august muster

The Gympie muster is on again during this last week of this month (24-29 August 2010).
The 'Muster' is held over six days and nights right in the midst of the gum forests of Amamoor via Gympie. The top musical artists of Australia and the odd guest or two from overseas, perform in 13 venues thoughout the National Music Festival in celebration of country Australia - the bush. It's a wonderful experience that is on the must-go-there-before-you-die list.

I've already been a few times and am considering going again, as they keep inviting me every year. Not to perform of course - but to attend.
Just in case it's a goer, i visited the bookshelves and CD racks of my favourite hangout.
A good mix this month.
So here's the musta-

Non-fiction Books:

• David Suzuki’s Green Guide. How to live and lessen our carbon footprint. This book identifies ways to be more green in four key areas: home, travel, food, and consumerism.
• Saviano. Gomorrah - Italy’s other mafia. an expose of the mafia in the southern city of Napoli.
• Neil Young. The Illustrated History. This is a picture book - for me :-).

Magazines

• Runners. Good tips on how to get fit for free - running that is, not the magazine.
• Mojo March 2010. Free CD.
• Uncut April & July 2010. Free CDs there too.

DVDs

• How Green Was My Valley. A companion movie to the book. See below.
• Frank & Jesse James. Stars the highwaymen Cash, Kristofferson and Nelson (cameo as a general). Good they stuck to their day jobs. Although Kristofferson did do a few more movies than the other two.

Fiction:
Richard Llewellyn. How Green Was My Valley. I don’t remember reading this in school. Hey teachers, get them kids to read - this.

The following are on the not-to-read-list, or rather if-there’s-nothing-else-to-read list

• Michael Connelly. The Closers
• Lustabader. Ludlum’s Bourne objective
• Deaver. The Bodies Left Behind

Music:

Check out these soundtracks and recent releases.

• Crazy Heart. Original Motion Picture Soundtrack includes 16 songs from the film. Artists include the Louvin brothers, Lightnin' Hopkins, Waylon Jennings, Townes Van Zandt; and songs by Billy Joe Shaver and Greg Brown.
• Easy rider is the soundtrack to the cult 1969 film of the same name. Includes songs by The Band, The Byrds and Roger McGuinn (of The Byrds).
• Bela Fleck. Throw down your heart. Tales from the Acoustic Planet. This won a Grammy award. 
• Beth Nielsen chapman. Prism. A CD of religious and spiritual songs.
• Drive-by truckers. The big to-do. A rock album by an alternative country band.
• Geoffrey Yunupingu. Gurrumul. The debut album for an Indigenous Australian musician.
• John Cougar. American Fool. Remastered 1982 album. Mellencamp’s no fool.
• The Who live at the isle of wight festival 1970. Released in 1996.

Below CDs are mostly to re-copy some deletions.

• Alan Jackson. Freight Train. country pop.
• Elvis Presley. 50 Australian hits.
• Brooks & Dunn. Cowboy Town.
• Harry Nilsson. Anthology. 2-CD set of nearly 50 songs
• U2. The Joshua Tree. 20th anniversary edition (remastered)
• Janis Joplin. Joplin's final album Pearl features her hit version of "Me and Bobby McGee"

• Rockwhiz uncovered. Cover versions from Series 1-4 of the popular SBS TV music trivia quiz show.
• Rosanne Cash, John Williamson and Canon were featured before.

There's enough there to go muster-ing and fishing.

maybe i should do both...