I’ve had such fun over the last few weeks doing solo shows from Salamander to Nelson Bay to Carrington and Pokolbin and everywhere in between. Using my old BBE Sonic Maximiser has fattened up the acoustic sound and I’ve de-tuned my new Martin down a tone and a half to be able to play some songs I’ve wanted to do for ages. I’ve been enjoying especially singing “Short Note” by Matt Finish and a few other more obscure songs. Also I’ve been attempting some different DV8 songs solo like “Call of the Wild” and adding more blues stuff to the set when I can.

Looking forward to playing solo at The Duke of Wellington on Saturday January 31st from 8.30pm.

Saturday January 17th at the Wicko saw the YOGIs reconvene for the new year. I was so happy to see such a huge crowd and some wild dancing to songs like Tide is Rising and 21st Century. We’ve decided that we need more dancing songs so I’m well into writing a few funky new dance tunes already. Rosie and Len are really taking the rhythm section to new heights and it’s fun for me to be able to fly over top of their solid grooves.

Our next show is again at the Wicko on Saturday March 21st from 5-8pm. see you there.

It’s been 3 great gigs in a row since NYE. The Wicko really rocked and so did our Australia Day Eve gig at the Mark Hotel. Thank you all for coming out and dancing and soaking up the rock n roll with enthusiastic abandon. We’re looking forward to recording soon and our next show at the Gunyah Hotel in Belmont on Valentine’s Day Saturday Feb. 14th from 8pm.

For all the guitarists, I’ve just purchased a Fender Blues Deluxe amp ( a made in USA original ) and had it rigged up in tandem with my Fender Twin last Sunday. It’s a great punchy sound with a tad less volume for all those small rooms.

Below is the Stab in the Dark album cover which was recorded at the Bel-Air Hotel in 1981 by Mark Tinson. Photography and artwork by Wayne Bunt. Released through EMI Custom. 

Hot Yogis have been reinvigorated with the addition of Craig “Rosie” Rosevear on drums toward the middle of 2014. Len and Rosie really lock in on those funky rhythms. Rosie is best known for his years on the Screaming Jets drum throne and also has had many, many years with DV8. He’s also an educator, motivator and generally good-hearted switched-on kind of guy who knows how to rock.

We’ve had some great afternoon shows at the Wicko and will be back there on Saturday January 17th in the beer garden from 5-8pm.

Another first for us is having our music from the album “Under The Wire” included on the film/DVD called “Broughton Island” by Keepin’ It Reel Productions. It’s an honour to have our music provide atmosphere to such a beautiful, pristine paradise in our own backyard. Check out the DVD when you can. It’s informative and humorous and especially interesting if you’re a fisherman or a lover of camping and the great outdoors.

2014 was a great year for solo work with many exciting shows, parties, weddings and a couple of Lizzottes original shows….I learned lots of new songs and wrote a few as well….2015 is already underway with 2 solo gigs under my belt…I enjoyed a new gig at Cardiff RSL Club on Friday January 2nd where I pulled out some old DV8 songs like “Lighten Up Your Load” and a few Hot Yogi songs….and a really special afternoon at Harrigans, Pokolbin on Sunday Jan 3rd. There’s something very freeing about playing solo acoustic gigs. I enjoy the chance to respond to the whim of the moment and pull out all kinds of different tunes whether old or new, originals or covers. Some of my favourite venues have been the Bay Hotel at Bonnells Bay, Mavericks at Nelson Bay, The Criterion at Carrington where I feel a real joy and appreciation from people. This week I’ll be at the Criterion at Carrington on Friday January 9th from 7.30pm to 11pm and also Sunday Jan 11th at Toronto Hotel from 2-5pm.

We had a brilliant time on NYE at Warners at the Bay with DV8. It was great to see Craig Pevy dancing down the front after such a long time. It was a packed house and a really good feeling in the air. Travis was “on fire” on the drums and we all enjoyed jamming out. Plenty of people were there who now live away from Newcastle. Lovers of our music who now live in place like the Gold Coast or Sydney and rarely get to see us were so happy to be able to have a dance or just listen.

We’re also playing the Wicko on Saturday, January 10th from 8.30pm and at the Mark Hotel for the Australia Day weekend as usual on Sunday 25th January from 4pm to 7pm.

We’ve written lots of new songs and plan to record them this year in the studio. We also recovered a lot of old unreleased material from the Rock City vaults and there’s a few gems including the original demo of Blue Sashes which was eventually recorded by The Screaming Jets and which now is back in our set list. For all the Belmont people we’ll also be at the Gunyah Hotel on Saturday February 14th and then back at the Premier Hotel on Sunday February 22nd from 4-7pm.

It’s been a momentous couple of weeks in the DV8 camp. Firstly our outdoor gig at Burwood Bowling Club was a huge and well-attended day with well over 1000 people coming out. Lots of money was raised for Charlie, the young girl with cancer, through auctions and various fundraising. At last count the figure was approaching $95, 000. Great music was heard from Anna’s School of Music, Club Esky and Ghost Road. I really enjoyed having my full guitar/amp rig turned up and miked through the PA and Trav and Mark put in a tight powerful performance on bass and drums. It was great to see the young kids getting excited and dancing onstage with us as well as the ‘older kids’ dancing on the lawn out front. After doing one encore it felt as though we could have just kept playing on. Thanks for the enthusiastic response everyone.

On a sad note last week also marked the passing of one of DV8’s greatest supporters and admirers Rosalie McKibben…It would have been her birthday on November 14th when we played the Wicko so it became a celebration in her honour. Thank you to all who came and remembered her. We’re back at the Wicko on Saturday January 10th 2015.

We’ll be rocking at the Mark Hotel on Sunday November 30th. It’s the last 2014 DV8 show before NYE at Warners at the Bay. May the Rock Be With You ! Greg 🙂

 

I’ve had some great solo gigs recently at great new venues like the Criterion in Carrington. It’s great fun being able to do DV8 and Hot Yogi requests amongst the covers. Another really good venue is Warners at the Bay which has been having soloists on thursday nights. I’ll be playing there on Thursday October 30th from 7-10pm if you feel like coming down for a meal and some music. For those who are out by the lake near Toronto or Morriset I’ll be playing at the Bay Hotel, Bonnells Bay on Sunday November 2nd from 2-5pm. There’s a really nice covered beer garden outdoor area with plenty of seating. I last played there on Fathers Day and was pleasantly surprised by lots of requests for DV8 songs. Please check out the calendar for other venues. Cheers!

It was great to do the Wicko again on saturday and we’ll be doing regular spots there into the new year as well. I’m working up some interesting new bottleneck slide songs for the Yogis at Craig Rosevear’s request and I’m really enjoying the process. We also are going to have our music from the album “Under The Wire” featured on a fabulous  new movie documentary about fishing in beautiful secluded spots. Really funny moments and highly entertaining stuff. The film will have it’s launch at Nelson Bay Cinema on Dec 6th.

We’ve been doing lots of DV8 shows and rehearsals. Rehearsals have been full of new songs, new ideas and riffs as well as backtracking to the old albums and re-learning a few songs that we haven’t visited for a while. We’ve added “Aragon” , a song we used to play live back in the mid 80’s but never recorded, a medium shuffle which we love playing now. Quite a few of you have asked us to record this one so it’s on the list when we hit the studio soon. This week we’ll be going over some echo songs from the 1988 DV8 album “Can You Hear Me”. including ‘Turn and Walk Away’, ‘Can You Hear Me’ and ‘Rise and Falling’….we’ve also had requests for other songs from a few regulars which we’re considering too.

Our next gig is a spot at The Wicko Fire Benefit along with Voodoo Express and Backfire among others. That’s Sunday October 26th.