08 PM | 24 Jul

Vali Myers–A Memoir

“Vali Myers–A Memoir” by Gianni Menichetti Published by The Golda Foundation . California

The Australian artist, Vali Myers, was a legend in her own time. An exquisite memoir of this incredible artist and dancer by her lover and friend of more than 30 years is now available.

It is hoped that this fascinating book will help Vali Myers get the wider recognition she so clearly deserves.

For further information, please visit www.goldafoundation.org

or contact, Bob Yarra, at bobbyarra@yahoo.com

07 PM | 24 Jul

Software Freedom Day

Software Freedom Day – Saturday September 15th Melbourne Town Hall – Get involved

Last year we put on an event to celebrate our own software freedom and to let other people know about it. Along with free and open source (FOSS) software we showcased different FOSS groups and their interests. There were talks and we watched the code breakers. This year we plan to run the event again but with a slightly different focus.

We’ve decided to drop the talks and have demo zones instead. Within the demo zones there will be scope to do 10 minute talks and demos. We will showcase all that is cool in FOSS as well as have a community stand and a burning station. We plan to show videos too.

To do this we need volunteers to help out with demo zones, at the community table and at the burning station. We’ll also need people to help spruik the event out the front of the town hall.

Computerbank will provide two computers at each of the demo zones. LUV will supply the burning station. MLUG have suggested they can bring in a few laptops running different distros. Melbourne Wireless will provide access points.

The community stand will be the place where groups can leave information about themselves. Members from different groups can be rostered to help with it. We can also hang posters on display boards.

Depending on funding, we imagine having a number of t-shirts available for volunteers helping at demo zones or with spruiking. People from groups who have their own branded t-shirts (other) should wear them if possible.

We have a planning wiki over at http://vic.computerbank.org.au/wiki/SoftwareFreedomDay and our main page for the event is at http://www.softwarefreedomday.org/melb

We need to know who is interested in attending and helping on the day. We need to know if your group wants to be represented on the community table?

If you have a preference to help with a particular demo-zone or task don’t forget to let us know (check the wiki for a list of demo-zones).

We also need help with letting the general public know about this event, we need people to help put posters and flyers out there. If you can help with this please get in touch. We really want to get the word out there!

If anyone has any ideas or opportunities for publicity we’d love your help. We really want the day to rock! If you are on mailing lists or forums you might consider plugging our event in your sig.

We have a Melbourne SFD planning and volunteers list, if you are planning on helping out as a volunteer or if you are coming along to represent your group, let me know, and we’ll subscribe you to it.

Software Freedom Day – only 53 days to go. Get involved. 🙂

Feel free to forward this email far and wide.

Thanks!

Kylie Davies President/Coordinator Computerbank Victoria Inc http://vic.computerbank.org.au

06 PM | 20 Jul

La Femme release

Melbourne’s La Femme were a fascinating meld of late Seventies influences: punk, new wave, glam and hard rock. Their 1979 debut single Chelsea Kids is one of the all-time classic Australian singles and their only LP: La Femme, is arguably one of the best to come out Melbourne’s late 1970’s punk/new wave scene (which included Models and The Boys Next Door). It contains many fine examples of the band’s confident, swaggering glam-infused punk-metal sound.

Lead singer Chane Chane was a charismatic, hyperactive front man, a refreshing personality with a strong audience rapport. Guitarist Brett Walker was a real live flashy guitar hero for the times, coming on like a punk-metal Mick Ronson by pealing off large chunks of dense power riffing when other guitarists were still going plink-plonk. The thuggish rhythm section of Peter Kidd and Graham Schiavello played it mean and hard, providing the relentless, driving beat.

La Femme could well have made it into the big league if they’d wanted but swimming against the commercial tide seemed to be their raison d’être. In many ways they were their own worst enemies. An unwillingness to play the pop star game and the serious drug addiction, among other things, perhaps ended up compromising the band’s drive. For an inner-city band with so much potential, in the end they really did give it away. They toured constantly, built up a huge support base on the suburban pub circuit, scored several prestigious support gigs, made three appearances on Countdown (one of the first punk/new wave/alternative bands to do so), released one of the great Melbourne punk albums and yet they never rose above being a cult attraction.

Aztec Music’s deluxe reissue has been digitally remastered from the original tapes. It contains 8 bonus tracks: the single edit of Chelsea Kids, their 2 non-LP B-sides (covers of I Wanna Be Your Man and All Day And All Of The Night), 2 marvelously punky demo’s from 1978, 3 demo’s from 1979 (that you would swear was part of the NWOBHM movement), PLUS their rare film clip of Chelsea Kids that had been lost for the past 28 years (we just found it in time!). www.aztecmusic.net

06 PM | 20 Jul

EngageMedia partners with OK.VIDEO

EngageMedia has partnered with the OK.VIDEO Militia Jakarta International Video Festival at the National Gallery of Indonesia to distribute the festival videos online, present an online video training for video artists and participate in a discussion about video activism.

OK.Video is a biannual Jakarta based video festival that was established in 2003 by Ruangrupa, an artists’ initiative based in Jakarta. OK.Video Festival “MILITIA” aims to  explore the development of video as a medium and to build a social, political, cultural, and historical consciousness about what is that happening in our surroundings.

OK.VIDEO Militia conducted a series of video workshops in various towns and cities in Indonesia, capturing the ‘quintessence’ of each area by asking participants to explore their own questions about their social, political and physical surroundings using the medium of video.

Videos from the workshops are listed here to watch and download from EngageMedia: http://www.engagemedia.org/ok-video-militia/