Watching this band for the second time and becoming more aware of their brilliance I have become entranced by the rough elegance of hardened, long term travellers from the Australian punk and rock experience that took the dangerous road to Europe to explore their music over many years and have a performance presence that elevates the sense.
This is no band of egotistical rock stars, their audience are like simply part of the experience they create a sound that fills every sensory perceptor I have, many long term devotees.
The music has a dark feel, but still exciting and enlightened message about the spaces we fear to go in our consciousness, a window to our minds weird and wonderful misconceptions.
Looking around the room I see many heads I recognise but can’t place but I KNOW they were there somewhere back then, such comes with longevity within the music industry and when the band is playing the room is in trance. In the early days of TAGG we recorded pics and live reviews of the actual live beginnings of many of these artists and we will be sharing that with you soon also.
Michelangelo Russo is an exquisite genius in bending sound, his use of harp and particularly trumpet use, the keyboard wizardry is dumbfounding, surreal and when mixed with the driving rhythm section of Bryan Colechin on bass, whom I have known and been a fan of for many years and totally driving the mood together with Brett Poliness on drums provided a platform for the internationally respected, iconic front man Hugo Race and his guitar to own the stage and share it so closely with his fans.
It is a very different space I hope Oz music moves into and owns, an artistically driven reborn new, original music…my only reference to Hugo’s dark love songs is from my generation, Leonard Cohen, but only from the depth of the poetry of the dark, incisive lyrics about how life could be, lyrics that matter, the thought put into the arrangements is international standard.
I don’t think this band would even care if you liked them or not, they do their music, I do not think they need promotion, they have a dedicated following, but you must hear their music, links are below.
The Winnebago Lounge IS the iconic St Kilda rock venue, I have said it before, it reminds me of the very era this music grew from and the musical curator Jon Von Goes has created a magical re invention of all that was best about the live scene.
“Elevate My Love” by the Australian cult-hero Hugo Race (ex-The Wreckery, ex-Bad Seeds, Dirtmusic) and his band The True Spirit taken from the new album “The Spirit” coming 05/29/2015 at Glitterhouse.
Preorder:
► CD @ Glitterhouse: http://tinyurl.com/oy3fjfy
► LP @ Glitterhouse: http://tinyurl.com/qyu6cx3
► CD @ JPC: http://tinyurl.com/ogt8hjt
► LP @ JPC: http://tinyurl.com/nzkdjwh
► ITUNES: http://snip.ftpromo.net/thespirit
Lyrics:
I see you standing in the doorway like a dream vision,
where did the night go?
I lose sense of time but it felt like time sped up
when you walked in the room
and you know even destiny can’t keep us apart
the first day in memory you set me free…
Its been a long time coming, I’m your perfect slave
and I’ll do anything to make you stay
I feel the rush of blood as my heart beats inside you
together in the sweetness of night
This is my love to you green eyes, this is my word, realize
we are the hunter and the kill, the jungle ready to be born
waiting for the lights, waiting for the sound
It’s a shake down… and these hot winds blow
we are dust in the wind, you wear a halo
I’m a lion in a cage, you crack the whip
you can’t escape your power
the sweet torment of love
Elevate my love, green eyes , elevate my love,
streetlights, high rise, elevate my love
this is my love to you green eyes
this is my word streetlights high-rise realise
we are the hunter and the kill
The jungle ready to be born
together in the embrace of night
waiting for the sound elevate my love
waiting for the light, elevate my love
