Almanac Poetry: Joseph of Arimathea

In keeping with Easter, this week’s poem from Kevin Densley is his take on Joseph of Arimathea, who, according to all four canonical gospels, was the man who took responsibility for Christ’s burial after his crucifixion.

Almanac Music: Deconstructing The Beatles’ Song ‘Rain’

In this Friday’s column, KD puts The Beatles song ‘Rain’ under the microscope, and concludes that it is ‘certainly one of the most influential songs of the 1960s, or maybe, the entire rock/pop era’, even if it was originally the B-side of the ‘Paperback Writer’ single.

Almanac Poetry: Chad Morgan, the Sheik of Scrubby Creek

In this week’s poem, Kevin Densley deals with Australian country music legend Chad Morgan (Kevin stresses that the particular incidents mentioned in connection with the great man are ‘fictional’)

Almanac Music: Australian Country Music

In this Friday’s post, KD looks at Australian country music, especially the kind of songs his father listened to when he was a kid.

Almanac Music: Absolute Game Changers – A Song That Shook Your World

According to Kevin Densley, we all have a song that is an ‘absolute game changer’ for us, a particular one that shakes up our world and changes it in some fundamental way. He puts forward his own choice, and asks Almanackers to do the same.

Almanac Poetry: To Clarissa

In Kevin Densley’s poem today, it’s as clear as the crystal waters of a low tide rock pool: ‘Nudity is a wonderful, natural thing – especially if that nudity belongs to someone else!’

Almanac Music: Extraordinary Musical Moments – Patti Smith Sings ‘A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall’ at Bob Dylan’s Official Nobel Prize Ceremony, 2016

In this instalment of his ‘Extraordinary Musical Moments’ series, Kevin Densley discusses Patti Smith singing ‘A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall’ at Bob Dylan’s official Nobel Prize ceremony in 2016. KD describes the occasion as both ‘wonderful’ and ‘notably imperfect’.

Almanac Poetry: For Shantelle

All Kevin Densley has to say about this week’s poem is that “any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental…” (Contains mild strong language)

Almanac Music: My Favourite Drummers – Arise, Sir Ringo!

In this week’s instalment of his ‘My Favourite Drummers’ series, KD writes about his favourite drummer of all, the inimitable Ringo Starr.

Almanac Poetry: The Valley of the Shadow of

Kevin Densley takes a walk through the valley in this vivid poetic portrait of Racecourse Road in Flemington.

Almanac Music: Let There Be Light: Ten Songs of ‘Light’ from Favourite Mainstream Australasian Artists

This week’s post from KD is a companion piece to his ‘Songs of Darkness’ article of last Friday – the topic is now ‘Songs of Light’ from mainstream Australasian artists. Again, he invites Almanackers to respond, to add to the picture.

Almanac Poetry: Bread and Circuses

Almost 2,000 years ago, the Roman poet Juvenal came up with the maxim about the general populace being only interested in ‘bread and circuses’. His famous words were the inspiration for this week’s poem by Kevin Densley.

Almanac Music: Darkness from the Mainstream: Ten Dark Songs from Favourite Australasian Artists

In this encyclopedic piece, KD analyses ten favourite mainstream Australasian songs from the ‘dark’ side, and encourages Almanackers to add some of their own.

Almanac Poetry: Lunch with Terrie and Bernadette

This poem from Kevin Densley speaks of his time as a young playwright and performing arts student, and the ‘end’ of raffish, arty-farty Carlton in the early 1980s.

Almanac Poetry: Dredge Pond, Harrietville, Victoria

Kevin Densley depicts the Tronoh Dredge Hole in Harrietville, Victoria, created by gold mining operations. He remembers it well from family holidays.

Almanac Music: Greatest Hits of 1856 – ‘Gentle Annie’ by Stephen Foster

In this Friday’s column, KD discusses an American pre-Civil War popular song, Stephen Foster’s beautiful ballad ‘Gentle Annie’, and examines how it has stood the test of time, presenting a couple of versions as examples.

Almanac Poetry: Ben Hall’s Photograph

This week’s poem from Kevin Densley is based upon (arguably) the most iconic photograph in the history of Australian bushranging.

Almanac Poetry: Imponderables

In this Monday’s poem, Kevin Densley asks the big questions of life … well, not really ‘that’ big.

Almanac Comedy: Mo in McCackie Mansion episode ‘The Scottish Butcher’

KD introduces another example of the work of legendary Australian comedian, Mo: a very funny episode of his radio series, McCackie Mansion.

Almanac Poetry: Seen from a Window Table in Acland Street, St Kilda

This week’s poem from Kevin Densley dates from the time, about twenty years ago, when he lived in Melbourne. St Kilda was a short tram ride from home…