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I’ve been tossing this idea around for a while now, but it’s starting to take shape. I know a lot of you have been asking for one for a while, so I’m finally going to record a solo album. Real solo solo this time, with plenty of just me and the guitar, with a few friends helping out here and there. Not entirely sure if it’s going to be a full length album or a long EP yet, so that’s still up in the air, but I’ll look into getting it done in the second half of the year.

There are a few definite tracks already: Hope & Crown will feature, and so will a track I learned from an old busker in Victoria, plus a piano ballad and one of the covers I’ve been tossing around live. If you’ve got any requests of songs to stick on the album, drop a comment and I’ll see how it’ll fit.

Dear friend FMJ has started sketching out some ideas for an album cover, so I’m looking forward to seeing how that comes up. You can see some of her other stuff here.

I’ll be coming to Brisbane next month to play a show at the Troubadour with Ben Salter (The Gin Club, Giants of Science, et al), so come along if you’re up that way. Thursday June 10th, the Troub, with Ben Salter and Tash Parker.

In the meantime, check out the latest on my other band Ride the Tiger. (MySpace here).

Catch you all later,

Linc

I haven’t got around to blogging much lately, but there was just no way I could not tell you all this one.

I’ll set the scene: I was playing a solo show on a hot and humid Hobart night just a few days back. It had been a long day; I had already played an afternoon gig in the sun and I was pretty ruined, but I pulled myself up and on to the stage where two other punks had just finished playing a couple of acoustic sets.

The weird thing is that no matter how shit I feel, it disappears when I start playing a good show, and this one had started well. Halfway through the first track — a cover of Uncle Tupelo’s ‘Still be around’ — I take a quick breath between words and suck out of the microphone a mouthful of what I could only distinguish as seawater. I was more surprised than anything else, not only by the fact that I had a gob full of juice, but that there could be seawater in the microphone.

Before I had time to think about it more, I started to get ready to sing the next line and instinctively swallowed. The instant it went down I thought of Kenny and Pat, the two preceeding sweaty punk rock singers, and realised I had just drank two hours’ worth of their fruitiest spit and sweat.

I drank fucking sweat.

We got a few gigs coming up this month, starting with a solo gig this Saturday night, supporting Evan Dando (of The Lemonheads), and with special guest James Dilger (Sole Stickers, The Reactions). I’m a massive fanboy of Dando’s, so I couldn’t be more excited about getting to share the stage with him. Show starts at 10pm at the Republic Bar.

To top that, the next week features a full Lincoln & the Insiders show with young Texan Ben Kweller, also at the Republic Bar. Again, I’m a massive fanboy. As a side note, this will be the Insiders only Hobart show for a while.

Launceston fans, we’re finally coming up to play another show for you. This time on the 18th of April at the Nothern Club with Melbourne swagger rockers The Vandas, and again with James Dilger’s new band Sole Stickers.

In dot point form:

Saturday 4th April
Evan Dando, Linc, James Dilger – Republic Bar, North Hobart (tickets)

Wednesday 15th April
Ben Kweller, Lincoln & the Insiders – Republic Bar, North Hobart (tickets)

Saturday 18th April
The Vandas, Lincoln & the Insiders, Sole Stickers – Hotel New York, Launceston.

Cheers everyone.

See you at a show, and stay tuned.

Linc

I first started thinking about this a few days ago when I read Jim Schembri’s article from The Age last week.

It points out that the film industry has two or three main problems: it has a recent history of poorly written films; it mostly produces films that don’t have a wide enough audience appeal; and there is a massive cultural cringe going on which means that in general, audiences won’t take a chance on watching a locally-produced films, mostly due to years of the previous two points.

Now, without debating the validity of this (especially the second point – I’m not touching it for now), do you think that there’s a parallel to be drawn to local music? A history of sub-par music and equally, sub-par production; not a wide-enough audience appeal; and lastly, a cultural cringe that means that the general public (not the usual original-music-watching crowd) won’t take a risk on music that, historically, they believe to be of lesser quality than anything from across the strait.

Now, add to that, the events of the AFI awards on the weekend (or whenever they were, I wasn’t paying much attention). The director of The Black Balloon, Jimmy Jack, retailiated during his acceptance speech for best screenplay, by attacking the unsupportive stance of Schembri, and finishing up with a big Fuck You to the Age writer.

Kinda reminded me of a whole bunch of threads on The Dwarf, where individuals (myself, at times, included) get super defensive in the face of criticism. To be fair though, Schembri’s criticism was actually very objective and evenly poised, making Jack’s response seem even more childish.

I’m keen to follow the AFI’s strategy for dealing with these issues over the coming years, not only because I’d like to see the standard and reputation of Australian films develop, but because I’d like to see how those strategies can be applied to our local music industry.

So we finally released this puppy:

Lincoln le Fevre & the Insiders' brand new recurd, 30-Watt Heart

The album was launched at The Republic Bar, Hobart, to over 200 country-shirt-wearing fans, and we all had a fucking cracker of a night. Thanks to everyone that came along and partied with us, and to those that came along in Launceston the night before. Except for the Sauce reviewer, but more on that later.

We were joined for the two shows by Western Australian blues awesomers The Novocaines, who basically blew us off the stage both nights with their energy. I think you’ll hear more from these guys over the next six months, and I hope to hell we get to catch up and play some more shows soon.

Andrew Swift and Nathan Wheldon also joined us, both playing solo sets for the Hobart and Launceston shows respectively. Sad to say though, that Swifty took a massive case of glandular fever back to Melbourne with him, and he’s pretty knocked up, so get on his myspace and drop him some support. We all wish him a speedy recovery.

So next step is to get the promo machine oiled and running. Over the next few weeks, the album will start making its way to radio stations and magazines around the country. Hell, maybe even Canada or something. If you’re a budding music journo, feel free to review the album yourself and submit it to any online or press zines that you’re into. Sometimes it’s the best way to get our stuff out there, so you’d be doing us a favour. Having said that:

NOTE TO SAUCE MAGAZINE:
If you’re going to send a journo along to review our album launch, might I suggest asking said reviewer to actually review the headliner, and not just the guest acts.

(Edit: there is a review from this gig coming up in the next edition of Sauce, coming in a few weeks.)

Alright, I’m out. If you haven’t got a copy of the album, then it’d be real nice if you bought one so that I can pay off my massive credit card debt.

Laters,

Linc

So, in the past month, I’ve finished mixing the new Insiders album, and managed to finish the artwork too, so that’s all sent off and is being manufactured as we type/read. 30-Watt Heart is to be released on the 26th of September, at the Republic Bar in Hobart.

The Scandal have been working on a new EP, to be released on 7″ vinyl later in the year. After four or five days in the studio, the tracks are sounding huge. The last album was intricate and technical, and I’m still hella proud that I worked on it, but this one is totally different. Powerful, raw and rockin’. I’ve never mixed for vinyl before, so I’m looking forward to finishing it.

Enola Fall have been working with me on a new record too. Nearly a week in the studio getting all the basic tracking down has resulted in the first Enola Fall recording that has been tracked as a band, which will mean a more natural and live sounding record than anything they’ve released so far. Not sure of release dates of either yet, but I’ll post them as soon as I hear anything.

So this is a quick one, because I have to run off and play a gig with Enola Fall.

I have to give credit for this, because angelamaryclaire pointed it out to me.

In South America, six feet have washed ashore. Feet. That’s right. Not connected to any legs or anything, just the feet. Most of them are size ten. Some of them are still wearing shoes.

Now, this is strange enough in itself, and has already recieved a fair amount of media coverage, but the bit that got me, is the coroner in charge. The coroner’s name is Randy. Randy Gaylord.

Now, my bullshit alarm went off immediately, so I did a quick websearch for “Randy Gaylord” (which strangely wasn’t already in my search history), and I shit you not, this guy is for real. He’s even got his own website.

Randy Gaylord – Rated “exceptionally well qualified” by the Washington Women Lawyers and other bar associations.

That’s him. Check it. Randy Gaylord – the website.

Well done on the guy for making it through school in one piece. I can think of a few unfortunately named people that went to school here in Tasmania, but this guy takes it. Onya Randy.