Travelling

Publisher No.:
(1994) LOG Label - CD 4797382 , Greg's Music World

Comments:
Charles McMahon is the didjeridu player for Gondwana, an Australian band that combines didj, drums and synth. Besides being very talented, he is best known for almost being Australia's first terrorist. He grew up on a station in the Outback, and being very angry at the way the Aboriginals were treated, put together a large pipe bomb to detonate at some government office. The bomb detonated as he was building it, costing him his arm. He plays with a harness to hold his didj. He makes didjs out of PVC pipe (he may have originated this practice) with sliding parts. These are light enough for him to manage with his prosthetic arm, which he uses to slide the pieces. In addition to Gondwanaland, Charlie recorded with various San Francisco bands, including the Residents, Snakefinger, Esmerelda, and Rhythm & Noise (back when Diamanda Galas performed with them). Editor's Disclaimer: the story about the loss of Charlie's arm may or may not be true. (Ed. - Other accounts of the loss of his arm are different.)
Reviewer: Nick Hunter

The album starts out with a "Gondwanaesque" track called "Fling" which is a little over 4 minutes of what could be Gondwanaland plus flute. In the second track, however, the album begins to feature more instruments and styles than appreciated in the Gondwanaland releases. Charlie's classic rhythms and barks are all present through out the recording - but new are extensive use of the wobble board (the instrument used in Rolfe Harris' classic "tie me kangaroo down, sport") on "Pig Wobble" and "Corrupt Wobble". The combination of wobble board and didj is very tight on the former. The latter combines a little hip hop with jazz sax and piano. The track "Scramble" features some rapid tongue work against quick little synth and guitar "sneek" rifts. Also included with the "new sound" are some interesting vocals on Dandylion and Aboriginal singing in the Kanal Bingu language. Combining all the new sounds with the familiar Charlie "the Hook" rhythms from Gondwanaland classics like "log dance", this release is a must have for Gondwanaland freaks and will be of interest to those composers who want excellent examples of how compose with interesting didj work as the base rhythm. Didj players take note of Charlie's double tonguing on the intro to "Ride"
Reviewer: Ed Drury

Charlie McMahon told me that he lost his arm in a rocket fuel explosion. He said the reason he plays side-saddle is because he copped it in the face too.
Reviewer: Guy Grant