Howzat! with Jeff Jenkins

WINE, WOMEN AND SONG

Dan Hall is a major talent. Howzat! has a tape of a band called Stove, featuring Billy Baxter from the Hollowmen, Liz Aldridge from The Ocelots on vocals, and a young Dan Hall on drums. "I was a young punk, all of 16 back in '94," Dan recalls. Stove didn't progress beyond the tape, "but we did some good supports for bands like Even (their first show at the Punters Club), Glide, Swirl and The Killjoys." Dan later found fame in Taxiride, and now he fronts his own band, Airway Lanes, who are launching their debut album, In Vino Veritas (on Dust Devil Music), at Chapel Off Chapel on Saturday. The title translates as "in wine is truth", and Dan says: "I'm a sucker for a good red, usually something from south Western Australia." Most of the songs on the album seem to be about the dark side of relationships (sample lyric: "I'm too fucked up to face the damage that's gathered around my feet" from Wave Goodbye). "I've always been moved to write a song when the shit's hitting the fan," Dan explains. "In fact, my marriage ended during the making of this album, if that explains anything!" Is there a danger that as an artist you will deliberately cause pain in your life so you can write songs? "I don't know about deliberately inflicting pain, but there have probably been events I could have dealt with better, which have shaped some of the music. My songs are quite reactionary to what's going on in my life." In Vino Veritas also includes a song about unrequited love called Caroline. "There is a real Caroline," Dan admits, "but I changed her name to protect myself, and to protect her if this record goes through the roof! She was a muse for me over the last few years, and definitely had an impact on the songs I've written since around 2005." Caroline is certainly one of music's most prominent names. The Badloves, The John Butler Trio, Status Quo, Concrete Blonde, Fleetwood Mac, the Velvet Underground and Kirsty MacColl are just some of the acts who have had songs called Caroline, while Neil Diamond had Sweet Caroline, Aimee Mann sang Goodbye Caroline, and Third Eye Blind did Alright Caroline. There's also been Caroline Records (former home to Ben Folds Five) and Radio Caroline in the UK. So what's Dan's favourite "Caroline" song? "Caroline No by the Beach Boys." In Vino Veritas includes an intriguing line: You're afraid to face the music in your head ... "That whole song (No One Dares) is written about me from someone else's perspective," Dan explains. "And it's outlining the fall from grace into the darker existence I was leading at one point. That line in particular refers to the fact that the music I was actually playing was rubbish compared to the stuff I was writing or wanting to write."

VINEGAR, WOMAN AND SONG

She's been an EP, a recording studio, a record label and now she's provided the name of a band … Audrey is definitely one of the most significant people in Melbourne music. No wonder the National Trust wants to save her. Of course, we're talking about the "Skipping Girl Vinegar" sign on Victoria Street, Abbotsford, nicknamed "Little Audrey", which was erected 72 years ago. The Killjoys added to Audrey's fame by calling their debut EP Audrey, their studio "Audrey Studios" and their label "Audrey Records". So how did the whole "Audrey" thing start? "We were shooting our first video clip for Shifting Sands," guitarist Craig Pilkington explains. "It was directed by David Thrussell, and either he or Julia Bourke, who also worked on the clip, knew someone whose father had bought that building and we therefore had access for filming. I was overjoyed with the concept, as my parents used to drive us past Audrey on the way home from my grandparents when I was very young." Do many people ask Craig who Audrey is? "Yes, most clients at the studio ask, 'Why Audrey?' So I've put a copy of the EP on the office wall so they can make the connection. I did get a very drunk call at 11am from a guy looking for a dance teacher called Audrey. He was convinced I was a dance studio and wanted to know where his Audrey was. I failed to convince him, as he rang back straight away, pretending to be from the government, demanding I reveal the whereabouts of Audrey the dance teacher." Meanwhile, one of Howzat!'s favourite new bands is called Skipping Girl Vinegar. "Coming from Melbourne and playing an old-world pop sound, we thought there was no better name than to align ourselves with Melbourne's great icon of old-world pop charm, Audrey - the Skipping Girl Vinegar," the band explains. "The decision was unanimous, and when we did our Google search, there was no band in Slovenia with the same name." But what sort of reaction has the band got interstate? "Everything from bewilderment to deep affection. We have been asked if we were high when we came up with the name, but we have also met many ex-Melburnians who have strong childhood memories of Audrey." SGV (who play Revolver on May 23) are also Killjoys fans. "The Killjoys definitely got some good rotation in our bedrooms during high school, so it's great to share the Audrey connection with them." The National Trust invited SGV to last week's launch - the Trust is trying to raise $60,000 to restore Audrey to her former glory. Details on how to donate to the campaign can be found at www.skippinggirlvinegar.com. As Craig Pilkington says, "Long may she skip."

WHO'S NEXT?

With the Australian music industry celebrating 50 years of rock, this year's ARIA Hall of Fame is a big one. ARIA has announced that the event is happening at the Melbourne Town Hall on Tuesday, July 1. The big question is: Who will be this year's inductees? The tip is that the time has come for The Go-Betweens (two years after the death of Grant McLennan) and Dragon (10 years after the death of Marc Hunter). ARIA should also recognise two of our biggest exports, Air Supply and Rick Springfield. And John Paul Young's induction is overdue. And let's not forget Stephen Cummings and The Sports, The Triffids, Russell Morris, The Black Sorrows and Died Pretty. With the recent "Sorry Day", the time may have come for Goanna. And with the 50th anniversary, ARIA should look at inducting Melbourne's rock 'n' roll pioneers The Thunderbirds. Drummer Harold Frith is definitely Hall of Fame material. And wouldn't it be great if ARIA recognised the amazing body of work of Dave Graney and Clare Moore, especially as they prepare to release their 20th album, We Wuz Curious. ARIA is promising that this year's ceremony "will feature the induction of five legendary artists and one very special industry inductee". The Hall of Fame criteria states that membership is "reserved exclusively for the creators of recorded music - the writers, the recording artists, and in some cases, the producers". It's time that some songwriters were recognised, particularly Steve Kipner, Johnny Young and Mike Chapman, as well as some producers - with Tony Cohen, Mark Opitz and Charles Fisher at the top of the list. This year's first induction announcement will be on May 18. For the first time, members of the public will be able to buy tickets to the Hall of Fame. They go on sale through Ticketek on Monday for $75.

This is the complete Hall of Fame list: 1988: Dame Joan Sutherland, Johnny O'Keefe, Slim Dusty, Col Joye, Vanda & Young, AC/DC. 1989: Dame Nellie Melba, Ross Wilson. 1990: Percy Grainger, Sherbet. 1991: Billy Thorpe, Glenn Shorrock, Don Burrows. 1992: Skyhooks. 1993: Cold Chisel, Peter Allen. 1994: Men At Work. 1995: The Seekers. 1996: Australian Crawl, Horrie Dargie. 1997: Bee Gees, Paul Kelly, Graeme Bell. 1998: The Masters Apprentices, The Angels. 1999: Richard Clapton, Jimmy Little. 2000: no inductees. 2001: INXS, The Saints. 2002: Olivia Newton-John. 2003: John Farnham. 2004: Little River Band. 2005: Smoky Dawson, The Easybeats, Renee Geyer, Hunters And Collectors, Normie Rowe, Split Enz, Jimmy Barnes. 2006: Daddy Cool, Divinyls, Helen Reddy, Icehouse, Lobby Loyde, Rose Tattoo, Midnight Oil. 2007: Frank Ifield, Hoodoo Gurus, Marcia Hines, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons, Brian Cadd, Radio Birdman, Nick Cave. ROSS THE BOSS Will Ross Wilson be our first triple Hall of Famer? Ross was inducted on his own in 1989, then with Daddy Cool in 2006. There's no doubt that the work of Mondo Rock should also be recognised at some stage. Ross releases his new album, Tributary, on Saturday. There have been more than 40 releases in the Liberation Blue series - which gets artists to re-record their classic songs acoustically - but this is definitely the best so far, with Ross reinventing some of his classic songs, including Eagle Rock, Cool World, The Fugitive Kind, State Of The Heart and Bed Of Nails. This is a beautifully conceived album. At the age of 60, Ross is at the top of his game.

SATURDAY NIGHT WITH THE NUBILES

The Nubiles returned to the stage with singer Dave Bowers telling the Tote crowd: "We didn't break up, we just couldn't get a gig for 18 years." The band was introduced by Jason "Evo" Evans and Rusty from The Scared Weird Little Guys. Evo made a great speech, pondering what the pill-popping club crowd could possibly celebrate 20 years from now. "Fuck all," Evo said. The crowd was littered with local luminaries, including Marc Welsh from Have A Nice Day, former Inpress assistant editor Katrina Hall, and ARIA Award-winning video director Mark Hartley. The Nubiles' set closed with a cover of Rock And Roll All Nite - with Evo and Rusty on backing vocals. Here's hoping we won't have to wait another 18 years to see 'em again. JUST SAY CC CC Martini should be the next sensation to come out of the tiny town of Finley, following Spiderbait, Shane Crawford and Tom Hawkins. Her pedigree is good - she's the niece of Whitt from Spiderbait - and her songs are strong. And you gotta love her wicked sense of humour: "I've been to all-girls boarding schools for six years or more," she raps in Dirty Thoughts, "no matter what the nuns taught me, I still act like a whore". CC's debut album, All The Way! (on Public Opinion/Shock), hits the shops on Saturday. Inexplicably, commercial radio ignored the album's first single, Champagne Taste. If they get on board, there's no doubt that CC will be our hip hop queen come year's end. She's got the goods. OTHER NEWS - Dan Warner's new album will be called Night Parrots. He will launch it later this year, after he returns from a US tour. - The Sand Pebbles' new album, Ceduna, will be out on May 30. - The wonderful animated clip for Skipping Girl Vinegar's debut single, One Chance, was a cliffhanger. Look out for the video for the band's next single, Sift The Noise, which continues the story. Meanwhile, SGV are playing at Revolver on May 23. - Danna has hung up his Suits and formed a new band, Danna & The Changes. They've signed to Popboomerang Records and launching their debut single, Baby Love, at the Tote on Saturday.

HOWZAT! PLAYLIST

Wild Season THE SAND PEBBLES Dirty Thoughts CC MARTINI Better Than Life 16 MILLIMETRE Better Let Go THE PICTURES The Fugitive Kind ROSS WILSON No One Dares AIRWAY LANES Wild Season THE SAND PEBBLES Smooth CAR STEREO WARS Better Than Life 16 MILLIMETRE Sift The Noise SKIPPING GIRL VINEGAR