The strength of the city’s music community will be comprehensively represented at the Living Legends triple-header, which happens this weekend at The Tote. It’s a three-night series staged in honour of Kim Salmon, Spencer P. Jones and Charlie Owen, respectively. The nominated icons mightn’t be arena-filling superstars, but their respective career achievements are certainly the stuff of legend.
“I’ve always been a staunch believer about how Australian talent is so overlooked,” says the festival’s programmer and organiser of this event, Mary Mihelakos. “I mean, as much as I love Bruce Springsteen, he’s no Kim Salmon.”
When it comes to Kim Salmon, questions such as ‘what band was he in?’ or ‘what’s his big hit?’ are impossible to answer succinctly. Throughout a 35-year career, the Perth-born, Melbourne resident has been about as diversely prolific as a rock musician can be.
“People don’t understand how much he’s given musically,” says Mihelakos. “Mudhoney and Sonic Youth and everyone, as soon as they come into Melbourne they want to hang out with Kim Salmon.”
The likes of Gareth Liddiard, Dan Kelly, and Caroline Kennedy will take the stage on Friday night to perform songs from Salmon’s work with The Scientists, the Surrealists, Darling Downs (a duo featuring Died Pretty’s Ron S. Peno), as well as his extensive solo career and records with Mudhoney and Spencer P. Jones.
“It’s been really interesting to see what people go for,” says Mihelakos. “A lot of the stuff that people are picking isn’t early Scientists stuff. A lot of it is stuff he’s done recently. I think there’s six or seven songs from the Darling Downs.
“Gareth is doing a whole set of Kim Salmon and the Surrealists songs. Mick Harvey from the Bad Seeds is going to drum for him and Brian Hooper [Beast of Bourbon] is going to be the bass player.”
Saturday night is all about Mr. Jones. In addition to being Tex Perkins’ main man through every incarnation of the Beasts of Bourbon, Jones is an accomplished solo artist and still a regular on the Melbourne live circuit. His current backing band the Escape Committee will assume house band duties for the night, while the likes of Adalita, Dan Brodie, Chris Russell and Geoff Corbett dip into the cowboy hatted guitarist’s catalogue.
Adalita reveals that her affinity with Jones’ guitar playing dates way back. “I’ve loved Spence since listening to The Johnnys in my youth,” she says. “He’s such a prolific and consistently fantastic songwriter. He really is a legend and the real deal.”
The third and final showcase focuses on the multifarious career exploits of preeminent axe man, Charlie Owen. Owen doesn’t have as much frontman experience as the other two legends, but his career credits read like a concise history of Australian rock music.
“He gives a really good lineup if you’re going to do something like this,” Mihelakos agrees. “He was in Louis Tillet’s band and he was in The New Christs and he was in The Divinyls and he was in Beasts of Bourbon.
“You listen to The New Christs’ stuff. A lot of people really love Radio Birdman, but The New Christs were the band for me. Everything he’s been associated with is amazing.”
Adalita concurs. “I’m so in awe of Charlie. He’s such a brilliant musician and songwriter and has contributed so much to Australian music.”
There’s another special guest appearing to belt of some of Owen’s tunes, whose name is absent from the official press release. “Paul Kelly’s playing the Charlie Owen night,” Mihelakos reveals. “And so are his daughters – their band Wishful. It’s so many one-offs.”
There’s actually a stack of younger acts, including Cherrywood, Pink Tiles and Greta Mob, taking part on all three nights, which is no surprise given the enduring vitality of each legend’s output.
“There’s quite a lot of young bands who really look up to those guys,” Mihelakos says. “And they look up to them in a brother way – it’s not nostalgia.”
Indeed, the term ‘legend’ is generally only applied after someone retires or passes away. What’s particularly interesting about this tribute series is that, not only are the three luminaries still breathing, they’re as active and musically hungry as ever.
“None of them ever put out music because they thought they were going to make a hit,” Mihelakos says. “You go overseas and someone talks about Kim Salmon and Spencer P. Jones and they don’t believe you when you say, ‘Oh they just play the same venues that everybody else is playing, the ones that starting bands play in.’”
The fact that they’re still creating and performing with fearless integrity is a testament to Salmon, Jones and Owen’s undying commitment to rock’n’roll. And what better way to celebrate this passion than with a sweaty night at The Tote.
“I love supporting the underdog,” Mihelakos says. “People like Spencer, Charlie and Kim – homegrown heroes – I think they get so often overlooked with major events.”
BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
