A lot is certainly going on at the moment, some of which will require a different time to speak about. But for now, two items that may be of interest:

I was recently asked by Services UNE to be a judge for the Jim Beam National Campus Band Competition. While the title may look rather glamorous and honourable, the job is fairly much a monkey's job. Poor hopeful wannabe bands play to an unresponsive crowd for a mere 20 minutes while us Judges fill out narrowly categorised forms giving scores making for a fairly mechanical process. One bonus for me is getting to hang out with fellow judge Pete Arkins who seems keen to collaborate musically. Pete caught my attention last year experimenting with bmps as slow as 2 beats per minute...

The other bonus is that I can write some constructive comments for these bands. Last night was heat 1, seeing three fairly rock-oriented bands. The third, Strange Days, were slightly interesting in their Sonic-Youth-out-of-tune feels meets Russel Crow happily pissed was shambolic but showing potential. However, all night there were no electronics, or any deliberate sense of 'giving the groove to the crowd', which is really where it's at with live music, or at least what is exciting me. There are two more judging sessions to go before it's over, with two new bands to see next week.

Triple J's Unearthed has returned once again, this time as a national web community that will surely mean bloating and little chance for bands and artists that used to rely upon the old regional model of the competition. Still, the initiative has been enough to inspire my WA friend James DXU to put up a page for his DXU-555 audio-video project with VJ 555, which will come online once their songs are accepted. Speaking of which, the boys have put up a YouTube page, showing off their magic work done for the unreleased Dimensions DVD.

I've also decided to put an Unearthed page up (again, offline until the songs are accepted), although I currently have no tunes out of my public mp3s I wish to submit. There was the thought I would fast-track some of my developing Paradox songs - but I'm in no mood to rush those songs which require months more close attention and work. So, I think I will quickly cut up a version of 'I Love You And I Love Your Needles' that appears in original form on James DXU's Analogue Sessions Vol.1 album with the 'Modification' suffix. It will be as thus: the original, polished sonically, with James' groovy analogue beats added the end section. That song will have to serve as a place holder untill I get the Paradox tracks done.

Lots more happening, which I shall reveal in good time...