Forte #594

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ISSUE #594 ball ar at | bell arine | Bendigo | ca stlemaine | geelong | surf coa st | warrnambool |

04 /09/2014

FREE!

I L LY “ It’s pinch yourself stuff...

I can’t believe it!” pg.20

WOODLOCK pg.55

S ta r t in g p g. 31

ALSO FEATURING: Vance Joy, Kite String Tangle, Sticky Fingers, Celia Pavey, Ball Park Music, Tim Hulsman and heaps more!

10 0 % l o c a l ly o w n e d & o p e r at e d

Plus all the latest local entertainment news, music and movie reviews and all your favourite Forte columns!

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HURRY! ENTR IES CLOSE SEPTEMBER 7

THE PRIZE 2 DAYS RECORDING AT SING SING FILM CLIP BY WILK LIVE GIGS PR ADVICE ALBUM ARTWORK 500 COPIES OF YOUR OWN CD SONG FEATURED IN A BANK OF MELBOURNE AD To win, submit an original piece of music that is inspired by Melbourne. Entries close September 7th, so get writing. To find out more visit bankofmelbourne.com.au/melbmusicbank, and join the conversation on twitter with #melbmusicbank.

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W O N E L A S N O S T TICKE M E .. .

H IN G S TO C O T F O E T S TA A ’S HERE

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THANKS TO OUR SPO

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forte issue #594 t h u r s d ay 4 S e p t e m b e r 2 014

Ph: 03 5229 7969

vance joy pg.24

PO Box 978 Geelong VIC 3220

kite string tangle pg.24

fortemag.com.au

enquiries@fortemag.com.au

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Publisher

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McNamara Publishing editor / DIRECTOR

Luke McNamara

luke@fortemag.com.au DEPUTY editor

illy

Amanda Sherring advertising

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Abbey King

abbey@fortemag.com.au

Lucas Barnes

lucas@fortemag.com.au Art director

James Dulce Scene photographer

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celia pavey pg.60

contributors

ball park music pg.63

W I N!

Anthony Morris, Adem Ali, Alastair McGibbon, Amanda Sherring, Cameron Brogden, Cameron Urqhuart, Chris Cruz, Chris Lambie, Daniel Lock, Daniel Waight, Darlene Taylor, Dr John Lamp, Madelin Baldwin, Natalie Rogers, Oliver Friend, Paul S Taylor, Sue Rawkins, Tex Miller, Wylie Caird, Xavier Fenell, Zach Broadhurst, Tony Montana printed by

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MIFF PREMIERE SHOWCASE Hitting the road with new Australian films

OPENING NIGHT Cut Snake Bendigo: 7.30pm Friday 5 September Geelong: 7.30pm Friday 12 September A psychologically powered crime thriller set in ‘70s suburban Australia, starring Sullivan Stapleton.

“An unexpected and invigorating work, blessed with a brilliant central performance.” – The Age Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films

Kill Me Three Times

Galore

Bendigo: 4pm Sunday 7 Sept

Bendigo: 1.30pm Sunday 7 Sept

Geelong: 5pm Sunday 14 Sept AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE

A loving tribute to the schlocky ‘80s movie house Cannon Films, from one of the most purely entertaining documentarians in the world today.

Fresh from its screening at the Berlin Film Festival, this is the tale of four teens navigating adolescent relationships as well as tragedy.

Following the mammoth success of Red Dog, director Kriv Stenders returns with this tale of murder, blackmail and revenge, starring Simon Pegg.

The Legend Maker

My Mistress

Bendigo: 4.30pm Saturday 6 Sept Geelong: 4.30pm Saturday 13 Sept

Bendigo: 8pm Saturday 6 Sept Geelong: 8pm Saturday 13 Sept

Inspired by a real-life Russian forger, The Legend Maker is a taut, engrossing story about the disposable, desperate underbelly of society.

An unconventional and provocative love story about a vulnerable teenage romantic and an S&M mistress, starring Emmanuelle Béart.

Paper Planes Geelong: 1.30pm Sunday 14 Sept

A magical new family-friendly film from director Robert Connolly, Paper Planes features Sam Worthington, Deborah Mailman and David Wenham.

Two weekends only!

Bendigo, 5–7 September Star Cinema, Eaglehawk Buy tickets: miff.com.au/premiereshowcase

Geelong, 12–14 September GPAC, Geelong Performing Arts Centre Buy tickets: gpac.org.au

BOOK NOW

MIFF.COM.AU/PREMIERESHOWCASE forte 13

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t h e l a t e s t n a t i o n a l & INTERNATIONAL music & enterta inment ne w s

A Familiar Direction for Fantastic Beasts

Live Lodge Following a successful run in Sydney last year, Rolling Stone’s Live Lodge has jumped ship to Melbourne for a three-week run of tunes at Fitzroy’s iconic Workers Club.

The pop-up venue kicks off on September 26 with Shihad. Other highlights include a ‘Golden Era Records Night’ with Funkoars (pictured), Briggs, Vents and K21on September 27 an ‘An Evening with Slash’ on October 1. Check out what’s in store and book your dates through Oztix.

40 Years of Acca Dacca While promoting his new solo project, AC/DC stickman Phil Rudd told News Limited that the band is planning a 40th anniversary bash. “There is an AC/DC tour planned for the 40th anniversary of the band, but I don’t know all the details yet …

We’ve done some long, hard tours … You do it for 18 months you’re the walking dead when you finish, especially as you get older. But everything’s great in the band, we’re ready to fire up on all cylinders again.”

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It looks as though an old friend will be returning to the Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts. David Yates, who directed four of the eight Potter movies, is in talks to direct the Potter-based franchise.

J.K. Rowling is currently writing the screenplay for the film, which is set some 70 years before the events of the Potter series. The film centres on a fictitious author named Newton Artemis Fido Scamander.

Minority Report Heads to TV Tom Cruise’s 2002 sci-fi vehicle Minority Report is heading to the small screen. The series is being developed by Steven Spielberg, while Max Borenstein has been given screenwriting duties.

Borenstein’s most familiar work is Gareth Edward’s Godzilla, though he is currently writing the King Kong sequel Skull Island.

Minority Report was based on a short story of the same name by Philip K. Dick.

Another Jewel in Their Crown RTJ2, the forthcoming new album from Run the Jewels (who will be performing at Falls), sounds like something to get excited about. Set for

release late October, the album features appearances from Zach de la Rocha and Travis Barker. Speaking about the album with Rolling Stone earlier in the year, Killer Mike said: “[It’s] much darker and much harder than I thought it would be. It’s pushed me into some darker crevices of my personality.”

Looking at the Skies Wasting little time after releasing her debut album Night Time, My Time, Sky Ferreira announced via her Instagram account that she has begun work on her second album. And at the time of writing, that is pretty much all that is known. Night Time, My Time was originally intended for release in 2011, until a bunch of label disputes and budget issues held off its completion for a couple of years.

AWME Beefs Up Batucada Sound Machine, Benny Walker, Black Indie, Bongeziwe Mabandla, Bonjah, Bustamento, Finding Albert, Frank Yamma, Glenn Skuthorpe, Hailey Cramer, Leah Flanagan, Louis Baker, Marlon Williams, Melbourne Ska Orchestra, Mighty Duke & The Lords, Radical Son, Santa Taranta, Tha Feelstyle, The Ska Vendors and Timberwolf have joined

MythBusters Farewell Friends MythBusters stars Kari Byron, Tory Belleci and Grant Imahara are signing off from the series after ten years of hard work, explosions and laughter. In news that hit fans as hard as ‘Buster’ hits the ground, Kari and Grant took to Twitter for a few words: “Thank you to all the fans who have supported us. The show is taking a new direction. It was an amazing run. I learned so much about myself and the world. I love you all.” the already impressive AWME line-up. Details through awme.com.au.

Little Orphans Annie Featuring members of The Jungle Giants, The Belligerents, Last Dinosaurs and Millions, Brisbane’s Orphans Orphans is the band so good they named themselves twice. Plus, they named their debut single ‘Orphan’ as well.

Since then, they have been receiving a lotta love.

More love than that Annie orphan, even. More love than that Oliver fella.

Their debut EP is What’s a Boy S’posed to Do. Shebeen – October 10.

Galaxy Quest: The Comic Book Back in 1999, Tim

Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman and Sam Rockwell starred in the comic sci-fi parody Galaxy Quest. It has since developed a cult following.

Not too long ago a few of the cast members sat with MTV and told them they were interested in a sequel.

Well, it’s happening – in comic book form. The book is being written

by Ghostbusters and Shooting Star comics writer Erik Burnham, with art from Nacho Arranz.

Why Does It Always Rain on Keanu Keanu Reeves is set for a most excellent TV adventure. According to Deadline, Reeves has signed on to executive produce and star in the new crime drama series, Rain.

Spider-Man 3 Details With the release of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 on DVD, Marc Webb has begun to dish the dirt on the third instalment.

The teasers have come through commentary tracks, deleted scenes and featurettes.

A YouTube clip by user ‘Amazing Spider Man’ has been uploaded, indicating that Mysterio and Kraven of the Sinister Six will appear. It’s also probably worth keeping tabs on the rumoured Sinister Six movie.

The series will be based on the best-selling books

by Barry Eisler, which tell the story of John Rain, an ex-soldier of mixed Japanese and American ancestry who uses his skills as a hitman. On a similar note, Reeves is also set to play an assassin in the upcoming John Wick.

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t h e l a t e s t n a t i o n a l & INTERNATIONAL music & enterta inment ne w s

Sweet Times with Rodriguez For those unfamiliar with the story of journeyed songman Rodriguez, make sure you have a look at Searching for Sugar Man, the 2012 Oscarwinning doco from Malik Bendjelloul. If that isn’t your thing, well, just let the music do the talking.

The folk-rock songman has certainly revelled in his resurgence thanks to the doco, with his tunes now reaching a wealth of new fans, while reconnecting with old ones. The Palais – October 25.

Bon Voyage, Amaya Laucirica With touches of folk, pop, rock and psychedelia, songbird Amaya Laucirica has been a charming presence on the local music scene.

Now she is looking to charm the international market. Amaya is set to relocate to Europe, where no doubt they’ll love her just as much as we do. However, before she jets off to new opportunities, Amaya will perform a final round of shows. The Workers Club – October 31.

The Iceage Begins

In Need of Sleep There’s plenty of Meredith sideshow merriment happening, and causing the most merriment for many is the stoner-doom-metal sounds of Sleep. The Californian veterans had a run from 1990 until 1998. In 2009, following what was supposed to be a one-off reunion show, the band discovered they had a little more to give.

They released a new track, ‘The Clarity’ in July. Wake up from a sleep with someone familiar for a change. The Corner – December 6.

Denmark punksters Iceage have lined up three dates around the country this month for what will mark their first Aussie outing. The band formed back in 2008, a time when members of the band averaged 17 years of age. They have released two full-length albums, their latest being 2013’s You’re Nothing.

Mixing things up, the band recently released the country-tinged single ‘The Lord’s Favourite’. Hugs & Kisses - September 18.

It’s All Watsky Can Do San Francisco rapper and poet Watsky (George Virden Watsky) is

heading our way in December. Back in 2006, Watsky was named as the Bay Area’s teen champion of slam poetry. Music came next, and in 2009 he released a 15-track self-titled hip hop album.

His latest release is All You Can Do. The album is a tribute to his parents.

The Evelyn – December 13 & December 14.

Dear Deerhoof To help celebrate 20 years of doing what they do, Deerhoof will release a new album in November.

The album is titled La Isla Bonita and will be their first to feature an outside producer. That outside producer is former Pitchfork scribe (easy, now) Nick Sylvester, an early champion of the band. The album was inspired when Deerhoof attempted to replicate their live cover of the Ramones’ ‘Pinhead’.

A Journey with Belle & Sebastian Stuart David, the cofounder and former bassist of Belle & Sebastian, will release his memoirs, In the All Night Café, early next year. The book, which lends its name from the popular myth that the band formed at an allnight café in Glasgow, will focus only on his

first eighteen months in the band. It will also touch on his previous bands, Rhode Island and Lisa Helps the Blind.

TV Time for Major Lazer In 2011, Major Lazer, the electronic music project created by Diplo, was supposed to get a TV series on Adult Swim. Although things took a little longer than anticipated, Billboard reports that the series will find its way to television in 2015. The animated series will follow a “Rasta superhero”, presumably Major Lazer. Set to screen on Fox, the series comes with a soundtrack featuring the likes of Cat Power and RiFF RAFF.

What a Guy! In support of his debut album Broken Bones, Guy Pearce has lined up a date at The Toff on November 12. Although known for his work in films including Memento, The King’s Speech, Iron Man 3 and The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, music has long played an important part in Guy’s life.

The 10-track album of original material has been described as a “compelling repertoire of delicate ballads, funky, laid-back tunes and upbeat rock”.

Hot Dub Time Machine Tour Tom Loud is adjusting the settings for another round of Hot Dub Time Machine shows.

The world’s first time travelling dance party, Hot Dub takes you on a ride through ’60s rock, ’70s disco, ’80s cheese and ’90s mayhem.

Hell, there is even some 2014 goodness thrown in – ’cause ya gotta keep current. He has been conquering European stages of late but returns for a funk-filled run. The Forum – November 7.

Taken … Again Taken 3: Take My Breath Away has revealed some details ahead of its 2015 release. According to director Olivier Megaton, the third instalment will see Liam Neeson’s Bryan Mills framed for murder.

From there one could make the assumption it will run to a similar theme as The Fugitive. Only Neeson’s character is more bad-ass. * Taken 3 may or may not come with the tagline ‘Ass-kicking comes in threes’.

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THE THURSDAY 4 SEPTEMBER BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Trivia Night from 7pm BEAVS BAR: Levi Anderson BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc) - Live and Local, $13 Pizza night EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Asahi Seafood & Chips Night EUREKA: Thirsty Thursday with local resident DJ’S GOLD DIGGERS ARMS: Kids Eat Free GPAC: Circus Oz: But Wait, There’s More 7.30pm KAROVA LOUNGE (Ballarat): Die! Die! Die! LORD OF THE ISLES: Trivia in the courtyard PISTOL PETE: Screamin’ Honkies MARTIANS CAFE: $25 International Night including drink THE MAX HOTEL: $14 Parmi night, InnQUIZitive Trivia from 7.30pm till 10.30pm, amazing prizes, call to book your team’s spot MUSIC MAN MEGASTORE (Bendigo): The Creptter Children, Death by Six, Morth Headless, Valleys of Vermont, Chuggwagon ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: 6pm Jazz n’ Blues THE SPHINX HOTEL: Schnitzel Night from $13 YAH YAHS: Dead City Ruins, Tequila Mockingbyrd

FRIDAY 5 SEPTEMBER BABUSHKA BAR (Ballarat): Brooksy Ruddo, The Vests THE BARWON CLUB: RDZJB, The Stackshots, Dukes Veda THE BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Happy Hour 5-7pm, Meat Raffle & Members Draw BEAVS BAR: 2-Tone BENDED: The Music Box Grand Opening BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Happy Hour 5-7pm THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTELMAINE): Wil Wagner, Georgia Maq

fortnightly calendar CITY QUARTER BAR: Friday Unwind from 5pm. Live with live entertainment and DJ THE EASTERN: Ben Salter & A Miner EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT AND CASTLE: Thank Guinness It’s Friday GPAC: Circus Oz: But Wait, There’s More 7.30pm THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: The Regular Boys HOME HOUSE: Homehouse Fridays Party with DJs KAROVA LOUNGE (Ballarat): The Kite String Tangle LAMBYS: Good Faces for Radio THE LOFT (Warrnambool): Centre & the South THE LORD NELSON: Happy Hour 5pm-7pm THE MAX: Trojan MUSIC MAN MEGASTORE (Bendigo): I Am Duckeye, A Modern Death, Feast of Crows, At Seas End, Path of Destruction, Toxicon, Sapphiras Wall ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: Nick Deman OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): Performance Night PISTOL PETES: Luke R Davies GEELONG: Triumph Music Festival UNWINED CELLAR BAR: Live Music

SATURDAY 6 SEPTEMBER AIREY’S PUB (Aireys Inlet): Live Music BABUSHKA BAR (Ballarat): ALEK THE BARWON CLUB: Glittergang BEAVS BAR: Steve Pianto BENDED: Live Music BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Live Music and Happy Hour 5-7pm BLACK HATT: Tattoo Show THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTELMAINE): The Darling Downs COPACC (Colac): Wunderkrammer THE EASTERN: Steve Miller band, The Pink Tiles, Junipers & Ern Malley EDGE: Live Music and DJ

EUREKA: Live DJS GATEWAY HOTEL: Adam Brand GPAC: Circus Oz: But Wait, There’s More 1pm, 6.30pm THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: James Carrigg HOMEHOUSE: Less is Moar, Miss X, Madeleine, Reque LAMBYS: Stellar THE LOFT (Warrnambool): Massive, Hyperdrones, Audio Reign MAIN BAR (Ballarat): Chris Wilson MARTIANS CAFE: Jessey Jackson THE MAX: Wooshka MUSIC MAN MEGASTORE (Bendigo): Dreadnaught, Audemia, Wounded Pig, Hazard Circular, Eyes Wide Open and more THE NEWMARKET (Bendigo): Live Bands ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: Bethany, Ben Dew OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): Gabe Atkinson PISTOL PETES: Dog Gone South STAR CINEMA (Bendigo): MIFF The Legend Maker 4.30pm UNWINED CELLAR BAR: Live Music WHISPERS: Coming up: DJ’s including Aston shuffle, Andy Murohy, Ruby Rose, John Dahlback, Slice n Dice, Jam Xpress, New World Sound, Jack n Jill, Mic Newman, Apocalypto, John Course, Zoolanda, Jebu, Jane Daffy, Butters, Generik, Tigerlily, Hey Sam, Katt Niall

SUNDAY 7 SEPTEMBER THE BARWON CLUB: Kopius, In the Esky, Phonetics BENDED: Sunday Sessions Live music from 3pm BIRD ROCK CAFÉ (Jan Juc): Kids Eat Free 3:306:30, Steak and Parma Night, Happy Hour 5-6pm CITY QUARTER: Perfect Sunday Sesh Live music and DJ from 4pm EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Live Jazz from 3-6pm and Parmi Night

GEELONG RSL: $13 Carvery lunch GPAC: The Australian Bee Gees Show 7pm KAROVA LOUNGE (Ballarat): Wil Wagner LAMBYS: Snack Attack MUSIC MAN MEGASTORE (Bendigo): Acid Nymphs, Abraxxas, The Weight of Silence, At Most Fear, Requiem and more ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: Matt Thomas, Craig Sayer, Scott & Gayle OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): Rory Ellis THE SPHINX HOTEL: Carvery from $17 STAR CINEMA (Bendigo): MIFF Electric Boogaloo 4pm, Galore 1.30pm

Dave Anderson BENDED: Second chance & pub quiz BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Shit Trivia Mexican Night BLACK HATT: Cuban Salsa Dance Classes CHERRY BAR: Smoke Stack Rhino, Dead City Ruins, Siren Black ELEPHANT AND CASTLE: Trivia Night from 8pm. Have fun win prizes book a table FEDERATION UNI: Illy GEELONG (52 Garden St): No Lights No Lycra GEELONG RSL: Pot and Parmi Night $13 GOLD DIGGERS ARMS: Spinning Wheel and a lot of Parmi’s from $14.50

MONDAY 8 SEPTEMBER

BEAVS BAR: Andy Forster BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Live and Local, $13 Pizza night EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Asahi Seafood & Chips Night EUREKA: Intercampus party part II, Generik, Courtney Mills, Sam Britt, Max McKay, Jacob Warren, Simon One, Dawson, Moxon, Steve Toppa and more GOLD DIGGERS ARMS: Kids Eat Free LORD OF THE ISLES: Trivia in the courtyard THE MAX HOTEL: $14 Parmi night, InnQUIZitive Trivia from 7.30pm till 10.30pm, amazing prizes, call to book your team’s spot MARTIANS CAFE: $25 International Night including drink ODYSSEY TAVERN AND BREWERY: Jazz n’ Blues PISTOL PETES: Open Mic Night THE TOFF IN TOWN: Celia Pavey THE WHALERS HOTEL (Warrnambool): Illy YAH YAHS: Dead City Ruins, Palace of the King, Cold Red Mute

BARWON CLUB: $10 Parmis BENDED: Steak night ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night GEELONG RSL: Members Draw, over $3000 in prizes to be won!

LORD NELSON HOTEL: Parmi & Pot for $15 on presentation of student I.D THE SPHINX HOTEL: Meals for $11

TUESDAY 9 SEPTEMBER BENDED: Parmi night BLACK HATT: Bachata Dance Classes ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night GEELONG RSL: Steak Night $13 GOLD DIGGERS ARMS: Kids Eat Free LA TROBE UNI (Bendigo): Illy LIGHTHOUSE THEATRE (WARNAMBOOL): Oh What a Night! 8pm PISTOL PETES: Open Mic Night

WEDNESDAY 10 SEPTEMBER THE BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Master of Dartness and Poker from 7pm BEAVS BAR: Open Mic, Karaoke and

THURSDAY 11 SEPTEMBER

FRIDAY 12 SEPTEMBER BABUSHKA BAR (Ballarat): Dolphy’s Albatross

THE BARWON CLUB: Ausmutenats, Wet Blanket, Contract THE BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Illy BEAVS BAR: Butters BENDED: Live Music BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Happy Hour 5-7pm THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTELMAINE): The Ancients, Lehmann B Smith & Inevitable Orbit CITY QUARTER BAR: Friday Unwind from 5pm. Live with live entertainment and DJ EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT AND CASTLE: Thank Guinness It’s Friday EUREKA HOTEL: Live DJs GPAC: MIFF Cut Snake 7.30pm THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: Trojan HOME HOUSE: Homehouse Fridays Party with DJs, Steve Camp, Simon One, Keith Evans & DJC KAROVA LOUNGE (Ballarat): Fiver Night LAMBYS: Test Pilot Molly LIGHTHOUSE THEATRE (WARNAMBOOL): Johnny Cash the Concert 8pm THE LOFT (Warrnambool): The Infants, Blackwood Jack THE LORD NELSON: Happy Hour 5pm-7pm MAIN BAR (Ballarat): Backstep Bluegrass THE MAX: 3 On the Tree ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: Ben Dew OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): Dog Gone South PISTOL PETES: Pugsly Buzzard UNWINED CELLAR BAR: Live Music

SATURDAY 13 SEPTEMBER AIREY’S PUB (Aireys Inlet): Live Music BABUSHKA BAR (Ballarat): Pugsley Buzzard THE BARWON CLUB: the Infants, Mesa Cosa, Sewerside BEAVS BAR: Jack Harman BENDED: Live Music BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Live Music,

Happy Hour 5-7pm EDGE: Live Music and DJ GEELONG RSL: BABBA Show night GPAC: MIFF The Legend Maker 4.30pm, MIFF My Mistress 8pm THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: Cam Bryce HOME HOUSE: Zac Depetao, Samual James, DJ A.K KAROVA LOUNGE (Ballarat): Celia Pavey LAMBYS: Stellar MARTIANS CAFE: Matt Katsis THE MAX: Frequency THE NEWMARKET (Bendigo): Live Bands ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: Eric Stribley, Jimmy Graham PISTOL PETES: Gator Queen UNWINED CELLAR BAR: Live Music WHISPERS: Coming up: DJ’s including Aston shuffle, Andy Murohy, Ruby Rose, John Dahlback, Slice n Dice, Jam Xpress, New World Sound, Jack n Jill, Mic Newman, Apocalypto, John Course, Zoolanda, Jebu, Jane Daffy, Butters, Generik, Tigerlily, Hey Sam, Katt Niall

SUNDAY 14 SEPTEMBER BENDED: Sunday Sessions Live music from 3pm BIRD ROCK CAFÉ (Jan Juc): Kids Eat Free 3:30-6:30, Steak and Parma Night, Happy Hour 3:30-5:30 CITY QUARTER: Perfect Sunday Sesh Live music and DJ from 4pm EDGE GEELONG: Live Music and DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Live Jazz from 3-6pm and Parmi Night GEELONG RSL: $13 Carvery lunch GPAC: MIFF Paper Planes 1.30pm, MIFF Kills Me Three Times 5pm LAMBYS: Adam 12 ODYSSEYTAVERN AND BREWERY: Bethany, Jamie Pye, Forever Son OLD HEPBURN HOTEL (Hepburn Springs): Cisco Caeser THE SPHINX HOTEL: Carvery from $17 TORQUAY HOTEL: Celia Pavey

MONDAY 15 SEPTEMBER THE BARWON CLUB: $10 Parmis BENDED: Steak night ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night GEELONG RSL: Members Draw, over $3000 in prizes to be won!

GPAC: A Night at the Movies 7pm LORD NELSON HOTEL: Parmi & Pot for $15 on presentation of student I.D THE SPHINX HOTEL: Meals for $11

TUESDAY 16 SEPTEMBER BENDED: Parmi night BENDIGO DISTRICT RSL: Charmaine Wilson Spirit Medium BLACK HATT: Bachata Dance Classes ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night GEELONG RSL: Steak Night $13 GOLD DIGGERS ARMS: Kids Eat Free GPAC: Bethany Film Festival Cloudburst 8pm PISTOL PETES: Open Mic Night

WEDNESDAY 17 SEPTEMBER THE BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Master of Dartness and Poker from 7pm BEAVS BAR: Open Mic, Karaoke with Luke Biscan BENDED: Second chance & pub quiz BIRD ROCK CAFE (Jan Juc): Shit Trivia Mexican Night BLACK HATT: Cuban Salsa Dance Classes CHERRY BAR: Smoke Stack Rhino, Blue Eyes Cry, Siren Black ELEPHANT AND CASTLE: Trivia Night from 8pm. Have fun win prizes book a table GEELONG (52 Garden St): No Lights No Lycra GEELONG RSL: Pot and Parmi Night $13 GOLD DIGGERS ARMS: Spinning Wheel and a lot of Parmi’s from $14.50

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I L L Y

FEATURE STORY Written by Natalie Rogers

These days live music addicts might feel like a kid in a candy store with the smorgasbord of talent on show, but surely when writing the recipe for the strawberry sundae that is Australian hip hop Illy would undoubtedly be the cherry on top – and worth every penny.

When we caught up with the engaging emcee he was recovering from a touch of the flu – luckily, after a little bed rest and some hot lemon and honey to sip, he was ready to solider on. “I’ve been a bit sick, but I’m on the mend now, thank you.”

Just his luck, because as we speak Illy is in the middle of a massive regional tour that will see him cover all corners of the country, from Cairns to Kalgoorlie and everywhere in between. “It’s going great. My last show sold out so they put another hundred tickets on the door and they sold out as well.

It’s a sign that the tour’s off to a really good start.”

Bringing the noise to parts of the country that aren’t so spoilt for live music is something Illy and his crew are passionate about – that and keeping the cost of admission prices to a minimum.

“I’m not trying to price-gouge people just to line my pockets. I never want to get painted with that brush, for taking advantage of my fans. I really want to give value for money. It kills me when artists rip off their fans, and I don’t want anyone to miss out ’cause these shows are going to be huge!” Illy smiled, adding a touch of sweet to the sour remark.

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Ever since the hungry young rapper set foot inside Obese Records in Prahran he’s had his eyes on the prize. “I’ve wanted to do this since I was 12. I’ve had a few great years and I’ve been extremely fortunate. It’s been a lot of hard work but I’m very fortunate to get where I’m at. It feels like the hard work is starting to pay off.”

Illy is known for pairing tasty beats with biting lyrics. Couple that with his insatiable appetite for touring and it’s no wonder that success has been served up to him on a platter.

“I can easily say 2014 has been the best year of my life so far because this whole time has been dedicated to doing awesome shit!” Illy beamed. “I’m doing exactly what I’ve loved since I was a kid.

“I’m living the dream for real! I know it’s so clichéd,” he chuckled, “but in the last five months I’ve done a sold-out Capital City tour, straight into Groovin’ the Moo, then played to a smooth twenty-thousand in one night for triple j’s One Night Stand. I was so pumped.

I’ve listened to it every year since I was a teenager.

“Then I was off to America to shoot a video and work with dudes who are my heroes. Then

[he takes a deep breath] home for a couple of snows gigs, then to Europe to do a tour with the Hilltop Hoods, who I grew up listening to. Then back home to play Splendour, and now I’m doing this regional tour and finishing the year with the biggest shows of my career [One for the Cities tour in November] – you couldn’t make that shit up!

“On top of all that, my album’s gone Platinum, and it’s just about to go Gold! It’s crazy man! I feel like I’m bragging but I’m just rattling off things that have happened. It’s pinch yourself stuff … I can’t believe it.”

Believe it or not, Illy is now on to the QLD leg of his Cinematic tour – and word has it that the shows have been simmering nicely in preparation for the Vic dates next week. As always, much to our delight he’ll be bringing along some hand-picked fresh talent.

“I’ll have my friend, a dude called Dylan Joel [who you may recall from the RISE launch tour, alongside Remi and Briggs, among others]. He’s about to put out an album that was produced by my tour DJ, Cam Bluff. Cam Bluff produced my track Coming Down with the Hoods on Cinematic,” Illy explained before continuing: “I’m going to get another young dude

called Freeds on with us ’cause he’s really new and I like using the regional tours to get young artists out there.

“You may not have heard of these dudes, but they’re very talented. Freeds in particular is exciting because he’s so tight; I can’t believe he’s not more well-known. So hopefully people will hear him and get into his music.”

With that, I mentioned that he’s earning quite a reputation for helping up-and-coming emcees. “Oh, I don’t know if I’ve got that much cred…,” he laughed, shrugging off my comment. Oh, I think he does.

And the icing on the cake? Just before time was up, Illy let slip: “I hope we do chat again soon, and hopefully we’ll be chatting about my next album.” You heard it here first!

When&Where: La Trobe Uni, Bendigo – September 9; Federation Uni, Ballarat – September 10; Whalers Hotel, Warrnambool – September 11; and Barwon Heads Hotel, Barwon Heads – September 12. * The Forum, Melbourne – November 29 (One for the Cities)

THE MOLLY ROOM, FORTE & MARSHALL AMPS PRESENT

LEON HENDRIX IN AUSTRALIA FOR THE FIRST TIME This once in a lifetime show is not to be missed.

Leon an established singer-songwriter in his own right, mixes his music with his versions of Jimi’s classics, including stories and insights into the songs only his closest relative could tell you.

The band features special guest and Grammy Award™winning guitarist MICKI FREE

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Vance Joy Written by Natalie Rogers

If I was the gambling type, odds are that my bet would be on this guy. Word is he’s the frontrunner in this year’s Cleo Bachelor of the Year award – but more importantly, Vance Joy is a strong contender to take out the title of Forte’s favourite interviewee of 2014.

We caught up with Joy in Canada ahead of the imminent release of his debut album Dreaming Your Life Away and his highly anticipated one-off gig at the Athenaeum Theatre in Melbourne. Our chat covered all the essential topics: stopping to smell the roses; stealing Lynyrd Skynyrd lyrics; his dreams of being a chilled-out lecturer; and how sometimes Vance Joy hates the sound of his own voice.

“I felt drained by the recording experience. As fun as it is, and amazing as it was, by the end I was sick of my voice. I was a little snappy and after a while I was like ‘get me outta here,’” he laughed.

“Seriously though,” Joy added, “I can’t wait. I’m looking forward to getting it out into the world.”

Dreaming Your Life Away is a thirteen-track journey into the mind of one of the best young songwriters of our generation. Inspired by books, film, poetry and singer-songwriters of all eras, Vance Joy (the raconteur-type character in Peter Carey’s 1981 novel Bliss) is the perfect pseudonym for the

one-time law student James Keogh.

“I took the title of the album from the John Lennon song ‘Watching the Wheels’,” Joy freely admits.

Opening the album is the aptly named track ‘Winds of Change’. “That was the first song that I ever wrote where I thought maybe I could do this for a living. I felt a change, so it felt like a good place to start off.”

Holding its own at number three in the tracklisting (one before the blisteringly perfect pop tune ‘Riptide’) is ‘Wasted Time’, a song with a story behind it. “I saw a solo singer at an open mic night in Richmond about four years ago. He was playing a cover of a Spencer P. Jones song. The theme of the song was ‘Why are you wasting your time on me?’

It reminded me of a character in a Paul Kelly song ... I liked the idea of a guy just trying to keep it together.”

Joy concedes that he finds ideas for lyrics everywhere, including social media! “For the last song on the album, ‘My Kind of Man’, I got the theme after reading lyrics written on my Facebook wall. I thought they were so beautiful, something like ‘Be a simple kind of man, find what you love’. But when I showed

When&Where: Athenaeum Theatre – September 5

them to my mum and dad like I always do, dad said, ‘What? You’re ripping off a Lynyrd Skynyrd song!’

“It’s going to be so cool to have people hearing stuff that I’ve secretly held onto for a while. Now I’d like to stop and smell the roses for a while and bask in the

afterglow of a good show. I love what I’m doing but if I decided I was done and wanted to step away for a while, I’d be keen on maybe doing some teaching – being a chilled-out lecturer at Uni or maybe tutor a couple of classes.

“I wouldn’t want to teach music, though.

I don’t know theoretical music and I don’t

think you can teach songwriting. I’d like to teach film classes but I’d have to do a bloody Masters or something though, wouldn’t I? Oh it sounds pretty bad – the more I talk about it the more I’m talking myself out of it!” he grinned.

The Kite String Tangle Written by Zach Broadhurst

It’s been a busy year for Danny Harley since his solo project The Kite String Tangle’s release of ‘Given the Chance’. The song took the internet by storm, amassing over one million plays on SoundCloud; he also played two sold-out tours of the country, as well as local festivals, and even made it to the US to play at the massive South by South West and Coachella music festivals. Yet somehow he still found time to record and release his debut EP, Vessel.

“It was pretty time-consuming, but a lot of it happens on a laptop, so I can do it on the road,” explains Harley. “Once it gets out of the laptop I mix on ProTools in a studio and record the live instruments and mix it, so that’s the time-consuming bit.

“This is my debut EP, so it’s kind of like the first impression that I will get to really have people know my sound as a whole. It’s versatile and varied but still really cohesive, and that was intentional because I wanted to experiment with what suits me the most, what I like the most, what other people like the most, and kind of head in that direction for the album.”

The Kite String Tangle has had some great support from fans and radio stations alike, but it was the backing of triple j that really helped boost the act’s profile – a source of exposure that can often

make or break young Aussie acts.

“I’ve had a number of acts with varyingly levels of success with triple j,” says Harley. “I’ve kind of been on both sides of the fence; I know the frustration of doing everything right and not having that one thing fall into place – which is triple j play – and it can hurt you, but you can’t let it deter you from your ultimate goal of doing music.

I’ve had the other side as well, where they have really picked it up and run with it, which has had a massive impact.

So I’m grateful.”

To coincide with his EP release, Harley will be playing a series of tour dates during August and September throughout Australia, but there are also other countries and continents firmly in his sights.

“I definitely have global ambitions, mainly because the music industry is so strange these days,” says Harley. “It’s like a single release market, so you have to have constant releases and you have to be working all territories to make a career out of it, which is what I want to do. I’m going on tour in the US hopefully in late October and the UK shortly afterwards.

When&Where: Star Bar, Bendigo – September 4; The Karova, Ballarat – September 5; and The Corner, Melbourne – September 6 & 7

“I think trying to recreate a little of the story that’s happened in Australia overseas is going to be challenging, but within the realms of possibility … I hope.”

The constant releases won’t be too

much of a problem for someone as productive as Harley, as he reveals he has already started working on a full album release.

“I’ve started writing the album and it’s probably looking more like coming out early next year,” says Harley. “I’d love to get

something out at that point and keep momentum going, but again you can’t release something unless you’re completely happy with it. I think that’s the most important thing, writing the best album I can write.”

Sticky Fingers Written by Amanda Sherring

Regardless of whatever preconceived idea you have of Sticky Fingers, you’ve got to admire their ability to give it their all. “We’ve put it all on the line, if this doesn’t work out we’re all fucked,” says bass guitarist Paddy Cornwall. “If you’re going to go for it you have to put all in, otherwise there’s no point doing it halfassed. Because so many bands that do it half-assed you can smell it a mile away.”

It seems giving it their all is working wonders for them. Fresh from a tour of Europe, the band has just released their second album, Land of Pleasure, are embarking on a tour to support the release, and are already thinking of the next album.

Land of Pleasure introduces a new sound for the Sydney band, with a ’90s rave track and a heck of a lot of synth thrown into the mix. Paddy admits that it’s a louder sound than their previous release and with much more production, but where did it all come from?

“As corny as it sounds, travelling the world I guess. Also playing with lots of bands, meeting lots of people and hearing lots of music that we hadn’t heard before. I guess that, in combination with us learning from our own crowds what people enjoy to hear live and what we enjoy to play live,” he says.

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While it seems they’ve only just come back to Australian shores, with a new album out it means they’ll quickly be jumping on a plane for another round. This time around the tour will showcase tracks from their new release, giving fans and the band members a chance to familiarise themselves with the new sound.

“We’re just having lots of fun and trying to figure out how to fuck with it to make it work live,” Paddy says.“ We just can’t wait to get all these new songs on the road because they’re so much fucking fun to play!”

And for the band there’s just as much fun off the stage as there is on it.

Known for their antics, the band has been involved in broken walls, arrests and many band members MIA. Paddy is currently nursing an injury after a Splendour after-party went awry and he was thrown in the pool.

“I was keeping a diary of everything that had happened in Europe and I showed it to our manager and he thought it was really funny. He showed it to The Music and they decided to publish it,” Paddy says.

On top of giving it their all, the

When&Where: The 170 Russell, Melbourne – October 8 & 10 & The Karova, Ballarat – October 11. The band also plays Falls Festival

band also live by the ethos of not taking life too seriously – something that may be misunderstood in their offstage antics.

“I think that should apply to anyone at anytime really,” Paddy says. “And in music everybody is way too serious.

Maybe especially Australia because it’s a smaller kettle of fish, I’m not sure.”

It’s refreshing to see a band comfortable in their style and with where they sit in the industry. Sticky Fingers is a band that has stayed true to what they are, and that’s musicians doing what they love.

“I guess Sticky Fingers is never a band where we’ve said, ‘oh we’re just this or we’re that’. We’ve always sorted just created music that we’re enjoying at the time. We all do this because we love it and we wouldn’t want to be doing anything else really,” Paddy says.

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River Rocks 2014 Hey, come over here. Listen up.

River Rocks is back again. And it is back for its seventh outing. Yep, lucky number seven. Though to be fair, each event has had music lovers feeling pretty lucky. It is not

happening until November but we just couldn’t wait to tell you.

It’s exciting for us, and we have no doubt at all it will be just as exciting for you. Lining up this year you have Tumbleweed, Kim Salmon & the Surrealists, Hits, Warped, Clowns, Nunchukka Superfly,

Powerline Sneakers, Batpiss, Sun God Replica, Blacklist, The Vee Bees, The Ruiner, Bodies, Bruce, The Dukes of Deliciousness, Grindhouse, La Bastard and Orb. From Melbourne to Morocco, you would be unlikely to find anyone who hasn’t heard of Tumbleweed.

Okay, so that is probably a wee exaggeration, but there is little doubt that the sounds of these Wollongong lads have reached places far and wide. They have been doing what they do since 1990, taking the odd break here and there, but still rocking with the enthusiasm of those half their age. The Barwon Club, Geelong is your venue. Saturday, November 15 is the date. Tickets are currently available through Oztix.

This is going to be so good you are going to want to bring a change of clothing.

Falls Festival Are you sitting down? Seriously, are you sitting down? The first wave of acts for this year’s outing of Falls Festival has been announced and it gets a big A+. Helping you see in 2015 will be alt-J (pictured), Big

Freedia, The Black Lips, Bluejuice, Cold War Kids, DMAs, Glass Animals, George Ezra, Jagwar Ma, Jamie xx, Joey Bada$$, John Butler Trio, Kim Churchill, The Kite String Tangle, Milky Chance, Movement, The Presets, Remi, Röyksopp & Robyn, Run the

Jewels, SAFIA, SBTRKT (LIVE), Spiderbait, Sticky Fingers, The Temper Trap, Tensnake, Tkay Maidza, Todd Terje (LIVE), Tycho, Vance Joy and Wolf Alice.

‘Boogie Nights’, one of the coolest fancy dress parties you’re going to come across, meanwhile, will welcome Alison Wonderland, BadBadNotGood, Client Liaison and Salt-n-Pepa. While we’re hesitant to single an act out, we’re gonna have to give Bluejuice a push to the front. Given the band is breaking up at the end of the year this could be one hell of a farewell.

George Ezra is also worth a shout.

The British singer-songwriter has been winning favour (and more than likely more than a few hearts) with his track ‘Budapest’. Ah, there is just so much goodness here. You know where to head for all the information.

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The Werewolves of Strasse Bar Every second Wednesday of the month at Strasse Bar is Pub Werewolf, a fun-filled social game night.

Werewolf is an alternative name for ‘Mafia’ or ‘Assassin’, a game in which the object is to figure out which people in the group are secretly conspiring against the others. Multiple games are run throughout the course of the night, so you don’t have to get there bang on time. The whole night is pretty cool. You can grab a bite to eat and a drink then settle in for the games. It is a good way to learn how to read people.

Sure, you may be able to convince your boss you are “sick”, but deceiving a whole room? The next event is on Wednesday, September 10. 6 p.m. $5 cover. Would I lie to you?

The Infants are Coming Home We can’t help but feel like a proud parent watching on as The Infants forge their own visceral punk rock style. Made up of Blaise Adamson, Jack Normoyle and Christopher and Anthony Morse, the band calls Geelong and Warrnambool home and are coming back to showcase their developed sound, and for a quick visit to see their mums. They’ll be playing a show with Blackwood Jack, Mesa Cose and Sewerside for a live immersive show like no other. Barwon Club, Geelong – September 13.

Going Green The Greens campaign for the seat of Polwarth is launching in style with Mattski, local slide guitar player who has played all over the surfcoast, Pressed Rat and Wathog - the greatest band to come out of Aireys and Great Divide.

Large numbers expected so be sure to get in by 9pm. Aireys Pub, 45 Great Ocean Rd, Aireys Inlet – September 13. $5 entry.

Die and Die Again … And Again New Zealand’s Die! Die! Die! are closing in on another round of raucous shows. The noise-punk makers will be launching their new album S W I M in all the glory we have come to know and love about the band. From the presser: “S W I M is an 11 track opus formed from the wall-sweat of Europe’s best clubs, scratched off the tour van floor and from down the back of the couchsurfed accommodation.

Produced by the band and Chris Townend (Portishead, D12, Violent Femmes) from The Lab in Auckland to Lightship 95 in London, S W I M’s sparse geographical consummation is as expansive as their definition of punk and pop music.” The Karova, Ballarat – September 4 & Ding Dong, Melbourne – September 5.

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The Glory of it All Morning Glory has some business to do in Australia.

The business of rocking out like it is 2014. They’ll be doing their thing with The Bennies, that Melbourne punk-ska-psychedelicdoom-metal-punk-rock band we dig so much.

Morning Glory has been around the traps since the dissolution of Chocking Victim back in the late nineties and was originally formed as a solo project

by Ezra Kire. Oh, and it’s not a reference to that Oasis song but a reference to how the band’s creative output kicks in shortly after sun-up. Ezra: “I was always writing songs in the morning, which is kind of a reflection of the attitude of the band and the sound.” The Barwon Club, Geelong – September 24 & The Karova, Ballarat – September 25.

Get on Down The Darling Downs is two men with one vision.

It just happens that these two men are Ron S. Peno and Kim Salmon. One was the former singer of feral rock outfit Died Pretty; the other has served time in The Scientists and Beasts of Bourbon. They are longtime friends, and they are both journeymen of the Australian music scene.

Last year saw the release of In the Days When the World Was Wide, their third release and first album in six years. Kim was taking in a career-retrospective residency at Fitzroy’s Old Bar when the musical flame was reignited. Its title comes from a collection of works by Henry Lawson, a favourite book of Ron’s given to him by his brother. The Bridge, Castlemaine - September 6.

SAFIA Is the One SAFIA is a good thing that comes in threes. And that would be Ben Woolner, Michael Ball and Harry Sayers. The Canberra trio has been playing music together since primary school. I don’t know what it sounded like back then, but these days their electroindie has been striking a chord with people left, right and centre. One of these is Lorde, who invited the trio to support her on her Australian tour.

They had a successful tour earlier in the year and now they’re eyeing another one. Set to shine a light on their forthcoming single ‘You Are the One’ (out September 12), SAFIA has dates lined up at Bendigo’s Star Bar on September 26 and Ballarat’s Karova Lounge on September 27.

The Blues Train Hopefully with winter gone everyone has a little more spring in their step. (Yes, I went there and I am proud of it.) With the chill in the air slowly but surely being replaced by warmth, it is the perfect time to book in for a ride on The Blues Train. Consisting of a meal at the historic Queenscliff

The Mane Event Three million Australians are living with depression or anxiety. It is a heartbreaking figure indeed. It is also something not always understood. We know the fine work beyondblue does in order to combat not only the fallacies around depression and anxiety, but in working to reduce their impact. Next month beyondblue teams up with The Lions Club, Music Workshop, Forte and The Barwon Club for The Mane Event, a solid day and night of tunes where enjoyment, education and fundraising get an equal billing. The inaugural event will welcome over 20 Australian acts who will perform across three stages. In awesome news, Painters and Dockers will perform at the event, marking their first Geelong performance in 20 years. Painters and Dockers formed out of Melbourne in 1982. The band’s second album, 1988’s Kiss My Art, spawned four singles – ‘Nude School’, ‘Die Yuppie Die’, ‘Love on Your Breath’ and ‘Safe Sex’. The first two achieved Top 50 success. Bob Log III, Mick Thomas and Nick Barker are also among those set to perform. All profits raised from the day will be donated to beyondblue. The Mane Event takes place at The Barwon Club, Geelong on Saturday, October 11 from 12-midday to 1 a.m. Tickets are currently available through Oztix.

While My Guitar Gently Weeps As you awesome Forte readers would know (and you are awesome), the Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival is heading around for another crack in November. As well as serving up four days of music, they have also got a cracking competition going on – The Lazenby Young Blues Guitarist Award. The award is named in honour of Phil Lazenby, the Bendigo Community Telco chief executive who passed away last year. Few were committed to Bendigo as much as Phil. Few had the ability to inspire local musicians to follow their dreams, particularly younger musicians. When chosen to farewell Phil at the Bendigo Stadium last year, lyrics from Dobie Gray’s ‘Drift Away’ were used: Give me the beat, boys, and free my soul. I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away. In memory of Phil, The Lazenby Young Blues Guitarist Award is seeking out young guitarists with a blues heart. Entrants can perform on electric or acoustic guitars, solo or within the house band. Applicants must be aged 25 years or under on the 9th November 2014. Up for grabs is a Fender USA Standard Stratocaster and case previously owned by the late Phil Lazenby, but never played (retail value $2,299). Entries close October 23. Hit bendigobluesandroots.com.au for further information.

Frank Yamma & David Bridie A wonderful doubleheader will be taking place at the Torquay Bowl’s Club on September 21. The afternoon gig will feature Frank Yamma and David Bridie, with the gig zeroing in on new releases from the pair. Frank has new single ‘Everybody’s Talking/I’ll Be Back Soon’ to welcome, while David has new album Take the Next Illusionary Exit. Both are powerful voices in the Australian music scene. Frank is widely regarded as one of Australia’s most significant Indigenous songmen. An initiated Pitjantjatjara man, he sings in his native language and English. From Not Drowning, Waving through to My Friend the Chocolate Cake, Bridie has one of the most distinctive voices in Australia.

Railway Station, followed by a musical journey on a moving steam train accompanied by talented blues musicians (consisting of a solo artist, a duo, a trio and a band), there is no experience quite like it. October shows are booked out but beyond that you’re looking pretty good. Coming up you have Brooklyn Blue and Blues Mountain Trio. Hit thebluestrain.com.au for all shows and artists.

Will He or Won’t He? He will, or he Wil. Ah, not-so-clever wordplay.

With his second solo album being tinkered with, not to mention a third Smith Street Band album also in the works, Wil Wagner has decided to step away from writing duties for a spell

on the road. The tour is a special one, as it will be his only solo venture for the year. Europe and the UK beckons, and when they are knocking on your door you just have to answer. If you ask him nicely, very nicely, Wil may even play you a few ideas he has been working on. You’ll also get your favourites. What more could a Wil Wagner fan possibly want? The Bridge, Castlemaine – September 5 & The Karova, Ballarat – September 7.

percussion and singing.

Tony King, he’s a doublebass player that prefers to play guitar, banjo and foot drums. He doesn’t mind singing either. As Lily and King they have performed at a list of festivals as long as your arm, including Woodford Folk Festival, Queenscliff Music Festival, Bendigo Blues and Roots Festival and Wallaby Creek Festival. They released their debut album, Medication, in 2012. The Main Bar, Ballarat – September 19.

Lily Finds Her King

Don’t Wash Your Hands

Described as “an acoustic junkyard – blissful, beautiful, dirty and wicked”, Lily and King is the joyful combination of Lisa Baird and Tony King. Lisa started her musical path playing trombone. You will also see her playing toy piano,

Well, Sticky Fingers have kicked off their Land of Pleasure tour, and they’re hoping the experience is as pleasurable for you as it is for them. The name of the tour, which I am sure you well-read readers

An Odyssey of Beer & Food Matching your food with the right wine has long been a practice.

Fast catching up with the practice is matching your food with the right beer.

Taking place at the Odyssey Tavern & Brewery on Thursday, September 4 is a Beer and Food Matching Evening showcasing three of Australia’s best craft breweries – Feral (WA), Boatrocker (VIC) and 4 Pines (NSW). This is a rare chance to experience six perfectly prepared courses matched with two beers from each brewery.

A Q&A and giveaways will also take place. Limited tickets are available now through the venue at $99pp.

GABF Returns Making it the best return since Return of the Jedi, the Great Australian Beer Festival returns to Geelong early next year for another round of beer and good cheer. Other than it takes place on February 21 at the Geelong Racecourse, there is no other information we can give you at this stage.

Sorry about that.

However, early bird specials and Fathers Day specials will be available very soon.

Make sure you hit up gabfgeelong. com.au or their Facebook page for what’s to come. It’s gonna be good. would have assumed, is taken from the band’s new album which was released at the beginning of August.

There has been a lot of love for Sticky Fingers for some time, and their new album got ’em talking. Music Feeds’ Shane Arnold: “The fantastic duality of Land of Pleasure is that it’s simultaneously the perfect soundtrack for an evening chilling in the backyard or for cranking up a house party where good tunes always equal good times.”

Sometimes it’s okay to have Sticky Fingers. The Karova, Ballarat – October 11.

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What’s On in the 'RAT?

By Daniel Lock

Good fortnight to you unwilling Cronies (to The Man) and Bronies (if I have Bronies reading this then I have a bigger diversity of readers than I realised), Dan here with what’s hot on the fortnightly plan in the Ballarat live original music scene.

Thursday, September 4 sees The Karova Lounge start the fortnight alone with Die! Die! Die! Entry $10.

Friday, September 5 sees a couple of other venues debut the fortnight, firstly with The Babushka Bar bringing Brooksy, Ruddo and The Vests to their stage to play to you. Entry TBC. The Eastern enters the action with Ben Salter and A Miner coming to you ... live! For a taste of Ben Salter’s work head to bensalter. com.au. (RANT start: Because I tire of explaining genres and trying to fit them together to describe the music when another’s opinion may be entirely differently categorised as to my own and generate enough confusion to make the reader wonder what on Earth either of us are going on about ... RANT stop.) Just stop in and have a listen to his folkishstyle sounds (oh s**t, I mentioned a genre after all that rant).

A Miner is a side project from the lead singer Mark from Ballarat’s own Mark with the Sea. And I will mention a genre for this (because I find it hilarious): ‘Robotic

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Pop’, cited from the artist’s Facebook page facebook. com/aminermusic.

Entry TBC. The Karova has The Kite String Tangle playing this night.

Supported by Flamingo and Lucianblomkamp.

Entry $20.

Saturday, September 6 has the consistently entertaining player of the Hurdy Gurdy, ALEK, playing at The Babushka Bar. This guy is a wizard so if you haven’t seen him yet I recommend it.

Get a taste of it here: alek-hurdygurdy. com. Entry TBC. The Eastern also has a big night on with Steve Miller Band (WTF?), The Pink Tiles, Junipers and Ern Malley. And I’m not even going to start on their descriptions because I know one Steve Miller Band so I’m not willing to comment at this stage.

Last for the 6th, The Main Bar has Chris Wilson playing.

Entry TBC. Friday, September 12 has The Babushka Bar booked with Dolphy’s Albatross (don’t ask me whether that’s a band, an animal or a puppet show), so satisfy your curiosity and get there. Entry TBC. The Karova Lounge has $Fiver$ Night with a glitter cannon and free photo booth plus DJ StreetParty on deck.

Entry self-explanatory!

Saturday, September 13 The Babushka Bar has Pugsley Buzzard playing. Blues and jazz, jazzy blues – it promises to be a swampy kinda night at The Babushka Bar this night. Entry $13/$16.

This night The Karova Lounge has Celia Pavey playing, supported by Al Parkinson. Entry $15.

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Woodlock Locked In It’s about time, if you haven’t done so already, to grab yourself a cuppa and get familiar with Melbourne’s Woodlock.

Back in June, the band headed out on a 17-show tour which took them to six states and three regional festivals. Now they’re at it again. The band is brothers Zech and Eze Walters and mate Bowen Purcell. They started life on the street, busking at any opportunity, before doors began to open.

Eze: “We have a pretty solid following from our busking days … We keep in touch and they come to our gigs.

There is a strong connection for us. It’s really something we appreciate.” Their new single is ‘The Garden’.

Beav’s Bar, Geelong – September 25 & Babushka, Ballarat – September 26.

The Bare Bones of Matt Katsis Exposure to family friends playing the acoustic guitar at family gatherings planted the seed for Melbourneborn and raised songman Matt Katsis. After a little nagging (rather, a great deal of nagging), Matt’s parents finally bought him a guitar. And boy was that the start of something.

Fast-forward to 2013, and at the Queenscliff Music Festival Matt was awarded the festival’s favourite busker via a festival-goer vote. Skipping across genres including folk, blues and reggae, Matt is equally at home as either a solo music or fronting his three-piece band, Matt Katsis & The India Black. Make sure you check out his debut solo album, Barebones.

Martians Café, Deans Marsh – September 13.

I Want Some More Olivers Army is a band littered with the music and ramblings of Barossa Valleyborn singer-songwriter Ryan Oliver. It’s also the name of an Elvis Costello song. Ryan’s musical journey began around the same time of his travelling journey, with the aspiring songman penning tunes

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as he travelled North American as a teenager. On his return to his hometown of Adelaide, Ryan put his tunes to work. The band released their self-titled debut EP in 2010, followed

by II in 2012. They have also managed to fill in time by supporting acts including Big Scary, Deep Sea Arcade, Eagle and the Worm and Diesel. Nothing Ever Really Stays the Same is their fresh as fresh debut full-length. Babushka Bar, Ballarat – September 20.

The Perfect Crime Don Walker has lived the kind of life that is worthy of a book. He actually released one back in 2009, Shots. It is basically an autobiographical collection of smaller pieces that gives a small insight into rural Australian life and his time with Cold Chisel before they hit it big. There is plenty more to this man, however.

After Chisel disbanded in 1983, Walker took a breather from the music game before resurfacing as Catfish. You may also know him as one-third of Tex, Don and Charlie, or for his solo work. Last year saw the release of his latest album, Hully Gully. In support of the album, in particular new single ‘The Perfect Crime’, Walker and his Suave Fucks are hitting the road. Theatre Royal, Castlemaine – October 31.

The Rumble of Infants If what we’re told is to be believed, “somewhere between drag races and Sunday drives The Infants spew visceral vignettes and romantic recreations”.

Is that worth the gamble of checking them out? I should think so. The fourpiece is the collective talents of Blaise Adamson, Chris Morse, Jack Normoyle and Anthony Morse, and Low Rumble is their new release. Some readers may be familiar with the EP’s single ‘Halves’, which the band toured earlier in the year. ‘Ape’ is the latest single, which vocalist Blaise Adamson describes as “the hangover and

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the purge of the old, the reluctance but excitement of the new…” The Loft, Warrnambool – September 12 & The Barwon Club, Geelong – September 13.

The Kite String Tangle In support of his debut EP, Danny Harley, the man behind indie-electro project The Kite String Tangle, is heading out on the road. Danny launched The Kite String Tangle in 2012 and has been quick to find a loving audience.

Perhaps you are one of the one million people who have given his track ‘Given the Chance’ a spin via his SoundCloud page. If not, it may pay to check it out – one million people can’t be wrong. Vessel is the title of his debut. Renowned for Sound: “Vessel EP is an exciting twenty minutes, and though there are some minor bumps here and there, this looks to be the beginning of long and interesting road for The Kite String Tangle.” The Karova, Ballarat – September 5.

Pretty in Pink While home country acclaim is always a nice thing for a band or artist, it has to be a pretty special feeling to receive plaudit from overseas. Here is what DIY webzine/radio One Kind Radio had to say about the band The Pink Tiles: “The Pink Tiles are one of the best bands in indie garage-pop in the world right now, and with this new self-titled release on Cobra Snake Neck-Tie Records … they are going to take over the world with one of 2014’s best albums”.

Locally, PBS FM called the band one of the most promising acts of 2014. The Pink Tiles hit the scene in 2013, cutting their teeth in the venues of Melbourne.

Their self-titled debut is out now. The Eastern, Ballarat – September 6.

Getting All Handsy Danielle Whalebone is the fearless leader of indie-rock outfit Animal Hands. She, along with the band’s other killer players, celebrated the

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release of their self-titled EP last year at the Cherry Bar. Lindsay Gravina (Rowland S. Howard, Cosmic Psychos, Magic Dirt) was on hand to produce the EP, which not only excited locally but picked up airplay on L.A. talkback radio.

‘Roaring Girle’ is the band’s latest gem. The track is a dedication to Mary Frith, a notorious pickpocket in the 1600s. Nicknamed ‘Moll Cutpurse’, she is widely considered to be the original Riot Grrrl.

Music Man Megastore, Bendigo – September 19; The Springs Hotel, Waubra – September 26; and The Eastern, Ballarat – September 27.

Chopped 2014 Hot Rods and rock music once again come together in perfect harmony in 2014’s instalment of Chopped. The three-day festival is a celebration of pre-1965 style custom cars and bopper and chopper motorcycles. It also hosts one hell of a music line-up, too. Bands include Cosmic Psychos, Intoxica, King Salami & The Cumberland 3, Papa Pilko & The Bin Rats, Mesa Cosa, The Floors, Mighty Duke & The Lords, La Bastard, The Peep Temple, Emma Swift, Levitating Churches, Spirit Valley, Surprise Wasp, The Wednesday Night, The Villanettes, Blackbird, Mick Dog’s Bone Yard and Zombie Motors Wrecking Yard. Newstead – October 3, 4 & 5. Full details at chopped.com.au.

Metal Slam REMINDER: The massive four-day Metal Slam hits Benders across the weekend. Fronting up to the Music Man Megastore across September 4, 5, 6 & 7 will be a host of bands including Dreadnaught, Audemia, Wounded Pig, The Hazard Circular, Eyes Wide Open, Chase the Ace, Temtris, King of England, Vendetta, Evilution, Sapphira’s Wall, Necron 99 and Epimetheus. Over thirty bands across the weekend in all. Wow!

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Catcher in the Rye

Steve Smyth Takes an Exit Forget about your six-date tour. Songman Steve Smyth recently kicked off a massive tour which will rack up over 40 dates and keep him busy until the beginning of December. What would possess a man to do such a thing? His debut album Exits, for starters. The album was recorded in Echo Park in the shadows of Hollywood Hills with a helping hand from Joey Waronker and Gus Seyffert. You may have already heard singles ‘Shake It’ and ‘Written or Spoken’. Both have received a fair share of airplay. The Vine, Bendigo – October 3; Beav’s Bar, Geelong – October 9; Major Tom’s, Kyneton – October 10; The Loft, Warrnambool – October 16; and The Eastern, Ballarat – October 17.

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Driver

Written By Daniel Waight

People don’t often think that playing in a cover band is something that is hard for musicians to do, but according to the guys from Surf Coast cover band Driver, it can be harder than playing your own original material. The band’s line-up consists of bass player Stewart Tyrer, guitarist Nathan Bennett, keyboardist Robbie Dalziel and drummer Adam Gilliver, four musos who says they’re just a part-time band playing “basic meat and potatoes rock ’n’ roll”.

“We probably only do six or seven gigs a year,” he says. “We’ll do private stuff if people ask us; weddings and stuff like that. But we’ve played in Colac, at the Birre Festival, in Aireys down at the surf club. The last gig we played was a wedding in Barwon Heads near Diver Dan’s … We don’t play regularly.”

While Stewart and Nathan have been performing as Driver since they were teenagers, Adam and Robbie have only been playing with them for the last few years. “We’re part of the franchise,” Robbie jokes. Their repertoire consists of largely classic rock ’n’ roll, with a mixture of songs from Cold Chisel, The Angels, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Queen, Icehouse and The Black Keys, to name a few.

They try and play the songs that people want to hear. While this might sound a relatively simple task, Adam believes playing in a cover band is trickier than people realise. “Playing in Driver is a lot harder, I think, than playing in other bands because the other bands are all original music. So it matters what it sounds like to the band’s members, but it doesn’t matter what it sounds like to the audience because they don’t have any preconceived idea about what you’re playing.”

Robbie shares this view, but concedes it does have its own rewards. “They [audience] all dance, they all sing them all. It’s return singing, it’s not over-complicated. Everyone’s going at the same time and you can back off and let them have a go …Once you get the train moving, it’s hard to stop it. It’s a little bit tougher. It’s really good, though, when you nail them.”

But just like most other bands, the guys from Driver just hope their audiences enjoy the music and have a good time. “Even if it’s not your cup of tea musically, you’re still going to be drawn in by the infectiousness,” Robbie says. “It’s got sort of a warmth.”

And you can be sure that when you see Driver perform, no one will be leaving any effort backstage. “We love to play,” Adam says. “We don’t get a gig that often [so] we give it our best effort because we only get to play about six times a year. We try and make sure that it’s the kind of gig that you’d like to go to yourself, as well as playing it.”

Driver’s next gig is at the Birregurra Festival on Saturday, October 11. While their gigs are rare, they’re sure to be fun-filled with “lots of girls dancing and beer getting spilt on the floor,” according to Adam, as the audience listens to what Robbie calls “130 beer-drinking songs”.

And let’s face it, who doesn’t love a bit of that?

When&Where: Birregurra Fest – Oct 11

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The Eastern in Ballarat continues its fine entry into the gig-hosting game with The Rye Catchers set for a few tunes and drinks on September 13.

The rockin’ five-piece dials the volume knob up to 11 as they break out classicstyled rock infused with grunge sensibilities. They pride themselves on doing rock the hard way, their own way. They have made records for more money than they had in their pockets. They have played gigs for crowds waiting for someone else. They have supported bands they didn’t care for. All this was done for the purpose of playing music. For doing what they love. For doing what they were born to do.

Fortunately for all, things are beginning to pay off.

Barbariön: The Manliest of Men In 2007, seven manly beasts came together to form the heavy metal colossus known as Barbariön. In 2008, they began to perform – and the world was never quite the same. Crowds would begin to experience shows incorporating fire, smoke, skulls, weapons and other battle/heavy metalthemed props. Crowds would begin to experience barbaric identities, complete with leather, flesh, fur, war paint, helmets and drinking horns. And diverse crowds they have become, with the band performing at festivals including the Big Day Out, Meredith and Boogie. The Newmarket, Bendigo – September 6; The Loft, Warrnambool – September 13; and The Bridge, Castlemaine – September 19.

As the Crow Flies Where can you find yourself a good dose of country/folk, western swing and hillbilly rock ’n’ roll? Anywhere you find Nigel Wearne, a songman who has the spirits and influences of Hank Williams, Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle, Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie deep down in his soul. Armed with personally handcrafted guitars, his music melds finger-style guitar, country twang, honky-tonk and honest storytelling. The songman’s latest release is Black Crow, a four-star affair (Rolling Stone Magazine) recorded

by Adelaide’s Mick Wordley (Jeff Lang, Chris Whitley, Jordie Lane).

Nigel has a date with The Loft, Warrnambool on September 19. He will be joined by Luke Watt.

A Smidgen of Smudge 1994 was a pretty fine year when it comes to album releases: Alice in Chains dropped Jar of Flies and Beck released Mellow Gold. Jeff Buckley gave us Grace, Soundgarden

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Superunknown, Pearl Jam Vitalogy, Dinosaur Jr. Without a Sound, Stone Temple Pilots Purple, Sonic Youth Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star, Pavement Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain and Beastie Boys Ill Communication.

The list goes on and on.

Locally, Sydney’s Smudge gave us Manilow. Smudge, the brainchild of Tom Morgan (guitar, vocals), Alison Galloway (drums) and Paul “Duncs” Duncan (bass), has been around since 1991. “Duncs” was later replaced by Adam Yee. Manilow was released on the Half a Cow label and remains the label’s biggest-selling album.

It also kick-started a busy time for the band, which included US and European trips (including a slot on Reading Festival), a John Peel Session and runs with The Lemonheads, Superchunk and Sebadoh to name a few. In support of its 20th anniversary, the band has been tinkering with a special reissue. While a reissue has previously been released, this is a little more special. Taking to Indiegogo, the band is eyeing a remastered, 180 gram virgin-vinyl long-player, Smudge001.

Manilow. You have until September 12 to make a pledge. The Bridge, Castlemaine – October 24.

Something Sinister is Going On Hailing from the Netherlands, Sinister arose in 1988. They released their debut album, Cross the Styx, in 1992, and would tour with bands including Suffocation, Cannibal Corpse and Deicide. With the recent release of album number 11, The Post-Apocalyptic Servant, Sinister show they remain as relevant as ever. Metal Temple: “Dutch band Sinister have developed a piece that is mature and lofty in its content, doing well to stray from the clichés of Satan and gore that dominates much of the extreme metal spectrum; Sinister is the brutal death metal of the thinking metal head.” The Barwon Club, Geelong – November 2. With Destruktor, Mephistopheles and Nemesium.

Hail Cisco Caesar Much has been written about open mic nights and just what can eventuate from them.

One such success story is Cisco Caesar. The fourpiece is the brainchild of Caesar Slattery and James Cisco, a couple of fellas who met at a Melbourne open mic night hosted

by Jed Pickett. A coming together of musical kindred spirits occurred that open mic night.

With a mutual love of old soul music and vintage rock ’n’ roll, the two envisioned a soul rock

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outfit with a whole lotta swagger. Two brains are good, four is better, and so the lads rounded up and branded Jason Torrens and Jacob Cole. Old Hepburn Hotel, Hepburn Springs – September 14 & The Newmarket, Bendigo – November 15.

Bendigo Record, Comic & Toy Fair Having made its debut in March, the Bendigo Record, Comic & Toy Fair returns for another round this month, a clear indication that when it comes to records, comics and toys, Bendigo has quite the appetite. You’ll find an article in this issue of Forte where we step inside the mind of the brains behind the gig, but we’ll give you a quick rundown here as well. Vinyl traders, CDs, cassettes, collectables, comic back-issues, merchandising, figurines and retro-games were among the goodies available the first time around, while this event expands as it welcomes burgeoning comic creators from Melbourne and a Bendigo fantasy writer.

Bendigo Exhibition Centre – September 21.

Reyneing It In It is a blessed person who can do what they do for near-on forty years and still love it. If after nearon forty years they feel as though they’ve got more to give, well, that is something pretty special.

Songman James Reyne has been in the music world for a long, long time. His collection of songs speak for themselves – ‘The Boys Light Up’, ‘Reckless’, ‘Beautiful People’, ‘Lakeside’, ‘Daughters of the Northern Coast’, ‘Fall of Rome’, ‘Hammerhead’, ‘Motor’s too Fast’ and ‘Slave’. And still the list goes on. Yet on his official page, we’re met with this: “I just feel that I’m getting better. I’m a better singer and a better songwriter.”

His Acoustic Anthology tour takes him to GPAC on September 20.

One Electric Day Don’t forget that One Electric Day is making its way to Werribee in November. Basically what you get is a classic Aussie rock serving of Hoodoo Gurus, James Reyne (playing Australian Crawl tunes), Diesel, Daryl Braithwaite, Mondo Rock and Boom Crash Opera.

Last year’s inaugural event featuring Jimmy Barnes went down a treat, with the evening selling out months in advance.

Regional Touring’s Duane McDonald: “We have a commitment to continue to give music fans outside of the city a chance to see the calibre of concerts and festivals that patrons attending shows in metro centres have.” Werribee Park – November 9.

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Another Red Hot Summer With the warmer months now with us, the Red Hot Summer Tour has presented its 2015 lineup and dates. Always boasting an Aussie flavour, 2015’s event will welcome Hoodoo Gurus, James Reyne (performing Australian Crawl), Daryl Braithwaite and Boom Crash Opera, with The Angels, Ian Moss and Diesel set to make guest appearances at select shows. Promoter Duane McDonald: “This gives us a chance to make each concert an individual experience for music fans.

We’re lucky to have this incredible line-up on the tour and some amazing special guests to make each concert special.” North Gardens, Ballarat – March 14. Further information is available through redhotsummertour. com.au.

The Right Thing for Trysette Quick bite: With influences including Elton John, Lionel Richie, Carole King and James Taylor, Trysette is a classically trained pianist turned singersongwriter. Her song ‘The Right Thing’, lifted from her album Here On In, was selected for the Julian Film Festival Promo Video. She has a string of US dates coming up but will first visit the Grand Hotel, Hepburn Springs on September 8.

Jamming with Rory Ellis Quick bite: Putting the “alt” back in alt-country, Rory Ellis released his first solo album in 2000.

His albums have come at a steady pace since, his latest being Yellow, his seventh. The album is a dedication to the life of his mum. Saints & Sailors, Portarlington – September 5 & Old Hepburn Hotel, Hepburn Springs – September 7. A UK/ European tour will follow.

Twinsy Tear it Down Three is a magic number.

Ya it is, it’s a magic number. Well folks, ‘Ballarfornian’ outfit Twinsy are back with new single ‘Tear it Down’. The trio of Michael Belsar (Hunting Grounds), Guy Chappell (Yacht Club DJs) and Jack Craven (Neon Love) have served up the newie as an entrée to their Espiritus EP, due for release at the end of October. Guy: “Tear it Down started coming together while on tour, somewhere between New York and Washington, and we ended up finishing it in a tent the day before we played Splendour in the Grass.” The trio even managed to con Airling, DZ Deathrays, The Cairos and Tchaikovsky into giving them a hand on the EP.

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For a long time it was believed that only students, unemployed people and all-round money crunchers were the only ones on the hunt for affordable eating options, but that’s no longer the case – everyone is looking for value when dining out. Sure, fine dining is an unbelievable experience, but when it comes to meals with friends during the week – a quick bite out when the pantry’s empty and just all-round good ol’ fashioned value – everyone is on the lookout for an affordable menu or deals for meals. This isn’t about fast food, this is about quality options at affordable prices.

With such a wealth of food options in Geelong at the moment, Forte Magazine decided it was time to shine a light the only way we know how.

So food lovers gather ’round, your search for a quality cheap eats guide is over, and boy are we glad of the places featured in our guide this year.

It’s hard to deny that eating out and the whole experience that comes with it doesn’t play a large role in your declining budget.

Recent studies show that while we are spending less on just about everything, we are still willing to put some cash aside to treat ourselves to a dining experience. That’s where Cheap Eats comes in. Here at Forte, we’ve engaged a number of restaurants, cafés and food joints all offering up good quality dishes at surprisingly good prices.

This time around we’ve found that cheap doesn’t always mean a bland sandwich from your local deli. It can also mean getting topshelf produce for bottom dollar prices, and as if you’d say no to that! There are meals to share, dishes to fill you up and the classics (Parma fans, we’ve got your back) that we all know and love.

It seems every week in Geelong a new venue explodes into the foodie scene. With each new venue is a new specials night, and we don’t know about you but our head is spinning at the options. As locals we’re spoilt for choice, and if you flick to our venue listing on page 39, you’ll see just a handful of the venues in our region.

If you’ve got a first date quickly approaching and affording one meal let alone two is hard enough, flip through our guide and you’re bound to find a romantic spot to fill your stomachs (and get all hand-holdy under the tables at). Maybe you’re just looking for a quick feed during your lunch break? Well, we’ve got that covered too with our venues dotted around Geelong. Perhaps you don’t want a meal as such and you just want a good time with friends? We’ve got just the places to keep you entertained.

So throw away your calculators, budget book and 2-minute noodles because we’ve got some money-friendly choices that are big on quality and even bigger on experience. No one likes to eat microwave meals at home, and that’s a fact.

Here’s to good food at good prices.

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the barwon club 509 Moorabool St, South Geelong / ph: 03 5221 4584 barwonclub.com.au

Ambrosia On Pako Alto Cucina Italian Restaurant Upstairs, Cnr Bellevue Ave & Taylor Crt, Highton (entrance Taylor Crt) / Ph: 03 5244 3933 altoitalianrestaurant.com.au

Italian food is hard to pass up, especially when cooked authentically and with good quality produce as Alto Cucina in Highton does.

A family friendly restaurant complete with an outdoor eating area on the balcony, which is perfect for pre-dinner drinks. The atmosphere at Alto Cucina is great for a date night, special occasion or even a good place for a casual outing with friends. With kids meals at an affordable $8, there’s plenty to splurge on some sides or even a serving of housemade dessert, to finish off a perfect dining experience.

The menu features a great variety of Italian dishes, catering also for the vegetarians, vegans and gluten free. So for your fix of real Italian food at a price everyone can afford, head down to Alto Cucina Italian Restaurant tonight.

Alto Cucina is available for functions and there is no room hire charge, when there is a minimum of 30 people, drinks at bar prices.

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208 Pakington St, Geelong West / ph: 03 5229 2725 ambrosiaonpako.com

Ambrosia is about to turn 1 and has certainly come a long way to cement itself as one of Geelong’s finest dining experiences!

Situated just down from the ‘cafe-hub’ of Pakington St, the design will immediately catch your eye. The restaurant has a vibrant and welcoming feel to match the fantastic, friendly service.

The menu is diverse and has something to satisfy everyone’s palettes. Vegos can pick from crumbed pumpkin gyros, vegetarian moussaka, an array of salads, or numerous others. For those more meat inclined, there’s lamp rump with an orzo, artichoke, lemon and pea salad, some pan-fried calamari or fish of the day!

Ambrosia also has a great selection of sharing plates for when you just can’t decide! They even have a $10 Mini Gyros Lunch Special with your choice of Lamb, Goat, Prawn, Chorizo or Crumbed Pumpkin.

Ambrosia is open for lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Saturday and open for lunch on Sunday!

This years Fathers Day is fast approaching why not make a reservation at Ambrosia on Pako for you and your dad, and receive a lamb/chicken gyros and a Carlton draught for $20!

For more information on events, function hire or the menu, visit the Ambrosia website (ambrosiaonpako.com) or call 5229 2725

The Barwon Club has long been a go to destination for the traditional pub experience in Geelong, since it was first opened in the early ‘90s. While the venue keeps the beer flowing and the good quality vibes, their extensive menu is often overlooked.

Much of the venues success can be pinned on owner Greg Dodds, who has been around since the early days ensuring patrons glasses are kept full and all plates are licked clean. Head chef Adrian Tozer also plays a key role in this, and has been serving up top quality pub meals for the past 12 months.

The BC prides itself on its menus affordability, and one that doesn’t skimp on quality. Each day locals can grab a lunch from the $12 menu or come dinner time can get a Parmi on Monday night for $12 or one of the varying specials options of fish of the day, curries or braised beef cheek.

Aside from the regular deals, the menu has many outstanding meal options. For only $15 you can grab the BC burger, which is loaded with beef, bacon, egg, tomato, beetroot, lettuce and relish, then served with golden fries. Though head chef Adrian recommends the American pork spare ribs, which basted in house made smokey BBQ sauce, makes it one of the more flavour packed options on the menu.

After around 20 years, the iconic Geelong venue still manages to serve up fresh cheap food, while keeping the bands pumping the tunes on stage at regular gigs and the beer flowing from the taps. On a Saturday night the vibe is unlike any other, and one you have to experience for yourself.

The Bush Inn 58 Corio St, Geelong / ph: 03 5229 5194 thebushinnhotel.com

You could be mistaken to think that you have been transported to some good old country pub, but have the convenience of being in the heart of town, surrounded by all of the local night-life! Luke and Adam Richardson invite you to their quality restaurant, cosy public bar and one of the finest beer gardens in the CBD. The warm atmosphere is ideal for those winter days, a few drinks and a even a bet on their TAB facilities.

The pub boasts a large selection of great value quality dishes, you won’t be disappointed with the menu at The Bush Inn! From your traditional pub food, to the more speciality dishes with an array of salads, pasta’s and risottos and a whopping 6 different steaks to choose from!

They have two speciality nights, $13.50 Steak Night on Tuesday and $12.50 Parmi Night on Thursday as well as roast special lunch and dinner Sunday $13.00, bookings are encouraged as they fill up fast! Lunch specials are also now available ranging from $8.50$15.00 and you are certainty spoiled for choice!

Open Monday 11am-5pm; Tuesday-Thursday 11am11pm; Friday 11am-11.30pm; Saturday 10am-midnight; Sunday 11am-9.30pm

Burger Inc. 1/328 Pakington St, Geelong Ph: 03 5222 7776 burgerinc.com

Situated in the famous location at the stunning river end of Pakington Steet, Burger Inc proves to be the ideal place to head for your next Burger Fix! A lot of work goes into making these burgers, but they are made with love and will not disappoint! Their greatest satisfaction is that their customers enjoy their burgers.

There isn’t a secret to them, they just use premium quality ingredients that are delivered fresh and cooked to order.

Burger Inc is a small family run business, Geelong owned and originated since 2006.

Excluding the fries, none of the ingredients they use are delivered frozen, in most cases the produce they use is delivered fresh daily. A lot of the sauces and condiments they use are preservative free and gluten free and absolutely delicious. The menu items are endless, you will have trouble deciding between Beef, Chicken, Fried Chicken or Vege, then to decide on your topping, what a task! (But a very rewarding one at that, you really can’t go wrong!) Alterations can be made to any burger to suit what you want, just ask! While your at it, be sure to try one of their Milkshakes and make sure to get some Italian Herb Salt and Aioli with their fries!

Open seven days from 11.30am and you can call them on 03 5222 7776 and order your burger to pick up, it will generally take around 10 minutes!

If your in Geelong and are hungry, you can’t go past the finest burger joint in town.

CQ Level 1, Cunningham Pier 10 Western Beach Foreshore Rd, Geelong / ph: 03 5222 6233 / thecityquarter.com.au

Dennys Kitchen

Picture this: you’re sitting at CQ overlooking the beautiful bay, whilst sipping on an expertly made cocktail as the sun sets. It couldn’t get much better than this right? Well it could and does, as CQ also dishes up quality snacks for a more than reasonable price.

With loft ceilings, three balconies and a double sided fireplace, the interior of the venue is more than enough to draw you through the big glass doors.

Once there, CQ is the perfect spot for a cheeky after work drink or a mid-week dinner with friends.

At CQ the dishes are tailored around the idea of sharing them with friends whilst catching up on good times. The menu features a decent selection of tapas style dishes and pizzas, though there are more substantial meal options for those who want it.

The pizzas are the best value for money and are a little bit on the gourmet side to give you that little bit extra. With options like the smoked salmon, fennel, dill, capers and sour cream pizza, you’ll be stuck for choice.

Though if the Italian cuisine isn’t on your radar, choose from meatball sliders, Japanese style popcorn chicken, coriander spiced baby calamari or many more Asian and Western inspired dishes. But let’s face it, you’ve come here for the cocktails and they do that damn well. They’ve got the classics covered with a few exotic cocktails thrown in. If you’re a big coffee fan give the espresso martini a try.

Open Wednesdays & Thursdays from 4pm and Friday, Saturdays and Sunday’s from 12pm.

Cnr Moorabool & Brougham St, Geelong / Ph: 03 5223 2536 dennyskitchen.com.au

There is a new place to eat in town, so welcome food lovers to Dennys Kitchen, formerly Black Sheep Café housed in the National Wool Museum. Dennys, under the experienced and watchful eye of head chef Dwayne Bourke, has undergone an Italian make over. Still boasting its historic aged wooden beams, but now with a new, industrial vibe, Dennys Kitchen has added the warmth of the Italian style and culture to the traditional building.

The menu has been designed to take you to the shores of Italy. The philosophy is simple: to create delicious, simple seasonal food to be enjoyed and shared by the entire table as is the Italian tradition. The dishes are prepared utilising traditional methods of Italian cooking with a modern twist, with the hero being the wood fired pizzas suitable for occasions.

At Dennys the lunch menu differs from the dinner menu as there are cheaper options on the lunch menu. A majority of the menu items are shareable dishes. Therefore the entire table doesn’t all need to order a main meal. By choosing this option you get great value for money and are able to trial the different menu items.

Italian cooking is about letting simple ingredients and quality produce shine through in each dish. Dennys Kitchen has taken this on board with their produce sourced locally. Take away pizzas are also available.

Dennys Kitchen is open for lunch 7 days and Wednesday to Saturday for dinner.

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Edge 6-8 Eastern Beach, Geelong / Ph: 03 5222 2666 edgegeelong.com.au

Edge is located on Geelong’s spectacular waterfront with a gorgeous north facing bar as it gives patrons a world class view of the beautiful Corio Bay. Edge, with its New York loft styling, provides a dining experience for every occasion.

The team at Edge pride themselves on delivering fresh local ingredients in every meal and offer an extensive wine list with all your favourite beers on tap.

Updated seasonally, the menu utilises the finest local produce, and contains an enticing list of grazing plates and tapas, along with the chefs selection of modernised classics.

Sharing plates are great for when customers are in having a few drinks on their famous deck area or settling in for the night, but they also have a large ‘more substantial’ menu for main meals.

Edge offers breakfast, lunch and dinner for all ages and is family friendly. There is a large range of cocktails, coffees & tea and the venue can also cater for pre-ordered work lunches.

Edge have 2 function rooms and have a large decking are which is perfect for dinner and drinks in summer or winter as the decks are heated, followed by a dance with friends once the food is finished.

Some of their many ‘must try’ items on the menu are the pizza of the day, soup of the day, pasta of the day and the plate of the day, all of which vary.

Edge is Open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner and is located at 6-8 Eastern Beach Rd, Ph (03) 5222 2666.

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Geelong RSL 50 Barwon Heads Road, Belmont / ph: 03 03 5241 1766 geelongrsl.com.au

Gateway Hotel 218-230 Princess Hwy, Corio / ph: 03 5275 1091 thegatewayhotel.com.au

What is better than great food? Lots of it!

With their all you can eat buffet priced from $22, the Gateway Hotel has to be one of the best value venues in town.

But it doesn’t end there. The venue also boasts a family-friendly atmosphere where the little ones are always welcome. Our Club 4 Kids is free to join with many great benefits including Kids Eat Free Wednesday and Thursday nights and our monthly theme parties and competitions. From Monday to Friday the Family Deal comes in at the bargain price of $55 for two adults and two kids.

The venue also regularly hosts first-class entertainment from some of the country’s finest musos. In a nutshell, the Gateway Hotel is high on value. Licensed venue. Function room also available. Open daily 8am-4am

Good, tasty family fare in a relaxed environment is what the Geelong RSL is all about. Few things beat a good roast and the RSL’s Roast of the Day is a real winner. Lamb, Pork or Chicken served with roast potato, pumpkin, carrots, seasonal greens and traditional gravy, it’s better than a home cooked meal and the bonus - without the clean-up and only $13.00.

The Wednesday $13 Parma and Pot night is also very popular because everyone loves a Parma, Tuesday’s special is Steak Night, where a 200g ‘fillet’ steak is only $13, There are also a couple of other great specials including their $9.00 lunch specials for members, $10.00 for non-members.

Anyone can become a member of the Geelong RSL. Non-members are of course very welcome too and have full access to the venue’s facilities including TAB and keno. There’s plenty of parking (150 spots) as well which is a massive plus. It doesn’t hurt that they throw in some top-notch entertainment either. Make sure you keep an eye out for their meal and show packages; they’re a real treat.

Looking for a venue to book a function? With a large function room complete with a fully-serviced bar and kitchen, the Geelong RSL has you covered whatever the occasion. In a nutshell, the Geelong RSL is the perfect venue for eating out with family or friends, visit today.

Open 7 days a week, lunch 12noon - 2pm, dinner 6pm -8pm

Get Burgered 6-8 Eastern Beach, Waterfront Geelong / ph: 03 5221 5337 getburgered.com.au

Get Burgered is a relatively new Gormet Burger Restaurant locally owned and operated in Geelong.

The restaurant, is situated on Geelong’s famous waterfront with picturesque views of the bay!

After operating Waterfront Seafood for 3 years, owner and chef, Richard Verrell, decided to ‘head down the gourmet burger track’ as the market in Geelong desperately needed a quality place of recognition for the humble burger.

Their goals are simple to make really tasty burgers, rolls and steaks and homemade sauces that compliment their food, they offer some traditional food and some a little different and make a number of delicious desserts including cool sundaes, milkshakes and spiders.

Get Burgered offer quality items at reasonable prices, with friendly and efficient service and very comfortable surroundings! You can enjoy your meal either inside the restaurant or alfresco with an number outdoor tables available. You may even decide to take-away and go to your own special place or take home!

The venue is licensed with a small, interesting and user-friendly wine list and a nice collection of breakfast items are also available. Get Burgered is open daily from 10am – 2.30pm Monday and Tuesday, and 10am – 230pm and 5.30pm – 8.30pm Wednesday to Sunday.

Get Burgered is located opposite Steampacket Gardens at 6-8 Eastern Beach, Waterfront Geelong 3220 Web: http://www.getburgered.com.au

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Alto cucina Cnr Bellevue Ave & Taylor Crt (Upstairs), Highton 5244 3933 altoitalianrestaurant.com.au

Ambrosia on Pako 208A Pakington St, Geelong 5229 2725 ambrosiaonpako.com

Barwon Club 509 Moorabool St, South Geelong 5221 4584 barwonclub.com.au

Burger Inc Shop 1, 328 Pakington St, Newtown 03 5222 7776 burgerinc.com

Bush Inn 58 Corio St, Geelong 5229 5194 thebushinnhotel.com

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Denny’s Kitchen

Grovedale Hotel

Paul’s Prize Catch

Cnr Moorabool & Brougham St, Geelong 5223 2536 dennyskitchen.com.au

236 Surfcoast Hwy, Grovedale 5243 2814 www.grovedalehotel.com.au

73 High St, Belmont 5243 3931

Edge

Jaffle Jaffle

6-8 Eastern Beach Rd, Geelong 5222 2666 edgegeelong.com.au

Westfield at 95 Malop Street, Geelong Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre at 173-199 Pioneer Road, Waurn Ponds jafflejaffle.com.au

Gateway Hotel 218-230 Princess Hwy, Corio 5275 1091 thegatewayhotel.com.au

Geelong RSL 50 Barwon Heads Road, Belmont 5241 1766 geelongrsl.com.au

Get Burgered 6-8 Eastern Beach Rd, Waterfront Geelong 5221 5337 getburgered.com.au

CQ

Grill’d

Level 1, Cunningham Pier 10 Western Beach Foreshore Road, Geelong 5222 6233 thecityquarter.com.au

Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre Colac Road, Waurn Ponds Sturt St (cnr Albert St) Ballarat 88 Pall Mall, Bendigo grilld.com.au

Lord of the Isles 3 West Fyans Steet, South Geelong 5224 2522 lordislestavern.com

Mexican Graffiti 43 Yarra St, Geelong 5222 2036 www.mexicangraffiti.com.au

Odyssey Tavern and Brewery

Pistol Pete’s 93A Lt Malop Street Geelong 5221 0287 facebook.com/ pistolpetesfoodnblues

Sir Charles Darling 38 Bellerine St, Geelong 5222 1697 www.sircharlesdarling.com.au

Two Sugars 146 Pakington St, Geelong West 65 Barrabool Rd, Highton 5221 0377 (Pakington St) 5244 5711 (Highton) twosugarscafe.com

Wharf Shed 15 Eastern Beach, Geelong VIC 3220 5221 6645 leparisien.com.au/wharfshed

611 Surfcoast Hwy, Mt Duneed 5264 1333 odysseytavernandbrewery.com.au forte 39

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SPECIAL EDITION

OF MICE & MEN ESCAPE THE FATE APOCALYPTICA LAGWAGON TONIGHT ALIVE CROSSFAITH BUTCHER BABIES CONFESSION THE SWELLERS CONDITIONS COLDRAIN KING 810 DAYSHELL THIS WILD LIFE

JUDAS PRIEST GODSMACK ALL TIME LOW PAPA ROACH

SLASH MARILYN MANSON FALL OUT BOY

DAY ONE • SATURDAY 21 FEBRUARY

2015

FEB/MAR

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FROM SOUNDWAVEFESTIVAL.COM

SINGLE DAY & WEEKEND PASSES ON SALE NOW

FLEMINGTON RACECOURSE

WITH MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED ACROSS BOTH DAYS!

HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD ATREYU THE AQUABATS AREA 7 GODFLESH CROWN THE EMPIRE THE INTERRUPTERS ICON FOR HIRE EMILY'S ARMY PATENT PENDING FIREWORKS THE BENNIES THE COLOR MORALE MONUMENTS NOTHING MORE DEATHSTARS NE OBLIVISCARIS THE TREATMENT

GERARD WAY MAYHEM NEW FOUND GLORY FEAR FACTORY

INCUBUS LAMB OF GOD MINISTRY ANTEMASQUE

DAY TWO • SUNDAY 22 FEBRUARY

ILLUSTRATION BY DAYMON GREULICH

LICENSED ALL AGES PHOTO ID REQUIRED LINEUPS & VENUES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Grill’d Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre Colac Road, Waurn Ponds / 37 Sturt St (corner Albert St) Ballarat / 88 Pall Mall, Benidgo grilld.com.au

We’ve waited some time now, but let us all rejoice! Grill’d has made it to Geelong and Ballarat! Grill’d is more than just your local Burger joint, it’s a Food Philosophy! Their mission is to make burgers taste good and do you good. They challenge the idea of burgers being low in nutritional value and high in fat. That’s why they make burgers the old-fashioned way, not the mass-produced, fast-food way. You will have yourself a proper meal, not a rubbery snack that dissolve in seconds.

They do this by using only the highest quality, freshest ingredients, many of which are sourced locally from small, family producers.

Their restaurants offer relaxed and modern spaces with a friendly atmosphere, to to enjoy your meal and chat with friends. The service is always friendly and staff are very obliging!

The menu is diverse without being overwhelming, with options for everyone including a number of Beef, Lamb, Chicken or Veggie Burgers, as well as selection of Sliders, Steak Sandwiches and of course meals for the kiddies.

Their salads and chips are hard to pass up as well! Coated in the famous Grill’d herb mix their chips will not disappoint, together with herb or sweet chili mayo is a must! The menu also caters for a variety of nutritional requirements including Vegan and Gluten Free options. Venues are fully licensed with a number of craft beers, ciders and wine avalaible. Open daily from 11am 7 days a week Grill’d makes for a satisfying lunch or dinner that won’t leave you feeling naughty!

Grill’d is now located at Geelong: Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre Colac Road, Waurn Ponds 3216 Ballarat: 37 Sturt St (cnr Albert St) Ballarat VIC 3350 Bendigo: 88 Pall Mall, Benidgo 3550 Web:http://www.grilld.com.au/

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The Grovedale Hotel Sports Bar 236 Surfcoast Hwy, Grovedale / Ph: 03 5243 2814 grovedalehotel.com.au

Sometimes eating out and the costs that come with it can be a stressful thing, when they really shouldn’t be. At the sports bar at the Grovedale Hotel you needn’t worry.

With affordable dishes that don’t skimp on quality, and 85 inch HD TVs to watch the footy, dining at this venue is the best place for a much-needed break from home.

While there’s no designated nights to get your steak or Parmi on, there are regular meal specials to give you bang for your buck. As manager Joel Taylor states, each meal is made fresh

in the kitchen with nothing coming from a packet. The menu features American style sandwiches and burgers, Asian stir-frys and rice dishes, and the pub classics no sports bar would be seen without.

When it comes to the best dish on the menu, Joel can’t go by the 12hour slow cooked beef brisket sandwich. The brisket is slow cooked overnight with some secret ingredients and come morning time is sliced up ready to go.

Each slice is coated in the Grovedale’s own hickory BBQ sauce and stuffed into a brioche bun topped with tangy sweet onion

pickle relish. What more could you want while taking in the game on the mammoth sized TVs? Aside from being one of the meccas in Geelong for dedicated sports fans, the Grovedale Hotel is just an impressive venue all-round.

Adding to their huge HDTV wall, the venue plans to fit out a brand new garden bar completed just in time to catch the spring sunshine. Made from recycled materials and with a retractable roof system, the new spot will give customers a totally new vibe to escape to.

If there’s anything that Joel can assure us of, it’s the high quality delivered in each dish and without the exclusive price tag.

“The sports bar at the Grovey offers top quality food at value prices! Our prices are mostly under $20 and some of the best bar meals in town,” Joel says.

  

JOIN US FOR

GREAT FOOD, LIVE ENTERTAINMENT







AT THE PLACE TO BE

Edge Geelong

@edgegeelong

6-8 Eastern Beach Rd, Geelong 3220 03 5222 2666 I manager@edgegeelong.com.au www.edgegelong.com.au 

    

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Jaffle Jaffle Westfield: 95 Malop St, Geelong Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre: 173-199 Pioneer Rd, Waurn Ponds jafflejaffle.com.au

Jaffles are back, the humble sandwich is making a resurgence and armed with his grandmothers recipes and thousands of hours of making jaffles for his kids, Clayton Thompson is serving classic jaffles and is about to open his third Jaffle Jaffle.

Jaffle Jaffle offers you a relaxed atmosphere, where there is lots of love going into each Jaffle. They are serving up classics that we will all remember like baked beans, spaghetti and ham and cheese. But we also have a range of new recipe ideas that are new to the Jaffle eating world.

Everything is quick, fresh and of course, cheap. You can pick up a jaffle for $5.50, or just stop by for a desert jaffle with Nutella. There are lots of combo deals that you can share with friends as well.

Be sure to connect with them through social media, regular specials are announced through Facebook and twitter. Jaffle Jaffle fans eat lots of free jaffles!

You can sit at the Jaffle bar, or take away.

It would be impossible to narrow down to one favourite flavour Jaffle and they are also currently experimenting with some great desserts. Chocolate and raspberry in puff pastry is a must try!

The food is fast, healthy and served with love and you can expect a great lunch or snack for around 6 bucks.

Jaffle Jaffle is currently available at two separate locations, Westfield at 95 Malop Street, Geelong 3220 and Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre at 173-199 Pioneer Road Waurn Ponds 3216.

Head to their website for further information: http:// jafflejaffle.com.au/

The Lord of the Isles Tavern 3 West Fyans Steet, South Geelong / ph: 03 5224 2522 lordislestavern.com

The Lord of the Isles is situated just down from Geelong’s iconic Simmond’s Stadium and is a must do for any sports fan! They offer a number of diverse dining options, from the finer dining option in Bernie’s Bistro, to the Courtyard and entertainment lounge experience, you will be sure to find something for everyone at this legendary Geelong venue.

Bernie’s Bistro is open 7 days a week from 11.30am to late with all day dining, whether

you wish to indulge in their full menu or dine alfresco. Bernie’s has won over 30 different awards at regional, state and national level, and on three occasions has been been voted best bistro in Australia. Enjoy the elegant yet relaxed atmosphere Bernie’s has to offer whilst you indulge in the extensive menu.

The Lord of the Isles Tavern Courtyard and Bistro Bar area has a stunning modern style that blends, lighting, furniture, flooring, &

décor bringing style and comfort to the space. Oh and we have to mention ‘that screen’, relax in the Courtyard area and watch all the top sporting events LIVE on Fox on quite possibly the largest plasma screen you have ever seen TAB facilities are also available!

The menu boasts all of your favourites and portion sizes are more than generous and will set you back no more that $13.00 a pop! They also have a number of sharing

options available too!

The menu is available in the courtyard Monday to Saturday 11.30am 4.30pm and Thursday 11.30am – late. The Courtyard also plays host a hilarious pub quiz each Thursday night, get a team together and enjoy the nights festivities with a weekly jackpot prize as well as some other spot prizes!

Lord of the Isles is located at 3 West Fyans Steet, South Geelong VIC 3220 Call: 5224 2522 Web: http://www. lordislestavern.com/

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Mexican Graffiti 43 Yarra St, Geelong / ph: 03 5222 2036 mexicangraffiti.com.au

Mexican Graffiti is more than just a restaurant now days. Established in 1982 in the heart of the city, it now offers banquet menus for large functions, cinema dine-out packages and gift vouchers, it also offers the opportunity to try Mexican food at an entry level. Mexican Graffiti still has Californian-style choices and the full range classic Mexican flavours. Customers can relax in friendly family atmosphere and enjoy a quiet bite to eat or takeaway, every day of the week from 11am until late.

Their menu has absolutely everything you could ask for in a Mexican restaurant and more!

There’s a heap of additional options to choose from from steaks to parmis, lasagne and even seafood! How to choose just one?

Taco Tuesdays are a must, you can get a selection of 3 taco’s for just $10.00 this includes all meat, fish and vegetarian options. Better still they now have available a very special brew labelled ‘Taco’ from Two Birds Brewing in the US, the perfect beverage to complement those golden pockets of deliciousness! Frozen Margaritas are also available, and large range of local and imported beers, as well as a wellestablished ranges of wines.

Mexican Grafitti is located at 43 Yarra St, Geelong VIC 3220. Phone: (03) 5222 2036

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Odyssey Bar & Tavern

Pistol Pete’s Food N Blues

611 Surfcoast Hwy, Mt Duneed / ph: 03 5264 1333 odysseytavernandbrewery.com.au

93A Lt Malop Street Geelong / ph: 03 5221 0287 facebook.com/pistolpetesfoodnblues

There are few venues that can say they dish up quality and affordable meals with a glass of beer or cider from one of many quality craft brewerys Australia wide, including their own. Odyssey Tavern and Brewery are one of the few that can, and they also happened to be one of the first to say it.

The Odyssey has a high quality, yet simple, menu that encourages groups to share their meals, though there are more substantial options for those who are feeling particularly hungry.

For those comfortable splitting dishes there are plenty of pizzas to choose from. The Pizza’s are hand made and of the highest quality, using only the freshest ingredients.

There’s also a variety of sides including the Odyssey wings, house cut chips and garlic and cheese bread, for the grazers out there.

Each meal is made up to compliment the limited release and seasonal beers and ciders that are on offer at the venue, and with the great the value on offer for each meal there will be plenty of cash left over to try a few different types of beer and cider the venue has on offer.

While The Odyssey has quality and affordable meals on their minds, the venue also caters to those will allergies and dietary requirements, as gluten free and vegetarian options are also available.

With free live music also a key feature of the venue, The Odyssey surpasses the tag of being just another food venue and instead becomes its own destination.

As owner Grant Byrne says, “Nothing compares to the Odyssey experience!”

Pistol Pete’s Food N Blues is the only place in Geelong where you can taste, smell, hear and feel like you’re somewhere in the South of The USA without the expensive travel expenses!

Drawing from the strong passions for both Blues Music & the cuisine of the Southern States, from Memphis to New Orleans via Clakesdale Mississippi on Hwy 61, the road taken by many Blues greats over the years, Owner and chef Pete Raimondo travelled the same road, taking in the smells, flavours, music and hospitality of the food & people of the South and has brought it back to Geelong.

A new Menu starting in September, will see the addition of a “On Ya Plate” selection, a choice of Pulled Pork or Southern Style Chicken and sides and a “N’Awlins Taster Plate”. You can also get a range of “Vittles” or snacks, great for kids or for something to nibble while listening to some great live music and enjoying the some of the craft beers, wine or spirits on offer.

Must tries are Pulled Pork Roll, Gumbo, Southern Style Chicken, Andouille Sausage Po’Boy, actually, whatever you get you won’t be disappointed!! They have some vegetarian options too, Jambalaya comes with Okra, a perfect choice for a main and with a choice of Greens, Coleslaw, Baked Beans, Cajun Fries and Cornbread, no one will go hungry!! Gluten free options available too.

So if your a lover of Great food, music, friendly service and a great time, Pistol Pete’s Food N Blues is for you!

Bookings and Phone orders welcomed. Fully Licensed.

Paul’s Prize Catch 73 High St, Belmon ph: 03 5243 3931

Paul’s Prize Catch is conveniently located at the heart of High Street Belmont meaning it’s everyone’s local Fish and chip Shop.

Paul’s is the perfect destination if you are looking for a quality meal for the family that is tasty and affordable, with options for both eat in and take away.

With 35 years experience, the team at Paul’s Prize Catch have perfected the art of Fish and Chips.

Using clean, pure vegetable oil and seafood caught in our Southern Oceans, you will always be served the highest quality fish and chips every time.

So drop in and pick something from the extensive menu which provides all of your fish and chip favourites, it's your one stop fish shop.

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Sir Charles Darling Hotel 38 Bellerine St, Geelong / ph: 03 52221697 sircharlesdarling.com.au

The welcome mat is out at the Sir Charles Darling Hotel, a venue that is sure to leave you with a full belly and a smile on your face. Great food at reasonable prices is what the venue is all about. And there is no skimping either. Good luck finding room for dessert but then again, there is always room for dessert.

The venue is open to one and all so whether you’re with a large group or a Uni student looking for a cheap night out, the venue will have something for you.

You’ll be greeted with a smile and the venue prides itself on speedy service so you won’t be tapping your watch impatiently.

Let’s take a look at their speciality nights. Monday and Tuesday night is Steak Night, imagine a 300gm porterhouse cooked to your liking. They’ll even throw in some garlic prawns for a few extra dollars.

Wednesday is Seafood Night while Thursday is the ol’ faithful, Parmi night. The Chicken Parmi’s are made from scratch every day the venue has six to choose from including the Eggplant Parmi for the vegetarians and the hugely popular Parmi served with avocado, prawns and a creamy garlic sauce. All specialty nights are $13.50 which is a bargain in anyone’s books. There is plenty more on offer for any taste and budget so do yourself a favour and take a look at their website below or better yet, simply pop in.

The pick of the bunch? That goes to their Chicken Parmi. Licensed venue. sircharlesdarling.com.au.

Lunch & Dinner – Seven Days

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Two Sugars 146 Pakington St, Geelong West / ph: 03 5221 0377 65 Barrabool Rd, Highton / ph: 03 5244 5711 twosugarscafe.com

Owning a successful restaurant can be tough, and there are many who just can’t perfect the right vibe to succeed. Two Sugars restaurant owners, Nick and Rosie Criscione and Joe and Silvana Tripodi, seem to have skipped this struggle as their second venue opened on Pakington St a few months ago.

The Pakington St venue is in addition to the popular Highton eatery, which became known in the region for giving customers the real Italian experience at an affordable price. The venue certainly goes all out in achieving this, as most of the waiters speak Italian or are actually from Italy.

While the vibe can be felt as soon as you step foot into the venue, it culminates when your meal is dished up. With plenty of authentic Italian cuisines from varying regions of Italy, there’s plenty of options for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Come in early for a sweet breakfast and coffee to fill you up or later in the day to choose from a selection of pasta dishes or main meals.

Part of the whole experience is watching your meals be prepared, and this is made possible with the pizzamaking station and oven tucked in the corner of the venue.

Two Sugars also caters to those with food allergies or dietary requirements, with gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options scattered throughout the menu.

Wharf Shed Café 15 Eastern Beach, Geelong / ph: 03 5221 6645 leparisien.com.au/wharfshed

Situated on Geelong’s famous Steampacket gardens facing iconic bay, the Wharf Shed Café offers casual waterfront dining with seating for over 350, including sheltered outdoor terraces. During the evening, the Wharf Shed Café is Geelong’s premier meeting place, a great place to relax whilst enjoying the ambiance of true water’s edge dining.

There is something for everyone of this menu from your pub food favourites to pizza, calzones, pasta, risottos, salads, even curries and of course seafood!

The Warfshed is open for lunch and dinner Monday to Friday, from 11:00am until late and open from breaky on Weekends and Public Holidays from 9:00am until late. The Cafe is fully licensed though the milkshakes also come highly recommended!

Considered its impeccable location, there is still plenty of parking around the venue and the value for money is crazy good!

When it comes time to pay, two very lucky tables are randomly selected each day and will eat for FREE! How good is that? Back yourself and head to The Warfshed for your next dining experience!

See your restaurant here in the next Forte Cheap Eats!

Call Abbey on 0431 898 745 for more details

R i v er R ocks It may be two months away but it’s about time you started preparing your mind and body for the 12-hour, two-stage, 20 band juggernaut that is River Rocks. Back for its seventh year, and bigger than ever, the gig will be held on November 15 at The Barwon Club – that had better be a pen I hear writing that date down.

Playing over the two stages will be Orb, La Bastard, Dukes of Deliciousness, Grindhouse, Bruce, Hydro Medusa, Bodies, The Ruiner, The Vee Bees, Blacklist, Sun God Replica, Batpiss, Powerline Sneakers, Nunchukka Superfly, Clowns, Warped, Hits, Kim Salmon & The Surrealists and The Spits.

Headlining the day is Tumbleweed, who recently lost band member Jay Curley. Jay’s death was a sudden shock to the music industry, and at this stage there has been no word whether the band is continuing performances.

If all goes ahead and Tumbleweed take the stage at midnight, River Rocks is a great chance to pay your respect to the bass playing legend while listening to bands playing in a genre he was such a big part of.

For those oblivious to the full-on nature of the event, River Rocks promises to destroy livers, annihilate eardrums and sever limbs. But never fear, the beer will be cold, a doctor will be on standby and the hypobaric chamber will be warmed up and operating at an epic rate.

So keep yourself nimble and we’ll see you when the doors open at 1 p.m. on November 15.

Eastern the

. .

Live Bands Bar Beer Garden THURS - OPEN MIC FRI-SAT-SUN - LIVE MUSIC

When&Where: The Barwon Club, Geelong – November 15

THURS - FRI 5PM - MIDNIGHT SAT - SUN 3PM - MIDNIGHT

81 Humffray St Nth, Ballarat

facebook.com/easternballarat

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Mr UmamiS restaurant feature Story and photos by Amanda Sherring

Not ones to shy away from change, restaurant owners Kimberley and Grant Ryan have fully embraced it with their new restaurant Mr Umamis on Pakington St. The Asian fusion restaurant, which occupies part of the Barking Dog, has cancelled the need for locals to travel all the way to Melbourne to get a decent serve of quality dumplings.

“There were no real quality dumplings anywhere, and there was nothing like your Chin Chin or Mr Miyagi’s like in Melbourne here in Geelong,” Amy Pug, Mr Umamis spokesperson says. “We just felt there was a gap in the market, there wasn’t really anywhere in Geelong that gives that cool Asian venue.”

After months of planning since the idea was first conceived at the start of the year, Mr Umamis opened to a thoroughly pleased crowd.

“They said that it tasted fresh, it had really good flavour and they just enjoyed sitting here. And it just had a great vibe. When the lights were on and the music was up it just provided the great atmosphere,” she says.

Fitted out with hanging pendulum lights, inviting wooden seats and pops of yellow, Mr Umamis hits the Melbourne restaurant trends to a tee. A striking wall mural by Geelong illustrator Morgan Connoley brings the street art trend indoors.

At Mr Umamis there’s obviously a strong focus on every aspect of the venue, and they’ve even enlisted a number of dumpling makers to come in and make the little delicacies by hand.

“Everything is handmade: our curries and sauces are all handmade. There’s nothing that’s frozen or brought in, because that freshness makes a huge difference, too,” Amy says.

Asian fusion is new for the well-respected venue, and while they’ve mastered quality pub food, a little research was needed for their new foodie venture.

“Asian is a whole different style, and there’s so much to learn. But we just sort of went by what we liked and then researched things. They’ve played around with different things for months and from that found things that worked,” she says.

The research has more than paid off with the versatile and exotic options that the restaurant has on offer. For something light, choose from spiced corn fritters, eggplant & tofu lettuce cups or the DIY pulled pork shoulder rollup with apple slaw and aromatic herbs.

Mr Umamis pays a strong focus on late night dinners with a tailored cocktail list to keep you going. Stick to the classics and try the massaman curry with melt-in-your-mouth coconut braised beef or something different with the crispy market fish with pressed pork and pickled papaya.

Also owners of the Clarendon, Hotel Cremorne, Bean Bandit and Parmi Bandi, Grant and Kimberley are clearly savvy when it comes to business decisions.

The new addition to the Barking Dog sees it offer a level of diversity unseen in any other venue in the region. Classic pub meals can be grabbed from the main restaurant – which is set for a renovation next year – while quality cocktails can be sipped through the night at Strasse. And now locals can take a culinary trip to Asia at Mr Umamis.

The venue also runs regular event nights and Mr Umamis is no exception to this. Each night an Asian film, at the moment Bruce Lee’s movies, are projected across the road onto an adjacent building for all to enjoy.

If anything, Mr Umamis, and the Barking Dog as a whole, has created a one-spot destination for Geelong locals that simply has it all.

“We’re just hoping to give [customers] a relaxed, fun, casual experience, but with really fresh, authentic food,” Amy says.

INFO: 126 Pakington St (inside the Barking Dog) Phone: 03 5229 2889 / Web: mrumamis.com.au

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Woodlock LOCAL FEATURE STORY Written by Tex Miller

It’s Eze Walters’ birthday as we begin to chat about Woodlock, the delightful success story of three boys from Yarrawonga in regional Victoria making it in the big time, and as we chat about the band’s rise to stardom, it’s easy to hear from the nerves creeping through. The band is about to converge on their second and biggest tour of Australia yet, and as their fan base grows, the group is playing bigger venues as well – and that is an idea that scares Walters a little bit.

“It’s very exciting because this is our second tour and we love to be out on the road playing shows as a band. It’s also very nerve-racking, though, because there is a certain amount of expectancy from our audiences and our management and publicity. We are headed off to Western Australia and Tasmania for the first time ever and we can’t wait to get over there and play a few gigs.”

If you haven’t heard of Woodlock, the band comprises brothers Zech and Eze Walters and childhood friend Bowen Purcell to create a group that play blissful, relaxed, chilled-out tunes.

Influenced by the likes of John Mayer, Bon Iver and Coldplay, the band has created their own fresh and unique sound that is creating waves all around the music scene. Having just released a new EP, Labour Of Love, recording with

one of Australia’s elite producers has allowed for the band’s sound to develop twofold.

“We recorded this EP with Wayne Connolly, who has worked with some of the biggest names in the Australian industry. Over the course of ten days we hit the studio, and I think that this time around we had a lot more creative control over the process compared to our first EP (Lemons).

As we were new to the industry at that stage, we followed the producer’s instructions quite strictly.

“With Wayne, this time he wanted us to have our own input into the sound of the record and really nurtured the songs. It was very scary before we started the project because we were blown away by the amount of artists that he has worked with.”

Woodlock, as we know them today, is a successful enterprise that is sweeping the

nation; however, it was nearly all over before it began. With the grand plan to buy a caravan for $250 and travel around Australia playing to new faces, being cooped up in such a small space became too much for Zech and Eze. “At that point in time we weren’t really a band, we were just doing a road trip to find ourselves, but yeah, that was my bad. My brother and I are in a band together so we have to look past our differences. There are times, however, where we both think that we are the one. That can be challenging at times, but we put each other back in our box when necessary, which helps.”

The band formed to raise money to send themselves over to Africa and has since spent the majority of their time busking on every street corner in Melbourne. The vibe, as you would expect, is worlds away from performing shows in Australia.

“That trip was pretty intimidating, I must admit. We had to play a show in a prison. That was pretty interesting.” You would think that the band would opt for some Johnny Cash songs, right?

“They didn’t really know any of our new songs so we had to opt for some classic hits – ‘Who Let

the Dogs Out?’ and ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ went down a treat. They were lovin’ on that.”

One of the biggest shows on this tour is set to be a gig at Rottofest on Rottnest Island in WA. The first time that the band has toured to the west, there is a certain pressure of having a low attendance at their gig ; however, Walters isn’t that phased. “We have never really done a bigger festival like this, so it will be a lot of fun to play alongside Andy Bull. We are predominately based in Melbourne and meet a lot of Western Australians on our travels. We’ll just perform extra hard and hopefully everyone loves it.”

In addition, the band is set to play in Geelong, Ballarat and Melbourne on the 25th, 26th and 27th of September and cannot wait to hit the stage for some regional gigs. Sounding like a jam session featuring John Mayer, Bon Iver and The Beatles, make sure you check out one of Australia’s up-and-coming talents. Playing all around the country, you would be mad to miss them.

When&Where: Beav’s Bar, Geelong – September 25; Babushka Bar, Ballarat – September 26; and NSC, Melbourne – September 27

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Freestyle has been providing Geelong with top quality, mens and ladies latest fashion for over 10 years now, specialising also in denim, footwear, sunglasses, watches, bags and accessories!

Located at 117 Pakington Street, Freestyle is your first stop for both on trend streetwear as well as that something a bit fancier! For those a bit out of reach, don't worry, the Freestyle Online Store will be up and running in a matter of weeks and you will be able to purchase all of your favourites, wherever you may be!

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T H E NIG H T V IBE

FROC K IT

Written by Tex Miller

Spring and Summer’s Most Coveted Styles Written by Jessica Alves

Spring/summer 2014/15 collections have officially hit the runway. After the hundreds of notable designers show off their new creations, there are always a few standouts amongst the masses. This is what to expect as we cruise into the slightly warmer months of the year.

In terms of colour schemes, most of us will be happy to know that the dusty blues and marshmallow pinks of the winter will be making their way to spring and summer. Don’t rush to get rid of any pastel pieces that you’ve picked up during winter as they’ll definitely come in handy during the cooler months of spring.

Stripes will be a must-have in wardrobes everywhere. It doesn’t matter how you wear them, just as long as you’re decked out head to toe. A fail-proof way to wear stripes this season is in the form of a striped dress.

Pair it with this season’s show – my pick is a classic pair of footbed sandals.

Cobalt blue is making a huge comeback. We saw a lot of the striking colour in the form of midi skirts made from light flowy fabrics. The striking blue was teamed up with another colour trend: white. Whilst the skirts were mostly paired with white camis, all-white everything is yet another trend seen

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popping up everywhere through winter and into spring and summer.

If you’re feeling daring, metallic sheeny fabrics have been a major hit on the runway, for daytime or night. In the form of tops, pants and suits, in almost every different shape you could imagine, it’s definitely a heavy dose of glamour – but then fashion trends were never meant for the faint-hearted.

The mid-length sheath dress is just one of the many classic silhouettes that have received a revamp on the runways. Lengths that hit right in the middle of the shin are what seemed most popular. Whilst most commonly donned in light pastel or white shades, they also have the potential of looking very sleek and slinky by rocking it in black leather.

Showing off the shoulders has also been very popular amongst the designers. From off-theshoulder garments, to barely-there spaghetti straps, getting that skin on show seems to be the new midriff. High-neck ensembles with fine straps are my pick of the season in following this trend.

Another old-school comeback and the last major fashion trend for this season are the ’70s-style wide leg pants. They’ve been seen in all sorts of prints and colours, but a fool-proof styling choice would be to pair these with a classic white button-down shirt.

It’s an easy but effective way to instantly look put together.

This season’s runway has brought us a very welcome breath of breezy summer air. With designers taking inspiration from the ’60s with

pastels, all the way through to the ’90s metallics, fashion this spring and summer is sure to be a blast from the past. Which of these classic trends will you be rocking?

Instagram @jessicazalves youtube.com/msbonvivants

In a recent article by Darren Levin on the FasterLouder music website, the harsh reality of being a musician and making ends meet was discussed. One of the interesting factors to this piece was when Violent Soho’s guitarist James Tidswell admitted that at one of the highest points of the band’s career, being nominated for an ARIA for their 2010 debut album and touring America, he had to apply for a job at McDonald’s just to keep the wolf from the door.

Most musicians work hard for very little monetary reward, so the big question is: How do you keep yourself afloat within such a dog eat dog world? First, you have to define why it is you are in the music business. In most cases, it is for a love of music and the satisfaction of playing songs of our favourite artists with friends. Yet we would all like some commercial success and reward for our hard work, wouldn’t we?

In a recent documentary called ‘The Truth About Money in Music’, many acclaimed Australian artists sit down and chat about the honest truth behind making a dollar from the music business. Pete Kilroy from Hey Geronimo puts the equation in simple terms: “If you have a $50k a year job, it means that for four or five members of a band to earn that, with all the commissions and expenses, your band would have to turn over $1million a year.”

Turning over $1million seems like quite a task, so where does the journey begin?

Why don’t you just head down to your local music venue and ask them for a gig? What have you got to lose? The worst that the venue can say is no; however, most times they are generous to local up-andcoming musicians that are just starting out.

Before Angus and Julia Stone hit the big time, started touring Europe and creating albums with Rick Rubin, Angus Stone was hiding away in his bedroom writing some of their early and most intimate songs. If it hadn’t been for Julia’s idea to head out to some open mic nights, then who knows whether they would have ever broken into the world’s music scene.

In the context of young and local musicians who are not really ready for the world stage, the opportunity to showcase their talents in a welcome and friendly environment is the best place to get started. There is an old saying that as a musician you should play every show like it’s your last because you never know when your last gig will be. Also, you never quite know who is going to be in the audience watching your performance. (Over the last decade there has been countless numbers of acts discovered and gone on to the big time.)

If nothing else, it is a fantastic avenue to test out some new songs on a new

crowd of people and also a great opportunity to meet some likeminded musicians that could help out with your musical career. From looking in the local papers (Forte included), there is a number of local open mic’s around the area that all want to hear the new fresh original talent. Most of the spots are fifteen or twenty minutes and allow you to gain valuable experience.

The past few years has seen the demise of many of Geelong’s signature live music venues. From The Nash to The Wrong Crowd, it seems to be quite a sad state of affairs. Despite this, there is still an enthusiastic live music scene around. From Battle of the Bands at Courthouse ARTS to the Live and Local stage at Motor City Music Festival, there are countless opportunities to get your name out there and music heard.

The Sleepy Hollows Blues Club Jam is also a great venue to showcase your talents and material with the option of getting other musicians up playing your tunes. Having taken up on this opportunity a few times, I can’t recommend it highly enough. It throws you in the deep end and challenges your musical skills and is also a great meeting place.

There are many musicians out there working to make ends meet and playing for the love of it. Monetary rewards are an added bonus to one of the greatest vocations around.

Jye Cannon

FREE CLASSIFIEDS Send your info to editorial@fortemag.com.au Individual use only, not for commercial purposes

Written by Tex Miller Photo by Half Shots

Singer wanted for original band doing a

Until the moment he stepped on stage, the general public of Geelong had not heard Jye Cannon sing. The performance that followed was flawless and left the audience with goose bumps.

Armed with just his electric piano and vocals, Cannon showed why he is one of Geelong’s hidden talents and will be a force to be reckoned with in the future. Casually chatting to me after another day at school, Cannon relates that although the experience of performing in the battle was a little nerveracking at first, it was a very positive experience overall.

“At first, being backstage with all the other bands was a bit intimidating because I was the only solo artist on the bill.

Playing on stage allowed me to express myself, and once I started singing, I was showing the audience who I truly was.

It made me feel really relaxed on stage, but at the same time I was exposed to my audience. It was a very eyeopening experience. When the first band took to the stage, I thought that maybe with a bit of luck, I might be able to get to third place.

“I was not expecting to take out the crown by any means. Once again, this year we had a lot of talent around and winning gave me a lot of pride. I am not a very proud person, so to pull that off was quite a surprise.”

Ever since hearing ‘First Love’, a piano instrumental

mix of retro styles - soul, funk, latin rock, gospel, R&B, groove based stuff. Over an album's worth of material already written, studio recordings, gigs etc.

Looking for the right voice so drop us a line and we'll take it from there! ben@ bellemusique.com.au Experienced 22 y/o singer, songwriter, guitarist looking for

by Japanese artist Hikaru Utada, Cannon has been fascinated by the instrument. With sweeping dynamics throughout the four-minute track, it is the delicacy within the sound that sparked Cannon’s interest.

“What I love about First Love is that it is one of the only things that has made me think about the future. I took that into my stride and since then every time I have seen a piano I just want to burst out into song on it. I then got a lesson off my music teacher and then was left to my own devices. I think that has had a positive effect on my music because it developed my skills in improvising and composing.”

Influenced by the likes of modern piano greats such as Regina Spektor and Missy Higgins, Cannon is writing heartfelt songs with a strong message behind them. Honing in on a more acoustic sound these days, Cannon is following

in the footsteps of his musical heroes in terms of composition.

“One of the things that I have found with Regina Spektor’s music is that it is very abstract in terms of song structures and that is primarily because she is a classically-trained pianist.”

A new fresh face to the music industry, Cannon is building on his original repertoire as he looks to the near future and a CD release. Whether it’s a full-length disc or just an EP is undecided yet; however, he needs the support of the local Geelong scene. “I am new to the industry and I am looking to get my music out there. I don’t really know how to go about it but that is the next step within my music, getting something on tape.”

If you missed the chance to see Jye Cannon at the Battle of the Bands, don’t fret, because Geelong is hosting the regional final of the competition at Courthouse ARTS on November 7. Mark that one in your diaries, and see you there!

a drummer, bassist and lead guitarist to start up an original rock band based in Geelong. Influences: QOTSA, Sublime & Dave Grohl. Contact Tom at: 0487067083 Heavy metal/death metal vocalist & lyricist looking to

join a band. Have original material ready to go. 0432959094 Wanted expirenced drummer to start a

metal/death metal band. Must be dedicated, be able to play double bass very well and be able to perform original material. 0415676768 Looking for talented singers, male and

female, who would like to collaborate and record on a project for submission to labels.

We are coming close to completion of the

31 track demo and are looking for people who can sing (all styles) to contribute to certain tracks, please don’t hesitate to call for more information. Call Matt on 0468632012 Drummer Available

- Geelong. 20 years + live experience to play in a working/ near working band. I have pro equipment & transport. Can play a range of styles from Rock, Blues, Jazz & Funk. Please contact Matt on 0404 543 416 or email - mattgroove@ gmail.com Drummer Wanted

for original punk rock band around Ballarat. Influences include NOFX, The Offspring, Millencolin and AC/DC. If you enjoy jumping around and making noise phone 0417566478 Guitarist & Keyboard Player Wanted for

pop/rock originals band. Looking for experienced musicians who can also sing harmonies, are easygoing and reliable. Contact Phil 0421 901 530 www. zeffamusic.com

30ish year old trumpet player, looking to form

or play in jazz group.

Ballarat area. Contact Mel 0435360076

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS HERE! CALL LUKE ON 0422 809 042

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Cat Canteri Written by Natalie Rogers

Cat Canteri may describe herself as a drummer/singer/ songwriter from west of Ruckers Hill, east of Merri Creek, north of Northcote High School, south of Arthurton Rd, Northcote, Melbourne, but after a chinwag with the affable brunette (on the side of the highway on her way to a gig in Adelaide) I could tell she is finally right where she wants to be.

You may not recognise Cat out from behind the drum kit that she rocks as part of The Stillsons, but take note of her face – I predict you’ll be seeing a lot more of it in the future.

To celebrate the release of her debut solo album When We Were Young, Cat, with her hand-picked band in tow, is coming to a venue near you.

“Ben Franz and Justin Bernasconi from The Stillsons played with me on When We Were Young, but I’ve slightly changed it up for the tour,” she smiled, adding, “Justin will still be playing guitar and so will I, but Justin Olsen will play drums and Daniel Hobson will be on bass.”

Cat is the epitome of cool confidence as she breezily answers my questions with the constant buzz of high-speed traffic in the background.

But as she openly divulges, that was once not the case.

“I’ve wanted to do my own thing for a long time, but I didn’t necessarily have the right set of skills or the confidence to do it earlier on in my musical journey, as it were,” she laughs

When&Where: Wangaratta Jazz Festival - Oct 31 to Nov 3

Harper Written by Tex Miller

When&Where: Basement Disc’s, Melbourne – September 5; Ararat Live, Ararat – September 19; and Wolseley Wines, Torquay – October 19

self-deprecatingly. The music industry is a social industry, so you have to learn how to work with people. You’ve gotta book your gigs and venues and work with other musicians. There’s a lot of liaising and people skills that go with being in the industry.”

Cat continued candidly: “I used to suffer from a lot of anxiety when I was in my late teens and early twenties, to the point where I couldn’t even call people like I did for you today. It was too much … I’d have too much anxiety to simply make the call.”

As a young musician with an almost debilitating anxiety, Cat learned to lean on friends.

“Thankfully a lot of that has gone

Celia Pavey Written by Paul McBride

It’s a long way from the sleepy town of Forbes, NSW (population: 7000) to the stage of TV talent show The Voice, but it’s a psychological leap Celia Pavey has seemingly taken in her stride. Having won over a national TV audience and judge Delta Goodrem, the 19-year-old folkie is now embarking on a national tour in support of her new EP, Bodies.

“I’m very excited and a little bit curious and nervous as to what people will think of it,” she says.

“It’s good that it’s finally out there.

I came off the show and I sort of knew who I was as an artist, but it was good to get down to writing the EP and realising what it was going to sound like and what the vibe was going to be.”

Having some songs already part-written, the singer-songwriter 60 forte

has been able to count on some pretty solid collaborators to help finish them off.

“I did a bit of co-writing with Tim Hart [Boy & Bear] on a song called ‘Shadow’,” she says. “It was lots of fun and it was great to work with him; he’s very down-to-earth.

I also worked with Jake Stone of Bluejuice on ‘Bodies’, which is the main feature of the EP. Everyone I worked with had really open minds about the style of music and what the songs were about.”

Pavey’s rendition of Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘Scarborough Fair/ Canticle’ immediately won over The Voice judge Delta Goodrem, with whom she teamed up.

“She’s incredible; such a wonderful person,” she says. “She has guided me and helped me overcome my fears of being on

away, particularly in the last few years doing stuff with The Stillsons.

I’ve got a lot more confidence and managed to get rid of a lot of my anxiety problems. I’ve been able to have a clearer head.”

That clear head and sound ear are shown in the eleven exquisitely crafted tracks on When We Were Young. Cat Canteri’s beautifully fragile and complicated soul is laid bare for the world to see – something I think Cat has learned to embrace. “When you get up on stage you’re quite exposed and vulnerable to people’s opinions and criticisms. A lot of musicians can struggle getting over those things … I’m getting through my issues and looking forward.”

stage. She said to me I just have to be myself and know who I am as an artist, just perform and be myself.

It’s all about realising you’re up there because you want to be and you’re there for a reason.”

While she has found an audience and built a fan base on the back of her appearance on The Voice, Pavey is ready to move on and be regarded as an artist in her own right.

“It’s more about finding myself as a folk artist and keeping myself down-to-earth,” she says. “Not just launching into the pop world because that’s what most artists feel like they should be doing to make a career or something. Television shows can be a little full-on. I’m not quite sure how to explain it as I’m still thinking about all that, but they can exploit artists.

“It really did help me positively, although there were some negative parts that I guess will help me positively in the future and help me grow. You just have to give things a go and see what happens.”

She may only be 19, but Pavey probably would rather have been born around 1950, such is her affinity to the hippy/folk movement of the late sixties – something that will be evident by her song choices on her national tour.

“I’ve got four songs on the EP, but I’ve got a band and we perform for an hour,” she says. “I’ve brought some more originals into the set – some of which will be on the album coming up. We’ve got a couple of fun covers – ‘White Rabbit’ by Jefferson Airplane and some groovy sixties songs.

“I love Joni Mitchell, so I do a couple of her covers; I like to do ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ and ‘Woodstock’. They really take people on a journey … the music back then was just incredible.”

When&Where: The Toff, Melb – Sep 11; Spirit Bar, Traralgon – Sep 12; The Karova, Ballarat – Sep 13; and Torquay Hotel, Torquay – September 14

When you think of big Australian blues artists, Lloyd Spiegel, Dutch Tilders, Geoff Achison and probably Phil Manning cross your mind, but there is an industry heavyweight that you are forgetting and that is the one and only Harper.

Originally from WA, Harper has spent the past decade crafting his own original blues/roots sound and is kicking goals in the US with his music. As well as this, he is the first Australian blues artist to be signed to a major American blues label. Coming back to Australia in late October and early November, it will be a welcome return to the country with his American band, Midwest Kind.

It is early evening in the States when my call is patched through to his home in Detroit and he is relaxing after a massive tour as we begin to chat about how it is to be an Australian artist playing the blues in the US. “I’ve been in the US for

seven years now and we do about 180 dates a year, including Europe as well.

It’s been a pretty busy time and so it’s great to be back home relaxing before I head out on the road once again.”

Growing up in Perth, Harper cut his teeth in the music scene from playing in brass bands and from there began to pick up the harmonica. Reminiscing fondly about the time, the harmonica was really the only instrument that Harper really took to. “I was pretty terrible at guitar and so I started playing harmonica in these bands and all the guys were older than me. It gave me great musical knowledge and education. The funny thing is that the bands that I was told to listen to I have pretty much met from living in Detroit.”

During his early musical life Harper had the opportunity to play with the legendary Muddy Waters. “I was quite young when that happened,” Harper relates.

“When these big American artists come out to Australia, they pick up a backing band and usually everybody knows the songs. He was pretty bossy as a band leader yet he was a great musician and one of the

best voices I have ever heard live.”

With a recording studio at his disposal, creating new music and songs for upcoming releases is quite easy. In addition to easy recording access, the wealth of talent that is around to record on any given track is also refreshing. “There are so many musicians around here which is great because it leads to a lot more experimentation within the songs.

It’s a great music scene, but I can’t wait to come home for a few weeks.”

With dates in Sydney, Melbourne and the Wangaratta Jazz and Blues Festival over the first weekend in November, although it is a quick trip back home it is going to be a lot of fun and the first time that his backing band Midwest Kind have come to Australia. “My main purpose for me coming over is that my mum is pretty sick and it’s a good opportunity to come back and play and catch up with some old friends. It’s enough to give the guys some experience in this country that I love so much.”

Having played alongside Johnny Winter, Jimmy Thackery and Geoff Achison, don’t miss this tour of Harper and Midwest Kind.

along Route 66, before moving to Australia with his wife. With a family heritage of playing music, Cisco was always destined to be a rock star. “My dad was a selftaught musician and collected and repaired vintage instruments.

I was obsessed with instruments as a kid and my father eventually set up his own music store. I owe it all to my father. He’s obsessed with music. My brother is also a multi-instrumentalist, just outside of Nashville, Tennessee.”

In addition to the album coming out on CD, one of the most exciting aspects about the release is the vinyl record, which has made quite the resurgence over the last five years or so.

“It’s actually really great. I’ve always collected vinyl for a long time and I am a huge fan. I got my first record player when I was five.

I got Jackson 5 Greatest Hits and Creedence Clearwater Revival Greatest Hits. I still have the record player and those records, and it’s fantastic and a big thrill

to have our album on vinyl.

“I have scouted through hundreds of thrift shops and garage sales to find all my favourites, so to drop the needle on my own record is pretty damn exciting.”

Taking in shows all around the country including Hepburn Springs and Bendigo, the idea of hitting regional areas of Australia was a no-brainer. “That was something that we wanted to do. We played a blues-fest in Goulburn two years ago and everyone was so nice to us. We went to get breakfast and they knew who we were and we didn’t have to pay for breakfast.

“Hitting regional towns isn’t about free breakfasts, though: there is a great atmosphere and vibe to those shows man. We can’t wait to take the record to the people. See you in a front row!”

Cisco Caesar Written by Tex Miller

If Mavis Staples had a lovechild with The Black Keys, it’d sound pretty damn close to the tunes of Cisco Caesar. With fuzzed-out electric guitars and some cracking beats, the band is flying the flag for Australian ballsy rock ’n’ roll. In the lead up to the release of their debut album Burnt and Broken, I got the opportunity to sit down with James Cisco to chat about life on the road. In the thick of it leading up to the album launch, Cisco can’t wait to tour around the country playing shows. “It’s pretty exciting to finally have the album out. It’s taken two whole years but I can’t wait to get out and play these tracks in the live setting.”

With a studio in Ferntree Gully, the process of recording the album, although quite lengthy, allowed for the band to get the right feel and sound to the record.

Capturing the best sound for bass, drums and electric guitar, Cisco feels that Burnt and Broken still retains that fresh element despite so much studio time.

“Although it has taken two years to put together it was recorded in small blocks and I think that created a healthy working environment for us. Every time we walked away from it, we came back with fresh ears again and that opened up a world of possibilities to the songs, from adding harmonies and little bits and pieces.

When you are trying to capture your live sound in the studio, sometimes you forget things.”

Originally from Illinois just south of Chicago, Cisco spent most of his musical life playing

When&Where: Old Hepburn Hotel, Hepburn Springs – September 14 & The Newmarket, Bendigo – November 15

Dead Man’s Garden Tour TOUR DIARY With Tim Hulsman

Hi Geelong music lovers, I’m back in town after 3½ weeks on the road, touring from Geelong to Brisbane and back, promoting the new album Dead Man’s Garden.

In that time I’ve done 15 live performances, 22 radio interviews and six magazine/street press interviews, with more to come in the next couple of weeks. The ABC radio facilities in Australia are simply amazing. We truly are a lucky country.

I had the privilege of meeting some incredible human beings/music lovers in the community radio stations I visited and formed genuine connections with a lot of them. I’ve been invited

to return the next time I’m passing through, and will make sure that I do.

The hard work seems to be paying off already with Dead Man’s Garden debuting at no. 18 on the Australian Blues & Roots Airplay Charts for the month of July, so as you can imagine I’m very excited. The tour included a number of shows where Nina was able to join me on stage and show her incredible versatility as a musician, playing drums and lead guitar as well as those beautiful vocal harmonies.

We had our 2½-yrold son Arlo with us, of course, so the trip was a genuine family affair and felt more like a holiday a

SPECIAL GUESTS APES

lot of the time … except for at bed time, when all of the stress of being out of his normal routine showed up. (Those of you with kids will understand what I’m talking about.)

Arlo managed to steal the show on a number of occasions when we had early set times and he was able to attend the gigs.

As soon as we finished a set he would be up on stage asking for the microphone. I’ll never forget the sight of a bar full of burly workmen in QLD holding their beers aloft and singing ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep’ along with him at the end of one show. The applause was deafening.

Then they insisted that he sign their CDs too

… which he did with much seriousness and a natural flourish. OMG, what have we created?!

The tour had its highs and lows, naturally. The high for me was in Bellingen NSW, our old hometown. I have a strong friend and fan base there, so that show in particular was warm and friendly and well-attended. The low was probably being shoved in the corner of a café in Sydney with tables of birthday partiers in front of us yelling and laughing over the top of us for the entire two sets … but you learn as you go with these things.

The Melbourne album launch was on Thursdsay, 28th August @ the Retreat Hotel Brunswick and I was deeply honoured to have Dan Parsons opening for us. If you don’t know of him, look him up and buy his self-titled album – it’s a must have.

The night finished off the night with one of my favourite Geelong bands, RDZJB who helped bring the party to a climax. That gave me time to sign some CDs then relax and have a boogie to celebrate this wonderful little album that I’m so proud of.

You can follow what I’m up to on my website: timhulsman.com Or if you like Facebook: facebook. com/timtonichulsman

James Reyne Written by Paul McBride

For someone who is an ARIA Hall of Fame member, a holder of a Medal of the Order of Australia, and is often called an icon of Australian music, former Australian Crawl vocalist and songwriter James Reyne is a refreshingly laid-back character.

Perhaps it’s because he’s happy with what he’s achieved in music, or maybe he’s simply enjoying life and the freedom that being his own boss gives him.

Either way, get ready to enjoy his charm and songwriting once again as he takes his acoustic show on a national tour, including a stop in Geelong on September 20.

“The shows have been going really well so far,” he says. “It’s a cross-section of all the stuff I’ve been known for. We usually do all the hits people would want to hear, but we can slot in the odd new one.

I’m lucky that I have a good core of fans who keep up with the current stuff. I’m often surprised by the number of people that yell out for newer stuff and I think ‘Oh wow, I didn’t think they’d know that one’. But we definitely do all the hit stuff, because we’d get lynched if we didn’t [laughs].”

With a near forty-year

When&Where: GPAC – September 20

career in music behind him, Reyne is rarely taken by surprise. Then came a letter earlier this year letting him know he’d been chosen to receive an Order of Australia – something the 57-yearold doesn’t take lightly.

“I was chuffed that they thought I was worthy,” he says. “I’m very grateful and it was very kind. I don’t know how it works, how you get nominated or chosen, but I’ll take it, thanks [laughs]. First, they sent a letter saying I was being given it and to please not tell anyone before they announce it. I think I told my mum and made her swear to not tell a soul. She was more surprised than I was, but she might have been

lying to me … she might have told some friends.”

He may come across as a laid-back guy of the highest order, but Reyne and his band show no signs of slowing down in terms of putting in the hard yards on the road.

“We’re touring and doing shows with the band and then this acoustic run,” he says.

“Then we’ll be doing some festivals and outdoor things over summer – we’ve got gigs up until May or June, so we’re usually working about nine months to a year ahead. There are all sorts of other things I’m interested in and I keep my fingers in other little pies, but this is my job and it’s how I earn a living. I’m lucky

that I do a job I enjoy.

If I didn’t do this as a job I’d probably do it as a hobby, and I’m lucky that I have people who are interested enough in what I do.

“I can still play at places all over the country and people want to come and see what I do. But I hope I’m getting better, because I do practise my craft and we do it consistently.

“An [element of ] so-called show business is learning when to say no, so you can stay vaguely fresh; not say yes to everything. ‘As much as I love you, it doesn’t suit me right now’; that’s a big lesson in show business, I reckon.

Try to stay vaguely cool, if you can [laughs].”

& KEVIN DEVINE (USA)

THU 13 & FRI 14 NOV SOLD OUT!

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forte 61

Forte Columns

PULP Written by Alastair McGibbon

pop culture!

Written by Anthony Morris

For over thirty years now, the Astor Cinema in St Kilda has been showing classic films.

And by “classic” I mean “old”.

The Astor is Melbourne’s last remaining repertory cinema (screening non first-run films) out of close to a dozen or more that flourished back in the days before DVDs or video tapes.

Then they were the only way to see old movies: in recent years the Astor’s big hook has been seeing these older films on its massive screen – it’s also Melbourne’s last remaining single screen cinema, and there’s a big difference between seeing a film there and seeing it on the much smaller screens at most multiplex cinemas.

But the Astor has often struggled, with its massive size being both a strength (again, seeing movies on that huge screen is a big draw) and a weakness (it’s not a cheap place to keep up). And then in recent years the constant difficulties that come with being a tenant have increasingly come to the fore: when the building was purchased by a local school that was hailed as providing security for the business (proprietor George Florence) inside, until the school suggested they might want to develop the interior and reduce its use as a cinema.

There was a campaign held to Save the Astor; eventually the school sold the building to Ralph Taranto, a businessman with a history of investing in cinema. Again, this development was hailed as providing security for the business, though those in the know suggested there could be a problem with clashing egos further down the line.

There’s a difference between the building known as “the Astor” and the business known as “the Astor”, and it quickly became clear that the two parties had somewhat different visions of the future. So now we have a somewhat strange situation where Florence and the people behind the business that is “the Astor” – who own many of the cinema fittings, the projectors, the screen and the library of old films that are currently shown at the Astor – are being turfed out early next year and so are (quite rightly) talking about “the end of the Astor”. Meanwhile, Taranto’s spokepeople are pointing out (also quite rightly) that he plans to keep the building as a single screen cinema – no multiplex here, and heritage protection means it can’t be turned into a block of flats, though other uses like a concert hall aren’t ruled out – and so “the Astor” as most people think of it will continue to exist.

The sad thing is that it seems that the problem isn’t some wider malaise affecting movie-going in general; the Astor may not have been raking in coin, but it’s believed to have been a growing concern, and it’s not like the building’s owner can easily find someone else with a vast library of old films to show. Rather, it seems to boil down to two people who just can’t work together (arbitration was taking place pretty much from day one, with a recent court case being the trigger for the planned departure), leaving big screen moviegoers the big losers in all this.

Get in while you can; whatever happens next, it’s unlikely the Astor will ever be quite the same.

62 forte

blues news Written by John (Dr John) Lamp Proudly pesented by The Sleepy Hollow Blues Club

Pugsley Buzzard Geelong audiences have a real treat coming up on Friday the 12th of September at Pistol Pete’s Food n Blues. And while I’m at it, I’d just like to say that Pete Raimundo is transforming the Geelong live blues scene through his regular bookings of some sensational local and not so local blues artists. An example of this is his booking of Pugsley Buzzard.

Pugsley is a consummate artist performing hundreds of shows every year. From the jazz cellars of Berlin to downtown New Orleans, Pugsley has dazzled audiences far and wide with his unique brand of piano-driven boogie and blazing stride in conjunction with his huge mesmerising voice that makes the ladies sigh and grown men cry.

So the first thing to sort out is, ‘Just what is boogie?’ Boogie is a repetitive, swung note or shuffle rhythm “groove” or pattern used in blues which was originally played on the piano in boogie-woogie music – and the piano is where Pugsley makes his home. It’s characterised by an uptempo rhythm, a repeated melodic pattern in the bass and a series of improvised variations in the treble.

Boogie-woogie developed from a piano style that developed in the rough barrelhouse bars in the southern USA states, where a piano player performed for the hard-drinking patrons.

Pugsley’s music spans the entire spectrum from dark hoodoo blues musings to good time rollicking boogie-fuelled piano romps that never fail to get people stompin’ and shakin’ that thang. He is a fascinating and versatile songwriter who also enjoys interpreting classic R&B, jazz and popular tunes, giving them his own fresh and unique treatment.

Pugsley ‘s playing features barrelhouse, boogie, stride piano stylings dripping with New Orleans funk and oozing with tantalising improvisation which ranges from delicate and moody to wild and ecstatic. Harlem Stride Piano, commonly abbreviated to ‘stride’, is a jazz piano style that was developed in the large cities of the East Coast of the USA, mainly New York, during the 1920s and 1930s.

Pugsley has just returned from a successful summer tour in Europe and the US promoting his latest critically acclaimed album Chasin’ Aces that was recorded in New Orleans on several trips during 2013. After some well-received performances in 2013, Pugsley was invited to return to two of Luxembourg’s biggest summer festivals – The Blues Express Festival in Fond-de-Gras and the Jazz and Blues Rally in Luxembourg City. At the Blues Express Festival, he shared the stage with the likes of Jimmie Vaughan and Steven Seagal.

He also played notable concerts at Jazz Minde and the BB Blues Festival in Portugal.

These concerts were interspersed with club dates in Luxembourg, Belgium and France, and the Lounge Music Festival in Les Gets in the French Alps.

Pugsley also made a detour to Atlanta, Georgia and played some theatre and outdoor shows in Alabama and Tennessee, then returned to Europe to wrap things up with an open air concert at Chateau Useldange in Luxembourg.

I’m really looking forward to this session. The music will be hot (matching the food!) and, apart from anything else, I can’t wait to see how they fit that keyboard up the front!

I am confident that Pete will organise it, though!

Despite their inability to create a live-action movie series that doesn’t deviate substantially from the source material, DC can certainly churn out good quality animated movies when they want to. They’ve put out plenty of gems over the years, from classics like Batman: Mask of the Phantasm to more recent efforts like Justice League: War, based on Geoff Johns’ excellent run on the relaunched Justice League book. DC’s latest animated effort, Batman: Assault on Arkham, is – rather surprisingly – set in the same universe as Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham games. As a result, viewers are treated to the ever-awesome Kevin Conroy voicing the Dark Knight, Arkham Origins’ Troy Baker voicing the Joker and Adventure Time’s Hynden Walch voicing Harley Quinn.

Despite Batman featuring prominently in the film’s title, ol’ Batsy actually takes a back seat; the real stars of the show are my favourite team of supervillainsturned-government commandoes: the Suicide Squad. Run by the hard-ass spook Amanda Waller (C.C.H. Pounder, reprising her role from Arkham Origins), the Squad are pressed into service by the US Government to undertake highly secretive – and highly dangerous – black ops missions that the government simply can’t be seen doing. Controlled by micro-explosives implanted in their necks, the Squad have two options: complete missions and shave time off their sentences, or die.

Assault on Arkham sees the Squad infiltrating Arkham Asylum to retrieve a thumbdrive from the Riddler’s cane, which contains the details of every past Squad member, every current member and every potential member that the government is sussing out.

Naturally, the government doesn’t want that sort of information released, so the Squad is sent in to clear up the mess. Meanwhile, Batman is busy turning Gotham inside out looking for a dirty

Punk!

Written by Christopher Cruz

Courtney Love totally tore Festival Hall a new one last month. I have to admit, I was expecting some drunkenness or, at the very least, a tantrum of some sort to take place on stage. What we got was a solid, professional, fun twohour set, complete with an extended encore! Brava!

The Eat the West festival is happening at The Barking Dog in Footscray on Saturday, October 4 in support of Lentil as Anything – and the line-up is a ripper! Dixon Cider, Cabin Fever, Citywide Wildcat, The FckUps, Antichrists Anonymous, Hopes Abandoned, Bottlecaps, Kodiak Throat, Bombs are Falling and buttloads more!

So, Soundwave, huh? Well, I’m assuming you all have seen the posters by now, but I gotta admit it’s not quite the line-up I was expecting. Sure, it’s a great day for Melbourne ska fans (Area 7 and The Bennies) and sure, there’s a big market for nostalgia acts (Soundgarden, Faith No More, Slash, Marilyn Manson) and metal bands (Slipknot, Lamb of God), but where are the bands we HAVEN’T seen a million times before? I’m stoked to see Lagwagon and New Found Glory on the bill, don’t get me wrong, but they tour here all the time. Yes, it’s a huge lineup, but it’s not an exciting one.

bomb that the Joker hid before being locked up again. Naturally, he ends up at Arkham and crosses paths with the Squad, with explosive results.

Rather than call back to the classic Squad line-up, DC have chosen to keep their cast of characters fairly close to the recently-ended Suicide Squad title; Rick Flag is nowhere to be found, and Deadshot, Harley Quinn, King Shark, Black Spider and Captain Boomerang wreak as much havoc as they did in Adam Glass’s initial run. In addition to these familiar faces, lesser-known villains Killer Frost and KGBeast are thrown into the mix and stir things up nicely.

The great advantage of a film set in Arkham Asylum is that there are a stack of villains to choose from, and several make cameo appearances – Scarecrow and Bane being prime examples.

Having the Suicide Squad take centre stage in an animated feature is a big step for DC – the movie is much darker and quite violent compared to their previous efforts. The Squad’s signature neck bombs are detonated more than once, leading to some very gory scenes – a very different approach, considering Under the Red Hood shied away from depicting a bag full of severed heads.

Setting the film in the Arkham universe allowed DC to tweak some character designs, too; while the Joker looks very much like his ingame counterpart, lesser characters like King Shark have been changed significantly – he’s no longer the anthropomorphic shark I know and love, but still has plenty of bite.

While it deviates from the usual DC animated movie formula, Assault on Arkham is an excellent addition to their extensive catalogue. It’s certainly a more mature take on their universe, and tying it in to the Arkham universe allows greater flexibility without having to worry too much about screwing up canon. Check it out if you get the chance – it’s most definitely worth a look!

Here’s hoping for some serious surprises in the next round of announcements!

Well it seems KISS bassist Gene Simmons has pissed off a LOT of people with comments he made concerning people with depression in a recent interview, just days before actor Robin Williams took his own life, saying that they (sufferers of depression) should just kill themselves. Critics, including Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx, have been quite vocal in their disapproval.

Henry Rollins also drew criticism for going public with his views on suicide AFTER the death of actor Robin Williams, saying that he felt nothing but disdain for people who selfishly take their own lives. Both Simmons and Rollins issued “sincere heartfelt” apologies in the wake of the public backlash. Personally, I have nothing but the utmost respect for people who speak their minds and have the courage of their conviction. Whether I agree with their stance or not, I can’t help but feel a little disappointed when people backtrack after having their views challenged.

So the first round of announcements for Up the Punx has finally dropped, and it’s a whopper! Cult Killers (NSW), Strawberry Fist Cake, Hopes Abandoned, Glen and the Peanut Butter Men, The Murderballs, Citywide Wildcat and The Revengers (Bendigo) will be amongst the Aussie punk, ska and rockabilly bands to rock two stages at The Tote in Collingwood on October 11. Mark it in your diaries – now!

Friday, September 5 sees Ballarat Ramonescore heroes Agent 37 launch their debut album, Reporting for Duty, at the Brunswick Hotel. All We Need, Joe Guitton and Hopes Abandoned will all be along for the ride, so don’t miss out! Free entry, too! Bam! More next time, kids!

too heavy to hug

le monde entier

Written by Paul S Taylor

By Madelin Baldwin lemondeentier.net

Welcome to THTH, Forte’s premier source of all things heavy, hard, fast and metal.

Another year, another opportunity to put the Soundwave line-up under the microscope – which seems pretty one-sided this time around with plenty of non-metal big names like Soundgarden, Faith No More, Incubus, New Found Glory, Fall Out Boy and All Time Low outnumbering the familiar metal drawcards such as Lamb of God, Fear Factory, Slipknot and Marilyn Manson. Soundwave 2015 newcomers are Ministry and Judas Priest, which is not bad but they truly added a heap more nostalgia to the already nostalgia-heavy line-up which also includes nostalgic punks Area 7 and Lagwagon. The surprise inclusion this time around is definitely Mayhem.

As usual the kids are going to be hanging out for Soundwave, but again it’s getting all a bit samey. Yes, there’s big name old acts and a handful of new acts and some obscure acts, so pretty much everything for everybody except for people over, say, 30, who have either already seen a lot of those bands or don’t want to see a lot of those bands.

In other news…

Dream Deceivers, the 1992 documentary about the Judas Priest suicide trail, has finally been released on DVD and digital download.

DevilDriver and Whitechapel will be at 170 Russell on Sunday, September 7.

John Garcia will not only play The Espy’s Gershwin Room but will also be available for signings and a meet and greet before the show on Friday, September 12.

Cannibal Corpse will play 170 Russell on Friday, September 12.

Veruca Salt will play The Corner on Friday, September 26 and Tuesday, September 30 to soldout audiences. Another show has been added at The Corner Hotel on Wednesday, October 1.

Flying Colors, consisting of Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse and Mike Portnoy on drums amongst others, will release their new album, Second Nature, on Friday, October 3.

Sepultura will be at 170 Russell on Friday, October 3.

Skate punks Comeback Kid will play Central Club in Richmond on Saturday, October 18 and an AA gig at Phoenix Youth Centre in Footscray on Sunday, October 19.

Aussie hardcore rats Confession will play Central Club in Richmond on Saturday, October 25 and an AA gig at Phoenix Youth Centre in Footscray on Sunday, October 26.

Ne Obliviscaris will release their new album, Citadel, on Friday, November 7. They also kick off their national Citadel tour in Melbourne at 170 Russell on Friday, November 21.

Gorguts will play the Northcote Social Club on Friday, November 14.

Toxic Holocaust and Iron Reagan will be at The Reverence in Footscray on Sunday, November 16.

Prong will play The Hi-Fi on Friday, November 21.

Primordial are slated to release their new album, Where Greater Men Have Fallen, on Friday, November 21.

Body Count will release their new album, Manslaughter, later this year.

The 2015 Melbourne Soundwave festival will be held on Saturday, February 21 and Sunday, February 22.

If you have any news about local metal bands, shows or albums, let THTH know by emailing to tooheavytohug@ hotmail.com or get in touch via Twitter at @TooHeavyToHug

This week, I thought I’d write about something a little closer to home. And when we are blessed to be living in such a cultural, beautiful and produce-filled place, why not!

For my birthday a few weeks ago I decided to do a winery tour down the Bellarine Peninsula. I got the idea off a friend from Adelaide, where wineries outnumber houses* and winery tours are a regular event! Geelong is perfectly positioned for access to multiple wineries, with up to four different routes you can choose. These are all highlighted every year in November when we have Toast to the Coast. Buses drive the routes up and down all day and you buy a pass to get on and off! There are mostly free wine tastings at all of them and you can buy takeaway bottles of any that take your fancy.

The route I chose for my birthday has loads of amazing wineries, but I chose a select few to occupy a couple of hours.

To begin with, we had lunch at Jack Rabbit winery down in Portarlington and right on the bay. I chose Jack Rabbit because I think it undoubtedly has the most stunning views, set on a sprawling hill looking back over the Geelong region. It hosts many weddings and other celebrations every year because of its prime location. The menu is everchanging, and we enjoyed charcuterie and antipasto plates filled with soft goat cheese, salty cured meats and delicious crunchy crisp breads. The sparkling white is really delicious, and we tried the house Merlot with lunch which was a mixture of homemade beef pies, fish and chips and juicy salads.

Right next door to Jack Rabbit is Terindah, which was a favourite of mine last Toast to the Coast. The wine tasting area is almost like a big warehouse, and down from that on the hill is the main restaurant. It has a huge amount of area in front to sit in the sun and enjoy a Pinot, which is why I probably didn’t enjoy it as much having my birthday in winter. The wine tasting area was very bland – empty, no music and no atmosphere whatsoever.

They can boast an award-winning Shiraz, but sipping our wine in silence was fairly uninteresting, so we finished the wine list (yes, the Shiraz was lovely for the record) and went a few hundred metres down the highway to Bellarine Estate.

Bellarine Estate was a complete contrast from Terindah. Warm, buzzing, and music-filled, it had a roaring fire and loads of comfy chairs and areas to sit. The bar was full and we tried the full selection of wines. (We didn’t get to try the beers but they also do a really cool five mini pot beer floater so you can try the different ales and others they brew.) Bellarine also do their own ginger beer which looked delicious (as most ginger beers do!). They also do amazing fire-oven pizzas here, and although we didn’t try any as we were still so full from lunch, we’ve had them in the past and they are delicious.

At Toast, they roll out hay bales into their huge yard paddock area and it’s filled with little stalls to buy different foods and drinks. They also do the annual Harvest Graze here; last year Daryl Braithwaite sang and my calf muscles were so sore from dancing I couldn’t walk to work the next day!

Our final stop was at Leura Park on the highway home to Geelong. Usually amazing again in summer with live music, they were shutting when we got there at 4 p.m. on Saturday and rushed us through the wine tasting. I’d been saving us all for cheese platters here, so it was a pretty disappointing finish!

All in all though it was an awesome day and I highly recommend getting a crew together! *statistic not proven

DevilDriver Written by Natalie Rogers

Reigning kings of the circle pit, DevilDriver know better than anyone how brutal winter can be. On the back of their sixth studio album Winter Kills, DevilDriver, together with deathcore band Whitechapel, has spent the better part of 2014 whipping crowds into a frenzy at sold-out gigs across North America. So now that the snow has melted and spring has sprung Down Under, it’s our turn to come out and play with these two metal giants – after dark.

“The shows we played with Whitechapel in the States were absolutely incredible!” beamed their laid-back lead singer Dez Fafara. “We’re so different from them musically, but our two crowds merging seems to really work. So when I started hearing Australia whispered in my ear, it was a no-brainer for me – I instantly thought, let’s call ’Chapel.”

As well as fitting together musically, Dez revealed that it didn’t take long to become firm friends. “We get along very well with them and our crews get along very well too – you need that on this kind of tour.”

From the outset, however, I can tell that Dez is the kind of guy you’d make friends with easily – and the same goes for the entire band. Despite their imposing appearance, DD are mellow guitar

heroes from sunny California.

“I hope you don’t mind, while I’m doing this interview I’m playing with my dogs. It doesn’t get dark here ’til about 8:30 at night this time of year in California – it’s incredible outside right now. I live in the desert near mountains in a very small town where everybody knows your name,” he chuckled. “It looks so beautiful out right now – I’m going to go out with my dogs as soon as this is done.”

It seems that being down-to-earth is a prerequisite to join DevilDriver.

“Honestly, ego is for the stage – save it for that. The last thing I’d ever want when I pass on is to be considered a rock star. I consider myself a construction worker that got lucky. Most of the guys in my band will tell you the same thing.

They’re all really down-to-earth guys.”

How often do you hear of a band inviting fans backstage for a guitar lesson after a show? Dez tells me it’s something the whole band gets a kick out of. “It’s so cool to see a kid bring his guitar backstage for a lesson.

Both of my guitarists give lessons when we’re on the road and now they also do them online. I think it’s

When&Where: Billboard, Melbourne – September 7

excellent. It shows that everyone’s just human and that whole rock star thing doesn’t work. Well, it certainly doesn’t work for me, that’s for sure!

“Don’t get me wrong, I love the stage and the microphone. When the crowd claps and everybody starts going

off, that’s it for me. That’s the main reason I do what I do – give me the mike and let me go!”

You heard the man, but be warned – if you want to see Dez and his crew before things get frosty again, this may be your last chance.

“After this run of touring we’re going to shut it down, and I don’t believe we’re going

to do anything ’til 2016 at least,” Dez said before adding, “If people haven’t seen Whitechapel, come and check them out. We always have a great time together and this time will be no different. Thanks for getting behind us and we’ll see you at the shows!”

Ball Park Music Written by Zach Broadhurst

It wasn’t long ago that Sam Cromack was standing in the crowd at Splendour in the Grass dreaming of one day having the chance to get up and play on the stage: just a few years on, not only has his band Ball Park Music played the festival twice, they were also one of the most talked about bands for the whole festival.

“I’ve been to a lot of Splendour in the Grass festivals and I remember going when I was a teenager and desperately wanting to do that when I was older,” says Cromack. “When we did it for the first time in 2012 I was really stoked, but to do it again in the big new amphitheatre and after all the experiences I’ve had since the first time I did it, it was really good.”

There were a number of highlights from Ball Park Music’s set, but it’s hard to go past their rendition of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, which had the whole crowd in raptures.

“We’d played it about 20 times live, which certainly gave us a lot of experience and that gets rid of a lot of those nerves,” explains Cromack.

“I think if we had to do it the first time at Splendour we absolutely would have been shitting ourselves. The effect it has on the audience is unbelievable; it’s like you’ve just handed out some powerful potent drug to everyone who’s

there, and the crowd are just on fire when we play that song.”

Ball Park Music will soon be heading off on their second national tour for the year, revealing they have a little present for all fans that come along to their upcoming shows.

“The thing I’m most excited about is that we told our fans that it was going to be a ‘3D Concert’, which was a total pisstake because every concert is 3D,” laughs Cromack. “But we decided for fun we’d get 3D glasses printed for everyone who comes to the tour, so every punter is going to get a mad set of Ball Park Music 3D glasses to wear at the concert if they choose to – it’s not going to do anything, but you’ll look like a mad dog.”

Another exciting announcement made by the band this week is they have just signed a deal that will see their music released outside of the country for the very first time as they look ahead to their future tour of Europe.

“That’s our first overseas deal for one of our records, which is super exciting,” says Cromack. “I hope the record labels that have chosen us will

“ ...we told our fans that it was going to be a ‘3D Concert’...” be plugging it in advance of us coming over and hopefully we will see fans at the shows. That would be unreal.”

An overseas tour is both an exciting and nervous experience for the band, as it’s an important step in developing a fan base outside of Australia – but it’s not without its risks either.

“Even though it’s exciting, I think it’s also daunting too because you have to take a lot of steps backwards to go forwards overseas,” explains Cromack.

“But you’ve got to make that start if you do want to have a long career and have fans in other parts of the world.

“It’s nothing to complain about; travelling with my friends and playing other parts of the world is an unbelievably good experience. But I think you are always just a little bit shaking in your boots because you hope it will grow and you hope you’re not doing all this in vain.”

When&Where: The Forum, Melbourne – October 4; The Karova, Ballarat – October 8; Black Swan Hotel, Bendigo – October 9; and The Wool Exchange Entertainment Complex, Geelong – October 11

lets get it on: The Life and Music of Marvin Gaye Written by Amanda Sherring

Marvin Gaye can easily be put down as one of the greatest soul singers of our time, and it seems only fitting that Vika Bull help tell his story in the biographic show Let’s Get It On. Vika is no newbie to the tribute show scene, as she’s helped tell the story of Etta James for the past year and a half. Rather than adding another notch to her achievements, Vika is an admirer of the artists’ work and relishes in the chance to help tell their story.

“Etta was a singer I listened to a lot growing up, well maybe not growing up, but when I became a singer she was one of the ones I connected with.

Just hearing her sing and her power and her passion for singing is what drew me to her,” Vika says.

Granted, Etta has been a huge influence on Vika’s career, but Marvin has played a significant role in shaping her career and is someone she admires deeply.

“Marvin has the same thing. He has that spiritual thing; they all have this thing inside them that you can hear. When they sing it’s very powerful and they believe every word they sing. You’re drawn into it, and I think that’s what I love about them,” she says.

“And I love Marvin’s songwriting and how he did a lot of duets with great female singers,

especially Tammi Terrell, so that’s the bit I’ll be doing in the Marvin show.”

While the Let’s Get It On show is returning for an encore season, Vika is a new addition to the cast this time around and will be replacing Jude Perl in the lead female role, alongside Bert LaBonte as Marvin.

Even with her extensive career in the music industry, which has seen her work with the likes of Paul Kelly, John Butler, Dan Sultan and Kasey Chambers, she’s still “shitting herself ” for her performance as Tammi.

“It’s a new show so I’m nervous and I don’t want to let the team down. We’re singing a lot of Marvin anthems which mean a lot to people so I want to make sure that I do it properly,” she says.

Though Vika has complete faith in her ability to sing the hits, as ‘All I Need to Get By’ and ‘Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing’ are amongst a few of her favourite songs, her nerves really rest in her spoken parts.

“Well, that’s hard for me; that’s

“ ...the thing was about Marvin is that his songwriting and his voice makes him one of the best singers in a long time.” the hardest part. It’s harder to speak than it is to sing for me,” Vika says.

Having nerves is a completely natural thing, and it simply shows that even with her status in the industry she can be apprehensive as well. Aside from everything she’s said, Vika is confident that the cast and lead role, played by Bert, the show is bound to be a success.

“Bert is the real deal too, and I’m looking forward to singing with him,” she says.

“I just think people will really love the show. Bert is an amazing singer and Marvin’s story is beautiful but it’s tragic. And the thing was about Marvin is that his songwriting and his voice makes him one of the best singers in a long time.”

When&Where: GPAC, Geelong – October 16

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Refining the Palette

Bendigo Record, Comic & Toy Fair the event zone. There’s a mix of traders from the first fair and new faces.

Kids will be in heavy competition with kids at heart as the Bendigo Record, Comic & Toy Fair returns for another day of fun-filled action.

Making its debut earlier in the year, such was the success that vinyl traders, CDs, cassettes, collectables, comic backissues, merchandising, figurines, retro-games and loads more will be up for grabs once again this month. Let the games begin…

I’m looking forward to the heavy metal records, as I’m always looking for new material to play on my radio show. And as a big collector of comics, I’m really looking forward to the back-issue traders!

What are your future plans for the event?

How did you come up with the idea for the fair?

The ‘Secret Origin’ of the fair started as a car boot sale of comics to a mate at work who was looking to buy some comics for his son. Another mate Instagrammed the moment and that started me talking to someone else at work about the Record and Comic Fairs down in Melbourne and how great it would be if we had one in Bendigo.

My mate said that if I organised one, he’d set up a table to sell stuff.

And I did. And he did. The first one was in March this year.

How do you view the current revival of the vinyl and comic trend?

For many people, vinyl never died, and comics have been popular for over 70 years, so I’m not sure that a ‘trend’ would be quite the right word to use. But certainly mainstream popularity has latched onto records again, and the success of movies based on comics has made certain characters and stories household names.

For Marvel and DC characters, the drive to find 1st appearances of characters appearing in movies has collectors and sellers searching through old issues and has made collecting less of a hidden passion.

And vinyl is really the sexiest way to buy music.

Musicians who lie outside of the pop industry are chancing limited edition pressings of their music in a field that faces intense competition both from within and outside of the music industry. These are collectable right now, let alone down the track.

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What was the reaction from you first event?

The attendance and support for the first event was surprisingly good! I had no idea how successful the first event would be, nobody does, and I would have been happy to break-even and call it an experience builder. But I quickly got in touch with passionate traders with lots of fair experience, as well as discovering new traders willing to give it a go, and the response to the first one was overwhelmingly positive.

So it was a no-brainer to run with another one.

Who should attend the fair and why?

Anyone between the ages of three and 93!

Anyone with a passion for collecting popculture specifically, or a general interest in what’s happening at the grassroots level of trading music, comics, toys etc. would have a great day out. Anyone with a wish list prepared and ready to go; anyone looking for that special thing that they just can’t seem to find anywhere else.

What are some of the exhibitors/stallholders you will have at the fair and who are some of your favourites?

There will be a few backissue comic specialists, as well as a couple of regional Vic stores with newer comic related gear, many, many record dealers, including a vinyl punk and heavy metal trader from Sydney, a specialist Star Wars toy trader,

as well as a big toy trader from interstate – one trader recently booked with some retro-gaming. There will be several Melbourne graphic novel artists with stalls selling their own original material, a Bendigo fantasy author will be in attendance, and a Doctor Who Dalek that has been seen around Bendigo will be camped in

I’d like to see the fair continue twice a year in Bendigo, if it stays fresh and people keep coming.

I’d like to see the popculture element expand, with more original artists coming to bring their original material. But above all, it’s still cosy enough to take everything in that’s on offer … And there was a very friendly vibe at the first one that I’ll try hard to keep.

Cnr Rae & Gellibrand Streets, Colac.

WHEN: 3-5 September.

INFO: www.copacc.com.au

An exhibition of selected new works by artists represented at Metropolis Gallery, featuring etchings and lithographs

by Dean Bowen and new paintings by Steve Salo, Charles Moodie, Michael Parker, Gail Willoughby and Amber Daly.

WHERE: Metropolis Gallery. 64 Ryrie Street, Geelong.

WHEN: 5-20 September.

INFO: www.metropolisgallery.com.au

sculpture. Some of our notable artists are: Pat McKenzie, Louise Price, Ray Woods, and sculptors Cinnamon Stephens who works in metal, Bill Jackman in wood and Melinda Solly in translucent porcelain.

WHERE: Anglesea

Town Hall, Anglesea.

WHEN: 20 & 21

September, from 10am to 4.30pm.

Drawn from the Gallery’s permanent collection, this exhibition of exquisitely handcrafted decorative porcelain produced by Ireland’s Belleek Pottery includes examples of the factory’s signature shell forms and filigree baskets embellished with Irish shamrock motifs. Many exhibits are notable for their distinctive ivory-coloured, subtly iridescent glaze.

WHERE: Geelong Gallery. Little Malop Street, Geelong.

INFO: www.geelonggallery.org.au

WHERE: COPACC.

Wildlife artist Brett Jarrett will be exhibiting more than forty wildlife paintings at this year’s Kyneton Daffodil & Arts Festival.

Brett has dedicated his entire life to observing and documenting the behaviour and identification of wildlife, in particular marine birds and mammals. This is a unique opportunity to see one of the country’s leading nature painters and enjoy the realism and anatomy that are at the forefront of his artistic passion, creating subjects that are both authentic and believable. The past three

years his work has been accepted by the prestigious Society of Animal Artists for their annual exhibition and national tour in the U.S.A.

CUT SNAKE – Melbourne International Film Festival

MIFF 13). But when the brutal Pommie (Sullivan Stapleton, Kill Me Three Times, MIFF 14) tracks him down, Sparra realises he’ll have to fight to keep the past from ruining his future.

During the exhibition Brett will be available to answer any questions about realism painting as well as demonstrating his technique.

WHERE: The Mechanics

Institute. 81 Mollison Street, Kyneton.

WHEN: 10-4pm,

5-7 Sept and 12-14 Sept.

INFO: 0415 464 572.

FEATURE ARTISTS SHOW

BELLEEK PORCELAIN

WHEN: Until 30 November.

Circa is Australia’s most innovative circus and 61 Circus Acts in 60 Minutes is its all-time favourite family show. Fast, furious fun for everyone. Set to upbeat music and featuring four multi-skilled performers, this is circus without

the boring bits. See the impossible happen, marvel at the astounding ways they bend, fly, juggle and balance as these intrepid acrobats battle the clock.

Where: September 21

Angair stands for ‘Anglesea and Aireys Inlet Society for the Protection of Flora and Fauna’, and so the theme of our Art Show is ‘the natural environment’.

The Art Show includes work in all mediums watercolour, oil, acrylic, pastel, printmaking and

61 CIRCUS ACTS IN 60 MINUTES

When: Bendigo Exhibition Centre, Bendigo

Angair Wildflower and Art Show

The Angair Wildflower and Art Show has been an annual event for over 40 years. The Wildflower Show has wonderful displays of indigenous and Australian flowers, children’s activities, bus tours to the wildflowers in the heathland and bush around the town and food provided by the local branches of the Red Cross and Cancer Council.

BRETT JARRETT WILDLIFE EXHIBITION

JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOUR DREAMCOAT With a crash of drums and a flash of light, The Geelong College will stage a spectacular new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

This production will feature a massive cast and crew of more than 100 talented students from the

College’s Senior School.

This colourful retelling of the biblical story of Joseph and his dazzling coat of many colours, sings out to young and old alike with a score full of wall-to-wall hits, including Close Every Door, Any Dream Will Do and Go Go Joseph.

Gather your family and friends, and enjoy a go-go good time!

WHERE: GPAC. 50 Little

Malop Street, Geelong.

WHEN: 11-13 September.

INFO: www.gpac.org.au

Tony Ayres returns with his first feature since The Home Song Stories (MIFF 07) – a psychologically powered crime thriller loosely based on Brisbane’s Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub blaze.

It’s 1973, and in an attempt to put his old, troubled, life behind him Sparra Farrell (Alex Russell, Carrie) has moved to a new city with his fiancée, Paula (Jessica De Gouw, These Final Hours,

Cut Snake eruditely shows how one man’s biggest enemy in moving forward can be himself.

(There’s an appearance by local Geelong actress, Catherine Larcey, too!)

WHERE: GPAC. 50 Little

Malop Street, Geelong.

WHEN: 7.30pm.

Friday 12 September.

INFO: www.gpac.org.au

BALLARAT: The Home of Doctor Blake The Doctor Blake Mysteries, filmed throughout 2012 and 2013 in Ballarat, features many iconic Ballarat locations including the Ballarat Colonists’ Club, Lake Wendouree, Lydiard Street, Town Hall, Pax Hill Activity Centre, Regent Cinema, plus many other iconic vistas that set the

scene of Ballarat in the late 1950s. You can go on a walking tour of the locations. Download the handy pdf, and take a stroll through living history.

INFO: www. visitballarat.

com.au/things-to-do/ the-home-of-doctor-blake

Refining the Palette

Peter Sculthorpe

Charmaine Wilson Written by Abbey King

The Art of Capturing Faces: Graeme Heard Written by Amanda Sherring

Graeme Heard mightn’t be a household name, but the Geelong West artist sure knows how to name-drop.

After painting portraits of John Howard, Ricky Ponting, Cathy Freeman and Gough Whitlam, there’s few prolific Australians Graeme hasn’t captured on canvas. Though from his impressive list, Graeme looks on the late and well-respected Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe as a highlight. Peter passed away aged 85-years-old in early August after a long and successful career. He left behind many fans, one of which was Graeme.

“I painted [the portrait] some three years earlier and I was thinking to myself, ‘Well, I’d rather like to meet Sculthorpe and give it to him myself and see what he thought of it,’” he says.

“When I went to actually arrange that, I got his phone number out of the phone book, and he said to me, ‘Before you say any more, I’d love to have a look at it, but I can’t guarantee I’ll like it’.”

Graeme promptly showed Peter his painting, which had been

remarked on by Peter’s friends as showing a remarkable likeness to his character, and he loved it.

In an email Peter referred to the painting as capturing his “music and [his] innermost feelings”.

Peter went on to thank Graeme for revealing him to himself and for turning it not only into a portrait but its own “musical composition”, something that was a huge aspect of Peter’s life.

Also with a painting of Queen Elizabeth II in the royal collection and one of Prince Charles in his personal collection, it’s a surprise that the “bum from Geelong”, as Graeme refers to himself as, isn’t a celebrated Geelong artist. Instead, after a short stint at the National Gallery School in Melbourne and the Gordon TAFE, Graeme decided to become a gardener to give him the freedom to create the artworks he wanted to minus the pressure to make a profit.

“I never wanted to turn the art into a money machine. I wanted to paint from the heart; that to me was the guts and the strength behind the meaning of painting,” Graeme says.

FRI SEPT 19 7PM

Now retired at 65-years-old, Graeme is taking joy in doing things at his own rate and has just recently finished a portrait of Donald Trump.

“I want to add to what I’ve done in my own time – if it’s good and relevant it’ll remain, but if not, it’s destroyed,” he says.

While many mightn’t understand his work or see the face in it, Graeme isn’t fussed. He doesn’t paint for an audience or to please but purely for himself, though as a result he is his hardest critic to please. Painted in an impressionism style with colours taken from the characters’ personalities, the artworks are made to be admired from a distance.

“The idea is that when you stand back it comes together as an image; it’s not painted to look like a photograph or a replicated image,” Graeme says.

Regardless of whether or not you can see the face, there’s an overwhelming sense of character and emotion in each one of Graeme’s painting. As Peter Sculthorpe would agree, Graeme does a great job of what he does.

You may recognise her as the winner of Channel 7’s show ‘The One’ a few years back when she was crowned Australia’s best psychic. Charmaine tragically lost her brother, four-year-old daughter and beloved grandfather in the space of just five years, all before she was 23. This immense amount of grief combined with the ending of her 12-year relationship with her boys’ father sent her off the rails – enough was enough.

“Over the years you just get to the point when you give up,” she said. “So I basically went into nervous breakdown mode. I was addicted to drugs and alcohol at that point, and then I stared hearing things and thought, ‘Fantastic, now I’m insane.’”

In the middle of a custody battle for her sons, Charmaine was too fearful to admit to anyone that she was hearing voices and put it all down to the gear. After cleaning up, the voices were still around – so one day she decided to listen to them.

“I found out what they were trying to do. They were trying to help me, they were spirit people.

Without me knowing, they were helping deal with the choices that I had made. It wasn’t easy but after about six to seven months, once I realised they weren’t going away,

I thought the best thing to do would be just to listen to them ... and let me tell you, they are very bloody bossy!” she laughs.

“So what they ended up saying to me was to ... I need a job then, of course ... and they said to me, ‘We want you to ring the Amberley Air Base [which is the Air Force base in Brisbane]. We want you to ask for the canteen. When you speak to the canteen, ask for Steve, he’s the manager, and then ask Steve if there is a job available. You will start working for Steve the next day. After that you will work for us’.”

Would you believe, just as predicted, Charmaine did get a job with the canteen, on the smoko van, which is where she learned to be a Medium doing odd readings for customers. And now she does work for the spirits!

“It just snowballed.

I got better and better at what I did. I won Australian Psychic of the Year and Queensland Psychic of the Year as well. I came a long way in a short while.”

According to Charmaine, spirits don’t just jump out at you – that is the ‘Hollywood’ version.

“You really have to be in the zone, so to speak.

It’s easier to get in the zone than you think, but as a Medium you have to accept when you are frazzled,” she said.

Charmaine won’t be giving me a reading today as she has just landed in Sydney following one of her spiritual cruises. She tells me that the ability to do a reading is all about your vibrations. Before any show she must concentrate on being completely ‘in the now’, and by the time the show comes around her vibrations will be high enough to do so properly.

“I believe that we just go to the next level, like a butterfly, caterpillar to the butterfly. I feel that we have full access and full view and full vision of this world still and I think we still have that for many reasons. I think that we do that so that we can still learn and so that we can still understand where the world is going.

And I think that we have full view of our family.”

“When I’m doing a reading for someone it’s like I’m receiving memories of how they were in life, what was special between them and the person I’m talking to and what they look like,” she said.

The majority of Charmaine’s audiences are those who have recently encountered grief, or have been struggling with grief for some time.

“They can expect to see validation that spirits are around, education on how to survive the grieving process and also just communication with me. I’m a very friendly person, so after the show I have a table and I’m happy to sign books, give hugs and take photos and answer questions.”

Though I am naturally sceptical, there is a certain confidence that Charmaine gives off that I find it incredibly difficult to denounce her. Every part of me wants to believe her and I am completely in awe of her ability. I look forward to meeting her in the flesh and seeing her make use of her gift ... Watch this space.

Forte Illustration Each issue for as long as we can muster, a local artist will be submitting an illustration or piece of art to Forte, free of charge, for publication.

Turn over to see our latest submission from Sam Thomson!

Pick up each issue of Forte Magazine to see each piece by a new artist each week!

WHERE&WHEN:

GV Hotel, Shepparton – September 10; Moama RSL – September 12; Bendigo District RSL – September 16; GPAC – September 18; and Lighthouse Theatre, Warrnambool – September 26

THURS OCT 9 6PM

SCHOOL DAY From breakfast to a final exam, this absurd and satirical piece of theatre explores the weird, brutal and ordinary aspects of being a high school student.

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Refining the Palette

by Jonathon Lawrence, also want to replace Ted and they set him up at a Club function to try and force him to fall on his sword.

THE CLUB

By David Williamson.

Presented by Geelong Repertory Theatre Co. Directed by David Mackay.

The Club is Williamson’s famous play written in 1974 for the stage, a film version directed by Bruce Bereford and starring Jack Thompson, John Howard and Graham Kennedy was produced in 1980, and is a sports/political satire based loosely around the Collingwood Football Club. It’s about the uses and abuses of managerial power, which in 1976 foreshadowed the great changes that Australian football has since endured, and proves even more prescient since the rise and fall of Super League. This is a play set behind the scenes, a head-on tackle of

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brawn versus bureaucracy.

It’s about the hangers-on, the end of loyalty, the coming of professionalism, big business and massive transfer fees.

Director David Mackay says he was attracted to the play because of his love of football (he’s a Tigers supporter), and thought “Why not combine my love of the game with my love of theatre, and direct The Club!” David is well-known for directing massively complex stage musicals in Geelong, such as Annie, The Mikado, Anything Goes and Oliver but has also directed the play Dimboola – another Aussie favourite, steeped in dialogue and interesting characters.

The Club is basically a

continuous argument – rich in vocal shenanigans - and the cast has been well-picked for their skills.

David says, “They are really impressive. I couldn’t be more happy.”

Steve Howell plays Ted Parker, the Club President.

The Club is struggling on field and has not won a premiership in nineteen years and Ted has come onto the committee with a promise of modernization, signing a promising young player, Geoff Hayward, played by Jesse Bickerton.

The coach, Laurie Holden, played by Ernie Rijs, is a long serving legend of the Club and has been coaching for several years with no luck. The players love him but the committee plot to replace him. Jock, played by Ian Rooney (who has been on our TV screens lately as Cec Drury, in The Dr Blake Mysteries for the ABC) is a past legend of the Club and also coached the Club to multiple premierships until he was replaced by Laurie. Gerry, a business savvy administrator, played

Club captain, Danny Rowe, played by Sean Sexton, is nearing the end of his career and the committee want him replaced. Danny fiercely defends his ability, knowing he has a few more years of service left in him.

On field, Geoff Hayward is completely discouraged from playing and simply makes up the numbers which attracts the ire of his coach and teammates given how much the Club paid for him. The committee starts to self-destruct and their real motives become apparent.

If you have ever belonged to a sports club, if you have ever been part of any organisation in which the will to win prevails and the trial of strength continues in the clubroom long after the players have left the field – then you will know the men of The Club.

WHERE: Woodbin

Theatre, Geelong West.

WHEN:

5-20 September.

INFO: www.gpac.org.au TIX: 5225 1200.

FORTE ILLUSTRATION #5

SAM THOMSON tamshomson.tumblr.com

more-comedy.com presents

“EM RUSCIANO IS AN IRREPRESSIBLE FORCE OF NATURE. �����” RIP IT UP

“A HUNK O’SPUNK. �����” HERALD SUN

H TC CA TO CE AN CH F OF E ON IS TH S IS M ’T DON T! H IG N E ON IN S ON TI SA N SE T OU LL TWO SE

THURSDAY 30 OCTOBER - 8PM

GEELONG PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE 50 LITTLE MALOP ST, GEELONG

www.gpac.org.au forte 67

The Pierce Brothers Q&A / Photo by Snappatronik

Fresh from a tour overseas the twins and indie-folk musicians, Jack and Pat Pierce, took some time out to chat to Forte magazine ahead of their performance at the Birregurra festival and their Northern Lights tour.

Hi guys, thanks for taking the time out to chat to Forte, how are you and what are you up to at the moment?

Both: No stress at all! Right now we’re at our European managers place getting our stuff ready to head to the airport and back to Australia! We’re tired, smelly and pretty chuffed with how this tour has gone.

You seemed to get where you are without any real major radio airplay or label support. Do you think it’s important for people to see that in an age where everyone wants to win TV talent quests?

Jack: It’s funny that we get it a lot busking that ‘Why haven’t you gone on The Voice?’ or something of the sort. TV talent shows are a waste of time, and are damaging to the artists and the industry.

Pat: Just because some people on a TV say, ‘You will be the biggest act in the country’ in a vocal byte from the advert for the show, but it all means nothing. The market for talent quests isn’t where we aim our music anyway.

Jack: The market for talent quests is also

changing with each new season; the thing to remember is that these are television shows. They have a young tween audience that outgrow these “pop sensations” and move onto other music. Which is fine for the quest, because they always have another season and another young market to reach. Besides, revealing yourself to the audience is only the beginning.

Things started really building for us when we got a great team around us that we trust (Lemontree Music and 123 Agency) and they started really championing us! And really, we can have our opinions on these things, but we’ve never been through them.

Maybe they’re great? What do I know?

‘The Music’ pronounced you both as the next John Butler Trio, how was it to hear someone say that of your music?

Both: John Butler has probably had the biggest influence on our music overall. His whole approach to music and formulas had us hooked from the beginning. We have an old song that we play a lot called ‘Self Portrait’, which is our own response to his ‘Ocean’. It’s a bit derivative, but we let people know at each show it’s our homage to JBT

When&Where: Birregurra Festival – October 11 & 12

while still doing something of our own.

We were very humbled to have been likened to such an artist, however we have a bloody long way to go if we want to get anywhere near his creativity!

You’ll actually be playing with them at the Caloundra Music festival, are you looking forward to that?

Both: Yeah we’re both so excited for that! We’ve not been up for this festival before, but we’ve heard from it every year and the lineups are always awesome! It’s one of

those festivals that we never thought we’d play; and not least of which with a lineup including Butler! That’s one festival we CAN’T WAIT to sink our teeth into. We’ve got some ideas for this Australian tour on stage that we want to put to good use.

You’re also playing the Birregurra Festival, what can punters expect from your set there?

Both: Well we’ve got some new songs we’d love to get across live and try them out before putting them into the studio.

We watched acts in the Netherlands at the Lowlands Festival - looking for ideas!

Ben Coda Q&A

Since his first release towards the end of 2008, DJ, producer and remixer, Ben Coda has released music on a slew of labels including Tribal Vision, Flow Records, Iboga, Unreleased Digital, Black Hole and Echoes. With an appearance pencilled in at Rainbow Serpent, we felt the time was just right to strike up a conversation.

Hi Ben, thanks for taking the time to chat with Forte. How are you and what are you up to right now?

I’m really good thanks, and thanks for inviting me to chat. Right now I’m spending some time working on new music in the studio; it’s been a busy summer of gigs, so it’s nice to have a little bit of downtime to get some new music written.

I’m working on some new Ben Coda material, as well as some new tracks for Nanoplex, my progressive techno live project with DJ Ipcress.

There are quite a few people who don’t really understand the tech and house music revolution. What would you say to them?

I think the key to understanding it is to go to a club/festival and experience the atmosphere there, and listen to it loud, that should give them a bit more of an idea of what it’s all about and the culture that comes with it. The vibe on a dance floor when it’s going off is untouchable.

What first got you into that genre of music? And what do you love about it?

I first got into it from listening to The Prodigy, Orbital and Underworld in the mid-nineties … I started going out to clubs in the UK and it went from there. I love the music first and foremost; the fact there are no boundaries with it really, and I’m constantly hearing sounds and ideas that I’ve never heard before.

I’ve always loved the culture, too. The festival scene in particular is really open and full of positivity, and I’ve made loads of really good friends through the scene.

What’s your ultimate party playlist?

Ah wow, there’d be so many tunes it’s hard to pick a selection, but it’d have to have some tracks from Orbital, Leftfield, Underworld, maybe Xpander

by Sasha – that one never gets old.

Newer stuff … some progressive techno from Perfect Stranger, Victor Ruiz, D-Nox and Beckers.

I’d probably slip a few Ben Coda and Nanoplex tunes in there too for good measure.

You’ve worked alongside some big names in the industry.

Who’s been the highlight?

There have been a whole load of highlights over the years. I’ve had my music supported by a lot of the DJs that influenced me when I was getting into dance music back in the ’90s …

Hearing Nick Warren drop my tune Crunch at Ministry of Sound, just after I’d released it, was awesome.

Did they share any words of wisdom with you?

to come to terms with these dark shadows on my career. They come from a very curious and afraid point of view; but you can only write so many songs like that, though.”

Haymaker, the 2012 release from Williams, was recorded and ready for release to the world; however, there were no more funds remaining for production and marketing of the disc. The decision to crowdfund the last part of the process wasn’t an easy one to make, but within 24 hours of the campaign going live the funds were reached. “It’s a very humbling experience because you never know what’s going to happen when you start the campaign. My goal was $4000 and I ended up with $7000 at the end, and that was a lot of money for me.”

One of the main differences between Haymaker and The Reef is the process that Williams took to recording. “Haymaker was a record that was really tedious and overanalysed to create a perfect album, and because I wanted a different spirit for The Reef and to put the music through a prism of

hope, we aimed for a different feel. We recorded in two days and everything was done within a couple of takes. It’s fear-based literature and is a really natural sounding record that I think everybody is going to enjoy and find an element that they really like.”

Having seen Hayward Williams perform at the Apollo Bay Music Festival a few years back, he is definitely a solid performer and has many tales from the road to tell. Luckily for all the Forte readers out there, he is just one of the international acts announced for the Queenscliff Music Festival 2014. Backed by The Yearlings from South Australia, this is set to be a very special performance from the upcoming tour.

“We were on the same bill together at the Vanguard in Sydney one night and I saw them play and we decided then and there to play together the next time I came down. They are a great band and I love them so much.

“Playing at Queenscliff is going to be awesome. I hear it’s a festival with a great coastal vibe.

I can’t wait to get down there.”

When&Where: Rainbow Serpent Festival, Lexton - January 23-26 2014

One of the best bits of advice I’ve heard was from a Dave Seaman interview; he said, ‘Be nice to everyone’.

Have you played to an Australian crowd before? Do we like to party?

I lived in Sydney in 2006/7 and played a few gigs while I was there, and I also had a fair few mad weekends. In my experience, yes, the Australian crowd does like to party hard! I’m looking forward to getting down to a bit of partying myself when I come over for Rainbow Serpent.

You’ve got Rainbow Serpent Festival

We’ll certainly do our best to smash out a massive one at Birregurra!

Thanks again for taking the time out to answer some questions, is there anything you’d like to add before we finish up?

Both: The Netherlands is one of the best countries in the world! Seriously get there! But also we’re coming home.

There’s some great excitement in that.

Jack: I’m going hiking for 2 days.

Pat: Yeah we’re both taking two days off. Yessssssss.

coming up soon. Are you looking forward to performing there?

For sure, I’ve heard loads of great things about it. It’s one of the top international festivals, so can’t wait to come over and perform there.

Is there anyone on the line-up you’re looking forward to playing with?

The line-up is looking great so far; a quality, diverse set of artists.

I’ll definitely check out Marcel Dettmann and Lee Burridge, and of course Pena, who runs Flow Records, and Symbolic, who I know from working with Echoes Records.

And what can the festival punters expect from your set down there?

A rolling set of pumping progressive techno. I’ll be sure to have a load of fresh new tunes as well as some of my classic tracks.

While you’re in Australia, is there anything particular you want to go see/do?

I’m looking forward to hanging out with mates in Melbourne, and hopefully will get to travel a bit; will be great to go back to some of my old haunts in Sydney.

Thanks again for taking the time to chat with us. Is there anything you’d like to add before we finish up?

Hope you guys all have a good few months and will see you on the dance floor at Rainbow Serpent!

Hayward Williams Written by Tex Miller

Upon returning home from his last tour of Australia, Hayward Williams thought he was going to die. Tired and feeling gaunt, he battled through the terminal to reach his connecting flight and then something started to feel very wrong.

“I got to the airport and I was having a panic attack, but I didn’t know that at the time. I went to the emergency room and they said I was exhausted which on many levels was true. I was getting married in a month and combined with everything else going on at that point in time my body just decided to shut down for a bit.”

A few years later, Williams is happily married to his best friend and is gearing up for the release of his fourth studio effort, The Reef.

The songs are inspired by the events following the panic attack and Williams’ progression to get back out on stage and performing again.

“At that time, I had so much stage fright and so much anxiety that I couldn’t perform. I was on medication and frightened that I would never be able to perform again. Some of the tracks on this record are quite old but most of them were written when I was struggling 68 forte

When&Where: Queenscliff Music Festival - November 28-30

Inside Splinters

Written by Adem Ali

SPLINTERS PRESENTS…

MY ARTPOP COULD ME AN ANY THING: How Lady Gaga’s artRAVE transported me back to my teenage years.

LADY GAGA’S ARTRAVE The greatest concert of all time.

LADY GAGA & TONY BENNETT’S “CHEEK TO CHEEK” This album will SURPRISE you – in a very good way.

LADY STARLIGHT The best support act we’ve seen in years.

or

EVERYONE GOING TO KATE BUSH IN THE UK We are green with envy and DON’T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT HOW GREAT IT WAS, OKAY.

ARIANA GRANDE In The Bin.

THE MTV VMAs No Gaga? No Madonna?

No Splinters.

In the very early stages of 2008, I received an email from a music promotion firm asking me if I was interested in an interview with an upcoming artist named Lady Gaga. I agreed, having heard some of the tracks from her then unreleased debut album on a few music blogs across the web. I was certainly interested in her, and the interview marked Gaga’s first-ever Australian press commitment; long before the release of her lifealtering debut single ‘Just Dance’.

Then, in September of that same year, Gaga toured Australia for the first time, playing Melbourne’s beloved but incredibly shoddy Inflation Nightclub just as her debut single was atop of the charts.

I made it to the front row of that gig and watched in awe as this woman hit every high note and didn’t miss a single dance step.

Even when the speakers around her looked as though they were going to topple over and possibly cause a fatality she just kept trucking through without even flinching.

I was beyond impressed and at one point had her pulling on my necklace and tie as she sang a few lines from “Poker Face” at me.

I really enjoyed the show and, as I said, was impressed, so imagine my surprise when, after the gig, a security guard came up to me and said “Lady Gaga would like to know if you want to meet her upstairs.” Um – DUH. Excited and thrilled, in 2008 I was still meeting her as a critic above anything else.

“I need to know if Madonna is sitting through this Kate Bush concert emailing and texting ‘for business reasons’ #enslaver.”

The incredibly hilarious @andr3wthomas leaves us for dead last week as Madge was spotted in the audience at Kate Bush’s first concerts since the ’70s.

That all changed in 2009 with the release of ‘Bad Romance’, where I had gone from being an admiring critic into a nearrabid, overly obsessed fan – and I had every intention of following her until she loved me.

Now let me bring you into the present – last Sunday, August the 24th. Lady Gaga brings her artRAVE: The ARTPOP Ball Tour to Melbourne and after almost five years of mad fandom, I finally get to meet her – again. Except this time it’s different. Much different.

In 2002, as a fresh-faced teenager, I embarked on a pretty wild career in Melbourne’s rave scene that saw me partying from weekend to weekend, raving away to some of the best techno and hard trance music the world had to offer. Whilst it’s a time of my life that has long been regarded as ancient history, it is a time – and scene – that still holds a very special place within my heart.

For almost two hours, Gaga sang at the top of her lungs and danced her famous arse off for the crowd of thousands, encouraging us all to rave our hearts out; a mission I almost accepted a little too literally as I swear I had close to 38 heart attacks during the course of the evening. As I stood with an excited bunch of 19 other people (who were basically the best bunch of people I’ve ever been to a concert with, which is saying something considering the fact that this night was the very first time I had met 18 of them) within the exclusive ARTPOP Zone, Gaga belted out anthems such as ‘G.U.Y.’, ‘Venus’, ‘Bad Romance’ and ‘Poker Face’, whilst fan favourites like ‘PARTYNAUSEOUS’ (an unreleased GEM) and ‘Dope’ were immediate highlights, particularly as Gaga pointed

at me from her piano as she proclaimed “I NEED YOU MORE THAN DOPE!” It was a true life-affirming moment that I honestly know I will never forget.

Once the show had ended (the finale being the iconic and shouldabeen-a-single ‘Gypsy’), the group of us within the ARTPOP Zone waited to be escorted backstage to meet our Queen with bated breath.

For almost 90 minutes, Gaga talked with us, played us unreleased material and answered our questions. (I asked her “Are you in Sin City 2 more than you were in Machete Kills? Because I wanted to throw my TV out of the window once your micro-scenes in Machete Kills had ended.”

Sadly, the answer was basically “No, I’m only in it for about a minute.”) She even threw her

arms in the air and very sincerely thanked me for identifying the pure and true rave aesthetic of her show, particularly as it used to be such an enormous part of my life. It was certainly another moment I won’t soon forget.

The night came to a close as we all lined up to get our solo photo with our Queen. I walked in, placed my arm around her as she placed her arm around me, we smiled at the camera, and then I turned to her, looked right into her sunglasses, and said: “Thank you … for everything.” She gave me the most genuine smile of acknowledgment and within seconds I was riding off into the night sky, completely freaking out over the night’s events.

For more music news and reviews follow @AdemWithAnE on Twitter!

Attending Lady Gaga’s artRAVE last weekend was something of a cathartic experience for me because of this. The event was housed at Rod Laver Arena which, if you can remember, used to be home to two of the greatest mass-raves of Melbourne’s iconic nightlife history: Welcome and Two Tribes. Walking into the venue I used to rave in as Lady Starlight – Gaga’s amazingly talented support act – played straight-up acid techno cuts was like entering a time capsule. I was in heaven, stomping and shuffling my toosh off long before Gaga had even walked on stage! The scene was set: I knew I was in for the most glorious night of my life.

Within minutes of starting, I had been transported to my euphoric and carefree teenage years. And then when Gaga finally came on, that all kicked into even higher gear. Sober as a judge, I was in a state of bliss and euphoria not seen since the substance abuse era of my teenage years. In fact, by the time the show had started, I was quite possibly the happiest I have ever been at a show, let alone a rave.

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@forte_mag

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BEYOND THE VALLEY Q&A with NICHOLAS greco It’s quite a moment when you say goodbye to one festival as you welcome another one which takes its place.

With Pyramid Rock now reserved to the memory bank, this year Phillip Island welcomes Beyond the Valley. With a new vision, this could well become the new “It” festival for the New Year period.

Thanks for taking the time to chat with Forte. How are you?

Ah, it’s been a pretty intense couple of weeks but I’m hanging in there!

For those who aren’t aware of who you are and what you do, can you give us a brief description about yourself and what Beyond the Valley is all about?

Sure, I’m one of the partners in Beyond the Valley which is a new, boutique music and glamping [that would be glamorous camping] festival taking place on Phillip Island from December 30th to January 1st this year.

BTV is hoping to push the boundaries on what defines a music and camping festival in Australia not only with our line-up but

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with all the added extras that we are tweaking, whether it’s our camping packages, our food vendors or our toilets.

Outside of BTV though, I’ve been in the music industry for about five years now, since I was 19, whether it has been through running events or managing artists.

What’s your background in the music/event industry?

I’ve done a little bit of everything. I started out when I was 19, getting involved in the indie/hip hop scene by managing and touring artists which then led into me running my own shows and eventually having my own regular club nights.

Each progressive club night was kind of bigger than the last one. Then myself and my current partners started Anyway, which was initially at the legendary Palace Theatre, and that was a monster and is currently running at The Bottom End. During our time at The Palace we met all the right people to help us get BTV off the ground.

How long did it take to get Beyond the Valley up and running?

I think we’ve been planning this since about August 2013, checking out different sites and having all

kinds of meetings.

It’s been pretty tough for music festivals these days, yet you guys have decided to start a new one. What prompted this decision?

We’re probably just a little bit crazy, and I think that’s a quality that’s needed to get into the festival game.

But we also believe very strongly in the product that we are offering and that it is the absolute best offering out there.

We felt a lot of options out there are out of touch with who they are offering to, and we aren’t. It helps that myself and all my partners are all quite young and we are the age of who we are targeting for BTV. And we also just want everyone to enjoy themselves at our festival, and I think that is the message that has been coming across quite well.

Are you nervous at all for how ticket sales will go?

Yes and no ... Yes because we have literally invested our lives into Beyond the Valley, and no because we have had such an amazing response to our line-up and all our extras and we have received a lot of support.

Have you got any secrets for success?

Ummm, enjoy what

you do and work with people you enjoy ... and get used to having very little sleep.

What do your friends and family think of what you’re doing?

Everyone is pretty excited! Basically everyone I know is going to be down at BTV for NYE. How will this festival be different from long-running festivals around the same time?

I think our line-up has more of a dance music focus, and the feedback we received from punters was that was what other NYE options have been lacking. We have a dance music focus but we also have a strong contingent of live acts across our festival bill.

I think our powered camping sites, glamping and food options will also set us apart from other options around NYE. Our line-up also resonates pretty strongly with most people.

What kind of experience can punters expect?

We’ve tried to create a separate world within our festival site – it’s going to be a camping festival experience that is unlike any other.

Phillip Island is a pretty beautiful location for a festival. Was this

one of the reasons behind holding the festival there?

Yeah definitely, the Bass Coast Shire is the perfect backdrop to bring in New Year’s Eve! You’ve got some pretty amazing bands playing for your first festival.

Was it difficult getting them to be involved?

Being a first year festival there was a lot of convincing and calling in some major favours ... There have been some super tense and stressful moments in our office across the booking process.

What was the decision process behind who you selected?

One of the perks about booking your own festival is that you can book acts that you love!

And then you also have to book acts that will appeal to everyone as well.

We wanted to have a forward-thinking and current line-up so a big part of it was who has new releases slated before the end of 2014. We also looked at who we wanted to bring in the countdown, who will be best to play whilst the sun is setting, who would be great to close the festival … so much goes into consideration.

There’s a team of us booking as well, so everyone has very

When&Where: Beyond the Valley Festival, Phillip Island - December 30-January 1

strong and passionate opinions about who they think is best.

Who are you most looking forward to seeing perform live?

Ah, there’s so many!

The Peking Duk boys are bringing a full new live show and I can’t wait to see that; RÜFÜS were amazing at the Palace Theatre, so that will be great to see on NYE. AlunaGeorge on the main stage overlooking

the coast is going to be pretty special ... Pretty much every single act that we’ve announced I’m looking forward to!

Given that it’s over New Year’s, can punters expect some big celebrations when it hits midnight?

Yes definitely, we’re going to put on a pretty unreal show. We’ve already put a heap of time into planning all of that!

If all goes well, will

we be seeing Beyond the Valley return for another year?

We want to be around for a long time – there has been a lot of interest in making this a big player on the festival circuit.

Thanks for taking the time to have a chat with Forte. Is there anything you’d like to add before we finish up?

Just thanks for supporting us this far, and hope to see you NYE!

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FORTE

scenepix Photos by Marianne Valitutti

The Barwon Club

Slate Pool Lounge

The Barwon Club

Slate Pool Lounge

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The Barwon Club

The Barwon Club

FORTE

scenepix Photos by Marianne Valitutti

Beavs Bar

CQ

Beavs Bar

Pistol Pete's

Pistol Pete's

CQ

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FORTE

scenepix Photos by Marianne Valitutti

Eureka Bended

Bended

Eureka

Eureka

Eureka

Lambys

Home House

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Lambys

Geelong RSL

Lambys

Grovedale Hotel

Home House

Home House

Grovedale Hotel

Home House

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Film Reviews

Films reviewed by Anthony Morris

Felony After getting himself shot (and surviving) during a drug bust, detective Malcolm Toohey ( Joel Edgerton, who also wrote the script) is a hero. Which is lucky, because after a night spent in boozy celebration he drives home, sideswipes a kid on a bike, and leaves him in a coma. It’s the kind of thing that costs cops – even hero ones – their badge; fortunately for him, Detective Carl Summer (Tom Wilkinson) is handy and more than willing to put together a cover-up that will keep him out of trouble. The only problem is that Carl’s police partner Jim ( Jai Courtney) doesn’t buy it, and starts digging deeper, locking the three of them in a struggle that’s clearly not going to end well.

Director Matthew Saville hasn’t directed a feature since 2007’s Noise but he’s kept his hand in with a lot of television work (he’s

Locke Ivan Locke (Tom Hardy) walks off a building site, gets into his car and starts driving. And that’s pretty much it for this film: the following eighty-something minutes are just him behind the wheel juggling phone call after phone call as his life pretty much falls apart. For one thing, his family aren’t exactly happy that he’s not coming home; for another, his bosses are even less impressed that he’s driving off on the eve of one of the biggest concrete pours in European building history – a pour he’s meant to be supervising.

The reason why he’s driving away from all this isn’t all that surprising; what is more interesting is the decision he’s made to put one set of

The Grandmaster The story of Ip Man – legendary Kung Fu master of China and teacher of Bruce Lee – has been a popular one in martial arts films for almost as long as there has been martial arts films. Director Kar Wai Wong (Chungking Express, 2046) isn’t exactly known for action filmmaking, so when it was announced he’d be tackling the story of Ip Man, at least some heads were scratched: would he be making a traditional kung fu film, or would he somehow find a way to bring the Kung Fu master’s life into synch with his own storytelling obsessions?

The correct answer lies behind door number two, but it takes a while for it to become clear as our story begins with Ip Man (Tony Leung) establishing his dominance over the minions of the rival Northern School by pounding on a whole bunch of them in a battle during a massive rainstorm. The head of the Northern School is retiring, and while he’s already selected his successor from the North, he 76 forte

responsibilities ahead of another.

He’s not a man running away from things, and while the film occasionally oversteps in underlining this – there are a couple of moments where Locke digs into his backstory and motivations that are a little too on-the-nose, but thankfully the film doesn’t push them too far – having him be a man in trouble not because of events he can’t control, but because this is the path he’s chosen to try and control them, makes this more interesting than the usual run of films set in a limited location.

Hardy is the other big plus here: while his slightly plummy tones make for ideal listening (he’s got a very “easy listening” voice going on here), they’re also perfectly suited to the character – a man trying to better himself every way he can. As a thriller it’s good but not great, though the script shows real inventiveness in the way it keeps piling troubles into Locke’s lap. It’s as a character study that this becomes really memorable; sometimes doing the right thing just makes a lot of people angry. wants to at least try to unite all of China’s martial arts schools, and so announces an exhibition match between his successor and the South’s champion.

Ip Man is clearly the man for the job, but while he takes down the official successor the head’s daughter Gong Er (Zhang Ziyi) is the one he really should be testing his skills against. And as she returns to her home and he to his, we’re suddenly back on Kar Wai Wong’s home turf: romantic yearning. While the two are clearly perfect for each other, life – in the form of a Japanese invasion – keeps on getting in the way.

The martial arts sequences are excellent; the film really goes into the different styles of martial arts, as well as outlining the rivalries between the various schools. Having Ip Man come out and say it was his wealthy upbringing that gave him the time to become an expert in Wing Chun is a nice touch of realism, while Wong really plunges into the romanticism of his locations, making this visually more like a fairytale for much of its length.

But the focus on the unrequited relationship feels like it’s selling Ip Man short (it’s definitely selling the action short, too – the film pretty much grinds to a halt outside of the battles). For a man who achieved so much and saw so many changes, defining him by a relationship that never happened, while romantic, leaves this feeling a little hollow.

currently directing Josh Thomas’ Please Like Me), and he gives the script a polished, efficient veneer.

The trio of leads are all first-rate as three very different men: Jim is the young gun who’s all business, Toohey is the one slowly fraying at the edges from what he’s done (and his inability to confess to it) and Summer is the old-hand doing what he thinks needs to be done.

If this film has a flaw – and generally speaking it’s the kind of solid, competent drama Australia could do with a lot more of – it’s that the “what would you do” moral quandary never really engages.

It’s meant to be a world where everyone is doing what they think is right, but generally speaking, drunk driving and putting a kid into a coma is something you probably should try to avoid doing.

It’s a story where, for once, a more black-and-white approach wouldn’t have hurt: treating this in shades of grey occasionally feels a little too much like artificially over-complicating a fairly straightforward situation.

the wrap The Expendables 3 All your favourites are back – seriously, try killing off some of the good guys every now and again – in basically the same story as the last two.

Only now with Mel Gibson as a bad guy who looks like he wants to check his watch because he has better places to be than this stinker.

Magic in the Moonlight Woody Allen movies are increasingly hit-and-miss these days, and while there’s nothing massively wrong with the low-key rom-com between a “psychic” (Emma Stone) and the magician (Colin Firth) out to debunk her, it’s so lightweight you’ll have forgotten it before…

What was I saying?

The Inbetweeners 2 If the first Inbetweeners film felt like they were trying to move the four teens’ story on from their successful TV series, this is more about returning them to their prattish, bungling status quo. Only now they’re doing it (heh heh) in Australia!

Guardians of the Galaxy Underneath the fun wrapping this is just another movie made to the Marvel formula: a band of misfits team up (and become “a family”) to battle a fairly generic badguy in a chase for a super-powered MacGuffin (here it’s another magic rock). They even have the big final battle in a huge base falling from the sky (again).

Lucy

What We Do In The Shadows So a mockumentary about a bunch of vampires living in a sharehouse in New Zealand probably shouldn’t work. In large part why this does is because it fully commits to its premise: Viago (Taika Waititi, who co-wrote and directs) is our guide into New Zealand’s underworld, a foppish vampire from the early 19th Century who’s basically a kind of dorky nice guy … apart from all the blood drinking. Deacon ( Jonathan Brugh) is a slightly more recent vampire and is the “sexy” one (not really), while Vladislav ( Jemaine Clement) is a bit more old-school, dating from the Middle Ages (think Dracula, if Dracula wasn’t

so good at shape-changing).

There’s a bunch of laughs to be mined from the idea of vampires dealing with typical sharehouse dramas and this gets pretty much all the jokes there are, but it’s just as good when it comes to getting laughs out of taking the underworld seriously: vampires and werewolves don’t get along (cue a lot of lame insults from both sides), trying to get into nightclubs to find victims is hard when you have to be invited in, finding a good outfit is tricky when you don’t have a reflection (the solution? Have someone handy to do quick sketches), familiars spend most of their time complaining you haven’t turned them into a vampire yet, and so on.

There’s not a whole lot of story here really: there’s a big monsters’ ball coming up, while our vampiric trio have to deal with

the pros and cons of having a new vampire around when casual acquaintance Nick (Cori Gonzalez-Macuer) is turned (sure, he can get them into all the cool clubs, but he just won’t stop telling people he’s a vampire). But when the jokes are this strong, it doesn’t really matter.

Whether it’s as a parody of various vampire clichés – Deacon is a pisstake of “gritty” vampires a la Near Dark, Vladislav is more of a swipe at Bram Stoker’s Dracula, while there’s a dead ringer for Nosferatu living in their basement – or just a comedy about a bunch of dorky guys living together in a crummy house, What We Do In The Shadows is easily one of this year’s funniest films.

to life even though that’s clearly going to be at least moderately difficult for a while to come.

Even if you’re a fan of Young Adult romance, the way this robotically ticks off all the boxes is kind of grim: there’s the introverted girl who a young stud falls for without her having to do anything, the life-threatening condition that allows everyone within a ten mile radius to tell

the heroine she’s loved and special, and everything else is just loosely sketched in to pad things out to movie length.

Moretz has been great in a lot of films but she doesn’t get much to work with here (and not just because she’s in a coma for a lot of the film), and while this ends up doing the job it was made for, it’s hard not to wish it’d been made with a little more, well, life.

If I Stay Mia (Chloë Grace Moretz) is a seventeen-year-old whose life is starting to come together.

An introverted high school cellist, she’s somehow managed to attract the attentions of the hottest dude in school, teenage rock star Adam ( Jamie Blackley).

Their love of music might be an obvious link – thuddingly obvious thanks to this film’s love of name-dropping at every possible opportunity – but it’s pretty clear there’s real passion between them.

Bummer she’s already dead, hey?

Okay, she’s not exactly dead, but a car crash has left her in a coma – all the better to astral travel around checking out her mangled family and sobbing friends and relatives – while she tries to figure out whether she’s better off dead or should return

Scarlett Johansson is forced to become a drug mule, develops superpowers, kicks everyone’s ass. Plus there’s loads of wildlife footage and questions about biochemistry and how the human brain operates. Best superhero movie of the year.

Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Movie Are you a fan of the show?

Then you’ll probably enjoy this slightly bigger version of it. And if you’re not a fan … yeah, you can safely give this one a very wide berth.

Begin Again Keira Knightley is a singersongwriter who ends up recording her latest album all across New York after her boyfriend dumps her.

So you’d better be a big fan of slightly serious songs in a quirky setting for this one.

Terry Crews, The Expendables 3

Music Reviews

what ' s new ?

Bittersweet Kasey Chambers

The ‘Queen of Australian Country Music’, Kasey Chambers, has returned with her tenth album. The studio band on this album includes Bernard Fanning, formerly of Powderfinger, and Dan Kelly, best known for backing up his uncle Paul on electric and acoustic guitars.

Available now on Warner.

Listen The Kooks

English indie popsters The Kooks have spent quite a lot of time in Australia over the years, and they’ve built up quite the following. This is their fourth album, and it promises to do well. Available tomorrow on Universal.

Dream Your Night Away Vance Joy

There was a joke infographic going around after Splendour in the Grass that said the crowd at Vance Joy’s set only knew one song. Well, now’s his chance to fix that with his debut album. Available tomorrow on Liberation Music.

Exits Steve Smyth

Having seen this guy live a couple of times, I’m telling you now, buy this album. He’s a fantastically talented blues and roots artist. Even if you’re not into that kind of thing, buy this album. Available tomorrow on Ivy League.

Crush Songs Karen O

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ frontwoman, Karen O, is here with her debut solo effort. It promises to be a fantastic alt-pop effort from someone who really knows what they’re doing. Available tomorrow on Cult Records.

FKA Twigs LP1

Briggs Sheplife

Angus & Julia Stone Self-Titled

Young Turks Recordings

Golden Era Records

EMI

FKA Twigs is an enigma.

There’s simply no other musician in the music industry who has experienced such exponential and far-reaching fame without any real knowledge of who she is dispersed alongside it. By no surprise her debut album LP1 was highly anticipated, if only to gain further insight into the singer.

In LP1 she causes you to rethink everything you know about conventional music.

Her vocal layering and synth sounds permeate your mind.

There are certain tracks that are simply manic and can’t be deciphered. While ‘Preface’ is a clear example of this, it’s more likely a tactic used to shock the listener into paying attention.

‘Lights On’ is probably as close as FKA Twigs gets to traditional RnB and sharing her innermost thoughts. The track hears her echoing “When I trust you we can do it with the lights on”. The rest of LP1 plays out like a lesson of FKA Twigs’ new breed of music.

Breathy vocals in ‘Pendulum’ and ‘Kicks’ are played over synth-laden beats; ‘Video Girl’ is worth admiring for the lyrical compilation paired with FKA Twigs’ iconic style.

For a shy child raised in Gloucestershire, FKA Twigs has certainly come a long way, and we’re glad she stepped out of her shell to share her talents with the world.

Amanda Sherring

Yes, that is the name of this album. I must have been living in some kind of ignorant dreamland where Shepparton seemed like a sunny place to go buy some peaches and take a dip in the Goulburn River on the weekend, but boy did I have it wrong – well, according to Briggs anyway.

I love a bit of Aussie hip-hop; love the rawness and the Aussie twang that comes through in the lyrics. But I feel as though Briggs is forcing it just a little, it doesn’t seem like a natural flow of music or lyrics. When listening to ShepLife I was forced to remember when the guys at my high school decided to create their own hip hop albums and hand them out at assembly. I respected what they were trying to do but it just didn’t hit the mark. Don’t get me wrong, ShepLife is full of heart and delivers some incredible beats – track seven, ‘The Hunt’ (feat. Gurrumul), in particular delivers on the beat front and is the standout track of the album.

Overall, the stories told throughout ShepLife are intriguing and some of the beats are pretty good. So if you love raw grassroots Aussie hip hop it’s worth a listen, but be ready to keep waiting for the ‘Oh yeah, I get what this guy is about and what he’s doing here’ moment.

You might be waiting a while.

Also, if you are thinking of moving to Shepparton, you should certainly listen to it first!

Montana Agustin

It’s rare for siblings to work so well together they become a household name, so we’re pretty glad Angus & Julia Stone have put their solo careers aside to reform the best brother-sister band going around.

The duo has easily picked up where they left off, as ‘Heart Beats Slow’ is an easy radio hit, along with ‘Get Home’ and ‘A Heartbreak’, which are bound to gain equal airplay.

While staying within the same sound, there’s plenty of versatility to make it an album worthy of playing from start to finish three times over. ‘My Word for It’ has a brilliant guitar intro heavy on the reverb, which leads into Julia’s soft crooning of “I lay myself upon the floor/We’re not all dying babe”.

Things are slowed down for ‘Death Defying Acts’, before an edgy guitar riff breaks the slow pace set

by Julia’s voice. Instantly the mood shifts and you feel the anger in her voice. This might be a track you look over with its slower start, but here’s a hint – don’t. It’s one that will leave your ears satisfied beyond words.

‘Other Things’ might slip past your radar, as its sweet beat of the kalinka acoustic guitar and sugartipped vocals don’t let on of its dark content. Here they sing of planes crashing (“There’s a plane in the sky/ If those people fall they will die”) and deep-rooted relationship problems.

While their solo ventures are worth appreciating, as a duo Angus and Julia is a force to be reckoned with. Their new release could easily be one of the best albums of the year.

Amanda Sherring

all the quality you can expect from a Roland V-Drum kit. Included in the kit are the TD-4 drum module, eight pads total (kick, snare, toms x3, hi-hat, crash and ride cymbals), the FD-8 Hi-Hat Controller, and drum rack for mounting your drum and cymbal pads. Not included are a drum throne and kick pedal but you can purchase the Roland DAP3X V-Drums Accessory Package which comes with a kick pedal, throne, and drum sticks.

One of the biggest selling points of the TD-4KP is its ability to be folded up and put in the boot of even a small car, or taken on the bus. It folds into a nice square shape

and can be carried with 1 arm or over the shoulder in a gig bag. This makes the drumkit not only great for the bedroom for practice, but also for taking to live gigs where setup time is limited. Features such as and input for your music playing device, headphone output and built in metronome make for the perfect learning tool for any level player.

The Roland TD-4KP is perfectly suited for the beginner drummer or even for the giging pro who needs a simple and affordable solution for recording, performance, or practice.

Available at Music Workshop for only $829.00, come in and try one today!

Roland TD4KP The electronic drum kit you can take on the bus!

Review provided by Music Workshop

Megan Washington

When you ask drummers, “Which brand has the best electronic drum kit?”, the typical answer is Roland. Taking their experience from the higher end kits, Roland has delivered a kit that is not only affordable, but so portable it can be transported anywhere quite easily. in the footsteps of previous models within the TD-4K line, the TD4KP retails for under $1000 with

Hope in Hell Self-Titled Independent

Hardcore is one of those genres that tends to be a bit hitand-miss – either the band is excellent, or they’re downright terrible. Thankfully, Hope in Hell’s self-titled EP falls in the former category. For the most part, Hope in Hell has an excellent high-energy vibe – while there are a few subdued parts, the EP absolutely thunders along. Simon Mazzei’s drumming is excellent, too – listening to the EP on high volume, it’s like getting punched in the face repeatedly.

That’s not to say that the rest of the band aren’t up to standard, though. Guitarist Troy Power pumps out riffs that wouldn’t sound out of place on an In Flames album, supported by frontman

House of Valerie Joan

Lunatics on Pogosticks Slug Cat and Snail Dog Themusicconnection

I’ll admit that I was sceptical about this album before I listened to it because it was classed as a pop album.

Now, I know as a reviewer (or any good writer) you shouldn’t have any preconceived ideas or judgements and you should take things for what they are, but that’s really, really hard being human and all. So as you’ve probably guessed already, pop isn’t really my cup of tea, so I was pretty shocked when I found myself uncontrollably grooving along to I Hope You’ll Be Very Unhappy Without Me at my desk.

Maybe I had pop all wrong! Doubt it, it just happens that this particular album is classed under pop but it really should be in a genre called ‘getting down soul music’. What a voice this woman has – soulful, sexy and so seductive. The title of the album gives away that the songs are relating to what seems to be one very dramatic breakup. But this ain’t no Adele whine-fest; yeah, there’s hurt and anguish and all that jazz, but it’s done in such a powerful way that it’s empowering. You know, in a ‘sisters are doin’ it for themselves’ kind of way.

‘Bitterness’ and ‘Through With Lovin’ You’ are standout tracks; just close your eyes and you’ll be thrown into a smoky, dimly-lit cocktail bar where the likes of Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross might have belted out a tune on a Friday night. Tracks ‘Hit ’Em Like Ali’ and ‘Closer’ miss the mark and sound a little too poppy for my liking.

If you’re looking to add some seduction to your weekend, whack this baby on and let the good times roll.

Montana Agustin

Back with another release, the 2013 Unearthed High Competition winners have really honed in on their style. And they’ve done it from playing at Falls Festival, Live It Up Festival and supporting British India, Dune Rats and Grinspoon.

Opening track ‘Less Than Sober’ was lucky enough to receive significant airplay on triple j, and if there’s anything that’s come from the track it’s the cementing idea that these guys are a teen band.

That’s not to say their grunge rock style doesn’t deserve praise, but with lyrics surrounding a girl it just reeks of teenage problems.

‘Blood Clot’ is the obvious favourite on the EP as it just so happens to be the cleanest.

With a steady drumbeat, poppy riffs and perfectly timed vocals, the track shows just what the band is capable of.

Maybe not as clean, but equally amazing, ‘Picasso’s Saddest Love’ is the kind of thing you’d pump while in the basement jumping on your mum’s favourite couches. The guitar riff that breaks up the song could replace the whole track and I’d be perfectly happy. In this track the band has managed to master the art of knowing exactly when to hold back, which can be a hard feat for even the most famous of bands.

Aside from all I’ve mentioned, you still come away from listening to Slug Cat and Snail Dog with a cheesy grin on your face. It forces you, in the best kind of way, to relive your lustful teenage years to a pretty decent grunge rock release.

Amanda Sherring

One of the best bits of MDU is the fascinating insight, by today’s standards, of how a lot of Australian and international music was disseminated via a couple of record stores and the tape trading scene, all driven by a thirst for more home-grown metal. The narrative about metal in the ’90s is just as interesting, and that’s where the film really focuses on the community of the artists and fans.

A lot of Australia’s most known bands make an appearance including Psycroptic, Blood Duster, Alchemist, Mortification, Sadistik Exekution and Hobbs’ Angel of Death. Writer and director Nick Calpakdjian, meanwhile, has done a brilliant job in interviewing the bands who have helped shape Australian heavy metal: the interviews are interesting and the subject’s passion for Aussie metal really shines through.

Whilst there are a couple of big

name omissions from the project, for whatever reason, what we have in front of us is still an extremely detailed portrait of Australian heavy metal, and this documentary sits tall amongst its international metal documentary brethren.

Paul S Taylor

PRODUCT REVIEW

There There Since her debut album I Believe You Liar dropped in 2010, we’ve had one EP in Holy Moses and little else from this fabulously talented lady. Finally, there’s a sophomore album for us Washington fans. Available September 12 on Universal.

Chelsea Wilson I Hope You’ll Be Very Unhappy Without Me

Scott Curtis’ excellent vocal work and Adam Turcato’s thudding basslines. Track 3, ‘Oscillate’, is something of a curve ball – it’s much slower than the other tracks, and the first minute features only light guitar and an audio sample of philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti. It’s a much more progressive track – Curtis’ vocals don’t even come in until the 2:20

mark – and breaks up the EP well.

I have to admit, generally I’m not a fan of hardcore – I find that blast-beating drums over and over makes for a bland listening experience – but Hope in Hell has that perfect mix of overdrive, thudding drums and energy, and has certainly made its mark. It’s an excellent debut, and I’m itching to hear what the band can come up with. Definitely worth your time!

Alastair McGibbon

Metal Down Under A History of Australian Heavy Metal DVD

These days it’s easy to forget music existed, grew and evolved before the internet, even for someone of my age where I lived through internetless times. Metal Down Under (MDU) begins where all stories begin, at the beginning, in the late ’70s and early ’80s where Australian metal bands drew local metalheads to local bars and pubs. If you’re familiar with the history of heavy metal as a genre then MDU will certainly fill the gaps when it comes to how Australia sat in the global scheme of heavy metal and, due to our geographical isolation, you could say a lot of the stuff in the ’80s we did here was certainly derivative of US and European metal trends.

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Music Reviews

PHOTO REVIEW

FESTIVAL of PERFORMING ARTS LORNE / 29-31 AUgust 2014 Photos by Lucinda Goowdin

Last Words

grog watch Written by Tony Montana

Previously on Tony Montana…

Phone Loser: my landline had mysteriously died and when I called Telstra about fixing it they assured me they were on the case, then nothing happened, then even more nothing happened, then I called them again a lot and they acted all surprised that my line wasn’t fixed and nothing continued to happen. NOW, READ ON… At this stage my landline had now been out for five days – died on a Friday, was supposed to be fixed by 7 p.m. Monday night, was not working Tuesday morning. So obviously it was time for me to spend even more of my life on the phone trying to find out what the hell was going on. As I’d learnt from the last time my landline died – a

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full two weeks earlier – Telstra is pretty darn good at extending their selfimposed repair deadlines to insure they don’t have to worry about not meeting them, so I was not in the slightest bit surprised that the new deadline was now Thursday night. What could I do to speed up this process? Bugger-all.

So I went back to getting onto the internet using my phone as a hotspot and laughing like a crazy person every time I got a text message telling me I’d gone over my data cap so I’d be paying an extra $10 on my bill. This happened a lot. But at least by Wednesday night there seemed to be progress, as now when you rang my home number it at least sounded like it was ringing out.

The phone at my house still wasn’t actually ringing, but at least it suggested some kind of progress. Well, it did if you were an idiot, which clearly I was, because my problems were only just beginning.

With no landline by Friday morning, it was once again time to hit

the phones, this time to the special case manager Telstra had given me. Shock twist! This person was away on Friday, but could call me back on Monday. I explained that this was not acceptable using somewhat colourful language.

The person I was speaking to assured me that the “outage” in my area had been taken care of, so there must be a specific extra bonus fault with my line. I said I knew that – someone had called me the weekend before from Telstra to tell me that – but as nothing had been done at my house since then, why … just why?

They said they’d call me back.

I left my house to walk to the train station. They called me back to let me know that they were now aware that there was a fault in my street, but that workmen were hard at work fixing it.

I told them I’d just walked down my street and there had been no sign of any Telstra workmen doing anything. They went very quiet and said they’d call me back. They did not. So, being a jerk, I complained on social media, where

Telstra was very quick to get in touch with me. Eventually they explained that yes, there had been a line outage in my neighbourhood that had been resolved, but that there was also a fault specific to my street that they would be getting around to at some stage after they hired contractors and got the necessary council permits. Repair deadline: no idea. So I made a complaint to the ombudsman.

To be fair, the ombudsman was nothing if not efficient: I quickly heard back that nothing could be done because my line problems were covered by a “Mass Service Disruption” covering the Geelong area. Strangely, a MSD can only be called in the event of a natural disaster, which I didn’t remember noticing on my way to the bottle shop. It turned out the MSD was for the high winds at the end of July – unfortunately, my line problems first started happening in mid-July, so I was fairly confident the two weren’t related. But of course, that meant

nothing: Telstra makes the rules, and the rules said they weren’t covered by the usual service guarantees for the next week and a half. So I enjoyed my second weekend with no landline service, ha ha ha I said “enjoyed” when actually I mean the exact opposite. Come Monday one of my neighbours said he’d seen some vans up the end of the street that could have been from Telstra, but it wasn’t until Tuesday afternoon that workmen actually turned up to get with the digging. I know they were Telstra workmen because I – clearly deranged from excessive contact with Australia’s number one phone service provider – went up to them and said “are you guys from Telstra”. They said yes, I fell to the ground sobbing, they threw some dirt at me with their shovels and eventually I staggered off home.

Of course, it still took another two days to get a dial tone back on my phone, making it a full fourteen days without a home phone service, but at least I’m getting $14 off my phone bill. Gee,

remember all that talk from the Liberal Party about how we don’t need fibre optic cable for the National Broadband Network because the old Telstra wiring is perfectly capable of delivering high speed internet into the home? Yeah, maybe get back to me about that when the old Telstra wiring can manage to deliver good old-fashioned phone calls into the home, okay?

Tony “I deleted so much swearing from this series of events” Montana

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