Featuring The Awkwardstra & Special Guests The Boat People.

Aug 12 Adelaide – Jive bar (w/ Cookie Baker and Guillaume Soloacoustic)
Aug 13 Launceston – Hotel New York (w/ Pinky Beecroft & The White Russians and New Saxons)
Aug 14 Hobart – Brisbane Hotel (all ages 1:30pm start) (w/ Pinky Beecroft & The White Russians + Agent Fontaine)
Aug 14 Hobart – Brisbane Hotel (over 18’s) (w/ Pinky Beecroft & The White Russians + New Saxons)
Aug 15 Burnie – Burnie Arts & Function Centre (all ages 3pm start) (w/ The Stoics)
Aug 18 Canberra – ANU Bar (w/ The Boat People + Margaret Helen King)
Aug 19 Wollongong – Harpe Hotel (w/ The Boat People + Pinky Beecroft & The White Russians)
Aug 20 Sydney – The Factory (all ages 7pm start) (w/ The Boat People + Pinky Beecroft & The White Russians)
Aug 21 Newcastle – Northern Star (w/ The Boat People + Pinky Beecroft & The White Russians)
Aug 22 Cronulla – The Brass Monkey (w/ The Boat People + Pinky Beecroft & The White Russians)
Aug 25 Scarborough – Indi Bar (w/ Gilroy & The Cold Shoulders + Stereo Flower)
Aug 26 Bunbury – Prince Of Wales (w/ Gilroy & The Cold Shoulders)
Aug 27 Northbridge – Rocket Room (w/ Gilroy & The Cold Shoulders + Stereo Flower)
Aug 28 Brisbane – The Troubadour (w/ The Boat People + Pinky Beecroft & The White Russians)
Aug 29 Brisbane – Old Museum (all ages 12:30pm start) (w/ The Boat People + Charlie Mayfair)
Aug 29 Byron Bay – Great Northern (w/ The Boat People + Steve Grady)
Sep 1 Ballarat – Karova Lounge (w/ The Boat People + Pinky Beecroft & The White Russians)
Sep 2 Geelong – National Hotel (w/ The Boat People + Pinky Beecroft & The White Russians)
Sep 3 Hepburn Springs – The Palais (w/ The Boat People + Pinky Beecroft & The White Russians)
Sep 4 Melbourne – Northcote Social Club (w/ The Boat People + Pinky Beecroft & The White Russians)
Sep 5 Melbourne – Spanish Club (all ages 12:30pm start) (w/ The Boat People + Stonefield – ex Iotah – Triple J Unearthed Winners)
Sep 5 Melbourne – Northcote Social Club (w/ The Boat People + Go-go Sapien)

• The Northcote (So Hungover) video is viralling out of control. It’s been Rage and Channel V videos of the week and will be aired on Video Hits this Saturday and Sunday. On the tubes it’s nearing 40K views and going strong. Feedback has been predominately positive. We had a swell video launch where Pose Tattoo, a supergroup of Melbourne indie muso’s played a gig. Sad Sanderson busted out ‘Boys Do Cry’ plus the original ‘Hey! That’s Sad.’ Check them out HERE.

• To make matters more confusing, I participated in an online ad for Metlink Melbourne where I penned a parody of Northcote called ‘Hurstbridge (So Sober)’ and then shot a lo-fi clip for it which hit the Internet before the real one. So that’s me doing a character, parodying me playing a character parodying scenester culture. It’s ironies equivalent of a back somersault with 3 ½ twists.

• The single tour was brilliant. Good crowds, good vibes. Hobart took out best gig honours with Canberra and Adelaide close behind. Sydney produced the baffling premise of my first sell-out show there but a mainstream audience down front who weren’t that into me. Newcastle was rowdy but fun for a free show while Brisbane I was end of tour tired, forgetting the music to Sudanese. Launceston was a small write-off, where I had to revert to my ‘walking up the back of the room yelling at people’ shtick. Like a relationship it’s no-ones fault, it’s about timing and sometimes these things just don’t work out.

• I have a manager and booking agent now, two things I’ve been hanging out for over the past two years. The delightful Anthea Cohen of Nibbles Music is taking care of business. I’ll be sure to keep on my toes, as website commenter Boris Yeltsin said: “Please, for the love of music, don’t get complacent now Justin. You’re in a privileged position, you’ve worked for it, and deserve it.” Thanks deceased Russian ex-President.

• The national album tour has been announced. I’ll be doing a 20 date tour over a month with The Awkwardstra. You can pre-book tickets HERE. Main tour partners will be The Boat People, Australia’s most under-rated band who have released a blinder of an album ‘Dear Darkly.’ I’d go as far to say it’s the best Oz album since Sleepy Jackson’s ‘Lovers.’ Check it out HERE. I also strongly recommend ‘My Volcano’ from superb eclectophiles Richard In Your Mind. Flaming Lips meets Avalanches.

Click HERE to see me on Nova. Click HERE to read a track by track of ‘Songs From The 86 Tram’ on Mess & Noise. Feel free to enter the ensuing flame war and defend my honour. Songs From The 86 Tram out now at all shops!

NEWS

* The Northcote (So Hungover) video shoot went swimmingly! The clip will be launched real soon. If you’re in Melbourne you can sneak along to the Workers Club on June 5 and see it for yourself.

* Songs From The 86 Tram has been released through Shock. I trust this means you can find the album parked somewhere between Beck and The Bee Gees in your local record emporium. It’s got thirteen tracks and I believe it’s my best work to date. It features all the songs from the live show but not the spoken word characters. ‘Northcote (So Hungover)’ has continued along its merry way, being the most requested song on Super Requests on seven occasions, and being playlisted on Sydney’s Fbi and getting a regular spin on Melbourne’s RRR and PBS. There’s a pretty funny bootleg of it up on YouTube, complete with 90’s style grungy audio.

* I had an absolute dream run in the Comedy Festival, selling all but 30 tickets in a 22 show run. Crowds were overwhelmingly into it, bar a few restless weekend audiences who loved mucking about during the first song and getting up halfway to go and get beers. I had to put on two extra shows in the 200 seat banquet room, the first of these sold out and this was the show I had filmed. I’m hoping this means my days of playing small hot rooms are over as I got quite a taste for the sound of two hundred people clapping (much better than one). Injury wise I made it through unscathed, although my voice took quite a beating, and I underwent a strict routine of steam rooms, warm teas and early nights. Congrats also to Josh ‘train cakes’ Earl who had a blinder, selling out lots of his shows and getting his head on the comedy all stars gala.

* There are still a few ‘We Are Tramily’ tshirts left over. They can be ordered from me if you’re keen.

Ya, so Radar Radio are loving Northcote (So Hungover) so I’m writing a tidy blog for them. Clap your specs on it HERE.

• Second single ‘Northcote (So Hungover)’ is going a bit apeshit. Triple J have put it on rotation, spinning it steadily over the past month. Last week is was the most requested song on Super Requests on five occasions. FBI in Sydney have just added it too. Some kids have put a bootlegged version up on YouTube, which has over 10, 000 views including someone mishearing ‘we get Molly Meldrum kudos’ as ‘we get Molly Meldrum to do us.’ Naturally, Triple M have jumped on board, playlisting the song on their digital station ‘Radar Radio.’ It was featured on Ugly Phil’s Triple M program who made mention of ‘I’m So Modern’ and after playing the track went into a baffling impression of the accent which ended with him doing an Asian impression.

• The Songs From The 86 Tram album will be released through Shock on April 16. Some advanced copies can be bought at my Comedy Festival shows and at the merchandise stand at info booth, outside Town Hall. You can pre-order the album in any JB or indie record store the week before release, plus it’ll be up on iTunes.

• Songs From The 86 Tram won ‘Best Cabaret Production’ at the Melbourne Green Room theatre awards. I was unable to attend the ceremony as I was in bed with bronchitis and a 39 degree temperature.

• Yarra Trams are sponsoring the show, featuring my posters on eight of their trams for a month. Things are going REALLY well. It’s terrifying.

• I won’t be doing Edinburgh this year now, I’ve decided to focus on a national album tour with the band in August/September. It’d be great to do some all ages shows in each of the major cities, if anyone knows any good venues / contacts in this area do let me know.

• I’m climbing into the backseat of Lime Champions for a while, allowing the profoundly talented Damien Lawlor to take the wheel. Over the next few weeks we’ll be featuring a number of Comedy Festival comedians sampling their material. That’s every Monday at 7pm, streamable at the rrr site. There’s a new podcast up HERE.

• In January, while feeling fragile and weird at home in Tassie, I decided to cull my Facebook friendship list from 480 to 80. This may have offended some people and if it has, I apologise. After a steady bombardment of event invites and gaff, I decided to keep my personal Facebook for people I am regularly in contact with, and all other communication to go through the Bedroom Philosopher one. Facebook bothers me. I see it as a socially competitive, spiritually distracting ego poker machine that I am forced to participate in. If I unfriended you it doesn’t mean I don’t like you, or represent a dismissing of our friendship, it means I need to be selfish and selective about paring down the amount of information I receive. Also, the invasively intimate nature of the site meant that I was no longer comfortable with ‘everyone’ knowing my business and seeing photos of me eating chicken sandwiches at parties. I too need some privacy. I ask for your understanding on this matter. I am still easily contacted, and reply to most comments left on the Bedroom Philosopher site. I keep umming and aaahing about Twitter. Seriously, after FB I said no more. I update four different sites as it is. Some people have real problems.

NEWS

• The Melbourne Fringe run of ‘86 Tram’ was sweet. Yarra Trams even came along for the first time. Three of their representatives came up afterwards and gave me a ‘I heart my tram’ badge. I think that’s good.

• I have spent the last month recording the ‘Songs From The 86 Tram’ album. It will be produced by Chris Scallan (has mixed Avalanches and Akon) *justin picks names up off ground* who finished off Brown & Orange. Six of the songs will feature The Awkwardstra in full swing, except Flutes McGee who is in Bulgaria. It’s officially sounding great and will surface early next year. By the way, if anyone has $15k and a loaded mobile can we get some face time?

• ‘Lime Champions’ continues to kick goals. We’re into week 24 and still churning out close to an hour of pure Gen-Y savaging rock ‘n’ droll content. Praise be to co-hosts and writers Damien Lawlor, Josh Earl and ‘ladio’ herself Eva Johansen. Want podcast? CLICK HERE

• I’ve written a few pieces for Tony Martin’s new online column safehouse ‘Scriveners Fancy.’ You can read my bits in the ‘Visiting Scrivener’ section, but you should mainly spend your time improving your life with Tony’s brain certificates. CLICK HERE

• Brown & Orange is well launched! The tour was a success. I spent $6K and made $9.5K and had the best touring experience in years. Thanks to everyone who turned up. Diary to come.

• My arm is healing slowly. I have full functionality but it’s still quite stiff and hurts on certain angles. I’m continuing physio at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, who are surprised that it’s taking this long. If anyone has some tips on rehabilitating a fractured greater tuberosity of the humerus, I’m all arms.

NEWS

(Brought to you by the new collaboration between members of The Shins and The Bangles ‘The Shingles.’)

♥ The Brown & Orange National Tour is pressed and ironed and ready to roll up the east coast like a convoy of can do. For the first time I shall be touring with The Awkwardstra in two Brown and Orange Chrysler Valiants filled to the brim with mind blowing instruments with more dapper banter than a 1920’s tennis tournament. All the major cities are there, sort of. If you are under eighteen you may take issue with some of the licensed venues and absence of all ages shows. Man, why does everything have to suck all the time?

♥ I’m about to move house to Westgarth. It will be the first time I’ve lived with less than four people in about ten years. I’m extremely pleased. I have a big room with a balcony and built in wardrobe. Also, the bathroom is fitted with 70’s lemon décor. It’s a lot of extra rent but Mum has offered to make up the difference to what I’m paying now. Isn’t that nice?

♥ A piece I wrote will appear in a new book ‘So Your Mother Would Be Proud’ released by Allen & Unwin in July. It features various Australian entertainers sharing their horror tales from the biz. You can check it out HERE” title=”http://www.yourmotherwouldbeproud.com.au/\”>HERE” target=”_blank”>www.yourmotherwouldbeproud.com.au/”>HERE.

♥ CLARIFICATION: Last issue I referred to dessert as ‘pudding.’ This was inspired by New Zealand Awkwardstra member Jamie ‘Hits Rodriquez’ Power. It’s a New Zealand thing and I reckon it’s pretty cute.

♥ I have pieces in the current issues of Frankie, Jmag and The Big Issue. (Watch out for a feature article on me in the next Big Issue). Lime Champions continues every Monday night at 7pm on 102.7 in Melbourne.

NEWS

(Brought to you by the new collaboration between The Kinks and Skunkhour. ‘The Kunks.’)

♥ My Melbourne Comedy Festival Show “Songs From The 86 Tram” went extremely well. I almost sold out all fifteen shows, until I broke my humerus by riding my bike into a car door. I won the Director’s Choice award, including $1000 cash. The show received great reviews, including a personal thumbs up from one of my heroes, Tony Martin. It was sort of devastating having to cancel the show, but it did create a groundswell of support and good wishes, with which I was spiritually nourished. I plan to reprise the show for Melbourne Fringe Festival. Warm thanks to everyone who came to see it and laughed in the hard to reach places. Special congratulations to my chum Matt Kelly (The Harmonica Lewinski’s) who won The Golden Gibbo award along with Richard Higgins for ‘The List Operators.’ Go independent comedy!

♥ At 7pm on April 19 I broke my arm. Specifically, I fractured the greater tuberosity of my humerus. It is a compound fracture on the very corner bit of my shoulder bone. It also means that many of my shoulder tendons have come off the bone, so I can’t move my arm much. There was a slim chance I had to be operated on, to put a pin in and hold the bone in place, but I’ve been able to make do with my arm in a sling. It’s been three 1 / 2 weeks and my arm is out of the sling and I can do basic things like typing and spreading toast, which is 3 / 4 of my life. I’ll be able to start playing guitar in a week. The pain has been relatively minimal so far. Special mention to Janet Mcleod, Emilie Zoey Baker, Jamie Power and Claire Hollingsworth who all dropped off food parcels, and to Andy Hazel for the bone knitting, slightly illegal Comfrey tea.

♥ Fortunately I don’t have a lot of gigs on over this time, apart from Comedy Festival Roadshow. I am doing five shows in regional Victoria. I will be able to play the finger picking songs, and have arranged for stylish comedian Oliver Clarke to be my ‘right hand man’ on stage, should I need to rock out.

♥ The national ‘Brown & Orange’ tour is in place for early July. Check the gig guide. I’m currently trying to book in Adelaide and Perth, unfortunately I won’t be able to bring The Awkwardstra to these far-flung places.

♥ My radio show ‘Lime Champions’ is in full swing. You can stream it every Monday at 7pm at rrr.org.au but no new podcasts planned as yet. The link to the old podcast is working again.

♥ ‘Brown & Orange’ is faring well in the reviewing stakes, with five out of six reviews being quite positive. Melbourne Inpress even liked Wow Wow’s Song, saying it has “the most ridiculously catchy chorus this century has produced. Six minutes chock full of sublime gimmick pop.” It often described as ‘not my favourite song.’

♥ My accident has given me time to catch up on some key viewing. I’ve been reliving my favourite childhood series ‘The Mysterious Cities Of Gold’ and it isn’t disappointing me! Thank goodness. Thirty Rock series three was characteristically brilliant, while I am proud to announce that I’m officially hooked on Gossip Girl. I don’t even think the ‘90210 for our generation’ is trashy, I just think its a good show about hot, rich New York kids and their problems. Also heavily recommended is the album ‘Fate’ from Dr Dog and any Dustin Hoffman film from the 70’s – he was on fire! (Midnight Cowboy, The Graduate, Lenny.). Also, Chris Morris’ experimental UK sketch show ‘Jam.’

♥ I’m 28 and I’ve made an important discovery in life. You can buy a four pack of Drumsticks for about $8. If you buy four individually, they cost $14. That’s a massive saving! It’s the new way to think about icecreams. There’s no reason why you can’t have pudding every night of the week!

While gliding down Smith Street on his trusty push bike last Saturday with the wind in his hair and the world at his feet, the Bedroom Philosopher was promptly grounded by his old pal, the 86 tram. The entanglement resulted in a broken humerus, a truth so ironic it’s actually cruel. So, with his head in his left hand, and his right arm in a sling, The Bedroom Philosopher regretfully has cancelled all remaining performances of his Melbourne International Comedy Festival show Songs From The 86 Tram.

Despite this, he was awarded with the Director’s Choice award for outstanding show. He is planning to reprise the show at Melbourne Fringe.

You can still hear The Bedroom Philosopher’s dulcet tones on his Triple R show ‘Lime Champions’ every Monday from 7pm til 8pm. He will be joining the comedy conga line to take part in the Melbourne Comedy Festival Roadshow throughout regional Victoria this May.

NEWS

(Brought to you by Guy Blokeman in ‘More Gags Than Guantanamo’ – join this AM radio hopeful for a brutal romp through middle class yobservation and lightly concealed racism. Children at adult prices.)

♥ There are new Channel 31 Interviews with me on You Tube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl8kFg4CD4Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OErbXl_CFk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNnY4NCQDQU

♥ My Triple R show “Lime Champions” has been given its own regular slot! Mondays 7-8pm. This is an exceptionally good turn out of whopping proportions. The show, a mix of stylish scripted comedy and deluxe miscellanea for men and women, can be streamed from the Triple R website. Look into it. In the meantime, there are still two podcasts up. Just go to the site and look under podcasts. Oh, our first show is on April 13.

♥ Brown & Orange has been well received by reviewers thus far. Including comments like “hallucinogenic hybrid of Tripod and Syd Barrett…such as placing a taped ‘70s monologue alongside hypnotic Phillip Glass-style repetition…the record’s charm is revealed in the almost Dylan-esque rant Party In My Head…the sound of fingers slipping from chord to chord along the strings throughout a ballad with seventies-style jazz flute (a double flute solo, no less) makes me want to weave daisy-chains and skip through the nearest field…unlike the accidentally funny troubadours out there, he knows a joke should have a point.” Full reviews can be read on Myspace / Facebook pages.

♥ It’s been publicity a gogo lately with my energy field of Voltronic assemblies blasting over Melbourne. There’s a Mess & Noise article on my tape collection here.
I also had the biggest article of my life, being featured in the Metropolis section of The Age here.

♥ The Melbourne Brown & Orange album launch was an official hoot. Thanks to the two hundred or so customers who braved the general dangers of leaving the house to come to the show, as well as the red hot special guests of Tripod, The Suitcase Royale and DJ’s Emma Peel & Master Bedroom. The Corner Hotel was transformed into a hotbed of 70’s retro décor and The Awkwardstra put in 110% and took it one song at a time.

♥ I make an appearance in Lawrence Leung’s upcoming ABC series ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ Wednesday’s at 930pm. I took part in a breakdancing stunt at Federation Square.

♥ Researchers say they have found evidence of a bird which, protective of her partner, sings over her mate’s song to “scramble” his message and prevent other female rivals thinking he is single and on the market. Biologist Joseph Tobias, from Oxford University, said the behaviour observed in South American antbirds was akin to a wife continually interrupting her husband to stop him from flirting with a single woman.

To book tickets and hear preview songs click on

this link

The wait is over! Brown & Orange is out now!
REVIEWS JUST IN FOR ‘BROWN & ORANGE’

“The Bedroom Philosopher, aka Justin Heazlewood, revealed himself as an hallucinogenic hybrid of Tripod and Syd Barrett on his 2005 cult hit I’m So Postmodern, inevitably putting him in danger of becoming a one-novelty-hit wonder. The BP’s second album Brown & Orange is less explicitly bizarre than the tune that brought him (sort of) fame, placing his eccentric streams of consciousness and oddball stories amidst an apparently earnest style of folk-rock and gentle experimentation (such as placing a taped ‘70s monologue alongside hypnotic Phillip Glass-style repetition).

The swelling orchestral ballad For The Love I Have For You sounds like a straight, serious song, but closer investigation reveals Heazlewood cramming lots of syllables into tiny song spaces, at one point blurting out “Okay, granted, that’s not a very romantic lyric”. Tongue still wedged in cheek, then. The spoken-word short story Jesus On Big Brother is fun as well (“More people watched Jesus than The Simpsons and the news and the CSIs combined”). The record is less successful when he goes deliberately ‘wacky’, such as the “comedy” Muppet vocals in Wow Wow’s Song (La La La). But the record’s charm is revealed in the almost Dylan-esque rant Party In My Head and the laid-back country-rock strum of What Am I Supposed To Be Doing?”
Matt Thrower, Rave.

“The fact that The Bedroom Philosopher is a talented musician with a highly polished production is obvious from the first few bars. A folk-guitar style, the sound of fingers slipping from chord to chord along the strings throughout a ballad with seventies-style jazz flute (a double flute solo, no less) makes me want to weave daisy-chains and skip through the nearest field. The music jumps from song to song between seventies styles, raw old-school Brit pop, folk guitar chords, and psychedelic sounds created by the Philosopher and his Awkwardstra. I laugh out loud on at least four occasions during the first song (Strange Piece of Music) alone. I’m won over by the lyrics –one of a few songs on the album to employ story-teller narration, backed up with beautiful guitar.

The Bedroom Philosopher is a particularly talented and funny writer. As a listener I identify with every single word – which is the hook. But the usual brash take-the-piss Aussie comedy-music style is replaced by the gently hilarious musings of a poet. I almost fall in love. The original 1970’s home-recordings (apparently discovered by the Bedroom Philosopher in a Canberra Op Shop) peppered between a few songs make for some compelling listening. Really, really odd, and really funny. I will be taking this cd for another spin; during my morning tram ride to work – the 86, hiding behind sunglasses and pretending I’m sitting in a park with a bunch of groovy friends listening to a really funny, cute guy telling me sweet, amusing tales and making me laugh.”
Emma Johnston, Artshub.

NEWS

(Brought to you by The Curious Case of Benjamin Bunny. A reversed adaption of the Beatrix Potter story.)

♥ Brown & Orange has been released through MGM / Nan & Pop Records. It has fourteen songs and a 16-page colour booklet. Nan issued a statement saying that she was ‘pleased that Justin is still striving towards his dream,’ and that this album had better SHIFT SOME UNITS!’ It’s available in all shops and on iTunes. It costs around $28 in stores, plus extra for the bribe you’ll have to offer the salesperson to find it. If the record store assistant acts like they’ve never heard of me or the album, kindly insist that I exist and make them look hard on their computer. If it comes to this, which it will, the catalogue number is NANPOP002.
You can have a look at the track listing here:

♥ My summer-fill show on Melbourne’s community radio RRR ‘Lime Champions’ was rather successful. Along with Damien Lawlor, Josh Earl, Eva Johansen & Matt Kelly, we came up with a format of pre-recorded and live-to-air sketches, music and interviews that impressed the station manager so much we’re being considered for a regular spot. In the meantime, we’re going into podcast mode, and should have the first one up next week. For now, you can hear our last show in its entirety, featuring interviews with Tripod, Marieke Hardy & The Suitcase Royale here:

♥ After much consideration, I’ve decided to go with ‘Two Thousand and Nein’ (last part said aggressively in German accent) as the catchphrase of this year. I think this year’s good so far, but if you don’t you can consider calling it ‘Two Thousand and Whine.’

♥ I haven’t planned an album tour for Brown & Orange as I’d like to take The Awkwardstra with me but am aware of the financial risks. Stay tuned. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with giving the album some time to get out there and looking at the situation in May. *Justin has unnecessarily business toned conversation with readership as supplement for lack of current management.*

♥ A biologist has suggested that due to lack of proper research, entire populations of unknown species may have already been wiped off the face of the Earth. According to a report in The Australian, Australian marine biologist Elvira Poloczanska has come forward with this hypothesis, which suggests species that have not been found as yet, may have already become extinct.

♥ I’m getting a new bed for the first time in my adult life. Mum bought it for me with her K. Rudd one thousand!

♥ AWKWARDSTRA NEWS: Sorry ladies (and gentleman), but Awkwardstra percussionist Hits Rodriguez is engaged! Congratulations to him and his lovely partner. Meanwhile, Nature Boy Hazel and Hits played with Kat Frankie on her recent tour. Mad-Dog Rabinovici is back to study his third year at VCA. Flutes McGee smashed his flute after getting right into the Wow Wow’s Song silent rock out at The Thin Green Line Festival. Suavy Shankar is set to increase his musical involvement in the band, adding electric guitar to Party In My Head and Acronymphomaniac.