bentenlaughing

  Thank you for featuring Tempest on your blog. You asked about the inspiration behind the poem, and in many ways it was born from my fascination with the archetype of the dark feminine. The central figure in Tempest draws heavily from the idea of the femme fatale — a woman whose beauty, charm, and magnetism conceal a far more dangerous nature. Throughout literature, mythology, and folklore, these figures often embody temptation, chaos, and destruction, not through brute force but through subtle influence and seduction. I wanted to explore that tension between allure and peril. The poem was also influenced by the lineage of mythological women who have shaped the archetype of the dark feminine throughout history. Figures such as Lilith, Circe, Medea, The Morrígan, and Morgan le Fay embody a feminine power that is at once captivating and unsettling, creative and destructive. These women and goddesses exist on the threshold between wisdom and danger, attraction and ruin, often challen...

Janice: Judy, who was active on the scene when you started playing and singing and were there specific venues that were favoured? For example when I began going to hear music as a teenager I'd go with my cousins to small folk clubs in the city or the Trad Jazz venues like the Iron Workers Building which I think was in George Street. Judy: When I started playing in the Sydney folk scene in 1973, there were 2 major folk clubs in the city that I was aware of. One was Cellar Folk (which may still have been called PACT Folk then), which was on Friday nights in the basement of the old YWCA building in Liverpool Street and where the music was pretty much contemporary folk (ie acoustic singer-songwriters or singers who sang the acoustic songs that were on the radio eg those of James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan etc).  The main performers I remember from that part of the scene were Mike McLellan, Marion Henderson, Doug Ashdown, Bob Hudson, Margret RoadKnight, Kate Delaney, Alan Ward, D...

Janice:  Bruce, I can't quite remember when you mentioned to me that you played bass on a track of Essra Mohawk's 1970 'Primordial Lovers' album, but I was blown away as it was given to me by Joy Yates when we worked together in London.  It became one of my most loved albums.  Your intro on Í Have Been Here Before' is exquisite Bruce; this track is out of this world...such fabulous vocals and musicianship from all.  Far far ahead of its time...gorgeous melodic lines, profound lyrics and a mix of genres.....I almost weep every time I hear it.  Was the session in Elektra Studios in LA?  Bruce:  Can't remember which studio. The recording date was late 1969. My connection was drummer James Zitro who was on that track.  Mike Cohen was keyboard, Kenny Jenkins was the electric bass, I was the Arco Bass player, don't remember who the others were. Essra sang while we played on that take as I recall. Essra, had me do another session with just her and I....

Janice: Gwen, I'm guessing your first connection with the music scene was in Brisbane? If not; where and who was it that took your imagination to become involved? Gwen: Good question! It was most definitely Brisbane but not really so much in a "who inspired me" way. I was doing Psychology at University of Queensland, 1st year, and around halfway through the year I did some "prac" observations at a place called The Open Door, which was run by an ex Minister of Religion Hayden Sargent, who was on talk back radio, and was involved in many things. My plan for my degree was to work with Drug Addiction, hence the connection to the Open Door He created this venue as a "Drop In Centre" for kids who needed a place to talk. Counsellors etc were on board and he also introduced regular gigs to attract the age group he was aiming for.  Friday night was "Blues" night, Saturday night was mainstream "Pop?" music with interstate guests who the loca...

Janice: Do you begin recording with a basic guitar and vocals track?  Gina: The way Mark and I work is that he will create an instrumental backing track and I will write the vocal part to fit the track. Sometimes I already have a set of lyrics that I wrote independent of music and it will fit the track, usually with some rearranging/tweaking. Other times I will write the lyrics as I listen over and over to the instrumental.  Janice: Are you both in cohorts in developing the  ambience and layering of the backing track?  Gina: The ambience and layering I leave entirely to Mark. After I've added my vocals to the mix, he will further play around with the instrumentation and create the final song. Sometimes he will consult me about something he's done, whether or not I like it. Sometimes I will notice something in the mix that doesn't seem to enhance the song and I'll mention it. But basically, I trust his experience and judgement and I like to allow him the freedom to ex...