffee. Speaking of coffee: if you are drinking more than about 2 cups a day, lay off it. Coffee makes everything seem worse because you’re moving faster. Good for studying yes, but no good if you crash, which everyone does eventually. Replace the coffee with tea (if you like the relaxing warm drink) or swap it for more water and some apples.

Second, don’t be afraid to take a break. Go outside, remember what it is like to see the sun. Spend a day, or half a day doing anything except work. Then get back to it.

Third, try different revision techniques. If you are copying out all of your notes again to get them in your head, try reading them instead, and vice versa. Another possibility is to record the main points in to a sound file on your computer. Make it into an mp3, put it on your i-pod. Have some fun by putting really important things in a funny voice, the changes in your studying habits will help you remember them. Listen to it when you’re exercising, or doing something simple like watering the garden, or hanging the washing.

Possibility #2

You can’t concentrate on your studying because your house it too noisy, or your room is too messy, or you can’t stop yourself from checking your email 50 times a day.

Stop making excuses. Start doing something to remedy the problems your having. Talk to your parents, brothers, sisters and anyone else living or visiting your house. Tell them how it is, say that you’re studying and you really can’t be disturbed. Be firm, you’ll thank yourself later.

If your room is distracting, clean it. Make a little corner for yourself that is a study area only. If you don’t need a computer, move it. If you can’t move it, turn the internet off and focus on your notes only.

Possibility #3

Your own company is driving you insane. You need to be around people.

Get a study buddy. Choose someone who is as focused and takes the same classes as you. Organise a study date. Sit somewhere quiet and really get a move on with your work. Quiz each other. Make a set of flash cards by yourself, or a few sets, and have your study buddy run through them with you. Have them do the same. It needs to be a symbiotic relationship. You can even do this with your family. Make up a system of rewards and play with a group of friends, having someone neutral as the referee. Create a trivial pursuit version of your study topics. You can trick yourself into thinking that you enjoy studying this way.

Possibility #4

You can’t do this anymore. Every time you sit down you feel like the world is ending. You think you’re going to fail.

When you can’t think about long term goals, and you can’t sit still for long enough to get through a sentence, it’s time for the 10 and 2 method. Here’s how it works:

1. Work really hard on your study for 10 minutes. Don’t let your mind wander. In those 10 minutes your whole world is in your study.
2. Rest for 2 minutes. Bounce a ball against the wall. Challenge yourself to a quick game of bin basketball. Time it, NO MORE THAN 2 MINUTES!!!!
3. Get back to work for 10 minutes.

Continue like this for as long as you need to. As you progress you may be able to extend it. Work for 15 minutes, rest for 3. Work for 20 minutes, rest for 4. Try not to get any more short term then that. Working for 5 minutes will get you nowhere.

Remember to think positive throughout your study experience. Get a real feel for your topic so you aren’t caught by surprise when the test comes around.

Good luck!

Come take part in a human tide-line to mark the potential sea-level rise we’re facing if we don’t reduce emissions.  You can also bring a fish made form recycled materials with your own message to government on the back.

10 am Saturday 24th October 2009

Jingili Footbridge, Trower Road by the Water Gardens

Find out more www.climateactiondarwin.org/350

an intiative of: Climate Action Darwin – Top End Transition Towns – COOLmob – The NT Environment Centre – Charles Darwin University Environment Collective

FOR MORE INFO:

www.350.org
COOLmob

This month’s CD is from our good friends ‘The Aviators’ from their new EP ‘Here, There, Everywhere’. I found this album to be quite interesting because it hits me as a very Territory type of album and I can’t figure out why. The lead vocals lovingly given by GRIND’s own Shana Stringer weave through the listener and are a refreshing breath of air in the Territory scene, where most rock bands have male vocalists. The simple cord structures of the music complement Shana’s vocals extremely well for the shear fact that they both give the listener the feel that they can easily pick up the music and play it straight off the gun. As one would believe there is always the simplicity of the bass to complement the guitar. With a quick drum beat that keeps the listener from getting annoyed with everything being so simple and thinking that they aren’t good at what they do, the fact is quite the reverse, they are better then some bands that I have heard around Darwin, they love their music and put a lot of emotion into their music which gives them a extremely powerful feel to the music.

There was only one downer that I found about this CD; that’s the fact that it sounds like it was recorded in a bathroom.  This is not their fault it only highlights the need for a good recording studio in Darwin that is cheap and affordable.

4.5 stars for The Aviators for doing a good job on their CD.

Give them a listen and see what you think.

You’ve seen them play and now you can take them home.

GRIND is pleased to announce that it has eight copies of Here There Everywhere to give away.  All you have to do is email us at grind@grindonline.com.au and tell us to send you a CD, if you’re one of the first 8 we’ll stick it in the mail to you straight away.

Click Here for the Here There Everywhere review by Tony

GrassRoots and Local

Every month GRIND receives a bunch of CD’s from local musicians, some new and some from their treasured back catalogue.  GRIND wants to spread the love and promote local music.  So if you like music and you love it local then email us and we’ll put you on the register, and we’ll send you some local original music free whenever new stuff comes in – that’s right FREE.