What a mixed bag we have here! There is something to please everyone with this long list of just announced acts with plenty of new stuff, blasts from the past and some bands you never thought you’d get the chance to see live again!

and last but not least,

Have fun in the sun with our Top 5 solar powered fun event ideas!

Top 5 things to do in rainy weather:

By the time you read this the annual Melbourne International Jazz Festival will be in full swing, the city overrun with free flowing sax solos and jumping guitars at venues all over town. From late night debauchery to one off reunions, the festival has a little bit of something for everyone. Check out our picks for the best of the sweet treats…

The Laughing Clowns
For those in the know, Ed Kuepper along with Nick Cave is revered amongst Aussie musicians. What the Laughing Clowns lack in album sales, they make up for in influence and cult status. Therefore it stands to reason their first show in Melbourne since 1985 will be golden.

The Music of Billie Holiday
Kate Ceberano and Carl Riseley front the very awesome Choir of Hard Knocks as they belt out classic Billie Holiday numbers and finish it off with a few forgotten gems from the old school jazz singer.

Flap!
What better way to dance those cares away then to a few ditties about falling off cliffs and falling love. Fed Square is overrun by the jazz gypsies throughout the festival. It’s free. It’s fun.

Marc Hannaford
For those who enjoy late night whisky, a dark club and psychedelic free forming pianist jazz compositions, Marc Hannaford will rock your world.

More jazz greatness can be found right here.

You can spot the first time traveller a mile off, hunched beneath a 25kg backpack filled with the most inappropriate and unnecessary gadgets imaginable, map scrunched in hand, sweating under 45 layers of polar fleece asking for directions to the train station using local lingo in what could only be politely described as a ‘global’ accent.

These are the universal mistakes every rookie makes on that first overprepared and usually underfunded trip. You quickly learn lugging around 5kg hiking boots only come in handy if you are ACTUALLY going hiking.

Everyone has done it, most learn from it, some don’t. As we say bon voyage to a favourite myticketer, we look back fondly on the most absurd and common rookie travel blunders. So go on, what's yours?

Writers’ festivals are not just for authors, so if you haven’t published a best seller yet or your memoirs, don’t fret. Maybe you don’t write at all, maybe you like to read, or even better, listen. That’s okay too. In fact, if you are reading this guide right now, we can guarantee there is an event on at the Sydney Writers’ Festival that you would enjoy, from the high brow to the low brow. We passed our monocle over all of them and have picked out only the finest for our loyal MyTickets followers.

Christian Lander
Hummus, moleskin notebooks, travelling, bumper stickers, bicycles, divorce, knowing what’s best for poor people….the list of ‘What White People Like’ goes on….to 124 entries  to be exact. What started as a blog by an overly cycnical, disillusioned white college graduate searching for authenticity in life has emerged into a publishing and pop culture phenomenon and a perfect example of how being a smart arse can ultimately pay off.  Listen as Christian Lander the blogger extraordinaire shares his secrets to landing a book deal (# 92 on list) over a glass or two of fine wine (# 24) during a dinner party (#90 ).

Emmanuel Jal
From sarcasm to sincerity, prepare to be genuinely touched by Emmanuel’s tale of being a child soldier in Sudan. Having escaped the atrocities, Jal, now a hip hop artist, speaks about the innocent victims of war and his memoir War Child.

The Imperial Panda
Erotic fan fiction, that oft dismissed niche of publishing, is emerging from the world wide web asserting its authority. For one special night only, amateur writers unite and savour the joy as some of Australia’s finest authors and media darlings voice their delicious fantasies about everyone from Beyonce to Inspector Gadget.

Maisy Mouse Party
For good, clean, kids only fun, the Maisy Mouse party has it all - games, readings and even a special appearance by the mouse with the mostest herself. Best of all it won’t even touch the hip pocket with the whole shebang 100% free.

First Tuesday Book Club
A book club, with an audience, televised, boring… right? Wrong. Not with Jennifer Byrne hosting and Triple J host Marieke Hardy on board. Be part of the magic of TV and join the studio audience.

Sarah Blasko
For everyone who has ever listened to a song and thought ‘they could easily do better’, Blasko one of the countries favourite songwriters, talks about  writers block and the art of penning a hit single.

See the rest of the Sydney Writers’ Festivals events here.

We knew the what, where and the when all we needed was the who (not the band, though that would have been quite a coup) so without further ado we present to you the first lineup for 2009 Splendour in the Grass. Please note we stress FIRST announcement. Another round of sonic goodness is due in a few weeks time.

Bloc Party, Flaming Lips, Janes Addiction, MGMT, Hilltop Hoods, Grinspoon, Midnight Juggernauts, The Specials, Gutter Twins, Augie March, Sarah Blasko, Friendly Fires, White Lies, Little Birdy, Josh Pyke, Birds of Tokyo, Manchester Orchestra, Decoder Ring, Lost Valentinos, Bob Evans, Yuksek, Kram, Yves Klein Blue, Leader Cheetah, Jack Ladder, The Middle East, Polaroid Fame, Glass Towers.

For the technical details like cost and when and where to buy the golden ticket point your mouse right here and click away.

According to Australian Traveller Magazine, this is the definitive list of Australia’s Top 100 best towns, based on the following criteria - “regardless of where the town is located, would you recommend a good friend drive an hour out of their way specifically to visit this town?”

How many of these towns have you visited before? In the spirit of autumn, when the leaves turn all sorts of golden and the weather is cooler and calmer, we challenge you to a road trip – visit a town on the list and tell us what you thought.

Want to know what’s on or what to do in these towns? Simply type the town or region into the MyTickets ‘where’ search box and hit enter!

We can also suggest the following:
If you like live music and beaches – head to Byron Bay, Broome or Fremantle.

Number cruncher: the majority of towns on this list are in NSW (28) with VIC and QLD tying in second place (16 towns each) and WA and SA in third place (13 towns each). Is this a fair and true indication of your states best features? Is there a town that has been left off the list? Let us know your thoughts!

1 Yamba NSW
2 Esperance WA
3 Port Douglas QLD
4 Broome WA
5 Port Fairy VIC
6 Beechworth VIC
7 Byron Bay NSW
8 Apollo Bay VIC
9 Strahan TAS
10 Margaret River WA
11 South West Rocks NSW
12 Bright VIC
13 Alice Springs NT
14 Lorne VIC
15 Mallacoota VIC
16 Hahndorf SA
17 Burnt Pine, Norfolk Island
18 Mission Beach QLD
19 Daylesford VIC
20 Noosa QLD
21 Portsea VIC
22 Bowral NSW
23 Fremantle WA
24 Kangaroo Valley NSW
25 Broken Hill NSW
26 Nelson Bay NSW
27 Bellingen NSW
28 Leura NSW
29 Queenscliff VIC
30 Mudgee NSW
31 Mossman QLD
32 Jindabyne NSW
33 Katherine NT
34 Airlie Beach QLD
35 Echuca VIC
36 Angaston SA
37 Mataranka NT
38 Coffin Bay SA
39 Robe SA
40 Tilba Tilba NSW
41 Swansea TAS
42 Seal Rocks NSW
43 Pokolbin NSW
44 Cooktown QLD
45 Port Lincoln SA
46 Longreach QLD
47 Silverton NSW
48 Huskisson NSW
49 Streaky Bay SA
50 Penola SA 51 Jabiru NT
52 Stanley TAS
53 Lightning Ridge NSW
54 Merimbula NSW
55 Albany WA
56 Marysville VIC
57 Tamworth NSW
58 Clare SA
59 Birdsville QLD
60 Bermagui NSW
61 Richmond TAS
62 Coral Bay WA
63 Denmark WA
64 Atherton QLD
65 Picnic Bay QLD
66 Seventeen Seventy QLD
67 Mollymook NSW
68 Rutherglen VIC
69 Coober Pedy SA
70 Karumba QLD
71 Nguiu Settlement NT
72 Tamborine Mountain QLD
73 Mt Gambier SA
74 Kuranda QLD
75 Dorrigo NSW
76 Walhalla VIC
77 Mildura VIC
78 Berry NSW
79 Eumundi QLD
80 Exmouth WA
81 Dunkeld VIC
82 Parachilna SA
83 Sofala NSW
84 Tumut NSW
85 Ross TAS
86 Augusta WA
87 Kingscote SA
88 William Creek SA
89 Wisemans Ferry NSW
90 Halls Gap VIC
91 Hervey Bay QLD
92 Derby WA
93 Bridport TAS
94 Wollombi NSW
95 Evans Head NSW
96 Adelaide River NT
97 Nain WA
98 Kalgoorlie WA
99 Eagle Bay WA
100 Deloraine TAS

Australia is so jam packed full of hilarious comedians right now that the collective laughter is rippling out like an atomic bomb blast. I’m involuntarily laughing right now, but I have no idea what at. I can only assume that whatever the joke was, it was either very witty or incredibly low brow. (As hard as I try, I just can’t stop myself laughing at fart jokes sometimes.)