April 6, 2024

The changing spaces n places…goodbye MOFO, Oh Tasmanians, Oh world, what does this all mean?…

Helloooo my loves.

Greetings from upstate New York, where I’m happily still post-tour colllapsed in the mom cave and have managed to host/MC the past two nights at Graveside Variety! We had a FANTASTIC fundraiser the other night with tons of friends, music and love; here’s a couple snaps and picture of all of the fundraiser performers and staff looking super-fabulous after the show….

And here’s my old pal Rizo (formerly known as Lady Rizo) crushing it last night little pop-up speakeasy….

RIZO HAS ONE MORE SHOW TONIGHT (Sat April 6!) and it’s not quite sold out so get a ticket or walk up!! Everybody was blown away by her awesomeness last night..and if you can’t make it to the woods, support her patreon! She’s a part of the Portland, Oregon cabaret/circus/queerdo family and a real gem of a human.

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We have SOME NEWS TO TELL YOU ABOUT GRAVESIDE…..basically, we are re-upping and moving down the street! That’ll be its own post when we have more concrete things to say and ask for. But it’s been an amazing era, people. Amazing. Get on the email list for the up-to-the-minute stuff. I AM ABOUT TO ANNOUNCE A LITTLE AUTHOR SERIES for May and June. Super limited ticvkets and you won’t wanna miss out, and we’re gonna announce to the locals on the email list before we go to socials and patreon!

Join and see the upcoming calendar of events at:

gravesidevareity.com

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MEANWHILE….!!!!

This is a Sad One.

David Walsh, the founded of the MONA Museum and MOFO FESTIVAL in Tasmania, just announced that the festival is shuttering: https://themusic.com.au/news/david-walsh-announces-the-end-of-mona-foma/nUgjsbCzsrU/05-04-24

His OG post is here: https://mona.net.au/blog/2024/04/sun-sets-on-mona-foma

This is devastating news and I don’t usually write about shit like this….but oh, it HURTS.

This is a bummer in addition other festivals in Oz (Spendor in the Grass, too) closing down recently…/it really feels like the live event wheels are falling off the bus.

Touring is getting harder and harder, the economy is changing, the system is fragile, these huge festivals just can’t make the numbers work.

I’ve played MOFO..3? 4? times? I can’t even count.

It was curated by my old muso hero and pal Brian Ritchie, of Violent Femmes, and I was just gutted when I got the email/blog in the inbox the other night.

I wrote this in the heat of the moment:

When people have asked me, over the last twenty years or so, about the best festival I’ve ever played…hands down: MONA FOMA, in Tasmania, Australia, every time.

This place – these people, this festival, it’s impossible to describe.

I was lucky enough to play this incredible art-work of a festival multiple times solo and with The Dresden Dolls (I feel honored that we got a mention in David’s eulogy here) and I have more vivid memories from those experiences than all my American and UK and European festivals added together.

Sitting in a custom-designed shipping container grassy park confession booth for three days of the festival, in a meditation of couch, of tea, wine, hugs, and listening, getting to know the people of Launceston, Tasmania. Listening to 12+ hours of confessions; but really, most of them stories of horrific sexual violence. Tears. A song that grew out of me in one sitting (“Suck It Up, Buttercup”), the only song I’ve ever written at a festival. The inspiration of the art and music around me.

(You can listen to that HERE…it was patron-funded and the $$ went to bushfire charity)

Seeing people revel in art and music and risk like I never have before and maybe never will again. The permission to go further, be weirder, backed up by a festival that knew no limits of weirdness. Feeling at home.

Front-singing the entirety of Violent Femmes’ debut record with Brian Vig the drums, Mick Harvey on guitar and original femme Brian Ritchie on acoustic bass after TWO HOURS OF REHEARSAL in Brian’s tea house when Dolls were asked to add a second show because someone in Death Grips got arrested and I thought just playing the same set would be BORING. Trying to convince PJ Harvey in the heat of the encore, to come on stage with us to just shake a tambourine or something, and the panic on her face.

That strangely inspired moment led to Brian touring with the femmes (and making a record with them).

Playing “Map of Tasmania” to the people who truly appreciated it.

Playing with the Tasmanian Symphony.

PLAYING MAP OF TASMANIA WITH THE TASMANIAN SYMPHONY!!!!

Feeling more at home as an artist than I think I’ve ever felt. I’m gonna miss it. A lot.

David Walsh, and Brian Ritchie (and Varuni!!), I hope you read this (I’ll email it to but); thank you for giving a stage to the weirdos, the wild, the risk-takers, the noise-makers. Blessed are the odd.

Even if you don’t put on an annual festival, I hope you keep hosting musicians and making music an essential ingredient in the Mona-universe. The eco-system of art and place and music and experience is just too good to let it go.

Rest in weirdness, Mofo. I loved you.

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PLEASE SEND IN MEMORIES.

I NEED THEM!!!

It’s probably also a REALLY GOOD TIME TO FINISH MY MONA / CONFESSIONAL BOOTH DOCUMENTARY WHICH HAS BEEN ON ICE FOR FOUR YEARS NOW.

OK OK I WILL WORK ON IT.

I PROMISE.

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Brian Ritchie wrote back…he was really touched. 🙂

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Hopefully we can keep making MONA memories

Who knows ?

And then, people sent in pictures…

Including this one that got WIPED off goddamn Instagram. I don’t know if patreon will censor it. I hope not. I put the stupid censored one in the header.

Getting art-ed on by Tasmanians!