MoWax Headz Tour 95/96

MoWax Headz Tour 95/96

Tour by Money Mark, DJ Shadow, James Lavelle, Charlie (Attica Blues)
Location	Australia
Start date	December 29, 1995 (1995-12-29)
End date	January 6, 1996 (1996-01-06)
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 but he double booked, and pulled out due to "illness".

"Money Mark and the MoWax Crew" also played an instore gig at B# Record Store in Adelaide on 5 Jan 1996.

Description of Adelaide show from The Advertiser Jan 4, 1996:

"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

Review - Sydney

Sydney Review by Marc Wright

"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

"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

"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

"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."

Perth Review by Adam Connors for The West Australian

For a grunge puppy like myself it is hard to admit that I may be somewhat ‘crossing over’ these days, but with the Mo’Wax Headz in town it seemed to be the right time to come out, just a little …

Planet was bubbling both downstairs and up, the all-ages frenzy in the basement supplying scenes of manic hero worship as outside, after the gig, kids tried scrambing into the windows of tour buses loaded with Summersault superstars who squiggled on fans’ t-shirts, all to an impromptu busk on the sidewalk from Money Mark.

“I heard you guys are not allowed upstairs, that really sucks, so I’ll play to you for free”, said Mark, fiddling with the distortion and beats from his mini, homemade ghetto blaster thing. Crowded around him, the Perth under-aged mingled with a huge international media entourage who were dressed more like rock pigs than the unobtrusive, omnipresent members of Pavement, Foo Fighters and The Amps themselves. Consequently, the outrageously garbed photographers probably signed more autographs.

A drive-by water pistol shooting by the Beastie Boys on skateboards added to the surreal mayhem, Mark tapping away on a dated old Casio making one hell of a strange noise. Charles Street will never be dull again.

After some downstairs gawking and air, Planet’s dance party was in full, furious swing. Blending all schools of hip hop, mixing it with B-Boys, Eric B and Rakim staples, the crowd grinned and bounced to the cosiest, lovin’ atmosphere I’ve ever seen under such circumstances.

Which brings me to the crowd. From metal heads to indie girls, dance bunnies to moustachioed jazz freaks, the uptempo bass-driven jive propelled legs upwards and outwards, fuelled by the multi-schooled beats from hip-hop’s past, present and future. On stage, the wheels were watched from the shadows by local DJs as Charlie, Shadow and Lavelle rifled through crates of vinyl for that subtle sample or drum loop. Then up strolled Money Mark from the dance floor, his aforementioned sound machine bleeping out its cheap, silly beats and a mic halfway in his mouth.

I think most people would say that they didn’t enjoy Mark but I reckon they just missed the gag. “Y’see, I just picked up my bedroom and brought it here”, said Mark of the stage accessories – Buddha statues, lava lamps, a drum kit and countless wires and gizmos. “I don’t even have a bed”, he said climbing on to one of his keyboards.

“I get up in the mornin’, have a cappuccino and then my friends come over for a jam”, he added as a Beastie Boy walked up and started drumming. Mixing 2-3 minute bursts of simple impromptu jazz ditties with his theatrical displays of $4 musical trinkets he makes at home, Mark went through a day in the life of a slacker music man, little stories punctuated with songs like Cry (which he also did with the Beasties at Summersault) and Sometimes You Gotta Make It Alone.

However, the majority of the crowd suddenly and embarrassingly got really shirty about the lack of dance beats and put a chill in the room, their minute attention spans and disregard for alternative performance being a definite blight on the proceedings. Mark’s cabaret muse and theatrics were certainly flippant, but they were equally jolly, funny and reminded the people who paid attention that homegrown music can be part of everything and everyone.

Anyway, Mark left the stage to be filled with the DJ aura once more. People danced as the beats moved towards jungle, Kim Deal played pool and Dave Grohl bumped my elbow. Ahh, I’m still wearing those same socks.

Images

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  Poster for MoWax Headz 95/96 Tour

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