Happy New Year!

The end of 2009 is nigh.. but the night is young!
I'll be welcoming the New Year, and celebrating the end of all that was 2009 at Oxford Arts Factory this Saturday, January 2nd with Sooners.

As it's the very last day of the year, and the moment for reflection and resolutions (and ridiculousness) I would like to say thank you to every special person who has helped & supported A Casual End Mile this past year. So to those who have watched, listened, documented, advised - it has not gone unnoticed. This project began as something shy and hidden in a bedroom, and now exists outside a daydream, living and breathing in the big wide world with a real strong heart.
It would not have been possible without the patience and love of the aforementioned.

May you have all your heart desires in 2010.
See you in the New Year!
x

Fox & a Prayer

The Local Fidelity program on Fbi Radio (every Sunday evening) has included "Fox and a Prayer" on their 'Top 5 of 2009' list! This feels like a very good way to end out the year.

You can read the rest of this list here.

x

May All Your Christmas's Come at Once...

It's one week until Christmas, so come and enjoy the silly season with me while we can all maintain excuses for drinking allllll through the week.

Playing TOMORROW NIGHT at the Sandringham Hotel with Jo Meares & the Honeyriders, and a bunch of other brilliantly talented alternative-country folk. I'll be on late for all you night owls, around 10 pm.

I'll also be playing for free on Sunday evening at the World Bar Radio Social Christmas Party, which A Casual End Mile seems to be accidentally headlining (first time ever playing last, I'm all grown up.) So come get boozy on eggnog, and make the most of the mistletoe!
Jack Cowell will be opening the evening with a solo ukulele set. He will be followed by the Johnny Took (replacing Assembly Hall), whose alt-country tunes I am most looking forward to hearing live.

Hopefully see you under the mistletoe! x

Something Other Than Hope

Being the time of year for thinking of others and general good deeds, I am playing at a fundraiser at Red Rattler Theatre this Thursday. The event will raise money for those arrested at the Climate Camp in Helensburg earlier this year. 

Also featuring performances by Karma Farmers Collective, Edwina Blush (cabaret, spoken word) and Aimee Bull McMahon.

$10... little for an evening of fun/action/good karma.

Homecoming

On Wednesday evening I will once again grace the floor of the Oxford Arts Gallery Bar. I will have just returned from Melbourne the night before, so come along and after the show I can tell you many stories involving missing planes, raving to the Animal Collective and phenomenological experiences with nature. Plus, my set will be FILMED so you can be a part of 'a casual end mile' history.Playing at 9 pm (good news for all you late-comers)

AND IT'S FREE!And probably one of my last shows for the year. Doors from 8 pm x

Devils & Devotion

A Casual End Mile now exists on last.fm! If you visit the page, you can hear a demo of my newest song, "Devils & Devotion", which was recorded about three weeks ago, thanks to Rob Irish (Sooners). I played this song live on fbi's Local Fidelity program recently (am endeavouring to get a copy of this interview), but if you missed that and haven't made it to a live show in a while then it will all sound brand spanking new to you.

So I am back to my old ways of weekly gigs with shaky hands, and recording in bedrooms. Recovered from a bout of serious live-performance-anxiety nerves, and managed to have a good time playing at the Loft last Thursday as the main support for the Small Hours. The stage was lined with tiny Christmas trees, and I had so much in-house reverb thanks to sound-extraordinaire Jordy Lane, I felt like I was in a Cathedral. Perfect.
After my set I got told that I had the unrestrained intensity of an animal - "not domesticated - a wild animal." Ah, you have to love awkward compliments.

In a couple days I am running away to Melbourne for a week, to learn songs in open E, drink coffee with my dad in tiny lane way cafes, and dance drunkenly to the Animal Collective at Meredith Music Festival. You should all come and welcome me back at Oxford Arts Factory on December 16th.
x
Devils & Devotion
I fell in love
with your voice
so I called your name
in the night
But you're always different
in my dreams
You come so close
and say these things
so when I wake
I'm lost again

Lie to me
any line will do
Lie with me
Stay 'til the morning

But I see devils
at the heart of you
but I would sell my soul
to belong to you

I am devotion
in your name
come the dawn
that old refrain

Is this real?
I'm never sure

Dinner date?

Jack Cowell & the Owls

Daisy M. Tulley

A Casual End Mile

Aleesha Dibbs

at El Rocco's (Bar Me)

8 pm, $12 on the door

please come along! you can even have some dinner there..

xx

Black Friday.

Just because I'm not doing a gig-a-week for a while, don't expect me to disappear completely. Next weekend, on Sunday 22nd, I'll be coming to you live over wires and waves, thanks again to Fbi radio. I'll be the special guest that week on Local Fidelity, and I'll hopefully being playing a song live on the air! (Any suggestions/requests??)

According to Fbi's latest newsletter... "Madelaine Lucas' musical project, A Casual End Mile is a stunning, lo-fi affair not dissimilar to Hope Sandoval. Certainly a world away from the music her dad made as the frontman of X - one of Australia's greatest punk bands."

Hopefully those nice words convinced you to tune in - I'll be on just after 7 pm!

Also, my next show is kind of a special one. I'll be back at Bar Me on November 28th, with Jack Cowell & the Owls, and Daisy M. Tulley. Without the continuous love (and peer pressure) of Daisy and Jack, 'A Casual End Mile' would have surely remained to exist only in my bedroom, to grow dusty and dormant. I have been lucky enough to open for both these unique, inspiring acts throughout the year, and so this night will be a bit of a party.. a folk music and medieval- piano music party..

SO COME ALONG! You can make up for all the times you meant to see us this year!

Happy Friday 13th.

x

I feel like lying in bed all day and listening to Smog...

...or Will Oldham.. and finally finishing 'One Hundred Years of Solitude', which has to be one of the most beautiful, magical books I have ever read.

An Honest Woman... or Four

Last Wednesday,  Bar Me was seriously ladies' night. I felt very privilidged to open the "Writers that Sing" evening, and be followed by three  unique and inspiring female singer-songwriters.

It was kind of like a recital, and it should be noted that not only can Daisy M. Tulley make an incredible one- woman band thanks to her mind blowing loop pedaling skills, but she also sure can make a stage look pretty. Who else could one rely on to bring fake roses AND a flashing peacock?

In the lead up to this night, I answered agreed to answer some questions for Amelia Schmidt. Am I a girly girl or a tom boy? I still don't know. Visit Throwshapes and appreciate how I struggled to answer such questions (forgive the occasional lengthy rant, pretty please.)

(Photography by Rosie Greenaway Short)

x

Happy Halloween!

I don't care if Halloween is another commercialised, American holiday. I love holidays (as my good friends will know, you know I'm having a really good night if "it feels like Christmas").

I also love tacky, kitchy horror stuff, so hence, Halloween is one of my favourite occasions. If I didn't have more productive things to do I would spend all day watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer (though admittingly, that's true for most days), so instead I'm going to listen to the Cramps all day, do some uni work, and then go buy some blood red taffeta.

Wondering what else to listen to on Halloween? Well, to celebrate, I uploaded a new demo from the Bakehouse Session (which you may have already heard live): "Vampire Hours".

To be honest, it's kind of less about vampires and more about tacky ocean metaphors/ukulele solos. But whatever.

Happy Halloween!

More dates for the Spring

Today I received news that a certain big-shot from a major label was interested in my work. Luckily, I have a bunch of gigs coming up in the next month, so you can see me now.. before I sell out and launch my own line of perfume, and only play sold out shows at the Acer Arena.

On various dates I get to once again share stages with some of my good friends, and favourite musical acts including Daisy M. Tulley, Sooners, and Jack Cowell & The Owls. I am also excited to be joining my friends the Wild Frontier on Nov 5th for the very first time.

Oh, and on Nov. 4th opening for Steve Lucas & the Empty Horses at the Sandringham in Newtown, with FREE ENTRY!

You also might like read this interview with Fbi's JuliaWhy? about good female folk singer-songwriters, and the ideas behind the show at Bar Me next Wednesday night.

The more shows you come to, the more I will love you.

x

Oxford Arts Factory, Round Two

It took a lot of love, lemon & honey, and whisky to get me through Thursday's set. I was a little more husky (and angsty) than usual. Apparently it suited me- a couple people told me I should be sick more often. Um, thanks?

It was a wild and windy night too, so thank you to everyone who came along! And special thanks to Phaedra who bought me the whisky, and delivered it very inconspicuously to me on stage.

Here are a couple of photos from the night. In the first one I look like I'm playing at the mouth of hell... but it's just good ol' Oxford Arts Factory.

Hope.

Undeniably, Mazzy Star (one of my all time favourite bands) founded my love of reverb, and Hope Sandoval remains one of my very favourite vocalists. Her new album, with the Warm Inventions, 'Through the Devil Softly", is on rotation while I am spending my Saturday night trying to write an essay with a lost voice and a sore throat. The album is lovely, and soul-soothing. I found this clip of "Bluebird"  from a live performance in Milwaukee earlier this month.

On the good days, sometimes I feel like I will make music always and find it inspiring that some people can do this, and that music isn't just "young, hip-scene" orientated thing. 

Hope Sandoval is now 43, and I wish her to continue to make music forever.

"Should I be fooled by you?"

ps new version of "Winter Skin" has been uploaded on the myspace page, if you feel like a listen.

Ps

A couple photos from the last Oxford Arts gig.. just to get you excited for tomorrow... 

Thanks to Rosie Greenaway Short, as usual, for her photographic skills.

x

Home Again

Spent a very rainy weekend up at TINA, feeling intimidated by hip zine-sters and nearly freezing to death in the parking lot where the event was staged, which seemed to be less of a parking lot and more of a wind tunnel.
Jack Cowell pointed out that playing up on level five was kind of Beatles-on-the-roof-top-esque, which made it all a bit more fun. I made it through the set, distracted equally at times by 'interesting' feedback noise, beautiful little bare-foot children blowing bubbles and dancing (oblivious to the cold), power cuts and wandering dogs. Somewhere I think there are photos of all this, and if I ever manage to get my hands on them I shall share them with all of you.

Back in Sydney now, almost in one piece - Newcastle gave me a cold! Oh well. It's all experience, memories etc. And it was a lovely road trip, driving down the highways through all that rain and listening to Bob Dylan and the Velvet Underground and whatever other cds surfaced in the car.

Oxford Arts Factory again tomorrow night! I found this lovely little review thing about my last appearance there.I thought it was nice... and also funny that it goes on to review the minimilist punk bands that were playing next door that night - my whole life seems to be living in the shadow of minimilist punk bands! Anyway, maybe the kind words will convince a few more of you to come along. I'll be followed by I Dream in Transit, and the Model School.
x

Anyone for Newcastle?

Yep. Definitely living like a musician now. I haven't slept properly in weeks, travelling around (well, a little bit) and today I got in trouble at my work for being away so much.

This, I guess, is why so many musicians are unemployed. "FML".

Still, if you are Newcastle - bound this weekend, come say hello! Main stage at 12 pm, Sunday Fair. Roooooaaad trip!

home is where the floor is

If you'd rather HEAR what I've been up to...Two new demos await you here.

I have been living like a musician for the first time. And I'm exhausted.

Firstly, lots of love and thank you's to everyone who made it along to the Oxford Arts Factory show last week - it went down so well that I have been asked back! October 8th - rematch anyone? It was also really wonderful to share the night with Gideon Bensen and His Still-Unnamed-Band-of-Long-Haired-Alternative-County-Musicians, and Sooners. I enjoyed every minute of the evening.

The morning after I didn't enjoy so much, as I had to wake up at QUARTER-TO-SIX to catch my flight to Melbourne. I slept most of Friday.

Saturday morning, 9 am, saw us (myself, my producer-dad, Julian-the-engineer) arrive at Bakehouse Studios in Fitzroy.  Dad had the idea of getting some little candles to put around the space to "create an atmosphere", which was nice. The only ones availble before 9 am on a Saturday were alter candles, blessed by a Rabbi. The studio itself is hidden down a little cobblestone alley, and looks kind of like a rusty old barn from the outside. Inside, it was very plush.. and with big red curtains, wood-cabin-esque wall finnishes and my kosher candles, it looked like part of a David Lynch movie. Already, we were on the right track.

Saturday and Sunday I spent all my time in the studio, which was a relief because it was still Winter in Melbourne and it was freakin' freezing. On the first day, I played guitar for about nine hours. We lay down tracks for fourteen songs, a photographer came to take some awkward studio shots, and we ate a lot of pizza. By the end of that first day the studio was my new home - I even curled up on the floor for a while. I went back to my grandma's house that night, curled up in my dressing gown and watched 'Pretty Woman'. Rock n' roll lifestyle, alright.

Sunday was even colder, and the day for overdubbing, and conquering the vocals. I sung my heart out. It took many cups of tea.

Monday was dedicated to mixing and fixing. I naively thought this wouldn't take as long as the first few days. I realised just how wrong I was after the first track took three hours of work.

It was actually really interesting to see the benefits of being in a real studio, even though I stayed true my usual 'honest' sound, and limited editing and effects etc. Dad did a wonderful job of mediating between the my musical ideas and the amazing skills of the engineer. He was also filled with great advice, such as - "Do you want it to sound like Dylan? Well! Don't play it right then!"

On Monday night I fell asleep on the couch at 11 pm, and then got sent home... producer-dad and Julian-the-engineer stayed there mixing until 6.30 am.

And so I have returned. But not for long! Off to This Is Not Art on Saturday. If you're coming to TINA, come say hello! I'm playing on the main stage of the Sunday Fair at 12 pm!

I hope you like the new takes, very much. And I also hope to one day make them into a real record.

**Special thanks to my dad, for the endless cups of tea, singular guitar cameo, tamborine shakes, good judgement, and love.. oh and for producing my record! Even though the dad-jokes nearly killed me**.

Happy Stephen Malkmus day*!

As Pia and I have been known to say, 'the end is nigh but the night is young.' And what a night tonight will be! Not only will I be seeing Stephen Malkmus in the flesh, but I also get to welcome home my favourite band in Sydney, Bridezilla, who just stepped off a plane from the US after a whirlwind tour, to support Mr. Malkmus tonight. Their debut album will be released any day now, and I promise you, it will be beautiful.


My excitement for all of this is only eclipsed by the recent news of next year's Pavement reform tour. !!!






(Stephen Malkmus plays "Freeze the Saints", acoustic version, on Morning Becomes Eclectic. It was 2005, but the colour of the curtains somehow makes it look like the '70s.)




* the day in which I get to see Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks at at our very own Metro Theatre.

Studio recording/Going back to my hometown

As of Friday next week, I am Melbourne-bound. The morning after Oxford Arts with my new friends Sooners and Gideon Bensen & the Preachers, I have early flight to my hometown (or city...).

In Melbourne, for the first time as 'a casual end mile', I will step into a real studio. Who knows what will happen. But I'll be armed with a banjo, my brand new beautiful Matan, a ukulele and a harmonica or two. So I should be prepared for anything. Plus, overseeing this adventure will be my dad, wearing his "producer" hat, so I'll be in safe hands.

(Little me with X, circa 1990, way back when= my punk rock beginnings.)

Paradise, Kansas

Over the last couple of months I may have mentioned a mysterious "new project" I have become a part of. Today, as one half of Paradise, Kansas, I unveil a little bit of that mystery by offering you our first demo via the link above.

Even with moments of sweetness, Paradise can be dark and strange. We like it that way.

Hopefully you do too.

'a casual end mile' at Oxford Arts Factory???

I guess you'll just have to see it to believe it.

Victorian Lace

Here is a new demo, called 'Victorian Lace' that I recorded earlier this evening. I don't feel it's "myspace worthy" yet, so it's going to premier here, for the selected few who actually look at this blog. The quality was actually better before iMovie, for some reason now it sounds slightly like I'm playing underwater. FML.
I made it a clip because embedded music player things make me want to cry, or smash things because they have failed me and I hate them.
The end.
The lyrics are underneath in case you are interested.
I hope very much that you like the song.

Victorian Lace

Caught off guard

by the sound

of your voice

Is nothing sacred

in your bad memory?

Now for a week

I've had the strangest dreams

Can't you see

I'm still waiting

And I'm all dressed up

in Victorian lace

for you

Make this night

a good one my dear

I have many things

I long to whisper

in your ear

But no final test

or wedding dress

will help us now

Still here I stand

Like your bride

'Cause I'm all dressed up

in Victorian lace

for you

all good lovers live for the spring.

And so it is September. Wasn't that a long winter?

I know that all true romantics will need a little lovin' in the springtime, so come along to one of those shows! You could even bring flowers. That would be nice.

It's been about a month since my last gig at the Hollywood Hotel, and can promise you will hear a new song or two at some of the upcoming gigs.

The change of season will bring a lot of exciting things, so stay tuned.

Happy first week of spring!!

xx

Everything will be NEW in the Spring time

In the Spring, I'm going to be appearing at This is Not Art Festival, in Newcastle, New South Wales. The event is dedicated to showcasing NEW, independant sounds/thoughts/images/ideas.
I don't yet know when/where I'm playing, but the festival runs from October 1st-5th. And you can camp there! My friends Jack Cowell & the Owls will also be playing.

Anyone for a ROAD TRIP ?! It could be a brilliant adventure.

X, Blogs & Rock n' Roll

On Friday night I went the Gaelic Theatre (for the first time in around three years -last time I went there it was still the Gaelic CLUB) to see my dad play. The band is called X. They had quite the cult following in Melbourne/Sydney back in the 80s.
During the show, some old rocker in the audience turned to me and said that "us kids" will never understand the power of X, and what they meant back in the day etc. I found this sentiment kind of pointless - it's not my fault I was only born in 1990! Naturally, I retaliated with my daughter-of-the-lead-singer trump card.

And anyway, us kids have youtube.

Behold, cover of the week! X doing Roy Orbison. NOTE: My dad's amazing 80s hair/shirt/drag-dressing.

"Breathless"

I found this clip the other day when I was thinking about songs that would be nice at a wedding. It's like Nick Cave's attempt at a Disney movie. You can almost picture the Jamaican lobster from 'the Little Mermaid' singing it, "Kiss the Girl" style.
Still, it's a beautiful song.

Is it inappropriate to play 'sexual healing' in a children's book store?

Yesterday I went to the wedding of a friend I used to work with. In our days at work together, we always used to play each other new mix cds and talk about music, and boys. That is, until her engagement and talk turned to wedding plans. I don't think I was very helpful then - all I seemed to do was listen and say, "I don't know! I'm nineteen, I've really never thought about my hypothetical wedding cake/dress/music."
It all ended happily ever after, though. She walked down to "The Book of Love" by the Magnetic Fields. It was a beautiful ceremony.

The moral to this story really is that all this sparked a conversation about how certain songs become significant in life etc. I don't know what music I would play at my wedding or funeral - I've tried, but can't get anything relevant/personal/interesting/ironic enough.
I do know that the first lyric I learned was "Hey Joe! Where you going with that gun in your hand?!" Apparently I used to yell it across the fence to my Uncle Jo, who lived next door when I was little.
Despite that, I fell for sad and melencholy music a few years later. My mum says that when I was about three or four I was obsessed with brooding to Leonard Cohen, and used to demand that Ian Rilen play me 'So Long Marianne' on guitar, to which I would dance around the living room... So I guess my romantic/melencholy tendancies began before I can even remember. I blame my parents.



(Why that version is set to a really ancient 'Jack and the Beanstalk' movie is beyond me. But it's kind of amazing in it's mystery.')

Matt Berninger's voice makes me swoon.

Here is a clip for 'Daughters of the SoHo Riots' by the National. Like I said, the deep baritone makes me weak in the knees. I recently found a version of a song called 'Sleep all Summer' by the National and St Vincent, as a kind of duet. Sigh. Wish it could've been me.

Must Love Blogs

If you enjoy this blog and/or want to know all my secrets, check out Fbi's Local Fidelity blog. I did an interview for the show's lovely presenter a few weeks ago.
You can read it here: http://localfidelity.blogspot.com/2009/07/casual-end-mile-sydney.html
For the program, tune into 94.5 FM on Sunday evenings, from 7-9 pm. It's full of special treasures, of the new Australian music kind.

I gave my heart to the Hopetoun Hotel.

I played at the Hopetoun Hotel tonight. The stage was still a little glittery from Bridezilla "capturing the sun" last night. What a wonderful show they played too! I got to hear all my favourties, new & old.
Tonight was a lot more low key. For a start, there were no glow sticks, or party hats.
I played a couple of new songs, including a stripped down version of one I recorded with little Ms. Pia May a few weeks ago. It wasn't the same without her. The better, duet-and-ukulele-solo version can be heard here: http://www.myspace.com/piamayandmadelaine
Neither of my usual amazing photographer friends were there, so I have no pictures or anything for those who missed out.
However, my lovely friend Belle took this photo at a show I played at the Hollywood a month or so ago and it's pretty cool I feel:


Hopefully more shows will be on the horizon soon, and everyone can come and party to bittersweet folk music. BYO glow sticks.
x

Gettin' on the blogging bandwagon.

I used to object to blogs on the principle that 'blog' is a ridiculous, and ugly word. Originally I made this to unleash bad poetry on the world, but then I read an article by Trent Reznor which said that blogging is the way of the future for independent musicians or something, and I just HAD to get on board.
My good friend Rosie says blogging is like talking to a friend, without the bitching... I prefer to think of it like a scrap book: news, more rusty demos, ideas, things to think about, pictures of prettier times. And yes, maybe some bad poetry from time to time.
Hopefully you will enjoy.
x