DVD review
Shadow Play
Rory Gallagher (Eagle Vision)
591 minutes, 4:3 format
4 stars
County Donegal-born Rory Gallagher was one of the greatest guitarists and rock performers of his generation, and his mastery is well represented in this collection of shows recorded for the German Rockpalast TV program. The three-disc set includes an intimate studio gig, club sets and massive outdoor shows, in seven brackets dating from 1976 to 1990. It showcases Gallagher's talents as a solo acoustic performer and as a master of the electric blues. Along with fiery renditions of favourites such as Calling Card and Tattoo'd Lady, points of interest _ historically, if not musically _ include guest jams with Jack Bruce, Eric Burdon, Roger McGuinn and members of Little Feat (amusingly cited in the accompanying booklet notes by Rory's brother Donal as ``Roger McQuinn'' and ``Little Feet''). Visuals are excellent throughout and the sound is mostly first-rate. Look for quirks such as odd subtitles and a smoke machine gone haywire.

Two Feathers
Rory Ellis
Villainous Records 4 stars
Rory Ellis glares menacingly from the cover of his new disk, released on the Villainous label. At first listen these portents seem utterly misleading. Ellis embraces each song with a voice like a big, warm, comfortable doona, and the musical accompaniment, led by Dave Steel on guitars (plus Dobro and mandolin) and Tim Neal on Hammond organ, is delightfully free-flowing and adept. As a songwriter, Ellis isn't a typical bluesman, owing more to the storytelling traditions of rural Australian country and folk. But there is an overriding feeling of melancholy to much of the music here, a sense of the blues more deeply felt than just a 12-bar song structure can convey, and a sad man can be a dangerous man. This, then, is a record that reveals its many moods gradually, from the tender Little One to the angry No Love in This War and the tough-rocking Dear Satan. Backed by many of Melbourne's finest players, including Barry Stockley on bass, Pete Luscombe on drums, Matiss Schubert on violin), Kerri Simpson and Chris Wilson on backing vocals, this is another mighty effort from a musician who just keeps improving. Catch him playing around town before he heads back overseas.

WEEKEND AWAY
DUNKELD
For the past several months, the tiny, tidy western Victorian village of Dunkeld has been an eldorado for every gourmand worth his or her salt shaker, as foodies from around the globe wend their way to the Royal Mail Hotel to sample of cooking of star chef Dan Hunter.
The impressions of Dunkeld one gets from these reports from the far fringes of food appreciation are _ well _ of not much at all, really. It's as if the Royal Mail exists in splendid isolation on an island of culinary adventure.
But there is a lot more to Dunkeld; OK, maybe not a lot more to the town _ just a few shops, a visitor centre, a school, and a stately old war memorial park with community swimming pool and bowls club. But most important, it is the southern gateway to the Grampians, one of the most picturesque destinations in this part of the world. And if you are staying at the Royal Mail or one of several guest houses around the town, you're well-placed to enjoy the many bushwalks and scenic drives the area has to offer.
The Royal Mail provides an illustrated map for walks that start from the nicely landscaped hotel grounds. These range in difficulty from easy to difficult and can take from 15 minutes, for a brisk pre-dinner stroll, to a four-hour hike that follows the Wannon River and up along the lower flanks of Mount Sturgeon. The trails are well-marked and only occasionally challenging to follow.
Along the trails you come across shady billabongs and stands of magnificent river red gums, pass through scrubby stringybark forests and discover hillsides of mysterious, skirted grass trees, always watched over by the tremendous rocky towers of the southern Grampians.
It's a good idea to bring a day pack for carrying water, wear sturdy walking shoes, and _ this is grazing country _ bring plenty of fly repellent. Also be sure to pack your swimming togs, because the hotel has a great pool, ideal for a refreshing plunge after a vigorous hike, or for some indulgent lounging between meals.
The hotel's guide lists some of the native animals and introduced pests you're likely to encounter on these walks. We saw Eastern Grey kangaroos, Swamp and Red-necked wallabies, and also rabbits, hares and foxes. Two natives we were happy to miss were the Eastern Tiger and Brown snakes.
The rooms at the Royal Mail are clean and well-appointed, with comfortable beds, a small fridge, tea and coffee, including a plunger with real coffee, and a good flat-screen TV. The bathrooms are spotless and modern. The small veranda out back is a good place to relax with a book or to simply gaze at the ever-changing panorama of the Grampians.
If food is the main reason for your visit, well, it's all the foodie adventurers say it is, ranging from the remarkable degustation dinner in Hunter's restaurant, to the fine bistro or an excellent pub meal in the hotel's front bar.
If food is the main reason for your visit, well, it's all the foodie adventurers say it is, ranging from the remarkable degustation dinner in Hunter's restaurant (this is what all the fuss is about), to the bistro, or a pub meal in the front bar. As far as pub grub goes, it'd be hard to beat the wagyu corned beef and mash or the Royal's version of the classic chicken parma. And no matter which venue you dine in, set aside plenty of time to peruse the prodigious wine list.
The neighbouring Gourmet Pantry and Mountain View Cafe are good alternatives for breakfast and lunch.
If you feel like getting into the car, Hall's Gap, in the heart of the Grampians, is less than an hour away, as is Port Fairy, on the coast. The rural centre of Hamilton is even closer, and the whole area is dotted with quaint little towns, many with splendid old pubs.
VISITORS' BOOK
Royal Mail Hotel
Address 98 Parker St (Glenelg Highway), Dunkeld
Bookings Phone 03 5577 2241 or see royalmail.com.au/
Email relax@royalmail.com.au
Getting there About 250 km west of Melbourne on the Western Highway via Ballarat and the Glenelg Highway
How much Choices range from hotel rooms and apartments to cottages and shared houses for big groups. Hotel rates for a Mountain View room are $220 a night peak and $180 off-peak
Summary The Royal Mail is a vast complex; by all means go for the food, but don't ignore the rest of this beautiful part of Victoria.
Verdict 17.
The score: 19-20 excellent; 17-18 great; 15-16 good; 13-14 comfortable. All weekends away are conducted anonymously and paid for by Traveller.

Primitive Tales
The Kits
Off The Hip 2.5 stars
Originality is overrated and playing spot the influence can be a dangerous pursuit in the pop-rock game _ points worth remembering when listening to this debut long-player from London-based but Melbourne's own the Kits. Led by Kit Atkinson emoting mightily on vocals and guitar, this is seriously tight, bright and shiny stuff. Michael Cleverly's bass chugs and churns and Kit's brother Jay's drums snap and sizzle. Kit's and Marc Bonet's lead guitar lines are clean, sinuous and perfectly formed. Recorded at various London studios, it's a well-rehearsed distillation of '80s power pop _ surprisingly so, given the band's presence on Off The Hip, Australia's foremost grungy garage-band label. No matter how consistently average and disposable the band sounds, doggedly pushing through 11 likeable tracks, it's undeniably poppy and smartly calculated. Dangerous Life works well, and City to City almost, but not quite, lets go and rocks out. Production is likewise straight and tidy. The band tries to cultivate a garage-band image but this well-lit music to look good to.

Live at the Nighthawk
The Moonee Valley Drifters
MGM 3 stars
What used to promise a reliable, professional country music package, the so-called Nashville sound today more often means bland, botoxed and by the numbers. Happily, this new record by Melbourne's own Moonee Valley Drifters is about as far from Nashville as you can get. Recorded live, with just a couple of overdubs, in front of an audience of fans and friends, it's rough and ready and a whole lot of fun. The band cover a dizzying array of styles, from the classic country of George Jones (Who Shot Sam) to Doug Kershaw's Cajun rhythms (Louisiana Man) and the Bakersfield rocking of Buck Owens (Flash, Crash, and Thunder). Indeed, this split can be disconcerting, the country-cajun mix sitting a little uncomfortably at times. At least it lets chief Drifter Tom Forsell scratch his squeeze-box itch. Led by the wonderful Nicky del Rey on guitar and Gerard Rowan on pedal steel, the music swings and sways and maybe lacks just a bit of fire. Let's act up and smash a few barstools, the music says, but the boys remain on their best behaviour. What the Drifters have in abundance is Forsell's great country voice, and that guarantees a good time.

MUSIC
JEFF BECK
The Palais Theatre, January 26
palaistheatre.net.au/
Along with his gunslinging reputation as one of the world's most innovative electric guitarists, British rock legend Jeff Beck is also known as a builder of custom hot-rod cars. His show at the Palais Theatre roared and purred and generally ran like a well-tuned high-performance road machine on a steamy Australia Day evening in St Kilda.
Propelled by a rhythm section led by drummer Vinnie Colaiuta and bassist Tal Wilkenfeld _ a 22-year-old wunderkind from Sydney; her solo during Stevie Wonder's Because We've Ended As Lovers, off 1974's Blow By Blow, was simply beautiful _ Beck kicked the show off with Bolero, which has been part of his set since Truth, his 1968 solo debut. What followed was 90 minutes of alternating bone-jarring power in songs such as Blast and Pump and the fine delicacy of Stratus and Where Were You, in a performance that was remarkable for its nuance and structure.
Looking better in black leather trousers and trademark black shag haircut than any 64-year-old man has any right to, Beck and his ever-present Fender Stratocaster, Wilkenfeld's sinuous, sexy basslines and the fills and and washes by super-session keyboardist David Sancious (Bruce Springsteen, Sting) provided all the required melody and drama, no vocals required; there was one vocal microphone on the stage, which Beck used once, at the end, when he introduced the band.
The show closely followed the set from recent CD release Performing This Week ... Live At Ronnie Scott's, and showed the full range of Beck's eclectic fusion of styles, drawing on everything from hard rock, funk and jazz to Middle Eastern and rockabilly. One of the highlights in a show full of them was Beck's version of Lennon-McCartney's A Day In The Life.
Apart from Beck's astonishing finger-picking virtuosity and occasional stage direction, this wasn't a highly visual show, completely lacking in rock-star poses; just lots of grins and nods of respect as the players got on with the job of making great music together.
As The Sun Falls
Jess McAvoy
Henduwin Music 3 stars
For a singer-songwriter with two highly praised, self-assured albums under her belt, Melbourne-based Western Australian Jess McAvoy seems oddly disconnected from her material this time round. Such a lapse is surprising: this is no pop tyro; apart from the songwriting and singing, McAvoy shares production credit, plays the guitars, runs the record label and helps design the packaging. It's not that the material is wanting, either _ indeed, it's a uniformly strong set. McAvoy is candid about her preference for playing solo, so maybe it's the presence of a full band that makes her push her voice well out of its comfort zone and into an upper register that lacks emotional bearing. Which would be a pity, because under the skilful direction co-producer Marty Brown (Clare Bowditch, Art of Fighting), this is a terrific bunch of players and they give the first-rate batch of songs palpable structure, strength and much-needed warmth, especially when the keys and strings kick in. Pals Clare Bowditch and Liz Stringer help out on backing vocals. Everything finally clicks into place when McAvoy lets loose, on tracks such as How The Hell and Best I Can, and the terrific ballad Part of Me.

Western Stream
Andrew Hull
Heftos Productions 3 stars
Poetry and rock have a long if not always happy relationship. Indeed, rappers' rhymes might be seen as poetry. To stretch the point, viewed in a certain way, this recording debut from New South Welshman _ Bourke, actually _ Andrew Hull could be considered a sort of bush rap, spoken over a musical soundtrack created by guitarist Leigh Ivin (the Re-mains), Ronny Rindo on drums and Adam Bodkin on bass, plus guests including the great Chris Wilson on harmonica. Delivered in Hull's strong, clean-limbed tenor, free of histrionics _ if at times a bit uncomfortably sentimental _ much of Western Stream is taken from Hull's recent book of poems West: People & Places, which was inspired by the writing of Henry Lawson. Ivins' music mixes up the moods, track one Gulargumbone heating up the honky tonk while track two Cambell has a cool, back-bar jazzy feel. On the rocking title track, and again on the record's strongest piece, Where The Waters Used to Run (Reprise), you can feel Hull the poet straining against the melody, aching to burst into song. But he resists and stays true to his craft. Forget your rock and pop expectations and enjoy the flow.