MoWax Headz Tour 95/96
| Tour by Money Mark, DJ Shadow, James Lavelle, Charlie (Attica Blues) | |
| Location | Australia |
|---|---|
| Start date | December 29, 1995 |
| End date | January 6, 1996 |
| No. of shows | 5 |
The Australian Mo'Wax Tour occured at the same time as the Summersault Tour which featured DJ Shadow and Money Mark, along with the Beastie Boys. The tour was meant to feature DJ Krush[1] but he double booked, and pulled out due to "illness"[2].
"Money Mark and the MoWax Crew" also played an instore gig at B# Record Store in Adelaide on 5 Jan 1996.[3]
Description of Adelaide show from The Advertiser Jan 4, 1996:[4]
"MO' WAX: The Summersault splinter gig at the Synagogue tonight samples just about anything except rock as James Lavelle, Charlie Williams and Keyboard Money Mark strut their stuff. Entry is $19."
Photos from the tour appeared in JAZID March / Arpil 1996.
Dates
The five shows on the tour were:
- Melbourne - Collingwood Town Hall - 29 December 1995
- Sydney - Macquarie University - 30 December 1995
- Brisbane - Grand Orbit - 1 January 1996
- Adelaide - Synagogue - 4 January 1996
- Perth - Planet - 6 January 1996[5]
Review - Sydney
Sydney Review by Marc Wright[6]
"Went to see Shadow, James Lavelle, Charlie (from Attica Blues), and Money Mark (keyboards for the Beastie Boys) last night. A very pleasant way to recover after New Year's Eve. It was billed as the Mo' Wax Headz tour, and it taught me a lot about Mo' Wax. It turns out that it's not *quite* what I'm into - a bit too deep and dark for me. Also, I just can't seem to get into hip hop style vocals. Money Mark just sat there with a few electronic toys and mumbled into the microphone and doing not much. He kept starting songs, and then stopping and mumbling again. We were all getting pissed, until we realised what he was mumbling about - apparently his drummer (50% of his band) hadn't turned up, and he was left to try and entertain regardless. Anyway, while not quite what I'm into, I still couldn't think of a better way to chill out on New Year's Day."
Review - Brisbane
Brisbane review by Bevan Jee for Bomb Australia[7]
"Checked out the Mo-Wax 'Headz Australia Tour' on New Years Day featuring DJ Shadow, Charlie (Attica Blues), Money Mark and James Lavelle. DJ Shadow and Charlie kept a crowd rocking to the sounds of old/new school hip-hop... great day! never seen people dancing down here to Live at the B.B.Q (Main Source) before. The Beastie Boys were also playing a separate date on this tour, didn't have a chance to check it out.
Speaking of Shadow, The Solesides Crew have releases their first limited edition (500 only) mixtape - Radio Sole Volume 1 featuring: Blackalicious, DJ Shadow, Lateef the Truth Speaker, Lyrx Born. The tape has Freestyles, Unreleased Tracks, B-Sides, Live Shots and Rare 45s and 12" shit. Thanks to DJ Shadow for looking out for me with this one. Keep an eye out for a new material from the Crew early in the year."
Review - Adelaide
Perth Review by Paul Armour[8]
"The night before the gig I was fortunate enough to go to a Mo' Wax party at where James Lovell (Mr Mo' Wax), spun some vinyl. There was also the weirdest performance by a musician I am yet to see. Keyboard whiz Money Mark was either tripping (or he is a tripper), or that was the show. Totally out there. Only one real song played, with the odd Beastie joining in. Borderline total bollocks, or pure art.
That's where I had to do It. The fan thing. The three B-Boys were standing at the bar and I strolled straight up to them and, feeling like a kid asking for an autograph, which I didn't get, and said: "You guy's don't know how much I love your music and I feel like I have grown up with you. Ummmmmm, I feel pretty stupid doing this but hey...it's not every day you get to meet the Beastie Boys." The thing I remember the most about that encounter was how polite and humble they where to me. They must get sick and tired of wankers like me hassling their asses but they were so cool, and I have so much respect for that ."
Review - Perth
Perth Review by Rechade Seecahid[9]
"DJ Shadow, Charlie "Attica" Blues, James Lavelle and some other guys from Mo' Wax came into Perth on their "Headz" tour and it was completely unlike what I expected.
I thought it would be mostly instrumentals and dubs of their Mo Wax material but they came out and played track after track of classic hip-hop: JVC Force, Stezo, BDP, Suga-Bear, ATCQ, EricB + Rakim, Grandmaster Flash, JBeez, Chill Rob G, DoubleD+Steinski, old Brand Nubian, etc. They went through alot of the "mega-mix" type records: Fusion Beats II, Lesson 3, ColdCutts, London Beats, Paid in Full remix. It's like they went out of their way to show everyone where their music has come out of. They made some comment about how their audiences are mostly full of trendies, and not truly into the music.
DJ Shadow took the show away on his set for me (grinning ear to ear all the way through) when he did a flawless 15 minute rare-groove/breakbeat mix, dozens of classic drum breaks. I wish I had a tape of that. They all fully paid their respects to the old-school going from original record to sampler's record a few times.
Most of the Beastie Boys were there and took turns playing drums for Keyboard Money Mark. He had a funny set but the music was STRANGE. He played in a recreation of his front room, with mantelpiece, paintings, table lamp and all his equipment around the walls and came out with all these wacky instruments people had given him or he had wired up. He did a microphone feedback solo and a skin electrical resistance song with solar powered gizmos. Most bands have DAT backing but he set up a one-speaker portable casette next to a microphone and that was his backing tape. The guy got funky in spots tapping out Led Zep/Biz/Bam drum breaks live when he felt like it on his keyboard. I've got no idea if his album is similar (it can't be), but I want to hear it.
A funny point was when James Lavelle started to play a few techno tracks, some jungle. MCA appeared on stage and started talking with Lavelle, shaking his head and pointing out to the crowd. There was a bit of discussion between them. By the next record MCA had got Lavelle playing the Hip-Hop again."
Images
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Poster for MoWax Headz 95/96 Tour
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References
- ↑ http://boralv.se/acidjazz//Backup/1995-Dec/0489.html
- ↑ http://boralv.se/acidjazz//Backup/1995-Dec/0499.html
- ↑ http://boralv.se/acidjazz//Backup/1996-Jan/0000.html
- ↑ "what's HOT in Adelaide." Advertiser [Adelaide, South Australia, Australia], 4 Jan. 1996, p. A16. Infotrac Newsstand, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A92150462/STND?u=61tr10&sid=STND&xid=1a80bb83. Accessed 27 Nov. 2018.
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/eiVH02sekB/
- ↑ http://boralv.se/acidjazz//Backup/1996-Jan/0001.html
- ↑ http://www.bombhiphop.com/newbomb/bombpages/articles/various/Sittin%27%20In%20The%20Pouch%20Of%20A%20Kangaroo.htm
- ↑ https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20000109223623/http://www.liquidspace.com.au/lsd/issue/981029b.htm
- ↑ https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rec.music.hip-hop/2Bh_tkFHuOA/UZfb03X34pEJ