"Doghouse Dave"
Bass player for The Detonators
1. The "music event" of 2005?
I've
got to say that our tour to Europe was it for us. We played a festival at the
gates of a medieval castle in Luxembourg it was huge there was lots of people
all crammed in on this road from both directions trying to see us. We also
did a blues festival in Belgium which had 20,000 people at it. The stage was
the biggest I have seen, there was racks of Fender amps, drum kits and bass
amps, they just said take your pick use what you want. There were camera crews
and the lot there. We also played a prison in Antwerp Belgium, which was great
fun they just sat, stared and clapped. We even had dinner with the warden after
the show and got a free tour. The hospitality over there towards musicians
is fantastic they really appreciate how hard it is on the road, not like over
here. I reckon a few festival organisers and venue owners should go and see
how other people do it. It certainly opened our eyes up. Having said that though
we still do some great venues and festivals
here.
2. Music event fizzer!
Conversely, was there a much anticipated music event that ended up
being a real fizzer! We do Tamworth (or as we like to call it Shamwoth) festival
now
and again, it’s the only festival where the musos get no accom food etc
and only get paid a pittance compared to the work they do. Some stupid bands
even play there for free which wrecks it for everyone. I don’t know what
they are on or trying to prove by doing that. We all stayed in a one bedroom
flat it was sort of like living in a small submarine I suppose. You basically
do a set of pub gigs that you have to organise yourself, as there is no organisational
committee or anything like that. The pubs are packed from opening to close; you
are lucky to get a glass of water for free let alone a beer! That somehow doesn’t
seem right to me. Its always 40 degrees + too a bloody hard slog and you have
to do heaps of gigs to make it worthwhile financially when you drive there from
Melbourne. We blew two tyres on the way there in 2005 and Rockbottom got fined
$250.00 for throwing a cigarette butt out the window, the cops acted like he
was about to start the great fire of Tamworth! But the punters are always keen
there and have great time that’s why we do it.
3. CDs/Artists that impressed you in 2005?
The Chris
Mawre band have a great CD out they are from Sydney and have done a few supports
for us. Our old drummer “Gspot” George plays with them. I saw Tex
Don and Charlie the other night they are great. Bluesy and mellow but still able
to rock it. We did a support for Lynwood Slim when he came out earlier in the
year from the U.S. He is great and the band was fantastic, Alex Schultz X-Rod
Piazza on guitar and Richard Inns X-James Harman, Hollwood Fats etc on Drums
both great bluesmen with fantastic tones and styles and nice blokes too. We met
James Harman who we are big fans of by accident in Belgium he was staying in
the same Hotel as us. He loves a chat and has been on the road since 1962 that’s
as long as I have been on the Earth..... that’s impressive. I’ve
got to admit I’m a big fan of Rose Tattoo, always have been I always go
and see them play when they come to town, the production on the early Albert
recordings is excellent. I’m also a big fan of Steve Earle, he’s
a great songwriter, and man of the people with a great band, Ive never seen him
do a dud show. His recordings are always top notch. When I;m not touring I always
go and check out the local bands here in Melbourne we have every style you can
think of and there’s a great band playing somewhere 7 nights a week, you
cant beat that.
4. Favourite, most listened to CD of 2005?
My favourite CD? I’ve got heaps of them! Girls go wild by The
Fabulous Thunderbirds is one no doubt it at all. It started to wear out and jump
a bit so I cleaned it with Windex and wrecked it. Now it is blue tacked to my
wall as an example of what not to do. It’s hard to get now. I keep looking
for a new one but cant find it, any clues? I have a five-stack player and I have
had a Rod Piazza cd in it for 18 months it never comes out. I’ve also been
listening to a Rose Tattoo compilation best of, they know how to rock and, the
rhythm section is as tight as. I listen to Hank Williams, Muddy Waters and quite
a bit of obscure Rockabilly too.
5. Reading?
I read Stupid White Men by Michael
Moore, Hell’s Angel by Sonny Barger, Weapons of Choice World War 2.1 by
John Birmingham plus a couple of Hunter S Thompson Books that I’d been
trying to read for years. Plus we always have the standard music mags, bike,chopper,
and hot rod mags in our tour van; they need changing though some have been there
for years!
6. Movies?
I saw the
DVD of Saw, pretty scary stuff that one. I don’t get much time to see latest
movies because I spend a lot of time on the road.
7. An evening's conversation with ...?
It would have to be Bill Black
he was Elvis’s first bass player and played on all the early Sun Recording
stuff; he made the slap bass sound famous. He played with Elvis for years and
was even on the legendary Jailhouse Rock film clip, he quit because Colonel Tom
Parker wouldn’t pay him or Scotty Moore the guitar player more than $100
a gig. I reckon he would have some great tales to tell about the early days of
rock n roll. He was also a session player at Sun Studios so he played with a
lot of Sun Blues men too. There would have to be some interesting stories there
too.
Thanks a lot
Doghouse Dave
Bass player The Detonators