CD Launch @ Rubys

Rubys’ Lounge in the beautiful Dandenong Ranges, outside Melbourne Australia, is a full- on Rock Venue with a huge bar, lots of velvet hanging from above the stage, comfy armchairs & sofas dotted around the room, and even a Secret Bookcase with a hidden room downstairs. It is the Espy of the Hills (as in Esplanade Hotel St. Kilda, famed Rock Venue also) and a nice, friendly/grungy and dark place to meet up with music lovers. Many National stars play here, and also a lot of International acts, and heaps of gigs peppered with top local talent. Back in the 80’s & 90’s it was a huge ramshackle second-hand shop, full of furniture, kitchen utensils, old records & the gramophones with which to enjoy said media. (‘Cept they weren’t called media, just LPs then) As I sit here and write, I can look up at a photo of my old, sadly deceased mate, Mark Etheredge, who I would constantly encounter there poring over Hammond Organ records and such. In fact, after Mark’s funeral, a horrible day, a bunch of us repaired to this place to drink his memory…a fitting tribute I always thought… The second hand shop is long gone, but in it’s place is one of the grooviest rock venues around, and it was here on November 11th. 2007 that I pub-launched my CD “All Things Considered.”

Setting the gig as an afternoon thing worked for & against me however. I reasoned that Sunday afternoon @ 4pm would be a good time to get my contemporaries (ie over 40’s) along to a do, as we could all be home & tucked in by 8 @ the latest. Unfortunately, some of my friends are still Rock-Dogs who didn’t bother with the fine print and therefore showed up at 9 to a closed down venue…Nevermind, as Cobain once said, me & the folks who were there had a top time. You can check out photos of the day @ my webpage (www.philsmith.net.au, and then go to Images). My special guests on the day were local band and mates 4TRESS, who also had my old buddy Kirk Syrett playing drums for them, so that was a cool thing. (Kirk & I played together in Melbourne band Wild Turkey in the 90’s, and Kirk and that band celebrate 20 years in 2008) 4TRESS play a great mix of swamp-o-billy-rockin’-harmonious-bass-slappin’ music & were a welcome addition to the proceedings. My other extra special guest was Don Vincenzo Distefano, who gave us some food for thought as he presented an earthy spoken word bracket, which was set to his own original music! Wonderful stuff!! By the time my band and I mounted the stage, the Love was in the room, and not even my Fender guitar amp crapping out could dampen this gig. Luckily I was able to switch over to my Vox amp for the rest of the show. The band and I had debuted the CD at a couple of gigs the weekend before @ Maldon Folk Festival, so we were hot and rarin’ to go, and I personally had a ball jumping up and down and playing all 4 of my electric guitars during the course of the set. My beautiful wife and world class singer Janette Geri was up there with me, smiling & singing and shakin’ her thang…Fallon Williams pushed the rhythm section over the top on Drums, and my second-in-charge Cousin Ronnie was a Rock on the Fender Bass! After 45 minutes or so, it was all over, and I, certainly used to 3 hour pub sets, was at a bit of a loss…but using the credo of “Leave ‘em wanting more” we packed up & began drinking. It was a top day, and I would like to officially thank my wonderful band, my mates who came along and the staff @ Rubys who made it so! By 8pm I was certainly @ home, fielding phone calls from latecomers and a surprise text message from a friend who was there, bought the CD and said, “Hi Phil. Just kicking back listening to your CD. My personal favourite, just love it, is ‘Maybe Something More’. Cherie. ps-worth every cent.”

Thanks, I agree!