Thursday 30 April 2009

Brisbane Meetups: Are you new to Twitter in Brisbane? Come and meet lots of people on Friday!

So, if you've just joined Twitter you may be be wondering exactly what all the fuss is about. People use Twitter in lots of different ways, but the main way I use it is to meet other people in Brisbane. Brisbane has a thriving community on Twitter, and once a month there's a big meet-up called a btub.

The next btub is tomorrow night, Friday May 1st, at the Ship Inn, Southbank (the Ship Inn is at the south end of Southbank, near South Bank train and bus stations - click here for a Google Map). It kicks off at 6pm and will be going till late. We're on the second level - go through the beer garden, and you'll see glass sliding doors to the Griffith Graduate Centre. You'll see a sign pointing to the stairs - just go up, and you'll find us.

btub stands for "Brisbane Twitter Underground Brigade" but it's not really underground any more, we have lots of people turn up. There's lots of interesting and friendly people to chat to so if you're free, drop in - if you want to chat with me, my photo's on the side of this blog (but I now have longer hair and a goatee/mo). I'll be late (about 9pm) because I don't finish work till 8pm.

There's a btub group on Facebook, and there's a Facebook event for tomorrow night's meetup. And you can also follow btub's Twitter account.

If you're on Twitter, a service that lets you find out what people are doing, you might want to follow the Brisbane Blog's Twitter account and you'll get updated every time there is a new story on the Brisbane Blog. Or if you want more, follow my personal account (David Jackmanson) and find out what I'm up to.

Brisbane Impro Comedy - News-A-Rama at Arts Theatre, Sunday May 3

If you like improvised comedy, Impro Mafia has a show "News-A-Rama" on at the Arts Theatre this Sunday May 3rd 2009. It's $10 to get in, and the address is 210 Petrie Terrace, Brisbane - click here for a Google Map.

According to the Impro Mafia website, at the show you'll:

Meet the newsroom of The Daily Gasp - Justice City’s dodgiest and least reputable purveyor of news to the citizenry.

The staff of the Gasp (what it’s known as for short) have only hours to put together the evening paper - complete with kidnappings, alien encounters, politicians love nests, true crime stories and celebrity scandals.

Meanwhile their noble and long-suffering editor (as he likes to view himself) must sort the wheat from the chaff and come up with a front page story that will wow the punters and keep the paper going for one more day.

Film Noir meets the X-Files meets Citizen Kane.


Brisbane Music and Wrestling: Rumble Rock Wrestling, presented by 4ZZZ-FM and PWAQ, Sun May 3 2009

4ZZZ, on 102.1-FM, is Brisbane's independent community radio station playing rock, pop, punk, electronica, hip-hop and more (click here for their current Top 20 popular songs, or you can click here for their program guide). 4ZZZ-FM has just started streaming their shows live to the web 24 hours a day, so even if you're not in range of their transmitters you can listen in - click here to get access to their live streams.

To mark the start of live streaming, 4ZZZ-FM are putting on a week-long mini-festival called "Better off Zed", which includes the Rumble Rock Wrestling gig at 7pm on Sunday May 3rd at the Jubilee Hotel, 470 St Pauls Terrace, Fortitude Valley (click here for a Google Map). Tickets are $15 or $5 for 4ZZZ-FM subscribers, and the show features 4 live bands AND live hardcore wrestling matches (plus midget wrestling) presented by Pro Wrestling Alliance Queensland.

This YouTube vid from one of the PWAQ's shows gives you an idea of what to expect from the wrestling:



And these vids show you the bands who are performing:

Sixfthick (click here for their MySpace page)




Hits:




Metallurgy (click here for their MySpace page)



I can't find any videos for the F1 Elevens but click here to visit their MySpace page so you can listen to their music.

If you're on Facebook, click here for the event page for Rumble Rock Wrestling, and if you're on Twitter, you can follow 4ZZZ-FM here.

Wednesday 29 April 2009

Brisbane Comics - Free Comic Book Day, Saturday May 2 2009


UPDATE: looking for Free Comic Book Days from other years? Click here to see all FCBD posts

This Saturday, May 2 2009, is Free Comic Book Day, which I found out on Twitter thanks to this post by spoonerist (and this one, too). In this YouTube vid, Hugh Jackman, who plays Wolverine in the X-Men movies, talks about FCBD:




At least two comic stores in Brisbane are taking part in Free Comic Book Day, Ace Comics at Level 2, 121 Queen St, Brisbane City (click here for a Google Map), and Comics Etc at 79-81 Elizabeth St, Brisbane City (click here and scroll down to the bottom of the  page for a map). So drop into either of those stores and see what books are free this year - and if you know of any other stores that are taking part, please leave a comment.

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Tuesday 28 April 2009

Brisbane Unions: Labour Day celebrations Monday 4th of May 2009

The Labour Day 2009 celebrations are on on Monday May 4th, at the oval at the RNA Showgrounds in Fortitude Valley - click here for a Google Map.

Brisbane's union members will be marching from Spring Hill through Fortitude Valley from 10am and the celebrations will kick off at the showgrounds from 11am, with free bands, free kids' rides and lots of political debate. If you want to march, click here for more info, or visit your union's website.

This slideshow shows the photos I took of the march and celebrations two years ago, in 2007:



And this video shows Kevin Rudd, then Opposition Leader and now Prime Minister of Australia, talking at the same event in 2007:



Monday 27 April 2009

Brisbane Festivals: Caxton St Seafood & Wine Festival, May 3 2009





UPDATE: You can see 30 photos of the bands who performed at the 2009 Caxton St Seafood and Wine Festival, taken by flickr user letsmakeart, in this slideshow:







The Caxton Street Seafood and Wine Festival is on this Sunday, May 3rd 2009 from 11am to 10pm. The festival is held at Caxton Street, Paddington, between Petrie Terrace and Hale St, and the best way to get there is to catch a train to Milton Station - click here for a Google Map and click here for Translink's public transport journey planner.

Food for sale ranges from $3.50 for a shish kebab or $4 for a cannoli, up to $220 for the MEGA sized Caxton seafood platter. There's a big range of prices, so click here to find out more about what's on sale on the day.


Entertainment at the festival includes Grace Knight:




Winnie Coopers:




Omni Anti:




Kate Bradley with The Goodbye Horses:




and Dukes of Windsor




for more info about the day's entertainment, click here.

Tickets are $15 pre-booked, or $20 on the day, plus booking fees and charges in either case. If you want to drink, you'll need ID. Click here for more info on tickets and booking. If you're on Facebook, you might want to join the festival's group - click here to go to the group page.

Monday Night Open Mic Improv at O'Malley's (NOT ANY MORE) in Brisbane City

Impromafia, one of Brisbane's impro comedy troupes, presents Free Open Mic Improv at 7.30pm every Monday night at Mick O'Malley's Irish Pub, underneath the Wintergarden arcade in the Queen Street Mall, Brisbane City - click here for a Google Map.

UPDATE: The show on Monday April 27 was the LAST at O'Malley's, so don't turn up there looking for any more impro gigs on a Monday night. I'll let you know as soon as Impro Mafia has a new venue for Monday night open mic impro - they are looking for one right now.

These open mic night are a chance for brand new impro comedians to see if they have what it takes, so come along and see who's trying to make it in the world of Brisbane improvised comedy.

UPDATE: This picture taken by Twitter user @KateEdwards shows the scene at O'Malley's on Monday, April 27 2009:

Share photos on twitter with Twitpic Click on the picture to see a bigger version.


Saturday 25 April 2009

Brisbane Blogs: My Two Cents' story on fundraising gig for Victorian bushfire victims

If you want to read more blogs about Brisbane, you should check out brand-new blog My Two Cents. Alex, the blogger there, has just published a first story about a fundraising gig for victims of the recent Victorian bushfires.

The story includes a video of the night's performance by one of the bands, Expedition Pie.

Friday 24 April 2009

Brisbane Balls: Superhero Ball at Top Floor, Sat April 25 2009



The Top Floor gallery at 99 Elizabeth St, Brisbane City, (click here for a Google Map - when you get there go up the stairs next to the arcade entrance) is putting on a Superhero Ball tomorrow night, Saturday April 25th 2009. There will be plenty of performances to entertain you, including Evelyn Hartogh as Wonder Woman. Here's a vid of Evelyn from 2006:



It's $20 to get in, and all the action starts at 7pm.

Brisbane Memorials: Battle of the Coral Sea Commemoration, Sat May 9th 2009

On Saturday May 9th, there will be a commemoration service to remember the Battle of The Coral Sea, fought from May 4-8 in 1942, when the US and Australian navies stopped a Japanese invasion fleet from reaching Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. This was the first defeat the Japanese fleet had suffered since it entered the Second World War in December 1941.

The service will be at Lyndon B Johnson Place, Newstead Park, Newstead, in the grounds of Newstead House - click here for a Google Map. The service starts at 10am and please bring a gold coin donation.

Thursday 23 April 2009

Brisbane Music: Madeleine Page



This video is of Brisbane acoustic pop/folk singer Madeleine Page singing a cover version of the song Dry Land.

If you like what you hear, you can listen to more at Madeleine Page's MySpace page, or click here to see her videos at YouTube. Madeleine will be launching her EP this Sunday, April 26th at the Brisbane Powerhouse, at the end of Lamington St in New Farm. Click here for a Google Map.

Wednesday 22 April 2009

Brisbane Festivals: Buddha Birth Day Festival 1st - 3rd of May 2009

UPDATED: see below for photos and video from the festival

The Brisbane Buddha's Birthday festival 2009 is on from Friday May 1st to Sunday May 3rd. It's the celebration of Buddha's Birthday (you never would have guessed, would you?), and you can see lots of information at the official website. All events are free, and some of the highlights include:

A Bodhi Tree blessing ceremony at 10am on Friday May 1

William Wei-Liang Lin, a Taiwanese world champion of Diablo juggling.

Talks on meditation and Buddhism.

Wheelchair dancing.

The Taiwan Koahshiung Folk Arts Group performing traditional dance.

A Baby Blessing Ceremony.

And a fireworks show at 7.30PM on Sunday May 3 2009.

It all happens at the Suncorp Piazza at Southbank - click here for a Google Map.


Click here to see the full program
.



UPDATE:

These photos were taken by a friend of mine at the festival:









And this YouTube video by deovahni shows some of the happenings as well:




Tuesday 21 April 2009

Brisbane Giant Puppet Photos: Giant Puppet seen in Queen Street, City



This rather odd giant girl marionette has been seen in Brisbane's Queen Street over the last few days. Apparently, the giant girl doll is all part of a TV commercial being made for Allens Lollies - click here to see an article at the Brisbane Times about it.

The picture above was taken by flickr user Dylan-K and the one below was taken by a.lex



There's more pictures of the giant girl puppet from flickr users zombietron, shonkathan and rockfotze.

UPDATE: rockfotze also made a video of the giant girl puppet which gives you a good idea of just how tall she was:



The story of the giant marionette has also been blogged at The Bludger and Spirits Dancing.

Brisbane Festivals: Urban Country Music Festival, May 1-4 2009, Caboolture

The QUT Urban Country Music Festival is on from May 1 to May 4 at Caboolture, 50km north of Brisbane. All the details are at the website, and even if you're short of cash, they have fifteen free events over the weekend.

There's a list of all the artists here, with links to their MySpace pages or websites so you can check out their music. This video clip shows one of the artists, BIND Australia, playing their song "Save You" at the Tamworth Country Music Festival.



Monday 20 April 2009

Brisbane Impro: Brisbane Playback Theatre Friday April 24th 2009

If you're into improvised theatre, you might want to check out a performance by Playback Theatre this Friday, April 24th, at the Uniting Church at 52 Merthyr Rd, New Farm - doors open at 7.15pm and the performane kicks off at 8pm.

On their website, Playback say:

The material for the performance comes from the audience. Assisted by the conductor, who holds a performance, people in the audience share moments and stories from their lives, which are then immediately re-enacted or "played back" spontaneously by a troupe of usually four actors and a muscian.

The actors and muscian then take on roles in a dramatic form and, using dance, movement, mine, music, dialogue, sound and imagination, the story or moment is played back in a creative and magical re-enactment. No Playback performance is like any other and no-one quite knows what to expect when they walk through the doors. That is the spontaneous nature of Playback, for actors and audience alike.

Click here for a map showing where the Merthyr Uniting Church is. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 concession and $22 for a family - to find out more you can call Deb Driscoll on 0422 809 195 or Jen Barrkman on 0405 110 955.

Thursday 2 April 2009

Brisbane Art: @definatalie and @yukister in the Works on Paper exhibition at KILN Gallery

The Kiln Gallery, in Paddington, is putting on an exhibtion called "Works on Paper", featuring  Brisbane artists who use paper to show their art, from Friday April 3 2009 to Sunday 26 April 2009. Brisbane artists Natalie Perkins and Yuki Nanako are part of the exhibition.



This work by Natalie Perkins from the exhibition is called Blueberry and Watermelon. You can see Natalie Perkins' artistic blog here, her fan page on Facebook is here, and you can buy her artwork here from her RedBubble site.



And this work by Yuki Nanako is called "venesia". Yuki Nanako's own website is here, including her blog, and you can buy her artwork here on RedBubble or here at Etsy.

The Kiln Gallery is at the corner of Latrobe Terrace and Enoggera Terrace, Paddington - click here to see a Google Map. You can contact the gallery on
07 3879 6903, and they are open on Wednesdays from 10am - 4pm, Thursdays and Fridays from 10am to 6pm, and Saturdays and Sundays from 10am - 4pm.

Wednesday 1 April 2009

Brisbane Exhibitions: Timeless: The Art of Cressida Campbell at QUT Art Museum to April 19 2009

There's an exhibition on at the QUT Art Museum in Brisbane City, near the Botanic Gardens and Parliament House - it's called Timeless, and it features the artwork of Cressida Campbell, who is apparently very influenced by Japanese woodblock paintings:



This work is called "Knives", and is copyright of Cressida Campbell - you can see it on her website.

The exhibition is on until April 19th 2009, and because it's so popular, the QUT Art Museum will be open on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am till 5pm - normal opening hours are Tuesday - Friday 10am - 5pm , and on Wednesday nights until 8pm.

There are free guided tours of the exhibition on Friday April 3, Friday April 10 and Friday April 17th 2009, at 12.30pm.

Click here for a map showing the location of the QUT Art Museum.