Sister Jane and Punk Monk Propaganda, endeavouring to make music gigs that caress more than just the ears. When asked by Alternative Media Group, who Sister Jane are, drummer Joe Driver's thorough response was:
We veer wildly between sultry smoking-room soundtrack blues… and something more closely resembling a tripping social science teacher on a freewheeling fun ride at one of those accident-waiting-to-happen fun parks that only opens during school holidays. Ton of Fun in Forster/Tuncurry springs to mind.
They're our favourite band to jam with because their psychedelic vibe is a perfect marriage with the re-invention of the 60's and 70's liquid light show; their music simply deserves it.
This is from A Shrill Chuckle Of Irrepressible Delight, for Sydney Fringe Festival in September, at The Annandale Hotel. This is Sister Jane's hit Outer Suburbs of the Soul. Man, I get this in my head A LOT! Sorry the sounds not great; wasn't shooting using fancy video equipment.
I've been thinking a lot lately about sustainable art practice; how to still use all the pretty, interesting and workable materials out there but considering how to minimise (if not eliminate...which is difficult when not actually intending to make an ecologically themed artwork) the affect it has on the environment. I've managed to come to a lot of decisions in my personal life but haven't yet established my own rules and limits in terms of art. How can I justify the use and wastage of artworks?
The first practice I/we (the punk monk team) need to tackle is the Liquid Light Show. Liquid Light is the act of using oil, detergent/gel and coloured dyes (we currently use food dye) to make patterns that move and mutate in glass. These are put on top of overhead projectors and beamed onto spaces. Therefore, energy from electricity is needed, chemicals from the liquids which are bought and then disposed of afterwards, use of cleaning products (sprays and cloths) and large amounts of water for mixing and cleaning are used. Then there is the fact that, where we would usually walk/ride/skate to an event, with our overhead projectors and gear we must use someones vehicle to get to and from the venue.
The very easiest change can be applied to the cleaning up method. Alex and I attended a workshop a few months ago with The Watershed learning how to make our own environmentally safe cleaning products using basic and inexpensive ingredients like bicarb, vinegar, eucalyptus oil and pure soap and then using re-use spray bottles from ex- cleaning products packaging or from re-use centres like Reverse Garbage. Perhaps some microfibre cloths that do not get damaged by intensive use and dyes rather than using disposable chux/paper towel could be the next step here....
If anyone has any ideas/suggestions on what kind of dyes are of minimal effect and inexpensive or if anyone is some kind of solar power Whizz Kid and can help us work towards solar powered overheads...then WOW. The key word, inexpensive, is unfortunately important- we simply cannot afford to BUY our way into sustainability.
Baby steps.
Above is a video by a group The Joshua Light Show that we are inspired by in our liquid light experiments. We have been doing Liquid light projection art for art shows, music gigs and other events for about a year since our second Punk Monk hosted event called ALGAE RHYTHM. ALGAE RHYTHM 0.02: PSYCHOCHEMICALcurated by monks Alex and Kate which turned the then Punk Monk warehouse into an oozing rainbow cranium of melding patterns, forms and textures created by the old school overhead projectors and their wizard controllers. The night was full of mural painting, science experiments, psychedelic music and light play and we haven't looked back since.
The photo above is of Kate mixing colour at Know Your Mushrooms (Ron Mann) screening and party, an event for Possible Worlds Film Festival where we celebrated fungi, films and all forms of fun! Snapped by our good friend and brilliant photographer Susie Stavert.
(Don't forget to catch us on Wednesday @ The Annandale for a jam with psychedelic rockers Sister Jane)
Here are some shots (from here) of some liquid light projections we did with Sister Jane from a show last year at the now, closed Hopetoun Hotel (rest it's soul). Alex isn't drinking food dye and detergent here, but is creating bubbles in the design- just one technique in a practice of infinite possibilities. We'll be exploring some more on Wednesday, in what will be our third jam with Sister Jane.
In a recent interview with Alternative Media Group SJ drummer Joe Driver described us as a troupe of art-school freak-child light designers.This tickled us pink! Fellow vibe merchants Sister Jane are just what you need on a Wednesday night to shake that mid week stress out your hair. Their psychedelic jives inherit a sense of freedom that'll force your feet to groove- we'll provide the rainbow explosion happening in your head as projections around the room.
In September, Punk Monk was given free reign of the Hopetoun to splash mutating, dripping colour and pattern over bands Wade Jackson, Sister Jane and Hailer. As far as I am aware, this is the first live liquid light show to beam there paying homage to psychedelic forefathers such as The Joshua Light Show (still pumping out light shows 09) with the Jimi Hendrix Experience and other 60s/70s acts like Janis Joplin and The Grateful Dead.
Punk Monk revived this with some old school overhead projectors back at ALGAE RHYTHM 0.02: PSYCHOCHEMICAL with the idea that it's important sometimes to feel like your on acid when you're not. Acid opens up your senses to let in more spine tingly textured, sweet tasting colour and light- why shouldn't we feel this sometimes anyway (without always having to take drugs- although don't get me wrong, they have their place)? There is stimulus everywhere, let's get some of it together to create events that allow you to take a nice trip into a beautiful wonderland. We're expanding this idea more and more, and I'm sure you can't escape how excited we were to be given the opportunity to take over The Factory for BORN IN THE DOORWAY last weekend. We're still buzzing and we have to thank venues for letting us get out our often messy supplies (dyes, cooking oil, paints, glue, detergent... ) and transforming their floors into playgrounds. We're relatively new in the game, but we grow up a little more each event we make our experiment- watch this space-----
(Shirley Chen, Born in the Doorway, Oct)
The reason I am lamenting this Hopetoun gig at the moment is in response to the recent closing of The Hopetoun Hotel. Will this gig, epic as it was, be the last I ever see at The Hopetoun? This the place my ears have rung out to my favourite bands, big and not so, where I have first experienced my now favs- this the place I fell in LOVE!? How can it be that one of my relationships can outlast The Hopetoun. Panic ensues...
I have now discovered The Harp in Tempe has been shut, hopefully temporarily and that The Annandale is possibly up for closure. There are many reasons/speculations for reasons ranging from noise complaints, financial difficulties, some kind of fuzzy code violations, management issues, council hassles etc etc etc but in the end what it seems to come down to is: Support.
These venues have supported our Sydney music scene for decades housing all genres and a range of events mainly by independent artists/groups which need as much support as they do. They provide. We need to provide right on back. I'm not sure what action needs to be taken from here. Perhaps we can revive the campaign that fbi so successfully boosted their community station with? Ideas?
Speaking of, the Red Rattler chicks have none less than mortgaged their lives and worked their asses off in between full time jobs elsewhere to open their space in Marrickville. In the spirit of cheaper rent for artists to house events in and a higher accessibility to these spaces, these incredibly cool women deserve a massive pat on the back. With venues threatened with closure, we can only hope others spring up to help fill the massive gap. Punk Monk have been involved at the Red Rattler for Kino Kabaret (#2 David Lynch) events and Canadian Film Festival nights (Know Your Mushrooms) and received so much willing support and friendly vibes from the red rattlers.
We'll be there on Friday night with The Lurkers who are all about anti-humourlessness activism are about to go to Copenhagen to prompt world leaders to "pull their fingers out and stop burning up our future by burning up coal". Should be fun so come Get Lurked.
