Welcome to December. That time of the year when our personal debt skyrockets beyond our means. When we eat and drink compulsively and give the wrong things to the people that least want or need them.

Well, this festive season, home slice encourages you to say 'lick my big red shiny baubles' and try a buy nothing christmas. Take back the stress of choosing the right present, and put it into helping your family prepare an organic christmas tofurky. Use the extra time that you're not stuck in a department store checkout line to make a hand made recycled card for your loved ones, and if you must buy something.. make it something local, some art perhaps? The talented Sam can whip up custom paintings pretty quickly! Salute.

art by sam evans

Big Star Basement

There is underground, and then there is under ground, this little gem is both. From the outside, Big Star Records is just an Adelaide music buying institution, but once a week, give or take, the basement transforms into a dungeon of musical delight. The staff may have to find somewhere to shift all that stock but boy are we grateful. Every Wednesday evening, as you finish your 9 to 5 (god bless you), or as you consider the late night you have ahead of you earning your casual pay, you can duck down for some live music. On top of regular Wednesdays, coming up this Friday are the volatile and noisily splendid Clockcleaner. Yes.

What: Clockcleaner with very special guests.
When: Today! Friday December 5th, 9pm
Bring: $12, friends, ear muffins
Listen: myspace.com/clockcleaner

Zephyr Quartet's Electro Acoustic Concert

Following on from Zephyr Quartet’s Ruby Award winning first foray into the melding of live strings and electronics, they're back with brand new electro acoustic works. These innovative pieces, especially written by a diverse mix of Australian artists, exploring amplified strings with quirky glitches and bleeps that modern sound technology allows. Zephyr will be joined by guests Adam Page Solo and DJTrip performing live.

Music by: Zoë Barry, Luke Harrald, DJ Tr!p, Adam Page, Fiona Hill, Hilary Kleinig,

Tickets - $20/$15 $50 Family (2+2) $10 Student rush

When: Friday 12th December, 9pm
Where: Rocket Bar, 142 Hindley St
Tickets: $20, $10 Students
Listen: zephyrquartet.com

Castle Bazaar

There is an underground movement in Adelaide that is not content with becoming fashion zombies draped in ‘uniforms’ spewed out by big brand retailers. They're a flock of emerging designers, vintage, art and jewellery makers intent on bringing locally made beauty to the neckid backs of us all.

The cobble-stone beer garden of the Ed Castle will come alive with Berlin style men’s vintage, cute one-off dresses adorned with fringing and embellishments and leather bags made from patchwork pieces of vintage acid-wash leather jackets.

And just in case it takes you a while to get through all the hand picked wonders, there'll be DJs, food and drinks specials to keep you smiling.

Could this be the perfect place to find pre-loved, recycled and lovingly refreshed Christmas gifts?

Where: Ed Castle beer garden
233 Currie Street, Adelaide
When: Sunday December 14th, 11 - 5pm
F***book: Castle Bazaar

Kitty Came Home

After the wicked witch of the west has had her vintage way with you, be sure to head south east to make it a big Sunday of shopping and pop past the annual Christmas sale: Kitty Came Home.

On the racks you'll find new stock, seconds & prototypes. Clutches, journals, diaries & nanna crafts, plus a few little goodies and surprises.

Where: Upstairs at the Crown & Sceptre, King William St, City.
When: Sunday December 14th, 11.30 - 7pm

'Roomies' @ A Room Of Her Own

This month at A Room Of Her Own is 'Roomies', an exhibition of 7 different artists and their own unique interpretations of the word 'room'. The show includes papercut and collage by Amy Prior, prints by Chris Town, the jewelery of Peta Kruger and works in acrylic, watercolour, gouache and oils by Marcin Kobylecki, Ben Quici, Lucy Turnbull and Tammy Whitworth.

Where: A Room Of Her Own
5 Elizabeth St (aka Queen St), Croydon
When: Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Map: tinyurl.com/6na9f5
Website: www.aroomofherown.com.au

Survey Thirteen

This exhibition showcases the diverse range of work the Adelaide Central School of Art’s thirteen graduates have produced over the course of their degree. This years graduates are Amy Baker, Helen Beaumont, Melanie Brown, Nicole Brown, Mary Coventry, Anna Horne, Adric Kloeden, Robyn McBride, Jenny Trantor, Luke Victory, Amy Watson, Sheila Whittam and Tammy Whitworth.

There are some talented kids in this graduate class.. don't miss it!

When: Saturday 13th December, 5pm - 7pm
Where: Adelaide Central Gallery
45 Osmond Terrace, Norwood
Directions: Google transport

Skeletal Lamping by of Montreal
(Popfrenzy/Polyvinyl)

In the years to come Skeletal Lamping will either go down as a lusciously experimental masterpiece, or a self-indulgent disaster. For long-time fans of the band, it’s hard to believe that this is the same fresh-faced bunch of Athenians that produced pop gems like Disconnect The Dots. Their ninth release is the album that truly defines their grotesque transformation from Elephant 6 upstarts, to the theatre of lingerie, white horses and homosexual alter egos that now characterises of Montreal.

These are all the reasons that Skeletal Lamping should be a horrible mess, and to some respects it still is a horrible mess. Yet despite all this Kevin Barnes’ charm manages to peek through the chaos of sexual innuendo, it’s impossible to deny of Montreal’s tact for uplifting and loveable melody.

Even if it is fleeting, snapshots of what of Montreal were still remain in Skeletal Lamping. The uplifting horn section introduction of An Eluardian Instance and the glam-rock chorus of Triallaphus, to Punctuate remind us of this band’s true strengths.

Just as quickly as these joys begin however, they disappear. Nothing stays quite long enough to keep you satisfied, but the want and desire for more only makes Skeletal Lamping more and more appealing.

If you can withstand moments of overzealous instrumentation and a cringe worthy insight into Kevin Barnes’ creative mind, there is so much to enjoy in this album.

Video: Clip for ‘Id Engager’
Listen: myspace.com/ofmontreal

words by Nick.

Quan 'The Amateur'
(Valve Records/MGM)

Could Australian hip hop get any more boring and repetitive? We all vaguely appreciate the hard work of locals The Hilltop Hoods and the likes of Bliss N Esso who get incredible air time on the likes of Triple J but Pez's Festival Song really was the last straw.

Music blog mintnoise said it first, Aussie skip hop is trapped in formulaic repetition full of lame lyrics without wit nor motive; sure the beats are catchy but that's where it ends. With the exclusion of the UK's Dizzee Rascal, any hip hop act that mentions “picking up a pen” is probably lyrical tripe. See the problem with Pez is that it's insulting to the listener that the MC admits “I don't listen to rock”. Masters like The Beastie Boys and Run D.M.C understood the important influence of rock on hip hop, how can Pez miss the ridiculousness of his own lyrics when he is essentially a lyricist.

Luckily we have Quan, half of Regurgitator who have provided us with some of the more memorable moments in music over the last decade or more. 'The Amateur' is blissfully ambitious, tips it hat oh so reverently to the Beastie Boys and represents the other side of Australian hip hop. The, ahem, good side.

The website is worth it, just for the free mp3 and the joyous design.

Listen: www.quantheamateur.com

Cubeecraft

Need some inspiration for a Christmas card that can be re-used to keep your lonely desk items company?

Simply print your favourite cubeedude, cut on the cutting lines and write your message on the back.

Then you can give it assembled, and have the recipient open it up!

Download: cubeecraft.com

Zen tips for happiness - Tip 1

Happiness is for All Time, Not Just the Future

Don't put off your happiness. Live it. The only way to get to the future is through the present. It's your actions now, your happiness now that dictates your future happiness. Even if we can justify short term hardwork, we have to be careful. By putting off happiness we increase suffering, as well as moving karma (habits) into a pattern of accepted suffering. People who work hard for a few months, when they get to the 'other side' often find themselves either bored/lacking or lonely. When they stop suffering, they often chose it again. It makes them feeling important.

Be happy now. No one, No Thing, and No Time are going to make you happy. The only way to be happy, is to Accept where we are, and work from this place to where you want to be. Take responsibility for your happiness, and make it a priority in your life.

Find the extended version of this post over on The Middle Way.

About the Author: Wade is a Zen Buddhist, who's lived in a few monasteries around the world.

What is this Shantaram thing?

You may have overheard a conversation along the lines of this, “Have you read Shantaram?”, with the standard response, “Oh isn't it just wonderful!”. Meanwhile, you just sit there nodding unknowingly or looking all quizzical feeling a little bit like a spare tyre.

Well Shantaram translates to 'man of peace', a mind blowing novel by Gregory David Roberts, part fiction, part non-fiction it ticks all the genre boxes. The author, a convicted bank robber , escapes from high security prison in Australia and then manages to flee to India where he works for the Bombay mafia, falls in love, goes to war and lives in the slums. This extraordinary story is a literary masterpiece full of vivid prose that will make you want to up and leave for Bombay in an instant and even create everlasting imaginary memories of actually being there.

At around 900 words it’s entering Biblical territory, so what will it be? Greg or Jesus?

Website: www.shantaram.com

The Big Day Out is almost worth braving this year for one man only: Neil Young. Push through the crowds of Arctic Monkeys fans with their Artline-and-Chesty Bonds DIY merch and get there late. Winnipeg's favourite son needs no introduction, but here are some treats to sate your thirst:

The Bridge: A Tribute To Neil Young
(Various Artists)

Tribute albums, a dime a dozen. Neil Young tribute albums, maybe a nickel a dozen? Nonetheless, this 1989 paean to ol' Shakey is a good listen if you are fortunate enough to find it (my copy, a very serendipitous twenty bucks from an unassuming Sydney record store). It's a serve of double nostalgia: the heroes of late 80's indie playing their Neil faves. Some acts have faded into oblivion - anyone remember Soul Asylum? - but most of the names are quality, quality, quality. Nick Cave croons his way through "Helpless", a song Patti Smith would go on to cover on Twelve; Dinosaur Jr fabulously maul "Lotta Love" and Frank Black and Kim Deal turn the Pixies cover of "Winterlong" into a duet that can only be described as lovely. And in true Sonic Youth fashion, Thurston and Co. further tinker with one of Young's more experimental tracks, "Computer Age", from the oft-forgotten Trans . I mean, come on, you didn't expect them to do anything from Harvest, did you?

Human Highway

This bizarre 1982 film almost serves as a testament to Neil Young's character - he made a movie with a band, Devo, that had publicly referred to him as the "Grandpa of Granola Rock" and even sweeter, "Ancient History Up Close". But alas, why should this collaboration make any sense? The movie sure as hell doesn't. There's something about a nuclear holocaust, a dream sequence featuring Native American Indians (that old chestnut) and a very unhinged Dennis Hopper. Make of it what you will.

"Shakey: Neil Young's Biography"
by Jimmy McDonough

"Shakey" is long. Very long. It's got plenty of boring anecdotes from Neil Young about model trains, and his ridiculously frequent use of the word "innaresting" in conversation with the author makes for some passages that are anything but. However, for all the miniature locomotives, there's just as much juice on Stephen Stills' cocaine problems, and Young's strange habit of driving hearses. Worth trawling through and purchasing or digging each album out as you go along. Or maybe even invest in a train set for the full Bernard Shakey experience.

Dear Home Slice,

FYI: "snooty" JB HiFi employees read your episodes. ehem.

- Bridget

--------------------------

Want to rant at us?
Please do, we love it.

Email: homeslicemail@gmail.com

Dear Bridget,

I think we can take that as a confession ;).

- Ed.