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GREATEST HIT
THE INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION
DESERT ISLAND SONGS WITH CLEM BASTOW THE FLAMINGOS I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU Sometimes I wonder which thread of the spacetime fabric I pulled, which mysterious 40-year-old ant I squashed as a child, in order to spend my life haunted by spooky 1950s love ballads.
A note from the organisers. With the announcement of the finalists for the 2010 International Songwriting Competition, entries are now open for the 2011 competition, and with a swag of Australian artists as last year’s finalists, competition organisers are encouraging Aussie songwriters, both independent and established, to enter their songs. International Songwriting Competition (ISC) founder and director Candace Avery says the number of entrants from Australian artists has grown over recent years, surpassing Canada and England, second only to entries received from the US. “As a result, ISC has had a lot of Australian finalists and winners, from well-known signed artists to completely unknown artists,” she says.
Johnny Mathis’ Chances Are and The Flamingos’ I Only Have Eyes For You: they weave in and out of my life in an unnerving manner, turning up where I least expect them – blaring out of passing cars’ windows, in the background of movies, on mixtapes, in shops – and disturb my dreams. Chances Are was the first. When I was much younger, I would raid the paranormal section at the library, inevitably without actually borrowing any of them, as though bringing home books on poltergeist or UFOs would somehow deliver those weird energies – or worse – into my house. Instead, I’d sit next to the shelf and read rabidly, poring over tales of alien abduction and ball lightning and all those sorts of shit-scary sleepover conversation topics. It followed that when I became obsessed with the work of Steven Spielberg, I would ask – no, insist – that I be allowed to watch Close Encounters Of The Third Kind. The film had a profound effect on me, but none more so than the hideous incongruousness of Johnny Mathis’s Chances Are playing as the aliens come to take little Barry away. “The moment yooouuu cooome into viiieew…” he croons, as these unseen creeps bang about the ceiling and cat-flap. “For Christ’s sake,” I used to think, crying with terror as those aliens turned screws loose from the heating ducts (to this day I find it hard to sleep near ducted heating), “please don’t come into view.” I was plagued by alien-paranoia-induced insomnia for the next five or so years, and my late-night salve was to listen to Magic 693; I’d put it on quietly and read Little House On The Prairie, that combination the sole thing that stopped my restless mind from wandering to the aliens that were certainly about to come down the chimney. For the most part that method worked, except for the fact that Magic 693 were particularly fond of Johnny Mathis’ greatest hits. If Chances Are piped up, I would plunge into a fit of terror. So, I was struck by how I slipped back into that terrified 13-year-old mindset when, watching I Love You Phillip Morris, that song played as Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor slow-danced during a prison riot. Fortunately, such was the beauty of the scene that my brain seems to have switched the Chances Are mnemonic to that delicate scene of romance instead of alien abduction. More recently, it’s been all about The Flamingos’ I Only Have Eyes For You. For years I had no idea what this dreamlike cover of the great standard was; in fact, I didn’t even realise it was I Only Have Eyes For You – most of the time I’d just hear those ghostly, echoing backing vocals (“D’bop sh’bop…”). This was the song I heard coming from a passing car, in a moment so unsettling I wonder even now if I daydreamed it. I went to see the Astor’s new 35mm print of the sublime American Graffiti, and there it was again, echoing around those emptying 1962 streets; weaving its spooky soundscape around the deuce coupes and pedal-pushers. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Then, this past weekend, I bought a compilation of 1950s rock’n’roll songs to help me sew faster; what looked like 14 songs – I forgot to scroll down, <3 u forevs iTunes – turned out to be 40 songs, and hidden in the middle of them all was, you guessed it, I Only Have Eyes For You. There’s something about ‘50s love ballads that is in stark contrast to how sexless they became in the ‘60s. They have a mysterious eroticism about them (it’s not surprising that they’ve laced the films of directors like David Lynch). So it is with I Only Have Eyes For You, which is as ephemeral as a perfume trace on last night’s jacket; a song tailor-made for slow-dancing and “slow-dancing”. I like the contrast, too, between the two songs – Mathis’s waiting for someone to “come into view”, The Flamingos’ millions of people who’ll “all disappear from view”. I guess we spend our lives waiting for the former so we can experience the latter. And I’m glad that for whatever reason these two songs have decided to follow me through life. D’bop sh’bop.
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Ezekiel Ox plays Love Music/Hate Racism at Inu Bar, University Of Melbourne on Friday 22 April. HOW DID YOU GET STARTED? “Well, I always liked to sing, so I just kept doing it. Then the guitar seemed like a good instrument, because you can pick it up easily and hit the streets, which is handy if you’re going to a protest or meeting.” HAVE YOU RECORDED ANYTHING OR DO YOU PREFER TO TOOL AROUND IN YOUR BEDROOM? “I’ve recorded 15 releases in the last 13 years with four different projects, including two live albums. I use my bedroom for snoozing, etc.” CAN YOU SUM UP YOUR SOUND IN FOUR WORDS? “Busker punk justice folk.” IF YOU COULD SUPPORT ANYONE IN THE WORLD, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY? “All I want to do is support MC Lesson, an amazing Melbourne spoken word artist and ‘edu-tainer’. I get to do that at Love Music/Hate Racism. Living the dream!” IF A HIGHER POWER SMITES YOUR HOUSE AND YOU CAN ONLY SAVE ONE RECORD FROM THE FIRE, WHAT WOULD IT BE? “Rage Against The Machine – Evil Empire.” DO YOU HAVE A LUCKY ITEM YOU WEAR FOR GIGS AND WHAT IS IT? “My guitar strap. It was my Dad’s.” IF YOU INVITED SOMEONE AWESOME ROUND FOR DINNER WHAT WOULD YOU COOK? “A massive pot of bean surprise, enough to feed ten. Then I’d call them and say, ‘If you’re so awesome, bring eight of your awesome mates’.” WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE TO DRINK IN MELBOURNE? “My mum’s courtyard in Richmond, with a few stuffed mushrooms on the barbie and Roy Orbison on the stereo.”
Last year’s finalists included Aussie artists such as Megan Washington, Kasey Chambers, Paul Dempsey and Glenn Richards, to name a few. Avery says the competition is always excited to receive entries from Australian artists, as the quality is always “a step above”. “There’s a certain quality to them – a slight left-of-centre but still in the pocket sensibility that is creative, cutting edge and inspired,” she says. “Maybe this is in part due to Triple J and their fostering of new, interesting talent. We don’t have a radio station in the US that covers the whole country and plays up-and-coming music in rotation, Australian artists are very fortunate to have this outlet for their music.” With a wealth of discovered and undiscovered talent all around Australia, the ISC is not only a chance for all artists to make the local scene sit up and take notice of their talent, but also to make their mark internationally. Previous winners have gone on to do great things in the music industry, and the competition not only gives entrants the chance to win a coup of ultimate live music act to get crazy with. It’s what they do. Along with their friends Animaux and The Inbetweeners, they play the Evelyn Hotel this Sunday. The $5 entry guarantees you the best Sunday night you’ve ever had. Doors open at 9pm.
THE REAL ALEXIS Alexis Nicole is the real deal. Composing pieces since she was big enough to play guitar at the age of six, Nicole has been wowing audiences with her prodigious talent and plays at the Builders Arms this Saturday with special guests Sarah Eida and the Tim Cannon Band. Nicole presents courage and vulnerability to her fusion of folk, alternative and gyspy genres. Now with her band The Missing Pieces – including double bass, saw, banjo, drums and percussion – she and this talented group of gents create fresh sounds for music lovers who crave raw and relatable music. Doors open at 8.30pm.
TEMPT TESS Melbourne songwriter and charismatic singer Tess McKenna returns to the Union Hotel in Brunswick this Saturday from 5-7pm with her band The Shapiros to play three-piece garage, bare-faced folk rock and dirty bang-bang blues. The group will be playing songs from McKenna’s latest album, The New Everything, and old faves in between. The New Everything is out now on Head/MGM.
CREPES ON A SAUCER There will be much more on the menu than crepes at Open Studio this Thursday evening as Emma Wall Band, Richard Jeffrey’s trio Flying Saucer Terror, Kizzy and The Micha Trio present you with an eclectic mix of urban folk, rock, roots and blues. Doors open at 7pm and entry is just $5.
FOLK A PHOENIX Paint Me A Phoenix create an acoustic fusion of instrumental, folk and lo-fi music that is destined to rattle your bones. Songs of significance, beauty, colour, hate, ignorance and comfort; songs of memory, songs in the fast lane. Catch them at the Prague this Friday with support from Lo-Fi Operatics, Prah Narusil and Hoffbro. Doors open at 7pm and entry is $8.
DAYDREAM NATION Daydream Arcade are five of Melbourne’s freshest indie rock musicians who’ve come together to create super-catchy riffs, lyrics and beats. Boasting an infectious energy, Daydream Arcade are the
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fantastic prizes, but also to be heard by record giants in the US. The judging committee alone is the alumni of the international music scene and the 2010 competition panel featured names such as Peter Gabriel, Tom Waits, Ben Harper, Kings Of Leon, Wynonna and Rihanna. The chance to get their music heard by such legends of music is a rare and exciting opportunity for artists everywhere and the basis of what the ISC is all about. As the industry celebrates the 66 finalists for the 2010 competition, the ISC encourages entrants to consider entering the newest category – an ‘unsigned only’ section which gives up-andcoming musicians even more of a chance to snag themselves one of these coveted awards. “ISC accepts entries from professionals to amateur songwriters, so this includes signed and unsigned artists,” Avery explains. “The vast majority, however, are unsigned artists, so most of the ISC finalists and winners are unsigned. To further level the playing field, ISC launched a new category this past year, Unsigned Only, specifically for artists who are unsigned to a major label or publishing company.”
Entries for the 2011 competition are open now. For more information or to enter the International Songwriting Competition, please visit songwritingcompetition.com.
LLOYD’S SHARPE SHINS The Lloyd Bosch solo acoustic show enchants with superb songwriting and poetry, evoking the raw honesty of early Dylan tempered with the sonorous lyricism of Paul Simon. Younger audiences will recognise strains of Joanna Newsom, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros and The Shins coming through. Get to the Edinburgh Castle this Thursday and immerse yourself in rustic strumming and forget about the shopping centres, then do it all again next week because Bosch plays the EC every Thursday in April. It’s free in the front bar from 8pm.
NO GRACE, PERIOD Iconic Melbourne hardcore band No Grace are getting back together for the final time ever to farewell an old friend, the Arthouse Hotel. As part of the huge month of ‘Last Drinks’ celebrations, No Grace will return to the same stage where they played their last show in March 2006. One of the biggest Australian hardcore bands of the ‘90s, No Grace were spoken of in the same breath as Australian hardcore royalty Mindsnare and Toe To Toe. They have been a part of the Trial & Error and Resist Records stables, and toured all over Australia and Europe in the pre-internet days. They play Monday 18 April with Mindset and Step X Down.
BRIDES OF BENDIGO
EASY TIGER Architects of sing-along good times, dark-edged pop-leaning folk and side-leering swagger, The Tiger And Me have made their mark on the city’s music scene by doing things differently. From the menace and charm of their feverish live shows, their cross-genre creations and their adept understanding of wringing the full gamut of emotion from their audiences, The Tiger And Me have become a must-see experience. Their debut album, From A Liar To A Thief, released in 2010, was critically acclaimed and led to festival performances at Port Fairy, Apollo Bay and The Falls. April sees The Tiger And Me return to the Builders Arms for a Friday early-evening, free, front bar residency as they present new material currently being recorded for an EP release in July 2011. They play this Friday from 6-8pm.
Richie 1250 & The Brides Of Christ are back in action with boss new dance number, The Whippet Walk. Catch the fever this Friday night at the Bendigo Hotel with support from Archer doing his 1920s mumbling blues thing, then a couple of the Little Red guys doing their great ‘70s AM radio detective songs as The Cuckoos. They reach almost Spinal Tap levels of ridiculousness/ catchiness at times. Also on the bill are Geelong dudes Sambrose Automobile, who play Yardbirds and Kinks-style R&B. Entry is $10 from 8pm.
BRIGHTER WHITES Melbourne duo White Minus Red blend analogue and digital sounds to create a unique flavour of liquid dream-pop and folktronica. Having played at a multitude of festivals and venues around Melbourne, they have refined their approach, have an arsenal of fresh material and are set to stun. The band have a residency at the Builders Arms on Sunday evenings throughout April and each week will be joined by an interesting array of local talent. Catch them this Sunday with Winternationale – entry is $7 from 8.30pm.
JERICCO SPRINGER The mighty Jericco return to the Evelyn Hotel this Saturday, taking with them their powerhouse Middle