"Ooooh, look out, you Folk 'n' Rollers...!"

By jove, he's done it. The very lovely Mr Ward has finally put the finishing touches to the oh-so-brand-new-and-brilliant, all-singing, all-dancing (OK, it doesn't actually sing or dance itself, but the fab things in there will probably make you want to sing and dance around quite a bit) online MP3 store, Sideways Through Sound.

Wardy's alter ego DJ self Thee Sonic Assassin (Sideways Through Sound? Thee Sonic Assassin? Am sensing a Hawkwind connection here...) hatched the idea some time ago. He decided he'd love to share all the wonderful folksy/drone/psych/shoegaze sounds that he already champions on his radio show on Sydney's 2SER station. And so, in a bid to make all the people out there tuning in from round the globe in RadioLand happy, he answered their prayers. This independent labor of love is THE place to find all the superb artists featured each week on the show, and gives you a chance to buy some of the finest nu-folking music around.

So if you have a spare few bob for investing in your personal aural pleasure, go to:

http://www.sidewaysthroughsound.com.au/

And if you'd like to listen to the folksy/drone/psych/shoegaze World's answer to John Peel doing it live and dangerous, then tune in each week in the UK, Wednesdays at 10am (what more lovely way could there be to wake yourself up on a Wednesday morning?) by going to the 2SER website and streaming the show through your PC or Mac or iTunes (oooh, such choices):

http://www.2ser.com/stream

Happy browsing, you groovy Folkers x

Winter, Spring, Summer Or Fall...

A lot can happen in a year. Generally, you do a bit of work, go down the pub, watch some bands play, hang out with your mates, add in a Christmas/birthday/summer holiday.

In the last 12 months (from tomorrow, the 11th of February), a very dear friend died (RIP dear Tabby - sorely missed), another old friend died of breast cancer at the age of 41, I fell in love, crossed the Atlantic, crossed the Pacific, watched a family member pass tragically away, watched my dear brother go through hell, packed up my home and life into boxes, crossed the globe again and fell even more in love, saw Christmas and New Year in the baking sun among wonderful people, suffered a personal tragedy and a lot of heartbreak...yup, a lot can happen in a year.

If I've learned one valuable lesson this year, it's that you really are fucked without your mates. They're there through thick, thin and a million other soppy clichés besides. And when that shit really does smack into that fan at great speed and you need a bit of moral support...taking to the airport...picking up at ungodly hours...tears and mascara wiped away...a bed to crash in...a meal to warm you...a sick joke to cheer you...a hug (physical or one of those imagined ones created for times apart)...a scarf to keep you warm when you don't have the faintest clue where you stored the Winter clothes...a mammoth bar of Cadburys...reminding you that you'll be OK, you always make it through...or just to be there with a cuppa or an ear to bend on the other end of a phone...y'know - the usual friend shit.

Obviously, despite this sad-mad-topsy-turvy-stuff year, I count myself very, very, lucky indeed. Because as the clever Miss Carole King noted, all I gotta do is call and you'll be there. So thank you - you know who you are x