Reverb Magazine - Issue 53

central coast|hunter|north coast #053 Dec ‘10

music, arts & culture monthly

Sharon Jones Deep within the soul Lightspeed Champion Life in living colour Grace Woodroofe State of love and grace

Also inside: Regu rgitator + New Fou nd Glory + The Holidays + The Foreign Ob j ec ts

ANDREW MCMANUS PRESENTS

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No. 53

Reverb Magazine is locally owned & published by The Lockup Garage.

Printed by Spotpress, Marrickville: sales@spotpress.com.au

index

contents

Giveaways News Tool Sharon Jones Regurgitator CD reviews Grace Woodroofe Lightspeed Champion Peats Ridge Festival Gig guide New Found Glory The Holidays Mental Health in Music The Foreign Objects Fashion Raw FM Cartoon Live reviews Motoring Gaming Film reviews DVD reviews

8 8-15 16-17 18 19 20-21 22 23 26 27-29 31 31 32 32 34-35 37 37 38-39 40 41 42 43

Metallica

editor’s letter

Credits

Last issue of the year, and we believe we have outdone ourselves in regards to the cover.

The artist is Alex Grey, and it may look familiar because he was involved in Tool’s Lateralus and 10,000 Days artwork. Alex so kindly allowed us to use his images, and we couldn’t be more happy. Stunning and memorable, and very Tool.

On a sadder note, this will be the final issue for Hugh Milligan’s gaming reviews. Hugh is moving on to an actual ‘real’ job, where he will be earning a living from his writing.

Hugh’s support and contribution to Reverb over the past number of years is extremely appreciated, and we wish him all the best as he heads into the world of journalism.

Editor

Senior Writers

Ben Hocking

Photographers

Editorial

Kevin Bull

Peter Douglas

Roger Killjoy

Johnny Au

kevin@reverbstreetpress.com or 0410 295 360

Hugh Milligan

Stephanie McDonald

Kevin Bull

Sub-Editor

Nick Milligan

Kath O’Hara

Troy Constable

Sales, Newcastle & Central Coast

Amanda Bevan

Mark Snelson

Sam Paquette

Celia Galpin

kevin@reverbstreetpress.com or 0410 295 360

Matt Petherbridge

Timmy Johnston

Much love guys, Kevin

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magazine issue #053 — December 2010

Contacts

art director

Writers

Sallie Maree Pritchard

Justin Lees

Sales, North Coast

Cam Bennett

Steve Bisset

Max Quinn

Julie Lowe

stephen@reverbstreetpress.com or 0458 559 938

Stephen Bocking

Jessica Saxton

Scarlett O’Horror

IT Manager

Marc Brant

Byron Struck

Sam Paquette

Gig guide

Kieran Ferguson

Kevin Bull

Lee Tobin

Mark Snelson

gigguide@reverbstreetpress.com.au

Josh Clements

Rachel Urquhart

cover image

Melissah Comber

Kirsty Visman

Cartoonist

Production

Courtesy of Alex Grey.

Emily Cones-Browne

Tony Jenkins

cam@reverbstreetpress.com.au

Alex Grey appears at

Sean Frazer

Rainbow Serpent

Adelaide French

Postal address

festival, January 21-24.

James Gallagher

PO Box 843, Woy Woy NSW 2256

Vist alexgrey.com.

Mark Henderson

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Giveaways

MARTHA WAINWRIGHT to GRACE LIZOTTE’S AND BANGALOW

The inimitable Martha Wainwright is returning to her enthusiastic Australian fans next February 2011 with her fiery and breathtaking music. This series of shows will feature the Brooklyn-based chanteuse in a newly conceptualised performance that pulls together songs from her own musical repertoire of several albums and EPs, as well as that of her critically acclaimed tribute to Edith Piaf. Martha Wainwright will be performing at Lizotte’s, New Lambton Thursday, February 17 and Friday, February 18, and the A&I Hall, Bangalow, on Saturday, February 26.

just email editorial@reverbstreetpress.com.au First come, first served

5 copies

Five copies of He Will Have His Way: The Songs of Tim & Neil Finn CD.

SMELLS LIKE WEIRD AL

2 double passes

Two double passes to Subsonic Music Festival, Barrington Tops, December 3-5.

zz top

ZZ TOP TO PLAY NEWCASTLE AND BLUESFEST

1 double pass

Double pass to Crazy P Soundsystem at Lalaland in Byron Bay on Tuesday, December 28.

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magazine issue #053 — December 2010

Wi t h a n i mag e t ha t has re ma i ne d unchanged for decades, ZZ Top are returning to Australia for the first time in over 10 years. ZZ Top are genuine roots musicians.

Billy F Gibbons is one of America’s finest blues guitarists while Dusty Hill on bass and Frank Beard — who, strangely enough, is the only member without a beard — on drums provide the ultimate rhythm section support. In addition to their appearance at the Byron Bay Blues Festival, ZZ Top, along with Rose Tattoo and The Poor, will be performing at Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Wednesday, April 20.

Having amassed 28 gold and platinum albums, seven gold and platinum-certified home videos and three Grammy awards (with 12 nominations), Weird Al Yankovic is the undisputed king of pop culture parody.

Whether you’re Michael Jackson, Madonna or Nirvana — no one is safe. The man returns to the Newcastle Civic Theatre, Thursday March 17, 2011.

DISTURBED AT N.E.C.

Heavy metal icons Disturbed will be returning for their massive ‘Music as a Weapon’ 2011 tour, ready to annihilate arena stages in Australia and New Zealand this April. Since the band’s formation fifteen years ago, Disturbed have had three platinum albums in Australia and a strong fourth contender in their latest offering, Asylum. To add to the mayhem, axe wielding metal band Trivium and metalcore ensemble, As I Lay Dying, will join Disturbed at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Thursday, April 28.

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ALAN JACKSON

(USA)

MIRANDA LAMBERT (USA)

JOE NICHOLS (USA) • JACK INGRAM (USA) TROY CASSAR-DALEY

EMERSON DRIVE (CANADA) • THE McCLYMONTS JASMINE RAE • BUXTON HUGHES (USA) RUSSELL MORRIS • O’SHEA (USA) • DEAN BRODY (CANADA) JONAH’S ROAD • PETER McWHIRTER DIANNA CORCORAN • MIKE CARR & SPRINGFIELD • VICTORIA BAILLIE MARK WELLS• BUSBY MAROU • McALISTER KEMP THE WILSON PICKERS • HARMONY JAMES • LIAM BREW MARKUS MEIER • JAYNE DENHAM • STEPHANIE BROWNLEE

AND SPECIAL GUEST TO BE ANNOUNCED!

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BLUEJUICE AND PHILADELPHIA GRAND JURY to SIZZLE once more

During Sizzling 2010, Bluejuice’s last regional summer sojourn, the band had such a good time developing their forearm tans, hiding from giant cockroaches, and staring drunkenly at the ocean, that they’ve decided to do it all again — this time with their equally sun-starved friends, Philadelphia Grand Jury and Purple Sneakers DJs. The Sizzling 2011 caravan will traverse the eastern states — arriving at Yamba Bowling Club, Monday January 3, 2011; Ballina RSL, Tuesday January 4; Coolangatta Hotel, Thursday January 6; Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay, Friday January 7; Hoey Moey Hotel, Coffs Harbour, Saturday January 8; South West Rocks Country Club, Sunday January 9; Port Macquarie Panthers, Tuesday January 11; Tilligerry RSL, Tanilba Bay, Wednesday January 12; Woodport Inn, Errina, Thursday January 13; Newcastle Panthers, Friday January 14.

joe cocker

JOE COCKER UNCHAINS HIS HEART IN THE HUNTER Bluejuice

Get ready for double trouble when Joe Cocker returns to Australia in February, accompanied by his special guests, the master of the slide guitar, and truly bad-tothe-bone, George Thorogood and his Destroyers. This is a dream team pairing of gritty R&B, blues and soul legends. Australia’s own blues/soul/rock master Diesel joins the bill, as does our first country rock/roots band, The Dingoes - who have reunited after 30 years with the album Tracks, an induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame and a return to the road. Joe Cocker, George Thorogood, Diesel and The Dingoes perform at Bimbadgen Estate, Hunter Valley Saturday, February 12.

arrested development

MR WENDaL COMES TO COOLangatta

Arrested Development, two-time Grammy winners, have re-united and are heading to our shores. The eight-piece band’s music shook the bootys, hearts and minds of listeners across the planet with hits like ‘Mr Wendal’, ‘Everyday People’ and ‘Tennessee’ along the way to selling five million albums.

Fronted by the charismatic Speech, Arrested Development are known for rockin’ samples, live instruments, bold scratching, organic sounds and amazing vocals to form their unique and irresistible blend of hip-hop. Arrested Development will be performing at the Coolangatta Hotel, Wednesday January 5.

JIMMY BARNES TASTES CASSEGRAIN WINES

After a highly successful recent Hunter Valley gig, Jimmy Barnes heads north to do it all again amongst the vineyards. With Noiseworks and Thirsty Merc in tow, Jimmy Barnes and the aptly named ‘Red Hot Summer’ Tour plays Cassegrain Wines, Port Maquarie, Saturday January 29.

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magazine issue #053 — December 2010

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(HED)PE

(HED)pe AT THE CAMBRIDGE

carmen townsend

WAITIN’ FOR CARMEN TOWNSEND

After fifteen years earning her keep in rock bands all across Canada, Carmen Townsend returned to the ocean and her home in Cape Breton to nurture her own sound. Using all the experience she gained playing in bands in big cities, Townsend has evolved into an unrivalled artist in her own right. This livewire rocker’s cutting-edge sound encompasses a remarkably acrobatic vocal talent, a mesmerising stage presence and a unique guitar style. Townsend has been touring Canada relentlessly for the last three years, tightening up licks in preparation for the release of her long anticipated debut record, Waitin’ and Seein’. Catch Carmen Townsend at the Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle, Wednesday December 15; Coolangatta Hotel, Thursday December 16 (w/ The Fumes); Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay, Saturday December 18 (w/ The Fumes); the Peats Ridge Festival, Friday December 31.

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US hardcore pioneers (HED)PE, with a career spanning more than a decade plus seven studio albums under their belt, are still moving at full speed. October saw the release of album number eight, and arguably their best work yet, Truth Rising. Now the heavyweights have announced that they will be arriving to our shores in January to present Truth Rising to their Australian fans.

(HED)pe will perform at the Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle, Sunday January 30.

A VERY HOODOO CHRISTMAS

Santa may care if you’ve been bad, but The Hoodoo Emporium sure as hell don’t. Don your best cocktail outfits and head out to the Great Northern Hotel, Wednesday December 22, where there will be a little Christmas gift for y’all. You’re allowed to open it early, in fact you may even get some help to unwrap it! It’s a night of burlesque, rock ‘n’ roll and good spirits. Music with be provided

by Mojo Juju & The Snake Oil Merchants, Kira Puru & The Bruise, Frankie Valentine, Papillion and Lillian Starr. Tickets are $15, doors open 8:30pm.

the pixiekills

YADA YADA XMAS PARTY

Yada Yada steps into Christmas mode and the present is the biggest line-up so far.

You will get five bands, and an earlier 6pm start to cater for all the extras. The bands on the night will be Barrelhouse, The

Foreign Objects, The Pixiekills, The Bikinis, and The Josephine March. Yada Yada will be at Port Macquarie Panthers, Wednesday December 22 between 6pm and 10pm. Tickets are $10.

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LIVE MUSIC

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BLUE MOUNTAINS FOLK FESTIVAL announces JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE

The Blue Mountains Folk Festival is roaring towards number 16, and has just released the initial line-up. Justin Townes Earle and Luka Bloom are headlining a bill that includes internationals Crooked Still, Martin Simpson, The Cottars, Rosie Flores, Les Chauffers á Pieds, Kieran Halpin and Christof. The Australian contenders include The Waifs, Katie Noonan and the Captains, The Backsliders, The Little Stevies, The Spooky Mens’ Chorale, David Bridie, Mama Kin, Graveyard Train, Bob Corbett & The Roo Grass Band, Tin Pan Orange, Halfway To Forth, Skorba, and Slava & Leonard Grigoryan. Blues pioneers Chain and the Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band bring back the 70s, while adding to the humour will be Fiona Scott-Norman’s comedy hit one-hander ‘The Needle and the Damage Done’, which mercilessly pillories the worst records ever made, and their album covers.

Tickets are on sale from www.bmff.org.au. justin townes earle

SUMMER VIBES AND THEE OH SEE

Summer Vibes is the perfect setting for a summer day in the sun. It’s a chance for you to hang outside eating woodfire pizza, have a quick game of bowls, bocci or epic giant chess all while drinking the cheapest beers.

Or, if that doesn’t tickle your fancy, you can relax inside along to tunes from some of the greatest underground bands from Australia and the wider world. There’s everything from indie rock and garage punk, to witch haus and avant pop. The line-up includes Thee Oh Sees, Straight Arrows, Kitchen’s Floor, Kirin J Callinan, Total Control, Bare Grillz, Horse Macgyver, Alps, Stitched Vision, Assassins 88, In The Dollhouse, Spew Ya Guts Up, The Nugs, Paul Heslin, Pollyfox & the Union of the Most Ghosts.

Summer Vibes happens at the Croatian Wickham Sports Club, Newcastle, Sunday January 16. The price for all this — $15 early bird tix, $25 general.

rapskallion

RAPSKALLION returnS to HIT the EAST COAST

With fire in their bellies and confetti in their pockets, Rapskallion have swashbuckled their way back from Europe to seduce you with their own brand of wild junkyard waltzes, take me tangos, rambunctious punk rock polkas and old world romance. ‘When the Wine Kicks In’ rolls in to The Rhythm Hut, Gosford, Sunday, December 12; Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Islington, Thursday, December 16; Finnian’s Tavern, Port Macquarie, Friday, December 17; Diggers Tavern, Bellingen, Saturday, December 18; The Lennox Hotel, Thursday, December 23; The Rails, Byron Bay, Wednesday, December 29; Sheoak Shack, Fingal Head, Thursday, January 6; The Brewery, Byron Bay, Saturday, January 8.

STUDIOS 301 GIVING away RECORDING TIME

From now until the end of 2010, Studios 301 Byron Bay is giving away a free day with every day that is booked — that’s two for the price of one. And as a special offer to Reverb readers they are also throwing in Paul Pilsnenik’s engineering time and accommodation at no extra charge. In recent times Paul has worked with The Mars Volta, Powderfinger, Grinspoon and Boy & Bear at 301 and he is always looking to work with new acts. For more info, contact Paul on (02) 6680 8899 , infobyron@studios301.com, or visit www.studios301.com.

GET LOADED 2010

All you under-18s rejoice, for the annual end-of-year Loaded Festival is upon us once again. Line-up includes After The Fall, Alice Vs Everything, Urban Freeflow, The Paradox Unseen, Grace Turner, The Tillegra Damned, Cumlungz, Juicehead, DJ Ntaprize, K Square, Elisa Kate, The Kerrigans, Nick Fillis, Todd Bartlett, Spencer Scott, Jono Collard, NC Boys and Jharna Williams. Loaded is on at the Loft Youth Centre, Newcastle, Friday December 17, from 5.45-10pm. It’s $10 and all-ages.

BOB MARLEY TRIBUTE

Who doesn’t get into Bob Marley? Not many, we think, so a night at the Cambridge where you get to bliss out to his music can’t be a bad thing. Providing the reggae sounds for the night will be Sydney’s The Strides, who have been compared to Fat Freddy’s Drop and the Cat Empire, yet have something of their own in grooves that will transport you to another place. The Bob Marley Tribute show is at the Cambridge Hotel, Saturday December 4.

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PEATS RIDGE confirms FULL Line-up, DOUBLES THE number of TOILETS

jason collett

COLLETT WITHOUT THE SCENE

They say that life begins at 40, but in the case of Jason Collett, that’s not just some overly optimistic bumper sticker slogan. To many indie-rock fans, Jason Collett is the wise, big-brother character in Broken Social Scene: the calm, cool, collected totem of stability in a band defined by drama and chaos — “our Tom Petty figure,” as BSS figurehead Kevin Drew once (half-jokingly) dubbed him. Visiting our fair shores for the first time as a solo artist this coming December/January with local heroes Dead Letter Chorus, audiences will be treated to their first taste of Collett outside the prism of Broken Social Scene. Jason Collett, Zeus and Dead Letter Chorus will be performing at the Great Northern Hotel, Wednesday January 12. Collett and Zues will also be performing at the Peats Ridge Festival.

kyuss lives!

KYUSS LIVES AGAIN

John Garcia, Brant Bjork and Nick Oliveri are reuniting Kyuss and are set to unleash their fury across Australia in 2011. Kyuss, forming in 1989, broke up just three months after releasing what was arguably their breakthrough album …And The Circus Leaves Town. The band has been on an

indefinite hiatus ever since, and has gone on to reach legendary status - influencing thousands of rock bands all over the world.

They are coming to Australia in May, 2011, to fuck shit up and fuck you up. Consider the rest history. KYUSS LIVES! Catch the legend of Kyuss, at the Coolangatta Hotel, Wednesday May 4; Luna Park Big Top, Sydney, Saturday May 7.

Peats Ridge Festival is only a month away, and the organisers have unveiled the full line-up, their arts programme, and their toilets. Peats Ridge have announced that the number of toilets and showers has been doubled and there will be eight dedicated dunny cleaners keeping those seats polished.

Recent additions to the already bulging artist list include: Itch-E and Scratch-E, Hungry Kids Of Hungary, Ernest Ellis, Deep Sea Arcade, Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire!, The Liberators featuring Afro Moses, Laneous & the Family Yah, Gossling, Barrel House, Daniel Lee Kendall, Ryan Meeking, Matt Corby, Claude Hay and Amy Vee. A highlight of Peats Ridge for all festival goers is the provocative and tantalising arts programme. The 2010 program is set to be their biggest to date. Exuberant captivating installations and performance art, dance, cabaret, theatre, and much, much more! Peats Ridge Festival runs from December 29, 2010, to January 1, 2011, at Glenworth Valley. For full line-up, head to peatsridgefestival.com.au.

THE ‘GURGE FOR NYE

Australian indie rock sensation Regurgitator will headline with Bag Raiders at The Queens Wharf Brewery’s incredible New Year’s Eve spectacular this year. The time warp between 2010 and 2011 at The Brewery will see revellers step out of life and into an alternate landscape of old-world carnival in which anything is possible. It will be a night of music, sideshow acts and burlesque entertainers in an atmosphere of twists and turns. In addition to Regurgitator and Bag Raiders, The Brewery’s awesome line-up will also feature Urthboy, Van She Tech, Cassian, and local bands Nova and the Experience, plus Backbeat. General admission is $50 +BF.

BEAUTIFUL GIRLS IN THE SUN

Summer has become synonymous with The Beautiful Girls, and the hotter months of 2010/2011 will be no different. It’s their favourite season and the best time to hit the road and reconnect with the home turf.

Having just released ‘My Mind is an Echo Chamber’, the third single off the Spooks album, The Beautiful Girls plus The Chemist will be performing at the Entrance Leagues Club, Bateau Bay, Friday January 7; Yamba Bowling Club, Saturday January 8; Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay, Wednesday January 12 and Thursday January 13; Coolangatta Hotel, Friday January 14.

CHRIS MALLORY RELEASES EP FOR GREGORY

Chris Mallory, of the Gold Coast, will launch his debut EP, For Gregory, in a series of pre-Christmas gigs from Brisbane to Byron Bay. For Gregory takes snippets from Mallory’s life and presents a contemporary juxtaposition of a traveller’s life, crazy little crushes, lost love and dealing with loss.

Catch Chris Mallory at The Treehouse, Byron Bay, Saturday December 11.

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image courtesy of alex grey

Stephanie McDonald attempts to unravel the complicated world of Tool, where ego, musical genius and band politics jostle for position as the star attraction. What she uncovers is beauty, marriage and managing expectations.

Like Joel Monaghan from the Canberra Raiders, drummer Danny Carey from Tool has his own unfortunate dog story. Luckily for Carey, his story isn’t as sordid, although it does involve some wheelbarrow dog action.

“I was just trying to lift my dog up — trying to wheelbarrow him up onto the bed. Right when I was trying to pull, my arm was kind of turned at a strange angle and he jumped,”

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magazine issue #053 — December 2010

Carey says. That innocent little jump caused a torn right bicep. “It was a really strange feeling where it turned into a big ball in the middle of my arm and I thought, ‘that would be kind of cool, if my arm wasn’t like Popeye or something’,” he laughs. He has since found a more efficient way of getting his boxer onto the bed. Five weeks off and he was as good as new.

This isn’t the only animal-related injury Carey has experienced, with his life delving into the weird when he required two surgeries on his hand after a run-in with an “aquatic critter” while he was on holidays in Hawaii.

Carey would quite possibly make an interesting case study for a wildlife-gonewrong documentary. But don’t be expecting that any time soon — Tool is one of the

biggest bands in the world and has some new music on the way.

Tool is a dark and mysterious band, constantly building on the group’s ambiguity.

This is only reinforced by frontman Maynard Keenan’s presence on stage — he loiters near the back of the stage, his face shrouded by ominous lighting. Fans speculate why he’s not front and centre — does he have

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“ I’d rather try to create something that leaves a mark of beauty. I think 10,000 Days did accomplish that a little more so than some of our other records” a facial disfigurement? Is he just really shy?

Maybe it’s this mysteriousness which has generated such fervent and loyal fans who dissect every song and word uttered by the band. Saying fans love Tool is an understate­ ment — they live and breathe Tool.

Keenan stirs the speculation pot often.

He was once quoted as saying being in Tool is “like [having] 60,000 meetings before we can even say that we’re pretty sure that we might have a meeting to discuss the possibility of having a meeting to talk about maybe possibly getting in and having a discussion about possibly getting in and starting to write about some stuff.” One fan responded with, “My guess is that what Maynard is framing as ‘politics’ is really the whole group trying to process Maynard’s current commercial-focused ego display and severely diminished artistry,” with another saying “I feel kind of like he’s just playing head games with his fans because he can.”

How does Tool feel about fans talking about the band like this? “Everybody has a voice about things now. I don’t know. I couldn’t even respond to stuff like that,” Carey laughs.

He pauses, “It just seems insane to me. We all have our lives that are lived outside of Tool and our goals, for the most part, are still pretty focused.” Guitarist Adam Jones is also supportive of his bandmate, “I think people read too far into it. We each have our own lives. Maynard is very ambitious in doing a lot of stuff outside of the band, and that’s fine.

It is what it is. It’s always been like that.”

It’s easy to see how things could become so complicated in Tool with the different personalities. Carey is affable, pleasant and conversational on the phone. When he says his life changed when he was able to quit his day job and I tell him I recently did the same, he says ‘congratulations’ with warmth.

On the other hand, Jones is a tough cookie.

He’s been burnt by a journalist before (someone recorded an interview for print and later played it on radio) and he seems guarded. He answers some questions with just a few words, as though he really doesn’t want to be talking right now, let alone talking to a journalist. Maybe it’s the bad phone connection, maybe he was just having an off day, but Jones sounds irritated.

When asked about his interest in taxidermy (Jones reportedly has 30 mounted fourhorned sheep, birds, fish, a moose, a bear, an elk and goats), he seems unwilling to explore the topic. He eventually tells me he’s loved animals since he was a kid and no, he doesn’t stuff his own animals. Jones does, though, apologise at the end of the interview for not being able to hear me properly.

In their 20-year career, Tool has only released four full-length albums and an EP — Opiate, debut Undertow, Grammy award-winning Ænima, Lateralus and 10,000 Days. Carey has said recording albums were cathartic for all the band in some way, but these days, Tool’s music is less about releasing tension and anxiety and more about beauty. “I’d rather try to create something that leaves a mark of beauty. I think 10,000 Days did

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accomplish that a little more so than some of our other records,” he says. “I just think the vibe of the compositions and the songs [were] a little more cohesive and the place where the four of us met where we were communicating — that was a little more toward that direction than just venting.”

For Carey, ‘Jambi’ from 10,000 Days was the point of departure towards something more melodic. “Some of the songs [on 10,000 Days] were lending themselves to that real melodic and polyrhythmic sort of feel.

TOol albums Undertow, released in 1993, stamped ground in the grunge movement when kids were creaming themselves with bands like Pearl Jam and Nirvana. ‘Metal is still relevant’, it screamed with a raw intensity.

Three years later, Ænima earnt the band a Grammy award. It still had a foot firmly planted in its metal roots, but it also started to edge towards a rock domain and something more accessible.

Album number three, Lateralus, is like being pummelled by a wall of sound – every note is used to provoke some sort of emotion in the listener. It also saw Keenan explore touches of vulnerability in his voice.

10,000 Days again moved in a different direction. There was still that dark mood reminiscent of previous Tool, but there was also more melody, more introspection and less anger. It’s one of the harder albums to listen to — it demands full attention and control of your thoughts.

I was always sort of proud of [‘Jambi’] because when I heard it, I thought this was a song nobody else could do except our band because it sounded really unique.”

Tool is currently meeting weekly to jam for a new record. As usual, the band is coy about what fans can expect, but they are currently building on four or five “frameworks”. “We’re still just trying to feel it out — that’s part of the process after we take a long break and go do all our own projects and kind of do sabbaticals, I guess. It’s kind of a challenge to see where we do meet again when the four of us get in a room together, so we’re just kind of sussing it out and seeing where it takes us,” Carey says. Jones reveals the band is playing around with different time signatures and riffs, with the songwriting process the same — Carey, Jones and Chancellor writing the base music, with Keenan coming in last to write the melody and lyrics.

It can be hard to picture Tool as men in their late 40s and nearing their 50s. Growing older has changed the band — the angry angst of their youth has been left behind for something deeper. “I think it’s a different kind of intensity that you get when you get more mature. We still thrive on heavy music and stuff, but something that’s just heavy can get really one-dimensional really fast — it becomes kind of a bore,” Carey says.

Is the band less hungry for the unknown because they’ve been around for so long and know so much more than when they started? “The pursuit of the unknown and finding new ways to communicate with each other is just as unknown a thing at this point, because that’s what we’re striving for

now and that’s what the first step of every album process is,” Carey says. “I think if anything your deepest fear would be to repeat yourself — for us anyway, because I don’t want the band to end and if we made the same record, that’s the end of Tool and we won’t release it.”

“The perspective has always been going into a rehearsal studio with three guys, four guys, jamming riffs and writing songs and not worrying about the commercial aspects or what’s trendy and popular or what’s gonna sell,” Jones says. “We’re four guys that are kind of married to each other and we’ve gotten to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and pros and cons through that marriage. It’s just a growing relationship.”

That marriage is also important to Carey — music (and Tool) is a voice for him. “It would just be a big void in my life [if I didn’t have it]. I’d feel much more lonely on the planet — that’s for sure, because for me it’s one of the most important ways I communicate with other human beings in this realm. Without that, I would feel kind of isolated,” he says.

If he were to lose his hearing, Carey says the Beethoven route of composing music would be a far off option. Instead, he’d replace it with another creative pursuit, like painting or sculpting. “You always have to find a creative outlet if there’s creative ideas flowing. Necessity is the mother of invention, I guess, in that way,” he says.

Jones has already picked up art as a side passion — he currently has a painting in the Sloan Fine Art gallery in New York. He was also taught violin when he was young via the Suzuki method, which is learning by ear — you listen to a song over and over until you memorise how it is meant to sound. This early introduction to learning by ear — and through his father teaching him guitar by ear — had a strong influence on Jones. He still listens to classical and is open-minded about music — even when it comes to pop and hip-hop (he says he learnt about mixing and the ‘structure’ of music from hip-hop).

“With all the stigmatism [of music like pop and hip-hop], I think people get really jaded and push off a lot of stuff they could find really interesting. Even if it’s something really poppy and soulless and purely made for money, I’ll still listen to it and try to get something out of it,” Jones says.

Is it easy to be cynical about pop music and dismiss it as soulless and therefore not worthy of being listened to? “It’s just a different perspective, and it’s always been around,” Jones says. “I just think our society is about instant gratification and I don’t think people really appreciate stuff anymore. You can just look up anything and get an answer to anything. I think that really desensitises your creativity. Talk about a cynical, political outlook,” he laughs.

“It’s really frightening and really great at the same time. I’m interested to see what happens now.”

Tool will be performing at Big Day Out 2011; Gold Coast, Sunday January 23; Sydney, Wednesday January 26 and Thursday January 27.

reverb magazine issue #053 — December 2010 17

sharon jones

Soul Sacrifice Sharon Jones and her group, The Dap-Kings, single-handedly revived the purity of soul music with their debut record in 2002. The owner of a remarkable voice, Sharon Jones tells Nick Milligan why nobody should ever tell her how to sing.

Synonomous with soul, Sharon Jones is one of the sassiest ladies in modern music.

Emerging in the mid-90s as a session singer, the New York native has pioneered a soul and RnB revival with her band The DapKings. Jones caught the ear of musicians Gabriel Roth and Philip Lehman, when she laid down some backing vocals for an album they were piecing together. The duo were so impressed with her voice that they asked her to sing lead vocals on a number of tracks, many of which were intended for a man. In 2000, Roth split from his writing and producing partnership with Lehman and started Daptone Records. He would form his own group called The Dap-Kings, playing bass guitar, and asked Jones to be his leading lady.

Ten years later, Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings are a big deal. Jones has toured with Lou Reed, as well as recording with Michael Bublé, David Byrne and Norman “Fatboy Slim” Cook. British producer Mark

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magazine issue #053 — December 2010

Ronson asked The Dap-Kings to be Amy Winehouse’s studio band on her hit record Back In Black, recording on songs like Rehab.

But Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings have crept into the mainstream due to the purity and sincerity of their music. Next month they will make their fourth trip to Australia.

“This will be the fourth time for me and the Dap-Kings, but it’ll maybe be my fifth time because I came out with Lou Reed,” says Jones, who is enjoying some down time at home before her group returns to Australian shores. The singer loves to see audiences dancing to soul music on the other side of the world. “I think that’s what makes it so exciting,” enthuses Jones. “Of course, we [tour] in the States and people know us. But when we come to Australia, all I keep hearing is, ‘We don’t get this music here all the time.’

“I can see that on your faces. The people that love the soul music and the RnB that we’re putting out, when we see their reactions, that’s what really gets me. Over here, you can

turn on your radio and hear it. But you guys only get to see it every once in a while.”

Jones explains that the reason for soul music’s continued popularity is simple.

“It’s just good music and good lyrics,” says the singer. “This hip-hop over here — everything sounds the same. Everyone’s vocals come out the same — if you close your eyes you don’t know who’s singing what.

Everything has the same beat — in soul music there’s variety. You can take a song that’s bad and make it sound good. You can change the attitude of a song. Our music reaches the heart. You can feel what we’re talking about. We’ve got instruments. If you come to a [Dap-Kings] show you don’t see a bunch of smoke and lights and dancers running across the stage. That’s great if that’s what you want to do, but our show is just music.

You play on that stage and you look in people’s eyes and you give them a show.”

What’s clear from listening to the music of The Dap-Kings, from their 2002 debut

Dap Dippin’ with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings to their recent fourth record, I Learned The Hard Way, is that the group makes no attempt to update or dilute the soul sounds of old. “We don’t want to modernise it — we want to do it straight up, just like it was back then,” confirms Jones. “That’s why we don’t have anything digital in our studio.

Everything is done on analogue, reel-to-reel.”

Without any major label backing, Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings have taken the world by storm. They also opened the door for a new wave of soul, funk and RnB groups. “Any other soul band on any other independent label that’s doing soul — that’s been out since 1996 — came after us. You understand what I’m sayin’? They got the idea from us — they listened to us and we inspired them, whether they say it or not. There’s that recognition from Mark [Ronson] and Amy [Winehouse] — even Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed or Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.”

An interesting aspect of The Dap-Kings is that Jones doesn’t write the lyrics. “On this last album [I Learned The Hard Way] we all participated, but basically the guys write,” explains Jones. “On the first couple of albums Gabe Roth wrote most of those songs, but now everyone’s kicking in, writing songs. Me, I get my bit by singing them. I look at them, I take the lyrics. I usually come up with certain melodies and change words around.”

Jones isn’t surprised that the men in The Dap-Kings can write such effective lyrics for a woman, because they’ve grown up listening to female singers and the recurring lyrical themes of strength and sacrifice. “We all sit down and listen to old soul music — the guys in the band go around collecting old 45s and albums,” says Jones. “When we’re writing, that’s what we listen to. By listening to it, they know how to write it.”

While Jones enjoys interpreting the lyrics of others, she draws the line at being told how to sing. The singer tells an anecdote where Gabriel Roth approached her in the studio with a fully recorded demo of a new song, including backing harmonies and vocal harmonies. Jones promptly put him in his place, explaining that nobody can tell her how to sing. “I said, ‘What the hell is this? Excuse me. You going to come in here and teach me a melody?’” recalls Jones.

Roth returned to the rest of the band with his tail between his legs. “None of them could come up to me and tell me to sing [a song] a certain way — they don’t know how to sing soul,” says Jones. “I tell them, ‘You just throw an idea at me and I’ve got it from there — you’ve gotta let me go with it.’ If you try to teach me how to sing a song, and tell me how to sing it, I can’t do it.”

When David Byrne and Fatboy Slim were working on their concept record Here Lies Love, they asked Jones to sing on a track called ‘Dancing Together’. Jones agreed, but only if she could do the vocals her way.

“When David Byrne and those cats asked me to do something on their album, they had a sort of idea of what they wanted,” says Jones. “But I’m not a pop singer — if you want me to sing on your song then let me sing it and be me. If you want a pop singer, get a pop singer. I’ve worked hard all these years and I’ve built myself to a point. If someone calls me to do something, call me to do something for who I am. Don’t try to make me something else.”

Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings play the Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay, Wednesday December 1; Enmore Theatre, Sydney, Friday December 3; Festival Of The Sun, Port Macquarie, Friday December 10.

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r e g u r g i tato r

Regurgitator will embark on tour this month and are also in the line-up for the Festival of the Sun in December. What else have you been up to lately?

We recently did a single/EP kind of thing which we have released for this tour. We’ve been making some films to go with our live shows too, and after this tour we plan on recording some stuff for people to download online. We’re just taking it one step at a time at the moment. We’ve decided we won’t be releasing our music the traditional way this time, we’ll be releasing songs either individually or just a few at a time via the web.

We are going to London to do a show in November and hopefully we will be touring in Asia in late November as well. We are doing a few festivals but are really hopeful to do some overseas touring, too.

You guys were assigned to write a musical score for a Japanese film/comic, Akira. I can imagine this wouldn’t have been a challenge to be been taken lightly?

Well, a friend of mine who is a promoter had this idea to do a graphic comic festival and asked if I would be interested in taking part. I jumped at the chance because Akira has always been one of my favourite comic books and the film is really inspiring as well.

It was a bit daunting though, working on a film that already had such a fantastic soundtrack. We had to present a different version of the film and soundtrack which was quite interesting, it made the film really different with the changes in heaviness that we had made to the tracks. We were really happy with the way it came out.

only printed twenty copies which we sold at our one gig, but I enjoyed that juvenile sense to it, we didn’t sit down and meticulously try and make it sound perfect.

Does everyone do their part when it comes to writing songs?

Yes, usually we’ll write the songs individually, though. The good thing about our band is, we all help produce each other. Quan will usually write a song which will be his baby, I’ll throw in an idea of how I think it should go and then we will guide each other through the process until we’re all happy with it.

Strange Distractions Regurgitator aren’t just your ordinary experimental pop band from the sunny side of Brisbane. They’re writing musical scores, creating films… they’ve even written a record in the confines of a glass bubble! Sean Frazer speaks to Ben Ely about their new EP, Distractions, and their sideways look at music.

Do you feel that your previous side projects have helped widen your ideas when it has come to writing Regurgitator tracks?

Yes, definitely. Working with other people has really helped when inspiring new ideas. It has helped us focus and realise what Regurgitator songs really are.

Regurgitator play Festival of the Sun, Port Macquarie, Friday December 10, and Queens Wharf Brewery, Newcastle, Friday December 31.

In 1994, you got together and created Regurgitator. What can you tell me about the formation and beginning of the band?

We were all in other bands, there was a lot of heavy, guitar-orientated bands floating around at the time and we all wanted to start something really different. I met Quan on a bus in Brisbane and we really hit it off.

It turned out that he only lived down the street from me, which was really convenient. It started out being a lot of fun, we started mucking around on a four-track recording machine in his basement, and it spurred on from there.

Regurgitator have been known as the band that recorded an entire album locked inside a glass bubble located in Federation Square, Melbourne. Apart from recording a new album, what was the focus behind recording in such an exposed way?

At times it felt like a circus. It was really intense, such a crazy time, but looking back on it now I really feel fondly about it.

Initially the idea of it was to do a street art performance and try to challenge the way that music is made. For us, getting to the point where we could make this idea a material reality of having a structure like that built, you need lots of money, that’s where the support of Channel V really helped. Some people liked it and some people criticised it.

That’s the fun thing with our band, we like experiencing and experimenting with new and different things, keeping it interesting and pushing ourselves to newer levels.

I could talk to you for weeks about our experience in the bubble.

How did you deal with the pressure of writing a record in such a strict amount of time?

I think we dealt with it quite well. It allowed us to be a little more free without being too precious about it. I recorded an album with a friend last year, we just hired a band space and set up a tape machine. We said to ourselves “we’re just going to write and record an album in two days” and we did it. We Find us on Facebook

reverb magazine issue #053 — December 2010 19

album Reviews Feature albums

The WalkmEn

Love Parade

Fat Possum/Bella Union

Half a cow/deathrow

4/5

3.5/5

Lisbon

Lisbon is the perfect soundtrack for a night drowning your sorrows in a lousy bar… but only if you’re lucky, and only if the love you’d lost was a grand one. The Walkmen’s sixth studio offering is gentle, awkward, educated and desperate. The familiar drunken-gypsy theatrics are there, but in a crisper, slicker incarnation.

Stripped of lo-fi indie noise, vocalist Hamilton Leithauser could have been revealed as a fraud — but he isn’t.

Layers of different instruments, from tambourines and violins to a perambulating brass band, may have been too theatrical to stomach without Leithauser’s vocals. Rambling, rich and reminiscent of Bob Dylan, the vocals warmly wrap whatever halting tempo changes or music history references the band can produce.

Two years in the making, the influence of engineers who worked with bands like Tokyo Police Club and Les Savy Fav is clear, and positive. The Walkmen’s sound is in no way compromised by cleaner production, their characteristic sweet desperation and whimsy still appears in ‘Stranded’ and ‘All My Great Designs’. But it’s tracks like ‘Angela Surf City’ and ‘Woe is Me’ where the most fun is to be had.

Lisbon slams down a confident signature sound and demands another round of just the right amount of past influence.

This album achieves that to which what most bands aspire — to take the best parts of their musical influences and, without replicating them, take them somewhere worthy and new. ~Rachel Urquhart

Neil Young Le Noise Reprise/WEA

4/5

With a guitar, voice and a range of effects and layers of sound, Neil Young continues to defy expectation on Le Noise. His lyrics are less oblique than in the past, ‘Walk With Me’ is a simple request for his wife to do just that, but the voice is as timeless as it’s ever been, the melodies and guitar work ragged yet gloriously so.

The past is ever present, both lyrically and in the production which brings to mind the sound of his work on the Dead Man soundtrack, with jagged chunks of electric guitar dominating the aural landscape. ‘Love and War’, one of two acoustic numbers, catalogues both his life and the themes of so much of his best work.

It’s not a flawless album, some of the effects and loops feel more about style over substance, something Young has been accused of many times before, but it’s a rich rewarding album deep in a rich and rewarding career. ~Roger Killjoy

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magazine issue #053 — December 2010

A Strawberry Situation

Sydney (and sometimes Newcastle) band Love Parade are offering the fruits of their labour ahead of their debut album, giving a taste of what’s to come with new EP, A Strawberry Situation. Taking vocal cues from Split Enz co-founder Phil Judd, front man Nathan Jolly is manic and love-struck on opening track, ‘It’s Happening Again’ and the warbling, downward spiral of ‘Come Alive’.

There’s something really irrepressible about these guys as ‘Strangers with Secrets’ slams forward with the groovy, driving rhythmic combination of Rhys McGowan (drums) and Ben Law (bass).

‘Pink Shoes’ is a poppy little ditty that zips out in under two minutes, with such a great, telling lyric, “All that glitters/Will make your friends bitter/You know it’s true”. Keyboards are the focal point of Love Parade’s sound and most songs are dominated by the much-loved keyboard sounds of the 60s, as James Law masterminds an electric Rhodes, a Mellotron and sometimes just a plain old piano - interjecting spritely kicks and melancholic shimmers wherever he pleases. Standout track, ‘As Spring Hits the Valley’, hits a Grateful Dead nerve (they weren’t just a jam band, people!) with the mere simplicity of an acoustic guitar and a couple of tortured vocals. Their psychedelic forefathers would be so proud right now. ~Matt Petherbridge

Heartbreak Club Our Horse Is Dead independent

4/5

Teaming with producer Ed Rose (Motion City Soundtrack, The Get Up Kids) and equipped with stroppy synthesisers, Newcastle punk-poppers Heartbreak Club have crafted a bunch of sweet heartwarming punk-pop songs that frankly don’t suck! First single and opening track ‘Are You Leaving Me?’ is filled with blazing, euphoric horn stabs as front man Teddy Hernandez cries out to his old lady “don’t leave me, don’t leave me”. In a weird synchronicity, ‘Chin Up’ starts up like that new Kings of Leon song everyone hates, but goes somewhere much more interesting, sincere and hilarious as Teddy ironically pleads “You shake me, shake me much harder than a British nanny do”. It isn’t all just punk raucous though; ‘Depths Unseen’ is a throw back to the 80s with orchestrations and a tear-drop drum machine whilst ‘Jeepers’ is a plaintive acoustic ditty, urging his lover to “shed skins and make like the weather”. The strength in Heartbreak Club’s song writing is that they are focused on matching their furious energy with a level of inventiveness that most bands of similar sonic inklings would pass over. Our Horse is Dead is intelligent, ironic and self-deprecating and leaves you with a sense of immersion – the cornerstones of any great geek rock album. ~Matt Petherbridge

Bring Me The Horizon

There Is A Hell, Believe Me I Have Seen It. There Is A Heaven, Let’s Keep It A Secret Visible Noise

3.5/5

A dynamic album, flying from raw and raging heavy metal to steady, soft rock. Furiously intense tracks evolving from vicious beats, crowd chants and thick, heavy riffs; Bring Me The Horizon has made a conscious effort to include softer moments in There is a Hell…

Throughout the album are bridges featuring acoustic guitar and guest vocalists; including Josh Franceschi of You Me At Six in ‘Fuck’, Josh Scogin of The Chariot in ‘The Fox and The Wolf’ and Lights’ feminine charms in ‘Crucify Me’ and ‘Don’t Go’. Screaming vocals used in ‘Blessed With a Curse’, ring out over moments of near-silence as well as over the heavy instrumentals, breaking through the curtain of sound achieved when metal bands try to fill every second with as much noise as they can. The result is that the tracks are differ­entiable; while the album as a whole still maintains the metal-core intensity expected from Bring Me The Horizon, each track takes on a life of its own. ~Jess Saxton

Die Antwoord $O$

Interscope/Universal

1.5/5

There are two main questions around Die Antwoord at this current part in time. What strange planet do they hail from and how the hell did they manage to get a recording deal? We may not ever have the knowledge or technology to answer those questions. However, we can come to the conclusion that they are a strange form of musician the likes we have never experienced before. Viral Youtube sensation ‘Enter The Ninja’ has to be seen to truly understand Die Antwoord’s intentions.

The obscure, synthesised vocal introduction from Yolandi Visser, followed by Ninja’s hilariously solemn attempt at rapping is a true experience to behold. His use of the ecstatic Afrikaans language and poor grammatical phrasing is a prominent feature of their debut album and unfortunately it is simply painful (or comical for some) to hear. ~Josh Clements

Cee Lo Green The Lady Killers Elektra/Warner Music

4/5

Cee Lo Green’s latest solo effort, The Lady Killer, has proven to us once again why he is the epitome of cool. His beautiful funk and soul inspired vocals are perfect for the pop singles he has provided on this recording. The obvious singles include the humourously explicit ‘F**k You’ and the synthesised groove ballad ‘Bright Lights, Bigger City’. Green retains conventional 60s soul elements that add a nostalgic feel to the record, while also managing to include modern musical styles without comprehending tradition. He accentuates every facet of his bombastic vocal ability, which is most recognisable from his collaboration with Danger Mouse in Gnarls Barkley. The Lady Killer is a fun and vibrant album that will be highly engaging for most pop and mainstream audiences. ~Josh Clements

Of Montreal False Priest Polyvinyl

3.5/5

After nine studio albums I still haven’t been able to make up my mind about Of Montreal. Kevin Barnes and co have gone from twee-pop meanderings to psycho-sexual bursts of funk-inspired electronica with mixed results.

2007’s Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer, possibly the band’s most cohesive record, had its fair share of Prince-inspired bubblegumfunk but often fell short of the mark. So, with equal parts trepidation and hope, I settled in for Of Montreal’s tenth studio effort, False Priest. This time around, Barnes has gone all-out on production, courtesy of ex-Kanye West cohort John Biron, and the improvements are palpable. The sizzling treble and thick bass of the opener ‘I Feel Ya Strutter’ (the album’s standout track) continues throughout the strut-worthy ‘Coquet Coquette’ and falsetto funk of ‘Hydra Fancies’.

Biron provides a kind of hook, of sorts, to hang Barnes’ meanderings on in a way that was absent on his self-produced efforts. The problem, though, is that all of these songs appear on the first half of the album. To be fair, this is definitely the kind of dense and sometimes difficult record that is bound to reveal much, much more on subsequent listens. Although, if your not already a fan of Barnes’ idiosyncratic yet haphazard approach, you may not like what you find. ~Stephen Bissett

Fitz and the tantrums

Pickin’ Up The Pieces Dangerbird/alberts

4/5

When this slab landed on my desk it was dismissed as yet another snotty punk band with nothing much to say – well what would you expect from a band called Fitz and the Tantrums? After slipping it in to the stereo, I was given an important lesson in not judging a book by its cover as Pickin’ Up The Pieces, the LA seven-piece’s debut effort could very well pave the way for these guys to be the poster children for neo-soul.

These guys clearly come from the revisionist school of song writing. Bearing a reverence to 70s funk and Motown, you’d be forgiven for thinking these guys were firmly stuck in a time-warp but there is something about this album that makes it sound as fresh as a daisy — even if they were playing an ice-cream social in 1967. There is little to find fault with on this ten-track gem that is heavy on the Hammond, sax and “testify” type hand-clapping over cheesy guitar riffs.

Right from the boisterous horn-driven title track it’s obvious that Fitz and Co have an agenda – to grab hold of you with some infectious old school beats and melodies.

Other standouts include the soulful crooning and twinkling keys of ‘Money­ Grabber’ and the, dare I say, awesome ‘Rich Girls’. The band seems to have eschewed a slick production for a more ‘rough around the edges approach’ and this only serves to ram home this old school aesthetic. With burbling bass, blistering brass, and some courageous caterwauling from Fitz, Pickin’ Up The Pieces might just be the catchiest release of 2010. ~Stephen Bissett

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album Reviews album of the month

Short Stack

gossling

Universal

MGM

3/5

4/5

This is Bat Country

If there was one album that I wanted to listen to without knowing who the artist was, this is it. Oh, sooo much baggage. To have survived the rather ‘childish’ debut (‘In This Place’ was its only highlight), and be releasing number two, is encouraging and scary at the same time.

With such a low ‘best time’, the only way is up right? The first thing you notice is the production, so much more solid, and Diviney’s vocals are less intolerable, in fact they’ve actually grown on me. The ‘spaghetti western’ intro to ‘Bat Country’ leads in to a strong opening song, and it is pretty clear early on that this is a far maturer body of work.

The first single ‘Planets’ is a nice bridge between the two albums, it won’t lose any fans and just might grab a few interested ears.

With the joyous balladry of ‘Die Young Stay Pretty’, and the power ballad dynamics of ‘Wendy’, it makes for a rather pleasant listen.

But is it only pleasurable because it is a lot better than I expected? It’s possible, but I cannot say that this is a bad record. The kids that wrote Stack is the New Black are now young men that needed to prove a point, and with This Is Bat Country they have taken a mighty go at it. ~Kevin Bull

Jamiroquai

Rock Dust Light Star Mercury/Universal

4/5

Living up to the standards and sounds he has previously impressed us with, Jamiroquai’s latest effort Rock Dust Light Star is filled with funky, soulful, electric, make-you-want-todance songs. Equally wonderful in lyrics and sound, songs such as ‘White Knuckle Ride’ are adequate reassurance that he and his music have not disappeared. In a time where many artists are producing electro, disco-influenced tracks this album proves an ability to hold its own, whilst still managing to tick all the right boxes. Title track ‘Rock Dust Light Star’ and ‘All Good in the Hood’ will make you fist-pump into the air with their emphasised beats. ‘Lifeline’ uses big-band undertones but maintains the disco, electric sound — a combination that you would normally question. Jamiroquai, however, pulls it off. ~Emily Cones-Browne

Until Then

With sweeter than sweet melodies, blazing vocals and deeply effective lyrics, the sophomore EP from Melbourne-based singer/songwriter Helen Croome, or Gossling, as she and her band are formally known, is pure indie-pop perfection.

Beginning quaintly with the simply produced, but desperately intimate ‘Ancient Love’, the five-piece record gradually builds on itself.

The later tracks exhibit Croome’s dynamic voice, lush piano and string infused arrangements. Each stirring song, from the toe-tapping bluegrass-influenced ‘I Was Young’, to the heartfelt tear-inducing closer ‘Oh Darling’, has the rawness of a first take.

This makes for a thrilling listening experience that channels the immediacy of a live show. There is, however, one obvious drawback. With her high-pitched-heliumballoon tone, Croome sounds strikingly similar to Julia Stone. To counteract claims of unoriginality, more differentiation is needed — perhaps through genre experimentation.

Otherwise, Until Then is something to fall in love with. For fans of: Regina Spektor, Joanna Newsom, Laura Marling. ~Lee Tobin

Wons Phreely Tonight

Ivy League/Mushroom

3/5

With the release of his new EP, Wons Phreely has continued to push the boundaries of his musical journey. His exploration of sound and lyrical content sees the creation of some very interesting and unique songs. Tonight is a very funky sounding EP with six tracks that are each different from each other yet, in their own way, all very appealing. On first listen, I have to admit I wasn’t certain what I thought about his sounds but after listening a few more times, the funk/ punk poet has definitely grown on me. ‘D.I.S.C.O’ is an upbeat, yet melancholic, song and definitely worth a listen. While on the title track, Wons Phreely takes the listener on a journey exploring the feeling of what might happen tonight. Tonight is a well produced and interesting listen that will keep the listener intrigued as to what the songs are all about!

It is a fresh and fun step away from the mainstream pop music that we are continually bombarded with everyday. For fans of Ben Lee, Ben Kweller, Beck. ~Mark Henderson

Ben Folds and Nick Hornby

Grace Woodroofe Always Want Modular/Universal

4/5

Lonely Avenue Nonesuch/Warner

4.5/5

Ben Folds has truly found his muse in acclaimed British author Nick Hornby who has provided the entire lyrical component to Lonely Avenue — the follow up to his most recent work, Way to Normal.

Staying true to his traditional style, Folds has included his trademark pop ballads, impressive pianistic skills and even a comical bluesinfused story of Levi Johnston (the man who impregnated Sarah Palin’s daughter). The opening track ‘A Working Day’ combines obscure Nintendo-styled synthesisers with multiple layers of Folds’ unique vocal ability — creating a somewhat innocent, pop-based anthem to accompany Hornby’s cynical personal attack on internet blogging. The song-writing ability of Hornby is very similar to that of Folds, his content is filled with flippant attitudes towards current political and social issues, which are perfectly appropriated by Folds into what would seem to be a simply amazing collaboration of creative genius. Lonely Avenue is a highly involving and entertaining record, recommended for fans of any of Folds’ previous works. ~Josh Clements

From the opening notes of first single, Woodroofe is magnetic, drawing you in with her soulful cries on the pensive ‘I’ve Handled Myself Wrong’. Produced by Ben Harper over nine days, Always Want is surprisingly eclectic for a singer/songwriter’s debut album. Harper’s band Relentless7 double as Grace’s backing band across the album. They dish out humid blues thunder on ‘Transformer’, atmospherics that segue into a slinky dub groove on ‘Battles’ and dejected roadhouse blues on the tear jerking title track, where Grace croons “I always want what I can’t have,” which is quite insightful considering she penned the track at only 15 years of age. Always Want clocks in at 31 minutes, creating an existential dilemma that leaves you brainstorming a life of crime to try and discover all of her unreleased demos and B-sides for the full effect of immersion. If F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote “The exhilarating ripple of her voice was a wild tonic in the rain” in 2010, he surely would be referring to Grace Woodroofe. Keep both eyes peeled on her during 2011. ~Matt Petherbridge

Muscles

Younger and Immature modular

3/5

Younger & Immature is the five track follow up to Muscles’ 2007 stunning debut album Guns, Babes & Lemonade. His previous work was filled with amazing dance tracks and his trademark “bedroom-mastered” sound was really quite exciting and unique. Unfortunately, the same sort of inventiveness and originality isn’t a prominent feature in the follow up, making it not quite as spectacular as its predecessor.

‘Girl Crazy Go’, the first single off the EP, is a strange club track consisting of multiple saw-synthesised tones and auto-tuned vocals, comparable to any other dance track on the market but with a slight Muscles flavour.

‘Forever’, the opening track, is a slight saviour to the EP but unfortunately sounds identical to his Triple J success ‘Ice Cream’ but with different lyrics. Younger & Immature is still enjoyable to listen to, but unfortunately, when a debut album is so marvellous, the bar is raised quite high and Muscles just hasn’t quite fulfilled these expectations. ~Josh Clements

LARGE RANGE OF CD/DVD IMPORT ORDERS AND HARD-TO-GET VINYL — NEW 180 GRAM T SHIRTS COLLECTIBLES TICKETS BOX SETS AND DELUXE EDITIONS ALL MUSIC & VISION BALLINA Ph 6686 8111.

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“Get it now” reverb magazine issue #053 — December 2010 21

grace woodroofe

What first inspired you to sing?

When I started listening to the blues at about 15, it inspired me to start singing and mining myself through songwriting. I was just shy and embarrassed about it and it was something that I kept a secret for a very long time, so when I started singing in front of my family they were like “Oh my goodness, where did this come from?”

The late Heath Ledger played an instrumental role in your development. What’s the story behind you meeting him?

When I was 16, I recorded two demos and

state of grace

in contact with me immediately and said “I think you make really honest and pure music, I want to help you develop as an artist,” so he brought me to LA. I was only 17 at the time, but he really opened up the world to me.

You began recording Always Want over two years ago. How does it feel to be finally releasing it?

I’m very excited. We recorded the album quite fast, over the course of nine days. It has taken so long to get it off the ground, to get the support and everything else you have to do to release an album, but it feels really good

Twent y years young and w ith the world at her feet , Wester n Austra lian blues chanteuse Gr ace Woodroofe speaks to M att Pether br idge about her debut album, Always Want. put them on the Triple J Unearthed website.

I told my friends at school to have a listen and one of my friends happened to be Heath Ledger’s sister. She sent him the links to the songs and he really, really liked it. He got

to finally get it out there.

Nine days? The recording process must have been effortless…

It was a very organic, fast process. We recorded a song a day. I had a strong idea of how I wanted most songs to sound. I would play the song to the band once; they would run through it once and record it in the first two takes.

You are referring of course to Ben Harper’s band, Relentless7. What was it like to work with them?

They are incredible musicians! They work as such a tight unit and they are such masters of their craft. We went on tour together and I was their support act. On a personal level, they looked after me in LA, so we had a really great relationship.

Ben Harper also produced your album. You must feel truly blessed…

I really loved and appreciated being able to watch him work. He has such an infectious enthusiasm, he’s very energetic in the studio and he’s really open to experimentation — it was one of the most inspiring things ever.

What inspired the song ‘Transformer’?.

When I was living in LA, I lived with a lot of struggling actor friends. We hung out all the time and sometimes I would tag along to their auditions. I lived vicariously through them and felt their struggles. The song is about the unrelenting ability to change yourself, to adapt and be whatever a director would want them to be.

What does Always Want mean to you?

The feeling of always wanting something that you can’t have is pretty universal. There will always be someone who says, “I want what I can’t have”. People say that all the time around me, it’s stuck with me for my entire life (laughs)! True fact, the second song I ever wrote was ‘Always Want’ when I was 15.

What can fans expect from your upcoming Newcastle show next month?

I’m going to be playing with a band for this tour in December, actually Jonathon Boulet’s band (laughs). They’ve offered to back me up, really awesome. I feel like my live show is really coming together.

What’s the calendar like for 2011?

I can’t really say, but hopefully a headline tour in February. So much of my energy right now is towards getting Always Want out, making it heard and thinking about it.

Grace Woodroofe plays the CBD Hotel on Friday, December 3. Always Want is out now through Modular/Universal.

22 reverb

magazine issue #053 — december 2010

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lightspeed champion

Living Colour If music were colours as vivid as any psychedelic trip, what would it sound like?

Lightspeed Champion.

Even though it might sound like the nonsense of a 70s sci-fi movie, synaesthesia is a sensory fault in the brain between two senses where they meet and combine. For Lightspeed Champion (Devonté Hynes), his two worlds collide when it comes to sight and hearing. “[This means] I see sounds as colours. It’s pretty interesting. I’m aware that it’s kind of crazy,” he laughs. “I mean, it’s been my whole life, but I’m also aware that it’s pretty strange. I can’t imagine life not like that.”

The mind boggles at what this must be like, but it probably helps to explain the unique facet behind Hynes’s music. The talented muso can even teach himself instruments a lot of people normally need formal training in, previously saying he learns them by “trying to get to the colour. I can play anything… because I just recreate it. I don’t have to think.

I’m just reading it.”

This isn’t the only unique aspect of

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Lightspeed Champion is far from your typical musician.

From his matted mop of black hair to his unique musical arrangements, the man behind the music is even more interesting. Stephanie McDonald delves deeper into his desire to write for the Eurovision song contest and finds out why living in his own world is so fantastic.

Hynes. He has strayed into relatively unknown territory being a black man writing music which is largely the domain of the white man and woman — indie rock/pop. One look at comments on Lightspeed Champion’s Youtube clips shows the defined stereotypes of race in music — black people rap and write hip-hop songs, while white people write indie tunes and rock songs. But Hynes says he hasn’t experienced any targeted racism.

“I kind of just write whatever’s in my mind — I live in my own world. That’s how I deal with stuff,” he explains. “I feel like living in London that was always a lingering issue, but the last few years in New York, it’s amazing how not an issue race is. I go to hip-hop shows and most of the people at the shows are young white kids, now.”

Hynes’s sophomore album, Life is Sweet!

Nice to Meet You, is packed full of orchestration, backing vocals which border on Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ at times, and texture upon texture. It’s easy to understand why he packed in as much as

he could — Hynes finished writing the album after he lost his voice for two weeks after throat surgery.

“It was pretty strange. I wasn’t as upset as I probably should have been,” he laughs. “I just thought ‘oh well, I’ll just start working on some other things’. The songs were pretty much written for the most part, but I then decided to overly arrange them, which is probably why the arrangement got a little bit crazy because I had nothing else to do, really.”

The 24 year-old quite possibly could be some musical genius on Ritalin. This year, he’s not only covered 30 albums, but has also been busy producing Solange Knowles’s album (younger sister of Beyoncé Knowles) since March. And don’t forget his aspiration to write a song for Eurovision.

“It’s literally, like, my dream. I’m not even going to joke,” he says, deadly serious. “I’ve been putting it off every year because I want it to be perfect and I want to work on it so-oo much. I don’t want to perform it in any form — at all — but I want to write it. I like stuff to be the best it can be and a lot of the time that definitely involves me not being involved in performing.”

Not content with that workload, Hynes also has a solo side project called Blood Orange.

Even though it would have been easy for Hynes to release this ‘extra’ music under the Lightspeed Champion guise, he says he doesn’t want to deceive people. “It’s just a completely different type of song writing. I feel like it’s tough because I’m solo. I don’t want to do that and have people say ‘wait, this is totally different to the last record,’” he says. “I feel like it’s easier that way. I don’t want people to listen to Blood Orange just because they listen to Lightspeed. On the other side, I don’t want people to not listen to it because they have listened to Lightspeed,” he laughs.

Although all this song writing means Hynes has a treasure trove of potential albums, releasing music scares the shit out of him.

“I’m literally terrified of it. My current plan is to release Blood Orange and then kind of disappear, because it really scares me,” he laughs. “I feel like it’s so much scarier now because everyone is so opinionated.”

Hynes clearly strives for perfection and has a seeming lack of belief in his own musical talent. Talking to him, you realise it’s quite possible he has laboured over every single note he has ever recorded.

Despite this lack of self confidence when it comes to music, he proudly boasts that he is awesome at magic. “Completely seriously, I’m really good. There’s only a few things that I have confidence in in myself and my ability of doing them and one of them is playing football. Another is my knowledge of hip-hop, and they’re the three things I’m most confident about.”

If Devonté Hynes knew how good his music was, he’d likely attempt a disappearing act from all the crazed fans trying to rip his clothing off. Go now and discover what music in brilliant colour sounds like.

Lightspeed Champion plays the Oxford Arts Factory, Sydney, Wednesday December 29, and Peats Ridge Festival, Glenworth Valley, Thursday December 30. Life is Sweet! Nice to Meet You is out now through Domino Records.

reverb magazine issue #053 — december 2010 23

p e at s r i d g e f e s t i va l

MUST SEE One of the biggest decisions to be made before any festival has to be your ‘must see’ artists, and those that would be good to see, but if you miss them, that’s fine. Reverb editor, Kevin Bull, has done the hard work for you and put together the Must See list for this year’s Peats Ridge Festival.

The Delta Riggs

As they call it, “good time classic freak ‘n’ roll”, and we all need some of this in the valley. (Wed, Dec 29, 1.30pm)

Chase The Sun

My pick for the best blues band in Oz. If you don’t know what I am talking about, now’s the time to see why. (Wed, Dec 29, 4pm)

King Tide

Possible the best reggae band in the country return to PRF. My first King Tide experience was a PRF many years back, I can’t wait to rekindle the friendship. (Wed, Dec 29, 11pm)

Cass Eager

What an amazing voice she has.

Make sure you put some time aside to catch some of Cass. (Thur, Dec 30, 12.30pm)

Ryan Meeking

I have heard so much about the power of this guy’s voice live. Now I get the chance to see what all the fuss is about. (Thur, Dec 30, 1pm)

Lightspeed Champion

At the age of only 23, Dev Hynes is an amazing guy. I can’t wait to hear Life Is Sweet live. (Thur, Dec 30, 5pm)

The Seabellies

Having released their accomplished debut album this year, The Seabellies are always a must see. (Thur, Dec 30, 9.15pm)

Built To Spill

With 20 years in the indie rock business, they must be doing something right. See why they are a personal favourite. (Thur, Dec 30, 9.30pm)

The Dynamites feat.

Charles Walker

I accidentally caught the final three songs from these guys at Bluefest this year. I need to see the whole set.

(Thur, Dec 30, 11pm)

Freestyler DJs

I need to see them live — just to confirm why they have been at the forefront of dance for a decade. (Fri Dec 31, 12.45am)

Matt Corby

He’s come along way since Australian Idol. With two acclaimed EPs already released, it will be interesting to see these songs live — to see if he pulls it off. (Fri, Dec 31, 10.30am)

Carmen Townsend

Just a few youtube videos convinced me to see her. You do the same. (Fri, Dec 31, 4.15pm)

26 reverb

magazine issue #053 — December 2010

HOME SWEET HOME

sofiella watt

With a large contingent of internationals arriving for this year’s Peats Ridge Festival, Reverb decided to ask a few local artists to see what makes PRF so special for them

Amy Vee Wednesday, December 29, 9pm Thursday, December 30, 3pm

What does a festival like PRF offer the artist that is not experienced elsewhere?

I like the fact that PRF offers more than your average music festival — it’s a really comprehensive programme that’s not just about entertainment but community and education as well. I also like the inclusive nature; that people from all ages and all walks of life are welcome.

What are the essentials to bring for a camping music festival?

An open mind, a positive attitude, lots of sun protection and some eco-friendly methods of combating personal hygiene issues!

Who are your ‘must see’ artists at PRF? Definitely Angus & Julia Stone. It’s been a while since I’ve caught one of their shows.

I’m also keen to check out our international guests like Lightspeed Champion and Trentemøller.

Barrel House Friday, December 31, 11.45am

What does a festival like PRF offer the artist that is not experienced elsewhere?

You can’t go past the relaxed atmosphere, which I think comes from being in such an amazing location — surrounded by rolling hills and rivers is hard to beat.

What are the essentials to bring for a camping music festival?

A big car to sleep in, someone to keep you warm and lots of paracetamol for those pesky morning hangovers.

Who are your ‘must see’ artists at PRF? I’m definitely going to catch The Hungry Kids of Hungary, they’re always fun and I’m sure I’ll discover lots of good new bands as I always do at Peats Ridge.

Few 2 Many Wednesday, December 29, 12pm Thursday, December 30, 10am

What does a festival like PRF offer the artist that is not experienced elsewhere?

A diverse and attentive audience who are there solely because they appreciate good music. This makes it a pleasure for any artist to perform.

What are the essentials to bring for a camping music festival?

A torch. We’ve been caught wandering

the seabellies

amy vee

aimlessly through the sea of tents before; Sunscreen — I don’t want to look like a lobster (and feel as though I’ve been boiled). Most importantly, dancing shoes (or bare feet) and a good attitude.

Who are your ‘must see’ artists at PRF? The Seabellies, Afro Moses (performing with The Liberators), and Angus & Julia Stone.

We saw Angus & Julia for the first time ever at Peats Ridge Festival a few years ago, and we were blown away at their sweet songs and originality — not to mention incredible talent.

Oh, and don’t forget to come see us of course!

Kim Churchill Thursday, December 30, 8pm Friday, December 31, 1pm

What does a festival like PRF offer the artist that is not experienced elsewhere?

I guess festivals are a chance to slot your creativity into an environment that has been created to nourish it. Where touring the pub rooms can be, I guess, more taxing in terms of creating a great vibe and energy, festivals are the perfect canvas for an artist, and pull the best out of you.

What are the essentials to bring for a camping music festival?

I reckon just a constant positive attitude. The ability to have fun regardless of how primitive your accommodation is. One of my most fun times at a festival was sleeping in a swag in the pouring rain and dancing in mud for 72 hours. It’s the ‘Woodstock attitude’, and it’s gotta be there.

Who are your ‘must see’ artists at PRF? I think Angus & Julia Stone have come to a pretty amazing place in their music — I’m excited to see them again. Also Megan Washington, I really dig her sound.

Sofiella Watt Wednesday, December 29, 2pm Thursday, December 30, 11am

What does a festival like PRF offer the artist that is not experienced elsewhere?

PRF offers a developing artist the chance to rub shoulders and share stages with a huge variety of other highly talented and established acts. PRF’s enormous environmental initiatives and keen arts focus create a festival with an atmosphere of fun-loving conscientious crazies, the kind of crowd you live to play to. It also provides an escape to such a beautiful valley, an amazing place to share music and kick off the New Year.

What are the essentials to bring for a camping music festival?

An “I don’t mind mud” frame of mind, Palmer’s moisturising body wash, a really good hat, your neighbourly virtues, a box of mangos and an oversized watermelon.

Who are your ‘must see’ artists at PRF? Angus & Julia Stone, Lanie Lane, Born Ruffians, Thundamentals, Washington and The Jezabels.

the Seabellies Thursday, December 30, 9.15pm

What does a festival like PRF offer the artist that is not experienced elsewhere?

Like all festivals it’s a good chance to be exposed to a larger audience and steal (read: borrow) the fans of more established bands. Also, because it’s laid back and oozing a real community vibe, it’s a good atmosphere to meet and mingle with the other bands as well as the audience. And you get to swim in the river.

What are the essentials to bring for a camping music festival?

A pocket full of toilet paper is a good start, shoes that you have little regard for — there’s bound to be mud regardless of the weather and good deodorant — lining up all year for shower is a sad waste of time when there’s music to be heard!

Who are your ‘must see’ artists at PRF? Shout Out Louds, Built To Spill, Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire!, PVT and The Jezabels

Love Child Groove Thursday, December 30, 10am

What does a festival like PRF offer the artist that is not experienced elsewhere?

We are super excited to play at PRF. We’ve played some good gigs before, but we are really excited for the three day festival of music, camping and good vibes.

What are the essentials to bring for a camping music festival?

Guitars, esky, togs and sunscreen! We normally play by three rules whenever we hit a music festival: 1 — No self respect, 2 — If she’s hotter than your girlfriend, you’re cheating yourself, and; 3 — Sharing is caring.

Who are your ‘must see’ artists at PRF? Angus & Julia Stone, The Jezabels, Washington (she’s a babe) and Barrel House.

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Wed, Dec 1

UNSW Roundhouse, Sydney

Hamilton Station Hotel, Isling

Real Big Fish + The Aquabats

The Dread Sky + Centre Section +

Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle

View Factory, Newcastle

Fishkicker + Kindread

Fannys, Newcastle DJ Zannon

Great Northern Hotel, NCLE Merewether Fats

King Street Hotel, Newcastle Krafty Kuts

Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham The Fuji Collective + Kira Puru + Funkwit

Lizotte’s, Kincumber

Graveyard Train + Adam Cousins

Woodport Inn, Erina Yolanda Be Kool

Sat, Dec 4 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle The Strides + DJ Surian and Saxon

Fannys, Newcastle DJ Nino Brown + I Am Sam

Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland

Wild Women of Comedy w/- Ciel +

Suzannah Espie + Jeremy Edwards

Sarah Levett + Bev Killick +

and the Dust Radio Band

Amanda Gray

Lizotte’s, New Lambton Diesel

Metro Theatre, Sydney The Lemonheads + Smudge

View Factory, Newcastle Jez Mead + Lanie Lane

Thur, Dec 2 Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Benjalu

Great Northern Hotel, NCLE Hikoikoi

Hamilton Station Hotel, Isling Twelve Foot Ninja + Deathmaask + Picnic at Hanging Rock

Lizotte’s, Kincumber Daryl Braithwaite

Lizotte’s, New Lambton Diesel

Sydney Entertainment Centre The Eagles

Wickham Park Hotel, Islington The Leadbellies

Fri, Dec 3 Beach Hotel, Merewether The Phat Controller

Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Dropsaw + Mindsnare + Against + Relentless + Phantoms

CBD Hotel, Newcastle

Great Northern Hotel, NCLE Seagull + Dan Parsons + Dead Letter Chorus

Hamilton Station Hotel, Isling Pagan’s Realm + Enviktas + Fu-saurus

King Street Hotel, Newcastle Hook N Sling + Tommy Trash

Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham Armenian Beefweek Show + Horse Bolted + Tim Crossey

Lizotte’s, Kincumber Dragon

Lizotte’s, New Lambton Daryl Braithwaite

Metro Theatre, Sydney Architects + Comeback Kid + This Is Hell + Rolo Tomassi

Newcastle Enter. Centre Linkin Park

Seven Seas Hotel, Carrington Jam Jar

View Factory, Newcastle The Havelocks

Wollombi Tavern Pugsley Buzzard

Transcendal Headache

Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham Great Toad+ Benny Tee + Strangers With Candy

Lizotte’s, Kincumber The Church

Lizotte’s, New Lambton George Smilovici

Newcastle Leagues Club The Dead Will Tell + Vegas in Ruins + Prepared Like a Bride + Ekklesia

Lissa

Lizotte’s, Kincumber Diesel

Lizotte’s, New Lambton The Church

Kidd Kaos + Fuel + Stellar MC + Sax On Legz + Jace Cordell + DSteady + Stereo Love

Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Dirty York + Brothers Grim and the Blue Murders

Great Northern Hotel, NCLE Mind Over Matter + Tycotic + Prem Bedlam + Urban Freeflow

Hamilton Station Hotel, Isling Christmas Massacre Part 1

King Street Hotel, Newcastle Miami Horror DJs + Menna + Mark Maxwell + Boogie + DJ Fuel

Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham The Preachers + The Horse + Desire

Lizotte’s, Kincumber Daryl Braithwaite

Lizotte’s, New Lambton Diesel

Northern Star Hotel, Hamilton Kids with Kids + Light Noise

Seven Seas Hotel, Carrington Hugh Gordon

Sydney Entertainment Centre The Eagles

The Loft, Newcastle The Dynamics + Watch Me As I Fall

Tuggerah RSL Daniel Lee Kendall Find us on Facebook

Dragon

Lizotte’s, New Lambton Daryl Braithwaite

Premier Hotel, Broadmeadow Steve Edmonds Band

View Factory, Newcastle Soul Shakedown w/- The Scorcher + Kid Mince + DJ Chuan

Tues, Dec 7 Acer Arena, Sydney The Eagles

Lizotte’s, Kincumber Jeff Martin + Terepai Richmond + Gabrielle & Cameron

Lizotte’s, New Lambton The Alchemical Cabaret

Metro Theatre, Sydney The Fall

Wed, Dec 8 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Falling For Beloved + Revived + Prevailing Dishorder

Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Hunter Ukestra Xmas Show

Great Northern Hotel, NCLE Crystal Cove + Rescue 90 + Kettles

Dragon Kim Churchill + Justin Carter + Ashleigh Mannix

Rhythm Hut, Gosford Rapskallion + Doc Jones and the Lechery Orchestra

Heavy Heavy Low Low +

The Foreign Objects + I Am The Agent

Totally Unicorn + Coma Lies

Fannys, Newcastle Beach Foam Party w/- Amber Savage

Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Cass Eager and the Velvet Rope

Great Northern Hotel, NCLE Ngariki + The Big Empty + 1929 Indian

King Street Hotel, Newcastle Kid Kenobi and MC Shureshock

Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham Ungus Ungus Ungus + Funkwit + Barry March

Lizotte’s, Kincumber Diesel

Lizotte’s, New Lambton The Church Thundamentals + Blades Nicko

Sirens, Terrigal Shadowmill

The Loft, Newcastle Drown + Cumlungs + Caverns

Tim Crossey

Run Squirell

Calling All Cars + Mojada +

Taken By Force + Hold Your Own +

Lizotte’s, Kincumber

Thomas Lawson + Switchblade Tyres +

Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle

Clavians + Chicks Who Love Guns

Lady Lauryn + Matt Nukewood +

Ash Grunwald + PJ Kevo

Hamilton Station Hotel, Isling

Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle

Pugsley Buzzard (2-5pm);

DJ Samrai + Silver Sneakerz +

Great Northern Hotel, NCLE

Wed, Dec 15

Nova and the Experience

Hamilton Station Hotel, Isling

The Willowbirds

Fri, Dec 10

Jonathan Boulet + Grace Woodroofe +

Fannys, Newcastle

Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland

Queens Wharf Brewery, NCLE

Seven Seas Hotel, Carrington

Great Northern Hotel, NCLE

Sun, Dec 12

Great Northern Hotel, NCLE

Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle

Milestones

Eucalypso

Lizotte’s, New Lambton

Newcastle Panthers

Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland

Matt Corby + Shanna Watson

Wickham Park Hotel, Islington

Thur, Dec 9

Sun, Dec 5 That 1 Guy + Mr Percival

View Factory, Newcastle

View Factory, Newcastle Half Nelson

Woodport Inn, Erina RAW FM Anniversary Party w/Chris Frazer + Jake Mexon + Zannon + Cheap Lettus + Mattigecs

Great Northern Hotel, NCLE Carmen Townsend

Hamilton Station Hotel, Isling The Decline + Prevailing Disaster + Excitebike

Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham The Funk Party

Lizotte’s, Kincumber The Black Sorrows

Lizotte’s, New Lambton John Stevens

View Factory, Newcastle Maxine Kauter

Thur, Dec 16 Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Kim Churchill

Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham Rapskallion + A French Butler Called Smith

Lizotte’s, Kincumber The Black Sorrows

Lizotte’s, New Lambton John Stevens

Fri, Dec 17 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle The Evening Son + Le Kingste + The Family Clan

Sat, Dec 11

Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland

Bimbadgen Estate, Hunter Valley

Great Northern Hotel, NCLE

Blondie + The Pretenders

Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Existence

George Tavern, East Maitland Steve Edmonds Band

Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Kim Churchill + Carter Rollins + Ashleigh Mannix

Great Northern Hotel, NCLE The Dread Sky + Ray Ray Ray and the Jetsons

Hamilton Station Hotel, Isling The Great Christmas Swindle

Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham Subdivision + Kira Puru

Lizotte’s, Kincumber Diesel

Lizotte’s, New Lambton Dragon

Seven Seas Hotel, Carrington Rob Cass

The Loft, Newcastle Kantrast U18’s

DECEMBER

gig Guide Newcastle

Muzzy Pep + Karma Cops Klondike’s North 40 + The Dragstrippers + Harry’s Lookout

Hamilton Station Hotel, Isling Christmas Massacre Part 2

Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham

Friday 3 PAINTED CROWS

Saturday 6 THE KELLY GANG

Friday 10 VANESSA LEA AND ROAD TRAIN

Saturday 11 SUPERCHEEZE

Friday 17 KATZ N DOGS

Saturday 18 LEE BROTHERS

Friday 24 NATHAN KAYE KOLLECTIVE

Saturday 25 MERRY CHRISTMAS

Sunday 26 TIGHTROPE ALLEY

Friday 31 THE HENCHMEN – 80’s THEME NIGHT

Stick Figure Opera + Rein Room + Gilbert Whyte

Lizotte’s, Kincumber John Stevens

Lizotte’s, New Lambton Diesel

Seven Seas Hotel, Carrington Mick n Josh

The Loft, Newcastle Loaded w/- After The Fall + Alice Vs Everything + Urban Freeflow + The Paradox Unseen + Grace Turner + The Tillegra Damned + Cumlungz + Juicehead + DJ Ntaprize + K Square + Elisa Kate + The Kerrigans + Nick Fillis + Todd Bartlett + NC Boys + Spencer Scott + Jono Collard +

103 River Street, Ballina Phone 02 6686 2015

Jharna Williams reverb magazine issue #053 — December 2010 27

NEWCASTLE Don’t forget — Live & Local

1-3Dec

gig Guide Newcastle (cont.) gig Guide North Coast Sat, Dec 18

Sun, Dec 26

Wed, Dec 1

Deadly Hunta + Kingfisha + Paua +

Bird In The Hand Zine shop

CBD Hotel, Newcastle

Beach Hotel, Byron Bay

Hikoikoi + Raz Bin Sam & The Lion I

Jess Locke + Mike McCarthy

every Wednesday night

Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle

Diesel

Hordern Pavilion, Sydney

4-5 Dec Daryl Braithwaite 6-7 Dec

The Alchemical Cabaret

8 Dec

George Smilovici

9-10 Dec The Church 11-12 Dec Dragon

Merry Candycanes w/- Pat Capocci No Sleep Til Sydney

Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland The Gadflys

Great Northern Hotel, NEWC Muzzy Pep + Horse Bolted

Hamilton Station Hotel, Isling The Havelocks + Jess Lambie

King Street Hotel, Newcastle Stafford Brothers + Jace Cordell +

14 Dec

The Black Sorrows

15-16 Dec Jon Stevens

Bondi Cigars

Skools Out 2010 w/ Planet + Illusion of Dispair + Three Stripe Ave

Lizotte’s, Kincumber John Stevens

Lizotte’s, New Lambton Diesel

Newcastle Leagues Club Mortal Sin + Soul Tremour + Cerebral Contortion

Seven Seas Hotel, Carrington

23 Dec

Beccy Cole

31 Dec

New Year’s Eve bash with Floyd Vincent & The

Bits & Pieces

View Factory, Newcastle Claude Hay

Child Brides

Sun, Dec 19

1 Jan

Josh Pyke

Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland

4 Jan

Steve Poltz (USA)

7 Jan

Mark Wells

8 Jan

Jon English

9 Jan

The Idea of North

Fish Fry + Pow Wow

Lizotte’s, Kincumber John Stevens

Lizotte’s, New Lambton Diesel

Wickham Park Hotel, Islington Gadflys

Wed, Dec 22 14 Jan

Sizzling Strings, feat.

Bruce Matiske, Dave

21 Jan 22 Jan

Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Dalis Angels

Hellens, and more.

Entrance Leagues Club

Brian’s famous jazz &

Great Northern Hotel, NEWC

chilli crab night Ian Moss

Thirsty Merc Mojo Juju & the Snake Oil Merchants + Kira Puru & the Bruise + Papillion + Frankie Valentine + Lillian Starr

Lizotte’s, Kincumber Diesel

Lizotte’s, New Lambton

23 Jan 28 Jan

Doc Neeson

Bondi Cigars

Newcastle Panthers

Acoustic Trio

Elev8 Christmas Party w/- Toneshifter

Mal Eastick presents

+ X-Dream + JayTee + Wolfpack +

Stevie Ray Vaughan celebration

For bookings and

Mozzie + Waz + MC Losty

Thur, Dec 23 Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Bowen and the Lucky Dutchmen

information,

Lizotte’s, Kincumber

phone (02) 4956 2066

Lizotte’s, New Lambton

or visit lizottes.com.au

Diesel Beccy Cole

Fri, Dec 24 Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Tijuana Cartel

Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham

King Street Hotel, Newcastle The Potbelleez + Jace Cordwell + Menna + Fuel + Mark Maxwell + Boogie + Saxon + Dsteady+ Mex + Patsan + Surian + Yogi + Nick Saxon

Newcastle Jockey Club

J-Well + Phonic & Juicy Fruit + Boogie + Saxon + Dsteady

Wed, Dec 29 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Cotton Sidewalk

Glenworth Valley Peats Ridge Festival w/- King Tide + Angus and Julia Stone + Dan Kelly + Shout Out Louds + The Jezabels + Washington + Chase The Sun + Freq Nasty + Horrorshow + Deep Sea Arcade + The Gin Club + Jason Collett

Great Northern Hotel, NEWC Numbers Radio

Thur, Dec 30 Entrance Leagues Club Grinspoon + Chicks Who Love Guns + Howl

Glenworth Valley

Miami Horror DJs

Great Northern Hotel, Byron Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings

Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour Dead Letter Circus + The Outcome + Blonde on Blonde

LaLaLand, Byron Bay Ajax

Lennox Point Hotel Catherine Britt + Chris Pickering

Ryan Meeking

Lizotte’s, Kincumber Mike McCarthy

Fri, Dec 31 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle The Vasco Era + The Fumes + The Tunstalls + Strangers

Cardiff Panthers The Radiators

Glenworth Valley Peats Ridge Festival w/ Trentemøller + Kate Miller-Heidke + The Break + Bomba + Ernest Ellis + Itch-e & Scratch-e + Watussi + Cloud Control + The Audreys + Carmen Townsend + Spit Syndicate

Grand Hotel, Newcastle Grayson

Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Zoe K and her Lost Souls

Great Northern Hotel, NEWC Pat Capocci

Hamilton Station Hotel, Isling Rad Beligion + Hatty Fatners

Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham The Owls + The Pornskas + Jimmy Bazil Project + The Havelocks

Lizotte’s, Kincumber Bondi Cigars

Lizotte’s, New Lambton Floyd Vincent and the Child Brides

Queens Wharf Brewery, NEWC Regurgitator + Bag Raiders + Urthboy + Van She Tech + Cassian + Nova & the Experience + Backbeat

Seven Seas Hotel, Carrington Driver 8

Basmati + Champion Sound + Senor RudeKat + Beatdusta

Byron Bay Community Centre Bruce Mathiske

Civic Hotel, Lismore Somersault

Coast Hotel, Coffs Harbour Little Big Fish

Goonellabah Tavern

Killed Two Birds + The Tendons

LaLaLand, Byron Bay Tommy Trash

Mary Gilhooleys, Lismore Dead Letter Circus

Pacific Hotel, Yamba Chris Arenton

Port Macquarie Hotel Mad Charlie + Mike MaCarthy + Slim Jim and the Boney Hardman

Treehouse, Byron Bay Tash Parker

Muscles + Young Dead Man Mossy Rocks

Great Northern Hotel, Byron Fat Albert

Henry Rous Hotel, Ballina One 2 Many

Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour The Potbelleez

Lennox Point Hotel Blind Lemon

Neverland, Coolangatta Hey Now DJs

Pacific Hotel, Yamba Polaroid Fame

Fri, Dec 3

Pioneer Tavern, Wollongbar

Australian Hotel, Ballina

Sawtell Hotel, Coffs Harbour

Tom and Jerry

Painted Crows

Twist Tops

Bangalow Hotel

Sawtell RSL

Rain Dance

Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Bonjah

Coast Hotel, Coffs Harbour Jerico

Coolangatta Hotel The Winnie Coopers + Oceanics

Lightspeed Champion + Freestylers

Saritah + Jagarizzer and Jamie Lee +

Gollan Hotel, Lismore

Cool Calm Collective + Rogerthat +

+ PVT + Born Ruffians + Seabellies +

Blaze Fire Sound ft. Major Krazy +

Coolangatta Hotel

Peats Ridge Festival w/- Built To Spill Space Invadas + Jonathan Boulet +

Band + Fyah Walk + Matty Woods +

Thur, Dec 2

+ The Dynamites + Decoder Ring +

Psycho Pucko + Leather Feather Nicko magazine issue #053 — December 2010

Blades

The Pornskas + The Funk Party +

Seven Seas Hotel, Carrington

28 reverb

Great Northern Hotel, NEWC

Menna + Fuel + Mark Maxwell +

The McNastys + The Woohoo Review

22 Dec

Dpre + Steve P + Mark Maxwell

+ DSteady + Matt Meler + Menna + Yogi

Lake Haven Youth Centre

Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham

Ian Moss

Loods + Salon + Dubstep Room Ft +

The Potbelleez + Jace Cordwell +

Sketches of Austin James

21 Dec

+ Kato + Jun Wan + Cassi + So Cal +

Shalyn Gray + Boogie + Matt Saxon

+ North Of The Border +

18-19Dec Diesel

Booty BBQ w/ Zombie Disco Squad

Darky Roots + Mista Savona Band +

Federal Hotel, Bellingen Owen Campbell

Great Northern Hotel, Byron The Jezabels + Two Hours Traffic

Greenmount Surf Club, Cooli Mason Rack

Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour Rory Ellis

LaLaLand, Byron Bay Nick Galea

Lennox Point Hotel Marshall and the Fro

Middle Pub, Mullumbimby Blind Lemon

Pacific Hotel, Yamba Issac Padden and the Tides

Pioneer Tavern, Wollongbar Supercheeze

Port Macquarie Hotel Kindread + Benjalu

Sawtell Hotel, Coffs Harbour Mojada

Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga The Weekenders

Shaw Bay Hotel, Ballina Glen Massey

33 on Hickory, Dorrigo Lucie Thorne + Jojo Smith

DJ Skarlet

Tommy’s Tavern, Lismore Rochelle Lees

Sun, Dec 5 Beach Hotel, Byron Bay The Strides

Great Northern Hotel, Byron Sally Seltmann + Oh Mercy + Jessica Says

Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour Little Fish

Italo Club, North Lismore Flood Collective Balcony Bash w/ Dougal Binns and the Winos + Mick Daley + Sideshow

Lennox Point Hotel Jim Kelly’s Thrillseekers

Pacific Hotel, Yamba Brian Watt

Sawtell RSL Robert McDougall + Rowland Stones

Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga Afro Moses

Shaw Bay Hotel, Ballina Pink Zinc

Tacking Point Hotel Brett James

Thur, Dec 9 Coffs Hotel, Coffs Harbour Helm

Coolangatta Hotel Jeff Martin + Terepai Richmond + Hazel Eyes The Devil

Sat, Dec 4

Gollan Hotel, Lismore

Alstonville Showgrounds

Lennox Point Hotel

Mike MaCarthy

Australian Hotel, Ballina The Kelly Gang

Bangalow Hotel Broadfoot

Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Dirty Laundry

Brewery, Byron Bay Byron Bay Reggaefest w/- Midnite + Turbulance + Sud Soundsystem +

Loe Bradley Benjalu

Macquarie Hotel, Port Macq Phebe Starr

Pacific Hotel, Yamba Dan Hannaford

Port Macquarie Hotel Hardman + Chris Tejcek + Mark Nixx + The Victims + Phebe Starr

Tatts, Lismore Ephemeris Follow us on Twitter

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Fri, Dec 10

Sun, Dec 12

Coast Hotel, Coffs Harbour

Australian Hotel, Ballina

Beach Hotel, Byron Bay

Finnians Irish Tavern, Port

Vanessa Lea and Road Train

Ballina RSL Mason Rack

Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Redback City + Zahlu & the Alchemists

Cabarita Beach Bar Bluesville Station

Coast Hotel, Coffs Harbour Down Hoochie Brown

Coolangatta Hotel The Lime Spiders

Federal Hotel, Bellingen Groove Robbers

Great Northern Hotel, Byron Electric Horse + Engine Three Seven

Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour Star FM’s Hoey Moey 50th Birthday Beach Party

Lennox Point Hotel Painted Crowes

Pacific Hotel, Yamba Tim Stokes

Pioneer Tavern, Wollongbar Beauty and the Beast

Port Macquarie Hotel Dirty Cash DJs + Smoke & Mirrors

Sawtell Hotel, Coffs Harbour Push

Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga Cletus

Shaw Bay Hotel, Ballina Mossey Rock

Sundowner Breakwall Tourist Park, Port Macquarie FOTSUN w/- Regurgitator + Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings + The McMenamins + Barrel House + Bob Corbett + Mojada + Ebb n Flo + Minnie Marks

Twin Towns Ex Services Club Hoodoo Gurus + The Break

Tre Hombres

Great Northern Hotel, Byron Chicks Who Love Guns

Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour Mick Bateman

Lennox Point Hotel Guy Katchel

Pacific Hotel, Yamba Lynch

Sawtell RSL Monique Montez + Rowland Stones

Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga Mick Hart

Tacking Point Hotel Phebe Starr

Thur, Dec 16 Coolangatta Hotel The Fumes + Carmen Townsend

Gollan Hotel, Lismore Invisible Friend

Pacific Hotel, Yamba Mick McHugh

Port Macquarie Hotel Hat Fitz and Cara Robinson

Vanessa Lea

Goonellabah Tavern Sky Daddy

Great Northern Hotel, Byron The Aston Shuffle

Henry Rous Hotel, Ballina Matherson Trio

Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour Mick Hart

Lennox Point Hotel Fat Albert

Neverland, Coolangatta Kid Kenobi + MC Shureshock

Pioneer Tavern, Wollongbar Lee Bros

Sawtell Hotel, Coffs Harbour Slim Jim & the Boney Hard Men

Sawtell RSL Top Shelf

Sundowner Breakwall Tourist Park, Port Macquarie FOTSUN w/- Xavier Rudd +

Bangalow Hotel The Grains

Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Highway Blonde

Coast Hotel, Coffs Harbour Charlotte Marshall

Federal Hotel, Bellingen Joshua Matherson

Finnians Irish Tavern, Port Rapskallion + A French Butler Called Smith Hat Fitz and Cara Robinson

Alice in Wonderland + DJ Pip

Pacific Hotel, Yamba Fat Albert

Pioneer Tavern, Wollongbar Rob Saric

Port Macquarie Hotel Barrel House

Sawtell Hotel, Coffs Harbour Little Big Fish

Seagulls, Tweed Heads Blind Lemon

Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga Mason Rack

Shaw Bay Hotel, Ballina The Lady and the Tramp

Valla Beach Tavern Hearttribe + Birdnest

Mick Bateman

Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga The Mambo Slammers

Shaw Bay Hotel, Ballina Ben (from Brittle)

Sun, Dec 19 Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Lisa Hunt

Harrington Hotel Mick Hart

Hotel Brunswick Mason Rack Band Serene Addiction Kerrianne Cox

Sawtell RSL Ronny Monks + Rowland Stones

Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga Mark Easton

Shaw Bay Hotel, Ballina Marshall and the Fro

Yamba Bowling Club

Bellingen Diggers Tavern

Cabarita Beach Bar Blind Lemon

Civic Hotel, Lismore Somersault

Daryl Braithwaite

4-5 Dec Dragon 7 Dec

Jeff Martin & Terepal Richmond

Grinspoon + Chicks Who Love Guns +

8 Dec

The Church

9-11Dec

Diesel

Tues, Dec 28

15-16 Dec The Black Sorrows

Lennox Point Hotel Pacific Hotel, Yamba CC The Cat

Sawtell RSL Grinspoon + Chicks Who Love Guns +

Yamba Bowling Club Ebb n Flo

The Foreign Objects + The Pixiekills + The Bikinis + The Josephine March

Gollan Hotel, Lismore Mick Daley + Dave Ramsey

Lennox Point Hotel Rapskallion

Mullumbimby Ex Services Club The Woohoo Review + A French Waiter Called Smith

Pacific Hotel, Yamba Neil Anderson

Great Northern Hotel, Byron

30Dec

Mike McCarthy

31 Dec

New Year’s Eve bash with

Mick Hart

Port Macquarie Panthers

Rapskallion

United Services Club, Laurieton Grinspoon + Chicks Who Love Guns + Howl

Mick Hart

Port Macquarie Hotel

The Henchmen

Bangalow Hotel

Marshall and the Fro Mason Rack Band Brian Watt

Port Macquarie Hotel Dirty Cash DJs

Sawtell Hotel, Coffs Harbour DJ Brown Sugar

Sun, Dec 26 Australian Hotel, Ballina Tightrope Alley

Great Northern Hotel, Byron Grinspoon + Howl

Steve Poltz

6 Jan

Josh Pyke

7 Jan

Jon English

8 Jan

The Idea of North

13 Jan

Doc Neeson Acoustic Trio

14 Jan

Adalita (Magic Dirt)

The Elevators

Beach Hotel, Byron Bay The Melodics + DJ Nowak

Goonellabah Tavern Brian Watt

Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour

20-21 Jan Ian Moss

Ebb N Flo

Ivory Tavern, Tweed Heads Mason Rack Band

Lennox Point Hotel

Full Moon Party w/- Beats Working

2 Jan

The Pixiekills + Rargo + Clare Bruen

Australian Hotel, Ballina

Lennox Point Hotel

the Bondi Cigars

The Butterfly Effect + After The Fall

Rails, Byron Bay

LaLaLand, Byron Bay

Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour

Ian Moss

22-23Dec Diesel

Fri, Dec 24 Nathan Kaye

20 Dec

Wed, Dec 29

Lennox Point Hotel

Yada Yada w/- Barrel House +

17-19 Dec Jon Stevens

Howl

Port Macquarie Panthers

Pioneer Tavern, Wollongbar

Electric Dreams

2-3 Dec

Howl

Thur, Dec 30

Australian Hotel, Ballina

Beach Hotel, Byron Bay

Wild Women of Comedy

Preston Train

Wed, Dec 22

Pacific Hotel, Yamba

Lee Brothers

1 Dec

General Electryk

Sat, Dec 18

A French Butler Called Smith

Find us on Facebook

Sawtell RSL

Pacific Hotel, Yamba

Australian Hotel, Ballina

Rapskallion +

Chris Mallory

Secret Squirell

Pierce Brothers

Tom Richardson Project

The Chemist + Bob Corbett +

Treehouse, Byron Bay

Highway Blonde

Sawtell Hotel, Coffs Harbour

Stafford Brothers

Lennox Point Hotel

Beach Hotel, Byron Bay

Sierra Fin + Slow Down Honey Richie Williams

Pacific Hotel, Yamba

LaLaLand, Byron Bay

Hump Day Project

Chris Aronsten

Tommy’s Tavern, Lismore

Tightrope Alley

every Wednesday night

Mon, Dec 27

Lennox Point Hotel

Bangalow Hotel

Club + The Seabellies +

Lennox Point Hotel

Don’t forget — Live & Local

Cath Simes

Fri, Dec 31

British India + Mojo Bluesman + That

Marks + The McMenamins + The Gin

Broadfoot

Matt Hanley

Shaw Bay Hotel, Ballina

Thur, Dec 23

Mark Easton

LaLaLand, Byron Bay

1 Guy + Lee Rosser + Lissa + Calling All Cars + Dallas Frasca + Minnie

Henry Rous Hotel, Ballina

Mullumbimby Drill Hall

Katz n Dogs

Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour

Captain Cod

The Fumes + Carmen Townsend

Australian Hotel, Ballina

Buddha Bar, Byron Bay

Coast Hotel, Coffs Harbour

Great Northern Hotel, Byron

Lennox Point Hotel

Great Northern Hotel, Byron

Bluesville Station

Mason Rack

Fri, Dec 17

Sat, Dec 11 Civic Hotel, Lismore

Groove Robbers

Lennox Point Hotel

Tenzin + Graz + Disco Stu Dallas Frasca

Pacific Hotel, Yamba

28 Jan

Kevin Bennett & The Flood

30 Jan

Nathan Foley

Three Quarters Hazel

Pioneer Tavern, Wollongbar Rochelle Lees

Port Macquarie Hotel Infinity DJs

Sawtell Hotel, Coffs Harbour PlagiaRhythm

Sawtell RSL Zebyah

For bookings and information, phone (02) 4368 2017 or visit lizottes.com.au

Shaw Bay Hotel, Ballina Occa Rock

Treehouse, Byron Bay M. Jack Bee

Twin Towns Ex Services Club, Tweed Heads The Butterfly Effect

Yamba Bowling Club Little Big Fish reverb magazine issue #053 — December 2010 29

R E B M E C DE

MIKE MCCARTHY

Grand Junction Hotel 88 Church Street, Maitland 02 4933 5242 / MySpace / Facebook KIM CHURCHILL, ASHLEIGH MANNIX, CARTER ROLLINS (6PM START)

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n e w f o u n d g lo ry - t h e h o l i days

Will there be a change in direction for this new album?

To me right now, it’s only in the early stages, but it sounds a lot more pop-punk.

It sounds very old school New Found Glory as opposed to Coming Home or the Not Without a Fight albums, it’s just straight forward and a lot more poppier. I think it’s going to be an awesome summer record, it’s going to be really catchy, we’ll be working really hard on it to make it sound great for the fans.

It’s been ten years since the boys of NFG released their self-titled album. How much has changed for you guys since then?

Oh man, we were babies back then - we’ve grown up so much! It’s crazy to think that’s how long ago that album came out. It makes me feel really old but, at the same time, I’m still really young.

The sound of your latest album, Not Without a Fight, brought back those pop punk roots from years before in a very mature way. What was the focus for this record?

The focus for this record was just to be relaxed and do whatever we wanted to.

This was our first record with Epitaph, the first record not being with a major record label, the first record where we didn’t feel any pressure at all to write any kind of songs that we didn’t feel like writing. It was really cool because we got to work with Mark Hoppus from Blink 182. He produced the record which made the whole recording environment really relaxed. We spent six weeks writing the record.

How do you feel Not Without a Fight has been received by the fans since its release?

Every tour that we have done for it has been great! Everyone has been singing along to all the words so I really can’t complain about it at all. We’re really excited that we still get to be a band and there’s still a lot of people that like our band.

What is the recipe for writing and recording a classic New Found Glory song?

Well as long as Chad (Gilbert, guitarist) writes the right music then it’s really easy for me to write the right melodies and lyrics.

Right now I’m in the process of writing the

Glory Days The rise and success of the pop-punk era in the mid-90s saw bands such as Blink 182, MXPX and Unwritten Law make waves up and down the So-Cal punk scene. Another band to add to that impressive compilation are the boys from Florida — New Found Glory. With a new record and a tour down under on the way, these guys aren’t ready to give up without a fight. Sean Frazer speaks to guitarist, Steve Klein. new New Found Glory record that we’re going to start recording in January. Chad will write the guitar riffs and then he’ll send them to me. From there we will go on iChat where I will send him my ideas, constantly working back and fourth. It’s not really an awesome song until Jordan (Pundik, vocalist) sings it though. We all work together and that’s what makes it special. We’re a band that is always writing songs, so we would’ve had something like 15 songs before we even headed into the studio to record Not

Without a Fight. Ever since we started the band we’ve always had the same kind of writing routine where we write the music first, do some lyrics and then begin to record demos.

You say you guys are recording in January: when will we get a sneak peak at the new material?

Hopefully we’ll have something out by March which will more than likely be the new single right after or just before we play the Soundwave Festival.

You guys have spent much of your late teens and twenties on the road. What is life on the road with New Found Glory like?

It’s crazy. You wake up, sound check, do the media and press thing, play the show, hang out with the other bands, try to find a place to eat… which is why we are super stoked to be heading back to Australia, you guys have Nando’s there, that place is the bomb!

Some bands choose to avoid the festival scene, though you guys have played your fair share of them. How do you boys feel toward the festival vibe?

I think festivals are awesome! It brings together a bunch of bands that may or may not have played together ever. The first time we played Soundwave we played with Alice in Chains and Nine Inch Nails, this time it’s with Iron Maiden and a whole crazy line-up — it’s incredible!

New Found Glory play Soundwave on Saturday February 26, Brisbane’s RNA Showgrounds, and Sunday, February 27, at Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway. Not Without a Fight is out now through Epitaph.

So you guys must be pretty stoked to finally have Post Paradise on the shelves.

Why so long between drinks since the last EP? Yeah, it kind of has been a long time coming so we’re especially happy to have it out there. But I guess we spent a few months writing, jamming and developing our sound further. We recorded a few demos and tried a few studio recordings but eventually we said “what if we took the time to do it ourselves?”

So, then the process became a little like trial and error, but we got there in the end.

What effect do you think recording Post Paradise yourselves had on the finished product?

I think it had a big effect. What we found in the studio was that we were always watching the clock which put a bit of pressure on us.

We really wanted to explore different sounds and structures on the album so, in the end, doing it in the studio didn’t work for us.

Was it a conscious decision going in to the recording to produce a much more layered album?

Yeah, it was. We wanted the album to have a real percussive and rhythmic feel to it — and for it to be kind of ‘open season’ on ideas and stuff. Also, as we got more proficient at recording, it kind of broke down the barriers of ‘no we can’t’ which really helped a lot.

What’s your favourite song on Post Paradise at the moment and why?

I think I would have to say track eight which is called ‘Conga’. It was the first song where we felt that we had really nailed the feeling of what we were trying to achieve with the whole album — that rhythmic and percussive thing. It’s also probably the most ambitious Find us on Facebook

Holiday in Paradise It’s been almost two years since we’ve had a new offering from Sydney posters, The Holidays. However, instead of resting on their laurels, the four-piece have been busy consolidating their sound for the breezy and multi-layered debut effort, Post Paradise. Stephen Bisset chatted to singer, Simon Jones, ahead of the album’s release. and detailed song we’ve written so far.

Mondays — those guys are phenomenal.

What kind of stuff was influencing you in the writing of Post Paradise?

We were getting really into the loose, percussive and jammy feel of stuff like Fela Kuti. A lot of Talking Heads stuff was a big influence as well — you know how they have those weird little guitar riffs that repeat?

Also, the groove of bands like The Happy

What’s your idea of post paradise?

I guess what I’m trying to say with the title is that paradise is a kind of transitive state — you know the old saying ‘the grass is always greener on the other side.’ It’s kind of saying that when you finally achieve what you consider to be your idea of paradise, what then? Where do you go from there?

Any last words or vicious rumours you’d like to start about yourselves?

Well, we did a tour with Bluejuice and they tried to start a rumour that we were really into fighting. That’s just blatantly untrue.

None of us can fight to save ourselves.

The Holidays play the New Beginnings festival, January 15-16, at Lake Macquarie.

Post Paradise is out now through Liberation. reverb magazine issue #053 — December 2010 31

m e n t a l h e a l t h i n m u s i c — f o r e i g n o b j e c t s

Rocking Taboos Mental illness is fast becoming less taboo, even in the music industry.

Marc Bryant talks to Novocastrian singer/songwriter Amy Vee about the continued bid to de-stigmatise the issue.

You could be forgiven for thinking the links between mental illness and music only exist within the heart-achingly deep and down­ trodden lyrics or psychedelic meanderings of ‘misunderstood creative genius’-type musicians. Isolation and alienation are indeed easily relatable topics for young audiences.

While this can be true, it is this general stereotype that only compounds stigma attached to the term mental illness, says Newcastle-based musician Amy Vee. “There are so many examples of famous musicians who are known to have experienced mental illness — such as Morrissey of The Smiths, who talks openly about living with bipolar disorder, or Brian Wilson from The Beach Boys who has spoken about his schizoaffective disorder,” explains Vee. “However, we should not let the mental illness overshadow their brilliance as artists, rather accept that is part of them. Because in truth, mental illness can affect anyone.

Statistically, one in five Australians will experience a mental illness in a 12-month period. So anyone, whether creative or not, can be affected. It’s important for young people in particular to be aware of this and seek help early.”

Vee herself has worked in mental health promotion and suicide prevention for the past four years, working on a national project that assists scriptwriters who are looking to portray mental illness and/or suicide in film, television and theatre.

As an award-winning songwriter, Vee says musicians will often draw on their personal emotions and experiences to spark their creativity. But the major risk factors for common illnesses such as depression and anxiety, are more likely to manifest as a result of lifestyle factors and risk taking behaviours.

“This can impact on your wellbeing, particularly if you are consuming lots of alcohol, worrying about being able to pay bills, or if you’re on the road touring for long periods of time. Even not eating healthy or having no regular exercise are risk factors for mental health problems,” states Vee, an honours graduate in psychology.

Vee adds that more research needs to be done to understand the impact of mental illness on musicians. “There is a survey currently being conducted by the University of Queensland about musicians’ work experiences and how these can affect their mental wellbeing and attitudes. This is important work that might help us to lobby for better support and standards for people working within the music industry.

“The Musicians’ Wellbeing Survey can be accessed via their Facebook page and it takes around 15-minutes to complete. To take part, you need to be at least 18, earn an income from music, and have worked as a musician for at least the past six months,” Vee explains.

To highlight the early warning signs of mental illness and encourage young people

morrissey

Depression & anxiety Depression and anxiety are among the most common mental health problems experienced by young people. Depression is a serious illness, often accompanied by a range of physical and psychological symptoms, including extreme lows, that can interfere with the way a person is able to function in their everyday life. Anxiety is an overwhelming feeling of fear or worry for no apparent reason, with episodes so severe it can be immobilising.

In a crisis: • Lifeline Phone 13 11 14 • Kids’ helpline (ages 5-25) Phone 1800 55 1800, or kidshelp.com.au For information and support: • Youth Beyond Blue 1300 224 636, or youthbeyondblue.com • Headspace headspace.org.au • Reach Out! reachout.com • Sane Aus 1800 18 SANE (7263), or sane.org

You guys have just released your second EP, 321. How do you feel you have matured since your first EP was released?

We are definitely a lot more seasoned as a band, as far as doing the hard yards on the road and stuff like that. The songwriting has matured a fair bit too.

The EP was recorded with the help of Phil Jamieson of Grinspoon, how was it working alongside him? What did you feel you guys got out of the experience?

Phil did all our pre-production for the record. We had around 8-10 rehearsals where Phil came in and we played the songs to him, he helped us pick the ones that were “EP worthy” and then he wrote out all the arrangements and helped us tighten them up. He also helped with a few vocal melodies, it was really awesome having him there, he wasn’t trying to make us sound like something we’re not — he was just trying to get the best out of us. He did a really good job with it.

How long did you guys spend recording the 321 EP? We tracked the EP in four days, but after about the third day my voice pretty much shit itself just as I was supposed to do another two vocal tracks. I had to finish off those two tracks when we got home by tracking them in Studio Seven with Phil Eegs, a local engineer in Port Macquarie.

You boys have gone from pubs and clubs to supporting bands such as Grinspoon, Philadelphia Grand Jury, The Scare. How much have these shows helped boost popularity for you blokes?

It’s hard to say, a few people added us on facebook after our show with Grinspoon 32 reverb

magazine issue #053 — December 2010

in particular to seek help, Vee has worked with Newcastle-based musician and producer Gareth Hudson on the ‘Rockin’ the Black Dog’ campaign, which has to date included a large outdoor festival and more recently, a youth band competition.

Hudson says, “The aim was to use music to engage young people and musicians and increase their awareness of mental health issues. While the music did not have to explore these issues, we wanted to provide opportunities for young people to get important information about looking after their own mental health.”

“It is important that young people talk to each other about mental health issues and that they know where to go if they suspect something is not quite right. The same goes for musicians themselves,” he adds.

For some artists there is the added burden of coping with their success. Veteran music manager John Watson says the importance of a healthy body and mind is not lost in the music industry today. With over 20 years in the game, managing artists from Cold Chisel to Silverchair and Birds Of Tokyo Watson explains, “Some artists really feel the pressure because fame brings a level of scrutiny that’s hard to imagine.”

“Musicians are now encouraged to talk about issues and support is provided wherever possible. Thankfully there aren’t the same taboos surrounding mental health issues that there were even a decade ago.”

launch. We also played an all-ages gig which was only advertised through our facebook account — that brought plenty of the youth from around here to the show.

You guys have backed up the genre of rock ‘n roll with quite an energetic live set.

When it comes to writing new material, do you guys try to maintain writing songs with that “live, wired and jumpy” kinda feel in mind?

Absolutely, everything I write I always picture in my mind how that song would sound live.

If you can have a really energetic and exciting live rock ‘n roll set and you practice that a few times, once you head into the studio you can get it down just like you do it live.

UNEARTHED IN PORT Having recently been named winners of the Triple J Unearthed Festival of the Sun competition, four piece Port Macquarie rock ‘n roll outfit, The Foreign Objects, are preparing to startle your ears this summer with the sound of their sophomore EP, 321. Sean Frazer chats to vocalist Luke Wells. saying stuff like “last night was awesome”.

When you can see something first-hand like that it looks productive. The best thing about doing a gig with a band like Grinspoon or Philadelphia Grand Jury is that you get to play in a room chockers full of people. When they’re people in the audience you don’t know, it’s really

rewarding when they all dig the show.

What is the following like for you guys there in Port Macquarie?

We’re starting to get an awesome little music scene happening [in Port Macquarie]. We did a gig the other night and there were 300 people there at the Beach House for our EP

The Foreign Objects recently won the opportunity to play the sold-out FoTSun again this year through the Triple J Unearthed competition. You guys must be stoked to win your way there by a hand of votes in popularity?

Yeah totally, it’s really cool. Our first single off the EP was ‘Candy’ and Triple J played it, a few days later I got a call saying we were chosen to play FOTSun. We were totally amped up about that. We played the festival last year and we were the first band on the very first day at about 5 o’clock in the afternoon and around that time everyone was pissed and ready for music so we came out and filled the front of the stage with people. It was great!

The Foreign Objects play the Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle, Friday December 10, and the sold-out Festival of the Sun in Port Macquarie, Saturday December 11. 321 is out now through Cross Section/Inertia.

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Raw Fm 10th Anniversary.pdf 1 15/11/2010 3:03:45 PM

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C

M

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CM

MY

CY

CMY

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Come to the Island!

Live Entertainment – Dec Friday Dec 3rd – Hugh Gordon Sat 4th – Jam Jar Friday 10th – Nicko + Guest Sat 11th – The Rob Cass Duo Friday 17th – Mick n Josh

Sat 18th – Bits & Pieces Friday 24th, Xmas eve – Nicko + Guest Friday 31st, NYE – Driver 8 Sat 1st Jan – Buncha Funkers

Every Week MON - Free pool TUES - $10 Jugs, $10 Curries WED - Killer Pool Comp ($100 Prize Money) THURS - Lunchtime Raffle (6.30pm Schooner Draw) FRI - Double Happy Hour 4-6pm $3.60 Schooners Afternoon Wind Down Raffle, Hot Bar Snacks 7Seas6pack Challenge

Take aways are available till midnight 6 nights a week.

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reverb magazine issue #053 — December 2010 33

fashion — photogr aphy by justin lees

above he wears glasses by Sabre, necklace & ring by This Charming Man, tee by The Quite Life, denim by Nudie Jeans Co. she wears glasses by Sabre, necklace by This Charming Man, watch

by Casio, top and denim by One Teaspoon.

above shoes by Native Shoes, denim by Nudie Jeans Co.

above ring by This Charming Man, denim by Nudie Jeans Co.

above necklaces by One Luv, watch by Casio.

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magazine issue #053 — December 2010

above watch by Casio.

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fashion — photogr aphy by justin lees

above Tee by Rad & Nate Gamble (artist series). left Glasses by Sabre.

above he wears tee by Rad & Nate Gamble (artist series).

SHe wears dress by One Teaspoon. left he wears necklace by This Charming Man, tee by Vans, shorts by DAC. SHe wears necklace by One Luv, top and shorts by One Teaspoon.

above shoes by Vans.

Photography by Justin Lees Styling and direction by Cal Lynch & Justin Lees Modelling by Cheeks and Balls Malone Clothing by Rad, 5/185 Darby Street, Cooks Hill

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reverb magazine issue #053 — December 2010 35

DECEMBER

DECEMBER 4TH 10TH 11TH 12TH 16TH 17TH 19TH 24TH 24TH 27TH

Beauty & the Beast – families welcome John White – families welcome Hekyl & Jive Yamba Country Music Club 10am-5pm Members Christmas Party – The Fake 4 Beatles Show Car draw after Family Raffles Christmas Toy Raffle – 2.30pm-6pm. $5,000 cash draw after Family Raffles

DATE

EVENT

1 WED

JAM NIGHT

2 THURS

JAZZ

3 FRI

DJ EZY P

4 SAT

ONE TWO MANY

8 WED

JAM NIGHT

9 THURS

JAZZ

10 FRIDAY

DJ EZY P

11 SAT

MATHERSON TRIO

15 WED

JAM NIGHT

New Year’s Eve with: Little Big Fish Band –

16 THURS

JAZZ

8.30pm to 12.30am, and Peter Fox – 7.30pm to

17 FRI

DJ EZY P

18 SAT

BROADFOOT

22 WED

JAM NIGHT

4th Jan – $46 ticket pre-sold.

23 THURS

JAZZ

THE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS

24 FRI

DJ EZY P

JIMEOIN

26 SUN

RACE DAY AFTER PARTY

29 WED

JAM NIGHT

30 THURS

JAZZ

31 FRI

NYE PARTY

28TH 29TH 31ST

Dave Strauss – families welcome 7.15pm-11.15pm GRINSPOON + supports – $35 ticket pre-sold SELLING FAST! EBB-n-FLO + support – $11 ticket – SELLING FAST! The Duelin Piano Show

11.30pm – $15 ticket

TICKETS - SELLING FAST TONI CHILDS

8th Jan – $26 ticket pre-sold.

Something Smells Funny Tour – 13th Jan – $36 ticket.

ASH GRUNWALD 15th Jan – $21

COMING ATTRACTIONS JANUARY 3RD 7TH 12TH

BLUEJUICE + Philadelphia Grand Jury, $26 Shane ST JAMES The official BLUES BROTHERS REVIEW – direct from the USA – $30

Yamba Bowling Club – 44 Wooli Street YAMBA 6646 2305 www.yambabowlingclub.com.au E - yambabowlingclub@tpg.com.au courtesy bus – norfolk bistro – a-la-carte restaurant

SPECIALS MONDAY – SCHOONER & SCHNITZEL $14 TUESDAY – TERRIFIC TRIVIA W/ DYLAN 7PM WEDNESDAY – MEMBERS FREE STEAK THURSDAY – JAZZ NIGHT FROM 7PM

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dunes cafe – kid’s playground & playroom.

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magazine issue #053 — December 2010

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r aw f m ’ s t e n t h b i r t h day

Ten years ago, a little narrowcast radio station began broadcasting from the Central Coast — 99.1 Raw FM. Today, Raw FM can be heard throughout NSW across 50 licences, delivering to its listeners the latest in dance music. Kevin Bull spoke with founder, Angy Nacson, and music programmer, Chris Frazer, about the early days on the Central Coast, and what it takes to get on the Raw FM playlist.

So how did Raw FM come about for you?

Angy After so many years in the dance music industry and community radio I recognised there was a gap in mainstream radio and saw the potential for a dedicated 24/7 dance music radio station. Following some research, I became aware of narrowcast radio and in mid 1999 I located two licences on the NSW central coast that were available for purchase. This was perfect as they would tie in with a regular event I was running on the coast.

Chris In terms of radio, I was at Triple J for a couple of years hosting mix up and doing mid-dawn shifts, but in general I’ve been DJing and producing for over 15 years.

I started a high school radio station when I was 14 and never looked back. I’ve been taking care of the music [at Raw] for the last three years.

Decade of Raw Dance

Can you explain the type of radio licence that Raw FM operates under, and the rules involved in this type of licence?

Angy Raw FM operates on narrowcast licences issued by the ACMA. With a narrowcast licence the operator can choose only one target market or format (eg., ethnic, country music, religion, racing, tourist info, etc.), unlike commercial or community radio that can be of general appeal. These licences are also issued for a specific location/ footprint — so in the ACT, for example, we have linked many licences to provide coverage throughout Canberra and Queanbeyan.

be what’s working in clubs in Australia, so that’s the first test. “Are DJs playing the track?” is the first consideration. There are thousands of ‘dance’ tracks made every week, many of them aren’t very good. We act as a filter and make sure that what makes it to air is only the very best tuneage available.

When adding a new song to the playlist, what do you consider?

Chris As we’re strictly a club/electronic/ dance/urban station, what we play has to

How do you ensure that you are ahead of the game?

Chris Being a busy DJ and producer, I have access to a lot of material before

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release, plus I do a lot of research, reading blogs, magazines, looking at DJ charts, shopping online at places like Beatport.

What difficulties you have encountered over the ten years?

Angy One of the main challenges in the early days was to attract advertisers to this ‘new’ form of radio. Broadcasting to a niche market was not a widely accepted practice.

We had to prove that advertising to a smaller market, but the exact market clients wanted to reach, was effective and

would achieve great results for their advertising dollar.

What do you see for the station when you look further ahead?

Angy While we are very pleased with where Raw FM is at the moment, there is always room for improvement. One thing that we would like to achieve is to streamline our infra­structure by purchasing higher power licences if and when these become available. We would also like to expand Raw FM into other high-population areas.

reverb magazine issue #053 — December 2010 37

LIVE Reviews

reverb

SHAWS BAY HOTEL

Sarah Blasko

the crowd (although, he was reading from a computer monitor — autocue style). Wilson played keyboards and, though it was only a small part of his nine-piece backing band, when he sung it was the Beach Boys we all knew. Punters came to sing along and dance to songs they’ve held on strongly to, and that is exactly what happened. ~Kath o’hara

Civic Theatre, Newcastle Thursday, October 28

Ballina

The Audreys Lizotte’s, New Lambton Thursday, November 4 Sarah Blasko ©Timmy Johnston

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3 Glen Massey 5 Pink Zinc 10 Mossey Rock Duo 12 One 2 Many 17 The Lady & the Tramp 18 Ben from Brittle SHAWSY FEST – 19 Featuring Marshal & The Fro

26 Cath Simes Band 31 Family friendly Late afternoon show

The majesty of the Civic Theatre was a fitting venue for Sarah Blasko and her sixpiece backing band, playing to a full house that hung on to every note. Despite a slow start, where the band appeared to be more engaging than her, Blasko quickly hit her stride singing songs from all three of her albums including latest hits ‘All I Want’ and ‘We Won’t Run.’ The appreciative “polite crowd” (as named by Blasko) came to life when she performed her cover of Cold Chisel’s ‘Flame Trees’. The magic of the moment was heightened by Blasko’s announcement that she would be retiring the song after the tour, believing it had run its course.

Although, to her credit, with the smooth role of her voice she could probably sing ‘Old McDonald had a Farm’ and have an audience mesmerised. You would think it would be hard to top a set that garnered a sustained three minutes of applause on its conclusion, however, her encore did just that. Who knows whether it was the bell playing or the bubble machine, but when she did finish, she did so to a standing ovation. ~Melissah Comber

Brian Wilson, Chicago, America, Peter Frampton Hope Estate, Hunter Valley Saturday, November 6

from 4 – Occa rock

Tradies hump day every Wednesday 4:30 to 6:30 *Bikini girls* *Free BBQ* *Happy hour prices*

Jackpot badge draw every Friday

THE SHAWS BAY HOTEL 2 BRIGHTON STREET, EAST BALLINA 103 River Street, Ballina P: 6686 2034 Phone 02 6686 2015 WWW.SHAWSBAYHOTEL.COM.AU 38 reve rb

magazine issue #053 — December 2010

The Audreys ©Mark Snelson

Taasha Coates’s haunting vocals can transport you back to a simpler time. Tonight, her beautiful voice echoed throughout Lizotte’s in perfect accompaniment with the other member of the group, musical showman and guitarist, Tristan Goodall. They played with a small band consisting of a drummer, bassist and a jack of all trades musician.

There were an array of musical devices that made appearances throughout the show; from piano-accordion, banjos, keyboards, the violin and mandolin to some slightly different music makers like spoons and a small wind piano. It was a musical extravaganza of sorts.

The clothing worn by the outfit (a very elegant black dress for Coates and old school waistcoats and slacks for the boys) suited the venue and the melancholic mood of the music perfectly. Between songs they played up to the audience, making jokes and even having everyone stand up and shake their booty. The show was full of life, musical crescendo and fun. The songs took the audience into stories of love, heartbreak, joy and truth. There was even an introduction to acting legend Steve McQueen in one of their hits ‘You and Steve McQueen’. Stand out songs of the evening included ‘Monster Part 2’, and the magnificent ‘Lonesome Valley.’ ~Mark Henderson

Chicago ©Kevin Bull

Leading up to the weekend, the Hunter Valley had received its fair share of rain. Enough to wake Saturday morning and look to the heavens, praying for some clear skies. After getting settled at Hope Estate, a familiar voice could be heard from the stage. Mark Wilkinson was warming up the noticeably thin crowd (there were probably 1,000 people there but as a venue that holds 16,000, that doesn’t feel like many). Having not see Mark perform for years, it was good to revisit his voice.

I really enjoyed Peter Frampton, the next up in the five-strong line up. To hear those Frampton Comes Alive tracks come alive was a dream. ‘Lines On My Face’, ‘Show Me the Way’ and ‘Do You Feel Like We Do’ never rang so true. America, however, were a bit hit and miss. On tracks, ‘Sister Golden Hair’ and ‘Sandman’ they were faultless but, at times, they were all over the place. With Chicago, on the other hand, I felt like I was seeing two different bands — the early Chicago Transit Authority’s driving groove and the more recognisable, later romantic ballads. Brian Wilson appeared in good spirits talking to

provided a pleasing morning soundtrack.

Their set, which included covers of Angus and Julia Stone’s ‘Big Jet Plane’, Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ and Mumford and Son’s ‘Little Lion Man’, was a reflection of both artists’ young age — entertaining but somewhat amateurish. In stark contrast, local alt-country act Mark Wells, billed as The Sweet Illusions for this one-off show, demonstrated his aptitude for live performance. Showcasing a string of toe-tapping tunes from his debut EP Playing With Fire, including the delightfully bluegrass-infused ‘You’re Still On My Mind’, Wells added some faux-Texan charm to the afternoon. As spectators sat cross-legged on the grass under a scorching sun, this felt particularly appropriate. But by far attracting the warmest reception was indie darling Sally Seltmann. Although slightly nervous on stage, the Melbournebased singer/songwriter endeared the audience with her sweet, down-to-earth melodies. Joyous drunken dancing inevitably ensued. ~Lee Tobin

Bitter and Twisted festival Maitland Gaol Sunday, November 7

Tim Rogers ©Scarlett O’Horror

There is something strangely perverse about sampling beer and eating gözleme where the criminally deranged used to piss, bleed and vomit. The effectively creepy venue, however, did little to dampen the infectiously cheery atmosphere at this year’s most bittersweet festival. Admittedly, thanks to a few too many “glasses of happiness”, I can only offer a hazy recollection of the day. Gracing what was once the gaol’s exercise yard, Newcastle’s Thomas Lawson and Jamie Clarke

Jimmy BARNES Hope Estate, Hunter Valley Saturday, November 13

Jimmy Barnes ©Troy Constable

Over 9,000 people made their way through the gates of the Bimbadgen Estate with rugs, deck chairs and eskies in tow to commemorate ten years of A Day On The Green. The day would see the likes of some of Australia’s finest artists with Michael Spiby starting off the afternoon followed by Swanee (older brother of Jimmy Barnes), Dan Sultan, Diesel and Richard Clapton.

Mark Seymour was spoilt as he walked out to an immense roar when his first words from hit song ‘Holy Grail’ passed through the microphone. Seymour put on an incredible show, mixing his solo numbers with anthems from his work with Hunters & Collectors.

Vanessa Amorossi was a real eye opener for people that hadn’t seen this girl perform since her success in 1999. A much more mature Amorossi greets the crowd nowadays with as much flame as ever. Amorossi raced through the crowd giving the punters a chance to interact as she belted out the chorus to ‘Absolutely Everybody’.

Jimmy Barnes closed the night in typical Barnesy fashion with his loud, in-your-face, rock ‘n roll blasting the audience to their feet. A few tracks from his latest album Rage and Ruin were showcased. They grasped the sound of an ever-changing, and ever-ageing Barnes, boasting tales of love and heart break. When you hear Barnes wail out classics ‘Flame Trees’, ‘Working Class Man’ and ‘Khe Sahn’ it appears that age has not wearied a single vocal chord (or dance move) since his days with Cold Chisel. An epic set from a brilliant performer as he leaves the stage once again, covered in enough sweat to soak a towel through. ~Sean Frazer

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Live Reviews Metallica Acer Arena, Sydney Wednesday, November 10

Metallica ©kevin bull

Returning to Australian shores after vowing in 2004 that they wouldn’t make us wait six years again for more shows (whoops, just!), Metallica deliver what one would expect from a world class band at this point in their career. The coffin box lighting rig and almost disco-esque(!) laser show is visually engaging, while the snakepit-styled round stage allows every seat in Acer Arena to see all four members clearly throughout the show.

With a set featuring heavily from the Black and Death Magnetic albums, Metallica had no problem in holding the audience’s interest throughout the two hour performance. Some notable song omissions might have put a dampener on a more 80sera appreciating fan, but the airing of tracks like ‘Through the Never’, ‘Blackened’, ‘…

And Justice for All’ and Diamond Head’s ‘Am I Evil’ should suffice. Ignoring Master of Puppets save for the title track, Ride the Lightning save for ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’, and staying clear of the Load, Reload and St Anger albums, the band seem eager to keep a welcoming and friendly vibe on-stage these days - with recognition to a 60th show attendee and the releasing of beach balls during the final encore of ‘Seek and Destroy’. Still energetic and committed to their craft, Metallica deliver the goods with ease. ~Byron Struck

Shihad Coolangatta Hotel Saturday, November 13

Shihad ©Quenched

I ascended the stairs into the rock room to witness the infectious swampy riffs of Melbourne’s Black Devil Yard Boss getting their demon on with an already enthusiastic crowd. Pete Williamson (ex Mammal, Pete Murray), guitar whiz and vocalist had the rock faithful declaring urban disdain at the top of their lungs!

Trial Kennedy stepped up and performed a flawless set of their gutsy rock, the crowd soaking up every note as the boys delivered their ever popular rock sermon.

They were a tasty entree to tantalise a swarm of punters hungry for a night of no-nonsense heavy rock. The hum grew as the sweaty crowd ‘refreshed’ and watched the stage prepared for the main event.

As John Toogood and the boys hit the stage the audience erupted with fists in the air, screaming the lyrics of what have become Find us on Facebook

some of the most recognisable hooks in the heavy rock scene down under. Crowd surfers in Dr Martens rolled about to the classic strains of ‘Comfort Me’, ‘Run’ and ‘Semi Normal’. As the band pumped out their newest material from this year’s offering Ignite, the enthusiastic crowd was unwavering and kept up their dedicated tempo of moshing, screaming and singing.

John urged the eager crowd to get amongst it as bassist Karl spent much of the night beaming his infectious smile while he faced off with drummer, Tom who kept it straight and true song after mighty song. Shihad looked and sounded as good as ever with their fine blend of thoughtful and hearty rock - the crowd were loving it and so were the band. Shihad always bring the goods and tonight was no exception. ~Quenched

Birds Of Tokyo

Manic Street Preachers

Australian rock heroes Birds of Tokyo took their set to regional Australia in support of Optus’s Sound Scribe programme and this reviewer, Ballina blogger Max Quinn. The Sound Scribe competition invited forty aspiring music bloggers from regional Australia to maintain a music blog on the Optus website in the hope of securing a free Birds Of Tokyo gig for their hometown.

Ballina came out in numbers for the free concert, filling a damp Kingsford Smith Oval to its capacity in spite of the adverse weather conditions. The group played an hour-long set laden with tracks from their wonderful third studio album Birds of Tokyo and successfully returned rock and roll to a venue (and town) that hadn’t felt its presence since Bob Dylan made a stopover in 2001. The band retained the incredibly rich, full sound of their recorded catalogue, bandleader Ian Kenny’s voice gliding effortlessly into haunting falsetto on tracks like set highlight ‘The Unbreakable Scene’.

Early singles ‘Wayside’ and ‘Silhouettic’ were met by the fawning crowd with a fervour that was only overshadowed by slam-dunk single ‘Plans’. By the time the heavens had closed, Ballina had already found themselves a new set of rock and roll gods — and they’d just finished a show that’s to be remembered for a very long time. ~Max Quinn

Metro Theatre, Sydney Monday, November 15

Manic Street Preachers ©Johnny Au

Because they are the most monumentally talented and important band on the planet, it’s fair to expect a lot from a Manic Street Preachers live show. But on this long-awaited return to The Metro, they delivered in a big way.

Stepping out to a deafening welcome, the Welsh powerhouse trio wasted no time in blasting into ‘You Love Us’, a track from their 1992 debut album, Generation Terrorists.

It certainly wasn’t misplaced sentiment, with the sold-out venue’s inhabitants singing every single word.

Having not been to Australia since the mid-90s, when promoting their Everything Must Go album, it was clear that the Manics felt a need to play a greatest hits set. Few went unnoticed, with the evening including mammoth anthems like ‘Motorcycle Emptiness’, ‘No Surface All Feeling’, ‘Ocean Spray’, ‘You Stole The Sun From My Heart’ and ‘Tsunami’.

Towering, glammed-up bassist Nicky Wire strutted around the stage in his trademark style, dedicating songs to the Hoodoo Gurus, The Go-Betweens and then to our country, with the classic tune ‘Australia’. He quite poignantly dedicated a later song to their missing band mate Richey James Edwards.

Drummer Sean Moore is reserved in his style, but he is one of the most solid and powerful players in the world. Singer James Dean Bradfield was gracious, introducing each song to rapturous applause.

His guitar solos were mesmerising and he effortlessly showed why he’s one of the greatest frontmen of all time.

The Manics also played their cover of ‘Suicide Is Painless’, ‘If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next’ and the Holy Bible ballad ‘This Is Yesterday’. Later, Bradfield performed a solo acoustic singalong of ‘The Everlasting’.

With no time wasted between songs, it really was a bumper evening. Finishing with ‘Design For Life’, which shook the walls, the Manics bowed and left. They came, they saw, they conquered. Let’s hope it’s not another 14 years before they return. ~Nick Milligan

Ballina Seagulls Club Friday, November 19

Birds Of Tokyo ©quenched

Crowded House Hope Estate, Hunter Valley Saturday, November 20

Crowded House ©Johnny Au

You couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful backdrop to the day — the sun out, a streak of clouds in the sky and the lush, green vine­ yards of the Hope Estate behind us. The Boat People kicked off the afternoon with their Brisvegan blend of indie-pop. Although they had no problem projecting confidence, they didn’t seem to hold the audience to their chest. They did play some cute little numbers, though. Kate Miller-Heidke, on the other hand, commanded presence. Even though it was just her and an acoustic guitar, she created a warm and inviting atmosphere.

Live, Miller-Heidke’s voice is just as divine as her recorded voice. ‘Caught in the Crowd’ got a stirring response, as did an Eminem cover of ‘The Real Slim Shady’ which had her rapping like a refined pro. The standout though was ‘The Last Day on Earth’ —

Miller-Heidke, stripped down to her vocals and with little instrumentation, was sublime. As the last of the sun disappeared behind the hill, Crowded House opened with ‘Mean to Me’. Neil Finn’s voice was raw and gritty live, but there were layers to it which made you wonder what stories it had to tell. Midway through the set, Crowded House played a string of newer songs and the intensity dropped. It wasn’t until the band pulled out ‘Don’t Dream it’s Over’ that people got up to shake some booty and sing along. Backing it up with other older songs, the band went out with a bang with ‘Everything is Good for You’.

Highlights of the night included ‘Fall at Your Feet’ and new song ‘Satellites. The band eventually came back for an encore with a few oldies – ‘Locked Out’ and ‘Better Be Home Soon’. ~Stephanie McDonald

Open Arms Festival Coffs Harbour Saturday, November 20

City Riots ©Julie Lowe

Cabins provided the first set of the day, for those of us casually making their way in to the festival. Bringing their own brand of alt-rock to Open Arms, the four-piece shined despite their cubby-house stage slot. A droning, heaving set met punters either lucky or smart enough to check them out and most weren’t left disappointed. However, the group were probably the least suited to the young Coffs Harbour audience. Chris Shuttleworth’s groove-heavy bass lines collided with Ben Hinchcliffe’s drumming in a way that left me suggesting to my trusty sidekick, that Cabins’ music could easily slot into the score for a Stanley Kubrick film.

Wandering over to the main stage, I found myself willing the 20-odd minute break between bands along as Behind Crimson Eyes did their post-hardcore fans proud, and irritated the sleep-deprived rest of us.

With Horrorshow next up on the main stage I doubted things would get much better.

But I’ll be damned if the Horrorshow party didn’t put my cynical arse back in its place.

The Sydney hip-hop two-piece is straight-up, good fun and their “hip-hop you can hold hands to” proved that right now, hip-hop is big business in Australia.

Throw in a Ratatat remix of Notorious BIG and Horrorshow had found a new fan and, by the looks of it, I wasn’t the only one.

With my faith restored, Hungry Kids of Hungary took what seemed an eternity to soundcheck before blitzing through their harmonious pop-drenched set. A cover of Weezer’s ‘Buddy Holly’ went down a treat with those old enough to know the song, while the radio hits kept the predominantly young fans happy. Grafton Primary, by all accounts, went down a treat, while Birds of Tokyo hummed and The Living End killed it to finish the night on a high. ~James Gallagher

reverb magazine issue #053 — December 2010 39

motoring

Big Kick In The RS

“ This bloody thing hooks around corners so fast and blasts between them so brutally that the G-forces make your stomach contents curdle”

A couple of years back, Audi introduced a sweet revving high performance version of the A4 called the RS4. It was a competitor for the BMW M3 but cost more and didn’t go as hard and was a bit of a let down actually.

Scroll forward to September 2010 and Audi is having another crack at the M3 and also Benz’s C63 AMG and Lexus ISF — this time with a larger two door coupé called the RS5.

Absolutely drop dead gorgeous, the RS5 ups the ante in performance and handling compared to the RS4 though the engine is similar and the same capacity at 4.2 litres.

The boys from Ingolstadt (Audi’s German home base) gave the RS5 a set of big bollocks with maximum power output of 331kW and torque of 430Nm — and an engine redline of 8500rpm. It’s enough to push the RS5 from 0-100kph in 4.6 seconds and on to an unrestricted top whack of 280kph after you get the factory to disable the speed limiter.

But they stuffed up again on price, pitching RS5 at a snip over $175 grand or about $25K more than the Bimmer and Benz and about $40K more than the Lexus with which it shares a similar, clinically high tech feel. Still, the RS5 is a slightly bigger car than the two Euro competitors and is chockers with luxury kit and go fast goodies. There are plenty of options though including carbon ceramic brakes for $15K. Phew.

The quattro all wheel drive system is more than it seems with a tricky new centre diff’ to vary drive front to rear at anything up to 85 per cent rear. There’s also a torque vectoring

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magazine issue #053 — December 2010

system that selectively brakes a wheel if a skid is imminent and the rear sports diff’ varies drive between the two rear wheels.

All this and more makes the RS5 fully hooked up for maximum drive and traction even with the ESP system activated. It can be switched off but we found that to be unnecessary.

Numerous drive modes are selectable through four systems including Sport mode for the ESP and Comfort, Sport or Auto through the drive select system. That acts on steering, transmission, throttle response and exhaust. Go to the MMI computer system in the centre console and you can further customise how the RS5 behaves and then save the settings to the car’s hard drive as a default. So, it’s ready for action as soon as you switch on — no stuffing about.

The engine features direct fuel injection but is not force fed — it’s a “natmo” unit with plenty of technology to punch out big numbers. The intake cams for example have variable timing and lift and the internals are of high quality metal. It runs like clockwork and better yet, flick into the dynamic drive mode and the dual outlet exhaust opens to emit a strident blat developing into a mad howl as the revs rise to the high redline.

We couldn’t get enough of this and drove around looking for tunnels to blat the exhaust — sad ain’t it.

The engine is related to the V10 in Audi’s R8 super car and drives all four wheels through a seven-speed double clutch transmission called S tronic. Sequential

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Audi RS5 r e vi e we d by

Peter Douglas manual changes are achieved through wheel mounted paddles or the stick selector or you can wimp out and leave it in drive except in Dynamic mode when the transmission stays in the selected gear until you change it.

The RS5 is based on Audi’s A5 coupé, itself a real glamour but they slammed it 20mm and stuck on a set of 19s optionable to 20s. There is other cool stuff too like xenon adaptive headlights, the now obligatory Audi LED daytime driving lights curling underneath the main beams and an aggressive looking grille complemented by a subtle body aero kit and at the rear, two truck size exhaust tips with twin pipes tucked inside each.

The styling effect is stunning, making this car one of the best looking mainstream coupés you’ll see on the road. And when you take it for a spin, all hell breaks loose.

We did the Old Pac blast on a lazy Tuesday arvo and got out at the Kariong interchange feeling a bit queasy. That’s because this bloody thing hooks around corners so fast and blasts between them so brutally that the G-forces make your stomach contents curdle — not nice. Still, it’s God’s way of ensuring you don’t have too much fun short of being locked up by the cops.

Every sporty aspect of the RS5 is dialled up; the brakes, pin sharp steering, grip, body control, ride even. All sync to make you look like Mark Webber behind the wheel.

But it’s a heavy beast at 1725kg which eventually tells on the limit when you start to feel the brakes pinching and the drive feathering as the RS5 starts to save your bacon.

We really couldn’t get enough of peddling this car hard — it’s extremely addictive and heightened by the awesome sound it makes.

The interior is brilliant as you’d expect from an Audi — stylish, functional and high quality. The test car had a mega B&O audio system on board as well as high end Satnav and the expensive RS sport seat option. But even without these, you get plenty for the ask. It’s a mix of carbon and metal fascia inside as well as lashings of Nappa leather — and metal pedals.

We reckon the RS5 is more of a sporty GT car than an out and out canyon blaster like the M3 and to a lesser extent the C63 AMG. You can dial it up to suit any particular application from tooling around town almost anonymously to fast interstate trips to mountain pass play racing. It does all this while achieving a not bad 10.8 litres/100k fuel economy on 98 octane and passing EU5 emissions regulations, due here in about a decade. Pity about the tyre inflation kit but they had to do something to reduce weight.

One in red would be good, thanks.

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gaming

My Sweet MMO-piate Last week I received an email from Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft Team.

With the latest expansion fast approaching, they were evidently trying to bring wayward players back into the fold — as someone whose account had expired some time ago, I was offered seven days of free game time if I reactivated it by the end of the month. It was a gesture with all the outward appearance of generosity, but I recognised its true intent immediately. “Just a taste,” the developer seemed to say, with the digital equivalent of a small white packet slipped enticingly under my door.

“Foul peddlers!” I cried. As a recovering WoW addict, I was appalled to receive such malicious correspondence. I was even more appalled that I clicked the “Claim Your 7 FREE Days of Game Time” banner before I’d even finished reading it.

In all honesty, my decision to return for World of Warcraft: Cataclysm had already been made long before Blizzard threw in its little sweetener. Like much of WoW’s twelve-million-strong player base, I’ve followed the game’s development over the past year with alarming fanaticism, and it’s clear that this is a far more ambitious offering than previous expansions. Both The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King offered exciting new continents, races and classes to explore, but they were largely self-contained packages that left the bulk of the game’s original content unchanged; they felt like a pair of huge, incongruous muscle-arms dragging a wiry, decrepit torso along behind them. Exploring Azeroth was, for the most part, nothing more than a tiresome chore that stood in the way of shiny new content.

Cataclysm, by comparison, is one big dandy apocalyptic ‘reset’ button. It allows Blizzard to quite literally blow their outdated world to pieces as Deathwing, the aptly-named World Destroyer, bursts forth from the elemental plane and rips the entire planet asunder. The developer can then rebuild it again (in a manner of speaking — it’ll be riddled with gaping volcanic fissures), while applying all of the improved gameplay mechanics and visual effects they have garnered from the past six years. This is a new Azeroth, a fresh Azeroth. An extra crispy Azeroth.

The expansion includes two new playable races, bringing the increasingly assorted Alliance and Horde factions to six apiece.

Goblins will be available to the Horde — who clearly don’t have enough green-skinned, morally unsound and casually violent races already — and those in the Alliance will be able to play as Worgen, pan-dimensional werewolves that wear top hats and live in stately Victorian houses. If you still can’t find someone to love amongst this rapidlyexpanding multicultural muppet show, there’s clearly something wrong with you.

There are new zones, new dungeons, new UI and guild features, a new profession, thousands of new quests, and you can now use your fancy flying mounts across all of Azeroth, which goes a little way towards justifying the truly extortionary cost of flight training. Cataclysm is easily the most radical reinvention of World of Warcraft since it was first released — existing players have no doubt already pre-ordered or predownloaded their copy, named their Worgen Frangibold and given him an adorable backstory. For those who’ve never played WoW, or those like myself, who had

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Hugh Milligan the brazen audacity to give real life a go instead, now is a good time to take one last look at your favourite zones before they’re aggressively terra-formed.

So here we go again. Just as Deathwing and his minions lay waste to Azeroth, so too shall Cataclysm obliterate my social calendar, burn away my free time, violate my sleeping patterns and tear out my very soul, leaving me a bitter, broken shell of a man. Oh, the glorious horror.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will be released on December 7. It is currently available for digital pre-sale through Blizzard’s battle.net site.

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W W W.DISTURBED1.COM reverb magazine issue #053 — December 2010 41

Film Reviews

DVD Marathon

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Fair Game

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2.5/5 stars Fair Game is a dramatisation of the true story of CIA operative Valerie Plame whose identity was ‘outed’ by the White House after her husband Joe Wilson wrote a New York Times piece revealing the Bush administration’s manipulation of evidence in order to justify the invasion of Iraq.

Naomi Watts plays Valerie Plame, a working mum who jet-sets around the globe gathering intelligence on the potential weapon manufacturing capabilities of certain countries for the CIA. Her husband, Joe Wilson (Sean Penn), is a former foreign diplomat who is sent to Niger to find evidence to back up the Bush administration’s theory that large quantities of yellowcake uranium were sold to the Hussein regime to build nuclear weapons. Wilson finds no such evidence yet the government still uses the theory to send its troops to war. Frustrated by this twisting of the truth Wilson decides to reveal it via the press but the aftermath that follows proves to be devastating to their family life. The film’s first half is quite a tense and engaging political thriller but once Valerie’s identity is revealed, it becomes a bit flat and it feels milked out in order to make its feature-length running time. Both Penn and Watts have played similar roles before, only in far more interesting films.

This is not to say they are not good here, far from it — but it just feels all too familiar.

There is also an overuse of shaky hand held camera work that I am guessing was used

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to give it more of a documentary feel but tends to be more annoying than adding anything to the movie. Perhaps this would serve to be a more interesting piece of cinema in the states where the true story would have been splashed across the news

headlines more prominently then it was here. However, it does serve as a reminder of how flimsy the premise was for the on-going Iraq conflict and the lengths those in the top job will go to in order to cover-up their mess.

Back at the station, fears mount that he will be heading back to Red Hill to exact revenge upon those who put him behind bars.

In preparation, police chief Old Bill (Steve Bisley) gathers his troops of officers and sharp-shooting farmers and assigns them to various vantage points around the town.

But Conway is ahead of them every step of the way, and, armed with a sawn off shotgun, starts picking them off, one-by-one.

Whilst the plot here is both familiar and predictable, it is so well put together that it

is easy to forgive its shortcomings. Acting is superb with Ryan Kwanten, of True Blood fame, handling a cinematic lead very confidently and Steve Bisley is brilliant in his tough-as-nails role. The isolation of the town is wonderfully captured by cinematographer Tim Hudson and the night scenes when Conway unleashes his fury are filmed in a style reminiscent of classic slasher flicks.

Even though Red Hill is riddled with revenge thriller clichés, it still serves as an entertaining slice of action and is well worth checking out.

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3.5/5 stars Set in a small Australian country town, Red Hill is a revenge-based thriller with nods to classic westerns and a bit of grindhouse thrown in for good measure. The entire film is set over the course of 24-hours and follows the first day on the job for newly transferred city cop, Shane Cooper (Ryan Kwanten).

Shortly after his first call out that involves livestock being attacked by a mysterious animal, news comes in that Jimmy Conway (Tom E Lewis), an ex-resident and violent criminal, has escaped from prison.

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Martin Scorsese’s first break in Hollywood was working as an editor on acclaimed music documentary, Woodstock. Since then, he has gone on to document some of the biggest moments in music during the 20th century.

His cinematic style is characterised by a sense of raw documentary authenticity and a hallucinatory feverishness. His carefully constructed screen space allows for his characters to become fully realised, whether it’s Travis Bickle, or Bob Dylan.

In concert films like The Last Waltz (1978) and Shine A Light (2008), the band is revealed through their own words and experiences, along with their performance. The Last Waltz was the name of the final show for The Band, filmed at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco on Thanksgiving in 1976.

Scorsese alternates between the performance itself and the band’s recollections of the night.

In Shine A Light, Scorsese cuts between interviews of the Rolling Stones and a night on their ‘A Bigger Bang’ tour. More than a concert film, it is a question: how have the Stones managed to be consistently popular for over 40 years? Scorsese lets the band answer the question through their live performance.

Home is another theme in Scorsese’s work.

He draws on this connection in projects such as No Direction Home (2005), tracing Dylan’s early career, and Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: A Musical Journey (2003), a seven-part series tracing the history of the blues in America. In Part One, ‘Feels Like Going Home’, we see Corey Harris and Othar Turner playing together on a front porch and Harris playing ‘Honeysuckle’ in the afternoon sun, going back to the home of the blues.

The power and simplicity of the music itself is reflected in the simplicity of the filming.

In No Direction Home, Dylan is our hero, driving the narrative with his search for home, wherever or whatever that may be. It’s a journey filled with conflict; his move from acoustic to electric leads him to be labelled Judas by the people who had, until then, loved him — his fans. Dylan’s defiant stage persona prevails — he is an artist committed to moving forward, always looking to get where he’s meant to be.

Scorsese’s next project is Living in The Material World: George Harrison. Slated for release in 2011, no doubt the ‘quiet’ Beatle’s voice will be loud under Marty’s control. ~Sallie Maree Pritchard

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DVD Reviews

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3.5/5 stars

Despite an infection that has turned almost the entire world into zombies, hip-hop outfit Hilltop Hoods have decided to make a concert DVD anyway. I must begin by saying that Australian hip-hop is not quite my cup of tea. But it is a truth universally acknowledged that zombies make anything better: a spoonful of infected blood helps the medicine go down, if you will.

The Hilltop Hoods are not just musicians but astute businessmen. Just because civilisation has all but been destroyed doesn’t mean they can’t try and get new fans. As MC Suffa tells us, once zombies become self-aware they’ll also become consumers.

And zombies will need something to listen to, right? In the tradition of music films like Help and Rock and Roll High School, the Hoods have created a music DVD that perfectly encapsulates the band’s presence on stage: fun and energetic with a particularly Australian sense of humour. And while it may not be an instant classic like those mentioned above (no lab rats are transformed into gigantic punk rockers for a start), it’s fun to watch and quite informative — the boys provide handy guides to zombie dating etiquette, tips for maintaining zombie fitness and even products to facilitate zombie music recording. The film nerd in me finds the concept behind the film fascinating. Why is it that there is no art after the apocalypse?

Why is the thought of continuing to pursue the creative industries after zombies have taken over the world such a selfish one? And it has roller-skating zombie. ‘Nuff said, really.

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Death Metal at the Royal

Stone 72: Live and Raw

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Opeth in Concert, Live at the Royal Albert Hall Kevin Bull 4/5

The pairing of Opeth and London’s lush Royal Albert Hall feels strangely appropriate. This is a hallowed stage where 70s progressive rock found a home, and to see Opeth carry on that tradition (though still heavily buried within the death metal genre) is a passing of the baton. This twin DVD release is broken into two halves with disc one being their 2001 landmark release Blackwater Park being performed in its entirety. The eight tracks are delivered in a workman-like precision, leaving little room for spontaneity. The second disc, which includes a cut from each of their other eight releases, is noticeably more relaxed.

The visuals and audio are perfect for the live performance — unobtrusive and devoid of gimmicks, it is top class production that places you firmly at the concert. Also included is a tour diary documentary, that is surprisingly serene, quite peaceful, insightful and engaging, plus a 40-minute interview with fan-submitted questions.

This is a fine release, and should be sought out by any heavy-rock fan. Even if you are not into death metal, this one may convert you.

Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones Kevin Bull 4.5/5

What an absolute joy it is to witness the Rolling Stones in all their early 70s power and glory. Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones was filmed during their highly publicised 1972 North American tour, not long after Mick Taylor had come on board and the Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main Street albums had been released.

The Stones were at their creative peak, and this concert recording captures the experience of the tour wonderfully. Sound quality is as good as it gets, and considering it was recorded to 32 tracks, it’s understandable. The stage and visuals definitely timestamp the tour, as from this point on, the Rolling Stones’ tours became bigger and bigger. The stage lighting is dark, with front spots being used mostly, but this gives it a rawness and authenticity.

We have a band that was widely considered the most dangerous band in the world and, in this stark environment, they are the real deal. Tracks from Exile… and Sticky Fingers feature prominently, while the rarely played during the tour, ‘Dead Flowers’ getting an airing. With a set list that contains a 1972 Stones Greatest Hits (and one that would still be great to hear), it was never going to fail. Bonuses include an Old Grey Whistle Test interview (pass), and some Montreux rehearsal footage that is interesting, but when viewed against the accompanying concert, feels rather lacklustre. The concert though is not to be missed - this is when it was still all about the music, and before the Stones concert became the event — close to 40 years ago.

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3/5

For the Slipknot fan, their latest DVD release, (Sic)nesses, is the best of both worlds. Containing a 45 minute documentary of their tour support of All Hope is Gone, and their 90-minute headlining set at Download 2009 — it is a fitting tribute to their bassist, Paul Gray, who passed away a mere 11-months after the concert. Live at Download begins with the bluster and pyro of ‘742617000027’ in front of 80,000 metalheads, and is relentless throughout. Everything is presented big — the camera sweeps across the enormous stage and over the predominately male, mask-wearing crowd, there’s no getting away from the sheer size of the event. The sound quality is clean and crisp, though possibly over-produced considering the manic performance on stage. The documentary, Audible Visions of : (Sic)nesses, is not about what happens on stage, but focusses on what occurs around the fringes of the tour. There is no storyline, no continuity or timeline, rather you are left to make of it what you will. This is purely for the fan, no one else. Also included are four videos, and The Making of Snuff, a video where we see Corey Taylor in drag. He actually makes quite an attractive blonde.

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Yada Yada Indie Night – CROSS SECTION XMAS PARTY BARREL HOUSE THE FOREIGN OBJECTS THE PIXIEKILLS THE BIKINIS THE JOSEPHINE MARCH

22 December

The Butterfly Effect + After the Fall

29 December

Amy Meredith

6 January

Bluejuice + Philadelphia Grand Jury

11 January

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