A Christmas greeting from Squid Ink

here. With love from the eight-legged juggernaut of hot rock

The Calamari code

A certain member of the band has long been readying himself (and his inner suburban home) for the glorious moment when the great chief squid descends to earth from the outer reaches of the cosmos. Being more circumspect, I always felt our eight-legged future overlords would first attempt to communicate with us from afar. While laid up of late, I've taken to tackling the cryptic crossword in my preferred quality broadsheet newspaper. The last couple of days, something weird appears to be happening.

On Monday, I squealed with delight at the clue for 10 across:
Beats me! Tip off? (5)
The answer, of course, is Tempi - one of Paddy's favourite words and a subject of considerable consternation on this blog at certain times during the past year.

I texted the clue to p-borg who, being the intellectual powerhouse of the band, diverted his attention for just a few moments from the enthralling final of the World Cup chess event in Siberia (where America's Gata Kamsky was towelling up his opponent with a neat twist on the Sicilian defence) to fire back the correct answer.

I thought nothing of it until this morning I clapped my eyes on 27 across:
Someone like you has sort of crimson liquor (7,6)
While Paddy mulled it over, courtesy of a timely facebook message from myself, I filled in the letters and gasped as I grasped the emerging secret communique. The answer, of course, is Kindred spirit.

Close fans of the ink would know that the band has only just reconvened after an injury-enforced layoff. For rehab-related reasons we have exchanged our regular digs at Richmond's Midian Studios for an (acoustically poor) room at Yarraville's Kindred Studios.

We met as Kindred spirits last week and tempi were fairly average (as was everything else, mind you). Methinks the grand squid emperor won't be coming down here until we offer up a considerably hotter brand of rock.

Will keep you posted on any new communications.

Here Comes the Axe, Here Comes the Smasher

Hot and happy times at Ink Mansions. This evening will see the first rehearsal in...at least 6 weeks...and that one was preceded by some cancelations also (I fear we may still owe Midian one rehearsal's worth). Time once was that gigs created the fizzle but we are in a regroup and rebuild phase and the anticipation is large. So far as I know, no new songs are in the pipe but we have several that have only had the barest of scrapings in band time...Rabbit Army, Easy To Do and Tongue Tied immediately spring to mind.

Also! We have a supporter in the Black Francis approved non-mainstream media. The young turk over at Melbourne Music is the younger brother of a veteran of the Squid Ink live circuit. I passed him the hot first track of the hot (if it ever appears) album and he reviewed it here. The review is interesting as it comes from a man who devotes his energies almost entirely to avant garde and contemporary orchestral music. He has offered to write liner notes...I am not sure...it would be nice to have non-band-member liner notes but tradition would have us hold them back for the re-issue in several years time.

No sea for these squids, please!

As the band swings back into action in anticipation of next year's tour of new zealand, chief roadie and band fan club manager Mr X (shown above) has taken delivery of the Squid mobile that we will pilot on our journey round the shakey isles.

Keen eyes will spot the typo so it's back to the custom bandmobile workshop for a slight re-pimping of our ride. Still, I think you'll all agree it puts us on the map as a serious band that travels in style. Thanks Mr X and thanks to all of you who purchased our limited edition badges! Without you guys there would be no squid-mobile and we would all have to jam ourselves into one of the band's two Toyota Corollas.