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Album
no 1 - Released 2013 > Rusty Gold from Point Lo
http://www.psnews.com.au/aps/480/music/rusty-gold-from-point-lo
By The Mama-Dukes & The MoTronics, Independent release 2013, $$16.90 (itunes), $12.49 (Microsoft Music), Spotify I have had the pleasure of reviewing a number of independent releases from talented Public Servants this year. See the reviews for: Canberra based Diplomat Fred Smith’s - Dust of Uruzgan, Melbourne based blues band The Hornets - Dangerous Dancing, Canberra’s The Crossbones - Deadman’s Curve, and coming up soon will be a review of Perth based Mike Cardy’s new album Frank Conversations. Stradbroke Island band The Mama-dukes & The MoTronics (featuring Austrade’s Dugald Anthony) released their debut album Rusty Gold from Point Lo in 2013. I really like the album. It’s mainly Indie folk/rock in genre with an interesting and eclectic mix of styles and influences ranging from the story telling of Paul Kelly and Weddings Parties Anything, through to the Country/rock of Tom Petty and Jeff Tweedy and even to the darkness of Nick Cave. Dugald Anthony writes all but one of the tracks on the disc and the other is by guitarist and harpist Sean Ogilvie. All the tracks are good and some are standouts. The opener Here is Your Man sets a solid platform and it’s quickly followed by one of my favourite tracks This Is Where. Old Man Crow has Dugald sounding like Wilko’s Jeff Tweedy and features some nice harp work from Sean while Cowboy in The Rain heralds in a shift in mood that takes us through Dead Man Walking and culminates in Send Him Back where there is often an undertone of Nick Cave like blackness and menace. However, they have saved the best for last. If I Can’t Have You opens with a Paul Kelly like musical motif but quickly develops into a powerful rocker. The distorted tin can sounding vocal is very effective over the driving rhythm as the song churns toward its conclusion. Some of the more interesting stuff I’ve heard this year is by independent artists and this CD falls neatly into that category.
Album no 2 - released 2014 > Hi Point Lo
About six months ago I reviewed the Mama-Dukes first album, Rusty Gold from Point Lo, and commented that many of the independent releases I receive are more interesting than a lot of the stuff coming out of the main record companies. Hi Point Lo is The Mama-Dukes’ second release and suggests that there’s something good happening up there in Stradbroke Island. Overall the album has more of a country rock feel than their first effort and once again Dugald Anthony is the major songwriter. The up-tempo country rock of Sweet Mama is a good opening to the disc, the recording quality is excellent and Dugald’s baritone carries the song well. The second track, Living Fool, has a strong Paul Kelly feel to it. Kelly’s influence was something that was noticeable throughout the first album. There are a number of nice ballads on the album. Caroline has a lovely Irish lilt, particularly in the violin solo, and there are acoustic folk touches to both Crying and one of my favourite tracks, Wild Wind. One notable feature of this album is the inclusion of female backing singers. The track, Big Wheel, brings them more to the fore in the mix and on Hometown Dugald sings a duet with Clara Durbidge. The two voices work well together and the counterpoint helps both musically and lyrically. Saints and Sinners brings a completely different dimension to the album. Sean’s strained Tom Waits styled vocal is initially harsh but then seems perfectly at home when the full band kicks in. Musically the track takes us into Waits’ jangly industrial blues territory which is a departure from the rest of the album. My favourite track is the smoky blues tinged Love Went Bad. The song is underpinned by an infectious, hypnotic, bass groove and the tastefully restrained guitar snatches and vocals create a sombre, if somewhat turbulent, mood. Once again The Mama-Dukes leave us, as they started, with a big country rock song. The interestingly titled Cornman displays the musical touches and feel of a group of like-minded brothers enjoying the music and each other’s company. Album no 3 - released 2015 > Point Lo Blues
This is the third album I’ve reviewed from prolific Queensland based songwriter and Public Servant Dugald Anthony and his band The Mama-dukes and I think it’s the best yet. As the title suggests Point Lo Blues is primarily a blues based album and it’s probably the most consistent in terms of the quality of songs and performances of the three I’ve reviewed. Although I’ve enjoyed each album I’ve noticed an improvement in sound quality over the three and the opening track to Point Lo Blues, Boom Boom Boom, has a lovely big full sound. The second track Love Glow continues the exploration of the blues but with a nice change of rhythm. There are a lot of good songs on the album. Black Cadillac has a hard edge and strong beat while Let’s Go has more of a rock feel and catchy singable chorus. They’ve even included a murder song in Best Friend, the singer lamenting, after killing his cheating girl, that… “bad luck’s the best friend I ever had.” I can’t help myself from listening for influences, whether they are actually there or not, and I thought I detected a Kinks influence to one of my favourite tracks, Friends in Bars. The melody is certainly reminiscent of the Kinks song Victoria from that wonderful album Arthur (or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire). The subject matter of Friends in Bars is also far too familiar, I too find friends in bars wherever I go. As per usual the Mama-dukes leave us on a high note. The penultimate track, Oh Baby Please, is a great rock’a’billy song propelled along by a solid bass groove and the final track, Downtown, has an infectious rhythm that had familiar overtones of possibly Tom Waits, or maybe a little Brian ferry’s let’s Stick Together mixed up in its DNA. The good things continue to happen in Straddie.
Album no 4 - released 2016 > High Point LOnesome http://www.psnews.com.au/aps/535/music/high-point-lonesome
By The Mama-dukes (featuring the MoTronics), Independent Release 2016, www.facebook.com/MamaDukesMusic Yee Ha the boys from Straddie are back complete with Stetsons, boots and checked shirts as they go country with their new album High Point Lonesome. Their output is prolific with this the fourth album I’ve received from them in two years, and their enthusiasm seems boundless. All the classic country
motifs are here, love won and lost, travelling, drinking, God, truck
driving, low down guitar, lap steel, banjo etc. and often all in
the one song. There’s no doubt that every album they produce builds nicely upon the previous one. The recording quality on High Point Lonesome is crisp and the overall quality of the songs is strong. There’s a nice mixture of up-tempo and slower tracks. I really like the cliché riddled (both musically and lyrically) Travellin’ Man, the up-tempo Call Me (But not when I’m in Japan) and particularly the final track My Baby Left Me Again (for a train). They seem to make a habit of leaving one of their strongest tracks to last. Indeed, there are many really strong songs on the disc. Slave or King, written by Sean Ogilvie, is one of his best and main writer, Dugald Anthony, continues to churn out quality tracks while furthering his career in the Public Service. The boys even somehow
found the time to tour Japan where they played to a variety of audiences
as diverse as senior citizens associations and Japanese country
and western bars.
Album no 5 - released 2017 > Point Lo Drift
http://www.psnews.com.au/aps/583/music/point-lo-drift
The Mama-dukes featuring The MoTronics, Independent release 2017 www.mamadukesband.com This is not so much a review of a CD but rather an article in praise of a movement. Point Lo Drift is the fifth album released by Dugald Anthony and his band of compatriots from Stradbroke Island in Queensland. From their first release, Rusty Gold from Point Lo (2013), through to this their latest release, Point Lo Drift (2017), I have not only observed the musical development of a group of like minded musicians but also witnessed the blooming of a commune of fellow travellers. The Mama-dukes is comprised of Dugald Anthony and Sean Ogilvie while the MoTronics seems to consist of an ever expanding group of talented musicians eager to contribute their skills to the collective project. The outcomes of this hotbed of activity is a series of albums showcasing not only their talents but also the creative environment that fosters their endeavors.
Over the years their albums have explored musical genres from country and western through to rock and blues and now on to surf music. The album opens with an instrumental, Winter Surf Symphony, that captures the sound and feel of the classic surf instrumentals of the ‘60s, complete with twangy reverb guitar and pounding bass and drums. There are some very good tracks on the album. Dugald’s Everybody Loves you, Big Fat Joe and closing track, Sea of Blue, are excellent while Sean Ogilvie’s Into The Blue, with a great lead vocal by Erin Ross, is particularly good. The mark of a good song is when you find yourself involuntarily singing it and this was the case with Dugald Anthony’s song, Happy Home. It’s a catchy piece of classic pop that wormed its way into my brain and wouldn’t leave me alone for a couple of days. While the ever-increasing personnel list can sometimes create inconsistencies in quality, the joy of these albums is to be found in the collective spirit they display. They show that the concept of community is not totally lost and the hippie ideal is not completely dead. Long live the Straddie commune! Album from Stirling Duke - released 2018> These Golden Days
MUSIC REVIEWS HTTPS://PSNEWS.COM.AU/2019/01/28/THESE-GOLDEN-DAYS/ These Golden Days Stirling Duke is the
performance name of Dugald Anthony of This album is the first solo effort to come out of the collective, although many of the musicians from the Stradbroke Island crew known as the Mama-Dukes and MoTronics perform on the disc. Because the writing on
These Golden Days has been entirely in the hands of Dugald Anthony
there is a consistency to this disc that has sometimes been lacking
in the five previous albums I've reviewed. It presents challenges but also often throws up surprises at the same time. While Dugald has always been the main songwriter of the collective, on These Golden Days he's had the space and control to refine his song writing craft even further. At least three songs amongst the nine very good tacks on the disc stand out as being some the best he's written so far. Blue Satellite opens the album. It's an up tempo 'love lost' song with a chorus; "we're just two lost and lonely blue satellites" but on a positive note the lyrics suggest that you never know what might happen when their two orbits next coincide. The production is big and luscious. Loving You is a great blues ballad, replete with falsetto vocals and lots of space in the mix, and Summer Sun is another moving ballad this time about new found love. There's an element of refinement and polish to the writing and recording in these tracks that suggests there's a lot more to come and I can't wait for the next instalment. I have spent many years working in and around the music industry and I appreciate the skill and dedication that goes in to producing and recording original music and I applaud Dugald and all his mates for their efforts. Album no 6 - released 2019 > Point Lo Fever
HTTPS://PSNEWS.COM.AU/2020/01/20/POINT-LO-FEVER/ Once again I'm starting off the new year with the latest release from my Straddie friends the Mama-dukes. Dugald and the team are a constant source of wonder to me. In the seven albums they have released from their debut (at least to me) of Rusty Gold from Point Lo back in 2013 they have delved into musical genres as diverse as Folk, Country (and Western), Blues/Roots, Surf, and even a little Garage/Grunge and now it's the turn of Disco. Now, I have to be honest and say that disco is not one of my favourite musical forms, but in the hands of the Mama-dukes, I still found plenty to like. The opening track, Feel The Love, gives us a taste of what's to come as the disco beat sets the tempo. On this album their trademark guitar-driven sound is often replaced by synths and rhythm machines but the sound is still unmistakably Mama-dukes. As per usual there are some cracking songs on the disc. I love the funky bass-lines of Ma Cherie, Booty Call and Stand As One and the album ends on a high with Coming For You. Over the years I've noticed
how the collective has become more sophisticated in their song writing
and recording processes There are some deviations from the dance theme on the album. Sugar Brown, while a nice love song, isn't really a dance track (unless you include slow cheek to cheek canoodling) and Through The Top, while having disco overlays, is really an edgy bluesy rock track. However, these are trifling issues when you consider the breadth and depth of the Mama-dukes vision and output. When you consider that these folk are not full-time professional musicians but ordinary people that have to juggle their musical passions with more prosaic things, such as earning a living, then what they have achieved is truly remarkable. I strongly support independent
musicians so why not have a listen to the Mama-dukes. Album no 7 - released 2020> Point Lo Carport
https://psnews.com.au/2021/01/18/point-lo-carport/?state=aps It’s become my practise to start the new year by reviewing the latest release from my Stradbroke Island friends, The Mama-dukes. Point Lo Carport is the seventh album that I’ve reviewed, (eight including the solo album from Mama-dukes front man and main songwriter Dugald Anthony which was a really good album), and with each release I comment on the improving quality of both the performances and songwriting. From their first album, Rusty Gold From Point Lo (2013), through to their latest release there has been a consistent communal vibe to their output. Space has been provided for each member of the collective to have their moment in the spotlight. While this approach is commendable it has naturally led to some inconsistency in songwriting quality within the albums. As someone who has spent a good deal of his life working in bands I can tell you that this communal working method is not a common approach and The Mama-dukes are to be commended for their long-term commitment to the process. Most bands are dictatorships, some enlightened and mostly benign – but many are uneasy alliances that burn brightly for a short period of time before differing artistic temperaments tear them asunder. While there have been personnel changes within the Mama-dukes the core group of Dugald Anthony, Sean Ogilvie, Chris Hutton, Steve Reynolds, Rod Osbaldston and Scott Whitby have remained intact and developed a strong working relationship. While I applaud the commitment to communal involvement and ownership there are some musical downsides that may arise. The strength of Lennon and McCartney’s writing meant that George Harrison was mostly limited to one track an album and there is no doubt that Dugald is the strongest and most consistent songwriter in the Mama-dukes however Sean Ogilvie has come to the fore on this album. The opening track, Real Deal, sets a high standard and his other songs: Drip Feed You Love, Changing My Mind and Come Back are also strong. Point Lo Carport is the most consistent album that the boys have released so far and it led me to contemplate what tracks a best-of album would contain. A hard-nosed approach of selecting only the best songs from their growing catalogue to release in one package could reap some rewards.
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