Tuesday 26 May 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, May 29th, 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.

Monday 25 May 2009

Brisbane Art and Photography: Birds of A Feather exhibition at Rics from tomorrow 6pm



The Birds of A Feather exhibition opens at Rics Bar in the Brunswick St Mall in Fortitude Valley (click here for a Google Map) at 6pm tomorrow, Tuesday May 26th 2009.

Birds of A Feather features artwork by Georgia Freebody (who is @evilgesq on Twitter) and photos by Robert Mynard (who is @Robmynard on Twitter). The poster above gives you an idea of the sort of art and photos you'll be able to see there.


Sunday 24 May 2009

Brisbane Indian Boy Bands: Boymongoose is back with a new song, "Utah"!

Boymongoose, lead singer of the most successful Indian boy band ever to live in Brisbane, has released a new song, "Utah":



Boymongoose's other songs are The Twelve Days of Christmas ("On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: a totally insufficient dowry...")

and Single Girls, to the tune of Jingle Bells ("Single Girls, Single Girls, please click my profile, everything that I may lack I make up in denial...")

The new song is being released as a project with nexttophit.com, a site that lets new and emerging artists sell music, and lets listeners find new bands. If you want to join the site, you can click here to see Boymongoose's profile, but you'll have to register and log in before you can see it.

Thanks to Twitter user @scarlettjen for the info about the new song being out.

Saturday 23 May 2009

Brisbane Theatre, Dance and Song - Lord Mayor's New Works Festival, June 4-20 2009

Harvest Rain Theatre Company are putting on the Lord Mayor's New Works Festival from June 4-20 2009. The Festival is three different events showing off new Brisbane theatre, dance and song. All events are at the Mina Parade Warehouse, 81 Mina Parade, Alderley - click here for a Google Map.

The three different events are:

New Plays - June 4-6 2009, 7.30pm

Four different new plays in one night - The Cursing of Ms Haversham, Damnation Has Its Origin, Two Women and Lot. It's $15 for a ticket and that gets you into all four plays.


New Songs, New Voices - June 11-13, 7.30pm

New music and new singing talent from Brisbane. $15 a ticket.


Dance Design - June 18-20, 7.30pm

Brisbane dancers show off pop, jazz, musical theatre, hip-hip dance and more. $15 a ticket.

Click here for more information on the shows, and you can book tickets for any or all of the shows if you click here

Thursday 21 May 2009

Brisbane Anime: Brisbane Anime Club screening Sun 24 May, QUT

The Brisbane Anime Society has a monthly Sunday screening coming up on Sunday May 24 2009 in Room B119, B Block, at the QUT Gardens Point Campus in the city. (To get to B Block enter the QUT campus by walking down George St to its end, walk past Parliament House and once you're past there, B Block is the second building on your right hand side - click here for a Google Map)

There's 9 episodes being shown this Sunday:

Kurokami episodes 1-3



Nabari no Ou episodes 17-20



Ghost Hound episodes 1-4




The screening starts at 12 midday - please be on time. If you're a member of the Brisbane Anime Society, it costs $2 to get in, otherwise it's $3. Membership costs $10 for a year and you can join at the screening.

Wednesday 20 May 2009

Brisbane Rain and Floods - Photos, Videos and a Google Map

As you know if you've been in Brisbane since Monday night, there's been plenty of rain around the last couple of days, and some parts of the city are starting to flood. Twiter user TrishwaH has created a very handy Google Map - just click here to see it - which shows flood reports and closed roads in the Greater Brisbane area. Anyone can update the map, so if you have new info, please feel free to insert it into the map.

Here's some videos from YouTube of the flooding:



Having trouble watching the videos? Click here to go to a list of videos in the playlist.


And this slideshow from Flickr shows some photos of the flooding (click here if you can't see the slideshow to go straight to the photos)



This post at the Woolly Days blog, by Brisbane journalist Derek Barry, has some more photos showing what Brisbane looks like under a bit of water.

I suggest you listen to the ABC's local radio station on 612AM - it's the best place to get updates from the emergency services about what's happening. If you've suffered flood or storm damage call the State Emergency Service on 132500 but remember they are all volunteers so DON'T ring up several times in the night whining that they haven't got around to you yet (Yes, this happens).

If you're following reports on Twitter, I suggest you follow @612Brisbane, @brisweather and @bristraffic for the best info from emergency services and Twitter users about what's happening.

Current warnings from the Bureau of Meterology advise that heavy rains and damaging winds are likely for the next few days. They advise:

Stay OUT of drains, rivers, creeks and the sea.
DON'T try to drive through flooded roads.
Make sure loose items in your yard are fixed down so they can't fly around.
Take shelter if you're in the open, but NOT under trees.
Beware of falling branches and avoid power lines that have fallen down.

Take care.

Tuesday 19 May 2009

Brisbane Cult Movies: Globe Theatre presents 5 B-Grade movies, Sun May 24 2009

The Globe Theatre at 220 Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley (click here for a Google Map) is Brisbane's cult cinema. On Sunday May 24th 2009 they have a special feature starting at 2pm: 5 of the worst movies of all time for only $15.

The lineup is:

Plan 9 From Outer Space - regarded by many as the worst film ever made.

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes

Robot Monster

The Blob

The Brain that Wouldn't Die

Since "The Brain that Wouldn't Die" is now in the public domain, you can watch it here, courtesy of Google Video:



Since the Globe Theatre has a liquor licence, you'll need to prove you're over 18 to get in, so bring photo ID.



Monday 18 May 2009

Brisbane Festivals: Paniyiri Greek Festival 2009 POSTPONED to July 4 - 5 2009

The Paniyiri Greek Festival is on this Saturday and Sunday, May 23 and May 24 2009, at Musgrave Park in South Brisbane - click here for a Google Map.

According to Michael Lund, a Brisbane freelance journalist, Paniyiri has been postponed to July 4 and 5 2009 because of the heavy rain Brisbane's had since Monday May 18 2009 which continues today (Wed 20 May) and is expected to keep going for a few days yet.



There's music, food, dancing, lectures and more - click here and scroll down to see a list of all the different events.

To give you an idea of what it's like, have a look at these photos and this video I took at Paniyiri two years ago:




Thursday 14 May 2009

Brisbane Art and Photography: Birds of a Feather exhibition at Rics from Tue May 26



The Birds of A Feather exhibition opens at Rics Bar in the Brunswick St Mall in Fortitude Valley (click here for a Google Map) at 6pm on Tuesday May 26th 2009.

Birds of A Feather features artwork by Georgia Freebody (who is @evilgesq on Twitter) and photos by Robert Mynard (who is @Robmynard on Twitter). The poster above gives you an idea of the sort of art and photos you'll be able to see there.


Tuesday 12 May 2009

Brisbane Steampunk - Prometheus Bound, Sat May 16 2009

IF you like the idea of steampunk - roughly described as steam-powered science fiction - then you might want to get along to Prometheus Bound this Saturday night, May 16 2009 - doors open at 8pm. It's at the basement entrance of Club 320, at the corner of Leichhardt St and Boundary St in Spring Hill - click here for a Google Map.



It's $12 to get in, or $8 if you have a concession card or if you have a stamp from another club on your hand.



This collection of pictures from previous Prometheus Bound events in Brisbane is from the Prometheus Bound MySpace page





Performers on the night include The Wretched Villains and burlesque artist Miss Kitty Conquest (pictured above in this photo from Flickr)

I found out about this event from the Brisneyland LiveJournal community. If you want to keep track of future Prometheus Bound events, you might want to check out the Brisbane Steampunk community on LiveJournal

Monday 11 May 2009

Brisbane Festivals: Redcliffe Kite Festival 2009 Sat May 16th and Sun May 17th



The Redcliffe Kitefest is on Saturday 16th May 2009 from 10am to 4pm and Sunday 17th of May 2009 from 9am to 4pm.. It's at Pelican Park in Clontarf - click here for a Google Map.

The photo of the shark above at last year's Kitefest was taken by Flickr user ponieprice. Below you can see a slideshow of 90 photos taken by Brisbane photographers of the Kitefest and put on flickr:


One of the features of the event is Japanese Edo kite master Mikio Toki: this video shows him making a traditional Japanese kite:



For more info, see the Redcliffe Kite Club's website or call 07 3889 3384 or 0415 437 982.





Sunday 10 May 2009

Brisbane Time: What time is it now in Brisbane, Australia?



This handy clock comes from timeanddate.com. If you can't see it click here to visit their page about Brisbane, Australia, which also has info on sun and moon times, weather, Australian and Brisbane dialling codes and some handy planners if you're on holiday in Brisbane from overseas and want to work out the best time to call home.

Remember that if you're in Brisbane from about October to March, the other eastern states have Daylight Savings while Brisbane doesn't (as of May 2009). So if you're dealing with business between Brisbane and Sydney or Melbourne you'll have to remember that they are an hour ahead. This can be confusing because the State border between Queensland and New South Wales runs right through the middle of the Gold Coast's Coolangatta/Tweed Heads twin town, so people on one side of the street are an hour ahead of the others.

Look, don't waste time trying to understand the ins and outs of Australian timezones in summer. Just click here for a clock at timeanddate.com that shows you exactly what the time is in each Australian capital - Coolangatta is on Brisbane time, and Tweed Heads is on Sydney Time.

Friday 8 May 2009

Brisbane Art: Latin American Art at Circle Gallery May 8-14 2009



Artistas Latinos, a group of Latin American artists in Brisbane, is putting on its first exhibition, Brush Strokes, at the Circle Gallery, 274 Montague Rd, West End, on the corner of Scott St (click here for a Google Map) from tonight, Friday May 8 to Thursday May 14 2009. The poster above gives you an idea of some of the art that will be on display.

The Circle Gallery is open from 10am to 5pm daily. It's a small gallery in West End where artists can put on their own shows for a short time. The gallery doesn't collect any commission for work that you sell - click here to find out more information about putting on an exhibition there.

Thursday 7 May 2009

Brisbane Art: Museum of Brisbane's Temperature 2: New Queensland Art



Paul Adair's Rock Pool from Three-Hole Mountain Inn

The Museum of Brisbane, in the Brisbane City Hall at King George Square (click here for a Google Map), has an exhibition at the moment called Temperature 2: New Queensland Art. As you can probably guess, it's about the work of 22 Queensland artists who are making art right now.

If you'd like to see more of the work that's on display at the exhibition, visit the exhibition's page here at the MoB's website, and you'll see an animated slideshow of some of the work.

The Museum of Brisbane is open seven days a week from 10am to 5pm and it's free to get in. The Temperature 2: New Queensland Art exhibition is on until Monday June 8 2009.



Wednesday 6 May 2009

Brisbane Jazz: Valley Jazz Festival 12-17 May 2009 - 39 free gigs

The Valley Jazz Festival is on from May 12 to May 17 2009, at 12 venues in and around Fortitude Valley in inner Brisbane - and the Jazz Festivals has a very handy Google Map showing you where all the venues are - just click here.

To find out the details of one of the 39 free gigs that are happening at festival time, click here - you'll find a list of events. You'll see the word "Type" in red - just click it, and all the free gigs will be listed separately from the paid ones.

If you go to the front page of the festival's website, there's a built-in music player with 13 tracks by some of the artists at the festival, including Elixr (featuring Katie Noonan), Toby Wren and Way Out West.

And if you go to the Festival program by clicking here you'll see that the name of each artist/group (and each venue) is in red. Click on the band names and you'll get taken to a page that will play you two tracks of that band's music (for some of the bands), so you can get a taste of what each artist is like. If the band has a myspace page there's a link to that as well, so you can sample a bit more of their music.

Two of the artists performing for free who appealed to me are:

Ubique Trio:




and the Gemma Turvey Trio.


If you have a poke around the festival website, you'll find a lot to listen to.

Brisbane Museums: Queensland Military History Museum

The Queensland Military History Museum has all sorts of displays about Queensland's military heritage, going back to at least 1857. According to their website, their collection includes:

medals from the New Zealand (Maori) Wars to presentdays, photographs from pre-Federation Queensland, weapons from an 1800 'brown Bess' musket to modern firearms and swords including Queensland Defence Force bandsman's items, trench and convalescence art, and other memorabilia of pre- Federation Queensland Defence Force personalities.


If you click here, you can see some photos of the QMMM's collection.

The QMMM is open every Sunday from 12 midday to 4pm and it costs $2 for adults to get in, or $5 for a family (2 adults and 2 children).  It's at 28 Church St, Fortitude Valley (click here for a Google Map) and if you want to organise for a group to go during the week just call the museum on 07 3852 3565 (+61 7 3852 3565 from overseas) from 9am till midday on Tuesday or Friday.

Tuesday 5 May 2009

Brisbane Burlesque - come and try Burlesque at Scoundrelles At Play, Fri May 8 2009

If you've ever thought you'd like to try burlesque performing, local womens' burlesque troupe Scoundrelles is putting on Scoundrelles At Play, a free open night for women to try burlesque performane and learn a few moves, this Friday, May 8th 2009, from 6-8pm at the Indigo Room in the Fringe Bar, on the corner of Ann and Constance Sts in Fortitude Valley - click here for a Google Map.

For an idea of what you'll be learning, this video show some of Scoundrelles' students performing to "The Bomb" - it's not safe for work and you might not want to show it to your young children:



Don't worry, everyone at the open night class will be fully clothed - it's just about learning a few fun moves, not pushing you past your comfort level. IF you plan to go along, click here to read some instructions for how to prepare for the class, and what you can expect.

By the way, I found out about this event on Twitter from @divabat, who's a good person to follow if you're on Twitter and want to know more about burlesque in Brisbane.

You can also 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 Music Sales: Butter Beats $2 record sale, Sunday May 9th 2009

The Butter Beats record store is holding its $2 record sale this Sunday, May 10th 2009, at barsoma, 22 Constance St, Fortitude Valley from 8am to 4pm (click here for a Google Map) - you can pick up all sorts of records and CDs for $2 each.

It's $10 to get in from 8-10am, $5 to get in after 10am. 4ZZZ-FM subscribers get in free, and the doors will be open for free late in the afternoon. There'll be food and alcohol for sale after 11am.

The bloke I talked to at the Butter Beats store in the Valley told me that there's lots of music available, not just in the genres that Butter Beats usually stock - for instance one of the stallholders has picked up an old radio station's collection so he will have heaps of 70s and 80s music for sale. He also said that music dealers won't get any special treatment - they have to pay to get in like everyone else and won't get let in early - so if you're an ordinary music lover you'll get just as much chance as them to get yourself some music.



Brisbane Art: Urban Grind coffee shop in Brunswick St offers commission-free hanging space

Are you an artist looking for somewhere to show your work? Urban Grind coffee shop, at 530 Brunswick St, New Farm (click here for a Google Map), is looking for artists.

Urban Grind offers a free AND commission-free hanging space for two weeks. If you're interested, email art@urbangrind.com.au and include a description of what you'd like to show, and please include some examples in the email.

And if you're on Brunswick St at the border of New Farm and the Valley (near the laundromat and Burger Urge), you might want to drop into Urban Grind, drink coffee and play their awesome free table-top video game:

Urban Grind

The video machine has dozens of different classic games on it, like Dig Dug, Qix, Scramble and Frogger.

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

Monday 4 May 2009

Brisbane Roller Derby: SATURDAY May 9 and SATURDAY May 30

So you do like roller derby? Let me rephrase that. Does the idea of athletic young women roller skating and physically smashing into each other appeal to you? If so, you might want to check out Sun State Roller Girls' final bout of the season on Saturday May 30th 2009, or Northern Brisbane Rollers' second bout on Saturday May 9th 2009.




The Northern Brisbane Rollers' bout starts at 6.30pm this Saturday, May 9th at the Morayfield Park Leisure Centre, 298 Morayfield Rd, Morayfield (click here for a Google Map) and costs $12 to get in ($10 concession and under-12s are free). There's live music and food and drink for sale.




The Sun State Roller Girls' bout starts at 7pm on Saturday May 30th and it's $10 to get in, $8 concession with under-12s free. It's at the Beenleigh Arena at 2 Milne St, Beenleigh (click here for a Google Map). There's food and drink for sale, and market stalls and free live music, but you'll need to bring cash because there's no EFTPOS machine there.

And if these gigs are too far away to travel, there's a new roller derby league setting up in the Brisbane City area - Brisbane City Rollers.

If you're interesting in being in the roller derby, just click on the links to any of the leagues on this page and you'll find out all the details about how to join.