Well had a great night at the old Masonic Lodge now being looked after by Mike Mcleod. A healthy crowd and and fantastic music especially by Alpha State who played a blistering set...beautifully crafted songs and very Calexico sounding in parts with Steadman on slide. I played some stranger versions of old Jetty classics as well as some newer Sea Fog songs. Very appreciative audience in Port Chalmers. also got to the Bill Direen gig to meet up with Andrew Matai from Powertool Records .We finalised some dates for the jetty album and discussed maybe reforming Jetty and putting out Angst Anger and Decay on Video, when the album is released . Bill Direen was amazing especially his version of Hard Rain. Was agreat night and good to see Arc reopened.
If this is the geneal forum for Jetty then why doesn't it have Jetty comments?
And why no reference to their brilliant album "Soundtrax for Modern Heartbreak" recorded in Dunedin during November 1997?
SFMH is one of my all-time top 20 NZ albums. It was self-released and distributed. Who has a copy? I know of three people. That's because I bought their copies for them from Records Records and sent them to them.
So let's recap. They were Robin Sharma (gat/vox) Gary Dalhousie (lead gat), Andrew Barsby (bass) and Martyn Saddler (drums). I saw them twice sometime around the turn of the millenium. Spikey, surly left-field guitar pop'n'punk. First time I thought they sounded a bit like a fiery, worked up Puddle. Second time, I'd heard the album, and they were all Jetty.
The album is a masterpiece of stroppy melodic punky weirdness mixing cartoon pop (a la Shaft) on "Shiny radio" and "Sonick Yooth" with fiercely angular lifestories like "White Boys on Punk", local history ("Puakanui") then brooding fuzzy guitar thrash. Much more besides.
I've never heard someone spit and rant in such a fabulously confrontational and mostly unintelligible way since Mark E. Smith on those early Fall albums. But amongst the pent up fury there are little pieces of softness, reason and just plain weird philosophising.
Soundwise this is all properly recorded at the medium-fi end of hi-fi (as befitting it's overall tone and worldview) with pleasantly scruffy arrangements and vocal effects that enhance the spikey arguments that often confront the listener.
What makes it so special in the end is that this album is so strikingly unassociated with any particular "sound" or "style" or time other than just being Jetty. Maybe there's a passing whiff of Pavement (through a lyrical acknowledgement and a similar convoluted lyrical obscurity), a bit of Mark E. Smith contrariness, a bit of Crazy Horse in the guitar thrash and some punk spit and pop contrivances. But it's all assembled in rough beauty that, all these years later, is just Jetty to me.
Where are they now? Rumours of reformations have circulated. Nobody knows. Maybe nobody else cares. Maybe they've done their dash. Made their masterpiece. Moved on. If so, someone ought to be "rediscovering" this and giving it an international release.
Rob Sharma still plays now and again around town. he supports us now and again - he even played 'White Boys on Punk' and other backcatalogue gems, which was grreat to hear. his brother Aaron also plays solo around town too - the two of them are remarkably gifted musicians and songwriters. at times the world stops when they play, which is a lot for me to say as i like loud music, and often solo-propelled music doesn't cut through my tinnitus/attention deficit.
Thanks Sonorhead for the input and critique of our first album...I just came across this entry and it made me want play live again so in fact thats happening tonight in Port Chalmers at The lodge with Gina Rocco and Alphastate. Powertool Records are rereleasing the album in 2008 with a new package and I have a collection done from my workbook done with acoustic guitar and engineered by Forbes that will also come out next year. Anyway your writings made me feel choice so thanks for that all the best.
i'm not sure how much this happens, but now and again the wee scene out at Port Chalmers rears its gorgeous-weary head and Rob's often seen playing out there at Chicks when it does get going. thing is that it only kinda happens when locals feel like it, so there isn't often that much notice, let alone any actual publicity ...
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Well had a great night at
Well had a great night at the old Masonic Lodge now being looked after by Mike Mcleod. A healthy crowd and and fantastic music especially by Alpha State who played a blistering set...beautifully crafted songs and very Calexico sounding in parts with Steadman on slide. I played some stranger versions of old Jetty classics as well as some newer Sea Fog songs. Very appreciative audience in Port Chalmers. also got to the Bill Direen gig to meet up with Andrew Matai from Powertool Records .We finalised some dates for the jetty album and discussed maybe reforming Jetty and putting out Angst Anger and Decay on Video, when the album is released . Bill Direen was amazing especially his version of Hard Rain. Was agreat night and good to see Arc reopened.
If this is the geneal forum for Jetty ...
If this is the geneal forum for Jetty then why doesn't it have Jetty comments?
And why no reference to their brilliant album "Soundtrax for Modern Heartbreak" recorded in Dunedin during November 1997?
SFMH is one of my all-time top 20 NZ albums. It was self-released and distributed. Who has a copy? I know of three people. That's because I bought their copies for them from Records Records and sent them to them.
So let's recap. They were Robin Sharma (gat/vox) Gary Dalhousie (lead gat), Andrew Barsby (bass) and Martyn Saddler (drums). I saw them twice sometime around the turn of the millenium. Spikey, surly left-field guitar pop'n'punk. First time I thought they sounded a bit like a fiery, worked up Puddle. Second time, I'd heard the album, and they were all Jetty.
The album is a masterpiece of stroppy melodic punky weirdness mixing cartoon pop (a la Shaft) on "Shiny radio" and "Sonick Yooth" with fiercely angular lifestories like "White Boys on Punk", local history ("Puakanui") then brooding fuzzy guitar thrash. Much more besides.
I've never heard someone spit and rant in such a fabulously confrontational and mostly unintelligible way since Mark E. Smith on those early Fall albums. But amongst the pent up fury there are little pieces of softness, reason and just plain weird philosophising.
Soundwise this is all properly recorded at the medium-fi end of hi-fi (as befitting it's overall tone and worldview) with pleasantly scruffy arrangements and vocal effects that enhance the spikey arguments that often confront the listener.
What makes it so special in the end is that this album is so strikingly unassociated with any particular "sound" or "style" or time other than just being Jetty. Maybe there's a passing whiff of Pavement (through a lyrical acknowledgement and a similar convoluted lyrical obscurity), a bit of Mark E. Smith contrariness, a bit of Crazy Horse in the guitar thrash and some punk spit and pop contrivances. But it's all assembled in rough beauty that, all these years later, is just Jetty to me.
Where are they now? Rumours of reformations have circulated. Nobody knows. Maybe nobody else cares. Maybe they've done their dash. Made their masterpiece. Moved on. If so, someone ought to be "rediscovering" this and giving it an international release.
Rob Sharma still plays now and again ...
Rob Sharma still plays now and again around town. he supports us now and again - he even played 'White Boys on Punk' and other backcatalogue gems, which was grreat to hear. his brother Aaron also plays solo around town too - the two of them are remarkably gifted musicians and songwriters. at times the world stops when they play, which is a lot for me to say as i like loud music, and often solo-propelled music doesn't cut through my tinnitus/attention deficit.
Thanks Sonorhead for the
Thanks Sonorhead for the input and critique of our first album...I just came across this entry and it made me want play live again so in fact thats happening tonight in Port Chalmers at The lodge with Gina Rocco and Alphastate. Powertool Records are rereleasing the album in 2008 with a new package and I have a collection done from my workbook done with acoustic guitar and engineered by Forbes that will also come out next year. Anyway your writings made me feel choice so thanks for that all the best.
I saw this band. They were pretty ...
I saw this band.
They were pretty fucking amazing.
Thanks for your comments people... I ...
Thanks for your comments people... I thought Jetty deserved some attention so thanks for adding your voices (metaphorically-speaking) to my rantings.
I've seen Rob around town a bit but not playing. maybe I should check the gig guide more often... and hand around at Onanon gigs too...
i'm not sure how much this happens, ...
i'm not sure how much this happens, but now and again the wee scene out at Port Chalmers rears its gorgeous-weary head and Rob's often seen playing out there at Chicks when it does get going. thing is that it only kinda happens when locals feel like it, so there isn't often that much notice, let alone any actual publicity ...