river rocks

1. My increasing exploration of soul music and samples.

2. My increasing discovery of unknown female artists throughout history.

3. Cable Ties

4. Patti

5. River Rocks

6. Lolling Stones

7. That female rapper Kate

8. Deaths... Malcolm, Prince, David...

9. Alice Cooper

10. Dancing in my own living room and sitting in front of my system.

11. HITS Bandcamp

12. All my friends' bands who gigged all year, put stuff out and all my friends who helped it happen. Friends at gigs.

The Top 10 People I Love In RocknRoll That Make Me Love People In RocknRoll  (2017 Edition)

1. Shannon Cannon
Shannon is an A1 World Class Top Shelf Human. She is somehow simultaneously all ticker, all smarts, all love, all staunchness, all practicality and logic yet all compassion and instinct. That kinda mix just don't happen often.

From her borderline illegal and harmful practical jokes on idiots she works with to her endless efforts and love to rehabilitate her dear daschund Bruce to walk again against all odds and massive financial hurdles, she is a wave crossing the full spectrum of traits of inspiring people.

Shannon takes this all into her music, I've seen it get pummelled outta her on stage playing bass like a war machine, I've seen it in the drive and focus with which she has forged Juliette Seizure and the Tremor Dolls (incidentally the majority of which are honourable mentions for this top 10), and I've seen it in the difficult, taxing and uncomfortable work she does/has done to earn money to fund music. I've seen it in the minimal twitch of her eye in place of a fist to the cock that she chose to use to respond to a dear and misguided friend of mine's amazement at her wearing a Dictators shirt ("a chick! Wearing a Dictators shirt!"). Shannon is the real deal whatever the hell that means to any of us. 

Honourable Mention: Tremor Doll Graeme Cole (happiest man in rocknroll) and of course Bruce. 

Organisers have announced the line-up for the seventh annual River Rocks festival in the Victorian city of Geelong (aka Gee-troit) and it's a good 'un.

Heavyweight stoner rockers Tumbleweed (pictured), rock royalty Kim Salmon & The Surrealists and Brisbane's peerless HITS head a gun line-up of 20 bands over over two stages at the Barwon Club on November 15.