Time Off Issue 1573 by TheMusic.com.au

N O W AVA I L A BL E O N I PA D • 18 A PR I L 2 012 • 157 3 • F R E E

POND

MARK LANEGAN

HUSKY H

HENRY ROLLINS

THE SONICS THE EXPLOITED PIGEON KIM CHURCHILL

FEATUR INS IDE E

www.themusic.com.au .au

SATURDAY 7 JULY BRISBANE ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE ON SALE TUESDAY 17 APRIL

FRONTIERTOURING.COM FLIGHTOFTHECONCHORDS.COM TIME OFF • 3

4 • TIME OFF

TIME OFF • 5

GIVEAWAYS The time-travel adventure continues in Being Erica Series 4, as Erica completes all stages of therapy she finds herself transforming from a patient to a doctor. Thanks to Roadshow Entertainment we have five copies of the DVD up for grabs! After its successful opening season at QPAC, Natalie Weir’s R&J is on its way to Redland Performing Arts Centre on Friday 27 April. This powerful contemporary dance work inspired by Romeo and Juliet is set across three different eras; reinforcing the notion that love – no matter what age you are, or what age you are in – is eternal and its power everlasting. Don’t miss Queensland’s own multi-awardwinning Expressions Dance Company when they perform this stunning contemporary dance work! Book on 3829 8131 or www.rpac.com. au. We have got one double pass to give away! Since releasing Walls in April 2011 An Horse have toured nonstop. They’re back in the country and will be playing at The Zoo on Sunday 29 April. We have two double passes up for grabs, and each winner will also get a copy of their album, Walls. Entrants must be 18+.

Based on Thomas Hardy’s classic novel Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Trishna tells the story of one woman whose life is destroyed by a combination of love and circumstances. Set in contemporary Rajasthan, Trishna (Freida Pinto) meets a wealthy young British businessman, Jay Singh (Riz Ahmed) who has come to India to work in his father’s hotel business. Thanks to Madman Entertainment we have ten double preview passes to give away! The screening is on Wednesday 2 May at 6.30pm at Palace Centro Cinemas. An End To Dreaming is a fantastical pop fairytale. It is also the musical marriage that was destined to be between pop cabaret princess, Emma Dean, and Green Room Award winner, Jake Diefenbach. You can catch the show on Saturday Apr 28 at the Judith Wright Centre. We have got one double pass to give away!

A>K: 8DK:G 76C9H :K:GN ;G>96N ;GDB .#%%EB

TICKETS $10 FROM THE VENUE OR FROM TICKETMASTER

Six60 are back in the country to celebrate the Australian release of their album. You can catch them at the Hi-Fi on Friday night and we have got two double passes up for grabs! Entrants must be 18+.

HEAD TO TIME OFF’S FACEBOOK PAGE TO ENTER

ISSUE 1573

FROM 8.30PM

W E D N E S D AY 1 8 A P R I L 2 0 1 2

TIME OFF

FRONT ROW

Foreword Line – news, opinions, tours, Backlash, Frontlash Aussie legends Hoodoo Gurus find it hard to belioeve it’s been 30 years since forming Husky’s aesthetic is vitally important to them Put simply, Pond is a whole lot of fun Serial collaborator Mark Lanegan talks about playing with his friends The Exploited know they’re not shit because they draw kids to their shows We discover how The Sonics finally came to get back together After 70 years, Mike Cooper has no intention of retiring EDM pioneers like Derrick May don’t always get the kudos they deserve Kim Churchill feels he’s more Zeppelin than Xavier Rudd these days Emily Barker dropped architecture for rock’n’roll Half of the brand new Six60 songs are “probably crap”, they tell us Pigeon’s influence is coming from all over the place We chat to a few hardworking stores on the eve of Record Store Day On The Record has the latest, greatest and the not so greatest new musical releases Chris Yates spotlights the best (and worst) tracks for the week in Singled Out

8 12 13 14 14 15 16 18 18 18 18 20 20 21 22 22

CREDITS

EDITORIAL Group Managing Editor: Andrew Mast Editor: Steve Bell Contributing Editor: Dan Condon Front Row Editor: Daniel Crichton-Rouse ADVERTISING Advertising Account Executives: James Tidswell, Jo Wallis DESIGN & LAYOUT Cover Design/Designer: Matt Davis ACCOUNTS & ADMINISTRATION Administration: Leanne Simpson Accounts: Marcus Treweek CONTRIBUTORS: Time Off: Ben Preece, Dan Condon, Craig Spann, Daniel Johnson, Chris Yates, Matt O’Neill, Adam Curley, Lochlan Watt, Roberta Maguire, Kenada Quinlan, Carlin Beattie, Tyler McLoughlan, Mitch Knox, Sam Hobson, Rachel Tinney, Tony McMahon, Benny Doyle, Lily Luscombe, Jake Sun, Sarah Petchell, Helen Stringer, Brendan Telford, Rip Nicholson, Cyclone, Amber McCormick, Brad Swob, 6 • TIME OFF

themusic.com.au

Check out what’s happening This Week In Arts Hard work and clarity are of the utmost importance to the great Henry Rollins Playwright David Burton gives us a rundown on the very emotional April’s Fool The Audi Festival of German Films is back again, we preview it this week The Looking Glass looks at Damien Hirst and the 99 percent Like comedy? Cultural Cringe is gonna make you jealous

24 24 25 25 25 25

BACK TO TIME OFF! Get the drum on all the coolest happenings in local music last week, this week and beyond in Live Dan Condon gets the dirt on the blues scene from the Roots Down Lochlan Watt gives you brutal metal news in Adamantium Wolf Adam Curley cuts sick with another musical pop culture rant in The Breakdown Cyclone has the wide urban world covered with some OG Flavas All the gear news and reviews you could ever want in our Australian Musician supplement iFlog and you can too

IFH?D=MEE: H:" IFH?D=MEE: F>0 )(&. **** LLL#HEG>C<LDD9=DI:A#8DB#6J

THURS 19 APR

30 30 30 30 35 42

Siobhain McDonnell Front Row: Baz McAlister, Mandy Kohler, Lauren Dillon, Adam Brunes, Matt O’Neill, Mitch Knox, Jessica Mansour, Guy Davis, Rowena Grant-Frost, Danielle O’Donohue, Helen Stringer, Alice Muhling Photography: Stephen Booth, Kane Hibberd, Alex Gillies, Brad Marsellos, Terry Soo, John Taylor, John Stubbs EDITORIAL POLICY The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. No part may be reproduced without the consent of the copyright holder. © PUBLISHER: Street Press Australia Pty Ltd Suite 11/354 Brunswick Street Fortitude Valley QLD 4006 POSTAL: Locked Bag 4300 Fortitude Valley QLD 4006 Phone: 07 3252 9666 Email: info@timeoff.com.au Rural Press

PRINTED BY:

THIS WEEK:

LOUD GOES BANG 12 gorgeous tattoo models battle it out for SKULLDRAGG the Gold Coasts number THE THEORYone OFINKED RED BEAUTY! KINGS MORE NEXT WEEK:

UNDERWOOD MAYNE KALEIDOSCOPE THE DALTON GANG VERUSIVE DOOR CHARGE $5.00

CNR CAVILL AND ORCHID AVE, SURFERS PARADISE

WWW.SURFERSBEERGARDEN.COM.AU

TIME OFF • 7

FOREWORD LINE

NEWS FROM THE FRONT

IN BRIEF IN BRIEF Melbourne rockers Trial Kennedy have announced their imminent break up. The band will embark on one final tour this June before pulling up stumps.

THE NERVE OF THEM You know how some people just seem to have it all? Well that’s the kind of impression that the twin sisters who make up Nervo give off. These two girls, Mim and Liv, are models, songwriters, producers and DJs and they’re fucking good at all of those things and you’ll be able to witness some of them when they make their way back up to Brisbane this weekend. The girls have written songs for the likes of David Guetta, Ke$ha, Kylie Minogue and the Pussycat Dolls, opened for Britney Spears, DJ’d a couple of times at Pache Ibiza and have a brand new track with Avicci coming out mighty soon. They really are the full package, so being able to catch them at The Met this Friday night for just ten bucks + bf is pretty special indeed. Grab a ticket through Moshtix or OzTix right now and get ready for a massive night.

TAKING FLIGHT

STREETS AHEAD Adele Pickvance and Glenn Thompson have been playing music together for an awful long time. Probably best known together as members of The Go-Betweens in their final incarnation, these two musicians have also, singularly, been members of bands like Custard and The Dave Graney show and have been long-term members of Robert Forster’s solo band as well. They’re also both very skilled songwriters, so it makes sense that they would come together to make some music of their own and Adele & Glenn allows them to do just that. They have their debut album Carrington St all recorded and ready for release after a number of lengthy sessions at Thompson’s home studio and they’re setting out on a quick tour of the east coast to share these songs with their patiently waiting fans. They wrap up the tour in their old hometown of Brisbane, playing a show at the Black Bear Lodge on Thursday 31 May.

The third record from Brisbane’s Kate Miller-Heidke has finally been released! Yep, we’ve been waiting a long time for this album but it’s called Nightflight, it’s finally here and it’s absolutely stunning. While her second release Curiouser was somewhat playful and carefree, this new record is a little more damaged, far more exposed and vulnerable and essentially a complete reaction against the record which came before. Reports from Miller-Heidke’s recent shows as a part of her Australian tour where she played intimate theatre shows across the country were very positive, so it’s mighty exciting to hear that she is embarking on another jaunt around the nation, hitting capital cities around the country once again and this time with very special guests The Beards in tow! You can catch both of these great acts when they drop by The Hi-Fi on Saturday 25 August; tickets are available through the venue’s website and Moshtix right now for $44.95 + bf.

The Gotye and Kimbra megahit Somebody That I Used To Know has hit the number one spot on the Canadian Single Charts (knocking Justin Bieber off the top slot) and is at number two on the American Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart. Axl Rose has declined his invitation to attend the Rock’n’Roll Hall Of Fame ceremony where his band Guns N’ Roses will be inducted.

FUEL UP Melbourne-via-Perth rockers Gasoline Inc. have just dropped the second single from their recently released EP The Wanted One, it’s called Shock and, above all else, it demonstrates the band’s ability to write straight-up, driving, feelgood rock songs. If you’ve been enjoying their stadium-sized riffs and tender balladry on record, then you’re about to get an even bigger treat when the band get up to Brisbane in support of the new single on their very own headline tour, a tour taking them to many places around the country. Up in this part of the world they’re playing a set at Lismore’s Tatts Hotel on Thursday 31 May, the Tempo Hotel Friday 1 June and the Gold Coast’s Miami Shark Bar Saturday 2 June. Get in contact with the venues if you’re looking to secure yourself a ticket. Proudly presented by Street Press Australia.

Aussie legends Cold Chisel have been denied the number one spot on the ARIA Album Charts in the first week of their new album No Plans being in stores. It debuted at number two, beaten out by British boy band One Direction.

JUMP ON THE HORSE

A couple of weeks ago we told you all about Tym Guitars celebrating Record Store Day with a show on this Saturday featuring Violent Soho, No Anchor, Turnpike, Margins and Dumbsaint; that is still happening and will be plenty of fun, but we’ve just been informed that there is another Record Store Day event happening that looks to be equally enticing. Rockinghorse Records in the Brisbane CBD has been in operation forever and is still considered to be one of the must-visit places in Brisbane for any music lover. They are also getting in the spirit of Record Store Day with a few live performances happening through the day, with locals The Jungle Giants, pictured, Rattlehand and Blank Realm all turning in sets at the Albert St store. Times for Saturday are still to be confirmed, so keep an eye on their Facebook page throughout the week.

The forthcoming Kanye West and DJ Khalid collaboration which was supposed to be called Theraflu has been renamed as Way Too Cold. There are no reasons given for the change, though the Theraflu company issued a statement last week separating themselves from its lead track. M.I.A. has teamed with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to compose original music for his new television show, The World Tomorrow.

FROM THE BUS TO THE STAGE

Texan native Jay Brannan got his first real break with the film Shortbus (do not watch said film with your parents), in which he acted and contributed a song to its soundtrack. The song, Soda Shop, was a huge hit and the most downloaded song from that particular soundtrack and the YouTube video Brannan uploaded of himself performing it quickly attracted over 1.5 million views. He’s stuck with YouTube after this, with some 130 videos and around nine million views adding to his debut full-length record Goddamned, giving fans plenty of material to sink their teeth into. There’s more on the horizon though, with Brannan’s second longplayer just about to drop; it’s called Rob Me Blind and it will be released on Friday 1 June. To coincide with its release Brannan is coming back to Australia for just three shows, one of which is happening at our very own Old Museum on Friday 29 June. Tickets are available through oldmuseum.org as of next Monday morning.

DARK CORNERS

The ruthlessly oppressive atmosphere that lingers in the air at an Heirs show is truly something to behold and if you haven’t done so yet, you really ought to check this incredible Melbourne-based metal act as their show is quite intense and incredible. The band’s noisescapes are matched perfectly with their general gothic aesthetic and heightened through lighting installations and live video projection, culminating in an unsettling and unforgettable experience. And let’s face it, that’s what you what from a band as dark as this. The band are heading out on the road in support of their latest release Hunter and you will be able to witness them launching it at Alhambra Lounge on Friday 4 May with a little help from No Anchor, Hope Drone and Golden Bats. It is not long now before the band set out on a European tour and this will be their last run around Australia before they leave, so make sure you don’t miss it. You can get tickets for just $10 + bf through Moshtix right now.

LIFE IS NOISE

The always forward thinking local label Room40 have an exciting new event planned; in conjunction with the Queensland Conservatorium they are curating Concentric Circuits, a free music program running in conjunction with Crossbows – A Festival of Small Ensembles. Various venues throughout the South Bank Conservatorium host the event, which delivers some of the most exciting electronic leaning acts from Brisbane and beyond, and it’ll take you everywhere from chiptune to audio visual psychedelia. The feedback chambers of Anonymeye, the power duo dynamics of Primitive Motion, the multi-sensorial collaboration of AV ensemble Botborg, as well as installation works from Eugene Carchesio and Lawrence English, have all been announced and there are more to come. It happens from Friday 11 May through to Sunday 13.

SAE INSTITUTE BYRON BAY OPEN DAY MAY 12TH 11AM-3PM 373-391 EWINGSDALE RD, BYRON BAY CERTIFICATES | DIPLOMAS | DEGREES IN:

Audio Production | Film Production Electronic Music Production | Live Sound Production Web Design & Development – Diploma of Interactive Media JUNE INTAKE ENROLLING NOW ONLINE u REGISTEnR bay.sae.ed www.byro U D E E A S Call: 1800

8 • TIME OFF

themusic.com.au

EVERY MONDAY

MICK’S TRIVIA FROM 6:30PM

EVERY TUESDAY

TA TUESDAY’S

EVERY WEDNESDAY

MOVIE TRIVIA 6.30PM (WHISKEY BAR)

STEVE & MITCH’S OPEN BUSKERS NIGHT 8PM O’MALLEY’S EVERY THURSDAY, FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT AFTER THE FEATURE BANDS TIL 3AM:

DJ MICHAEL SIDEWAYZ

COME DOWN AND MEET OUR NEW RESIDENT DJ. TOP 40’S, R&B, DANCE AND MUCH MORE TILL LATE

THURSDAY 12 APRIL

THIRSTY THURSDAYS BRISBANE BEST ALTERNATIVE NIGHT 9PM START FRIDAY 20 APRIL

LOCK & LOAD WITH LOCKY 6PM -11PM THEN DJ’S TILL LATE SATURDAY 21 APRIL

MURPHY’S PIGS 4PM STEVE FOTHERGILL (SOLO) 7PM ALTER EGOS 9:30PM SUNDAY 22 APRIL

SPECIAL EVENT - MAX HAY (USA) - FREE EVENT 6PM

T A E LIV

O P M TE 9 ; 5 H G A5=B

M OM 7.00P R F R P WED 18 UAIMS WITH

THE Q GRAHAM BRE ENOTRDY IE FRE

PM FROM 7.00 R P A 9 THU 1X JONES, GARETHIE

ALE ON & GEORG CHANNN, SCREAMING ? HOPSOS, WHO IS JOHN EAGLET RY FREE ENT

PM FROM 7.00 S, R P A 0 2 FRI SE, TRIPLE 3, STALK

CHA EGANCE, DJ THE ALLKERSER, THE KATCH, ESIDENTS LOCAL R + MOOR /RFREEE ENTRY AFTER 11:00

$25 DO

0P FROM 7.0 R P A 1 SAT 2 L ATKINS,

PAU REAK FREE ENTRY SUPERF

0 FROM 5.0 R P A SUN 22, ROYAL BLOOD,

RVLR ON BLONDE NDE BLE O ENTRY FRE

PM FROM 7.30 R P A MON 23AOKE

ROCK IVE BAND) (WE ENITTRYH L FRE

PM FROM 7.00 TH R P A 4 2 TUE OF ESCALATE WTI

BEST A, UNSOUGH INNESS MORE FREE ENTRY DUKE +

AIRS AR T S N W O D OWLER B @ B PR FROM 9PM DJS THU 1E9N AWITH THE SEEN SEENTRY FREE

M 10PM

R FRO FRI 20EAMPILLION $10 LUK PM FROM 10 AND R P A SAT 2S1ON WONDERL ALI EY) $15 (SYDN

OON S G N I M CO PRIL 28 YA SATURDA NIC SPREE M NEW AAY 6 M H SUNDAY UTE YOUT

PARACHE 8 UN FRIDAY J ENNEDY L A I TR K

VENUE ZTIX AND O M O R F TICKETS

Basement Level - Wintergarden Centre Queen Street Mall - Brisbane City PH 07 3211 9881 FAX 07 3211 9890 Email admin@mickomalleys.com.au

THE TEMPO HOTEL 388 Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley. 18+ ID Required. Management reserve the right to refuse entry.

TIME OFF • 9

FOREWORD LINE

NEWS FROM THE FRONT

IN BRIEF IT AIN’T EASY BEIN’ PURPLE

Prince has been rumoured to tour Australia for years, with various festivals linked to the music icon, but a visit hasn’t eventuated since his last visit in 2003. But now, it is happening. Like, it’s really, actually happening. It’s official. Prince is touring Australia for the third time in history and he promises that this one is going to be all about the hits. The Welcome 2 Australia tour is set to be one of the biggest concert events of the year with the insanely diverse funk, R&B, soul, rock, pop and just utterly unique artist bringing an enormous arena production over, including a specially designed 360-degree stage. It’s hard to know where to begin with Prince, so many great songs that have stood the test of time and reports from the same show that has sold out arenas across Europe and the US have said that these have been incredible performances and anyone who saw him back in 2003 would know that you simply must not miss these shows. Last we checked there were a few tickets still available from $99.90 up to $450 + bf, but if you haven’t got one you should do so (through Ticketek) as soon as you have finished reading this!

Brisbane-based Fox 8 TV drama SLiDE, part of which was set in the halls of Time Off, has been nominated for a Webby Award in the Television Websites category. They are up against HBO, PBS, Anderson Cooper and Hulu. Kelley Lynch, former business manager for Leonard Cohen, has been found guilty of harassing the 77-yearold musician. Lynch was sued by Cohen in 2005 for $9.5 million for allegedly stealing money from him. It is believed Lynch could face up to five years in jail. Vevo, the music video streaming giant run by Sony Music Entertainment and the Universal Music Group, has officially launched in Australia.

JUMP ON BOARD

MAN OF THE HOUSE

New York house music legend Roger Sanchez is currently in the country and we couldn’t be more excited about it. This guy is one of the most well respected artists in the game and has been for the past two decades or so that he has been a part of it. It has always been the diversity of the artist that has set him apart from everyone else in his field, his love of genres like salsa, blues, soul, disco, rock and hip hop all coming together with his very special brand of house music, making something that dance music lovers across the globe flock to see. He is going to be provide the right tunes for you to dominate the dance floor to when he drops by Shooters Nightclub this Sunday night, you can grab yourself a ticket to this very exciting event from ticketone.com.au; they will cost you a mere $15.

American modern pop-rock band Train have announced an east coast Australian tour this morning to lead into the release of their sixth studio album California 37. The band have long been favourite of Australian audiences, with smash hit songs like Drops Of Jupiter and Hey Soul Sister, how could we not like them? Don’t answer that if you’re a hater, your jealousy is not welcome here. The band have grown pretty fond of our country in recent years so it is exciting to welcome them back, this time with the support of folk-rock singer-songwriter Matt Nathanson in support; you might know him from his multi-platinum selling single Come On Get Higher. Tickets are on sale from Ticketek as of Monday morning, they’ll cost you $89.90 + bf.

It has been revealed that orchestral indie wunderkind Owen Pallett has been working with Linkin Park on a song on their latest album.

TAKING IT TO THE COAST

Frenzal Rhomb, loveable rogues that they are, have come out and decided that they are going to do a couple of shows for their considerable fanbase in Queensland, getting out to a couple of places that are a little out of the way to make sure that everyone is getting their fill of one of Australia’s most loved and enduring punk rock bands. They kick off the tour with a show at Caloundra’s King’s Beach Tavern on Friday 8 June before heading down to the Gold Coast’s Parkwood Tavern for what is sure to be a loose one on Saturday 9 June. These are apparently going to be Frenzal’s last live shows for a little while so don’t miss your chance to see them smashing out a whole bunch of classics as well as tracks from last year’s Smoko At The Pet Food Factory and remember to go hard. Tickets are available through OzTix.

TWO SUPPORTS

One Direction are playing at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre tonight (Wednesday) and if you give a single fuck about anything to do with this show then maybe you’d be interested to hear that Justice Crew and Johnny Ruffo are the support acts. If, like us, you’re getting really sick of hearing about these young British gentlemen then just chill out and rest assured that they will be forgotten (and possibly appearing in sex tapes) incredibly soon. We hope you’re reading, 1D.

SWEET AS

The name Marshall Okell might have you scratching your head a little bit, it might be familiar to you, but you might not immediately know why. Well, with his band Marshall & The Fro, Okell has been one of Australian blues and roots music’s most enduring and well-loved artists. He has toured hard and played incredible shows just about everywhere in the country and now it’s time for him to try something a little different. He’s brushed The Fro to the side for a bit and come out with his first solo EP, entitled Sugar. If you’re worried that this is going to change him dramatically, you oughtn’t be. Okell has retained his knack for quality songwriting, but added a few extra influences into the mix; specifically African elements reminiscent of Graceland-era Paul Simon and garage rock grunt courtesy of a love of The Kinks. Of course Okell is touring hard in support of the EP, it’s what he does best, so audiences up this way can catch him doing his thing at The Lennox Hotel Friday 11 May with The Painted Crows, SolBar, Maroochydore on Saturday 12 with Bonjah and the Royal Mail Hotel in Goodna from 2pm on Sunday 13. 10 • TIME OFF

Director F. Gary Gray has been floated a strong chance as the director for the recently announced N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton. A hologram of 2Pac was the talking point of the Coachella-closing Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre set. The rappers also had Eminem, Wiz Khalifa, 50 Cent, Warren G and Kendrick Lamar make guest appearances. Lisa Mitchell has revealed she has a new record due for release in August or September. The follow up to her AMP-winning Wonder was recorded with Evermore’s Hume brothers.

TRAVELING MAN

MIXED PACKAGE

The Ocean is not your regular, run-of-the-mill metal band. The brainchild of forward thinking metal devotee Robin Straps, the Berlin-based group works on an open door policy when it comes to their creative output, which ensures that the kind of material they produce is incredibly diverse; post hardcore, progressive rock, metal, doom, post rock and ambient styles are all explored. This open door policy means that there have been a huge number of musicians who’ve been a part of the group – around 40 thus far – and for the first time in their 12 years of existence, the band are making their way to Australia! The decidedly DIY band have a unique approach to every aspect of their live performance and it is due to this, as well as the epic music they produce, that they’re held in such high acclaim by their peers in heavy music. This May the band will be bringing their brand of progressive metal to all major cities in the country, Brisbane audiences getting a chance to see them at The Zoo Thursday 24 May with support from Nuclear Summer, No Anchor and LO!. Tickets will be available from OzTix real soon.

Damien Leith is back and he’s ready to make an all out assault on the pop world once again with the release of his new record Now & Then. Leith, who you would remember as the winner of the 2006 Australian Idol contest, had a return to the pointy end of the charts with last year’s Roy: A Tribute To Roy Orbison, and while he said that the success of that record led last year to be the greatest of his career, Leith seems pretty damn excited to have a new record featuring some original material finally being issued after so long. But it’s not just his own songs, the album also features Leith’s take on songs from members of the legendary 1980s super group The Traveling Wilburys (which featured Roy Orbison), as well as songs by that band themselves. Of course Leith is getting out on the road in support of the record, which is released on Friday, and you can see him playing QPAC’s Concert Hall on Friday 5 October. Tickets are on sale from Qtix from Friday morning.

BACKLASH

FRONTLASH

Hamish Blake winning the Gold Logie? Really? It’s debatable whether he’s even the best personality on his own lacklustre TV shows let alone all of Australian television. Our local industry must be really in the doldrums…

While undeniably weird, it was cool how Dre and Snoop resurrected Tupac in hologram form during their set at Coachella, even if it did have echoes of the hella-scary Candyman franchise. The possibilities are endless, albeit somewhat creepy…

ALL THAT GLITTERS

PAC IN BLACK

TICKET TO RIOT

UP IN SMOKE

Music fans everywhere have had a gutful of ticketing SNAFUs for major concerts – this time raising its ugly head for the coveted Prince tour. If you’re going to take the dollars for providing the “service” then implement a strategy and design a site that allows this “service” to actually happen…

Speaking of Snoop, he reckons the 3 Rs should be ‘reading, ritin’ and rolling hot ones!’ His Rolling Words: A Smokable Songbook is printed on rolling papers so you can skin up if caught short while learning his work – you can even strike a match on the spine! Who said you can’t teach an old Dogg new tricks?

THIS BIRD NOT FLOWN How creepy is the footage of the Norwegian massmurderer at his trial for his horrific actions last year? Fascist salutes, a complete lack of remorse, yet if he’s found sane and convicted he’s only looking at 21 years in prison! For killing 77 people! That’s a fucking crime right there…

BELOW THE BELT

TUPAC HOLOGRAM

themusic.com.au

What about the guy who got harangued by a drunken, tattooed dwarf at Crown Casino who mistook him for Matt Newton? Saying you look like that douche is fighting words (especially as the similarity is trifling), but still imagine how surreal it must have been…

JONSON STREET BYRON BAY Thurs 19 Apr

STONEFIELD Fri 20 Apr

AUST SURF MOVIE FESTIVAL Sat 21 Apr

POND ALBUM LAUNCH Sat 28 Apr

THE HERD Wed 2 May

THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT Thurs 3 May

MOUNTAIN GOATS Sat 19 May

TIJUANA CARTEL

TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLINE www.thenorthern.com.au TIME OFF • 11

HOODOO YOU LOVE?

PARTY MACHINES For their 30th birthday celebrations Hoodoo Gurus have pulled out all stops, inviting some of their favourite bands from across all periods of time from all over the globe to party: all capital city lineups are different, but the bands involved include such names as The Sonics, The Fleshtones, Redd Kross, The 5.6.7.8’s and many more fine acts. Brad Shepherd offers the following sage words:

DIG IT UP! TOUR CONCEPT

ON THE EVE OF THEIR TRIUMPHANT DIG IT UP! TOUR, HOODOO GURUS GUITARIST BRAD SHEPHERD TAKES STEVE BELL ON A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE AND FIRES UP FOR THE ROCK PARTY TO END ALL ROCK PARTIES.

irthday milestones are always a time for reflection, especially once a decade when you hit of the big ones with a zero on the end. Some people rue the passing of time and mourn the end of an era, while others take a more holistic approach and accept the moment for what it is, perhaps even see it as an opportunity to celebrate what has gone before. Thankfully the members of Aussie rock royalty Hoodoo Gurus are strict disciples of the latter approach and now – as they celebrate the passing of three decades since the release of their first ever single, Leilani, back in 1982 when they were still known as Le Hoodoo Gurus – they’re throwing a massive nationwide party for all of their closest fans and acquaintances. “It doesn’t add up, does it? Thirty years – it’s hard to get your head around that,” Hoodoo Gurus’ guitarist Brad Shepherd puzzles incredulously of the milestone. “When I was a kid in the ‘70s you’d think that World War Two was thirty years ago, you know? It’s really hard for me to get my head around it. Oh well, we just plod along. It keeps me interested – I still love listening to electric guitar. I still love listening to myself play electric guitar! I just love electric guitar period. It’s always been deeply resonant with me; I loved it when I was a kid listening to the Stones and The Beatles. I loved hearing the sound of Ritchie Blackmore’s guitar and Tony Iommi’s guitar and I still love it – it still gives me a huge thrill to put on the second Television album and all that fantastic articulation of the notes. It just doesn’t let up! Thank Christ, because I didn’t have a Plan B really!” These days it’s difficult to imagine an Australian rock landscape without the Hoodoo Gurus and their swag of songs that have become ingrained in the national psyche. But back in the early ‘80s they were new kids on the block and it wasn’t until 18 months after Leilani dropped that their debut album, Stoneage Romeos, was released, complete with its iconic cartoon artwork and slew of catchy radio fodder such as My Girl, I Want You Back and Tojo. Now, all these years later, the band are celebrating their birthday by playing this classic debut in its entirety – as well as all the other hits they’ve accumulated over the years – and they’ve invited some of their favourite bands from across the globe to help them blow out the candles. But for true Gurus fans, it’s this trip back down memory lane to 1984 that will be the real highlight of the Dig It Up! concert extravaganza. “I think maybe we did that once before and that was completely unofficial – we didn’t announce it, we didn’t exploit it at all, it was just something silly that we did in Melbourne once,” Shepherd explains of playing Stoneage Romeos from start to finish. “I don’t think we even made a particularly big deal about it to the audience – we played at The Corner once and I think we did Stoneage Romeos and [1985 follow-up] Mars Needs Guitars! and that was our set! We may have even done it backwards... But it’s not something that we’ve ever really done to any great degree at all and it will be interesting for us as much as anybody there, just to see what happens when we do that and how it’s going to feel. It’s been nearly thirty years since our set was predominantly those songs from our debut album – and it was a typical debut album; it was just 12 • TIME OFF

what we were playing in the set at the time. So that’s what we’re going back to. It will be very interesting.” As an album, Stoneage Romeos is up there with the best rock’n’roll debuts in the history of Australian music, alongside such classics as Radio Birdman’s Radios Appear, You Am I’s Sound As Ever, The Saints’ (I’m) Stranded and AC/DC’s High Voltage. Many iconic bands such as Midnight Oil, INXS, Powderfinger and Hunters & Collectors (to name but a few) didn’t really find their feet until their second or third longplayers, but the Gurus hit the ground running. “Again, I think it was a typical debut in that we were able to work the songs up over a couple of years, so it wasn’t like, ‘Ooh, we’ve got an album to do so let’s go into the studio and see what we come up with.’” Shepherd reflects. “Those songs had been around a couple of years, so we’d had time to work out our parts on those and we pretty much knew what we were doing. A lot of it was more or less live in the studio. “And we’re blessed to have Dave Faulkner in the band – he’s deeply entrenched in the notion of classic songwriting and I think that’s our secret weapon. Not only that, but when you’re influenced by ‘70s glam rock and ‘50s rock’n’roll and ‘60s psychedelic and garage rock and ‘70s punk rock and then you mix that together with a songwriter that’s listening to Irving Berlin and Hoagy Carmichael – that’s actually what he grew up with, so he learned a deep appreciation of classic songwriting because that’s what his parents were playing in the house – that in itself is a unique mixture and I think that that stuff is evident a lot on that first album.” Along with their great tunes the Gurus had considerable visual appeal as well – all long hair and paisley shirts – but despite their tender years at the time, they also had the advantage of having been in relatively successful punk bands, particularly Shepherd’s stints in Brisbane bands The Fun Things and The 31st before relocating to Sydney to join The Hitmen. Then there’s Faulkner’s time fronting The Victims. “We’d certainly had some experience before that in the studio,” Shepherd concedes. “I’d probably had the most experience actually, because I’d done two albums with The Hitmen prior to that, the other guys not so much even though they’d made fantastic records. We’d all made pretty well-regarded punk rock singles – although they were all done on the cheap – but [the studio] wasn’t an unusual environment for us. We were excited too – we were still kids and it was exciting for me to go and record at Trafalgar because that’s where Radios Appear had been recorded. So there was certainly an energy of excitement when we made that first album, but we also felt comfortable and confident because it wasn’t completely foreign to us; (a) the songs weren’t foreign to us, we were very confident playing them, we’d been playing them for years and (b) we’d had some experience in studios anyway.” And the songs on Stoneage Romeos have stood the test of time remarkably well – try and put on nearly any other album from 1984 without cringing or wincing with pain.

“We were out of time anyway back in 1984; we were competing with the Thompson Twins and bands like Real Life, I guess,” Shepherd laughs. “It was ludicrous but it actually worked in our favour, because it was a real alternative to what was the conventional wisdom for record companies as to what would make them a quick buck. The first album did come out on an obscure indie label – Big Time Records probably became more well known after the Hoodoo Gurus, they were really a small label here in Sydney – the larger multinationals were just not interested in the Hoodoo Gurus; we were laughable to them. Once we started selling some records they became more interested, but we were just on an independent label for that first album and that was as good as it was going to get for us at the time. “We were amazed in fact that we could do anything – we were so completely against the grain of what was popular in music then that it was remarkable to us that anyone paid us any attention at all. I don’t know what I was doing – I mean I left The Hitmen and on paper it just didn’t look right; it didn’t seem like the Hoodoo Gurus had a hope in hell! But I loved the band – they poached me from The Hitmen because they had lost a couple of members, Roddy Radalj and Kimble Rendall left within about a week of each other. It was a tough decision. I didn’t know what I was doing and I felt that there was a real possibility that the band would just fall flat on its arse, but I loved Le Hoodoo Gurus and I just felt that there was a real magic in the songs.” All these years later there’s plenty of life in the old dog yet – the new Gurus retrospective, Gold Watch, features crackingly sardonic new single, Use-By Date, which addresses this matter both figuratively and literally – but a milestone such as this is as good a moment as any to look back and take stock of some of the high points of a wonderful career. “Oh God, there’s just countless highlights,” Shepherd marvels. “There’s always that nice thing of meeting your heroes and they say complimentary things about your band. Iggy Pop came up to me at a party and told me how much he loved the band and Joey Ramone used to come and see us every time we played in New York. We’ve become good friends with the guys from The Dictators and they were huge heroes of mine when I was struggling with learning to play the guitar in the ‘70s. It’s amazing to me that I’ve been able to stand on the same stage as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones and where Creedence and Led Zeppelin played. It was a huge thrill for me to play at Festival Hall in Brisbane, because that’s where I would go and see bands as a kid – it’s pretty mindblowing. It’s the fan in me I guess. And the thing that excites me when I’m playing is still the show I’m going to play on any given night – that excites me too.” WHO: Hoodoo Gurus WHAT: Gold Watch (Sony) WHEN & WHERE: Friday 20 April, The Tivoli

themusic.com.au

“It’s pretty amazing. Honestly it’s doing my head in – it’s too good to be true. People are just going to overload. We just wrote out our ultimate wishlists and started approaching people and a lot of the people at the top of the lists said, ‘Yes!’ – I’m amazed that it’s going to happen.”

‘60S US GARAGE LEGENDS THE SONICS “I’ve never seen them, but people who have seen them just rave about them, saying it’s incredible. Gerry Roslie is seventy this year and he’s still got that amazing scream! I really can’t get my ahead around the fact that I’m going to see The Sonics playing stuff like He’s Waitin and Cinderella and Psycho and The Witch! It’s blowing me away! I would pay to go to see that – I would pay to go to my own show!”

YOUNG OZ ROCKERS “They are exciting to me those bands, that next crop. They get it. Bands like Royal Headache and The Lovetones and Belles Will Ring, they’re all fantastic. There are so many bands around who seem too many generations removed from real rock’n’roll, like it’s just their interpretation of what rock’n’roll is. Some bands don’t get it, but those bands get it – they’re really deeply connected to it. It’s exciting that it’s sort of gone underground – they’re not even attempting to get on radio or anything, they’re just expressing themselves. It’s very cool.”

HUSKY DO GIDEON PRIESS FROM HUSKY TALKS WITH SAM HOBSON ABOUT SIGNING TO SEMINAL LABEL SUB POP, MAKING A MUSIC VIDEO WITH BRENDAN COOK, AND GENERALLY WHAT IT’S LIKE HAVING YOUR FIRST ALBUM OUT.

usky have crafted a remarkable debut album. It’s assured, but still ambitious and terrifically unique: anything it does sound like is an association the young band should feel rather good about anyway. Their debut Forever So recalls shades of the vocal interplay and Amish orchestration made famous by new label-mates and fellow folk-revivalists Fleet Foxes, but then those similarities meet something darker, and a little sleepier, and perhaps a little less regretful. The music they make is a kind of folky chamber pop, with nods, in kind, to the Beach Boys. But it’s a crime and a disservice to describe a band using only comparisons; especially so when it comes to Husky. No, the Melburnian quartet are far more a refreshing and enriching presence upon the country’s music scene than they are simply a canny recollection of their influences. There’s a vocal that opens the Forever So that’s so unassuming and yet so stark; profound in its simple beauty, delicate like you can barely fathom. The band’s sound across the record carries this same exquisite deftness of elocution; their melodies, their evocations; they all have this wonderful, ghostly feeling of being ‘unadorned’; of being somehow dreamlike, and yet earthen. There’s a real softness to them too, and, in the quiet of that softness, one comes to terms with the Husky aesthetic. It’s that they’re not mild, but restrained; exquisitely reserved. Their instrumentation is rich, but you hear it only through a deep fog. It’s that softness which says things to the listener like ‘this is effortless.’

constantly working on really performing them, and bringing them to the live setting as well as we can, and really capturing the essence of the songs and hopefully getting across the depth of those songs. And so, for us, they’re still very much alive, those songs. “But that being said,” he adds, “we’re already working on new material, and we’re starting to think about what sort of directions we can go for our new album… But that’ll be a little while off, still. We’ve got more tours to do overseas, and we’ve got the album to be released overseas, too.” WHO: Husky WHERE AND WHEN: Thursday 26 April, The Zoo; Friday 27, The SoundLounge, Gold Coast

Last October, the album came out here. This year, with the thanks of Sub Pop Records, it’s going global. “Relatively it’s new, and definitely for the rest of the world it’s brand new, so I don’t know,” keyboardist Gideon Priess ponders about the ‘shine’ of a new thing wearing off; of the band being ‘over’ the excitement of the record’s local release. “We’ve really been focusing on getting it out [to] the rest of the world, which is happening from May through July. It’s been a pretty wild run. We’ve been on the road for pretty much all of that time.” He speaks with the dazed cadence of a man in a whirlwind; a man who’s had little time to sit, and consider his sudden success. “The whole Sub-Pop signing was a bit of a thrill,” he offers, continuing. “That was very exciting; we spent two days with the crew there in Seattle [just] hanging out in the office, and meeting all the guys who’re going to be working our record – records! – over the next few years.” He sighs, happily, still a little awestruck by it all. The signing to Sub Pop is a particularly significant achievement. Sub Pop’s esteemed roster houses bands like Fleet Foxes and Beach House, and before them, the likes of grunge legends Nirvana, and Soundgarden. Piling prestige upon that further, Husky are in fact the first ever Australian band to be signed to the famous label. “We feel very honoured, and humbled,” Priess nods, too modest for more. From strength to strength, Husky recently worked also with musicvideo director Brendan Cook – of Gotye’s Heart’s A Mess; of The Temper Trap’s Science of Fear – on their single The Woods. “Oh, that was awesome,” Priess says, perking up. “It was the first time we’ve worked with a really professional crew. It was shot in one day, shot on a green-screen, which was new for all of us. And Brendan’s so wonderful to work with; such a sweet guy who’s so talented, and also very clear and direct with what he wanted. [It was us who] sought out him, because he’d done other clips that we loved, and he’s so strong on the animation, on the visual aspect of things, so we were really thrilled to be working with him.” And just how important is the band’s visual, promotional aesthetic for Husky? One’s mind drifts to their album cover. It’s some blue, watercolour Vishnu by way of a peacock; a mix of something alien, but with a texture that’s organic: music and the cosmos and nature and all things blurry in-between. “It’s very important for all of us,” Priess agrees solemnly. “We’ve put a lot of energy into all those sorts of things – like the artwork – the same [with] any of our merchandise, and all of our clips. The aesthetic of a band is so important. It’s something you relate to the music; it’s part of the whole deal, and the vibe, and the sound of the band. So we take that stuff seriously, definitely.”

WITH SPECIAL GUEST

That all that effort – designing the band, actualising their intentions – has resulted in such an impressive debut, it’s quite a marvellous thing. Husky are now an entity; more of a physical presence than ever before. They’re definable. They’re around. They’re coming quickly to the fore. “You know, we’re pretty excited with how it’s been received, and worked out,” Priess adds, happily. “I don’t think we ever imagined that it would be received so well. It was made on a low budget, and it was made at a time when we didn’t really have any name for ourselves as a band. We were doing shows around Melbourne, and we were trying to do tours around the [but] we were basically unknown. So it’s been really heart-warming. “And does [the record] represent what we’re about? Absolutely. We poured a lot of heart and soul, and a lot of time and energy into that record, and we really slaved over everything. Nothing was overlooked, or [not] considered in the making of the record and we spent almost a year making it, and we really gave ourselves up to that process. And I think, the album, it’s a really good indication of where we were at at that time, and I think it represents our sound, as well; we’re really proud of it.” There’s an indication in his voice that the album is compartmentalised now by the band as being a thing of the past; as being something they’re already moving away from.

THE TIVOLI

MONDAY JUNE 11

ON SALE MONDAY APRIL 23

In store now!

132 849 or ticketEK.com.au

“Again, we’re very proud of it… and a lot of what we do at the moment is [work on] bringing the album to the live setting, so in that sense the songs are still very fresh for us, because we’re

livenation.com.au I trainline.com themusic.com.au

TIME OFF • 13

TOGETHER WE REIGN IT’S EXCITING TO KNOW THAT MARK LANEGAN CAN STILL MAKE QUALITY RECORDS UNDER HIS OWN NAME, THOUGH, AS HE TELLS DAN CONDON, HE STILL GETS BY A WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM HIS TALENTED FRIENDS.

arely a year has gone by in recent times that Mark Lanegan hasn’t jumped on a plane and made the long journey to Australia for a tour with one of his lauded projects. Last year he visited with Isobel Campbell, before that under his own name, while prior to that it was with The Afghan Whigs’ Greg Dulli as The Gutter Twins that he made the journey to our corner of the world. This time he tours with the Mark Lanegan Band – which is the name that is credited to the creation of this year’s Blues Funeral – and while one might expect him to have some solid reasons as to why he finds our country so endearing, he’s quite low key in response to being asked. “I’ve always enjoyed it,” he announces in his distinct, deep voice from his Los Angeles home. And the things he looks forward to aren’t any different this time around to his previous visits. “Same thing I always look forward to, seeing friends, playing music and getting some good food.” The aforementioned Blues Funeral is the first release credited almost solely to Mark Lanegan in a while. “I really like it,” he says. “I like the songs, I like the way it sounds but I really enjoyed the process of making it, it was a really relaxed and enjoyable process so that’s part of the reason why I like it.” The process was an interesting one. Working with producer and former Queens Of The Stone Age bandmate Alain Johannes, Lanegan had no concept of any of the album’s songs before they started making the record. “My last record Bubblegum [2004], I did the second half of it with Alain Johannes, who I also played with in the Queens and have various other things with. After making part of my last record with him I always knew that when I made another one I would make it with him. So that was in the back of my mind even though I didn’t really plan on making a record, I just realised that I had some time and it had been a while since I made the previous one so I started writing songs and recording them.” Literally. Lanegan would pen a tune and then take it into the studio. “They were all written while I was making

the record,” he explains. “So I started with none, wrote one, started recording it and wrote another one, so on and so forth. So they were all written specifically for this record while it was being made. I just started making them and once the song was done it sort of tells me what the next one is gonna sound like so on and so forth.” Lanegan is quick to give Johannes credit when it comes to the final product. “I’d write a song, show it to him, describe elements I’d like it to have – how I’d like it to sound – he would achieve that and then he’d bring about a hundred more things to the table as well. So it’s definitely a 50-50 affair.” Collaboration is one thing Lanegan does a lot of and, unsurprisingly, it’s something he does pretty damn well. “Unless I was playing every instrument by myself like Prince, even records that have my name on them are collaborative. One of the things I enjoy about making music is working with others.” It’s something that’s made easier when you have such talented friends. The guest list on Blues Funeral might not quite hit the heights of Lanegan’s previous record Bubblegum (which boasted the likes of PJ Harvey, Josh Homme and Nick Oliveri of Queens Of The Stone Age, Greg Dulli and Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan and Izzy Stradlin), but it’s pretty impressive all the same. “I need not look any further than my circle of close friends to find a bunch of guys that I’d love to have on a record and they’re usually guys that I’ve already been making music with, sometimes for a lot of years,” he says. “So, I knew that I wanted to have [Afghan Whigs’] Greg [Dulli] on something, I knew that I wanted to have Josh [Homme] on something, I knew that I wanted to have Chris Goss on something, so I specifically looked for places to have those guys and the same was true of everyone who was on the record, really. They were all guys that I wanted on the record and asked to play on it.” Even though he knew he wanted them on the record, he wasn’t thinking of how they could fit when writing the songs. “No, but I look for opportunities.” he says. “I look for the thing that might fit them the best. But when I’m writing I don’t really think about anything other than just writing the song.”

As far as whether there’s anyone he’d like to work with outside of his group of friends, a dream collaborator if you will, Lanegan acknowledges there are definitely a few, but draws a blank. “I get asked, maybe not this exact question, but some other question quite often, probably because I do a lot of collaborating,” he says. “I almost always go completely blank; it’s like when people ask me what I’m listening to right now, I just absolutely have no idea. My answer is that I know there are a million people I’d love to work with if the opportunity presented itself.” He’s not one to over-think the power that collaboration has on his own writing skills, but he acknowledges that it is there. “Not that I can specifically give you an example, but I know – well I hope – that there’s things that I learn from every project and I know that I’m taking something into the next one, whether it be another collaboration or a solo record or whatever,” he says. “The beauty of working with other people is that you get the opportunity to do things that you might not do left to your own devices and see things through somebody else’s eyes and share a vision at the time.”

Likewise, he doesn’t make much of the fact that it has been eight years since the last Mark Lanegan record was released. He’s been busy and he’s been enjoying himself and the only reason this album came to life was because he had nothing else to do. “Just because I did a lot of other things in the in-between years, made multiple records with some of those projects and did multiple tours with all of them and, you know, it really wasn’t something I really gave a lot of thought to, making another Mark Lanegan record, because I was enjoying all of those other things,” he says. “But eventually the time came when I looked at my calendar and I didn’t have anything happening and realised how much time had gone by. I didn’t really intend for so much time to go by between them.” WHO: Mark Lanegan Band WHAT: Blues Funeral (4AD/Remote Control) Friday 20 April, The Hi-Fi

BIG FISH IT’S TAKEN TWO YEARS TO FINALLY EMERGE FROM THE FARMHOUSE, BUT WITH BEARD WIVES DENIM PERTH ROCK GANG POND HAVE MADE SURE THE WAIT WAS WORTH IT. MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST JAY WATSON DEBUNKS THE MYTHS SURROUNDING HIS ‘OTHER’ BAND WITH BENNY DOYLE.

ecorded back in 2010 on a quaint, rundown property near their hometown of Perth, Beard Wives Denim has been lazily chewing cud on the farm, patiently awaiting it’s time to be heard by the masses. With two years past and numerous other musical projects cross-pollinating, Watson admits many of the 13 tracks on the record are now performed differently. But what the 21-year-old acknowledges and what is glaringly apparent listening to their Modular debut is that the album is a product of that time. It holds a youthful energy, the type of vibrancy that only the young and the free can deliver. This sonic freedom and their loose live shows have typecast Pond as dream weavers from an era bygone. Watson is quick to point out, however, that this is simply not the case. “Everyone talks about psychedelic rock and stuff, the ‘60s and ‘70s. But I think Pond’s main aim, the thing that we consciously think about with the songs and influences and stuff is just trying to write in a classic manner,” Watson says not so much matter-of-factly, rather simply telling it how it is. “Obviously they’re a bit weirder than your [typical] classic songs, but they’re songs that sound like they should’ve been written already. You know when you hear a song, and it hasn’t been ripped off or anything, but it has that familiarity, like it should have already been a song? We aim for that.” The core of Pond is formed by Tame Impala mainstays Watson and Kevin Parker, recent inclusion Nick Allbrook and tightly curled Joseph Ryan. The band, formed only three years ago, have already amassed a catalogue of four full-length albums, a number that may even been higher had it not been for the Tame train departing on a worldwide journey which lasted roughly 18 months.

“We’ve been trying to get [Beard Wives Denim] out the whole time, but there’s a lot of things that I’m not going to go into; logistical, contractual and organisational things,” Watson addresses briefly. “We would have put it out fucking two weeks after we did it. Every now and then it kinda happens like that. There’s a lot of things man, a lot that I don’t even understand. It’s hard putting out a record these days.” 14 • TIME OFF

You’d be right to think that Watson would be about ready for a good lie down. He admits, however, that it’s when he’s stagnant that he feels lethargic and uninspired. “To be honest, I think I feel more burnt out at home when I’m not doing anything. When I don’t have anything to do, it’s hard not to just waste the day away and not do anything, just drink beer. I much prefer doing stuff. That’s why we [all] have so many other bands, because when we get home we have time off. We’re not workaholics but we’re definitely ‘songaholics’,” he reasons with a laugh. With all these bands and even more songs floating around between the Pond people, it’s surprising to hear that the collating and selection process for the tracks that make the grade is pretty much cut and dry. The only niggling issue is trying to massage the self-worth of the songwriter enough to not just bring their songs to the table, but to keep them there, work on them and serve them up as Pond material. “More often than not it’s the person who wrote the song who gets kinda funny about their own song and doesn’t want to do it,” he confesses, “then everyone goes, ‘Nah, nah it’s great man’ and you turn around and go, ‘I dunno, it’s a bit cheesy – it’s a bit naff’. There is always that self-doubt – that’s what happens more. Then everyone who likes that song chooses how it is. We’ve written so many songs and been around each other for so long that if someone turns around and says your song is pretty base, you simply go, ‘Alright then, I’ll start a new band for that song!’” Put together in a few weeks, Watson recalls that the band were feeling very inspired and ambitious. This is obvious in the music. Even with its flowing, limber form, Beard Wives Denim is as refined as Pond have ever sounded. This continual evolution of the band has developed without dissipating into monotony. The West Australians have become lean and concise without finding themselves in everyman ground, a point which pleases Watson no end. “That’s good,” he responds, “because the last album before this one [2010’s Frond] didn’t have any instrumental bits or jams so we wanted to do a few more

of them, but we just did them off the cuff and tacked them on the end. We don’t really listen to much music that isn’t three-to-five minutes long anyway; we listen to a lot of rock’n’roll, verse-chorus verse-chorus shit. I still think it’s epic, but it’s the vibe of it more than the songs. “None of our bands have ever done that,” he continues, going on to address the common fallacy that Pond and to a lesser extent Tame Impala are simply fuzzed out ‘journey’ bands. “It’s always someone writes a song or one person writes a bit of the song with another person sitting out the back with a guitar, then we show everyone else the song and we do it. I can’t remember the last time we all just stood around and went, ‘Alright, go. What have you got?’ Everyone’s got too many melodies and chords to just jam it out. I think that’s a big misconception about our band, that we just smoke 13 bongs then start writing an album. We spend a lot of time on acoustic guitars writing melodies and chords.” But even with NME proclaiming the album the year’s best, dishing out a 9/10 review, Watson can’t deny he’s confused by the connection Beard Wives Denim is having to the masses. Not that he’s complaining for a second.

themusic.com.au

“I thought there would be a lot more hate. Of course, there is hate but I thought people would go, ‘What is this stupid, silly music?’ Because each of the singles are completely different so I thought it might be hard for people to get an overall impression of the band, like, ‘Are they a funk band? Are they a psych band? Are they a metal band?’” he laughs. Whether you like it or not at least it’s not us all wearing black and moping around. We’re definitely the first to admit we’re idiots. We just didn’t think about it. If we knew it was going to turn into something quite popular, it might have ruined the naivety and silliness of it, y’know? But I think that is part of the fun of it. Pond is a lot more fun than a lot of other bands.” WHO: Pond WHAT: Beard Wives Denim (Modular/Universal) WHEN & WHERE: Friday 20 April Alhambra Lounge; Saturday 21 The Northern, Byron Bay

USED AND ABUSED UK PUNK STALWARTS THE EXPLOITED ARE RETURNING TO AUSTRALIA FOR ONLY THE SECOND TIME IN THEIR THREE-DECADE CAREER. DANIEL JOHNSON CATCHES UP WITH FOUNDING MEMBER AND VOCALIST WATTIE BUCHAN.

t took The Exploited more than 25 years to get to Australia, but after finally making their way here in 2007 for a tour of pubs and clubs, the band are returning for a small run of shows at more salubrious venues. Despite the relatively small venues last time around, frontman Wattie Buchan has fond recollections of their previous trip. “The last time it was like clubs but it was like being back in Europe, the gigs were fine,” he recalls.

“I think the difference between then and now is we’re a lot wiser and in the past I used to fight all the time at the gigs. Nowadays because the band gets quite a young audience, if I see any trouble I stop for it and I stop people fighting. I always watch out for the audience and always keep an eye on the young kids and make sure they’re okay.”

Since forming in Edinburgh in 1979, The Exploited have become one of the world’s most enduring punk-rock outfits. Their debut album, Punk’s Not Dead, hit shelves in 1981 and those three words quickly became a defiant battle cry for a subculture many had written off. When asked if he thought The Exploited would have such longevity, Wattie is quick to respond.

For those yet to witness The Exploited live, Wattie has the following parting words: “We’ve always been a good live band and that’s why we’ve survived for so long. I suppose it’s like watching AC/DC – there’s only one AC/DC and there’s only one Exploited.”

“When I started I thought it would only last a couple of years really – two years of getting pissed – and I thought it would be over after two years, but no. The first ten years of the band was really hard because we never got any respect and never got any press or nothing, it was hard.”

WHO: The Exploited WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 26 April, The Hi-Fi

As Wattie explains, it was a tour of Eastern Europe a decade into The Exploited’s career that helped convince him of the band’s durability. “We went to Czechoslovakia at the time, before it split, and we went to Prague and there were thousands of wee punks with Exploited on their backs,” he recalls. “That was a defining moment in the band’s history because for the first time it actually made me feel like I’d actually done something worthwhile and ever since then I’ve put everything 100 percent into the band being the best they can be.” After experiencing little positive critical appraisal for the band’s first six albums, Wattie says he was surprised when their 1996 album Beat The Bastards was praised by critics and fans alike upon its release. “Ever since Beat The Bastards we seem to have a lot more respect around the world and it was funny because at first it was a really weird feeling because strangers would come up and people would be citing The Exploited and I would think, ‘What have I done wrong? Why are these people liking us now? For the last 20-odd years we’ve had nothing but their shit.’ “It’s just weird seeing these young kids [at shows] because punk to me is a way of life; to them, they don’t know what they like. But at the same time it’s a good thing because our new music is doing good. A lot of the old punk bands; the people that come to their shows are older people, because their music’s shit but our music’s obviously really good, it’s crossed over to a younger crowd. “In the past, when we started it was just punks and skinheads and people our own age... in the beginning it was mostly 18, 20-year-olds. Now it’s totally changed, it’s like everyone from 40-year-olds to ten-year-olds and you’ve got punks, skinheads, normal people. It’s weird, but we get a crowd that has metal kids, we get everyone coming to our shows and I find that good, especially when we see kids at our shows, the new generation, it means we’re doing something right. “Back in the ‘80s, a lot of people, and the press, they thought punk was a fashion but for people like myself... there was a lot of anger in the working-class areas because of the poverty so it was the only music that you could actually express your anger. At the time I didn’t realise how much it meant to people.” The Exploited have been credited as being one of the first punk bands to embrace elements of thrash metal into their sound, but as far as Wattie is concerned, they’ve always been a punk band. “We always played our music really fast, faster than other punk bands,” he considers. “The only difference was when it came to The Massacre and Beat The Bastards we had a producer who could get our songs right for the records. We’ve always played fast and the music press after The Massacre said it was like fast speedpunk and that, blah blah blah; but to me it’s just naturally Exploited. We’ve always been a punk band but at the same time, anything we get money-wise we spend on albums, we put everything we have into a record. We’ve had new guitar players in the band and they’ve been good shows. People think it’s metal but it’s not.” It’s been nine years since The Exploited’s last studio album Fuck The System was released, but when asked if the proliferation of online music piracy has had any bearing on the delay, Wattie swiftly shoots down the suggestion. “No, it’s just because I’m a lazy bastard, really... plus we’ve had three guitar players in the last six years, so every time a guitar player leaves, any songs that we’ve had we can’t use because they’ve taken their songs. But now we’ve got some songs, some really good songs, and we’ll definitely do an album this year. We haven’t done any gigs this year so far because we’ve been writing songs constantly for the album, so we’ll definitely do an album. We have three, maybe four songs. “As for downloads and stuff, no... the only reason it’s taken so long is because I’ve been happy, and when I’m happy I find it hard to write songs. I got married last year so I’ve been too happy; I need to be angry to write songs.” When asked if there’s any period in The Exploited’s history that he recalls most fondly, Wattie says the band’s early years were a particular highlight. “I think the beginnings, I was happy as shit with it. They were the best years of my life. Some of the gigs would be quite violent... punk to me in the early days, to me, most of it was a bluff, I was always out of my face, drunk, but they were the best days of my life.

themusic.com.au

TIME OFF • 15

WE’RE WAITIN’! NEARLY 50 YEARS AFTER THEY FIRST STARTED MAKING THEIR AWESOME RACKET, GARAGE LEGENDS THE SONICS ARE FINALLY COMING TO AUSTRALIA. SAX PLAYER ROB LIND TAKES STEVE BELL THROUGH THEIR REMARAKABLE JOURNEY.

arage legends The Sonics are one of those rare bands whose influence down the years far transcends any success they experienced in their own lifetime. They formed in the port city of Tacoma, Washington in the early ‘60s and existed in relative isolation for the duration of their short career, releasing three albums and a river of killer singles before finally burning out sometime in 1968. But thankfully their story didn’t end there. While the members of The Sonics all busied themselves with studies and careers, their catalogue of roughshod rock’n’roll numbers took on a life of its own, in the ensuing years having its fingerprints all over the work of not just countless bands but also whole scenes such as garage, punk and grunge, their music revered worldwide generations after they last played a chord in anger.

Apart from brief reformations in the ‘70s and ‘80s, The Sonics lay dormant until 2007, when the core of the band reunited for the annual Cavestomp garage rock festival in Brooklyn, and it went so well they’ve been playing sporadically around the globe to rapturous crowds ever since – especially in Europe where they’re particularly lionised – and now, courtesy of the Hoodoo Gurus’ Dig It Up! extravaganza, we’re about to see them play their garage classics such as Psycho, Strychnine, The Witch and He’s Waitin’ in Australia for the very first time. “I’m really looking forward to getting together with the Hoodoo Gurus, because it’s really because of them that we’re coming down – they started the deal,” The Sonics’ saxophonist Rob Lind explains. “Before I even knew who they were, years ago, I stumbled across a song of theirs on YouTube called I Was A Kamikaze Pilot and I thought, ‘Damn! That’s a good song! Those guys are rockers just like us!’ Now we’re going to get to play with them, it’s great.” It’s not surprising that Lind fell in love with that particular Gurus track – after the group disbanded he became a fighter pilot in the Vietnam War, before embarking on a career flying commercial airliners – but it is quite astonishing that The Sonics have been able to re-inject their songs with their trademark fire in this latest phase of their career. “We had some offers [to reform] prior to Cavestomp – for years prior – and we just kept turning them down, because our drummer Bob Bennett lived in Hawaii and we hadn’t been playing individually. Larry [Parypa – guitar] was working in the insurance business, I was an airline pilot and Gerry [Roslie – organ, vocals] was running a little asphalt paving company and we started talking – ‘Gosh, maybe we should try this?’ Fortunately we were adults at the time so we made a decision, because we knew we had a good reputation – we kind of had a legacy – so we said, ‘Let’s take a shot at this, but if we’re not ready, let’s not go onstage and be fools. Let’s not have people look at us and say that our records were good, but we’re just jerks trying to take advantage of it and we can’t play’. “So the three of us – Gerry, Larry and I – got together and rehearsed for about eighteen months pretty steadily and it looked like it was getting to the point where it could work. Then we brought in [a rhythm section and] it kind of gelled, so we rehearsed and went out and did Cavestomp. Then we got a call from London and they asked us to go over and do three shows there and we said, ‘Sure!’ and we were off. We still try to play as hard as we can – that’s what we’re all about. We’re better together than we are individually – there’s musicians around who man for man are better than we are, but together we’re pretty tough and we try to bring that wherever we play.” During their initial incarnation in the ‘60s, The Sonics established themselves around their stomping ground in the Pacific Northwest, but geographic isolation meant they gained little traction anywhere else. “We were a Northwest rock’n’roll band, pure and simple,” Lind admits. “We played from northern California right up to Canada and we played Washington, Oregon, Idaho – pretty much in that area. After our first album some cuts from that were being played [on the radio] back east, so we went over for one tour and played in Philadelphia and a bunch of other places, but it was just a blur – we slept in the daytime and played at night and I never knew where we were. We were being driven around by these guys with guns and we’d pull up behind some building, go in the back door and play, then get back in the car with the guys with the guns and they’d drive us someplace else. But primarily we were playing in the North West. “We did make a bit of a change because the records came out and began getting a lot of airplay in that area – in those four states there – so we started getting asked to open shows for people like The Beach Boys. We’d been playing in teenage nightclubs to start with and then as The Witch got going and Psycho got going we started playing bigger places like auditoriums and roller rinks – playing three sets, all night long – and we started getting the opportunity to step out in front of 25,000 people and do a half-an-hour before The Beach Boys, or The Lovin’ Spoonful or The Mamas & The Papas or The Righteous Brothers or people like that. So that was kind of fun for your friendly neighbourhood Sonics to be backstage drinking beer with The Righteous Brothers!” Looking back from this distance The Sonics’ distorted, heavy sound and the often ribald subject matter of their songs seems totally out of sync with what else was happening in the ‘60s, but not in their neck of the woods. “We came from a rock’n’roll town – Tacoma was a rock town and that’s what people wanted back then. It was tougher audiences and if you played swing or jazz or stuff down there, they’d probably throw vegetables at you! They wanted rock’n’roll and that’s what we wanted too, so we gave it to them and it turned out pretty well.” But even as they were giving the people what they wanted, the members of The Sonics had no inkling whatsoever their incendiary music would resonate so strongly down the ages. “You know, we were in it to meet women – I’ll be totally straight with ya,” Lind laughs. We were 19, 20, 21 years old with testosterone flowing out of every pore in our body and we wanted to meet cute girls. One thing became another, we started playing more, made some albums and we just had a great time. It was a great time. I can’t tell you how much fun it was to go out and play rock’n’roll music every Friday and Saturday night – it was just great.” WHO: The Sonics WHEN & WHERE: Friday 19 April, The Tivoli

16 • TIME OFF

themusic.com.au

SAE INSTITUTE BYRON BAY PROUDLY PRESENTS...

RESIDENT PRODUCER AND INSTRUCTOR - 3RDEYE (REQUIEM AUDIO) CREATIVE MUSIC PRODUCTION WITH ABLETON LIVE & LOGIC PRO 9 FULLY ACCREDITED CERT III IN MUSIC

MAY INTAKE ENROLLING NOW CALL: 1800 SAE EDU HTTP://BYRONBAY.SAE.EDU.AU HTTP://SOUNDCLOUD.COM/3RDEYE

TIME OFF • 17

BRINGING IT HOME

MAY ON A MISSION DETROIT INNOVATOR DERRICK MAY TALKS DEPECHE MODE, TRANSMAT RECORDS AND “WANNABE ROCKSTARS” WITH CYCLONE.

OF COURSE EMILY BARKER HAD NO IDEA WHEN SHE DEFERRED HER UNI STUDIES AND HEADED OFF TO THE UK WHERE IT WOULD LEAD. TEN YEARS ON SHE’S BRINGING HER THIRD ALBUM AND UK BAND HOME FOR ANOTHER CELEBRATION. BY MICHAEL SMITH.

echno innovator Derrick May once hung with Depeche Mode in his Detroit hometown, the New Wavers a seminal influence. Now Depeche Mode’s Martin Gore has cut a ‘techno’ album, Ssss, with ex-member Vince Clarke, the pair showing the ‘kids’ a thing or two. “I can totally relate!” May laughs quietly. “I think it’s a good thing if they can do it – and if they can do it well.” The DJ/producer has described Depeche Mode as “the Radiohead of their day”. “I’ve been in the studio next to them – they were working once and they made a track. I had a copy of it for years. It was only on a cassette. They never released it. It was absolutely fantastic! They just didn’t release it, for whatever reason.” The Brits were, he reasons, merely exercising their talents. Mentored by his Belleville High School alumnus Juan Atkins, the ‘Godfather’ of techno, May founded Transmat Records in the ‘80s. He’d introduce a romantically futuristic ‘high tech soul’ with tracks like Nude Photo (its laugh snatched from a Yazoo song!), Strings Of Life and The Beginning. Later May, disillusioned with the record biz, virtually ceased producing – although he memorably remixed Rolando’s Jaguar. He’d focus on, not only DJing, but also building Transmat’s roster – nurturing everyone from Carl Craig to Stacey Pullen and Aril Brikha. ‘EDM’ has exploded Stateside with Frenchman David Guetta producing urban names, but its African-American pioneers haven’t benefited – just as they didn’t during the ‘90s ‘electronica’ epoch. May is restrategising. In 2010 he issued a hit mix-compilation, Heartbeat. “My mix-CD sold something like 17,000 copies in Japan – that’s un-fucking-heard of! That’s like a platinum record these days.” The Japanese label, Lastrum, “really cared” about its promotion. Today few companies in Europe, or the US, properly market comps. Consumers don’t have the attention spans. Media interest in touring DJs, too, has declined, says May, last here for Creamfields 2011 with his homeboy Kevin Saunderson. The Australian press still covers tours, but elsewhere promoters don’t even arrange interviews. Greater importance is placed on DJs circulating tracks – offering “this so-called package”. As such, dance music’s narrative is being lost.

May – his music inspiring Björk, Burial and Azari & III – has often been critical of DJs who act as “wannabe rock stars.” Some behave “ridiculously” – to the detriment of dance culture. “Dance music is a group of individuals who are like these outcasts of the whole music industry. Nobody really cares about dance music artists. We’ve never really been a part of the legitimate music scene.” And, here, May admonishes himself. “Let’s be honest – I used to give attitude to the media, too,” he admits. But the techno rebel was “on a mission” to defend a black music from co-option – and he impressed journalists with his conviction. He’s no longer “mad” at new gen DJs who neglect their platforms. “They don’t know any better.” In fact, May is upbeat about underground techno. Aside from his most famous protégé, Craig, he rates Ricardo Villalobos and Luciano for their artistry – and admires Ben Sims’ longevity. “You’ve got a fair amount of guys who are showing other guys the way – but are the other guys willing to hear or be interested in knowing the way?” In 2009 May relaunched Transmat with Canadian Greg Gow’s The Pilgrimage EP. He’s presently A&Ring a label comp with tracks from Gow, Zak “DVS1” Khutoretsky, and John Beltran – plus surprises. Excitingly, May will include previously unreleased material of his own – notably his equivalent of that Depeche Mode number, the now mythic Hand Over Hand. Its airing is, he realises, “a big, big deal”. “I played it at a Red Bull Academy in Norway when I was talking and there were a few people who said, ‘Can we have that? That’s beautiful!’ So there’s still a response to the song in its current state – without me even having to update it. I’m really happy that it’s held on and it’s had an opportunity to still touch people some 20 years later – and [it’s] never been released. It’s nice. It’s a good feeling.” WHO: Derrick May WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 21 April, BarSoma

DAZED, NOT CONFUSED A HOARSE KIM CHURCHILL TALKS TO CHRIS YATES ABOUT THE UNLIKELY CIRCUMSTANCES OF RECORDING IN CANADA, AND HOW HIS INFLUENCES MIGHT DEFY HIS SOUND, BUT HE’S KEEN TO STREAMLINE IT IN THE FUTURE.

“I

t was amazing man, I recorded the record there and have just come off the back of a three of four week tour around Canada. It was a support tour so it had a relaxed atmosphere for me not having to be a headliner. I could just work on the songs and get back into the swing of touring. It was brilliant although it’s nice to be back in the sunshine!” So why would a beach loving boy from the coast want to head into Canada’s dark winter to work? “There was a bunch of reasons I did it there,” he explains. “Things just lined up. There was a really brilliant studio I’ve always wanted to work in called Mushroom. Led Zeppelin recorded part of Led Zeppelin II there. I’m such a huge Led Zeppelin fan and my manager knows the guy who runs the studio quite well, so I think we got a bit of a hook up. The producer I really wanted to work with Todd Simko is based there as well, and he has a wife and family so it made sense to accommodate him and record over there.” Churchill got his first big break at the busking competition that runs as part of the Byron Bay Bluesfest, and he was delighted to get the opportunity to give something back, being invited this year to be on the panel of judges. So how was the level of talent? “It was amazing, I’m glad it wasn’t my year to be judged!” he laughs. “It was really hard to pick. There was a guy called Bart Thrupp who was amazing. He sung with a really Australian accent and he just had really, really brilliant songs and an honest vibe. The band that won called Brother Fox were brilliant, they had a real Mumford & Sons vibe, in fact it was a little too Mumford & Sons for me, but having said that, the three songs they played would have been right up there with the best Mumford & Sons songs if they were theirs. 18 • TIME OFF

ridgetown born and raised, Emily Barker had started a degree in architecture at the University Of WA before deciding, no, it was landscape architecture she was interested in. That changed to a straight BA, but the reality was she was too restless to study. The world beckoned, so in 2002, donning a backpack and a work visa, she headed for the UK, settling in Cambridge, where the nascent musician came to the fore. Playing the odd gig, she met guitarist Rob Jackson, they cut a demo, she came home to Perth, he called her to say get back quick – the late John Peel had been playing the demo. Next thing you know, Barker was in a band with Jackson. “That had been an alt-country band,” Barker explains, on the line from Stroud, not far from Bristol, between packing for a first European tour. “When we disbanded I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, but I wanted to make a solo album, and I was working with a producer from Sweden called Ruben Engzell. There were definitely a few tracks where I could hear strings and I’d always wanted to work with string players – I was inspired by some of Neil Young’s more folky, acoustic-y stuff, whatever you want to call it, such as Comes A Time and Harvest, where strings featured quite a lot, and harmonies. “So for the first album [Photos.Fires.Fables] they [Anna Jenkins (violin), Jo Silverston (cello) and Gill Sandell (accordion), collectively her band, The Red Clay Halo] as well as a whole load of other musicians played, and when it came time to start gigging the album, I couldn’t take everybody ‘cause it was a logistical nightmare, so we worked out how we could cover a lot of the parts and thought, ‘Well, the cello can act as the bass in certain things,’ and all of them played other instruments – we’re essentially multi-instrumentalists – and we all swap over and change things around in our sets and that covers quite a lot of it.”

Six years on, Barker and her all-female band are returning to Australia to introduce their third album, Almanac, which is much more than the term some UK critics have used to describe them – chamber pop. “I grew up listening to Sandy Denny and Fairport Convention, so there’s definitely that sort of ‘70s folk revival sound – definitely influenced by that, for sure. Most of the songs are about beginnings and endings and cycles and transitions and moving on, coming to dead ends and having to work things out. “Then there’s a few other songs that sort of relate to that I suppose, but don’t quite fit the theme so snugly. There’s one called Bones, all about Indigenous and Colonial relations in Australia. I studied Indigenous studies at the University Of WA and was just blown away by how much I learnt, truths about what happened during colonisation, and ever since I’ve been completely fixated on the subject and read as much as I can.” As it happens, her first European tour was as support for English ‘folk punk’ singer-songwriter Frank Turner, with whom Barker has been recording. “We performed on his latest album, England Keep My Bones, and we’re also releasing a song together in the summer in the UK here, a duet called Fields Of June, which is one of my songs from a while ago. We did a little demo of it as a free download giveaway when we were on a UK tour with him last November.” WHO: Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo WHAT: Almanac (Walking Horse/MGM) WHEN & WHERE: Sunday 22 April, The Music Kafé Brisbane, Monday 23, The Cavern Nobbys Beach

AFTER ALL THESE YEARS

They’re on their way to creating their own sound but their songwriting and performance was just mind-blowing. I was happy they won and I think they’ll really make the most out of the opportunity.” Churchill says he himself had to go through the process of sounding like other people to find his own voice.

MIKE COOPER’S CAREER SPANS ALL THE WAY FROM PLAYING BLUES IN ‘60S LONDON THROUGH TO TOURING POST-ELECTRONIC EXOTICA THROUGHOUT THE NOUGHTIES. MATT O’NEILL CATCHES UP WITH THE LEGENDARY GUITARIST AS HE PREPARES TO CELEBRATE HIS 70TH BIRTHDAY IN BRISBANE.

he scope of Mike Cooper’s career is baffling. The span of years alone would humble most musicians. Beginning as a guitarist in London in the late-‘50s, Cooper has remained consistently active in each subsequent decade – continuing to write, release, perform and tour music well into his 60s and, as of 2012, his 70s. For a sense of perspective, that’s a career effectively outstretching the history of popular music as we know it.

“I think it’s a natural part of the process,” he says. “Neil Young was playing songs by The Shadows, this trippy surf rock stuff for years and Bob Dylan was pretending he was Woody Guthrie in Greenwich Village. An imperative part of the process of establishing your own sound is being inspired by other people’s sounds and experimenting with them and seeing how they fit. It’s like trying on other people’s clothes, and finally you find this combination of bits of this and bits of that through that experimentation which gives you your own unique sound. “I think I went through a few phases,“ he says of finding his own voice. “I got the Xavier Rudd thing a lot, and I was definitely inspired by his multi-instrumental approach. And dare I say it, and I was certainly not on the same level, but I really wanted to be Jeff Lang for a while. More recently it’s been heavier stuff, trying to get like a Jack White guitar sound and trying to write these Pink Floyd-esque art rock pieces and stuff, so I’m still very much in the process of trying different things, and I think my album is indicative of that.” WHO: Kim Churchill WHAT: Details Of Distance (Indica/MGM) WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 19 April, Mullumbimby Civic Hall; Friday 20, SoundLounge, Gold Coast; Saturday 21, Joe’s Waterhole, Eumundi; Sunday 22, Black Bear Lodge; Friday 25 & Saturday 26 May, Blues On Broadbeach, Gold Coast

“That’s true, actually. I was thinking about it the other day – I’ve been in it for roughly half a century,” the guitarist reflects. “I’m always surprised by it. I got into music by accident, really. I found myself out of work and thought, ‘How am I going to earn a living?’ and decided to try and earn a living playing music. Me and some friends opened some folk clubs and, gradually, just started working seven days a week playing in our own clubs. It all just kind of blossomed from there.” The breadth of his catalogue is even more astonishing. Originally a blues artist, Cooper has since delivered albums and ensembles indebted to jazz, punk, Hawaiian music, electronica, avantgarde composition, free-improvisation, rock and countless other styles. His work hasn’t evolved linearly, either – at any given concert, Cooper could deliver anything from swirling post-electronic soundscapes to lyrical lap steel improvisations. “It’s the thing that’s kept me going for 70 years, really – just keeping on changing stuff. Trying not to get stuck in one genre,” he says of his career. “Even in the past when I was playing blues, I was often asked – because I could play slide guitar and electric – to play with punk bands. I always just went with it. If I venture into something that I’ve never ventured into before, I

themusic.com.au

try and do something new with it. I try to make the best of the situation, whatever that situation may be. “I think there is a thread that does link it all together,” the guitarist muses. “I don’t play heavily structured music, for example. I don’t read music and never have. So, the improvising, for a start, is always present – but I also think there’s an ongoing fascination with the history of my instrument. As abstract as my music can sound on occasion, I think you can always find some vague thread of blues music somewhere. Even when it’s just a pile of notes, if you sort them all out – it’s still blues.” Most remarkable is the guitarist’s attitude. Cooper has worked within his industry for over 50 years. He’s dealt with major label complications, pigeonholing, deaths of contemporaries and all other issues inherent to a life spent in music. Yet, he remains cheery, humble and optimistic. In an era where musicians literally half his age seem jaded, a 70-year-old Mike Cooper reminds audiences what music can (and should) do for a musician. “Oh, I’ve never thought about retirement – this is what I love doing. It keeps me feeling young,” he laughs. “I often speak to young people about the music industry, such as it is nowadays, and their impressions of it are often quite odd. You know, I had a lot of label troubles in the ‘70s and I’ve been through that world but, eventually, you learn how to avoid those people and go about things in another way that works better for you. I feel lucky that I’m still able to do what I do.” WHO: Mike Cooper WHERE & WHEN: Thursday 19 April, Syncretism @ Judith Wright Centre

r u o y f o t Get ou

t r o f Com

E L A S E R U T N E V D A

the americas

asia

europe

flights under 26 return from everyone return from

‘Canada Kick Start Program’

from

$299

you get 12 months exclusive access to online job listings + guide to living & working in Canada + arrival pack including social security assistance.

‘Amazon Jungle Bus Pass’

from

$569*

you get a hop-on hop-off Bamba bus pass from Cuzco to Puerto Maldonado to use within 12 months top spots Madre de Dios River.

‘Cambodia Adventure’ Save $134

now from

$536

‘Absolute Turkey’

Save $360

now from

$1439

you get a 12-day Intrepid tour from Bangkok top spots Siem Reap + Angkor Wat + Phnom Penh + Ho Chi Minh City + Sihanoukville Beach.

you get a 15-day G Adventures tour from Istanbul top spots Cappadocia + Pamukkale + Ephesus + Troy + Gallipoli.

‘Everest Base Camp’ Save $142 * now from $999*

‘Berlin to Venice’

you get a 16-day Gecko’s tour from Kathmandu top spots Phakding + Namche Bazaar + Thyangboche + Dingboche + Lukla.

‘San Diego, Las Vegas & Grand Canyon’ Save $190 * now from $759*

‘Vietnam Highlights’

you get an 8-day G adventures tour from Los Angeles top spots San Diego + Phoenix.

you get a 10-day Contiki tour from Ho Chi Minh City top spots Nha Trang + Hoi An + Hue + Hanoi.

from

$1295*

Save $495 * now from $1980*

you get a 15-day Intrepid tour from Berlin top spots Prague + Cesky Krumlov + Vienna + Budapest.

‘European Inspiration’

from

$2515*

Auckland Bali Hawaii Hong Kong London Los Angeles Paris Phuket

you get a 19-day Contiki tour from London top spots Berlin + Prague + Munich + Rome + Paris.

$445* $635* $1099* $821* $1499* $1099* $1399* $770*

$461* $651* $1180* $837* $1589* $1149* $1461* $786*

BEST PRICE GUARANTEE

We swear we will beat any airfare quote or you get $1500 towards your ﬂight. ✦

ﬁnd us

studentflights.com.au

1800 179 264

free call

✦

Applies to genuine quotes from airlines and Australian registered businesses and websites for travel that originates/departs from Australia. Quote must be in writing and must be presented to us prior to booking. Fare must be available and able to be booked by the general public when you bring it to us. Fares available due to membership of a group or corporate entity or subscription to a closed group are excluded. Quote must be for same dates, flight routing, flight class, flight number and for the same number of people. We will beat your quoted price by $1.00 and give you a $20 voucher. If we fail to do this, we will give you a $1500 in store credit to use towards the flight which we did not price beat. For full terms and conditions see www.studentflights.com.au. *Travel restrictions and conditions apply. Please ask us for further details. Prices and taxes are correct as at 16 Apr 12 and are subject to change without notice. Prices quoted are on sale until 23 Apr 12 unless sold out prior or otherwise specified. Prices are per person and are subject to availability. Accommodation (if included) is based on twin share or multi share and airfare is not included, unless otherwise stated. Seasonal surcharges and blackout dates may apply depending on date of travel. Prices shown are fully inclusive of taxes, levies, government charges and other applicable fees. Additional taxes specific to your flight routing may apply (where airfare is included). Payments made by credit card will incur a surcharge. Prices shown are for payments made by cash in store. Student fares are available to full-time students holding a valid ISE/ISIC card and/or be a youth under 26 with a valid IYTC card. Create your own trip airfares are valid for students only. From Brisbane. Flight Centre Limited (ABN 25 003 377 188) trading as Student Flights. Lic No. BNE TAG262. timeoff_18apr_180x260_sf

*$/$

TIME OFF • 19

KEEP THE CHANGE

BIRD NOISES

TALKING FROM THE SMALL BEACH TOWN OF MANGAWHAI HEADS NORTH OF AUCKLAND, MATIU WALTERS FROM NEW ZEALAND’S SIX60 TELLS CHRIS YATES ABOUT THE (MOSTLY SELFINFLICTED) PRESSURES THE BAND ARE FACING TO FOLLOW UP THEIR DEBUT SELF-TITLED ALBUM.

BRISBANE’S PIGEON RELEASED THEIR DEBUT EP PARALLELS IN AUGUST LAST YEAR AND SINGER DANNY HARLEY TELLS CHRIS YATES IT’S STILL HELPING THE BAND GAIN MOMENTUM, DESPITE ITS GENRE HOPPING SOUND.

“W

e’ve had a lot of comments about how it just changes genre and can catch you off guard,” Piegon’s vocalist Danny Harley says in regards to the reception they have received to the band’s first recording. “It’s a bit random, but that’s what we were going for I guess, doing something a bit different.” While the band does melt between pretty straight electro-pop to funky disco with ease, they’re not afraid to chuck in a dub breakdown out of nowhere. While this can sometimes lead to a disjointed and confusing sound, the production of the EP and the way the band gels together around the sounds means that it’s a consistent listen and all makes sense even from the outset. “We basically just started out as a jam band,” Harley explains of the way it all came together. “We all like a whole bunch of different styles of music, so we just sort of covered everything. It was a bit of a shambles, but our sound came out of that particularly disorganised jamming. I mean everyone in the band really loves dub music, but we’re aware that not everyone does, so we didn’t want to take it too far in that direction – it’s good to incorporate it in a small way every now and then. It’s like a breath of fresh air amongst everything else, all the electronica. Actually one of the guys in the band doesn’t want a bar of dub whatsoever [laughs] but it’s a majority vote.” The band has a very electronic sound, but because of these jam band origins they manage to still keep the whole project sounding live and very much like a ‘real’ band, as opposed to dudes fiddling with laptops. “We’ve been streamlining our set-up over the last six months, so it’s gradually getting better as we get better gear and work out what we have to do. We actually used to have three laptops onstage to trigger sounds from, but we’ve managed to gradually cut out two laptops

20 • TIME OFF

and move onto hardware samplers and things like that. We used to play to a sequence, but we’re trying to make it more live now – as live as possible really. We’re still learning how to do it; I think we will be for a while yet. I’d even go so far as to say we’ll never really settle down, we’ll always be changing it up. “We’ve got a couple of jazz players and a guy that used to be in a metal band, but I had a fairly pop/ rock background,” Harley says, explaining the process of how they accomplish their unified sound. “I like to think I rein everything in. I actually try and give it more of a direction and make sure it doesn’t get too out of hand. The pop sensibility I guess is what I mostly bring, but I wouldn’t want to take all the credit for that.” The band are gearing up for what will be their most extensive run of shows around the country and they’re particularly excited to be playing some areas they haven’t had a chance at tackling yet. “It’s the biggest tour we’ve done yet, so it’s pretty exciting for us,” he says. “We haven’t played in Melbourne city at all yet, but we’ve got three gigs there, which will kind of be a debut for us. We get so much support in Brisbane and we always get good crowds. It’s really good music for a lot of people to party along to.” WHO: Pigeon WHEN & WHERE: Friday 20 April, SolBar, Maroochydore; Saturday 21, Alhambra Lounge; Friday 11 May, Beach Hotel, Byron Bay; Saturday 12, The Loft, Gold Coast

ue to the success of their debut album and the subsequent touring that followed, Walters is now in the enviable position of creating music as his full-time gig. He’s taken some time away from New Zealand’s musical breeding ground of Dunedin to get away from it all and concentrate on writing for their next record. “I’m trying to get some writing done before we take off,” he says in his chilled out accent. “I try and write as often as possible, pretty much every day. It’s kinda something that has recently happened, the band is busy enough that I can do it full-time and try and work it as a nine-to-five, you know what I mean? It’s real cool man, it’s like a dream come true. I don’t have to do anything else.” With this freedom to create music, there’s also an adjustment period when music becomes your job instead of what you do for fun outside of the usual day to day drudgery. Walters says he is dealing with it pretty well, even if he’s still finding his feet. Thankfully, it sounds like the new album is well on its way. “It’s quite weird, you go through phases,” he explains. “At first it sounds like it should be pretty easy, I mean you only have to write 11 songs, but of course it’s pretty different to that. We’re definitely just in the early stages of the next album, just trying to get as many little things done as possible. It is pretty weird, it almost feels like we’re forcing it now. It seems as though once you’ve done your first album, you’re just on a clock to finish the next one, so it’s maybe a little less intuitive now. There’s some pressure now, but most of that pressure is self-induced. We’re our biggest critics, we always want to do the best show possible and obviously timing is really important, you’ve just got to keep relevant hey. We just want to get the ball rolling, we have a lot

themusic.com.au

of demos coming together, but we probably won’t use them all, half of them are probably crap (laughs).” Six60 are incorporating some pretty experimental ideas into their music, and managing to do it while still appealing to a lot of people at once. Walters says that approaching making music the way he listens to music is the key. He’s unconcerned with being in a band that is hard to pigeonhole by traditional standards. “It doesn’t matter to me what people classify the genre as,” he says bluntly. “As long as what we feel when we’re writing the song is honest and we can believe it, then I think that’s the most important thing. I’m probably most comfortable with the slower stuff, with soul-based music and guitar stuff, but I guess it’s just kind of a miracle or it’s pretty fortunate that we have five dudes from five different upbringings who like five different styles of music, and it all still seems to work. “I feel as though we do it to an extreme compared to other artists,” he says of the band’s effortless genre-hopping. “It wasn’t something intentional, it was just what naturally happens. The way I listen to music, and the way I think most people listen to music, is that they don’t just listen to one genre of music or one style of artist the whole time, so I guess we figured we shouldn’t have to write that way. I don’t wanna be in a band that just writes and performs the same shit over and over again.” WHO: Six60 WHAT: Six60 (Massive Entertainment/MGM) WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 19 April, Coolangatta Hotel; Friday 20, The Hi-Fi

PERMANENT RECORDS AHEAD OF THIS WEEKEND’S INTERNATIONAL RECORD STORE DAY, CHRIS YATES TALKS TO A FEW DIFFERENT INDEPENDENT STORES ABOUT WHY THEY STARTED THEIR SHOPS AND HOW THEY ARE MANAGING TO KEEP THE DREAM ALIVE.

his weekend marks yet another instalment of the emerging annual International Record Store Day – recognising the role of the humble record store in the rich tapestry of the music world – so we at Time Off thought we’d speak to some of the local retail mainstays (and one intrinsically linked to our scene) about their stories and their vision for the future. When Tim Brennan moved his humble guitar shop Tym Guitars to a bigger store in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley eight months ago, he decided to indulge a lifelong dream of also making it a record store. The way he acquired stock might seem heartbreaking – he used his own personal record collection to kick things off. “I actually got Luke [Henery] and James [Tidswell] from Violent Soho to come around and take them all to put in the shop,” he explains. “James was like, ‘Man, are you sure you don’t wanna look through this?’ but I knew if I started looking through it I would start taking stuff out and all the good stuff’s gonna come out and then there’s no point to this. “I’d never run a record shop before, so I decided that I would just buy records that I would want to buy. I did the same thing with the guitar shop, I started the kind of guitar shop I would want to go to. Now we have over a thousand titles, and I’ve got over 300 new titles coming in for Record Store Day, and there’s some fucking crazy shit in there. Some stuff I’ve been after for a long time.” Tym Guitars has become the primary venue for bands to play all ages in-store appearances in Brisbane, recently luring in artists like Omar from The Mars Volta and Lou Barlow from Sebadoh and Dinosaur Jr. Tim is still overwhelmed when it comes to who he has managed to lure into the store to play.

“I got to stand in my shop and watch Future Of The Left play Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues!” he marvels. “It was like a dream come true.” Surprisingly, Tim says that the record side of the business is actually keeping them afloat, and in a town with an ever-dwindling amount of live venues, he’s stoked with the gig he has planned for Record Store Day. “It’s my dream line-up!” laughs Tim. “I don’t even have to go to gigs any more, I just get them to play in my shop.” Warwick Vere started Rocking Horse Records in Brisbane 36 years ago. He still owns and runs the store after all these years in its many different incarnations and locations. “I was a Sydney kid and I loved hanging around the Sydney collector’s stores like Martins and Ashwoods, and when I moved here there was nothing,” he recalls. “So I started one myself! I had a good job in the public service and was travelling everywhere so it made it easy for me to keep track of everything that was happening in Sydney and Melbourne.” Despite coming dangerously close to closing the doors last year after the triple whammy of devastating floods, explosion in downloading and GFC, the stars aligned and Brisbane’s record buying community got behind the Brisbane institution and its legacy lives on. “We had three or four bands play for Record Store Day last year and we’re doing the same thing again this year,” he tells. “It’s a fun day and we get lots of people coming in and hanging around and enjoying the vibe. This year we’re hoping to clean up the downstairs area and do it down there.”Warwick says that an increased interest in vinyl has also contributed to Rocking Horse’s survival.

“It’s coming close to taking over,” he says. “If we could turn all our CDs into vinyl we’d have a big smile on our face. At the moment we’re turning the ship around very slowly. We still actually sell more CDs than vinyl, it’s going to take a while for that to change for us.” Downstairs at Rocking Horse was always a great meeting point for anyone into their beats, with an eclectic range of electronic music and hip hop, and experts happy to point you in the right direction. Unfortunately, this is one area of the store that hasn’t survived. “Serato was what killed the dance stuff stone dead,” Warwick says of the digital software that allows DJs to mix their electronic files on a traditional turntable. “We couldn’t afford to man it unfortunately. It was such a shame because it just had such a great vibe down there, but we’re hoping to recreate that on Saturday!” Warwick says he hopes this space will be able to used in the future for more in-store appearances, giving local and international bands an extra place to show punters their stuff. Based in a prominent high street location in Sydney’s Inner West, Repressed Records is a vital part of the local scene. The store doubles as the unofficial headquarters for Nic Warnock’s label, R.I.P. Society, home to an incredible roster of Underground Australian bands such as Royal Headache, Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys and Woollen Kits. He started the label to release the first Circle Pit seven-inch Total Waste when no-one would touch it. “All these people that were apparently interested in releasing it were flaking out on them so I was like, ‘I’ll do it!’” he says. “So R.I.P. Society started out of that, it was basically a necessity. I saw all these great bands

themusic.com.au

that no-one in the established music industry was willing to touch in Australia and release them in a way that I as a fan or the bands would find appealing.” So how important to the label’s success has been having the base of Repressed Records to operate from? “It’s pivotal,” he says with conviction. “I don’t think the record label would exist without it. I just think having that musical hub of a record store is kind of like a visual summary of what’s gone on. It also helps link new releases into the lineage of what’s happened in the past. I’m sure that for labels like Bedroom Suck in Brisbane who I kinda see as like a brother label, I’m sure that they would agree that Repressed Records is a pretty pivotal part of their existence.” Nic will be launching some records on Record Store Day at Repressed which obviously mean a great deal to him on a personal level. “Brendon Annersley who ran a record label in Brisbane called Negative Guestlist passed away a few months ago. Between his girlfriend and myself and a couple of other people have taken on the task of making sure all the records he had planned get released. There’s been some hurdles but the first three will be in for Record Store Day. It feels really good to be able to it because I respected him and his vision so much and his record label was very important to the shop.” INTERNATIONAL RECORD STORE DAY TAKES PLACE ON SATURDAY 21 APRIL. FOR DETAILS AND SPECIFICS ABOUT WHAT THESE STORES AND MORE ARE DOING VISIT THEMUSIC. COM.AU OR RECORDSTOREDAY.COM.AU.

TIME OFF • 21

SINGLED OUT WITH CHRIS YATES

ON THE RECORD

OLLO Transistor Resisitor/Full Stop Blue Metal Postcard

The second single from New Zealand pop revelation Ladyhawke’s second album Anxiety is another reason to get excited about its forthcoming release. Following on from Black White & Blue, Sunday Drive shows that she really has taken on the challenge of following up her sensational debut with gusto and is pumping out the kind of indie-pop that we just don’t see enough of from NZ or anywhere really. She plays it cool as ice with a relaxed vocal performance echoing Kim Wilde while the hard-edged drum beat stomps away, underneath a fat bass line and a smattering of keyboards and restrained guitars. It doesn’t punch too hard – the hooks are quite subtle but there’s enough going on to grab your attention and the lack of absolute immediacy means that it’s gonna take a bit longer to get old.

Indochine/Warner

Nonesuch/Warner

Independent

Simone Felice – The Felice Brother who sounded like Cat Stevens (rather than his Dylan-esque brother, Ian) on those early albums and who later formed the equally accomplished The Duke & The King – has struck out on his own for the first time, and with his self-titled debut’s heady mix of gospel and Americana has hit pay dirt straight away.

It’s not that Dr John necessarily needs to be resurrected to reach a potentially younger audience; he simply deserves it. The 71-year-old legend of boogie-woogie, psychedelia, jazz, rock and blues has been touring solidly to packed houses the world over, but becoming a little staid and safe; still good, but no longer that mind-bending purveyor of wild musical explorations.

Kellie Lloyd starts Magnetic North with just a rhythm guitar and her voice on the lead track How To Get There.LIVE It’s a nice warm start up, as it gradually adds extra simple elements until the two-and-a-half minute mark where it kicks into a classic indie-rock rock out, albeit centred around one chord, letting the jammy lead guitars do whatever they want. When it breaks away into the second chord after what seems like an eternity, it gently seesaws between the two as an outro.

Locked Down

Felice has long been renowned for his deft lyrical imagery and adroit word skills – he’s rapidly becoming a feted author – and that trait continues throughout Simone Felice. There are numerous instances of allegory and symbolism at play – songs such as the epic New York Times, the acidic Courtney Love and the seemingly morbid Ballad Of Sharon Tate all seem about their titular subject matters on the surface, but repeated listens unveil a deeply personal vein of self-analysis running through them. The slightly saccharine You & I Belong, on the other hand, is clearly for his newborn daughter, a treatise on the inherent joys of simply being alive. Musically the songs are closer to the mellow tones of TD&TK rather than the ramshackle folk of The Felice Bothers, given lush but uncomplicated treatments and relying primarily on Felice’s voice and each track’s dominant instrument – predominantly guitar or piano. There are plenty of guest players – including his bothers and various members of his previous outfits, plus Ben Lovett of Mumford & Sons, who also co-produced the album – but this is in all possible ways Felice’s baby, and his alone. His wonderful worldview won’t resonate with everyone – it’s couched far too ornately for many people’s tastes – but those who give him a chance to spin his magic are in for a soothing and affirming journey indeed. ★★★★½

Steve Bell

As producer, The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach is behind this reinvention of Dr John (real name Mac Rebennack), and in charge of enlisting the young players accompanying him here. He’s done a sterling job. For the first time in decades, Dr John sounds like the same artist who influenced so many over the years. Don’t go expecting a new I Walk On Guilded Splinters, this isn’t the next Gris Gris, but there are ten genuinely great songs here showing Rebennack hasn’t lost his flair for voodoo soul.

With tools like Rebennack’s deep, casually commanding voice and considerable keyboard skills, it’s Auerbach’s battle to lose, but he injects little drops of genius all over; the swing of the saxophone in Big Shot, the torturous timbre of the fuzz guitar leading out Getaway, the soulful choir painting redemption all over closing track God’s Been Good after 40-odd minutes of steamy, nasty R’n’B. First single Revolution has that timeless feel; it’ll never be a hit, but will sound as good in 30 years as it does today and the spooky You Lie just makes you want to lose your mind and let the chant take over. Hell, every song’s a winner and better than anything Dr John has released since his heyday. If Locked Down makes him hip again, the world will be a better place for it. ★★★★ ½

She’s spent years mastering this idea – refining her VD songs into their simplest form, with her subtle vocals

Magnetic North

gently working around the edges. We Are All Made Of Stars breaks up the rock – a simple piano line signals the main musical element, and she gives a bit more of her voice to us, opening up with a passion she usually reserves. Letting go a bit more makes it all seem that little bit more personal. Your Heart Is A Hunter is produced in a similar way, but her voice recedes into the background again. The piano is a welcome recurring theme and for the middle part of the album continues to be the central instrumentation. Guitars return for Foxes Down A Hole, recalling the classic ‘90s sound of the legendary Sandpit, onetime contemporaries of her band Screamfeeder.

Modular/Universal

KELLIE LLOYD

Sunday Drive

DR JOHN

Simone Felice

LADYHAWKE

LIVE

SIMONE FELICE

Sydney’s electro pop machine collectors Ollo have recently re-launched themselves as a live band with a whole new show, and have a new album and this here seven-inch to help celebrate. The undeniably Kraftwerk inspired A-Side Transistor Resistor is a blippy indulgence in analogue synthesiser joy with jerky vocals that bounce away happily on top. AA-side Full Stop Blue is minimal and beautiful, with a tiny drum beat and two chords pulsing away to create a pop song that suggests the simplicity and perfect electropop crafting of early New Order. It’s all packaged in a beautifully lavish gatefold seven-inch from Metal Postcards Records based out of Hong Kong, who are also releasing their new album Ape Delay, where these songs will also appear.

It’s taken Kellie over two years to get this album to the point where she’s ready to release it to the world, Brisbane floods and other commitments slowing down the process. Now that it’s here, I hope she herself has the opportunity to enjoy its release as much as we do in getting the pleasure of consuming and immersing ourselves in it. ★★★★

Chris Yates

Dan Condon

SOUNDGARDEN Live To Rise Universal It was kinda heartbreaking to watch Soundgarden go from being bad arse guitar heroes with a couple of proper genre-defying, heavy-as-shit cult albums in the ‘90s to cashing in big time on the grunge explosion with cheesy ballads ala Black Hole Sun. It was hard to even care as Chris Cornell took this one step further to become the new voice of American commercial moderate rock. Live To Rise sees the band reform for the soundtrack to The Avengers, and although it has hints to the guitar riff heaviness the band used to be famous for, the chorus is such mediocre soft rock catastrophe that it’s probably even more embarrassing than Cornell’s solo rubbish or the debacle of Audioslave, as it adds another unnecessary chapter of shit to the legacy of a once interesting band.

BATTLES Gloss Drop 3 Warp The third release of very limited edition 12-inch singles featuring remixes from Battles amazing Gloss Drop album takes three tracks from the record into really different directions. The Silent Servant Remix of Inchworm is a pulsing minimal tech reworking that barely reveals pointers to the original track, but using some very sparse elements it slowly layers on sounds without really building to a climax. The Kangding Ray Remix of Toddler is even more menacing than the Inchworm remix, and has even less going on, but the subtle note changes in the bass are outstanding. On the Qluster Remix of Dominican Fade there’s a lot more action crammed into the much shorter track length, with more elements of the original track present, but it’s still a total deconstruction pieced back together with a lot of space.

LABRINTH

QUIET STEPS

SAY ANYTHING

Syco/Sony

Independent

Equal Vision/UNFD

Labrinth (Timothy McKenzie to his friends) has the perhaps dubious honour of getting signed to the world’s most famous ‘talent’-scout douchebag Simon Cowell’s label without having to sell his soul and embarrass himself on his television show.

Expectations are a bitch. Or so might think Quiet Steps acolytes, as the elusive Brisbane trio bring out their long-overdue second LP. Their debut record, Think Aloud, was a serrated slap to the face, offering left-ofcentre indie rock compositions with liberal lashings of scream-inflected charisma and chaos. The newie Secular is an altogether different beast though, forgoing the aggression for a slicker approach. However, rather than being an incomprehensible misstep, the album manages to rival Think Aloud in its ferocity, ambition and zeal.

Max Bemis really hates posers, and wants the whole world to know it. The cantankerous punk frontman of Los Angeles outfit Say Anything uses their fifth album Anarchy, My Dear as a veritable soapbox to espouse his hatred for hipster sycophants the world over. Such sentiments are all well and good – I’m sure that many share his vitriol – but this isn’t spoken word. Unfortunately there’s nowhere near enough balls in the musical department to back up Bemis’ fire and brimstone.

Electronic Earth

McKenzie is not just the computer enhanced singer of Electronic Earth, he also acts as the album’s producer and maybe this is his big strength. It’s certainly not in his songwriting – the lyrics are mostly laughable and inter-changeable song to song, and his voice is so heavily affected that it’s hard to even imagine what his actual voice sounds like. It starts with the overly sugary pop harmony-fest Climb On Board, bolstered somewhat by a frantic drum and bass beat. The single Earthquake relies on a catchy as hell synth line for the main melody, which makes the track the hit that it is. The lyrics predicting that he’s changing the world and that his music will cause an earthquake are a hollow threat at best. Last Time, Sundown and Sweet Riot work for similar reasons – his use of fat synths to build melody is the best trick in his book. There’s a bizarre half-cover of the Charles Wright song Express Yourself with the funky drummer loop, and a misplaced synth riff fighting with the track’s original bassline. An interesting idea maybe, but it totally misfires. The rest of the record is predictable slow jams of various quality, certainly none that stand out from each other as anything to get excited about. While Electronic Earth offers up some almost experimental production ideas, it doesn’t have more than a couple of tracks to really justify Labrinth’s regular assertions that he’s gonna change the world. ★★½

22 • TIME OFF

Secular

Chris Yates

It takes one second of opener Introduction to hear the difference. There has been a lot more effort placed on production, and it’s a welcome surprise to hear that the buffing of the rusted edges has actually provided a clearer platform for the band to launch off. The intricacies inherent in their math-rock instrumentation are much more defined, thus making it more apparent how wellconstructed these songs really are. Also a marked change is the duration of the tracks, most notably on the closer Finding Evidence. The average four-minute songs now have room to breathe, to develop, and to properly construct the tension that they have previously hinted at. The biggest difference though is the lead vocals, eschewing the screams and yelps for a much more melodic mode of delivery. But rather than being a detractor, it fits in perfectly with the other changes, offering an expansive, immersive listening experience without stricture or overt definition. In fact, Secular sounds like a band emancipated from the restraints that a genre can inadvertently provide, and by shirking those tropes have creatively broken through the glass ceiling. A brave move that has more than paid off ★★★★

themusic.com.au

Brendan Telford

Anarchy, My Dear

Burn A Miracle opens up proceedings, and lyrically it fires, Bemis flipping the bird at the audience as he snarls about a boy who “pleasured himself to the music of well-dressed, inbred college students.” Such introspection should be melded to fiery, ballistic punk compositions, but no: Say Anything offers up lush synth and generic guitar lines instead. There is very little to distinguish this band from any other by-product of the SoCal pop-punk zeitgeist. Admit It Again sees Bemis at his most venomous, firing both barrels at the hipster scene, yet this also fails on three counts. Firstly, he has said it before (and better) on Admit It from 2004’s …Is A Real Boy. Secondly, hating hipsters and tastemakers is such a lazy form of musical attack, and rather than sounding enlightened, Bemis comes across less like he doesn’t care about them and more like he desperately wants their positive endorsement. But thirdly and most importantly, sonically it sucks. There is nary an inspired riff, hook or roll in this entire album. Bemis is still an intriguing figure, yet Anarchy, My Dear proves a glaring reminder that intrigue means nothing without focused talent. ★★

Brendan Telford

SPIRITUALIZED

THE DANDY WARHOLS

SIX60

Domino/EMI

The End/Inertia

Massive/MGM

Yep, they’re still going strong. The Dandy Warhols, those last junkies on earth, are back and strapped in for album number eight. It’s a strange and murky affair predominantly with the occasional moment of perfect pop bliss, the band continuing to dip their end into a spectrum of styles.

Rough Trade/Remote Control/Shock

Drug abuse, troubled musical relationships, pneumonia, liver disease; what doesn’t kill Jason Pierce – aka J Spaceman – only makes Spiritualized more of a single-minded anomaly it seems.

Forming a bond through their university connections in 2008, New Zealand five-piece Six60 were inspired to develop their own blend of music, fusing the drum‘n’bass, soul, rock and electro genres heard throughout and prior to their tertiary years. After generating a dedicated following on their home soil, the group now look to international audiences with the release of their self-titled debut album.

Being the planet’s “buzz” band must be as much a pain as it is a blessing, with queues forming to cut down your art as quickly as those assembling to pat you on the back or put their grubby hand in your pocket. Such is the fate befalling southern belle and beaus Alabama Shakes, who recently caused a shitstorm of hype at SxSW. But is there substance beneath the style of their soul-infused southern rock? On the evidence of debut album Boys & Girls the jury is still out.

Sweet Heart Sweet Light

In tune with the symphonic instrumental opening of 2008’s Songs In A & E, the poppier intention of Sweet Heart Sweet Light is made known with intro Huh? which moves straight into the twangy strums of Hey Jane. It’s vibrant enough to soundtrack the ad for a zippy hatchback, especially with those damned cheerful female backing vocals, until it collapses into a noisy heap midway only to make good by picking up and strutting confidently to its near nine-minute end. These are the artistic freedoms afforded for an album’s lead single when both NME and Pitchfork wanna have your babies, though it probably says more about Pierce’s ambition (or arrogance) over a long and exalted career of druggy psychedelia coherent enough to entertain bents on everything from gospel to shoegaze. Still, Sweet Heart Sweet Light is tough going when it flips between the sugary insincere fluff of Little Girl (again with pop chanteuse backing vocals) and the soulful stomp of I Am What I Am alongside the wretched depths that Pierce is so good at on Mary. Headin’ For The Top Now sounds as though someone hit record right at the tail-end of a live jam that has the full attention of some spaced-out guitarist feeling the moment so hard that the poor old keyboardist is forced to maintain some kind of storyline (two choppy chords repeated) amidst it all. And why even bother adding a bassline that packs as much punch as a deep hum? Still, it’s Spiritualized, innit? ★★★½

Tyler McLoughlan

This Machine

Six60

Opening with the fantastically stubborn Sad Vacation, the track locks in a groove early and never lets go, the churning guitar interplay of Courtney Taylor-Taylor and Peter Holmström taking you back to those hazy weekend nights out and the depraved mornings after. The Autumn Carnival continues seamlessly where the opener left, the addition of haunting tiered vocals only adding to the bleak beauty. Following the surftastic buzz of Enjoy Yourself and instrumental pulse-racer Alternative Power To the People, however, the album starts dragging the chain. Rest your Head and 16 Tons are especially lacklustre and for a moment it seems like Taylor-Taylor and the gang have run out of ideas completely. But when the band rebounds with the joyous, uplifting jangle-pop of I Am Free the record finds a second wind, allowing it to stumble over the finish line, although, the great heights set by This Machine’s first few tracks are never seen again.

Six60 runs at just under two hours in playing time – an extraordinary measure, given that the band’s desire is surely to engage new listeners. Further intriguing is that the album is formatted over two discs – a peculiar and disconcerting detail to discover as a newcomer; and in an era in which digital music consumption is king. While perhaps proving popular amongst devoted fans of the band, this feature merely hinders the course to appreciating the band’s product as a causal consumer.

This isn’t a return to form, nor is it a complete mess of an album either. There are some fucking amazing tracks here, maybe some of the best heard all year. But there are also some utter travesties too. If they could’ve eliminated the latter and further built on the former, this album could have been a masterpiece. Instead, it’s just another album from Oregon’s dandiest.

What unfolds is an odd assortment of tunes – curious in both the composition of tracks and the order and placement of each within the tracklisting. Shifting from folk, then hard rock, to synth-propelled melodies, then acoustic meanderings and back again, the playlist that makes Six60 is received with a confused ear. A distinct lack of direction plagues the Tiki Taane-produced album, resulting in a 16-track listening experience that runs too long and without focus. Even independent from the album in full, singles Rise Up 2.0, Only To Be, Don’t Forget Your Roots and Forever struggle to muster much original creative energy – instead presenting as dated and off-kilter recordings of a sonic vision that has yet to be successfully realised.

★★★

★★

Benny Doyle

themusic.com.au

Carlin Beattie

ALABAMA SHAKES Boys & Girls

Alabama Shakes is at its core a promising young band fronted by precocious talent Brittany Howard, who at times seems to be channelling Janis Joplin or premainstream Tina Turner, an incredible age-wearied voice emitting from relatively young pipes, even if it does seem to be mouthing platitudes more often than not. Deliciously meandering opening track Hold On is killer, grabbing the hooks that made CCR so beloved and giving them enough of a contemporary twist to keep them relevant ( far from the album’s only Fogerty-esque moment). Elsewhere the aura of Memphis soul raises its lovely head (I Found You, Heartbreaker) and they even nail a classic rock sound (I Ain’t The Same) without raising a sweat. The production is flat – as if it’s striving for that ‘60s mono sound – and musically the band seems to be over-reaching for authenticity via a timeless feel, but the songwriting and clichéd devices just mean that the songs sound merely familiar rather than startling reinterpretations of bygone glories. Plenty to like here, but nothing yet to justify the hyperbole. ★★★½

Jack Newnes

TIME OFF • 23

F R O N T R O W @ T I M E O F F. C O M . A U

THIS WEEK IN

ARTS

THURSDAY 19 Let’s Talk Crowdfunding – a fast growing, online method of raising money to get projects and ideas off the ground that does not involve trivia nights or seeling cookies. An informative night, presented by Pozible, of how to use crowdfunding sites to successfully fund your own projects. Turbine Platform, Brisbane Powerhouse, 6pm.

FRIDAY 20 April’s Fool – in April 2009, two weeks short of his 19th birthday Toowoomba teenager Kristjan Terauds died due to complications from illicit drug use. Using the words of Kristjan’s friends and family interviewed over many months a play was written by David Burton. After its debut season in 2010 the piece was praised by young people, parents, teachers, youth workers, and theatre critics for its honesty. Directed by Lewis Jones. Opening night, 8pm. Judith Wright Centre until 21 April. Let Me Refresh Your Memory – a group exhibition that features a collection of eclectic photographic work from artists Alix Perry, Camilla Birkland, Imogen MacDonald, Ray Cook, Kate Bernauer, Lydal Petzke, Hugh Swingler-Manning and Tara Callaghan. Opening night, 5pm. Bleeding Heart Gallery until 30 April. Romeos – a film about friendship love and sexual awakening, 20-yearold Lukas enters big-city life. His best friend Ine sweeps him into the homosexual scene of Cologne, where she is well integrated. Here Lukas experiences his first real flirt with the cheeky, daredevilish, and outwardly attractive Fabio. Directed by Sabine Bernardi (Germany). Part of the Queer Film Festival. Brisbane Powerhouse, 6.30pm.

SATURDAY 21 Boys International Shorts – from the four corners of the gay globe a

group screening of short films. From Canada, Brazil, UK, and Sweden. Part of the Queer Film Festival. Brisbane Powerhouse, 5pm. Dirty Pretty Songs – cabaret artiste Virginia Gay sings dirty songs in a really pretty way. Without changing a word or the tune of well know songs, Gay can take a pop song you’ve heard a thousand times and turn it on its head, bringing the lyrics to life in ways you’ve never noticed. Part cabaret, part exposé, part guerrilla stand-up comedy. Closing night, 8pm. Judith Wright Centre.

SUNDAY 22 Livewired – a free comedy night, why not pop down for a cheap laugh. In the past artists have included, Tripod, Josh Thomas, Wil Anderson, Gina Yashere, The Bedroom Philosopher and Stephen K Amos. Turbine Platform, 6.30pm.

ONGOING Midsummer (a play with songs) – after sell out seasons in the UK and USA, Scotland’s smash hit musical rom- com is here, with its original cast. Bob and Helena meet at a wine bar. He’s a failing car salesman waiting to pick up the keys to a stolen car. She’s a divorce lawyer with a taste for other people’s husbands. She’s totally out of his league; he’s not her type at all. They absolutely should not sleep together. Ever. This is why they do. Written and directed by David Greig. Roundhouse Theatre until 28 April. X – your ticket into the whimsical world of Caitlin, Jamie, Naked, and Fancy, two best friends and two puppets searching for an escape from reality. Stop-motion animation, puppetry and live performance meld in this fast paced one man show, a tongue-in-cheek exploration of quick fixes and fixations which are hard to quit. Grounded in LGBTIQ experiences, Sunny Drake presents a raw and honest look at addiction. Metro Arts until 28 April.

GIVEAWAY SLIDE DVDS SLiDE tells the outrageous and explosive story of five Brisbane teenagers smashing their way from school to adulthood. Tammy and Ed have been friends since they were five, Ed knows Luke from scouts and school, but he moves in a different crowd, and Eva is at school with them but she keeps to herself. When Scarlett arrives from Melbourne she is the catalyst that brings them all

together in an unlikely friendship, as they spend their weekends at gigs in the Valley, going to parties and stealing experiences they’re not yet entitled to. Thanks to Roadshow Home Entertainment we’ve five copies of SLiDE on DVD to giveaway. For your chance to win one, head to http://facebook. com/timeoffmag/

WHO WILL SURVIVE IN AMERICA ? FROM REVOLUTIONISING PUNK-ROCK WITH BLACK FLAG TO NARRATING NATURE DOCUMENTARIES WITH NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, HENRY ROLLINS HAS DONE IT ALL. “WHILE THE IRON’S HOT, I’M GOING TO SAY YES TO EVERYTHING,” HE SAYS TO MATT O’NEILL. Henry Rollins both exudes and inspires confidence. Across his career, he has demonstrated an almost inhuman obsession with personal improvement. He remains in a better state of physical and mental conditioning at age 51 than your average male at age 26. Disarmingly intelligent, he speaks with authority and good humour on politics, culture, music, literature, and countless other topics. “My goal as an artist is to be clear – to get the material across,” the spoken-word artist says directly. “I can’t tell people what to do or how to react to something. They’re going to do what they’re going to do. It’s up to me to make it clear. They can do whatever they want with what I give them but at least they will know what I meant. What I don’t like is grey area. ‘You weren’t very clear about that’ – that’s a fail, in my book.”

AY RSD THU S T R STA

Such confidence is neither surprising nor undeserved. The past 30 years have seen Henry Rollins celebrated across more disciplines and in more capacities than most artists could so much as name. Beginning as vocalist for legendary ’80s hardcore outfit Black Flag, Rollins’ subsequent output has seen him praised as a musician, author, poet, spokenword artist, actor, television personality, radio host, and photojournalist. “I come from nothing. I come from nowhere. What do I have to lose? My reputation? I don’t have one,” he laughs. “And it’s all interesting to me. It’s all interesting. I just show up. ‘Hey – you want to act?’ Hell yeah, I’ll give that a try. I’ll show up. I won’t go around calling myself an actor but I’ll show up. I mean, I enjoy the touring the most

AY RSD THU S T R STA

– it certainly takes up most of my time – but I also have to eat every day. If I can do that through doing stuff I find interesting, I’m going to do it.” What is surprising is what actually drives Rollins forward. His confidence and reputation automatically suggest a figure driven by ethics or ego – and, despite his protestations on both counts, those are clearly both factors in his work – but, in truth, his career is defined through much simpler terms. It’s a matter of survival. Uneducated and operating without any specific profession to his credit, Henry Rollins is simply determined not to be discarded by his own society. “My country is not necessarily a country as much as it is an idea. Democracy is an idea. The constitution is a marvellous thing

G WIN SHO W NO

“I tell you that – and I say yes to work – because, for people like me, it’s over after a while,” Rollins laughs. “‘Thank you, that’s enough, we’d like a younger version’. All of a sudden, you don’t have any work. While the iron’s hot, I’m going to say yes to everything.” WHO: Henry Rollins WHEN & WHERE: Wednesday 2 May to Friday 4, Powerhouse Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse

G WIN SHO W NO

LEVEL 1, 151 BAROONA ROAD, ROSALIE, PH: 3876 4566, WWW.BLUEROOMCINEBAR.COM

WWW.BLUEROOMCINEBAR.COM

BARRACKS 07 3367 1954 61 PETRIE TCE, TOP OF CAXTON ST

3367 1954

THE AVENGERS 2D (CTC) THE AVENGERS 3D (CTC)

THU 11.20, 1.10, 3.00, 7.30PM FRI-TUE 10.20, 12.10, 2.00, 7.00PM WED 3.40, 5.30, 7.20PM

WED 4.00PM

TICKETS)

FREE TICKETS)

6.45, 9.20PM FRI 10.30 (BABES) 1.45, 6.45, 9.20PM WED 1.50, 6.45, 9.15PM

(NO FREE TICKETS)

WED 1.50, 6.30, 9.25PM

(NO FREE TICKETS)

THE LADY (MA15+) (NO FREE

CAFÉ DE FLORE (MA15+) (NO THU/SAT-TUE 11.00, 1.45, WED 1.45, 9.15PM

THE WAY (PG) (NO FREE TICKETS)

THURSDAY 19TH APRIL TO WEDNESDAY 25TH APRIL 2012

WWW.PALACECINEMAS.COM.AU

THE AVENGERS 3D (CTC) FROM APRIL 25

THE BARRACKS

CENTRO 07 3852 4488 39 JAMES STREET, THE VALLEY

24 • TIME OFF

to aspire to. It is, as much as anything else, an environment that you pass and fail in – it is an environment that you survive,” he outlines clearly. “I’ve thought that since the summer of 1984 where, as a 23-year-old, I first began to understand Reaganism. At this point, I am hellbent on surviving America.”

ADVANCE SCREENINGS SAT/ SUN 10.00AM WED 4.25, 9.30PM

FROM THURSDAY

ROMANTICS ANONYMOUS (M) (NO

FREE TICKETS)

TUE 9.45, 2.10, 7.15PM WED 1.45, 7.00PM

THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL (PG)

THU/FRI/MON 12.00, 2.25, 6.50, 9.15PM SAT/SUN 12.25, 2.45, 7.10, 9.30PM TUE 12.00, 2.25, 8.30PM WED 4.45, 7.10PM

THIS MUST BE THE SALMON FISHING IN THE PLACE (M) THU 2.15, 4.30 9.20PM YEMEN (M) THU/FRI/MON 10.00, 2.25, 7.15PM SAT/SUN 10.00, 2.25, 6.50PM

FRI-TUE 2.15, 4.30, 8.50PM WED 4.10, 9.10PM

A DANGEROUS METHOD

(MA15+)

THU/FRI/MON/TUE 10.45, 4.45, 9.30PM SAT/SUN 11.20, 5.05, 9.30PM WED 1.40PM

THE HUNGER GAMES (M) THU 11.30, 4.45, 6.45PM FRI-TUE 11.30, 4.00, 6.45PM WED 6.30PM

BATTLESHIP (M)

THU/FRI/MON/TUE 12.45, 3.25, 6.30, 9.10PM SAT/SUN 1.15, 3.50, 6.30, 9.10PM WED 1.40, 9.15PM

CENTRO

ROMANTICS ANONYMOUS (M) FROM APRIL 19

07 3852 4488

AUDI FESTIVAL OF GERMAN FILMS 2012: OPENING NIGHT CRACKS IN THE SHELL (18+) (NO FREE TIX)

THU 6.30PM FOR 7PM FILM

SUN 3.30PM

WUNDERKINDER (18+) SAT 4.15PM

CRACKS IN THE SHELL (18+) SAT 6.30PM

AUDI FESTIVAL OF 4 DAYS IN MAY (18+) GERMAN FILMS 2012 (ALL SAT 9.00PM NO FREE TIX)

SUN 1.00PM

FRI 6.30PM

SUN 5.30PM

HELL (18+)

PEAK (18+)

FRI 8.30PM

THREE (18+) IF NOT US, WHO (18+) SUN 8.00PM

SLEEPING SICKNESS (18+) TUE 6.30PM SAT 2.15PM LESSONS OF A DREAM

(MA15+)

WED 1.45PM

MON 12.30PM TUE 10.00AM

WED 9.00PM

MON 9.00PM

SAT 11.30AM SUN 1.00PM THU (26/04) 11.30AM

MAHLER ON THE COUCH (18+) THE CROCODILES 3: ALL WED 4.15PM FOR ONE (G) THE SYSTEM (18+) MON 10.00AM TUE 12.00PM

THE STATE ACADEMIC STOPPED ON TRACK (18+) BOLSHOI THEATRE OF MON/ WED 6.30PM RUSSIA: LE CORSAIRE SENNENTUNTSCHI (18+) (CTC) (NO FREE TIX) COLOUR OF THE OCEAN (18+)

THE WAY (PG) (NO FREE TIX) THE FRAULEIN AND THE ADVANCE SCREENINGS SANDMAN (18+) SAT/ SUN 11.00AM TUE 9.00PM

F R O N T R O W @ T I M E O F F. C O M . A U

C U LT U R A L

CRINGE

WITH MANDY MCALISTER When the work piles up and the world around you starts to get the better of you there’s an easy solution. Flee! Make a break for it, run as fast as you can in the opposite direction of responsibility and duty into the arms of a town that knows nothing about you except that you ought to be doing something fun. That would be the old flight instinct taking over but the good thing about getting older is that you can predict when might be a good time to listen to it and plan these things called holidays. Sensing that it might be time to edge away from the mountains of accumulating to do lists lest they engulf my limp form under the weight of their perceived significance I planned a sneaky southern sojourn. Destination: Melbourne, home of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Not one to lie on a beach perpetrating a tan, the MICF offered an attractive antidote to taking shit too seriously. On the other hand, if your are essentially sidestepping a domineering calendar, it’s not enough to see a couple of shows between visits to cafes. Nope, this was not a relaxing break. Who can relax when there’s things to do at home? It was high time flex my chuckle muscles. This would be a seriously holiday. With 23 shows to see in five days it would be seriously funny. A mere three hours after landing, me and the Mister ventured out to see our first show, Laura Davis. It was the first time I’ve sat in a properly tiny audience. Of the eight people there,

THE LOOKING

two skip off half way through to see Fiona O’Loughlin. Davis soldiers on wonderfully, sitting in the front row there was only a vague awareness of there being no one sitting behind. The poster for her show, Notes From Birds, looks like the cover of a Rachel Unthank album but the contents therein are darker and funnier than I could have guessed. Among the giants like Dave Gorman and Daniel Kitson she holds her own and remains a highlight. Other notable acts include Mark Thomas whose show, Walking The Wall, is the tale of his walking the 760km circumference of the Israeli West Bank barrier. Described by the UK’s Daily Telegraph as “A brilliant investigative journalist disguised as a comedian”, in the telling, Thomas’ shirt becomes soaked in sweat and his projectile spittle shoots off in all directions as he fervently talks about the people he meets, trouble he gets into, and his take on the conflict between Israel and Palestine. In Stubborn Monkey Disorder, Bob Franklin and Tripod’s Steven Gates team up to deliver a superb and surprisingly spooky play. Justin Hamilton, Tim FitzHigham, Daniel Kitson, Felicity Ward, Tim Key, and Jaques Barrett were also noteworthy in a programme full of talent. Taking in five shows a night a few nights running was exhausting. I’d witnessed so much clever, imaginative comedy that by the end I was ready give my cheekbones a break and sit down to a nice relaxing viewing of Schindler’s List. Best holiday ever.

GLASS

WITH HELEN STRINGER Seven months ago thousands of cargo-pant aficionados descended upon New York, protesting the inequities of the free market. They came without any salient demands or an articulable purpose and defying all logic, the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement proliferated globally. It’s a little known fact but even Brisbane had its own attempted occupation. Admittedly it consisted of 12 tie-dyed teenagers who accidently mistook City Hall as the Sunshine State’s seat of economic power, but it happened nonetheless. Seven months, thousands of arrests and a couple of riots later and you’d be forgiven for assuming that OWS’s persisting popularity is a result of the movement having accomplished something, otherwise a reasonable person might struggle to find a feasible explanation for its continuing existence. But unless you count popularising faux-homeless-chic as an accomplishment then it seems to me that what OWS has achieved is a whole lot of not very much. That’s okay. Perhaps it’s a community service to encourage young people spend at least 6-12 months doing nothing; it’s the gap year everyone can afford. It may not be able to effect any change, but the Occupy movement sure is good at keeping the momentum going. If ever they tire of damning the man the people responsible for publicity could have lucrative careers marketing blood diamonds and tobacco products. The favoured PR strategy is to find any quasi-

associable event and spin it into a battle between the 99- and the 1 percent. This week it was the proletariat vs evil art overlord Damien Hirst. According to the hyperbole-happy London Occupied Times, Hirst, who currently has a retrospective on at the Tate, “defines the capitalist approach to art more than any other artist.” I guess they’ve never heard of Andy Warhol. He’s “the Goldman Sachs of the art world”, worth £200 million; a shameless exploiter of the 12 ill-paid labourers who toil in his soul-destroying factory to make the biggest, brightest, most colourful giant spots you’ve ever seen. He’s the manufacturer of luxury wallpaper and a proponent for animal cruelty; damn it people, his soul is more toxic than the formaldehyde in which he suspends the desecrated carcasses of innocent animals. Or so the article goes. The general consensus seems to be that Damien Hirst is an arsehole. And it’s a fair assessment, I think. After all, he’s rich, obnoxious, and friends with Bono. But he should not be mistaken for someone who blindly worships at the altar of the free market. This is a man who literally wheeled the Golden Calf, the Old Testament’s near-genocide causing false idol, into an auction house and then proceeded to sell it for $10.3 million. I’d say he’s got a pretty fair grasp on the concept of ‘irony’. Can the same be said for the voice of the 99 percent? They seem quite content riding the coattails of capitalism’s favoured child for a little bit of press.

GERMANY ON SCREEN ANTHONY CAREW PREVIEWS THE 2012 AUDI FESTIVAL OF GERMAN FILMS. The 11th Festival of German Films kicks off this week, and amidst the obligatory commercial dross (see: Men In The City 2) there’s moments of cinematic interest. Tom Tykwer is the programme’s biggest auteur, and his oddball drama Three – made in between Hollywood duties on Perfume and his forthcoming Wachowskis collaboration with the can’t-believe-they’re-attempting-it adaptation of David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas – feels, perhaps more than any of his films, like a work of auteurdom. Relishing an opportunity to shed genre’s straitjacket, his oddball, elusive, mathematically-effected drama is a study in temporality, mortality, and bisexuality that never submits to stereotype. Sleeping Sickness is Ulrich Köhler’s dramatically-fierce depiction of the conflicted relationship between Africa and Europe and the traffic to-and-fro, in which aid and exploitation neatly dovetail, the spectre of pharmaceutical companies hovers over a Cameroonian hospital, and two doctors weigh up the flexibility of their morals. Colour Of The Ocean is a more messagemovie take on human traffic, with the Canary Islands a cross-cultural, multilingual collision between African boat-people, German tourists, and Spanish authorities told in Iñarritúesque shades of melodrama and coincidence. Promising The Moon is a superfruity soap-opera, a twin-generation study in the ghosts of the Soviet Baltic occupation being stirred up by

the 1991 revolution. It builds towards a grand revelation pulled from a telenovela with misplaced socialcrusade seriousness. If Not Us, Who is another ’60s-lovin’, newsreelhatcheting barney with a boner for Baader-Meinhof sedition, though it dodges the rockstar clichés usually reserved for Baby Boomer radicals and paints a sad portrait of lost souls and self-destruction. Taboo plumbs the depths of the perverse-periodpiece, telling the tawdry tale of a sexy incestuous tryst between a stoned poet and obsessive pianist in an early-20th-Century Vienna rendered so dank, dark, and underexposed that syphilis seems to be somehow seeping through the celluloid. Cracks In The Shell is a tawdry entrant into the charmless impressionable-young-actress-goescrazy-whilst-methoding-out-on-a-roleplaying-a-crazy-character sub-genre, replete with sleazy and manipulative theatre director and bitch-faced mother; let’s call it an F-grade Black Swan. Combat Girls tells a tale of teenaged skinhead molls in utterly adolescent shades; its big, dumb, violent soap-opera dragging me back to the painful message-movie days of the ’90s. Hell is a dirty near-future-thriller taking place in post-environmentalcollapse wastelands, a survivalhorror piece as a rag-tag ‘family’ attempt to claw out of hell and find salvation in the hills. It’s a fierceenough genre-work but the twin spectres of The Road and End Of Animal hover eternal, making Hell feel

mighty minor. Hans Weingartner’s Hut In The Woods is a crappy tale of a crazy mathematician dropping out of society that actually plays the who’s-really-crazy card. Weingartner kickstarted the Jeff-Buckleysings-Leonard-Cohen revival with The Edukators, and now we have something else to hate him for. One of the best films to ever randomly turn up at the GFF was Robert Thalheim’s study of itinerate service-industry workers in modernday Auschwitz, And Along Came Tourists; five years on, he returns with Westwind, a nostalgia-kissed tale of twin East German sisters on a summer-camp for athletes in rural Hungary in ’88, who engage

in teenaged flirtations with West German tourists that carry colossal social repercussions back ‘home’. And Summer Window may be the highlight of this year’s fest, a superlow-key, domestic-sci-fi think-piece in which a woman’s life suddenly ‘skips back’ six months, and she’s confronted by the minutia of chance, coincidence, and fate; paralysed by whether to attempt to change what’s happened or fastidiously re-enact every decision so as to return her life to where it once was. WHAT: Audi Festival of German Films WHERE & WHEN: Palace Centro Thursday 19 April to Wednesday 25

GIVEAWAY RESTLESS BLU-RAYS & DVDS A powerful and emotional coming of age story, told with honesty and originality that will leave audiences moved. In Restless, two outsiders, both shaped by the circumstances that have brought them together, forge a deep and lasting love. From director Gus van Sant, one of the most astute observers of people living life on the edge, comes

a take on friendship and young love as engaging and true as it is provocative and stirring. Stars Mia Wasikowska and Henry Hooper. Thanks to Sony Pictures Home Entertainment we’ve five copies of Restless on DVD and five copies on Blu-ray to giveaway. For your chance to win one, head to http:// facebook.com/ timeoffmag/

WASTED YOUTH THE STORY OF A YOUNG MAN FROM TOOWOOMBA, WHO DIED FROM DRUG AND ALCOHOL COMPLICATIONS, COMES TO THE STAGE IN BRISBANE THIS WEEKEND. HELEN STRINGER TALKS TO APRIL’S FOOL PLAYWRIGHT DAVID BURTON. In April 2009, Toowoomba teenager Kristjan Terauds lay unconscious in a hospital bed, suffering a succession of seizures after consuming a cocktail of drugs and alcohol. Five days later Kristjan was dead, his 19th birthday just a few weeks away. Kristjan’s story was picked up by media and it resonated with the wider community which was – and still is – largely and perhaps wilfully ignorant of the widespread and casual use of recreational drugs. Kristjan’s death brought home an uncomfortably close truth about young people and drugs. Less than a year after Kristjan’s death Brisbane-based playwright David Burton began interviewing friends and relatives of the teenager, compiling a record of a community’s grief and ultimately its strength in the face of this loss. Burton had been commissioned by Lewis Jones, then director of Toowoomba’s Empire Theatre, and the resulting play April’s Fool – a name shared with the journal Kristjan’s father David kept while sitting with his dying son – was first staged in July 2010 to much acclaim. Set to tour from this month Burton explains the process of revisiting the difficult material and the continuing relevance of Kristjan’s story. “In 2010 it was so emotionally loaded,” he says of the production, “and such an emotional experience that this time it’s still there, certainly, and it’s still a very

emotional and moving experience, but it’s a bit easier to just take a step out of it when we need too. Which is good, because it’s going on a three-month tour so we need some of that distance.” April’s Fool was written verbatim from the interviews Burton conducted in January 2010, a process he describes as one of the most remarkable experiences of his life. “It was awful and it was beautiful by the same token,” he explains, “Obviously you’re sitting with a lot of people who have been touched by this sudden death and so you’re sitting with massive amount of grief, which is quite moving and emotional.” Recording and retelling a story that affected so many is a huge amount of responsibility to shoulder and as Burton says, it’s not a task he undertook lightly. “I lost sleep over it,” he says, “I think it would be foolish to approach a project like this with anything less than a lot of fear and caution. In saying that,” he continues, “how I settled it with myself and how I settled it with Helena and David [Kristjan’s parent] was that I wasn’t attempting to write a tribute to Kristjan’s life and I wasn’t trying to represent [with] a hundred per cent accuracy that this is what happened and now here are all the answers. It’s a version of this story.” While the play doesn’t aim to preach, Burton nonetheless says the message is clear. “I want audience

to take away just the knowledge that this happens, and that this occurs frequently,” he says, “I’m not going to tell them but I hope that when they exit the theatre that they can make the logical jump to, well taking drugs is probably not worth the risk. “I think that’s what makes the work successful: right from the beginning myself and [director] Lewis Jones

were about putting this forward as factually as possible. We’re not preaching we’re not carrying a message: this is just what happened one day in Toowoomba. I think it has far more emotional resonance.” WHAT: April’s Fool WHEN & WHERE: Friday 20 April and Saturday 21, Judith Wright Centre

GIVEAWAY OUTLAND: SERIES ONE DVDS Outland is a six-part comedy series about a gay science fiction fan club and the lives, loves and neverending dramas of its five members. There’s Max, insecure and looking for love; the sexuallyadventurous, muffin-baking Andy; Rae, the moral centre and unofficial head of the group; the high-camp, highmaintenance Fab; and the

wealthy but socially-inept Toby. It’s an odd and often precarious combination of personalities. Thanks to ABC DVD and Roadshow Home Entertainment we’ve five copies of Outland: Series One to giveaway. For your chance to win one, head to http:// facebook.com/ timeoffmag/. TIME OFF • 25

MASSIVE ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS

OAL@

/$( 0-)# (

THURS APRIL 19 COOLANGATTA HOTEL FRI APRIL 20 HI-FI BRISBANE TICKETS FROM VENUE OR WWW.OZTIX.COM.AU

7BB D;M I>EM 7FH?B (& <H?:7O

TICKETS FROM WWW.HIFI.COM.AU & MOSHTIX: WWW.MOSHTIX.COM.AU

J>; HEO7B C7?B -fc

“Six60 combine rock with great big helpings of soul, funk, dub/reggae, and even sprinklings of dub-step and drum 'n' bass to create their very own niche sound in the process.” - SOUL BOUNCE

8h_iXWd[ JY[ =EE:D7

(' I7JKH:7O 87BB?D7 HIB /fc H_l[h Ij 87BB?D7

(( IKD:7O

J>; @EODJ *fc

() (*

J>; H7?BI -fc

CED JK;

CedjW]k[ Ij IEKJ> 8H?I87D; @edied Ij 8OHED 87O

9>;9A L;DK;I <EH :;J7?BI

26 • TIME OFF

EKJ DEM

DEBUT ALBUM IN STORES APRIL 20 WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/SIX60

D DGQ<KHA=?=D ;GE

WWW.SIX60.CO.NZ

WWW.TWITTER.COM/SIX60

TYLEA Name/Instrument Played:

Tylea – songs/guitar/voice/piano/bit and pieces of other stuff.

How long have you been performing?

In the early days, seeing and playing in bands really influenced the ethos I appreciate about Brisbane music. It was always groundbreaking, untapped, creative and free. I’ve met a lot of inspirational people through music so have taken that part of me through the whole process.

Not long enough, but it has been on and off for almost 20 years.

Is your music responsible for more make-outs or break-ups?

You’re on tour in the van – which band or artist is going to keep you happy if we throw them on the stereo?

I don’t think my music has actually made anyone make out, or break up… I guess I don’t have that effect on people. I could probably make them cry… or laugh, but my humour is pretty limited to fart jokes I’m afraid.

It has over ten years since I last toured in a van…. My Bloody Valentine was always grand, but nowadays, Yo Gabba Gabba and Small Potatoes generally keeps the travelling calm amongst the punters in my camp (as well as ABC 612 radio).

Would you rather be a busted broke-but-revered Hank Williams figure or some kind of Metallica monster? I’m neither, but would have appreciated the $40,000 per month psychological help provided to Metallica.

Which Brisbane bands before you have been an inspiration (musically or otherwise)? Custard, Screamfeeder, Regurgitator, Not From There, Powderfinger, Dew, Isis, Toothfaeries, Gravelrash, Grant McLennan, Clag, Turnpike, Noose, The Melniks, The Dreamkillers, The Fabulous Nobodies, Hateman, Tuffy, Creatures Downstairs, Biro, Hugbubble, Krud, 4ZZZFM, etc, etc.

What part do you think Brisbane plays in the music you make?

If you had to play a sport instead of being a musician which sport would it be and why would you be triumphant? Netball! Because I love netball and love travelling in a bus with other likeminded netballers – particularly to coastal towns.

What’s in the pipeline for you musically in the short term? I have been working on two EPs and am not sure where they how they will end up yet. I have a gig for the Children of the Revolution show on April 21 at the Visy Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse and a show supporting Texas Tea at the Dowse Bar on May 13. I have also spent a great deal of late-last year and earlythis year putting together the Songs of Applewood project too, which is nice because I get to see others make music around me. It’s a bit crazy, but feel lucky I get to see it happen. Tylea plays Children Of The Revolution @ Visy Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse on Saturday 21 April, and supports Texas Tea at Dowse Bar, Paddington on Sunday 13 May. Photo by TERRY SOO

TOUR GUIDE FEATURE GIG

THE MEDICS

THE ZOO SATURDAY 21 APRIL Their invasion from our north has been a long time coming, but The Medics have been feverishly working their collective arses to such an extent that the buzz surrounding the impending release of their debut long-player Foundations is reaching Biblical proportions. That album mightn’t be amongst us yet but we do have its incendiary second single Joseph which has been dominating airwaves of late, and the four-piece from FNQ are launching it with the You Built Walls tour which hits The Zoo this Saturday night. They’re joined on the night by two cool bands in their own right, Glass Towers and Fairchild Republic, so get along to see an excellent night of emerging Aussie rock’n’roll, long may we reign...

TIME OFF PRESENTS

JAY AND SILENT BOB: The Tivoli Apr 19 KIM CHURCHILL: Mullumbimby Civic Hall Apr 19, Soundlounge Apr 20, Joe’s Waterhole Apr 21, Black Bear Lodge Apr 22 HOODOO GURUS, THE SONICS, 5.6.7.8’S: The Tivoli Apr 20 PIGEON: Sol Bar Apr 20, Alhambra Lounge Apr 21, Beach Hotel May 11, The Loft May 12 KIM CHURCHILL: SoundLounge Apr 20, Joe’s Waterhole Apr 21, Black Bear Lodge Apr 22 LAST DINOSAURS: The Zoo Apr 24 and May 3, Spotted Cow Apr 26, Elsewhere Apr 27, Sol Bar Apr 28 GOSSLING: Black Bear Lodge Apr 26 BIG SCARY: The Zoo Apr 28 MOUNT KIMBIE: The Hi-Fi May 2 FU MANCHU, BLACK COBRA: The Hi-Fi May 4 BIC RUNGA: Brisbane Powerhouse May 5, A&I Hall May 6 GROOVIN’ THE MOO: Townsville May 6 ANDREW W.K.: The Zoo May 9 PUBLIC ENEMY: The Hi-Fi May 10 TIM “RIPPER” OWENS: the Hi-Fi May 19 DEAD LETTER CIRCUS: The Northern May 31, Spotted Cow Jun 1, The Hi-Fi Jun 2 YOUNG GUNS: The Hi-Fi Jun 1 GASOLINE INC: Tempo Hotel, Jun 1, Miami Shark Bar Jun 2 BOY & BEAR: Coolangatta Hotel Jun 6, Beach Hotel Jun 7, The Tivoli Jun 8, Lake Kawana Community Centre Jun 9, Empire Theatre Jun 10 FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS: Brisbane Entertainment Centre Jul 7

INTERNATIONAL

AUGUST BURNS RED, BLESSTHEFALL: The Hi-Fi Apr 18 ONE DIRECTION: Brisbane Convention Ctr Apr 18 JAY & SILENT BOB: The Tivoli Apr 19 KURTIS BLOW: Mustang Bar Apr 19 SIX60: Coolangatta Hotel Jun 19, The Hi-Fi Jun 20 NERVO: The Met Apr 20 THE SONICS, THE 5.6.7.8’S: The Tivoli Apr 20 DERRICK MAY: Barsoma Apr 21 MARK LANEGAN BAND: The Tivoli Apr 21 THE EXPLOITED: The Hi-Fi Apr 26 KEVIN GRIFFITHS: Brisbane River Boatcruise and Barsoma Apr 28 LIL JON: The Met Apr 28 HENRY ROLLINS: Brisbane Powerhouse May 2 – 4 MOUNT KIMBIE: The Hi-Fi May 2 THE MOUNTAIN GOATS: Great Northern May 3, The Zoo May 4 DEVILDRIVER, SIX FEET UNDER, DARKEST HOUR: The Tivoli May 4 FU MANCHU: The Hi-Fi May 4 THE DARKNESS: Eatons Hill Hotel May 4 ATMOSPHERE, EVIDENCE: The Hi Fi May 5 BIC RUNGA: Brisbane Powerhouse May 5, A&I Hall May 6 28 • TIME OFF

ORBITAL: The Tivoli May 6 CITY AND COLOUR: The Tivoli May 8 & 9 KAISER CHIEFS: The Hi-Fi May 8 WAVVES: The Zoo May 8 ANDREW WK: The Zoo May 9 DIGITALISM: Family May 9 THE MACCABEES: The Hi-Fi May 9 MUTEMATH: The Zoo May 10 PUBLIC ENEMY: The Hi-Fi May 10 FRANK TURNER & THE SLEEPING SOULS: The Zoo May 13 BITTER END: Basement 243 May 17, Between the Walls May 18, YAC Byron Bay May 19 MORGAN PAGE: Family May 18 PRINCE: Brisbane Entertainment Centre May 18 TIM ‘RIPPER’ OWENS: The Hi-Fi May 19 MICKEY AVALON: Coolangatta Hotel May 19 DANNY BROWN, MED: The Zoo May 23 MURDER BY DEATH: Surfers Paradise Beergarden May 24, Spotted Cow May 25, Jubilee Hotel May 26 THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE, THE RAVEONETTES: The Hi-Fi May 24 THE OCEAN: The Zoo May 24 BELL BIV DEVOE, GINUWINE: The Tivoli May 26 FLORENCE & THE MACHINE: Riverstage May 26 SHOWTEK: The Hi-Fi May 26 ANTI-FLAG: The Zoo May 30, Coolangatta Hotel May 31 YOUNG GUNS: The Hi-Fi Jun 1 ZOLA JESUS: Alhambra Jun 1 MARK KOZELEK: Black Bear Lodge Jun 7 REEF: The Hi-Fi Jun 7 THE BLACK SEEDS: The Northern Jun 7, The Hi-Fi Jun 8, Southport RSL Jun 9 SIMPLE PLAN, WE THE KINGS: Southport RSL Jun 8, Eatons Hill Hotel Jun 9, Caloundra RSL Jun 10 SISTER SLEDGE: The Hi-Fi Jun 9 TRAIN: The Tivoli Jun 11 SILVERSTEIN: The Zoo Jun 16 MACABRE: Jubilee Hotel Jun 28 JAY BRANNAN: Old Museum Jun 29 GOATWHORE, IMPIETY: Beetle Bar Jul 5 CEREMONY: Between The Walls Jul 5, Basement 243 Jul 6 FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS: Brisbane Entertainment Centre Jul 7 EIFFEL 65, N-TRANCE: The Hi-Fi Sep 21 THE BLACK KEYS: BEC Oct 26 RADIOHEAD: BEC Nov 9

NATIONAL

ALBARE: Old Museum Apr 19 KIM CHURCHILL: Mullumbimby Civic Hall Apr 19, The SoundLounge Apr 20, Joe’s Waterhole Apr 21, Black Bear Lodge Apr 22 VAN SHE: Oh Hello Apr 19 HOODOO GURUS: The Tivoli Apr 20 POND: Alhambra Apr 20, Great Northern Apr 21 STONEFIELD: The Zoo Apr 20, Kings Beach Tavern Apr 21, Coolangatta Hotel Apr 22 THE MEDICS: The Zoo Apr 21 LAST DINOSAURS: The Zoo Apr 24 & May 3,

DZ DEATHRAYS @ THE ZOO PIC BY JOHN STUBBS

DZ DEATHRAYS, VELOCIRAPTOR, DAMN TERRAN, CRASS CREATURES

BLUEJUICE, THE CAIROS, GUNG HO

There’s not a bad vibe to be found in The Zoo tonight as the best party line-up of the year thus far draws a sell-out crowd, with early starters treated to the off-kilter rock based explorations of Crass Creatures. Out-of-towners Damn Terran do well in firstly scoring such a coveted Brisbane slot, and secondly in warming up the room with a suitably raw and scuzzy approach that calls to mind the rock chops of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Magic Dirt.

Bluejuice seemingly use the Brisbane leg of their Company tour as a showcase for a couple of amazing musical prospects in the city. First up is bespectacled three-piece Gung Ho and they’re in glorious form from the outset. Lined up front of stage with powerful drummer James Wright the centrepiece, the trio exhibit an incredible ability to make the simple simply awesome, their mesh of new wave punk and surf-pop flawless. Wright’s rhythms are doing the work of two men at times and really provide the underlying punch that the playing of bassist Oliver Duncan and guitarist Michael McAlary deserves. Although the boys are still establishing themselves on the local scene, the tunes tonight more than stand up – just turn up the damn vocals!

THE ZOO: 13.04.12

Impractical, mad, flailing, possibly afflicted with musical ADD – these are all apt ways to describe the 12-headed behemoth that is local garage rock party band Velociraptor. The stage looks like it’s being trashed by wild-eyed hoodlums; guitars, tambourines, beers and bodies are all booby-traps for frontman Jeremy Neale who has the unenviable task of controlling proceedings, which he does perfectly, running an entertaining commentary of stage logistics whilst dancing like a cross between a swinging ‘60s chanteuse and Peter Garrett. The output should be sloppy, but the self-styled party dogs have got a host of surprisingly tidy, albeit short and fast, tunes to back their onstage antics. In The Springtime is a set highlight, showing that straight-up-and-down drumming teamed with well-timed howls, oooh and aaah harmonies and a killer rock riff (plus a random ex-Troubadour barfly on tambo) is all you need to bring the good times. Despite the knowledge that DZ Deathrays have always been bigger than the sum of their two parts, it’s almost a surprise to hear just how stupendously well singer/ guitarist Shane Parsons and drummer Simon Ridley bulk out their sound each and every show (especially after the pair have already put in an energetic set due to their Velociraptor membership tonight). The NME heroes have an extra reason to thrash it out under menacing strobes and hazy neon though considering the occasion; the hometown launch of debut record Bloodstreams in which recorded newbies fit seamlessly alongside the solid oldies. Much of their appeal lies in Parsons’ adept hand at coaxing a huge variety of sounds from his guitar across both languid, dirgy bass notes and quick, squealing riffs which is epitomised by No Sleep. Ridley channels the energy of drumming muppet Animal, limbs askew, hair a dizzying blur of fuzz as he provides percussive colour to Parsons’ screaming affirmation of: “Yeah, you want it!” amidst a rendition of Teeth vicious enough to slap the colour out of every cheek in the room. They number only two, but there’s so much passion and fury being projected off-stage that it’s easier to close your eyes, roll with the movement of the crowd, and just dance.

THE HI-FI: 14.04.12

The Cairos continue solidifying their burgeoning reputation as one of Brisbane’s most exciting young bands with a classy set that has the poise and confidence of an act twice their years. Offering up expansive indie under an array of lighting changes, the four-piece are intense and engaging, Reuben Schafer especially on tonight, his finger picking bass style seemingly moving shotgun with the enunciations of vocalist Alistar Richardson. Rounding out their slot with instant classics Shame and We All Buy Stars, The Cairos leave the crowd in a great place for the fun to follow.

The verdict: killed it, bros.

Sydney’s Bluejuice have never been known for their ability to blend into a crowd, and by dressing up like neon Carnivàle performers they’ve made sure no one misses them tonight. Following the colourful lines beaming from the stage, this camp version of Tron shows a few extra members scattered around, the five-piece filled out to an eight with the addition of a guitarist and a pair of female vocalists to bolster those sexy hooks further. Opening with Can’t Keep Up, the Sydney party starters leave no stone unturned during their set, the crew working through all the hits from their three albums with a large focus on their 2011 release Company. Vitriol is given an early airing to a massive response while more recent tracks like Cheap Trix and Kindaevil slot in seamlessly with older tracks such as Head Of The Hawk, The Reductionist and Medication. However, as much as these songs get bodies in the venue moving, nothing compares with the rapture that Broken Leg brings on. Following this, the band then return to the stage, sweaty and smiling, Jake, Stav and the troops rounding out the night with a full-flight Act Your Age, leading a mass singalong that goes against everything the song is preaching. Completely inane and at the top of their game, Bluejuice start the party like no other.

TYLER McLOUGHLAN

BENNY DOYLE

themusic.com.au

BACK TO THE GARDEN: A JONI MITCHELL TRIBUTE OLD MUSEUM: 14.04.2012

It’s both surprising and not that the crowd for tonight’s show is of the older persuasion. Inside, the Old Museum’s main theatre is filled with chairs, and already reaching capacity. The event organiser, Yani, walks onstage to where a guitarist’s been sitting, strumming light Mitchell-esque phrases: each artist’s three-song set is prefaced with a letter they’ve written to Joni, and before each, Yani reads them out. Karen Anderson’s up first, with a freewheeling version of The River. It’s a little loose and meandering, but Anderson regains favour by picking next the wondrous A Case Of You. Jake Diefenbach, dwarfed by his piano, starts next with The Last Time I Saw Richard; a plaintive, sweet, and unadorned ode which twinkles in the cavernous, captivated space. The Priest pulses with the same vitality as Mitchell’s original, before closing with For Free. The charming Allison St Leger is next, launching straight into Conversation, sounding the most like Mitchell so far. The texture of her voice is wonderful: husky, and bold, without sounding like an impersonation. “You don’t think an artist can be so candid, but that’s exactly what sets Joni apart,” she gushes, launching into Little Green, joined by a violin. Then, her coup de grâce: the hymnal Shadows and Light. Yani herself is next, with bongos and a cover of Chelsea Morning; her interpretation free, if slightly academic. Blue Motel Room begets the organisation of “[a] ‘60s version of a mosh-pit: the dance floor” in front of her, to a jam, and a few eager twisters. Shani Forrester and Luna Junction, following that, are a tremendous, and woefully unsung collective who, so far tonight, are easily the best. Forrester gets Joni’s obsessiveness, and her heartbreak, and it’s transcendent to be amidst. Nailing the particularly difficult All I Want, they power next through Free Man In Paris, and Urge For Going. Cutting a dramatic figure in all-black leather, with Tarantino dance-moves, the impassioned Sandro Colarelli can really sing. His soaring, operatic vocals are joined by a flautist, as Colarelli powers through Jericho, Black Crow, and Judgment Of The Moon And Stars. The ever-popular Katie Noonan is up next, and doesn’t disappoint. From behind the giant piano, she demands absolute silence, her virtuosic interpretations of My Old Man and Morning Morgantown exquisite and immense. Lucinda Shaw and Silver Sircus ostensibly headline, drawing the largest crowd reaction yet. Dressed in stark blue, and accompanied only by a piano, Shaw launches into, well…Blue. After that high, we’re treated to Coyote before they finish on a truly psychedelic rendition of the infamous Woodstock. To deafening applause, the entire caravan of performers then retakes the stage for a series of final songs, an easy highlight the funky-fun Carry. SAM HOBSON

SUPAFEST 2012

RNA SHOWGROUNDS: 14.04.12 For the third time in as many years, Supafest returns to Brisbane, however not in a form that either ticket holders or (presumably) promoters have been expecting. In a sad trend seeming to afflict emergent Australian hip hop festivals, the event lost three of its headlining performers, with P. Diddy and Missy Elliott being removed from the festival line-up within its final week of ticket sales, and Rick Ross just hours before his set was scheduled to kick off. Given the gaping holes in the day’s line-up, Lupe Fiasco offers an extended performance that allows him to cover his singles career to date. From Kick, Push, Out Of My Head and Superstar, to Daydreamin’, Touch The Sky and The Show Goes On, the 30-year-old presents an act that’s openly skewed towards the teen female demographic, which while at times proves successful, grows weary once the initial excitement subsides. Between headline acts, both now and twice later in the day, the festival’s Search For A Superstar contestants occupy the stage. As video screens and the event’s hype

man (who appears regularly and inaudibly throughout the day) announce the names Culture Crew (a dance troupe) and singer Jasmine, the performers hit the scene to little fanfare or response from the crowd. This is clearly filler. Those relying on the back-to-back scheduling of rappers Ice Cube, and then Ludacris to boost the energy and atmosphere of the evening’s proceedings are disappointed by one blow after another of mediocre presentations of the respective acts’ music, interspersed with further Search For A Superstar talent. While Ice Cube provides a set that’s fleeting in both action and duration, Check Yo Self, You Can Do It and It Was A Good Day each receive singalong ovation from an audience that’s been begging for stimulation all day. Atlanta’s Ludacris packs a bevy of hits into his performance, however with extraordinarily low production quality, tunes such as Area Codes, Get Back and Glamorous impart little entertainment value. Returning for his second successive Supafest, the appearance of T-Pain garners the largest applause of the evening. Pumping a nonstop show of club jams, Booty Wurk (One Cheek At A Time) and Turn All The Lights On get the party started, before Take Your Shirt Off has what seems to be the entire festival jumping. An array of his trademark T-Mixes closes out the set, which features as the true festival headliner – irrespective of a beyond lacklustre performance from Chris Brown, which wraps the night. CARLIN BEATTIE

THE CAGE IN US

JUDITH WRIGHT CENTRE: 12-14.04.12 A plethora of performers gathered at the Judith Wright Centre this weekend to commemorate the birth century of legendary composer, artist and mycologist, John Cage. For the first of three nights, Thursday, the Performance Space is open-seated with a configuration of eight speakers circling the room to provide an optimum surround-sound experience. Valerio Tricoli and Werner Dafeldecker invite the audience to sit, lay or face whichever way they please, before introducing a transmission of Cage’s Williams Mix (1952-53). With their own interpretation, Williams Mix Extended, the German duo keep the structure of the original, yet stress the complexity of the composition through a digitalised production that manipulates a vaster gamut of sounds within its eight-fold, expanded duration. The aural expanse affects a truly sensory experience, confronting participants with peripheral saturations that shift around the space in disorientating and mesmerising patterns, rendering any attempts to fully grasp given sounds or sequences futile, implicitly sublimating surrender and acceptance. Positioned two aside of the frontal margins, Swedish ensemble Kroumata commence Friday night with Radio Music (1956), a curious composition of on/off radio transmissions, before moving onto the cluttered stage. They adeptly progress through a great offering of Cage’s works, Amores: 2nd Movement (1943), Carillion (1952), Credo In US (1942), In A Landscape (1948), Branches (1976), and 3rd Construction (1941), all the while systematically reducing the instruments on stage. Their unified sense of timing is astonishing and provides a peek through the fabric of a 30-plus year repute. To top off the night Erik Griswold, Vanessa Tomlinson, the Queensland Conservatorium New Music Ensemble and Ba Da Boom fill the stage for Concerto for prepared piano and chamber orchestra (1950-51).

while three dancers contort their bodies around the space. A fitting tribute to a man who forever broadened the spectrum of musical possibility. JAKE SUN

LOU BARLOW, DOM MILLER OLD MUSEUM: 14.04.12

Upon reaching the Old Museum tonight, finding the correct room amongst the labyrinth of chambers in the stately old building is like partaking in some nefarious Choose Your Own Adventure archetype, whereby one must subvert errant security guards, decipher scrawled notes in out-ofthe-way places and then navigate down darkened paths through dimly-lit gardens, before finding an ornate stage set up in the very back corner of the building. The curtain and columned backdrop gives a regal feel to the makeshift venue, which is ringed with chairs that are beginning to fill nicely as local singer-songwriter Dom Miller takes the stage armed only with an acoustic guitar, some slightlynervous (albeit endearing) banter and a clutch of lovelorn, heart-on-sleeve confessionals, which he proceeds to deliver with beguiling conviction. The former-Rocketsmith offers pain-wracked introspection, including plenty of tales of drinking to escape, and intersperses his originals with a couple of off-centre covers – The Beatles’ Rocky Raccoon and Kings Of Leon’s Re-Memo – but it’s his own tales of man pain which make for a convincing introduction tonight. Tonight’s headliner Lou Barlow – he primarily of Dinosaur Jr and Sebadoh fame – is no stranger to such unabashed soul-searching, but he starts off in a peculiar manner, taking up a ukulele and offering a string of tracks from the recently re-issued 1987 Sentridoh cassette Weed Forestin’, tunes such as Temporary Dream, New Worship, Ride The Darker Wave, Jealous Of Jesus and the gorgeous Brand New Love all going over well despite their relative unfamiliarity. Next we go from one extreme to the other – although retaining mystique of the unknown – as the reserved artist offers a brand new track from the forthcoming Dinosaur Jr album, before the night changes tack once more, Barlow opening the floor to requests which leads to a slew of better known songs such as Let’s Begin, Too Pure and The Ballad Of Daykitty. From here it becomes a veritable karaoke spectacular as songs are yelled on a whim and more often than not performed immediately, which while endearing to the individual punters who are placated leads to a rather disjointed set. He takes back the reins occasionally, some gentle digs at J Mascis prefacing another new Dino song, moving on to Puzzle, the plaintive Holding Back The Year and the singalong splendour of Magnet’s Coil. Barlow is clearly preaching to the converted and all and sundry seem besotted with proceedings even as they freefall towards anarchy as the crowd takes over, but Barlow just goes with the flow, offering Skull (along with some titillating Evan Dando recollections) and the mournful Too Much Freedom to bring the curtain down (metaphorically) on a great night of introspection, well worth the travails gone through to find its secret location. TOM SIMPKIN

An awe-inspiring example of complimentary sound and vision, Saturday night’s One11 (refocused) sees Lawrence English and Scott Morrison mine the terrains of aleatoric possibility through their transcendent homage to Cage’s only film. The artists stir an array of captured sounds into an expansive apparition that subtly dances with the ephemeral renderings of light and texture painted onto screen by Cage’s film. In a fitting finale, Variations I-VIII (1958-76) are perceptively re-interpreted, through a flight of visual cues, spontaneous responses, and playful experimentations, by Decibel and Joel Stern (parts V and VII). While each of the Varitions are unique in their reward, V is an exceptionally tremendous orgy of stimulus that sees a host of suited performers tweaking two long tables of atypical sound devices, in front of chaotic visual displays,

themusic.com.au

TOUR GUIDE Spotted Cow Apr 26, Elsewhere Apr 27, Sol Bar Apr 28 PETE MURRAY: The Tivoli Apr 24 HUSKY: The Zoo Apr 26, SoundLounge Apr 27, Woombye Hotel Apr 28 THE HERD, THUNDAMENTALS: The Zoo Apr 27, Great Northern Apr 28 BIG SCARY: The Zoo Apr 28 AN HORSE: The Zoo Apr 29 THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT: Great Northern May 2, Arena May 3, Coolangatta Hotel May 4, Kings Beach Tavern May 5 HARD-ONS: Spotted Cow May 3, Kings Beach Tavern May 4, Shark Bar May 5, Prince Of Wales May 6 MICK THOMAS: Sol Bar May 3, The Beetle Bar May 4 RUFUS: The Loft May 4, Alhambra May 5 CALLING ALL CARS: The Zoo May 5 SAN CISCO: Elsewhere May 10, The Zoo May 11 BALL PARK MUSIC: The Hi-Fi May 11 ELIXIR FEAT KATIE NOONAN: Soundlounge May 11, Joe’s Waterhole May 12 KIMBRA: The Tivoli May 15 CATCALL: Alhambra Lounge May 17 JOSH PYKE: The Tivoli May 18 THE MISSION IN MOTION: Shark Bar May 18, X&Y Bar May 19 SPLIT SECONDS: X&Y May 18, SolBar May 19 TZU: The Zoo May 19 OWL EYES: Oh Hello May 25, SolBar May 26 CLAIRY BROWNE & THE BANGIN’ RACKETTES: Brisbane Powerhouse May 26 CHANCE WATERS: X&Y Bar May 26 LANIE LANE: Woombye Pub May 30, The Hi-Fi May 31 DEAD LETTER CIRCUS: Great Northern May 31, Spotted Cow Jun 1, The Hi-Fi Jun 2, Kings Beach Tavern Jun 10 DEF FX: The Zoo May 31 MATT CORBY, ALPINE: The Tivoli Jun 1 THE FUNKOARS: Great Northern Jun 1, The Zoo Jun 2 THE JEZABELS: Brisbane Convention Ctr Jun 7 LISA MITCHELL: St John’s Cathedral Jun 8 FRENZAL RHOMB: Kings Beach Tavern Jun 8, Parkwood Tavern Jun 9 360: The Hi-Fi Jun 10 & 11 NED COLLETTE & WIREWALKER: Black Bear Lodge Jun 14 BURIED IN VERONA: Toowoomba Powerhouse Jun 15, Beenleigh PCYC Jun 16 BLANCHE DUBOIS: Black Bear Lodge Jun 17 DEEP SEA ARCADE: Cobra Kai Jun 21, Beach Hotel Jun 22 INXS: Drift Inn Jun 24, Empire Theatre Jun 26, Twin Towns Jun 28, Eatons Hill Hotel Jun 30 THE BAMBOOS: The Northern Jun 28, Coolum Civic Centre Jun 29, The Hi-Fi Jun 30 CHARGE GROUP: Beetle Bar Jul 6 KARNIVOOL: The Northern Jul 19, The Tivoli Jul 20, Coolangatta Hotel Jul 21 KATE MILLER-HEIDKE: The Hi-Fi Aug 25

FESTIVALS

LOU BARLOW @ OLD MUSEUM PIC BY STEPHEN BOOTH

URBAN COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL: Caboolture Showgrounds May 4 GROOVIN THE MOO: Murray Sports Complex May 6

TIME OFF • 29

ROOTS DOWN

ADAMANTIUM WOLF

OG FLAVAS

Blues ‘n’ roots with DAN CONDON rootsdown@timeoff.com.au

Metal, hardcore and punk with LOCHLAN WATT

With CYCLONE

JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE So this is the last you’ll hear from me about Bluesfest for at least six months, I promise. But I couldn’t let the festival go by without basically gushing uncontrollably about how damn good it was. To start off on something of a negative note, numbers were down. They were down a lot. It was quite strange seeing so much open space as you drove through the gates, where last year the fields were lined with tents and just about no room to move. This is massively unfortunate for the organisers, but they can take some solace in the fact that festival attendance seems to be down almost entirely across the board at the moment, so they’re not the only ones in that boat. That meant there was as bit more space available for us to luxuriate in as we watched some of the world’s best go at it. And many artists really did prove to us why they are held in such high regard. A top five is awfully hard to do, but I only have so many column inches so here goes… 1. THE POGUES Standing outside the Crossroads tent in the dying stages of a great Weddings, Parties, Anything set, I had the singular “holy shit” moment that tends to happen once a year at Bluesfest. Last year it was for Dylan, the year before it was Crowded House. It’s that thrill at knowing you’ll be seeing one of your absolute favourite artists of all time for the very first time, an artist you, at some stage in your life, swore you’d never have the chance to see. This feeling was exacerbated enormously by the fact that there was a chance The Pogues wouldn’t actually be all that good. Thankfully they well and truly surpassed all expectations I had for them; an amazing setlist, a band who were entirely on point and – most astonishingly – Shane MacGowan, the band’s legendary and infamous frontman, was in fantastic form. His voice was great, you could understand what he was singing (fuck knows what he was saying though) and he actually looked really happy to be there. Magic moment. 2. BETTYE LAVETTE I didn’t really dig LaVette’s most recent record, 2010’s Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook, so that kind of dulled my expectations for her set at this year’s festival. In hindsight it’s probably a great thing that it did because she absolutely blew me away with one of the most powerful soul performances I’ve seen since the great Solomon Burke all those years ago. She was awfully cheeky, complaining of a hangover the second day, and her band had just the right amount of grit and class to carry her well-worn voice perfectly. 3. JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE This guy just keeps getting better. This year he was joined by a bassist and guitarist and together they ran through a set that was awfully heavy on material from his incredible new record Nothing’s Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now. The songs on that album are so good that there was no complaints from anyone about him delving into it so deeply and the silence of the sizeable audience was proof enough that he’s truly one of the world’s best in his game right now. 4. MACEO PARKER Okay, Maceo was incredibly slick, but he was one of few artists bringing the funk this year (after last year’s cavalcade) and he didn’t disappoint. Such a well put together set with some of the most talented musicians you’re ever likely to see, including Funkadelic bassist Rodney ‘Skeet’ Curtis. 5. COLD CHISEL/JOHN FOGERTY These two come together because I knew exactly what to expect from them. They both put together sets of truly classic hits that may not have been the most impressive musically (though they were certainly pretty damn good!) but were a whole lot of fun to watch. Both Chisel and Fogerty might be getting on in years, but they both have their shit together in a big way and are delivering genuinely stunning performances. And how about those singalongs… Until next year, Bluesfest. 30 • TIME OFF

Brisbane has a brand new all ages venue, or ‘youth arts space’ if you must, willing to accommodate for metal/ hardcore/punk. It’s called The Loft, it’s located on 149 Musgrave Road, Red Hill, and will open on May 4. The first announced gig is on May 5 and features Far West Battlefront, Aversions Crown, Belle Haven, As Paradise Falls and Arbour Lane. Putting these things together takes a lot of hard work, and maintaining them becomes even harder, so please kids; be good, leave the street art tools at home, and don’t screw it up. Thanks to Heathen Skulls, The Ocean is finally touring Australia. Based in Germany, with the majority of their current line-up from Switzerland, the progressive/postmetal collective has released five hugely impressive studio albums and is currently signed to Metal Blade. Before they head into the studio to work on their latest effort, the band will bring the touring cycle for their latest release Anthropocentric to a close in Australia next month, with Sydney’s Lo! lucky enough to grab the national support. You can catch the two bands at The Zoo on May 24 with support from Nuclear Summer. There’s a good chance that is has already been reported elsewhere in this magazine, but in case you didn’t know Sydney celtic punks The Rumjacks have called it a day. Vocalist Frankie McLaughlin is currently serving a 16-month sentence for violent and sexual assaults committed towards his now ex-girlfriend – charges for which were laid down approximately two years ago now. The rest of the band, having since gone on indefinite hiatus and faced some scorn for keeping quiet on the issue, stated that; “we refute any suggestion that we condone domestic violence. It is an abhorrent crime and its perpetrators should be dealt with under the full extent of the law. We thank all of our fans worldwide for their support over the years.” Thy Art Is Murder is currently holed up in The Machine Shop in New Jersey, USA, recording their sophomore album. Expect nothing but brutality. Congratulations are in order for Brisbane’s particularly brutal boys Disentomb – last week the four-piece announced that they had signed a “worldwide, multi-

album contract” with US label Brutal Bands (home to Guttural Secrete and Devourment). Their most recent release was their 2010 debut Sunken Chambers Of Nephilim, which was handled locally by Obsidian Records. Due sometime in 2013, vocalist Jordan Philip commented that their next album “is shaping up to be the heaviest and most beastial music we have ever written”. Fear Like Us and Hoodlum Shouts are heading to Brisbane for a couple of dates in early May. You can catch the Poison City label mates on May 3 at X&Y with Marathon and Toy Boats, and at Between The Walls on May 4 with We Set Sail and Toy Boats. US post-metal champions Rosetta have confirmed that they will make their return to Australia across late July and early August. If the dates haven’t been announced by the time you read this, they’ll be announced shortly after. Local lads The Construct were lucky enough to grab tonight’s (Wednesday’s) local opening slot for August Burns Red, Blessthefall and Northlane. The Storm Picturesque, Shinto Katana, Glorified!, Feed Her To The Sharks, Far West Battlefront and In League are among the other selected bands. The Construct recently released a debut EP.

GIGS OF THE WEEK:

Thursday: Xibalba (USA), Warbrain, Deceiver – Snitch. Friday: Xibalba, Warbrain, Driven Fear, Shackles, Deadlift – Between The Walls. In Element, Shifting The Paradigm, Kyzer Soze, Soul Illusion – Monstrothic Saturday: God Bows To Math (NZ), Wil Wagner, Nuclear Summer, El Alamein – Fat Louie’s. Last Chaos, Undead Apes, Sick People, Heroin SS – The Waiting Room. Sunday: God Bows To Math, Quiet Steps, Tiny Spiders, G.Charles – The Waiting Room. Tuesday: Shinto Katana, The Fevered, Armada In The Dusk, Midnight In Alaska, Boss Fight – Billionaire at X&Y.

THE BREAKDOWN Pop culture therapy with ADAM CURLEY Compromise is often a given when it comes to pop music. We don’t really expect Madonna to release an album that says much about real life or her own personal beliefs. We don’t expect anything truly exciting to happen at the ARIA Awards or the Grammys or the Super Bowl. We don’t expect anyone to say anything that hasn’t been passed through a PR machine seeking to wash off anything likely to cause offense to anyone. We hope they will. We do. But out hope has limitations. We hope that Madonna might impress within the boundaries of ‘mainstream’ pop music; that she might incorporate something half interesting into a song that is otherwise a canvas of vague slogans or that she might have a visual message to convey while enacting a relatively bland choreographed dance sequence in a video clip, as Lady Gaga has learned to do. We hope that someone might give an interesting performance at an awards show, but we find ourselves discussing Nicki Minaj’s exorcism or MIA’s middle finger with the unspoken knowledge that the discussions are only relevant within the walls of what society expects from ‘mainstream’ entertainment. These are not honest discussions about music or things that affect our lives; they are discussions about compromise. In many ways it would appear as if compromise is inherent in a genre named after an end goal to be popular. The structure of a song that is deemed a ‘pop song’ was formed long ago, based on arrangement and mood, and so anyone desiring to work within the genre, to create something that is accessible to many people, must adhere to its boundaries. But in reality, the definition of ‘pop music’ is changing constantly. When we talk about acts such as Madonna or Nicki Minaj or Lady Gaga, we aren’t discussing the whole of what we mean by ‘pop’, merely acts backed by big money that, as a result,

have access to the lives of many people. The ‘mainstream’ of pop. We can also talk about the pop music made by a band on an independent label, or a bedroom producer, or an act that gets national non-commercial airplay and can play music festivals and sell out large venues. We understand that pop music can be many things. We use the ‘feel test’ to decide whether what we are hearing is pop music: if it feels like pop, then it is pop. That we feel the urge to categorise by genre is perhaps another discussion altogether – however that urge is also what has led to our current acceptance of compromise in ‘mainstream’ pop music. It has only been in the past decade that we’ve talked about the end of ‘pop’ as a ‘dirty word’, as others have appropriated the sounds and structures of pop music and done interesting things with them. Critical appreciation of pop as an ‘art form’ has increased. Nostalgia might also be at work for those who grew up with the emotional manipulation of ubiquitous media in a time of bigmoney pop acts. For whatever reason, there is no longer the same ‘us and them’ divide between ‘mainstream’ pop music and those looking for something more meaningful with their melody. But if the ‘us’ has become ‘we’, at one with those who rule the airwaves and the upper echelons of the charts, shouldn’t we expect more of them? It isn’t unreasonable to expect a singer in ‘mainstream’ pop to say something interesting or affecting or simply not downright insulting in her or his song. It isn’t unreasonable to expect that something more meaningful than a middle finger happens at a concert watched by millions of people, or that a pop singer might say something that has some basis in real-life thinking in an interview. It isn’t unreasonable, but we have to start thinking it’s possible and we have to stop accepting that a compromise must be made. PS. Listen to Catcall.

themusic.com.au

Santigold has declared war on the homogeneity of contemporary pop. “I hate LMFAO and David Guetta,” she rails in NME. This month the Afro-punkster will drop her long-delayed comeback, Master Of My Make Believe, led by the Ricky Blaze-helmed protest song Disparate Youth. Santigold was originally signed to the indie Downtown Records, which released 2008’s Santogold, but the label was then absorbed into Warner. The new regime pressured her to make an album of club anthems to attract radio. It was actually suggested that she work with... RedZone. Santigold resisted bigtime. Luckily, she now has Jay-Z’s Roc Nation managing (read: defending) her. But others are simply buckling to the Eurodance hegemony. Madonna’s twelfth outing, MDNA, couldn’t be more generic. It’s hydrangea music! Alas, it has flopped – and dramatically. Unfortunately, any failure will be attributed to Madonna’s age – ironic when she’s currently directing her rebelliousness towards an ageist media culture. Yet Madonna trivialises herself with songs like Give Me All Your Luvin’, Nicki Minaj and MIA playing her cheerleaders. Guetta isn’t onboard, but ‘Veronica Electronica’ has hired Martin Solveig – and Benny Benassi produced Girl Gone Wild. It’s as if Madge’s teen daughter Lourdes A&Red MDNA. Somewhat disturbing is the sound effects-laden, dubsteppy minimalism of Gang Bang, Madonna’s answer to Rihanna’s (possibly justified) ‘revenge song’ Man Down – both are manifestations of a vigilante feminism (or inverted sexism). A guntoting Madonna is presumably out to get her ex, director Guy Ritchie, whose forte, admittedly, lies in macho gangster flicks. “Die bitch!,” she shrieks. While many rightly lambast Odd Future for fetishising violence against women, Madonna has been let off the hook for her gang banging dudes – ‘tongue-in-cheek’ or not. And is it really empowering for a woman to call a man “a bitch”? Minaj reappears on I Don’t Give A, proclaiming, “There’s only one queen – and that’s Madonna, bitch!” It’s clearly a Lady Gaga diss. Madonna is still a confused Catholic girl. But, again, going on about being a ‘sinner’ sounds quaint after RiRi’s modernised Good Girl Gone Bad. The Material Girl, isolated by fame, is oblivious to the Occupy movement (homeless brother ‘n’ all). Listen to the cynical ABBA-meets-disco-meets-folk Love Spent. Madonna redeems herself with ballads like William Orbit’s ambient Falling Free and the flamenco Masterpiece – recycled from her directorial debut, WE, an attempt to reinvent (Hitler pal) Wallis Simpson. The fact is that Gaga really does Madonna better than Madonna now – and she has more heart. Madonna’s manufactured ‘beef’ is backfiring. Madge can take comfort from Minaj, whose Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded is much worse than MDNA. At least Madonna has hooks. The New York femcee told MTV News that this sequel to 2010’s Pink Friday sophomore would “be important for hip hop and pop culture.” Hmmm. The album opens promisingly with the eccentric rumble of Roman Holiday. Minaj, aka Roman Zolanski, sounds like the offspring of Liza Minnelli and John Lydon. Cool. What follows is a succession of minimal hip hop grinders like Come On A Cone, on which Minaj proves how formidable an MC she is. But, by time you reach track six, the mono Roman Reloaded, with her boss Lil Wayne, Minaj’s hardcore synth rap has become very wearing. The postmodern Barbie, who’s previously collaborated with Guetta, then suddenly goes trouse (as Tiësto calls house + trance), mostly singing. RedZone produces several samey songs, the hit Starships the best. There are also a few random pop numbers, from the R’n’B Right By My Side (with Chris Brown) to JR Rotem’s Marilyn Monroe, which might have been recorded by Rihanna, Katy Perry or Minaj’s tour chum Britney Spears, to the dancehall Gun Shot with Beenie Man. Minaj bites Madonna herself with Beautiful Sinner. Sadly, apart from Roman Holiday, the only worthwhile tune comes from Canadian illwaver T-Minus – the supernaturally synthesised Champion (featuring Nas, Drake and Young Jeezy). Pink Friday... is like an urban United States Of Tara – confusingly overpopulated by Minaj’s many selves. However, as with Madonna, Minaj is ultimately all about the brand: she’ll shortly launch a perfume.

THE SHOW MUST GO ON Tragedy struck Mick Medew and the Rumours – the current musical outlet for The Screaming Tribesmen’s frontman Mick Medew – last year after the passing of their bassist Paul Hawker following a brief illness. The band weren’t really sure whether or not they should continue on, but after a fair amount of deliberation they decided that the show should go on and enlisted their producer Jeff Lovejoy to fill in the role. They’ve kept things in the family so you can be sure that everything is gelling quite nicely and if you need proof of that, all you need to do is head down to the Brisbane Powerhouse on Sunday afternoon where they play a special free, all ages show as a part of the Live Spark series. They will be joined by The Incredible Strand and the music kicks off a little after 3pm.

BALL’S IN HIS COURT Surprise, surprise; 8 Ball Aitken is heading out on tour. This guy seems like he’s always on the road, but when the demand for his brand of blues is so high then you can’t blame him. He’s looking pretty different these days without his signature beard and we’re going to make an unsubstantiated statement that because of this he has a whole new lease on life. Whether or not that’s true, you should still go and see him play. He’s hitting the Bearded Dragon, Mt Tamborine Sunday 6 May (12.30pm), The Joynt Thursday 10, Maleny’s Friday 11, Coolum Beach Hotel Saturday 12 and finishes up at the Norville Hotel, Toowoomba on Sunday 13 for an afternoon show, kicking off at 2pm. He’s just released his new live album Alive In Tamworth so grab a copy and learn all the words and you’ll have yourself a real time.

LOUD AND RUDE Brisbane groove-pop outfit The Belligerents have been announced as the main support act for the upcoming Van She Idea Of Happiness single tour. Catchy and carefree, these local lads have received airplay through triple j, just sold out their recent launch shows in both Brisbane and Sydney and have, in the past, also played alongside the likes of Metronomy, Neon Indian and Yacht Club DJs, further boosting their profile. They’ll support the Aussie electro favourites at Oh Hello on Thursday night, Elsewhere Bar, Gold Coast Friday night and then at an exciting Warehouse Party in Byron Bay on Saturday night.

LAUNCHING PAD

BRISBANE BOUND awesome venue The Zoo as part of our Black Water Rising tour last year in September, then another ‘Kingdom Of Little Empires’ gig this year and last but not least the BigSound showcase. Please relate your impressions of performing in our fair city. Brisbane is an awesome city to play in; we always have so much fun and the crowds are great fun!

THE WOOHOO REVUE

STONEFIELD

Album Name: Moreland’s Ball How do you compare it to your previous studio work? Moreland’s Ball features a fresh line-up of musicians with original and inspired material. With Moreland’s Ball we’ve really drawn upon our experiences rocking dance floors in this country. The result is a real party album that draws on big band swing, tango, and various other things to get your hips moving. It gets a little heavy at times, pretty at others and still hangs onto that ‘gypsy’ thing that we fell in love with in the first place.

Member/role: Sarah Findlay – keyboardist

Is it reflective of your live show? Working at Sing Sing Studios in Melbourne, with the dead-set legend Adam Rhodes, we’ve been fortunate to capture that ‘live’ element of our show. The tunes have been recorded as live as possible, some of them completely, in an attempt to (quote the guru Ross Cockle) “hear the dancing”.

Is this your first foray to Brisbane? If not how many times have you performed in our midst? This is not the first! We have been to Brisbane four times so far. The first time we played, was a gig triple j put on called ‘The Kingdom of Little Empires’ after winning the triple j Unearthed competition back in 2010. We also played at an

What have you got lined up for the launch? There’s be a bit of circus, some cheeky burlesque... but it’s really about getting sweaty and letting yourself go on the musical journey. The Woohoo Revue play The Loft, Gold Coast Thursday 19 April, Buddha Bar, Byron Bay Friday 20, The Joynt Saturday 21 and Nambour Originals Sunday 22.

Home ground: We all live in a lovely small country town in the Macedon Ranges except Amy, who lives in St Kilda with our Aunty and Uncle. Describe your live music/performance style as succinctly as possible. The best way I can describe our performance/ live music is a hard rocking band influenced by the ‘70s who strive to make the audience as happy as we are, but you come and decide for yourself.

GOOD SHIT This year’s Deadshits festival is going to be the biggest yet, there’s absolutely no doubt about that whatsoever. Over three huge nights some of the finest ‘outsider’ bands in the country will be turning in sets at three different venues across the city. On Friday night you can see Blank Realm, Kitchen’s Floor and Circular Keys making noise at the Black Bear Lodge with Bedroom Suck Records DJs spinning songs til late in

What can we expect different this time around? We have some brand new songs, we are bringing some awesome bands with us – Kingswood and The Delta Riggs – and we have another surprise that I’m not allowed to tell you, because otherwise it wouldn’t be a surprise. You will have to come on down to the gig and see! Has anything exciting been happening in your world of late? We have so many exciting things happening! We just finished recording our brand new EP. Our new single Bad Reality has just been premiered on triple j, we have been announced to play at the One Night Stand with some amazing bands, we are filming our video clip for Bad Reality as I’m typing this and of course our tour in April. Super exciting times! Stonefield play The Northern Hotel, Byron Bay on Thursday 19 April, The Zoo on Friday 20, King’s Beach Tavern, Sunshine Coast on Sunday 21 and Coolangatta Hotel on Monday 22. the evening; it kicks off at 8pm and it’s completely free to get in. Saturday night is the big one, with Scott & Charlene’s Wedding, Absolute Boys and Angel Eyes playing live and a head-to-head DJ set between Blank Realm and Primitive Motion taking place at the Judith Wright Centre; that one is $15 entry and you can book through the venue’s website. Finally, Sunday night sees Superstar, Scraps and Primitive Motion turning in sets at The End in West End from 6pm. It’s $10 to get into that one and you can grab a ticket through OzTix now.

321 BRUNSWICK STREET MALL, FORTITUDE VALLEY WEDNESDAY 18 APRIL LE PARTY SOUL WITH DJ REDBEARD FROM 8PM FEATURING BOTTLECOCK (10.30PM) + GRAVEL SAMWIDGE (9.30PM)

THURSDAY 19 APRIL THE FAMILIARS (10.30PM) + THE MAX QUINNTET (9.30PM)

FRIDAY 20 APRIL DOWNSTAIRS: THE DUNHILL BLUES (9PM) + STEVE SMYTH (8PM) + DJ VALDIS UPSTAIRS: DJ STREX 8PM - 5AM

SATURDAY 21 APRIL DOWNSTAIRS: SUNSET RIOT (9PM) + THE FLANNELETTE (8PM) + DJ VALDIS UPSTAIRS: DJ CUTTS 8PM - 5AM

SUNDAY 22 APRIL IMYU EAT TOFU 2 SETS FROM 9.30PM

MONDAY 23 APRIL SAY DO NOW (10.30PM) + SAM LUFF (9.30PM)

TUESDAY 24 APRIL LOVE LIKE HATE (10.30PM) + SHINY SHINY (9.30PM)

FREE LIVE MUSIC AND INDIE DJS

WANT TO PLAY? EMAIL BOOKINGS@RICSBAR.COM.AU

WWW.RICSBAR.COM.AU

themusic.com.au

TIME OFF • 31

SIX PACK

SMOOTH SAILING

SIX PACK

BIXBY CANYON

GOD BOWS TO MATH

A RECENT LINE-UP CHANGE HAS ONLY GONE TO STRENGTHEN THE SOUND OF LOCAL GRUNGE UPSTARTS BIXBY CANYON. FRONTMAN JAKE WOOD CHATS TO BENNY DOYLE.

THERE’S NO TRANS-TASMAN RIVALRY WHEN IT COMES TO AUKLAND NOISE ROCK TRIO GOD BOWS TO MATH, WHICH IS JUST AS WELL, BECAUSE THEY’RE SO AWESOME. TONY MCMAHON CHATS TO GUITARIST/ VOCALIST MARTIN PHILLIPS.

“Unfortunately we had our drummer and guitarist leave and it’s been a long four months running around in recovery mode,” Wood confides. “But since we met Fletcher [drums] and he has been playing for us we haven’t missed a beat. It’s hard to find a drummer these days that can play such a vast array of musical styles, but we have that in Fletcher. But more than that it feels like he’s been a part of this band for months.” Despite the fact Fletcher has entered the ranks, however, the real concern for the band was dropping back to a trio. With the band historically proffering a thick and powerful sound, Wood explains just how he went about keeping it that way. “It was always going to be an interesting transition, not only having a new drum style but slimming down to a three-piece,” he informs. “At first it was a struggle; there was a lot of fiddling with pedals and changing my sound, but in the end I feel as though that Bixby Canyon sound still remains.” The trio are taking to the stage at The Kids Are Alright festival to coincide with National Youth Week. Although still fresh-faced, Wood reasons on those ideals generated by the festival and opens up about what he sees from the future. “In my honest opinion, I think that kids will be kids no matter what day or age,” Wood explains, “but they show a lot more interest and passion in music these days which shows a lot of promise for our music scene. This is a good thing.”

The debut record from singer-songwriter Sui Zhen is called Two Seas, it’s said to reflect the experiences the artist (whose real name is Becky Freeman) has had travelling the world over the past couple of years and features equal parts soaring and delicate vocals from the Sydney-raised, Melbourne-based performer. It will be released on Friday 4 May and not long after that she is getting out on the road, performing a bagful of shows around the country in support of the record, the former Red Bull Music Academy participant making sure that few parts of the east coast go unvisited over the next couple of months. She plays solo alongside Carry Nation and Emma Davis at The Waiting Room in Brisbane’s West End Sunday 15 May, before returning with her full band for a show with Epithets at the Black Bear Lodge Wednesday 6 June.

RETURN OF THE GREEN

The Green Jam Sessions is taking place yet again in 2012, this being its fourth year of existence. Basically it enables some of our most promising up and coming musical talent to play free, all ages shows for audiences each Friday afternoon, in turn exposing the people of Brisbane to some very talented artists. This Friday evening you can catch the Cassie Godbold Trio, the James Ball Trio play the event Friday 27 April, Coisa Linda will be there Friday 4 May and the Euan Cumming Trio close it all up on Friday 11. It takes place at QPAC’s Melbourne Street Green and kicks off from 5pm each week.

“Every Australian band that has come through Auckland have been amazing people. It’d be awesome to get more of an exchange between the two though, the only time decent Aussie bands tend to come over is to play Camp A Low Hum, which is great, but means that there are a dozen or so bands playing in the same week competing for my broke arse dollar.”

BACON CHASERS

There is now an Australian release of the band’s debut album. Phillips says it was the DIY approach of their label here that attracted them. “We thought it’d be awesome to have the album available when we’re over. I discovered Tenzenmen through some friends who’ve had stuff come out through them. We got in touch with Sean and it turns out in addition to releasing some of my favourite bands (Scul Hazzards, Dead Farmers, Hira Hira, DEAD) he’s also a super nice guy and was keen to release it. The process has been very smooth so far and absolutely perfect for us! We love DIY labels.”

Local eight-piece reggae/rock/funk ensemble StormChasers are ready to make a bit of an assault on the national scene as they release their new EP Homemade Lemonade and the first single from it, Raw Bacon. The band have been working hard on honing their sound and believe they’ve got it pretty right on the release, you’ll be able to find out for yourself when it is released on Friday 20 April, which is also the date that they are launching the record with a big party set to take place at Fortitude Valley haunt BarSoma. Joining

And the record was mastered by Bob Weston and Jason Ward at the world famous Chicago Mastering. “I love pretty much every album Bob Weston has recorded, from early Polvo through to Love Of Diagrams. We wanted to get it mastered properly because we usually skip the mastering process and get berated for doing so. Jason Ward did an amazing job I think, it’s definitely the recordings I’m most proud of.”

IN ELEMENT

WHO: Bixby Canyon

WHO: God Bows To Math

WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 21 April, The Kids Are Alright Festival @ Fortitude Valley PCYC (all ages)

WHAT: God Bows To Math (Muzai/Tenzenmen) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 21 April, Fat Louie’s

SIX PACK

ARGENTINEAN METAL OUTFIT IN ELEMENT ARE MAKING THEIR FIRST TRIP TO AUSTRALIA. AND, FROM WHAT VOCALIST DANNY EDUARDO TELLS TONY MCMAHON, THEIR INTENTIONS ARE PRETTY CLEAR.

them on the night will be Miss Elm, Le Suits and The Mouldy Lovers, so you can be guaranteed that the guys and girls onstage all night seriously know what they are doing. Entry is just zero dollars (that’s right) and doors will be swinging open at around 7.30pm.

THINK PINK The art action warehouse experiment that is The Pink Dove Show is on its way back, as its creators Laneous & the Family Yah have decided it’s time to party hard once again. They describe the event as equal parts Shredder’s Lair (from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie), Brooklyn block party, awkward music school recital, Berlin warehouse rave, West End house party and stagger into Lock’n’Load after a Highgate Hill sunrise – we just call it epic fun, curated by one of the hardest working bands in town. This time around they have invited their friends Dubmarine, Killbot Kindergarten, Wolfwolf and Potato Masta to play, while they’ll also have all sorts of weird shit such as The Seven Deadly Synths according to Jazzbot, Erratic Erotica Peep Show, Is it a Dove? Is it a Mazz?, Level II Open Studio & Exhibition, Dance Dance Annihilation and a bunch of other special guests still to be announced. It happens at the Ice Cream Factory (51 Mollison St, West End) on Friday 20 April from 8pm. Entry is $20 on the door and it’s first in, best dressed so don’t be tardy!

FLYING HIGH Local dudes Pigeon are about to hit up the home leg of their Cataclysm tour and have just announced the friends they have enlisted to help them make these shows some truly memorable parties. On Friday night at Maroochydore’s SolBar they’ve got Rivalry and Young Meadows joining them, their Alhambra Lounge show on Saturday night will also feature Chinatown Carpark, while Rubber Johnson is joining the group for their Byron Bay Beach Hotel show on Friday 11 May as well as their show at The Loft on the Gold Coast on Saturday 12, where they will also be joined by Purple Toes. No matter which one of these shows you make it along to, make sure you’ve packed your dancing shoes as you will most certainly be needing them.

SIX PACK

STORMCHASERS

PADDY O’SULLIVAN FROM BRISBANE OCTET STORMCHASERS DISCUSSES VERSATILITY AND UNCOOKED MEAT PRODUCTS WITH BENNY DOYLE.

SHOWCASE IN THE UK The British Council celebrates 10 years of nurturing Australian creative talent with the ‘Realise Your Dream’ awards, targeting career development in the UK creative industries. Applications open until 3 Jun at http://artsfrontier.britishcouncil.org.au/?cat=4

‘ART SONG’ COMPETITION Have Katie Noonan and Karin Schaupp record, perform and release your music, plus win $2000! Apply by April 20 at www.songsofthesouthernskies.com

QMA JUDGES ANNOUNCED Q MUSIC IS A NOT FOR PROFIT ORGANISATION SUPPORTING QUEENSLAND MUSIC, MUSICIANS AND INDUSTRY WORKERS. THIS COLUMN WILL PRESENT YOU WITH INFORMATION ON GRANT AND EXPORT OPPORTUNITIES, CONFERENCES AND THE GENERAL LOW-DOWN ON THE STATE’S MUSIC INDUSTRY.

WIN BIGSOUND LIVE TICKETS!

Complete our annual survey at www.surveymonkey. com/s/qmusicsurvey by 19 April to help us improve our service to you plus your chance to win a double pass to BIGSOUND Live and a QMusic membership. 32 • TIME OFF

An awesome line-up of judges has been announced for August’s Queensland Music Awards (QMAs)! You can also listen to a selection of QMA entries and enter your own music until 30 April! See www.qmusic.com.au/qldmusicawards/2012/

NOW HIRING: Human Ventures seeks a Client Development Officer to join the team for its ‘lowercase’ initiative, a social enterprise by and for young people. Get your application in before Monday 23 April at www.human.org.au/we-are-hiring/ Join Oztix’s enthusiastic and energetic events department! Applicants who have completed or are currently undertaking event management studies will be highly regarded. Find out more or apply with cover letter and resume to jobs@oztix.com.au

“The idea is to make new fans, and put our name out here. That’s the cool thing about touring; finding new friends and experiences, and surprising yourself each day hitting the road. Not sure if we’ve got fans [in Australia] or not, but we are here to make noise and catch everybody’s attention.” Time Off is curious to know what the metal scene in Argentina is like. “It’s growing up. We have been around for almost ten years, and it’s really different since those early days. There is a bunch of new bands that come along with a new fresh scene, that helps to catch new people.” One of the most interesting things about In Element is the way they incorporate hardcore, death and thrash in what is still a distinctly metal sound. “In Element, it’s about that, mixing different styles into one balance thing. Not sure if [it was] a conscious decision, but it’s natural when we are writing our music. Hardcore, death, thrash, black metal, even classic rock are our influences so, you might find a bunch of different styles in our music.”

WHO: In Element WHAT: Act Of Stamina (Independent) WHEN & WHERE: Friday 20 April, Jubilee Hotel; Saturday 21 Miami Tavern, Gold Coast

themusic.com.au

Raw Bacon is an infectious ray of sunshine and the first single to be released from the band’s new EP Homemade Lemonade. But don’t go assuming it’s par for the musical course. Far from it... “We were careful to choose the widest spread of styles and genres for our first release,” he says. “Beyond the folk-pop sound of Raw Bacon, the EP also features dub, reggae, rock, funk and some electronics. We typically switch between genres regularly during our live shows, which is something we have tried hard to capture for this EP.” Not willing to rest of their laurels, however, the youngsters are already looking towards a follow-up LP. Keeping with their proven formula, it’s still a mystery as to what to expect from the release. The only guarantee – it’s going to hold some great tunes. “We have started pre-production on our second release which we aim to have out in July,” O’Sullivan spills. “The majority of our material is written by three core members, but there are exceptions to that rule. Usually, an incomplete song is brought to rehearsal where the whole band workshops it together. This collaborative process allows for the variety of genres that we pride ourselves on.”

WHO: StormChasers WHAT: Homemade Lemonade EP (Independent) WHEN & WHERE: Friday 20 April, Barsoma

Order your copy of AMID now!

5)634%": 5) "13*-

4$*&/$& 130+&$5

41&",&3 83"5) 700%00 %3&%

W NE ION IT ED

"5-"45 4"6$& 8"-3** '3*%": 5) "13*-

5)& (00% 4)*1

3"55-&)"/%

"453*% 5)& "45&30*%4 5*9 ! 0;5*9 1. 4"563%": 45 "13*-

)"3.0/*$ (&/&3"503

! % $55.00

DECEMBER

2011#47

ORD ER NOW

'3"/$&

'03&7&3 5)& 015*.*45

$0/5*/6*.

VISIT WWW.THEMUSIC.COM.AU/STORE

Prince of Wales Hotel Friday 20th

TEST PATTERN Saturday 21st

STAGE KICKER Friday 27th

GARY BIRDMAN Eat City Social Torment Vivian's Hamster A Trip with Sid Saturday 28th

PLANET FICTION Chasing Grey Where I Stand Trust and Fall Burn Down Hollywood 1154 Sandgate Rd, Nundah, Queensland, 4012

PPH: (07) 3266 8077 www.princeofwaleshotel.com.au

5*9 ! 0;5*9 1. 46/%": /% "13*-

Do you use Ecstasy? Researchers from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre would like to speak to ecstasy users. Face to face interviews will be conducted between April and May. The interview takes around one hour and is held at a convenient location for you. Interviews are anonymous and confidential. You will be reimbursed $40 for your time. Contact Fairlie on (07) 3365 5443, email edrs@ sph.uq.edu.au or SMS details to 0434 606 981 (you do not have to use your real name).

)*54 '6/%3"*4&3 ##2

40.& +&3,4 5)& %"/(&3.&/

(3"7&- 4".8*%(& 1.

5)634%": 5) "13*-

5)& (0/;0 4)08

#&&4 ,/&&4 8&&;&-

1&3'&$5 &/7: 1. '3*%": 5) "13*-

'&&%

"%3*"5*$ )6/( &$)05*%&

7":&3 1.

4"563%": 5) "13*-

.0/(3&-4 $3044

*//4.065) #-"$, +&464

7*-*'*&3 1.

61$0.*/( 4)084

5) .": .*$, 5)0."4 611&3 30." 45 #3*4#"/& #&&5-&#"3#00,*/(4!(."*- $0.

TIME OFF â&#x20AC;˘ 33

WED 18 Amy Janson, Flood Dog, Stephan Carmichael Elephant & Wheelbarrow August Burns Red, Blessthefall, Northlane The Hi-Fi D 3 Amigos Latin Dance Party Casablanca Ingrid James Trio, John Reeves, Andrew Shaw Limes Hotel Le Party Soul, DJ Redbeard, Bottlecock, Gravel Samwidge Ric’s Liam Bryant, Sean Harper, Jye Whiteman, Lachy Stewart, W.A.T.C.H., Fadi Fawaz, J Free, Ricky D, Vita & Juicy Chalk Hotel Mal Wood The Bowery Mark Sheils Royal George Old King Jones, The M-Humm, Curlew The Zoo Paperbok, Big Dead, Bedlands Black Bear Lodge The Quims, Brodie Graham The Tempo Hotel Tyson & Rob Fiddlers Green

THU 19 Albare The Old Museum - Brisbane Alibrandi, Awaken I Am, Goodnight Midnight, Vincent Kemp & The Dead Lovers The Zoo Dave Ritter Logan Diggers Club Galapagoose Bar Soma Galaxstare Brisbane Jazz Club Graeme Norris Quartet, Lachlan Bell Trio Turnaround Jazz Club I Can’t Believe It’s Not The Satellites The Bowery Jay & Silent Bob The Tivoli Kurtis Blow Mustang Bar Kye Cole, Southerly Change, Blind Dog Donnie The Music Kafe Mace Fibber Magee’s, Toowoomba Mike Cooper, Anonymeye, Joel Stern, Lawrence English Judith Wright Centre of Performing Arts Sam Cahill, Chris Miller Elsewhere Science Project, Speaker Wrath, Voodoo Dred, Atlas, Sauce, Walrii The Beetle Bar Screaming Eaglets, Who Is John The Tempo Hotel Seen DJs Bowler Bar Sugarcane Collins Hogs Breath Café, Mooloolaba The Familiars, The Max Quintet Ric’s The Quadratic Contingency Glass Bar & Restaurant The Woohoo Revue The loft Chevron Island Van She, The Belligerents Oh Hello!

34 • TIME OFF

Woody Inc Elephant & Wheelbarrow Yale, Art Of Sleeping, Plaindromes Black Bear Lodge

FRI 20 Afro-Disa, Joe T, DJ Misqo, DJ Levi, Que Saudade Casablanca Alex Jones, Le Groove, Jung Hearts, Autopilot Chalk Hotel Blank Realm, Kitchen’s Floor, Circular Keys, BSR DJs Black Bear Lodge Brad Lee, Ramjet Elephant & Wheelbarrow Cassie Godbold Trio QPAC Playhouse Green Craig Roberts, DJ Flash Platinum Nightclub Double Jack CBX Ed & Eddy Fibber Magee’s, Toowoomba Gerard Mapstone, The Residents Brisbane Powerhouse Half Past Ten Murrumba Downs Tavern Hob Raddin, Blind Dog Donnie The Music Kafe Hoodoo Gurus, The Sonics, The 5.6.7.8’s The Tivoli In Element, Shifting The Paradigm, Kyzer Soze, Soul Illusion, Monstrothic Jubilee Inland Sea, Alone With Wolves, Le Cheile The Loft Chevron Island James Fox Coolangatta Sands Hotel Jodie Joy Pescatore Wine Bar and Restaurant Kobra Kai, TD Shagga, ABLE, Tweak, Munkybar, Lincoln, De La Haye Woodland Lil’ Fi Brisbane Jazz Club Luke Million Bowler Bar Margins, Dreamtime, The Scrapes, Gareth Edwards Jugglers Art Space Mark Easton West End Nervo The Met Nick & Sal Gazebo Restaurant, Hotel Urban Out Of Abingdon Diana Plaza Hotel Pete Murray Magnums Hotel Pigeon Cataclysm Sol Bar, Maroochydore Pond, The Laurels Alhambra Lounge Rates, Skeamo, Kerser, The Local Residents The Tempo Hotel Sandra Beynon and Sean Mullen Duo J’s Restaurant & Bar - Toowong Six60, The Mank, Saskwatch The Hi-Fi Stonefield, The Delta Riggs, Kingswood The Zoo Sugarcane Collins Hogs Breath Café, Noosa Heads Test Pattern Prince of Wales Hotel

The Darren J Ray Quartet City Golf Club Toowoomba The Dunhill Blues, Steve Smyth, DJ Valdis, DJ Strex Ric’s The Good Ship, Rattlehead, Astrid and the Asteroids The Beetle Bar Tyson & Shake Newmarket Hotel Van She, The Moderns, The Belligerents, Audun, Stretch Paper Cranes Elsewhere

SAT 21 Afro-Disa, Joe T, DJ Misqo, DJ Levi Casablanca Afternoon Acoustics, The Figures, Brizband, Dillon James The Music Kafe Alison Wonderland Bowler Bar Almost Famous, Disko Diva, Andee, Pete Smith, Nick Galea, Flash, MR Sparkle, Roman The Met Barksdale Brass Band, DJ Checkers Black Bear Lodge Beth & Ben Sol Bar, Maroochydore Brett Sellwood, Giv Elsewhere Brisbane Youth, Walk In Our Shoes Brisbane Parklands Amphitheatre Dark Lab Prince of Wales Hotel Dumbsaint, Margins, Turnpike, No Anchor, Violent Soho Tym Guitars Harmonic Generator, Forever The Optimist, 1.1.1., Edge of Red The Beetle Bar Hemi Kingi Duo, The Gabba The Morrison Hotel Hits, Dunhill Blues, Slug, Antibodies Uni Bar, Southern Cross In Element Miami Tavern Jezza Manly Hotel Mark Easton Bangalow Hotel Mark Lanegan The Tivoli Mark Sheils Victoria Point Sharks Misinterprotato, A Love Supreme Superband, Temmanya Si Deva Brisbane Powerhouse Turbine Platform Nervo Platinum Nightclub Perspektiv, Sub Inc, Quiet Child The Tempo Hotel Pigeon, Chinatown Carpark Alhambra Lounge Pond, The Laurels Great Northern Hotel Byron Bay Rattlehand, Jungle Giants Rocking Horse Records Rhubarb & Family Watkins, RAMJET Elephant & Wheelbarrow Scott & Charlene’s Wedding, Absolute Boys, Angel Eyes, Primitive Motion DJ set Judith Wright Centre

Screens, Dumbsaint, Vayer, Clearing The Old Museum - Brisbane Stonefield, The Delta Riggs, Kingswood Kings Beach Tavern Sue Bond Jazz Quintet Brisbane Jazz Club Sunset Riot, The Flannelette, DJ Valdis, DJ Cutts Ric’s The Anchormen, Monique Unique, That Swedish Guy, Tyson Stylus Chalk Hotel The Children of the Revolution Brisbane Powerhouse The Darren J Ray Trio Kedron Wavell Services Club The Febs Fibber Magee’s, Toowoomba The Medics The Zoo The Vamps, Thin White Lines, Davina Drinan, Steve Jevne The Loft Chevron Island The Woohoo Revue The JOYnt Tyson & Shake Hamilton Hotel Van She, Mitzi & The Belligerents, And Oh!, Easy P Afends HQ

SUN 22 Adrian Cunningham Brisbane Jazz Club Amber & Co., Bubble Boys Elephant & Wheelbarrow Chanel Lucas, Pirate Brides New Farm Bowls Club Drawcard, Countdown to Armageddon, The Art of Her, The Secret Whisper, Skinwalkers, Take Us To Vegas, Lafayette, Place your bets, Midnight In Alaska Alexandra Headlands Skate Park Fundraiser BBQ, Some Jerks, The Dangermen, Gravel Samwidge The Beetle Bar Horis, Royal Blood, Blonde On Blonde The Tempo Hotel IMYU Eat Tofu Ric’s Kev Borman, Afternoon Acoustics, Emily Barker, Istanbul Gypsy Groove, Trash & Treasure The Music Kafe Kim Churchill, Microwave Jenny, Benjalu Black Bear Lodge Mick Medew & The Rumours, The Incredible Strand Brisbane Powerhouse Owie, Dave Ritter Fibber Magee’s, Toowoomba Salsa Seduction, Zouk Lambarda Casablanca Simon York, Locky, Booster, Laika, Jung Hearts, Autopilot, Andrew Daniels Chalk Hotel Snobs, Stretch Paper Cranes Elsewhere Steve Trubble Southern Hotel Toowoomba

SIX PACK

THE DUNHILL BLUES

TOY BOATS

AFTER A BIG YEAR ON THE ROAD DELIVERING THE HARD TRUTH, THE DUNHILL BLUES HAVE TURNED THEIR EXPERIENCES INTO SONG. DAN DUNHILL SPINS A YARN WITH BENNY DOYLE.

SINGER/GUITARIST HUGO COSTIN– NEILSEN, AKA TOY BOATS, TALKS TO TONY MCMAHON ABOUT PLAYING A SERIES OF RECORD STORE SHOWS TO PROMOTE HIS TERRIFIC DEBUT EP, DIAMOND TEETH.

“On our way to Darwin last year Tilly Dunhill and I boosted a couple of lifejackets from the plane,” the frontman regales. “Where we were staying had a pool so we invented a game where you had to ride them like a bull. Jeff Dunhill was the best by far – he never got bucked. So I just wrote a song about that called Lifejacket Rodeo. I also wrote a country song last year called Stickers. It’s about how I try to get a sticker from each town we play in for my wife who’s always stuck home watching our kids. [It’s a] piss poor substitute really.”

“When there was talk about going into the studio to record I already had a few songs written that I wanted on the EP,” says Costin-Neilsen; talking about the approach he took to recording his debut. “This process of using only the songs I was 100 percent happy with took up a bit more time but I’m really happy that I did it, because it allowed me to achieve something I’m really happy with instead of something that’s just roughly slapped together. If this is what I will always be remembered for I’m more than fine with it.”

Don’t let Dunhill’s anecdotes fool you – this band means business. The sound of The Dunhill Blues is simply chaos in motion. Their crossfire of rockabilly, punk and blues recalls Little Richard flatlining on Tooheys or Jim Jones with a penchant for bar brawls. It’s volatile stuff and it’s utterly consuming. Dunhill says that a new album is on the cards soon. “We’ve already got the title and the cover worked out and all the songs are written,” he says, “so it’ll still be out before the end of the year no doubt.”

So, why the decision to promote it exclusively through instore performances? According to CostinNeilson, record shops are just cooler places to play.

The sextet will barely be contained when they take to the stage at Ric’s. Simply – strap yourself in for a wild night and let the Dunhill’s light it up. “I like it when the six of us are cramped up,” he admits. Some of the best gigs we’ve done were when there was no room to move, constantly pulling out each other’s leads and knocking over each other’s beers.” WHO: The Dunhill Blues WHEN & WHERE: Friday 20 April, Ric’s Bar

Stonefield, The Delta Riggs, Kingswood Coolangatta Hotel Superstar, Scraps, Primitive Motion The End The Woohoo Revue Nambour Originals

MON 23 Funky Monkey Jam The Music Kafe Mark Sheils Elephant & Wheelbarrow Say Do Now, Sam Luff Ric’s

TUE 24 Amanda Gilmour, Steve Cook, The Lamplights New Farm Bowls Club

themusic.com.au

Amanda Gilmour, Steve Cook, The Lamplights The Bug Andrea Soler, Ruthie Ma Toothie Lavida Restaurant Innessa, Unsought Duke The Tempo Hotel Jezza Fibber Magee’s, Toowoomba Last Dinosaurs The Zoo Love Like Hate, Shiny Shiny Ric’s Pete Murray, Andrew Redford The Tivoli Steve Snow, The Fifty Bags The Music Kafe Tyson Faulkner Fiddlers Green

“Whenever I’ve seen a band play an instore show I’ve really loved the intimacy and feel of it. The intimacy of having nothing between the audience and myself was and is one of the things I most enjoy about playing live and instore shows are a great way of achieving that atmosphere. The shows are all all ages and free as well, which means anyone can come. Something about being in a record store and being surrounded by music and things I love always gets me really ecstatic.” Does one have to approach the way one plays any differently for an instore as opposed to a club gig? Only slightly, it seems. “As it will just be me and an acoustic guitar for most of the shows, it’s definitely a more stripped back feel from playing with a full band or with another guitarist, drummer etc. I try to incorporate different things into the way I play the songs so that they don’t lose any of the interest created with accompaniment.” WHO: Toy Boats WHAT: Diamond Teeth (Resist) WHEN & WHERE: Friday 20 April, Kill The Music (all ages)

ON THE TIME OFF STEREO Simone Felice SIMONE FELICE Family Man SHOOTER JENNINGS Outlaws THE TOOT TOOT TOOTS I Hope I’m Not A Monster CHARLIE HORSE 40 Miler TIM BARRY A Personal Universe THE SCIENTISTS OF MODERN MUSIC Locked Down DR JOHN Deeper In The Well ERIC BIBB Slipstream BONNIE RAITT Psychedelic Africa VARIOUS ARTISTS

A C CE S S O R I E S

E DI TI O N

BLUEJUICE’S JERRY CRAIB ACCESSORISES

ccessory ak’ses(ə)rē (also accessary)noun (pl.-ries) 1. a thing that can be added to something else in order to make it more useful, versatile or attractive. Bluejuice released their third album, Company, late last year, but it’s taken them until April this year to officially launch the disc with a national tour. Bluejuice’s musical director Jerry Craib was kind enough to take some time out from their tour schedule to fill us in on the incidental items that help to make a Bluejuice show come together. It’s time to discuss the glamourous side of music-making and touring... accessories. We’ve all got our favourites. Maybe yours is a mic stand that your older brother’s friend left in your garage in 1998. Maybe it’s a little ‘50s suitcase with brass latches that you keep your cables and spare 9-volt power supply in. Here are three of mine. Wooden keyboard case - Firstly a wooden keyboard case, painted black, covered in stickers and held together by gaff. It’s the only rock and roll thing I own. It’s lined on the inside with red velvet. It has brass latches. It’s falling apart. In fact it has always been falling apart. It will continue to fall apart, slowly. That is its beauty. It will outlive me. Why so? Gaff! More on gaff later. Guitarists and bassists carry ‘axes’. Drummers hit the skins. Frontmen belt out the hits. Keyboard players … play the keyboards… just not that cool. However, for those solitary few moments when I’m unpacking my keys from its case, I’m Eddie Van Halen playing Jump, kinda cool. Keith Richards would be proud to be buried in my keys case. Modern digital keyboards, unlike guitars and

PICKS, CABLES, STANDS, TOOLS, ROAD CASES, CAPOS, GAFFA TAPE … COLLECTIVELY KNOWN IN A MUSICIAN’S WORLD AS ACCESSORIES… WHICH HAPPENS TO BE THE THEME OF THIS MONTH’S AUSTRALIAN MUSICIAN FEATURE. WE’RE TALKING THE SMALL BUT ESSENTIAL ITEMS A GIG JUST COULDN’T DO WITHOUT. WHO BETTER TO TELL US ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCESSORIES THAN A WORKING MUSICIAN.

Jake could not put on a show. Gaff has held his microphone to the cable for many years now. Frontman cable swinging wouldn’t be possible without you, gaff. From the bottom of my cold cold pop music heart, I salute you, gaff. www.bluejuice.com.au/

basses are not really customisable. My keyboard is identical to thousands of others. No one has my case though. Not one other stinking muso. I should also mention that the handle on the case is now a wee three-cable-tie gaffpadded jobbie, thanks to the elite handle-breaking skills of our bass player, Jamie. Don’t touch my stuff man. Instrument cable - Second on my accessory super list, is whatever instrument cable I’m currently calling my favourite. You may know what I’m talking about. When you get a cable that rolls perfectly, clicks into the input jack with a reliable clack, never crackles, never fails you. And most importantly, a cable that you can brag (lie) to your mates about and say that you’ve had since Year 10 band practice. With such a cable, inner peace on the stage is reached. A great cable is a badge of honour that you hold dear to your heart. Knowing that you have taken care of something longer than the last seven relationships you’ve had. My current “15 year old” favourite cable I got custom made by Richard from Sydney Sound Cables, a couple of years ago. The cable is Canare, imported from Japan. The connectors are Neutrik, imported from Liechtenstein. Can one tell the difference in sound quality? Not me. Why do I bother buying it? Reliability… maybe. Keeping up with the Jones’… probably. Having something to talk about on the road… most definitely. Us musicians are proud of our custom gear. Each of us wants the best thing, and for no one else (except the bass player on that 1972 Miles Davis album) to own the same thing. It’s the little (ludicrous) things. Finally the king of music industry accessories: Gaff - Gaff is stronger than love and more resilient than custom aluminium road cases. Gaff will laugh in the face of airport baggage handlers. Gaff will bandage your wounds and hold up your banner. Gaff doesn’t require careful handling. Gaff won’t hit on your girlfriend back at the hotel. Gaff is solid. Everything I use has gaff on it. Bluejuice’s current stage show uses fluorescent gaff to decorate all the instruments, stands, amps and hardware. We then get our friend and lighting guru, Eamon, to shine UV light on all of it. Gaff can get pretty when you need it to be. I have an expensive keyboard stand that looks like a Star Trek vessel, but is made like a cheap pair of shoes. Great concept, terrible execution in construction. I’d love a new one as the job it does is irreplaceable. However I just can’t afford a new one every three months. Enter Gaff. Gaff has held this rubbish contraption together way too many times than I care to admit. Thank you gaff. Gaff will tear us apart. Without gaff, our singer

themusic.com.au

Jerry’s Gear • Symphony Upright Piano • Nord Electro 2 • Nord Electro 3 • MicroKorg • Korg R3 • Korg MS2000 • Hohner Pianet T • Casio SA-20 • HG Palmer Chord Organ • Fender Telecaster 72 Thinline Guitar • Martin Traveller acoustic guitar • Yamaha classical guitar • Tobias Growler bass • Mac with Reason • Akai MPK 49

TIME OFF • 35

STRUNG OUT!

What have you used in the past? Elixir strings on my acoustic (13 gauge on the 6, and 10 gauge on the 12 string) because they’ve kept their tone the longest. I learned a trick from a Romanian gypsy of repairing broken strings if they break at the saddle. I got quite good at it, so I could change a string in under a minute on a good night. It kind of became part of the show. Sometimes recycling four or five times each string, I’d see just how many gigs I could do on one set. I think my record was 17 in a row.

STUART FRENCH What kind of strings do you use and why? Fender electric guitar strings because I like the tension and they seem to last me well. String gauge? 10/46 on a Tele and 11/49 on a Gretsch. Worst string stage nightmare? I’ve rarely broken a string but with the odd guitar, if I pick too hard on my high E string, it goes down and gets caught under a fret or the front pickup without my knowing until I go to play that string. And it’s usually in the middle of a solo. Camille and Stuart French’s new album, Big Days & Little Years, available now. www.camilleandstuie.com

are my favorites and open to suggestions. I tend to go for heavy strings, as it’s all about the tone for me. But electric is a whole new world. I keep a Taylor acoustic with old strings on it in the studio. It has a beautiful rich dull tone... You never know when the perfect musical moment will arise. I also have an old Gibson L50 with a P90 in it - it needs a wound ‘G’ which you don’t find in mum and dad music shops in rural Australia. Worth the hunt though - it has a stage presence all its own.

again by recommendation. However, I just found the Slinky strings not to be as vibrant as the Elixir Worst string stage nightmare? I was performing on a very cold night at the Canberra Country Music Festival 2009 and trying to keep my strings in tune in below zero weather proved to be absolutely disastrous. I don’t think we had a single string on stage in tune.

STEPHANIE JANSEN What strings do you use and why? Elixir Custom Light strings, mainly because they last so much longer than regular ones. They have a deep and bright tonal quality I really like and they tend to break much less frequently.

Craig Morrison’s self-titled debut album out now.

Any on stage string nightmare stories? I was playing a gig at the Nambour Entertainment Centre and broke 4 strings at once on my 12-string, having already broken two on my 6. So I finished off the set with harmonica and a stomp box. Luckily I’ve a few written for this format. Paul’s new album, Behind The Stars, out now. www.paul-greene.com

What used in the past? I’ve used Elixir strings since I was about 11 years old. My dad, who taught me to play guitar, has always used them and swears by them. I’ve used other brands on rare occasions out of necessity, but feel they’ve never stacked up to Elixirs, so now I always make sure I carry spare sets.

www.craigmorrisonmusic.com

Worst string stage nightmare? I once broke a string during the first song of a major gig, with no spare guitar. Terrible! Fortunately a stage tech came to the rescue whilst I engaged the crowd with some light-hearted banter. Stephanie’s EP, risky, out now. www.stephaniejansen.com.au

LUKE YEOWARD (King Cannons) What strings do you use and why? Fender Super Bullet strings on my Fender Esquires and Telecasters. I hit my guitar pretty hard as a rhythm guitarist, but I also do some lead work from time to time, so the heavy bottom, light top .010.052 gauge works best for me. These strings have a bullet end, nickel-plated steel for a brighter tone and longer sustain. Pretty simple, I love the tone and the feel of them. I have used other strings in the past, but these ones are the best for me. King Cannons new album due mid year. www.kingcannons.com

CRAIG MORRISON What strings do you use and why? I use Elixir. A good musician friend put me onto them a while ago and I’ve never looked back. They have a beautiful sound and Elixir strings seem to really last. I used Slinkys by Ernie Ball in the past,

36 • TIME OFF

TRISTAN GOODALL (The Audreys) Type of strings he uses and why? It’s a little pedestrian but for my main electric guitar on stage I use good old D’Addarios. I play a Gibson ES-135 that has a trapeze tailpiece and some other brands just aren’t long enough. I favour the light top/ heavy bottom custom gauge for a thick, warm sound.

BLACK FOX

What have you used in the past? As a youngster in the ‘80s I favoured the Dean Markley Blue Steel cryogenically-frozen strings but soon grew out of that little gimmick! Any on stage string nightmare stories? Oh yeah, way too many to recount here and mostly involving my ‘60s banjo or Taasha’s delightful but temperamental ukulele. The Audreys new album, Collected, out now. www.theaudreys.com.au

PAUL GREENE What strings do you use and why? I’ve recently changed from being an acoustic player to electric on my new album (6 and 12 string - separately obviously). So I’m back to the drawing board on what

themusic.com.au

As a band, we’ve always used D’Addario XL Nickel Wound strings. Initially, it wasn’t a conscious decision. The studio we rehearse at only sold those strings, so that’s what we played. They were always super cheap too. I must say, however, the D’Addarios have served us well over the years. We all have really different playing styles too. Leigh likes to play really hard, so needs a guitar string that’s willing to cop a flogging in the name of a good time. Daniel, Andrei and I are quite lazy when it comes to changing strings so if we can slap on a set and still have them sounding good in six months, we’re happy. www.weareblackfox.com

“N

ow roll them cases out and lift them amps/ Haul them trusses down and get’em up them ramps/ ‘Cause when it comes to moving me/ You guys are the champs,” wrote Jackson Browne in his song dedication to his road crew The Load Out from his 1977 album, Running On Empty. Anyone who has witnessed the set-up of a major concert or even local pub gig would realise how much work is involved in show’s production. With so much going on, and usually in a hurry, you would also realise the potential for error and the importance of good quality gear to withstand the rigours of a show’s preparation. Noel Bennett has worked in the industry since the early ‘70s, loading in and out artists such as Max Merritt, Brian Cadd and Grace Knight and was the front of house sound guy for the Little River Band for eight years. Bennett believes one of the most important accessories a musician needs to consider is the roadcase in which your gear travels. “I’ve seen necks snapped off guitars because they have been put into soft cases and put into the back of a truck. I’ve seen a two-inch alloy pole gone through a Roland digital piano. Roadcases are essential,” says Bennett. Well-travelled guitar tech Joe Yammouni recalls a 1973 Gibson Goldtop Deluxe arriving at a gig in Asia with a broken headstock and damage to all the controls. It was packed in a standard guitar case rather than a sturdy flight case; hence the damage. While even a flight case is not a guarantee of a damage-free trip, it certainly increases your chances of your gear remaining intact. Colin Pedlar is another roadie with a fine rock pedigree, having worked with The Screaming Jets, The Angels and Jimi Hocking. He’s seen plenty of amplifiers take some hard falls off the back of trucks, but if they’ve been secured in a good case, the damage has been minimal. “Most of the cases I have dealt with are custom-made and they do what they’re supposed to do,” says Pedlar. Bennett agrees. “The ones with foam lining, ply and good quality outer casing, whether hardened plastic or there was a period where they made them with thin metal and vinyl… as long as they are rigid and the items inside don’t move around, you should be right.” However, it’s not just the venue where your gear can come under fire; airports can be a place of much grief for many musicians. Melbourne-based roadie Alex Saad explains. “I used to see cases thrown out of aeroplanes. This is going back to the ‘80s but it wouldn’t have mattered what sort of case it was or what was in them, they would have been damaged.

all going anti clockwise. When you wire them into a plug you wire them anti-clockwise. When you wind up a cable, you are meant to go over and under, to stop it from twisting. You should wind from the male end always and always over and under, not around your elbow. Elbows are for ropes!” Bennett suggests that you not only purchase quality cables, but also look after them: “Keep them clean. Make sure you take any labelling tape off them. Coil them correctly. Don’t tie them in knots, use a bit of insulation tape to secure them.”

THE GEAR SHIFT NOBODY KNOWS MORE ABOUT STAGE GEAR THAN AN EXPERIENCED ROADIE. THEY’RE THE ONES WHO TRANSPORT IT, PLACE IT ON STAGE AND THEN REMOVE IT NIGHT AFTER NIGHT. WHEN AUSTRALIAN MUSICIAN WANTED TO KNOW A THING OR TWO ABOUT MUSIC ACCESSORIES, WE WENT STRAIGHT TO THE SOURCE AND SPOKE WITH SOME OF AUSTRALIA’S BUSIEST ROADIES ABOUT CASES, STANDS, CABLES AND GAFFA. I think today though people are more aware of getting the correct case for their instrument.” Airlines such as Virgin and Qantas have recently relaxed luggage fees for musicians so that it isn’t as expensive to travel now with your gear. However this obviously still does’t ensure its safety. A couple of international musicians had such bad experiences with airlines and their belongings that they took revenge in song. Travelling on an airline from Sydney to Byron Bay, American roots guitarist Dale Watson was so frustrated at losing a box of CDs that he’d paid more than $600 in excess baggage fees to transport, that he penned a song called ‘We Don’t Careways’. The YouTube clip received over 17,000 hits and the airline paid Watson over $2,500 in compensation within hours of the clip going live. Canadian musician Dave Carroll aimed his anger at United Airlines with his none too subtle song, ‘United Breaks Guitars’, after witnesses had seen airline ground staff flinging guitar cases recklessly around the tarmac. The overriding theme in much of what these roadies had to say is the importance of quality accessories, particularly your cables. “The last thing you want is a bad cable letting down some part of the signal chain. If you know your cables are top quality, then it’s easier to do the fault finding. If you have a bunch of cheap cables in the system, as soon as something goes wrong, it makes the fault finding so much harder,” says Pedlar. “As long as they are rolled up correctly, under and over, they don’t get the twists.” Alex Saad has a more technical view of the significance of a properly wound cable. “Cables are interesting because not many people know how to wind a cable properly. A cable is made from the male end to the female end. For example, a 240 volt cable, like a normal extension cable, they’re made with the wires

Of all the accessories we got to speak about with our road gents, the item they got most excited about was gaffa tape! Bennett recalls, “I remember the days when we didn’t use gaffa and the stages were very messy. People would get caught up in them. It can be used for so many things. I’ve seen situations where if there weren’t enough ratchett straps, the gaffa would hold the PA together or hold mic stands together.” Saad suggests gaffa now has some competition. “Gaffa is good for holding down cables but I think electrical tape use is almost as popular as gaffa for keeping stuff tidy. Gaffa is good for stuff on the floor. Electrical tape holds stuff on trusses and holds audio cables together.” However despite its foibles, Pedlar’s allegiance remains with the trusted gaffa tape. “Gaffa can fix just about anything. It can solve problems but it can also cause problems. I’ve seen it tear paint off walls and lift carpet off the floor when it’s not supposed to.” Pedlar has also seen some unorthodox use of the tape. “Twenty years ago, a support band did the wrong thing by the main act I was working for. Some members of the main band went backstage and dismantled a guy’s bass… took the neck and machine heads off, undid the pickups. They took everything out and wrapped it up in one giant ball of gaffa. It was a bit of a lesson to the support band. A gig’s road crew has enough to think about without musicians adding to their grief with problems which they really should have sorted out themselves.” Our roadies were keen to share some final gems of advice - don’t forget to pack your strings and batteries for a gig. Bring your own power leads. Don’t tap on your microphone. Don’t lean on the mic stand and certainly don’t twirl it above your head. You’ve been told!

ARE YOU THE NEXT

RØDE ROCKER? THE SEARCH IS ON. Think you’ve got what it takes to make it big? RØDE is looking for the very best unsigned artists around the world in the ‘RØDE Rocks’ talent search.

WIN

A 3-DAY STUDIO RECORDING SESSION AT RECORD PLANT HOLLYWOOD, OR AN AMAZING STUDIO PRIZE PACK!

Visit roderocks.com and you could be on your way to Record Plant in Hollywood to record with all-star producer Alain Johnnes (Chris Cornell, Queens of the Stone Age, Arctic Monkeys, Them Crooked Vultures)!

RODEROCKS.COM themusic.com.au

TIME OFF • 37

A CASE FOR QUALITY

or a musician, your gear is your most important asset and consequently needs to be protected from the hardships of baggage handlers, over-enthusiastic roadies and constant gigging. It’s important to transport your instruments in cases that will guarantee their survival. So, rather than just accept the traditional case options on the market, why not consider something unique to your needs and appealing to your eye?

he Guitar Jack 2 from Sonoma Wire Works is basically a device used to connect an instrument, mic or any other audio hardware (such as a mixer) to your iPad or iPad 2, iPhone 4 or iPod Touch. The fun and games commence once you’re connected and can access the apps to create your music. In reviewing the Gear Jack 2, we really only need to know a couple of key things: is the construction solid and is the signal it emits clear and strong? The answer to both is a resounding yes!

Brisbane-based roadcase manufacturer www.cases.com. au is not a large company but that’s the way they like it. It means they can provide high-quality products and personalised service. The guys at www.cases.com.au have been in the case business for a long time, boast a combined experience of over 50 years and are acutely aware what their customers want. www.cases.com. au was established with the merger of two distinctly different companies: Blue Cat Case company, which was a manufacturer of custom cases, and Go Case, which was an importer of racks, packing cases and briefcases. Having both custom fabrication and off the shelf imports has been a winning combination for them as they roll into their tenth year of operations. Their cases are produced using a mix of cuttingedge technology and good old-fashioned blood, sweat and tears, constructed partly by hand and partly by robotics-based machinery. The best aspect of what www.cases.com.au do is they can custom design cases to your specific needs. Their innovative design team can create a case for you that is not only durable, but cleverly constructed using only the best quality components. Cases may feature drawers, compartments, shelves and shaped foam. Whatever you need, they can include. www.cases.com.au work with a wide variety of companies developing product for stage, computer industry, audio and broadcast industries. Cases can be constructed for any musical situation, catering for guitars, amps, racks, pedal boards, amp heads and combos, keyboards, synths, drums, mixers and DJ gear. In fact, if it hasn’t been made and you need it, then www.cases.com.

REVIEW: SONOMA WIRE WORKS GEAR JACK 2

au will look forward to the challenge of helping you. Handles and castors can be attached to make these cases as user-friendly as possible. Not only are the cases as sturdy as they should be, but also innovative in design. You may add logos or artwork of your choice to sync in with your company/band image. The purchase of a roadcase is an important investment, so why not take the time to chat with the guys at www.cases. com.au, discuss your needs and give them the opportunity put forward some no obligation options.

A solidly built aluminium unit quite weighty for its size, its features include a 1/4” instrument input with configurable Pad, Lo-Z and Hi-Z modes, and a 1/8” stereo output with increased drive for your headphone and a 1/8” stereo mic/ line input with Pad, Normal and Boost modes. Each input offers 60dB of continuous level control. The unit has four rubber pads on the bottom so it can sit tight and flush with a table surface. Probably one of the only negatives is the only thing holding the Gear Jack 2 to your IOS device is the docking connector itself. You need to be mindful of knocking the unit while in use, as movement may result in loss of signal connection. Perhaps any future mods to the Gear Jack could include some kind of clip device to hold it secure or even a wide rubber band would do the trick. However if the unit is placed out of harm’s way, there shouldn’t be any issues. Cables snap snuggly into the metal inputs without a hitch and the unit docks into your IOS device quite easily too. Design-wise, the polished metal unit looks like an extension of your iPhone.

guitar brand-specific app), Four Track (a multitrack recording app which is not free) and Studio Track (multitrack recording software you’ll also have to pay for). You can also use other music apps. To begin, you need to plug the Guitar Jack 2 in before launching an app. The Guitar jack control panel can be found under Song Tools in the Four Track app. Once connecting an instrument or microphone to the unit, the sound quality is faultless with no dropouts, hiss or interference of any kind noticeable. Guitar Jack 2 is one of many IOS connectors available on the market now, but this one just seems to be more solid and rates high on sound quality too, producing true, realistic tones. You won’t find a product manual with the unit, merely a few beginner instructions on the packaging; however, it really doesn’t warrant one. There’s not much to know before you’re connected and creating music. At $199, it’s more expensive than some, but you get what you pay for; solid construction and perfect sound reproduction. www.innovativemusic.com.au

Four Guitar Jack enhanced apps are recommended for use but don’t come automatically; you’ll need to download them. These include Guitar Tone (a free app featuring amps and effects), Taylor EQ (a free Taylor

The M.I.P.A. 2012 winning H2n features our best microphones yet and is the only portable recorder with five mic capsules onboard. The H2n offers four unique recording modes: Mid-Side (MS) stereo, 90° X/Y stereo, 2-channel and 4-channel surround sound. Pictured actual size. Newly designed user interface. Bigger and brighter LCD screen. Five new mic capsules. USB 2.0 interface. Analog Mic Gain for precision volume control. Edit audio onboard. Onboard reference speaker and stereo output. New data recovery function. 20 hours of battery life. Create stunning 360° surround sound recordings. Linear PCM recording at up to 24bit/96kHz quality. Broadcast Wave Format support. 32GB SDHC card support. WaveLab LE software included for editing and mastering. Two Year Warranty when purchased from Authorised Australian dealers

facebook.com/ZoomAustralia

The first portable Mid-Side recorder 38 • TIME OFF

themusic.com.au

dynamicmusic.com.au

AUSTRALIA’S NO.1 STREET PRESS

NOW AVAILABLE FREE AT THE TAP OF A SCREEN

t LISTEN TO TRACKS t WATCH INTERVIEWS t BUY TICKETS t INTERACTIVE STORIES t LIVE CONTENT UPDATES www.themusic.com.au Apple and iPad are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. TIME OFF • 39

BEHIND THE LINES WITH MICHAEL SMITH

ALLANS PRO TOOLS CLINIC Hosted by Avid Australia and presented by Drew Parsons, Allans Music + Billy Hyde is giving you the chance to get better acquainted with Pro Tools 10 with a free clinic, 6pm Tuesday 1 May at the Queen Street Mall store. Get the info on everything you need to compose, record, edit and mix high-quality audio. Parsons and Pro Tools 10 will show you how to get the best sounding mixes possible, quickly and easily.

BC RICH COFFIN CASES B.C. Rich, a name synonymous with metal guitars, is thrilled to have an association with the legendary Coffin cases. These cases have been especially designed in conjunction with Coffin cases to give you the most features possible for storing and transporting your B.C. Rich instruments. The Coffin-shaped cases have the B.C. Rich logo in white on the outside with very rugged hard vinyl. There is contrasting red and black velvet interior emblazoned with the B.C. Rich logo. Other features include raised neck support, versatile Velcro block for a custom-tight fit of any B.C. Rich model, a roomy storage compartment, two supportive neck rests and a raised fingerboard padding in the top of the case. Available in three sizes.

DEREK RODDY DRUM CLINIC Derek Roddy is probably best known as the brutal force behind Death Metal pioneers Hate Eternal, Malevolent Creation, Nile and Serpentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rise. Roddy broke new ground as a music educator with his 2006 instructional book, The Evolution of Blast Beats, which he followed up in 2009 with an instructional DVD titled Blast Beats Evolved. So you can imagine what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be in for when he comes to Allans Music + Billy Hydeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Southport store Monday 7 May to perform live and celebrate 60 years of Meinl cymbals. It kicks off 7pm, and tickets are $10.

VALE JIM MARSHALL Jim Marshall, the name on the amp behind most of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great rock guitarists, lost his battle with cancer Thursday 5 April, at the age of 88. Marshall began his working life in a number of different jobs but it was his passion for engineering, which he taught himself, and drumming, which got him a gig in a jazz dance orchestra in the late 1940s, that would eventually lead to his building the amplifier with which he became synonymous. By the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;50s, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d saved enough money to start his own business building loudspeaker cabinets for musicians, but it was setting up a musical instrument outlet in West London, initially specialising in drumkits that saw him become the go-to place for the emerging Beat Boom drummers, who inevitably brought along the rest of their bands. Young guitarists were looking for an amp that sounded bigger than the Fenders and Voxs then on the market, so teaming up with his shop repairman Ken Bran and EMI technician Dudley Craven, Marshall started working on what would become the Marshall. It took six goes but, opportunely, by 1964, Marshall had opened an amplifier and speaker cab factory knocking out 20 amps a week. The new breed of guitarists â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Clapton, Jeff Beck, Pete Townsend, Jimmy Page and so on â&#x20AC;&#x201C; were soon putting Marshall stacks behind them, as did a young American, new in town, named James Marshall Hendrix. The rest, as they say, is history.

www.promusicaustralia.com

DEAN MARKLEYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LOVE POTION #9

GHS BASS FLEA SIGNATURE

Dean Markley recently announced the reintroduction of their original guitar care polish, Love Potion #9. The polish is available from music retailers worldwide. Gentle enough for daily use, Love Potion #9 is a simple, efficient way to care for all wood-crafted instruments. Applied daily, the concentrated formula provides streak-free lustre and shine and extends the life of the instrument. www.cmi.com.au

RESEALABLE MULTI-PACKS GHS Strings continues its innovative approach to packaging with the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first resealable guitar string package. GHS Strings â&#x20AC;&#x153;Multiâ&#x20AC;? 5-Packs and 2-Packs are sealed at the factory for freshness in a tamper-proof package. The exclusive package design includes built-in zipper lock which allows the user to remove only the packs required at a given time and then reseal the package to maintain freshness. The GHS facility is 100 per cent humidity controlled with state-of-the-art equipment and highly skilled technicians ensure factory freshness in every airtight Fresh Pack produced. Each Electric Guitar Boomers and Acoustic Phosphor Bronze Multi-Pack of guitar strings has two extra High E strings, free. Bass Boomers Multi-Packs include two complete sets of bass strings. These packs easily fit into any guitar case and are available in a variety of gauges. www.dynamicmusic.com.au

GHS strings are now proudly endorsing The Chili Peppersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Flea. He uses the tried and true formula of GHS Bass Boomers. GHS Bass Boomers are a Nickel-Plated Steel wrap wire with a special combination of Stainless Steel and Nickel Plate on the low E string. The unique Boomer hex core gives this string added strength. The Red Hot Chili Peppers count on Flea to provide that hard-driving bottom end and these strings are a crucial part of that signature sound. www.dynamicmusic.com.au

ESP STOOL AND STRINGS OFFER Anyone purchasing an ESP or LTD 100 series guitar, can now also acquire a quality ESP guitar stool and set of Dean Markley Helix strings, valued at $138, for just $19.95. Offer is open until June 30, 2012. The guitars themselves are on special too, with discounts of up to 40 per cent off. www.cmi.com.au

GRABAXE

K&M IPAD HOLDER RANGE More and more people are using their iPads for use on stage, whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s for set lists, lyrics or score chord charts. But where do you put them on stage? K&M have come up with a range of holders that either attach to the thread of your mic stand or clamp onto the upright of your mic or music stand www.trc.com.au

Released back in 2008, GrabAxe provides excellent protection for your guitars on stage. The only safer place is in your guitar case! GrabAxe can be used in conjunction with your guitar stand, acting as a safety belt, or replace your stand for more stage room. GrabAxe is small and lightweight. Fits in your pocket, gig gag or case, and can be left on your amp! GrabAxe can secure up to four guitars to your amp at one time (one per package)! GrabAxe comes with the main strap, side mount adapter and deck pad.

K&M 16150 GUITAR HOLDER

www.eastgatemusic.com

www.trc.com.au

One of the biggest problems when performing live is lack of stage space. The KM 16150 allows you to hang your guitar from your mic stand. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s even a space for two picks in the rubber ring that protects the back of your guitar from the stand.

GUITAR GEAR GGT301 HEADSTOCK GUITAR TUNER The Guitar Gear GGT301 Headstock Guitar Tuner is a new fully-featured headstock tuner for guitar, with an amazingly bright and easy-to-read display that makes it so much easier for you to get into tune quickly. The GGT301 is chromatc, so you can tune to whatever you like, and is sure to be an essential part of your guitar gear arsenal from now on! Just add one of our 25 pick mega packs and it will also ship free! RRP $29 www.guitar-gear.com.au

W NE ION IT D E

% !

% 55.00

DECEMBER

2011 #47

Order your copy of AMID now! VISIT WWW.THEMUSIC.COM.AU/STORE 40 â&#x20AC;˘ TIME OFF

themusic.com.au

ORD ER NOW

VIC FIRTH ESSENTIALS STICK BAG Cleverly designed to hold four or five implements, a hook-and-strap system allows for secure suspension from the floor tom or snare. An internal pocket and elastic drum key loop make the bag complete! www.musiclink.com.au

HISCOX HARDCASES ERNIE BALL COBALT STRINGS Ernie Ball’s Cobalt strings are a significant new product for guitarists and bass players. As soon as you string up a guitar or bass with Cobalts – before even plugging it in - you can feel the difference (smoother, more buttery feel). Once you plug in, you immediately hear added punch and extended frequency response. Ernie Ball Cobalt Strings are a new spin on Ernie Ball’s best-selling set of strings, which have been played by the likes of Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Steve Vai and many more. Engineered to maximize output and clarity, Ernie Ball Cobalt Slinky Guitar Strings are the latest innovation in string technology. Seeking to provide guitarists and bassists with a new voice, Cobalt strings provide an extended dynamic range, incredible harmonic response, increased low end and crisp, clear highs. Cobalt provides a stronger magnetic relationship between pickups and strings than any other alloy previously available. Cobalt Slinkys are also soft and silky to the touch, making string bending a breeze.

GALACTIC GL004 MUSIC DUAL LED LIGHT With the Galactic Music clip-on LED, you can perform everywhere from concert halls to jazz clubs with some extra light to see what you’re playing. It features dual goosenecks and multi-directional beams for adjustability over a wide variety of applications. Simply press one of the buttons on each individual LED light head to turn on a single or dual LED light. The Music LED runs on the three AAA batteries included or can be connected via the USB adaptor to a laptop or computer. RRP $20

Established in 1985, Hiscox Cases Ltd. is the brainchild of Brynn Hiscox, a professional guitar maker. Being acutely aware of the lack of quality cases on the market, he used his engineering background to design a case that stood up to his exacting requirements. Brynn’s customers demanded cases that had higher protection but with less weight. Pro Music, Hiscox’s Australian distributor, imports a wide range of their gear including a variety of cases for guitar, mandolin, sax and other horns, violin and cello. Guitar cases are custom-made to fit specific brands too including Fender and Gibson, and Hiscox even get as specific as a case for the the Brian May model electric.

GROOVETECH JACK AND POT WRENCH Instrument and amp jacks are notorious for coming loose, and with a shallow nut and recessed cavity, access can be challenging. However, the GrooveTech Jack and Pot Wrench provides three thin-wall sockets - 1/2”, 7/16” and 12mm - in a compact 4” tool to handle the most common sizes of jacks and pots on instruments, amps and other audio gear. Add a dab of threadlocker and you’ll probably never have to deal with that loose jack again. Sockets are pro-grade with a dazzling polished chrome finish. GTJPT1 www.trc.com.au

www.promusicaustralia.com

www.galacticmusic.com.au

www.cmcmusic.com.au

BESPECO CABLES Made in Italy, Bespeco produce a quality range of cables and stands, all thanks to their professional and technological research and development, the selection of components and the rigorous quality control at each productive stage. Bespeco offer two options of supply with their cables, either on a reel/roll or factory assembled. This applies to microphone/instrument cable, multicore, speaker cables and electrical mains cable. Assembled cables are neatly presented for effective selling and display, either in an eye-catching cardboard sleeve or in a bag. Either way, these are available in different colours and lengths. Another great feature of Bespeco cables is that they are now equipped with a strap-band, neatly holding the cable in place once folded! The strap-band and (if fitted) the rubber jack, may be personalised with your own name/company logo. www.dynamicmusic.com.au

GUITAR GEAR UGRIP FA10 HAND EXERCISER The uGrip green is light tension. Exercise with caution and be sure not to overextend yourself at first. This is a great hand exerciser for players of any instrument!

VOX ACOUSTIC AMPLUG

Finger-span can be extended by shifting the fourth button. Price? $19.99 RRP

The headphone guitar amp that lets you enjoy serious guitar sound, fast. Jamming late at night? Dont want to wake the neighbours? Maybe you want to work out a lick with your MP3 player without taking the time to set up your amp. You want to play guitar right now. amPlug is the answer. Simply plug this palm-sized headphone guitar amp directly into your guitar and enjoy serious guitar sound anywhere, anytime. Now available in six styles: Lead, Bass, VOX AC30, Classic Rock, Metal and Acoustic. AUX in jack lets you jam along with your CD/MP3 player.

www.kosmic.com.au

http://au.yamaha.com/

Use it to warm up before playing and to strengthen/stretch the fingers. It features unique ergonomic design that allows you to exercise the fingers, wrists and forearms while practising the correct action. Increases finger speed, strength and independence.

GUITAR GEAR UGIG INTERFACE FOR IPHONE IPAD The uGig is an iPhone/iPad interface that allows you to make use of a variety of great guitar apps. There are some great free apps to choose from and the uGig is an affordable way for you to try them all out, have a bit of fun and rock out. The uGig can also plug into your guitar amp, which means you can get your great guitar tones through an amp, or even a PA system if you need a back-up should your amp go down! Just plug the uGig into the device’s headphone jack, your instrument into the uGig and connect the output of the uGig to an amplifier or other device that has line input capability. Then you’re ready to rock! RRP $21 www.guitar-gear.com.au

themusic.com.au

TIME OFF • 41

EMPLOYMENT ADMINISTRATION 15year old bass player looking to join metal or punk band. influences include metallica, slayer, megadeth, anthrax, pantera, ozzy osbourne/black sabbath and many more. email space1996@ hotmail.com

DJ EQUIPMENT DJ/BAND SOUND SYSTEM!!!

iFlogID: 15452

Music publicity. Do you want to get noticed? Affordable exposure for your band by someone that actually cares! www.perfectlywrite.com.au Drop me a line!

iFlogID: 16863

At STRINGS ‘N’ SKINS: You will find tuition for- Guitar, Bass, Drums, Didjeridu, 5 String Banjo. Rock, Blues, Country, Jazz, Slide, Finger Picking, Music Theory. Sutherland Shire. Terry 0402 993 268 iFlogID: 17400

DJ AVAILABLE- ANYTIME www.djzokithefab.com -0416306340 for any dj service club or home or birthday call anytime-GET A REAL DJ NOT MP3 PLAYER OR CRAPPY DOWNLOAD.......VINYL DJ ROCKS iFlogID: 16089

Learn to record pro sounding tracks rock tracks,mixing secrets,mastering made easy and all taught by the pros visit - www.toneartist.com iFlogID: 17923

iFlogID: 15737

2 x Cdj-200 Pioneer and American audio QD6 (Professional preamp mixer), 2 x Professional power amplifier SL 1100 Super x pro high precision 2 way crossover, model cx2310, 2 x Australian technology professional speakers, Fro 1-v2 impedance 8 ohms -800 watts RMS and Hf dispersion, 2 x Stenberg speakers 150 watts, Subwoofer At technologies SB03, Impedance 4 ohms and power 1600 watts RMS All for only $5100 ONO Call Tony 0410118141

iFlogID: 17983

SALES & MARKETING People needed to send eMails offering a new music Book for sale. Must have own computer - payment by commission via Paypal. Contact Bill on (02) 9807-3137 or eMail: nadipa1@yahoo. com.au iFlogID: 13289

FILM & STAGE SOUND & MUSIC RemmosK live in acoustic mode @ The Town & Country Hotel, St Peters 26-04-12 with special guests Aunty Hu Hu and the Big Lazy iFlogID: 18217

FOR SALE CD / DVD Attention Musicians, Record Collectors, Universities, Libraries - new Book (print/cdROM/direct download) compiling 100 years of popular music. GO TO www.plattersaurus.com web-site on how to buy. Enquiries: (02) 9807-3137 eMail: nadipa1@yahoo.com.au iFlogID: 13287

DRUMS WANTED VINTAGE DRUM KIT, old Ludwig, Gretsch etc. Also want vintage snare drums etc. Sydney based but will pay top $ and arrange courier. Ph 0419760940

Get your Band or Business Online Cost effectively and PROFESSIONALLY from $299 including Hosting and email addresses! Contact info@bizwebsites.com.au or see www.bizwebsites.com.au

MUSIC SERVICES DUPLICATION/ MASTERING CD MANUFACTURING:Acme is Australias best price CD manufacturer. 500 CD package = $765.05: 1000 CD package = $1320.00 Short run also available. www.AcmeMusic.com.au KevinW@AcmeMusic.com.au iFlogID: 13117

HIRE SERVICES For as low as $100, you get a professional sound/pa mixer system with operator for the evening. Suitable for weddings, pub/clubs band gigs, private parties etc. Infovision@yayabings.com.au. Contact Chris 0419272196 iFlogID: 15173

MASTERING AMAZING MASTERING OFFER Credited on over 250 million CDs! Many international artists. Get your CD mastered by legendary British engineer Paul Gomersall. Immaculately crafted for just $69 a song! Why? answers@ www.gomersall.com iFlogID: 17952

Audio Mastering, mixing, recording. CD-R music & data duplication, cover artwork, colour disc printing, online global distribution. Full studio package deal for EP or full album projects. Enquiries ph: 02 98905578 iFlogID: 15162

OTHER ++ play more chinese music - love, tenzenmen ++ www.tenzenmen.com iFlogID: 14468

Songwriter - If you want to rhyme I’ve got the time. Jingles, songs, you can’t go wrong. If you’ve got the music, I’ll make it the number 1 pick. Tommy0434021675. = iFlogID: 17080

PA / AUDIO / ENGINEERING Sydney PA Hire: Best quality equipment, small to large 2, 3 and 4 way systems, packages for all occasions, competitive prices servicing Sydney and environs. Details; http://www.sydneypa.biz, Chris 0432 513 479 = iFlogID: 13943

PHOTOGRAPHY Image is everything! If you have a band wanting to get ahead let me capture the next gig. High quality pictures say everything. http://roybarnesphotography.com/ 0414 243 811 iFlogID: 16994

POSTERS GOLD COAST BYRON BAY NORTHERN NSW Poster distribution for touring artists & bands. Fast, efficient & reliable service at a competitive price www.thatposterguy.com.au iFlogID: 17120

RECORDING STUDIOS ALCHEMIX RECORDING STUDIOS Inner Brisbane city Recording Studio. Record, Mix, Master & Duplicate. Established 1998. Large studio with lots of Vintage Gear & the latest in Digital Technology. Obligation free studio tours available,. PH: 0407 630 770 E-Mail: sound@alchemix.com.au WEB: www.alchemix.com.au iFlogID: 17291

RECORDING STUDIO $30ph

iFlogID: 17084

Recording Studio set in the Lockyer Valley Qld. Professional audio engineer to take your music to the wow factor. Reasonable rates.Suit young upcoming bands and solo artists. www.leumasstudios.com.au ph:0754626319 by appointment. iFlogID: 16143

Recording Studio, Parramatta, $30hr casual rate. No kits! Singers, songwriters, instrumentalists for acoustic, world, classical genres specialist. 25+yrs exp, multi instrumentalist, arranger, composer, producer. Ph: 02 98905578, 7 days. iFlogID: 15152

Wavelength Recording. GFC Special. $500/day inc. eng. Classic SSL console, Protools and tape. Big, warm and fat sound. Best sound in town. Cheaper day rates if you B.Y.O. eng. Ph:0404066645 iFlogID: 17442

TUITION Drummer, Lessons Drum Lessons avaliable in Gladesville Teach all Levels,ages & experience.16 years experience. I studied at The Billy Hydes Drumcraft ,Obtained Dipolma in Drummming Mob: 0402 663 469 Michael iFlogID: 17025

ATTENTION: MUSIC CREATORS Contact me for your free chapter of my book “ Chord Voicing for Composers, Arrangers, Songwriters and Pianists”. The complete guide to advance harmony. jdmuspub@gmail.com iFlogID: 16950

Beginners to Advanced Easy and Effective Singing lessong workshops include -Vocal scales - pitch and breathing excercises -singing and learning songs of choice -performance techniques -songwriting

iFlogID: 16430

Eastern Suburbs guitar/ukulele/bass/ slide lessons with APRA award winning composer. Highly experienced, great references, unique individually designed lessons from Vaucluse studio. Learn to play exactly what YOU want to play! www.matttoms.com iFlogID: 16690

VOCAL TUITION AND COACHING In vocal trouble? Want to sing in tune? Bella Musica’s Foundation Technique Course is now open for new pupils. The course covers basic vocal technique and will personally guide you to your goals, amateur or professional. Vocal Coach Meera Belle is an experienced artist and teacher working across all genres from opera to contemporary. Visit www.meerabelle.com to see what singers say about her teaching. Phone 0406 512 162. iFlogID: 17958

VocalHub - Sing like no one is listening! Singing lessons for vocal technique and care, audition tips and repertoire in a encouraging and supportive environment. Visit: http://www.vocalhub.com.au iFlogID: 17102

VIDEO / PRODUCTION D7 STUDIO MUSIC VID FROM $250 music vid $250. Live gig edits, multi angles, fr $125 a set, 1 live track $100. All shot in full HD. d7studio@iinet.net.au 0404716770 iFlogID: 13368

Kontrol Productions is a highly professional production company that specializes in the production of music video’s. We ensure that our products are of the highest industry standards. For enquiries www.kontrolproductions.com iFlogID: 13827

MUSIC PRODUCER Professional, seasoned music producer available for creative and commercial work. Low price, high quality, many genres both organic and electronic. Email for obligation free quote billygreenmusic@gmail.com iFlogID: 18084

LEARN HOW TO SING

iFlogID: 15158

iFlogID: 17548

MUSIC VIDEOS offer a great way to gain exposure. Immersion Imagery has worked with over 30 artists and strives to offer creative quality Music Videos. Visit www.immersionimagery.com or email info@immersionimagery.com for a no obligation quote iFlogID: 18088

MUSICIANS AVAILABLE BASS PLAYER Electric & upright bass. Good gear. Comfortable in most styles. Experience performing live and in the studio. Check out my website if you wanna hear more. http://www.wix.com/steelechabau/ steelechabau iFlogID: 16159

DJ Dj available Dubstep to Drum&bass. Willing & able to adapt to your event. Low hourly rates. Everything negotiable. Easygoing, flexible entertainment. Call for a quote today. KN!VZ Entertainment Group Ph:0415680575 iFlogID: 16661

DRUMMER A1 PRO DRUMMER AVAILABLE for freelance gigs, tours etc. Extensive touring experience, gret time/tempo/ groove, great drum gear and pro attitude. Sydney based but will travel. More info, ph 0419760940. www.mikehague.com iFlogID: 13230

DRUMMER 4-piece established Grunge/Rock band on Gold Coast seeks tight, dedicated drummer. infl. Melvins, Tool, Nirvana, Pumpkins etc. Some bits fast and complex, others reeaal slow. Contact Jason at tpsband@hotmail.com iFlogID: 17392

18 year old guitar player looking to form Rock N’ Roll band. Influences: Guns N’ Roses, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, New York Dolls. Preferably in South. Call Tom on 0401722767.

Experienced drummer with a commitment to practice and regular rehearsals required for Melbourne-based alternative rock band. Influences QOTSA, Foo Fighters, Nirvana… www.myspace.com/mollydredd 0411 372 469

Musician/Guitarist seeking fame. I play blues and have a good ear for melody and improvisation. Im looking for likeminded people who want to start touring. Go to peterbuckley.me

Yo Fuckers! Royal Ace needs a new drummer, were an established rock band wanting you to come bang shit. Check us out and shoot us a message facebook.com/royalaceband PEACE!

GUITARIST

iFlogID: 13358

iFlogID: 18014

OTHER

iFlogID: 16936

iFlogID: 17858

GUITARIST

Guitarist and drummer looking for established Singer/ band with agency backing for working. Originals or covers. All Genres kindjohn@hotmail.com

18 year old guitar player looking for another guitar player. Influences: GN’R, Aerosmith, Zeppelin, New York Dolls. Preferrably someone in the south (Shire). Call Tom on 0401722767

We are a friendly jazz band playing music to any style for romantic situations, weddings, anniversaries, small cozy clubs - very affordable. contact Chris 0419 272 196 ventura@yayabings.com.au

RHYTHM GUITARIST WANTED!

iFlogID: 18058

iFlogID: 15177

SONG WRITER Songwriter - If you want to rhyme I’ve got the time. Jingles, songs, you can’t go wrong. If you’ve got the music, I’ll make it the number 1 pick. Tommy0434021675.

iFlogID: 13407

You MUST be an outstanding male rhythm guitarist! Rehearsing at Wetherill Park, New South Wales. Drummer is forming a fast paced original rock band to get signed to a 360 deal. Must be ambitious, self-motivated, committed, reliable and have a lot of drive. Musical direction: Muse, The Killers, Michael Jackson and AC/DC. Age: 18-30. Only contact me if you want to get signed to a 360 deal! Contact Will: cooleywill2@ hotmail.com iFlogID: 18135

iFlogID: 17078

MUSICIANS WANTED BANDS

iFlogID: 18226

iFlogID: 18102

Professional bass lessons, rock, funk, groove, blues, walking, slap, picking, theory, scales. $50 one hour lessons, $70 hour and half. All Ages (Blue Card), Hamilton, jakefehres@gmail.com or 0405 483 058.

iFlogID: 14261

First 2012 Sydney SoundClouders Meetup featuring live performances from RemmosK and Richard Lawson and DJ sets from MC Swanson to showcase songs, sounds and collaborations.

Ever wanted to learn how to sing or improve on the sweet vocals you already have? Call me today and arrange a free trial lesson! ABN and blue card holder.

Music tuition, classical / flamenco guitar, celtic harp, theory & harmony, arranging. 9am - 9pm, 7 days. Parramatta area. $40 hr, $30 half hr. Mature & patient. Harps for hire. Ph: 02 98905578

TOP INTERNATIONAL DRUMMER available. Great backing vocals, harmonica player and percussionist. Gigs, tours, recording. Private lessons/mentoring also available. www.reubenalexander.net

Indie humstrum and drum open mic night. Every wednesday night from 8pm at the manly hotel. Drums P.A. provided just bring your guitars and sticks. Call Chris for details 0414340954. Cambridge parade Manly iFlogID: 15254

New fresh artists, creatives & musicians wanted for tri annual event, great exposure/networking - must have own equipment, get your name out thereemail chicpetiteevents@hotmail.com iFlogID: 18100

Singer wants band Influences: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Gossip, Janice Joplin, Nina Simone , Misfits Email: Natalierkirby@gmail.com iFlogID: 17976

Young guitar player looking to start metal, punk band. influences include metallica, ozzy, black sabbath megadeth, trivium, bullet, anthrax, slayer slipknot and many many more. email space1996@hotmail.com if interested iFlogID: 17027

BASS PLAYER BASSIST WANTED! You MUST be an outstanding male bassist! Rehearsing at Wetherill Park, New South Wales. Drummer is forming a fast paced original rock band to get signed to a 360 deal. Must be ambitious, self-motivated, committed, reliable and have a lot of drive. Musical direction: Muse, The Killers, Michael Jackson and AC/DC. Age: 18-30. Only contact me if you want to get signed to a 360 deal! Contact Will: cooleywill2@ hotmail.com iFlogID: 18133

SINGER GOSPEL SINGERS WANTED for nondenominational music ministry to record triple-CD in Perth. World-class, passionate and devotional vocalists sought. View www.THE001Music.com for details. Jesus is KIng! Reverend Eslam. God Bless You! iFlogID: 13088

Indie Pop singer wanted for recording of already written songs, for album release and small tour (acoustic duo) .Contact jonathan@thesongshop.com.au iFlogID: 18054

SINGER-SONGWRITER WANTED! You MUST be an outstanding male singer-songwriter! Rehearsing at Wetherill Park, New South Wales. Drummer is forming a fast paced original rock band to get signed to a 360 deal. Must be ambitious, self-motivated, committed, reliable and have a lot of drive. Musical direction: Muse, The Killers, Michael Jackson and AC/DC. Age: 18-30. Only contact me if you want to get signed to a 360 deal! Contact Will: cooleywill2@hotmail.com iFlogID: 18137

SONG WRITER SINGER-SONGWRITER WANTED! You MUST be an outstanding male singer-songwriter! Rehearsing at Wetherill Park, New South Wales. Drummer is forming a fast paced original rock band to get signed to a 360 deal. Must be ambitious, self-motivated, committed, reliable and have a lot of drive. Musical direction: Muse, The Killers, Michael Jackson and AC/DC. Age: 18-30. Only contact me if you want to get signed to a 360 deal! Contact Will: cooleywill2@hotmail.com iFlogID: 18139

SERVICES

Fully Qualified & 8yrs Experience, Thai Massage $49/hr or Sensual Balinese Aroma $69/hr. In/Out calls, Male/Female Welcome. www.takecaremassage.com. au - By Anson 0433646338 iFlogID: 17428

GRAPHIC DESIGN Get your Band or Business Online Cost effectively and PROFESSIONALLY from $299 including Hosting and email addresses! Contact info@bizwebsites.com.au or see www.bizwebsites.com.au iFlogID: 15450

Get your Band or Business Online Cost effectively and PROFESSIONALLY- from $399 including UNLIMITED pages, Logos, Hosting and 5xemail addresses and much more! Contact info@bizwebsites.com.au or see www.bizwebsites.com.au iFlogID: 13864

Limited Edition mens tees and hoodies with a sense of humour. All handscreened and numbered. monstrositystore.com iFlogID: 13611

Your Album Cover?! It’ll look killer with the help of the award winning Wealth & Hellbeing Creative team! Turn your local look into an international standard release: www.wealthandhellbeing.com Call Lix 0405809066 iFlogID: 18086

OTHER Get your Band or Business Online Cost effectively and PROFESSIONALLY from $299 including Hosting and email addresses! Contact info@bizwebsites.com.au or see www.bizwebsites.com.au. iFlogID: 15454

Get your Band or Business Online Cost effectively and PROFESSIONALLY- from $399 including UNLIMITED pages, Hosting and 5xemail addresses and much more! Contact info@bizwebsites.com. au or see www.bizwebsites.com.au. iFlogID: 13862

If you want to use DRUGS, that’s your business If you want to STOP, we can help. Narcotics Anonymous 9519 6200 www.na.org.au iFlogID: 16217

Need to promote your restaurant, club and make it the place to go? Contact us now, because providing good entertainment is a personal skill. Chris 0419 272 196 ventura@yayabings.com.au iFlogID: 15175

What happens when you start paying attention? When you become an active member and start participating in this elusive thing we call life. WWW.WHATISTHEHAPS.COM iFlogID: 17980

TUITION GUITAR TUITION. Bris. 30 yrs experience. Beginners a specialty. 0406017022 iFlogID: 13494

STAND-UP COMEDY WORKSHOP Have fun learning invaluable comedy, presentation & life skills from ARIA nominated Robert Grayson w JJJ Raw Comedy finalists in 3 states in 2011 www.youstandup.com Robert@youstandup.com Ring 0401 834 361 iFlogID: 17639

BEAUTY SERVICES Experienced Graphic Designer available for freelance work. - Branding - Packaging - Layout - Web Interface - Illustration For examples of my work see www. bobbycashman.com or you are welcome to call me: 0478593710 iFlogID: 18039

NEED QUICK DEMOS? Free online and print classifiedss B Book ook n now, ow, v visit isit iiflog.com.au flog g..com.au 42 • TIME OFF

THE BANDS THE INDUSTRY THE LOCALS THE ENCORES THE DJS THE GIGS THE PRODUCERS THE CLUBS THE REMIXES THE ARTISTS THE FESTIVALS THE GROUPIES THE ALBUMS THE TOURS THE FANS

LIVE NOW!

TOURING NATIONALLY PRESENTED BY THEMUSIC.COM.AU

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS THE BEARDS

SATURDAY 25 AUGUST THE HI-FI BRISBANE www.thehifi.com.au or 1300 843 443 TICKETS ON SALE NOW

VISIT KATEMILLERHEIDKE.COM FOR TICKET INFO u FACEBOOK.COM/KATEMILLERHEIDKE u TWITTER.COM/KMILLERHEIDKE ‘NIGHTFLIGHT’ OUT NOW THROUGH SONY MUSIC AUSTRALIA