BMA Mag 352 21 Jul 2010

y ile Ba on gt llin Bi r Si of s ic ol fr s ou ul ab nt fa e Th

y e l i a B l l i B IVE L SCISSOR SISTERS Cut a rug at Splendour #352 JUL21

www.bmamag.com

ATLANTIS AWAITS Wait for no one

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killing two birds with one tape Welcome back Bossman. But don’t you ever go on a honeymoon again, ya hear!?

# 3 5 2 J U L 2 1 Fax: 02 6257 4361 Mail: PO Box 713 Civic Square, ACT 2608 Publisher Allan Sko Scott Layne General Manager & Advertising Manager Allan Sko T: 6257 4360 E: advertising@bmamag.com Editor Julia Winterflood T: 02 6257 4456 E: editorial@bmamag.com Accounts Manager Ashish Doshi T: 6247 4816 E: accounts@bmamag.com Super Sub-Editor Josh Brown Graphic Design Cole Bennetts Exhibitionist Editor Naomi Milthorpe E: exhibitionist@bmamag.com Film Editor Mark Russell Principle Photographers Andrew Mayo Nick Brightman NEXT ISSUE 353 OUT AUG 4 EDITORIAL DEADLINE JULY 26 ADVERTISING DEADLINE JULY 29 Published by Radar Media Pty Ltd ABN 76 097 301 730 bma is independently owned and published.

Opinions expressed in bma are not necessarily those of the editor, publisher or staff.

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Killing Birds and JW Sparrow & The Miner Birds embark on a Birds Love Fighting Records released limited edition split tape, collaborating with local artist and zine man Steven Pennington. JW Sparrow & The Miner Birds pays his way to the psychedelic. There are three tracks from Mr Sparrow on the cassette including crowd favourite Why Why, as well as unheard instrumental material only found on this release.

Killing Birds stage dive onto the tape with a tight set of four grunge tracks, including their live favourites Plume and Cold Vein. The tape will be launched at The Phoenix Pub on Wednesday August 25.

splendour bender Missed out on Splendour tix?

Fear not, for Strangeways DJs are back to dry your eyes and fill that deafening silence with their second annual Splendour in the (Transit) Bar; a night of music that resonates, celebrates and commiserates those who missed out! There’ll be drunkards stumbling around, questionable pashes under the big top and an astro turf covered floor that dreams are made of. Get in early, get in free and bask in the splendour that is Strangeways on Friday July 23.

stencil it in The deadline for entries for the Australian Stencil Art Prize

is Sunday August 1, with the winner receiving $2K. This year the good folk at ASAP have teamed up with the cool cats at Avant Card, who will select one finalist’s stencil to win a national print run of 20,000 cards. That’s an enormous amount of exposure. ASAP is open to Australians 15 years or older, and aims to recognise and reward stencil artists and to provide recognition for stencil art as an art form in its own right. Damn straight. Details on how to enter are at www. australianstencilartprize.com .

charlie and the record factory Ever caught a ripping set by a local band and wanted to drop your hard earned on their discs at the end, only to find you’ve barely enough for a pint? Well good news, as local outfit Cardboard Charlie are on the case. They’ve got a sizeable swag of local artists’ records (44 in total) for sale on their site, cardboardcharlie. com, with more being added every day. Cardboard Charlie is dedicated to supporting independent music and arts, both local and national, through promotion, production, networking and retail. They’re the ones behind our beloved Phoenix Bootlegs; that alone deserves massive props.

give them the flick Want to be the next big director, animator or game developer?

Screen It is a great way to test your creative and research skills and showcase them on a national scale. The comp, run

by the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, is open to school-aged students enrolled in primary and secondary school. This year’s theme is The Environment. Who Cares?

To enter, visit acmi.net.au/ screenit. Entries close Friday September 17.

red, white and striped White Stripes fan? If so you’ve probably already seen Emmett Malloy’s rock doc Under the Great Northern Lights. But have you had your eyeballs blown away by Jack and Meg on the big screen? The wonderful folk at Arc Cinema at the National Film and Sound Archive are screening the film as part of their Sounds on Site series.

The doc follows Jack and Meg on their 2007 tour of Canada and also catches the free side shows they play across the country. If you’re feeling down about missing Splendour, then what better away to blast away those blues in the beautiful cinema that is Arc? Saturday July 31, 7pm.

Get a dose of this In 2007, New Zealand based D&B DJ/producer Dose burst onto the international D&B scene with a string of well received releases. Now, three years and over 25 international releases later, Dose is fast proving himself as not only one of New Zealand’s leading solo D&B artists but one of the rising stars of the D&B scene world wide. He’s hitting Mercury Bar on Friday August 6.

FROM THE BOSSMAN Greetings fellow chuckle hounds. I’m sure it will delight you to learn that I have returned safe and sound from Madrid, the party capital of the world, to rock the coolth of Canberra once more.

Although racing straight from the airport to BMA HQ, smelling of Satan’s armpit and caked in enough travel grease to fry a mess hall’s worth of eggs doesn’t really qualify as ‘sound’. But that’s the insatiable Mother Deadline for you. She waits for no man.

It has been a while since I have indulged in international air travel, but with a plane flight worthy of a fourth Lord of the Rings book, I am once again fondly reminded of the joys of travelling on a writer’s budget. Upon boarding, you first need to move past the superior classes airlines so cruelly dangled in front of you. You start wide-eyed in the effortless suave of Business Class, move grudgingly through the spacious splendour of First Class, past the fetid, claustrophobic rank of the charmingly titled Economy Class before finally reaching your ‘seats’ in the Super Budget Pen of Despair. After picking off the gum and shooing away one of the chickens that has escaped from its crate, you settle in and wait for an aperitif to kick off the gruelling journey ahead.

“Can I get you something sir?” offers an overweight tranny in an air hostess uniform, sporting a face like a crab’s bus ticket and a smile lacking as much in conviction as it was in teeth. “Yes, I’ll have a flat white thanks.” A very short time later, my nose is ablaze with pain. “There’s your flat white,” she says, having just rammed a plate into my face. It seems liquids aren’t covered in the cost of travel. After spending 14 hours with the wife’s elbow jammed into my eye and my knee rammed in the small of her back (generally looking like we’d gone horribly wrong attempting page 137 of the Karma Sutra) we touch down, so ending the first of five legs of the journey.

YOU PISSED ME OFF! Has someone yanked yer chain recently? Well send an email to editorial@bmamag.com and have your sweet vengeance.

And for the love of God, keep it brief! [All entries contain original spellings] Les Murray you really pissed me off, when you watch Les you listen to everything he says he talks about Rooney but looks like george clooney his silver top, on the box makes the soccer really rock! oh wait, he’s awesome! he doesnt piss me off To a certain pizza bar in Belconnen and its scumbag managers. A couple of mistakes on my 5th or 6th shift making pizzas cost u a bit of money, boo-hoo . What about the times I went delivering getting paid pizza-making rates to save your sorry arses? Saying you would let me know ‘about the new roster’. That’s a fucking cryptic way of firing someone and u didn’t even call me anyway!?

What’s worse, u give me these fairytale ‘customer complaints’ about my phone calls, fucking laughable guys. I’d rather not get paid peanuts to work alongside deadbeats who have the heads so far up their fucking arses they just don’t realise they’ll be rolling dough their whole lives. U PISSED ME OFF!

Aaaaaaah connecting flights, where you get to revel in the international shopping paradise and nationalistic nuance of each country’s airport. Or so I anticipated. Disembarking the plane (and reinserting my shoulder back into its socket), we’re led down a dark alley to wait for our connecting flight. While the Others are led into the opulence of a room decked out like the Garden of Eden (or so I assume; the electrified perimeter kept us at bay, but I could hear the unmistakable clink of cocktail glasses and Middle Class Laughter on the other side that only such a setting could summon), we are led to the Peanut Lounge, a room so called not because of the blushing abundance of snacks to be consumed, but for the litany of empty shells scattered all over the ground. The following Thursday, our connecting flight was ready to leave.

High-larity aside it wasn’t that bad, but it’s an undeniable slog that reminds you just how far away we are from the rest of the world and how lucky we are that, despite our penchant for Southern Cross tattoos and casual racism, the world’s great talent decides to visit us. And you need to experience a bit of pain to make it all worth while. “It’s not the destination but the journey” some smug self-satisfied spiritual git once said. With international air travel, it’s the slog of the journey that makes the destination worthwhile.

But next time I’m travelling in Business Class; I just need to sell that damn novel (if any of you know a publisher who’d be keen to look at my novel Insert Witty Title Here, let me know at frankandbeans_69@hotmale.com).

ALLAN SKO – allan@bmamag.com

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another thing…

Look. There’s no need to thank me. The fact that I was correct is thanks enough. I refer, of course, to the fact that had you followed my advice and backed the unfancied Netherlands each way to win the World Cup you would be sitting on a tidy pile of cash as you read this. Like I say, no need to thank me, but a pint of Stella always goes down well…

I’ve always liked a bet, but it was never as enjoyable as when my chums Peter Baker and Paulie Inman took a stake in a racehorse – the inestimable Katy Nowaitee.

Peter ran one of the public houses that I frequented in Marlow – the Hand and Flowers – and one day he and Paul had taken an interest in a racehorse who would be running almost immediately. We were to await instructions on the punt.

18 months later we still hadn’t had so much as a quid on Katy. She was suffering from a bad back, apparently (or a cold, or a sore throat, or she was off her food), and quite soon we were thinking that a more enticing bet would be to open a book on how long it would take for Katy Nowaitee to end up in a can of Meaty Chunks. All this time Peter and Paulie were shelling out 75 quid a month to fund the horse’s wellbeing, all the while having to put up with the sniggers and jibes of a whole town.

However Katy prospered under the care of trainer Peter Harris, and finally four year old Katy arrived at Nottingham racecourse for her debut run in tricky maiden.

Literally anything could have won the race, and Katy’s price of 14/1 indicated that the bookies didn’t really expect it to be her. But I had 20 quid on her anyway, and put her in with the favourite as the last leg of the placepot. A couple of pints, and then down to Ladbrokes to watch the race.

Whilst I’d been in the pub, all manner of chaos had been ensuing at Nottingham, favourites had been tumbling and the placepot was offering a tidy sum even if the favourite saluted in the last. If Katy won, well...

The race was messy; the 14 runners taking an age to sort themselves out before, unbelievably, Katy Nowaitee stuck her little head bravely out, pinned her ears back, and took them on. She pissed it. She was only a small horse – and we already knew she was a bit frail – but she had the proverbial heart of a lion, fighting her way through the buffeting of her life to deliver a famous win. A win which netted me just under a thousand pounds once the placepot was divvied up. We repaired to the pub and toasted Katy Nowaitee long into the night.

Of course we were hooked on the little filly. We didn’t back her next time out on the advice of the stable – she finished a disappointing fifth at Pontefract – but we were all back on her when she led 21 other gee gees home at Redcar at odds of 11/1.

Three weeks later she failed on her return to Nottingham – costing the entire town a pretty penny – before being put away for the winter and a well deserved rest.

Katy Nowaitee was already a legend in the sleepy riverside town of Marlow, but the following year was to be unbelievable, feel-good film material – I’ll tell you all about it next time.

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scott adams thirtyyearsofrnr@hotmail.com

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katy hall WHO: You, your tent and your weather proof dancing shoes WHAT: Dragon Dreaming Festival WHEN: Oct long weekend WHERE: A sumptuous forest setting not far from Canberra

The sleeping dragon is stirring! The third and surely most spectacular year of the Dragon Dreaming Festival is just around the corner. This year’s festival will feature some of Australia’s best electronic and live music with many a special treat in store. Early bird tickets are on sale now and are almost gone, with presales available from Sunday August 1. But like most festivals, it’s worth your bottom dollar to scrounge up and get your mitts on them now before they’re gone. Check www.dragondreaming.net for all the details, start your planning and get ready to wake the Dragon in October 2010!

WHO: Waterford WHAT: New single release WHEN: Saturday July 24 WHERE: The Front Café and Gallery

Well I can’t speak for everyone, but I know that I and certainly a few others in the BMA office have been waiting with baited breath for local band Waterford to release another single. London England is the latest offering and quite the little number I must say. With production from Bruce Callaway of Triffids fame, it’s been doing the rounds of triple j and cements the true potential of these guys.

As a send off to the mean streets of Melbourne and Sydney they’re throwing a gig at The Front, so come along and wish them well and for god’s sake get your EP signed before they become superstars!

WHO: You and your dancing loafers WHAT: Purple Sneakers WHEN: Friday July 30 WHERE: Transit BaR

Returning to lift the fog out of this sleepy hollow of a ville called Canberra like no others can, come the tag team of Boundary Sounds, Purple Sneakers. This month marks the launch of Arcade Fire’s third and no doubt astounding album The Suburbs, a copy of which everyone’s chomping at the bit for. Local support comes in the form of Celebrity Sex Tape, Princi, Kid N Bird, Monkey Genius and the bearded dreamboats of Architect DJs. The entry is free, the talk is guaranteed to be cheap, the jeans will be skinny and there’s CD giveaways aplenty.

WHO: Pablo Cahn WHAT: An array of smooth, funky, deep house, filtered disco, tech-house, techno and just about everything in between WHEN: Saturday July 31 WHERE: Transit Bar

Well get out of that honey pot and into Transit if you’re looking for something scrumptious. Soundtrap is pulling Pablo Cahn out of the underground of London and dropping him on our doorstep.

After the roaring success of his EP in 2009 the native Colombian heads our way to melt the dancefloor and show off his DJ/ promoter/all around party style as best he can. Local support comes in the form of Mikey G and B-tham, with a welcome return from Akev. The cover charge clams are on Transit and the doors are open ‘til the wee hours of the morn.

WHO: You, you politically aware go getter!

WHAT: Power Change WHEN: Saturday and Sunday August 7-8 WHERE: ANU

WHO: Smart Casual WHAT: Side splitting hilarity WHEN: Tuesday August 3 WHERE: Tuggeranong Arts Centre

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Even though you’re practically dead to us all now, what the frick K Rudd? You and your ilk might not care about the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees but a lot of other people do.

Australian Youth Climate Coalition are doing more than writing angry letters to the editors. They’re in Canberra to talk it over with anyone interested and between the ages of 19-25. Part climate summit part festival, come hang with bands and celebrities (I see Ian Thorpe’s name on the table ladies), eat some snags and have a think about what you want for the future. Deadline for registration is August 2. Head to aycc.org.au/projects/power-shift-2010-2/ .

So it’s the hip thing to lol these days is it? Say “lol” rather than actually laugh out loud, write it in a text rather than laugh down the phone line to your old pal Doris… what happened to the days of yore? If you’re after some good old fashioned laughing of the out loud variety, Smart Casual is the Melbournian duo for you.

Off the back of their nationwide sold out shows and the Festival Roadshow, triple j faves Roger David and Fletcher Jones are heading our way. Have $10 for entry handy and be prepared to lol until you cry.

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JUSTIN HOOK BILL BAILEY has opted for the path of simplicity on his current Australian tour. Not the dreadful punning found in most comedy show titles. He’s called it Bill Bailey Live. It’s a reflection of the show’s modest origins. “I’ve prepared a little bit differently this time around. The last tour in the UK was in large venues so it was a show with that in mind. Whereas this tour is in smaller venues way out in the middle of nowhere… Outer Hebrides, Orkney, Shetlands.

Stunning places where no one really goes to play.”

Far from representing a fall from public favour, it was a deliberate move by Bailey to return to his roots as a stand up performer. “It’s been a revelation!” he enthuses. “Because I was touring around little community centres I had to strip everything down to its basics. It’s been a real rediscovery of the art of it all.” And a discovery of sorts – “you pretty much know everyone’s name by the end of the show.”

Despite venue size it wasn’t exactly a breeze for the seasoned comic, who is used to playing in arenas where crowds are measured in thousands – not handfuls.

“In a way it’s harder. It sounds bizarre, but it’s harder to build a show from a small audience. When you’re on stage and there are a lot of people, they tend to blend together – so you just project the show to the back row. Whereas if you’re in a small venue you can see everyone, you can see their faces!”

Slash is pretty cool – one of his solos could knock down a mugger

As a result the subject matter of Bailey’s new show is more personal and more intimate. In addition to the usual array of keyboards, guitars and songs there will be short films and a visual element of the show that isn’t so easy to pull off in large stadiums. His grand plan was simple, developing a show that could be done in the back of a pub if need be. When reminded of the potential hazards small shows present – getting tackled by an eager spectator a la Slash in Milan for example – he’s sympathetic. “That’s above and beyond the call. But Slash is pretty cool and one of his solos could probably knock down a mugger anyway.”

In April, Bailey played the enormous Ashton Gate Stadium – home of Bristol City FC. It was a triumphant homecoming. “I grew up around there in a little town called Keynsham. Bristol was the big smoke, so going back was a big moment for me. Lots of family and friends were there… it was an emotional moment.”

For a young Bill Bailey, Bristol was the cultural and musical epicentre of his universe, the place where his musical education began. “I used to go and see bands there all the time – Undertones, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Damned, The Stranglers.”

And if you’ve seen Bailey live, you’ll know music is an important part of his live act but it’s not a cheap, jokey, ‘let’s have a laugh at this band’ parody thing he’s aiming for. “No, the musical things tend to be more a recognisable style of music rather than a certain band. Every so often music reinvents itself into a different style – dance music will morph into electro and incorporate retro elements of drum ‘n’ bass, for example. And each time it does that it captures the public imagination for a while. That’s what I use, the familiarity. That’s what the musical sections of the show are about.

It’s a form of musical shorthand – ‘oh I see, I know exactly what you’re doing.’ And once you have that familiarity you can mess around and have fun with it.”

Bailey would be most recognisable for Australian audiences as Manny Bianco, the serene yet somewhat dazed and gullible exaccountant assistant to Dylan Moran’s chaotic Bernard Black in Black Books. He also turns up occasionally on QI (ABC, Tuesday nights) and when in town usually a spot on Spicks and Specks (ABC, Wednesday nights) – which, to the most even-handed of judgements, is an inferior copy of Never Mind The Buzzcocks, the similarly music-themed panel show up to its 23rd season in the UK. For around six seasons, Bailey played the role of team captain and was witness to some of the more exciting incidents on the show.

“Usually the pop stars that had written their own stuff were pretty cool about it – they were up for a laugh. But some would be terribly precious about having the mickey ripped out of them. I remember reading a brilliant description of Buzzcocks – a vinegary tang of mockery. When Marl Lammar [all-round media personality and current co-host with the brilliant Mark Radcliffe, who also features on Radio 4) was hosting he could barely conceal his contempt for most guests. But if you don’t take yourself too seriously you’ll come out alright.”

The problem is musicians have notoriously fragile egos. “One guy got so nervous he actually ran out the building. He just legged it and kept on going! There was a Benny Hill-styled chase with management trying to stop him. He made it to reception and got stuck in those revolving doors. Then he ran across the forecourt until someone rugby tackled him and dragged him back in.” Is it any wonder Bailey’s quirky observational humour wins awards – this stuff is gold and just writes itself.

Catch Bill Bailey live at the Royal Theatre on Friday July 30. Tickets are $79.90 and are available through Ticketek.

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ALL AGES Just as would be the case with many of you underage hooligans, my holidays are almost over and just as you all should, I’m in the process of squeezing just about as many gigs into the next week as humanly possible. We have and by the looks of it will remain to embrace and cherish any sweaty, claustrophobia triggering pits that we can get in the midst of during these ever dropping climates.

Only to add to the tremendous string of hardcore acts passing through our city of ice of late, Wollongong-bred Mary Jane Kelly will be at the Tuggeranong Youth Centre on Wednesday July 21.

Embarking on the Like There’s No Tomorrow tour with MJK will be Melbournians Built On Secrets and our city’s very own Dead Kings.

Tickets can be purchased through Moshtix for just $15.50.

On Saturday July 24 you have the chance to see and support one of Canberra’s most rapidly rising hardcore/alternative acts.

Local five-piece Atlantis Awaits, after months of recording, are now anticipating the launch of their soon to be adored self-titled EP. Opening for the band will be local act Hands Like Houses and Retraspec, both of whom are expecting the launch of their own debut EPs within the next few months. You can be a part of this spectacular night at The Holy Grail for just $10 – you can purchase your tickets at the door or from any Moshtix outlet.

And wow, looks like EPs are going to be flying at you left, right and centre on Saturday July 24 with yet another freaking launch.

Pleased to Jive You are going to be launching their brand new EP as well! Supporting them at the Woden Youth Centre will be Melbourne’s Paqman and Canberra bands Slovac and Goatfish. For just $13 you are granted entry and a copy of the new EP. Then on Saturday August 21, yet another great gig awaits you.

You can catch beloved Melbourne post-hardcore band House vs.

Hurricane while they’re in town once again, this time with Sydney’s Heroes for Hire on the East Coast Blazin’ tour.

Now, I’d like to encourage the purchasing of these tickets well in advance. On Saturday October 30, Stonefest is back, this year presenting Pendulum, Bliss n Eso, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, Spiderbait, Airbourne, Operator Please, Bluejuice, Clare Bowditch & The New Slang, The Panics, Cloud Control, Boy & Bear, Last Dinosaurs, Purple Sneakers DJs and Funktrust Collective. All this will cost you only $94.40 (+ bf) from any Ticketek outlet.

There is nothing better than a good gig with a great cause. Although this gig does not commence until Tuesday September 14, it’s already proving very popular. Attack Attack!, Pierce the Veil and Dream on Dreamer will join forces at the Tuggeranong Youth Centre as part of the Take Action tour, raising money and awareness for ReachOut.com, a fantastic Australian charity organisation. Tix from Landspeed, The Music Shop or Moshtix. See you there!

NAOMI FROST allagescolumn@gmail.com

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LOCALITY

The last issue of BMA, Issue 351, was my 30th as editor. I took up the editorial helm of this fine rag in mid-March last year, after traipsing through India and Nepal for a few months. Naturally “What do you do?” came up regularly, and it always sent a small charge down my spine to reply “I’m a music magazine editor”, just as it does 16 months later.

But you’d think after 30 deadline Mondays (o those dreaded deadline Mondays, at the end of which I’m so frazzled I’m incapable of making even the slightest decision - beans on toast or cup-a-soup? Beans or soup ARGH!?), that charge would have left me. It hasn’t.

The moment I get my paws on the latest ish every second Wednesday I tear through it feverishly; my eyes furtively scour the still warm pages for formatting and spelling errors, forgotten ads, dodgy registration, wonky binding, missing borders… for any of the myriad things that can, and often do, go wrong. The pang in my heart I get when I find an error isn’t as painful as the stab I got when I first started, but the satisfaction I feel flicking through the mag, particularly when it’s a fine print job, hasn’t faded a bit.

However, it doesn’t even hold a candle to the glow I get from spying people reading it. Flipping through it at The Front, poring over it at Essen, in the queue at Dendy, at the bar at Transit, on the geriatric couches at Phoenix… Knowing the words I’ve placed and proofed are being read, the images I’ve sourced are being ogled, and people are picking up this publication every fortnight to see just how much is going on in our town gives me a thrill I’ll never forget.

The thing I’m most proud of though during my time as Ed is introducing a local story quota of three per issue (which is entirely separate to Exhibitionist, whose coverage of Canberra arts is literally second to none). BMA’s coverage of local music will only continue to grow, just as our burgeoning live scene continues to grow.

I made a new friend on Saturday night. She was Canberra born and bred and had been reading BMA for 15 years. “It’s been the only consistent thing for music in Canberra” were her sentiments. As we discussed our respective jobs and I described my wonderful working environment at gorgeous old Gorman House, the wittiest man I know, my boss, and the endless perks of being a streetpress editor, the thought reoccurred to me, as it often does, that there is no job I would rather be doing right now. I am exactly where I want to be, doing exactly what I want to do. How many people can say that?

So despite the fact that every second Monday I suffer a minor meltdown; that I berate and agitate one particular friend with my-brain’s-turned-to-grey-custard despair despite constantly promising to never do so again, and that I almost always awake in the wee hours on the morning we go to print panicked and grief-stricken with the fear I’ve missed an ad, I know it’s all worth it, because I’m giving back to the city I love. I’m giving back to its musicians whom I’ve admired from afar, to its musicians I hold dear to my heart, and to its musicians whose music I will cherish forever.

I may only be able to bash a tambourine or drum a beat on my lap or occasionally attempt to harmonise, but music is my life, and BMA has afforded me the privilege of truly making it so. It’s also afforded me the privilege of pissing off to Splendour in a fortnight with a few mates and VIP tix. Now that’s the good life, huh? I guess hard work pays off.

JULIA WINTERFLOOD julia@bmamag.com

WAITING TO EXHALE PETER KRBAVAC When local pianist and composer AUSTIN BUCKETT was moving house earlier this year, he found himself – much like Riders on the Storm’s dog without a bone – a man without a piano. Luckily though, the Alliance Française in Turner extended some of their famous European hospitality, so through March Austin found himself as the Alliance’s artist in residency. The man is now returning the favour with a show at the end of the month, premiering three of his new compositions.

Perhaps better known to local punters as the man hunched over the keyboard in experimental rockers Kasha, or leader of the now UK-based free-jazz unit Pollen Trio, Austin is also a research student doing honours at the ANU School of Music. As he explains, his solo compositions aren’t all that different from his band work. be ld wou It

exciting to try to involve a different crowd

“I think the material in Pollen Trio is particularly freeform compared to, say, Kasha, though there is always some sort of architecture or vision behind what we are going for,” he explains. “In my own music I suppose it is very similar, in the sense that it has this kind of architecture below the surface. It’s just that more often than not [the compositions are] played by people other than me and these different instruments and individuals accommodate different ideas.”

Indeed, on the night Austin will take somewhat of a back seat, as he’s roped in a group of top drawer local musicians to perform the pieces: Exhale for cello and piano, Stutter for string quartet and Sonata for Upright Piano. Between these pieces, combinations of local improvisers and jazz musicians will perform electro-acoustic interludes based around certain themes to link the compositions.

The show will feature members of local bands such as Voss, Kasha, Pollen Trio, Silver Spine Trio and Spartak.

In terms of influences, Austin explains they remain much the same for all his musical ventures. “The music I write is mostly informed by all things that interest me including music by Morton Feldman, Radiohead, Arvo Part, Aphex Twin, The Necks, my approaches with Pollen Trio and Kasha etcetera. I love traditionally classical music such as Haydn, Beethoven, Mozart, Bach and so on, but I would like to think that the most classical thing about my music is the instrumentation – string quartet, my solo violin pieces.”

As such, Austin’s keen to attract a wider audience beyond the classical set. “It would be exciting to try to involve a different crowd who usually wouldn’t be exposed to these sorts of instruments but are still interested in new music,” he enthuses. “I really want my works to be directed to a broad audience and I don’t ever want it to have any type of exclusivity or prestige associated with it.”

Austin Buckett: Works for Piano and Strings will be performed from 8pm on Friday July 30 at the Alliance Française, McCaughey Street, Turner. Tickets are $10/$8 for AF members and bookings are recommended on 6247 5027.

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DANCE THE DROP With so many quality artists in Australia for the upcoming Splendour in the Grass festival it is a real pity that Canberra is missing out on the illustrious sideshows. I am not one to bemoan the quality of acts we get here, but it would be nice to not have to make the trip up the Federal Highway. In saying that though, if you haven’t already pocketed your ticket for LCD Soundsystem and Hot Chip at the Hordern, unfortunately the ship has sailed. LCD Soundsystem have announced this as their last ever tour and I am glad to be amongst the drunk boys and drunk girls saying hoorah on Monday July 26.

From gigs at Transit to their intimate sessions at Hippo, promotion crew Mingle have a finger in every pie and Academy is no exception.

The crew are teaming up with Acads to present Cutlass Supreme on Friday July 23. Sydney-based MC Snob Scrilla and dance scene mainstay Groove Terminator have joined forces as the newly labeled Cutlass Supreme. Fresh off the release of their first EP Show ‘Em the pair are set to tear up Academy’s main room. Cheese, Offtapia, Levi Howes and Celebrity Sextape are in support.

Young gun Bricksta is making the obligatory post-high school sojourn across the Indian Ocean and Party By Jake are throwing him an outrageous send off at Transit Bar on Saturday July 24. Bricksta’s Eurotrash Vacation Send Off incorporates the typical Heartbeat debauchery with DJ Bricksta at the helm. The party is sponsored by Owl vs Pig clothing so if you like their minimal threads head down on the evening for some giveaways. PBJ residents Celebrity Sextape, Princi, Staky and Get Stellar are also dishing out disco treats.

The highly successful Effigy returns also on Saturday July 24 with progressive superstars Matt Rowan (Proton) and Rodskeez (Baroque) headlining. Matt Rowan was one of the first guests to help Effigy to nut out their niche and if that night was anything to go by this round will also be all class. Effigy have also locked in the services of one of the world’s most in demand DJs on Sunday August 8 at Transit Bar. John ‘00’ Flemming (J00F Recordings) is coming to town to showcase his pioneering sound. John ‘00’ Flemming is widely regarded with helping establish the ‘80s rave revolution, but is more commonly known for his progressive and trance production. Early bird tickets are available at Moshtix.

Academy is slowly building its clubbing repertoire Friday nights and to further strengthen their bill is Douster (Arg) and Black Noise (UK) on Friday July 30. Douster’s sound is characterised by a roots and Latino background with a fresh dancehall bounce. Fellow headliner Black Noise has remixes for Ministry of Sound and Southern Fried as well as much Hype Machine love. The next night Academy are hosting Denzal Park. Their track Filter Freak is currently sitting pretty atop the ARIA club chart as well as an astounding #5 on the Beatport Indie Chart. mi favorito… I think Denzal Park will be a quality act to catch. Fingers crossed their stage show matches their production technique.

STAKY staceymanson@gmail.com

myspace.com/pangnight

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RUNNING WITH SCISSORS

JUST KIDDA-ING

TIM GALVIN

tim galvin

There are bands and there are phenomenons. Without doubt the SCISSOR SISTERS fall into the latter category. The American fivepiece exploded onto the charts way back in 2003 with their poppy redux of the classic Pink Floyd track Comfortably Numb, which garnered praise from both commercial and club cliques alike. By 2007, the group had achieved iconic status after the release of two chart-topping albums loaded with hit singles. Strangely then, they disappeared into the depths of creative evolution and have now returned to reclaim their identity in the form of Night Work.

Bristol producer Ste McGregor (aka KIDDA) knows what it’s like to have your whole life change. As recently as 2004, he existed solely on the meagre wage of a budding graphic artist and animator. It wasn’t until urban soul label Catskills Records took a shine to his hip-hop and funk demos that his musical career began to outshine his nine to five.

“There wasn’t really a hiatus other than Jake going to Berlin for a while,” says co-founder Babydaddy. “It was just us being us, making the most of our downtime like sitting down and writing a story or making art to fulfil our creative side. It’s good to get our heads out of the music for a while so we didn’t get too obsessed with the album.”

It’s good to know you are successful and that you have influenced other people

Luckily for the group, for their latest incarnation they managed to secure the services of uber producer Stuart Price, who DJs will know better by one of his many monikers including Jacques Lu Cont, Les Rythmes Digitales and the Thin White Duke.

“We have actually known him longer than most people. He took us on our first tour back in 2004. We aren’t the kind of band who just gets given tracks by a producer, we have kind of created a sound ourselves and he understands that,” he says. “In that way it’s great to work with someone as talented and strong-minded as he is.”

During their two year demiurgic break, the void left in their absence was quickly filled by a handful of imitators riding on the sequined coattails of their success. Rather than becoming beleaguered by these newcomers, Babydaddy seems much more pragmatic, even when I bring up the word ‘Mika.’ “If I had to quote, imitation is the greatest form of flattery. I mean it’s good to know you are successful and that you have influenced other people.” Though he adds coyly, “it also gives us that added motivation to be better and not just clichéd, like others.”

As they are well known for their overly elaborate live performances, the process of putting together a Scissor Sisters show is nothing short of incredible. Holding a ticket to one of their concerts not only guarantees you a good time, but also a completely unique experience, as Babydaddy explains.

“A lot of back and forth goes into our shows – it’s a huge collaboration and not something that is just delivered to us,” he says. “We always decide on an individual basis what is best for each campaign because we want to show people we are a great live band.”

See Scissor Sisters either at the Big Top at Sydney’s Luna Park on Tuesday July 27 (tickets via Ticketmaster) or at Splendour in the Grass.

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“Well I haven’t quite reached that stage yet,” he laughs. “I’m pretty sure it’s coming though because I have just signed a publishing deal with the guys from Snow Patrol, so I’m sure the royalties will start rolling in soon.”

The collaboration he mentions is part of an exciting new album project, following on from his critically acclaimed introduction Going Up. “I’ve been locked away in the studio working on this second album,” says McGregor. “With the success of the first album there is no real external pressure from a label or anything but I’m really pushing myself on a personal level to release something even better this time around.”

The darker side of music never appealed to me.

It’s all about the positive sound

His first album wielded a number of indie hits for the artist, most prominently the radio friendly worldwide smash Under the Sun, the genesis of which, he explains, was a magnetic experience. “When I heard the loop [for Under the Sun] – it’s from a cover of a Marvin Gaye record, I think – it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I took it away and tried to recreate that feeling in my version. The remix [by Herve] was amazing – I mean the part in the breakdown is a huge hands in the air moment – but I guess a good tune is a good tune.”

If he never managed to break through into the world of international musical notoriety, McGregor explains that, after tasting the life of a musician, he could never go back to the isolation of graphic art. “Yeah, music definitely, that’s where I started so it will always be my biggest passion. I mean you can see a car driving past and hear something coming out of it that could make the hairs on your neck stand up. You can’t get that immediate immersive effect from graphic art.”

With such an eclectic sound, McGregor found the transition from studio to club shows a breeze, as he was thrown into the scene at a time when clubbers were becoming impatient with generic programming. “I play house music, electro, bass-line, anything really,” he says. “I remember back a few years ago when dance music was really exploding around the world and you could really play anything in a set. It’s diversity that works.”

Asked whether his own perspective on life mirrors Kidda’s ‘everything is going to be okay’ mantra, McGregor provides an honest response.

“People always ask me that. I guess like everyone I have been through some difficult situations and I think that my music is an antidote for that,” he finishes. “The darker side of music never appealed to me. I don’t really want to hear that, it’s all about the positive sound.”

Catch Kidda live at Academy on Saturday August 7.

with booking shows and publicity and such, and I’ll also be going back to a lot of the places I played last year, so it’s shaping up to be a pretty convincing tour!”

I was really overwhelmed by the responses I got in Europe

FIELD OF DREAMS chiara grassia Sometimes late nights call for just the right music – serene vocals full of delicacy and depth, to sooth and comfort but not to slip into the background. LUCIE THORNE, she of the voice that provokes constant comparisons to Chan Marshall and PJ Harvey, crafts music that fits perfectly for quiet evenings.

After last year’s critically acclaimed Black Across The Field, praised nationwide, Thorne is set to embark on her second European tour.

“Last year’s Euro tour was a bit of a DIY experiment, really,” she explains. “I had a bit of help from a few different folks, but pretty much just strung it all together blind, and jumped in. And so I was really overwhelmed by the responses I got, and all the great connections made, and all the invitations to return… The whole experience was a very heartening and inspiring one.”

Listing a slew of countries planned for the tour, Thorne mentions that the album “is being released by a little boutique Netherlands-based record label in September, and the crew there have been helping out

Ready to record another album in August, Thorne explains that “the plan is to track the guts of this new record before I leave for Europe, and then we’ll finish it when I get back, and release it early next year. It’s all still mostly in that lovely amorphous stage for me at the moment but there’s lots that’s still up in the air, which I love.”

With lyrics like private love letters delivered in warm tones, it’s no huge surprise that her Canberra show will be played in the much beloved McGregor Hall – a venue Thorne has yet to play but has “heard plenty of reports about what a great place for a show it is.”

Delving into the debate of what shows suit her better, Thorne explains that, “I play in all sorts of venues all around the place, but I love that feeling of it being a kind of intimate, special event that shows in smaller halls and theatres often have.”

This time round, she and her electric guitar will be accompanied by drummer Jay McMahon, a dynamic Thorne rapidly enthuses about.

“It’s kind of the best of both worlds in some ways – all the energy but still lots of space, and room to move harmonically, melodically… So we’ll be up for a fun show, that’s for sure! And of course we’ve also got the gorgeous local treasures The Cashews warming up the night, which is a real treat.”

See Lucie Thorne and support band The Cashews live at McGregor Hall on Sunday July 25. Tickets are $20/$15/$12 for Canberra Musicians Club members and are available on the door.

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In July and August, Arc Cinema will also screen a variety of Australian films from the late 1950s and early 1960s. As with many contemporary Australian films, films of this period, such as Frank Zinnemann’s classic The Sundowners were a controversial mix of Hollywood influence and storytelling, alongside supposed depictions of Australian culture and identity. And as with contemporary Australian film, the line between what was a true reflection of Australian life, and what was mere romanticising for the sake of Hollywood acclaim, was quite blurred.

IN THE WINTER ARC BEN HERMANN In 1976, a 26 year-old Gillian Armstrong released Smokes and Lollies, a documentary looking at the lives of Kerry, Josie and Diana – three 14 year-old working class girls from suburban Adelaide. The documentary’s soulful yet honest portrayal of the girls and their lives captured the hearts and imaginations of many Australians and provided a stark portrayal of Australia’s social and cultural fabric of the time. Armstrong went on to film the girls over the ensuing years, releasing 14’s Good 18’s Better (1980), Bingo Bridesmaids and Braces (1988) and Not Fourteen Again (1996).

Now, 14 years since she last visited these women, Armstrong has released Love Lust & Lies, the fifth documentary in the series, which will have its Canberra premier this August at the National Film and Sound Archive’s Arc Cinema.

The documentary will be screened as part of Arc Cinema’s regular program of Australian films, a program which Quentin Turnour, NFSA’s chief programmer describes as “running both contemporary and historic films and documentaries, as part of the archive’s role to preserve and display Australia’s history.”

As Turnour suggests, Arc Cinema’s screening of Australian films generally focuses on classics, films which are rarely seen, or contemporary films which are only given limited release.

“A lot of films don’t get to Canberra, because it’s a small city with a limited number of screens,” Turnour says. “We were aware Armstrong’s new film wouldn’t get here, so we offered to run it. Not only would it allow us to show other films in the series which haven’t been shown in a while, but it would also allow us to show a new print of The Last Days of Chez Nous [Armstrong’s fictional Australian drama of 1992], which we haven’t shown in Canberra yet.”

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Importantly, however, films of this period were the last to be made before Australian film’s hiatus (with close to no films being produced between 1960-1966) and then its re-birth in the 1960s and 1970s, of which Armstrong was integrally a part.

By experiencing films of the ‘50s alongside Armstrong’s productions, audiences will observe the dramatic shift in style and influence of Australian filmmakers between generations.

“Armstrong is important because she was part of that first generation who were brought up with an awareness of just how bad things were in the Australian film industry,” says Turnour. “[She] went to AFTRS’ (Australian Film Television and Radio School) first ever class, and was one of the very first people to get formal film training. You see films from the ‘50s and ‘60s, and the drought that followed, and then you see the re-building of our film industry by people like Armstrong and others in her generation, during the ‘70s.”

Armstrong is widely known for her period dramas, including My Brilliant Career, Little Women, and Charlotte Gray. However, it is her depiction of Australian life – particularly the role of women – which has been her greatest contribution to Australian cinema.

“Armstrong has always used the documentaries and Kerry, Josie and Diana to chart the impact that feminism has had on Australian society,” Turnour says.

“Importantly, her films show, over time, how some aspects of feminism have become deeply integrated into Australian life, whereas in some ways, things haven’t changed.”

Armstrong’s focus on female subject matters has also set her apart in her international features. Her films constantly depict female heroines and protagonists in very strong roles and – like her documentaries – aim to capture the mood of a particular period through the lives, identity and experiences of particular women.

IN THE WINTER ARC CONTINUED “Only 5% of Hollywood films are directed by women. Even in Iran, 25% are directed by women,” Turnour points out.

“Armstrong’s films are quite unusual, in an Australian or Hollywood context, as they show women in strong roles - not in chick flick roles - and often in unusual historical circumstances.”

Another Australian film to be shown in the coming months at Arc will be Andrew Lancaster’s new film Accidents Happen. A coming of age film starring Geena Davis, it is set in 1980s US but was shot entirely in northern Sydney. As well as gaining acclaim throughout the US and Australia, it again reflects the particular dynamic of Australian cinema and its North American counterpart.

“Back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, there were lots of American films shot and set in Australia. Now, we have an Australian film which was written and shot in Australia, but set in the US, so again the whole idea of what an ‘Australian’ film is, is brought into question,” Turnour says. “Controversy over the depiction of Australian identity is something that certainly never goes away.”

The Last Days of Chez Nous and Love Lust and Lies will screen at Arc Cinema on Saturday August 7 at 2pm and 4pm. At 5.30pm Armstrong will join audiences in conversation about both films and her career. For more information on other Australian films screening at Arc in July and August, visit www.nfsa.afc.gov.au/whats_on/arc .

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DANCING IN THE DARK ZOYA PATEL QL2 Dance Studio’s Ruth Osbourne is nothing if not passionate about dance. “I feel really strongly about dance being a great vehicle in the development of young people,” the artistic director tells me, as we catch up to talk about the studio’s Quantum Leap dance ensemble.

Quantum Leap is an auditioned ensemble that runs annually. The program commissions four professional choreographers from around Australia to come and develop the performance with young dancers of up to 26 years of age. The final production is performed at the Canberra Theatre, and this year’s show, NIGHT. TIME., will run from July 28 to 31.

“We plan the project all year, but we audition in February, and from March onwards we run Sunday workshops. In that time, the young dancers, along with myself and my assistant, create work collaboratively,” Ruth explains. “Then, in the holiday period, we have the commissioned choreographers coming in.”

With such an exhaustive process of development, the dancers are able to be heavily involved in the creation of the entire performance.

“The dancers are definitely part of the creative process, not just having steps taught to them,” Ruth agrees. “They’re learning to create and collaborate and be part of a whole project together.”

This year’s performance is named Night. Time., and deals thematically with the wee hours. “We’re basically looking at the period from dusk to dawn, and what goes on. Each choreographer has chosen a different aspect of the subject matter, but it all connects together and feels like one performance.”

This year, the choreographers involved were Anton, Jodie Farrugia, Adam Wheeler, and Malonie Palomares, each of whom has focused on a different idea - ranging from the scientific elements of sleeping, such as rapid eye movements and REM sleep, to the lives of those who don’t sleep during night time, such as shift workers. The show is structured in two parts, and is accompanied by an original score composed by Adam Ventoura as well as a video installation produced by Bearcage Productions.

“For audiences it’s interesting, because it doesn’t feel like the same thing the whole way through, and you get a lot of variety through the music and the movement, and the ideas behind it,” Ruth explains.

As Ruth reminds me, “Quantum leap is an important part of Canberra’s youth arts, and it’s great that it’s supported so well. I really hope that people come along if they haven’t seen it before, or if they have, know that this will be a different kind of performance.

Hopefully you’ll love it!”

Night. Time. performs at The Playhouse from July 28 to 31. Tickets through Canberra Ticketing.

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“Dianna set a framework, and with the addition of the ridiculously talented Sarah Kaur [set design], invited us to add flesh to the bones.

It has very much been a collaborative process,” explains Hannah Ley. While the performance is musically driven, each of the girls brings a different background with her - from Nixon’s experience as a musical director, Baulch’s background as a director and teacher and Cormick’s mask work and cross-art practice. “I have a dance background first and foremost, so my natural contribution has been through choreography and movement, both for myself and other members of the cast,” Ley says.

GOD HELP THE MISTER THAT COMES BETWEEN ME AND MY SISTERS Dominic Lavers

“I think it can be a challenge when you’re not only from different backgrounds, training and preferred mediums of theatre, but in this instance we’ve been given a fair amount of freedom to contribute without fear of prejudice or a ‘we don’t do it that way’ response!

Initially I felt a little out of practice in regards to devising and extending an idea into a whole show - this was certainly a departure from the comfort zone and an exercise in trusting my own ideas and responses.”

An intimate cabaret performance, THE GIRLS promises an unadulterated exposé of self, as performers Hannah Ley, Leah Baulch, Hanna Cormick and performer-director Dianna Nixon bare (almost) all through music from Nick Cave, Tom Waits and Edith Piaf and Carole King, among others. It’s likely you’ve seen some of the talented girls on stage before - but never like this.

Extending it even further out of the comfort zone are the personal elements the performers bring with them. While they sit at dressing tables in a room styled by Kaur, each girl weaves her stories into the narrative thread, revealing themselves through song. “I toyed for a long time with what I wanted to say - how much, would anyone care, will it entertain or come across as schmaltz?” Ley says.

Part of The Street Theatre’s Made in Canberra season of independent local work, The Girls was conceived by Dianna Nixon.

A vocal and drama coach, she’s been providing voice lessons for the other three girls for a year or more, and this seemed a natural progression for the performers and an opportunity for them to put their new skills into practice.

“There are definite elements of ‘me’ in there, some of them are obvious, some only those close to me will recognise. I didn’t feel a burning need to expose my heart and soul; for me there are some things that are only for the ears and eyes of my husband!”

The Girls opens at the Street Theatre Thursday 29 July, playing 7pm and 9pm nightly til Saturday 31 July.

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ARTISTPROFILE: Lan Nguyen-hoan

What do you do? I call myself an artist/metalsmith/designer; currently the focus of my practice is on fusing metalsmithing (jewellery and object design) with animation. Even though I mostly work with metals, I also use different materials such as timbers and synthetics.

When did you get into it? I started studying gold and silversmithing at the ANU School of Art in 2005. During my honours year (2007) I created pieces of jewellery that transformed into robots, which I stop-motion animated. This was the beginning of my interest in combining animation with wearable objects.

Who or what influences you as an artist? I’m influenced by a number of artistically rich sub-cultures such as Japanese anime as well as Western cartoons, comics/graphic novel and graffiti. I guess in the case of the anime, cartoons and comics I’m drawn to the narratives, but overall I’m quite compelled by strong graphic styles and line work.

What’s your biggest achievement? In 2008 I received a grant from the Australia Council for the Arts to undertake a four month residency at the University of Applied Sciences, Düsseldorf in Germany. This was an excellent opportunity for the development of my art practice. I was also really excited about getting into this year’s Splendid Arts Lab and look forward to collaborating with the other participants.

What are your plans for the future? My plans for the future are to

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keep making art, continue exhibiting my work and maybe undertake post-graduate studies.

What makes you laugh? Lots of things, but for now I’ll say The Venture Brothers, which is my all time favourite cartoon.

What pisses you off? Again, lots of things, but recently it has been bad drivers and a lack of decent public transport.

What’s your opinion of the local scene? It’s good, there are a lot of opportunities out there for artists, you just have to look for them.

For instance at the beginning of 2007, a couple of friends and I got permission from Urban Services to hold an exhibition called Tunnel Vision in one of Canberra’s underpasses.

Upcoming exhibitions: New Jewels from July 24 – September 18 at Workshop Bilk in Queanbeyan.

Contact info: email_lan@lycos.com

IN REVIEW

A Container of Memories Australian National University School of Art Gallery Continuing until Saturday July 31 Art exhibitions are too-frequently characterised by the paint smell from hastily-completed display spaces. Infused with the scent of fresh woods and sealing oils, A Container of Memories is refreshingly different. The show was put together by Rodney Hayward, the head of the Australian National University School of Art’s Furniture Design and Wood workshop, along with a large number of dedicated young artists.

It comprises students and alumni from across the art school. Most of the artists are from Hayward’s workshop, but their wood pieces are complimented by works of various other media. The fact that this integration is so seamless only goes to show that it is not really ‘integration’: it’s just art. It is an exhibition which showcases both emerging artists and the strength of the school, particularly Hayward’s Furniture Design and Wood workshop. It is a large show of varied work. It is calm, confusing, funny, passionate, dire and comforting. One work questions our confidence in memory, the next exalts in it. It presents the ephemeral impossibility and the physical reality of our memories... or that’s what I remember.

This personal, emotional thesis makes for a refreshingly original and captivating exploration of art. Some artists have responded to the theme literally, with the creation of cabinets and secretive lockboxes. Others, like Elliot, have responded more conceptually or metaphorically: his work is a box of sorts, a juxtaposition of organic and machined wood, in which is hidden a tangle of cassette tape. It is an emotional response to the reality of a debilitating illness.

It is the curse for artists who work with wood, or who simply create works that are functional, to be considered somehow less artistic than their painterly peers. Hayward’s workshop combines what has been mistaken for a simple, physical discipline with a very strong philosophical base. He encourages his students to question, to seek and to explore and this is the strength of A Container of Memories.

JEMIMA FORT

The exhibition’s theme asks a series of complex questions that probe our responses to and ideas about life. After all, the notion of memory itself is inherently personal. Artist Elliot Bastianon, whose work Alzheimer’s (2010) is on display in the exhibition, says that “for many of the current students, this exhibition was a chance to exhibit pieces that were highly individual, stemming from a very personal place – an emotional response to a brief, as opposed to following a set of guidelines.”

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bit PARTS WHO: deepblue WHAT: the dream WHEN: Friday August 13 (oooooooh) @ 7pm WHERE: The Playhouse, CTC deepblue are an award-winning ensemble that, to quote, “look like an orchestra, act like a band and [feel] like you’re watching theatre or a live movie.[…] The new show the dream follows the young musician’s journey, and explores the fine line between dreams, nightmares and reality […]. a perfect combination of multi-media, film, music, rock, electronics and classical.” In a surprise twist, deepblue ask their audiences to leave their phones on during the performance so you can “make requests, give ideas and share your dreams” via SMS. Golly! Check out all the deets at www. canberratheatrecentre.com.au .

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WHO: Canberra Repertory WHAT: A Voyage Round My Father WHEN: July 30 – August 14, preview July 29 WHERE: Theatre 3, Ellery Crescent Acton Rep’s next production is John Mortimer’s tear-jerking A Voyage Round My Father, a personal journey of remembrance for his departed father. To quote: “Mortimer, who brought us the incomparable television character Rumpole of the Bailey, at his inimitable best. Mortimer’s journey searches his memories for his father - blindingly witty and brilliant, blinded by accident and obsessed with earwigs. The kind of father worth writing a comedy about, as well as the personalities and egos of the characters that peopled his world.” Bless. Details and bookings on 6257 1950.

WHO: The Embassy of Colombia WHAT: Colombian National Concert featuring Bajeros de Montaña WHEN: July 23 @ 7pm WHERE: National Portrait Gallery, King Edward Terrace July 20 is the Day of Independence of the Republic of Colombia.

Throughout July, Colombia will be celebrating its independence with a month of concerts around the world, including one in Our Nation’s Capital on July 23, featuring one of the country’s most famous native folk ensembles Bajeros de Montaña. The concert, at the National Portrait Gallery, is free but you do need to RSVP if you want to attend. Check out all the details at www.portrait.gov.au or email embassyofcolumbia@bigpond.com to RSVP. WHO: West African drumming stars WHAT: Mandinka Sound WHEN: July 27 & 28 WHERE: The Street Theatre On July 27 and 28, The Street Theatre will welcome Mandinka Sound to the stage as part of a national tour supported by multicultural touring group Kultour. Mandinka Sound features two star acts of the Melbourne West African scene, the multi-instrumentalist duo One Africa, and the huge dance-and-drums-and-awesomeness fivepiece Muhanamwé. As part of the tour, Muhanamwé are presenting drumming workshops for enthused drummers. In Canberra, these workshops are being hosted by the lovely people at Drum Effect email info@drumeffect.com.au or book online at www.drumeffect. com.au. For details on the show, head to www.thestreet.org.au .

WHO: Robyn Backen WHAT: Connecting You WHEN: Until August 14 WHERE: CCAS Gorman House Robyn Backen is an interdisciplinary artist whose work makes connections between art, science and philosophy. Her latest exhibition, at CCAS Gorman House until August 14, is Connecting You, an installation exploring the “history and implications of mass communications. On one level she works with the hardware, six Bakelite telephones arranged in a semi circle before a large mirror that create a circle through reflection. From the medieval round table to the séance, the circle has been an important element in facilitating communication.” Head over to CCAS – all the details can be found on their website at www.ccas.com.au. Word!

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WHO: Wordsmiths and winos WHAT: ACT Writers Centre Z4 Wines Award for Restaurant Reviewing WHEN: Entries due Friday September 10 WHERE: Details at www.actwriters.org.au/ACTawards2010.html The ACT Writers Centre has just announced a new award to be added to its suite of literary awards for poetry, short stories, children’s books, fiction and nonfiction: the Z4 Wines Award for Restaurant Reviewing. The award is open to entries of no more than 1500 words that have been published in the previous calendar year (2009). While the reviewed café or restaurant can be anywhere in the world, the writer must have resided in the ACT region at the time of the review’s publication. With a maximum of two entries per person, no entry fee, and a prize of $200 worth of wine from Z4 to be given away at the ACT Writers Centre Christmas Party in December, this is one of any scribbler’s stocking stuffer. For more info contact the Writers Centre on 6262 9191 or at admin@ actwriters.org.au .

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METALISE Anyone watch the Big 4 show at the movies? Reading our local “Let’s Mosh” 2XX metal radio show host’s drunken accounts were more interesting to me. Don’t forget to tune into 98.3FM Thursday nights from 11!

Before another report on international bands coming to our fair shores, here’s a diary planner on some shows coming up at The Basement over the coming months. Friday July 30 is Progfest with performances by Melbourne eleventy-piece band Ne Obliviscaris, Taliesin, Sleepmakeswaves, Nemesphyxia and more for a mere 12 bucks from 8pm. If that’s not enough prog for you, the following evening in Sydney at the Annandale Hotel, you can see the Sydney lineup that includes Ne Obliviscaris, Sleepmakeswaves, Shanghai, Pirate, A State of Flux, Anubis, Arcane, Paradigm, Space Project, Slimey Things, Godswounds and Mish.

Friday August 6 is the Dio tribute night to celebrate the life, music and passing of the elfin icon by tribute act Live Evil. (Read about it to the right! - Ed.).

Saturday August 7 features a celebration of extreme with Demonic Tempest, Reign of Terror and Dark Nemesis. Saturday August 21 is the CD launch for Our Last Enemy and features a huge bill including Inside The Exterior, 1 Shot Kill, Friend or Enemy, Na Maza, Sacred Truth and Boonhorse.

There are a lot of shows coming up, but also mark down Saturday September 25 for DJ Pea’s Birthday of Filth that features Looking Glass, Dead Letter Opener, Leichotica, Leadlight Rose, Red Bee, ZZG, Paul The Water Tiger (!), Vertical Smirk (!!) and Jizz Mist (!!!).

Soilwork are back for their third Australian tour in October to push their eighth studio album The Panic Broadcast. The tour kicks off in Brisvegas on Thursday October 21 with the nearest visitation for ACT Soilwork fans the following evening, Friday October 22, at the Manning Bar in Sydney. The supports for the show are Buried In Verona and Paradigm and you can purchase your tickets from Ticketek, Red Ant Touring or Oztix.com.au .

Lord are embarking on an extensive Australian tour before heading to Japan for the second time to tour with Doro and Jaded Heart. The tour is to launch their new EP Return of the Tyrant and it’s a doozy.

The Tyrants Return tour is 22 shows including some jaunts out to Lord Tim’s hometown Broken Hill which will be pretty huge for the ‘silver city.’ Canberra is not missing out and the band will be hitting The Maram for an 18+ show on Saturday August 28.

Don’t forget Friday July 30 at The Bald Faced Stag (aka The Wall) is the first visit to Australian shores by my all time favourite murder metal act Macabre! The Chicago three-piece have been at it since 1985 and I still remember the first time I heard the pioneering double kick skills of their drummer Dennis the Menace causing my jaw to hit the floor. They’ve got a new album coming out later this year on Aussie label High Voltage with the working title Grim Tales. Playing with Pod People, Roadside Burial and Chaotic Impurity, don’t miss this show!

Josh Nixon – Serial Killer – Gloom/Grim Reality – Macabre JOSH NIXON doomtildeath@hotmail.com

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ON THE RA-DIO SCOTT ADAMS The world of heavy metal was rocked to the core by the death of Black Sabbath/Rainbow/Dio/Heaven and Hell vocalist Ronnie James Dio. Despite the fact he was 68 when stomach cancer finally did him in, he seemed, like all the great rock vocalists, to be timeless, ageless – somehow immortal. But he’s gone, and with the period of mourning now over, we turn to remembering and, in the case of Canberra’s own LIVE EVIL, paying tribute to the great man.

Live Evil’s drummer, Duncan Beard, is clearly as upset as I was about the great man’s demise and wanted to do something about it. So the band came up with the novel idea of playing two separate tribute shows to the man – one on the Northside, at Belco’s Basement, He’s held in and one in the South, at PJ such regard because he was O’Reilly’s in Tuggeranong. When genuinely such a I suggested something more central would have been ideal, good person we both came quickly to the conclusion that there isn’t really anywhere left in Civic to put on a show of this kind, given the propensity of certain city hotels for trying to have anywhere closed down within a five mile radius of their portals if anything louder than a sneeze emanates from a live music venue.

So, North and South it is. What can we expect? “Everything, really!

We’ll be covering material from all of Ronnie’s career – Sabbath, Rainbow and Dio stuff.” That’s a big repertoire. “Yes it is. But it’s all classic stuff! It’s really tough to learn some of it, but I think we’ve come up with a pretty good balance of material.”

It’s almost impossible to calculate the amount of influence someone like Ronnie had, has, and will continue to exercise over metal musicians, young and old, don’t you think? “Yes it is. But I think he’s also held in such regard because he was genuinely such a good person.

Our singer Matt met him.” Let’s let Live Evil vocalist Matt Davis take up the story. “He signed birthday cards for us, shared his rider – poured drinks for us like he was hosting us at his own home. He was happy to talk for 40-45 minutes about life, kids, his community projects. When I spoke to [former Dio guitarist] Craig Goldy in LA this January, we seemed to think Ronnie was pulling through.”

But, as we know now, it wasn’t to be. Heaven and Hell, the band Dio formed with former Black Sabbath compadres Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinnie Appice, are slated to play a tribute set to Dio at the High Voltage festival with vocalist Glenn Hughes in London the same night as our own boys play PJ’s – kinda fitting one feels. Davis again: “I’m just happy and kind of proud we are able to play these gigs. Not only is it fun, but it has some kind of meaning for us too.”

Amen to that.

See Live Evil perform their tribute to Ronnie James Dio either at PJ O’Reilly’s in Tuggeranong on Saturday July 24 or at the Basement in Belconnen on Friday August 6. Tickets are $15 on the door.

YOUR TURN

WAITING FOR NO ONE

PETER KRBAVAC

NAOMI FROST

When it comes to guitarists, locals I EXIST take an unfussed, ‘more the merrier’ approach. “Couldn’t have too many, mate,” songwriter and chief guitarist Aaron Osborne assures me. Quite. In fact, the band’s triumphant showing at Hardcore 2010 in Sydney last month saw no less than four axe-slingers onstage. “Really four was a bit silly, but it was ridiculously heavy and that’s what we were going for,” he says. “As we continue to write our next record together we will sort out different parts for all the guitars. So they’ll actually serve a purpose other than just looking cool.”

Being one of the most determined, motivated and quickly accelerating bands in the state, hardcore/alternative five-piece ATLANTIS AWAITS after only one year since their formation are already making a name for themselves. I had the pleasure of an interview with not just one member, but almost the entire band (unfortunately lacking only the presence of guitarist Jimmy).

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here, as I Exist’s debut I: A Turn for the Worse is still no more than a couple of months old. Smashed out over a long weekend in Melbourne, the album was I had no idea recorded and mixed by Jason people would of Blood Duster, who’s be this into the PC worked on his own group’s band records as well as those of Pod People and Brutal Truth. While the six-piece remain grounded in hardcore, I sees the group further expand on their stoner, doom and sludge influences.

The secret track, a ferocious reading of seminal ‘90s group Sleep’s Dragonaut, acknowledges this influence.

The band spent months trotting from one studio to the next perfecting their soon to be launched five track self-titled EP. “We started off thinking we’d get a rough demo out,” shares guitarist Tommy, “then we began thinking, if we’re going to do this, that we may as well do it right.” The entirety of the band agree that in the process of recording, much of the identity they now possess was discovered. “Before we went into recording we didn’t really have 100% of the songs complete. It was more that we were trying to find our sound, and we kept building on that until the EP was completely finished,” drummer Robbie admits. “The next CD or EP we do will definitely be the pinnacle. We’re getting very close to where we want to be.”

“We have moved on quite a bit from where we were with the seven-inch [last year’s Three Nails and a Book of Flaws],” Aaron says.

“Where we are now and where we’re going is what I always wanted to do with this band from the beginning. It was just a matter of testing the water to see if people would actually be into it.”

The EP will be launched on Saturday July 24 at The Holy Grail, promising a great lineup and a great night of live music. All four band members that I spoke to agreed on one particular favourite performance song, Deeper Than Me, which vocalist Alice assures “has every ingredient to suck an audience in.”

He needn’t have worried. The LP has been received with open arms, garnering positive reviews from publications ranging from youth bible Blunt to Australian Guitar Magazine. “I had no idea people would be this into the band,” Aaron says. “It started out as an idea to just be the ‘heavy’ band we would all be in [as a side project alongside other bands]. Now it’s a real thing and the ball is rolling quite well with it.”

What makes their music and their lyrics primarily so spectacular is the fact that in every way possible their music is a product of the entire band. “In terms of how we write songs, it’s not about who gets to say ‘I’m the songwriter,’” confirms Alice. “We’re more driven by the fact that we want to write honest music and we want something that fits well with all of us.” Although uniquely enough it is the band’s drummer who is writing the most at present in the way of lyrics. “Robbie’s just got a really quick mind. He comes up with pictures in his head, and he can just build on a theme and build on a theme,” she compliments.

Currently living in Melbourne, Aaron explains his relocation hasn’t slowed the I Exist juggernaut. It’s merely forced the ever-gigging six-piece to be slightly more selective when it comes to bookings.

“We’ll probably just end up sticking to bigger shows and tours from now on,” he says. “That decision would have been made regardless of the move. We gotta keep people wanting to see us,” he laughs. “Don’t wanna play every other day like we did at the start.”

They’ve certainly picked a winner for their album tour: playing alongside ludicrously-popular Melbourne-via-Perth band Extortion and Adelaide’s SXWZD. “I can’t wait to hang out with the guys from my band, let alone the others,” Aaron enthuses. “They are both killer bands – SXWZD have two drummers!”

I Exist, Extortion, SXWZD and 4Dead play the ANU Bar on Friday August 13 from 7pm. Tickets are $12 on the door. I: A Turn for the Worse is available on CD through Common Bond and as a limited edition 12” through Midnight Funeral from August 13.

We’re getting very close to where we want to be

What is most admirable about this group of people in particular is the self motivation and passion that pours out upon even the mention of their band or their music. It is those qualities along with their undying determination that has brought them so far in so little time.

“Right now, this is what we’re all doing and what we’re all living for,” says Tommy. “As a group we’re so motivated that it’s getting to the point that it’s obsessive. This band is definitely a do it yourself kind of group.” Bassist and screamer Steve continues on, “everyday is just another way to get closer to where we need to be.”

Check out Atlantis Awaits live at their EP launch, along with supports Retraspec and Hands Like Houses, at the Holy Grail on Saturday July 24.

Tickets through Moshtix.

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THE REALNESS Following up from his promising Left To Write EP, Sydneysider Skryptcha has returned with his debut full length The Numbers which will be released on Friday July 23 on the ever-busy Obese Records. From first listen, it’s a real boom-bap affair and showcases Skryptcha’s overall love for music, honesty and passion for life over its 14 tunes. The album features production from Domingo (USA), M-Phazes, Chasm, Mules, Jase and Ante Escobar. Guest slots from Dialectrix (who is on fire at the moment!), Lotek, Jeswon, Rachel Berry and Bastian Bones. Support the man when the album drops.

There has been a resurgence of dope mainstream hip-hop sounds of late, with three major releases catching my ear and spending extensive rotation time in my various systems. First up is the debut LP from the much touted Drake. Thank Me Later is a magnificent and wholly original debut LP, where the ‘heart on his sleeve’ attitude of Drizzy shines bright over the album’s entire running time. Whether crooning or rapping Drake exhibits his talents over some beautifully soulful and chill-wave production (Noah ‘40’ Shebib, Boi-1da, Swizz Beats, Kanye West etc). It’s an addictive album that really grows in depth with each spin.

Big Boi’s Sir Lucious Left Foot has finally arrived on Def Jam and it is a magnificent opus chock full of inventive songwriting and a bevy of jams ranging from outer space soul to marching band two-step club stompers. Awash with that forward thinking Outkast vibe, the LP is guest heavy but the collaborations never seem forced and Big Boi is still 100% the star. Lyrically and flow-wise he tears the album apart, proving that he is still one of the most underrated emcees still doing things today. Absolutely essential and up there as a contender for LP of the year so far.

Finally, The Roots have returned for their third outing on Def Jam with How I Got Over. The album is a real nod back to the live jam instrumentation of their ‘94 Illadelph Halflife days with ?uestlove’s drumming again showcased as the backbone of the Roots vibe. Chock full of guests, both expected (Dice Raw, Truck North) and unexpected (Joanna Newsom, Monsters of Folk, Dirty Projectors), the quality of inventive and captivating songwriting is always top notch. It’s a more chilled out outing than their previous effort Rising Down but is another notch in an already legendary (and faultless) oeuvre.

Jumping genres, there is a real bevy of fantastic new singles, EPs and LPs out in the bass music scene – too many to list really, but I will make mention of UK label Night Slugs who continues its domination of bass influenced house music with the latest release from co-label head L-Vis 1990. The Forever You EP is a straight up classic – at times deep and traditional in its homage to classic house and other times forward thinking in its drunken syrupy synth work. L-Vis again proves he is one of the leaders in the future of creative garage/house music.

Show-wise, the mighty M-Phazes (good gracious!) is in town on Saturday August 21 at Transit Bar to promote his latest LP on Obese.

Rumour has it that he’ll be bringing some very BIG emcees with him for the performance. NZ D&B don Dose is set to pummel Mercury Bar on Friday August 6 with supports from the who’s who of ACT D&B and dubstep. And don’t forget Low Freqz is back at Hippo Bar for its second instalment on Saturday August 14 – so come along for your monthly bass music fix.

ROSHAMBO roshambizzle@yahoo.com.au

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MAGGOT MOUF shailla van raad The name MAGGOT MOUF regurgitates images of a decapitated corpse playing banjo at a solo performance, but Mouf is much more than that. Busting onto the scene in 1997, Maggot Mouf is a lean, mean rapping machine and although he’s as white as Wonder Bread, the boy can spit some poignant rhymes, as his new release You’re All Ears proves.

“Every track on the new album has a different concept, a different vibe to it. It’s not all the same shit,” says Mouf of the album. “Every song [on You’re All Ears] is topical and does its own thing. It’s kind of how I see the world and [I’m] putting it right there nds frie my Me and for people to listen to. do ten Nin y pla l all stil Every time I write a 2 and sit around song I try not to make smoking weed, it a typical battle rap. watching Married Every time I write a song I try to make it about with Children something, whether it be about passion or whether it be about something topical. I’ll just sometimes even get drunk and write a rap about something stupid, but I make sure it’s about something.”

Having first stepped out in the Canberra hip-hop scene as a teenager, Mouf admits that he’s “influenced a lot by American rap, like a lot of ‘90s stuff from New York.” The video clip for the single What U Lookin At is very ‘90s influenced. “It’s typical ‘90s dress up, meat market, paying homage to that era,” Mouf explains. “I was born in ‘82 and I grew up in the ‘90s. Me and my friends are stuck in the ‘90s – we all still play Nintendo 2 and sit around smoking weed, watching shows from the ‘90s like Married with Children. There’s something about that era that was just so fucking good.”

Now based in Melbourne, Mouf has enlisted the help of Joey Garg, who provides some unsettling beats on What U Lookin At, and other production geniuses such as Scotty Hinds, Ciecmate and Sammy Scissors to create an album that gives some striking social commentary. You’re All Ears cuts close to the bone, even if it is in the form of some mucky admissions – these just add to its cause.

Mouf’s most attractive quality is that he’s honest, on the record and off. Speaking frankly about You’re All Ears, he admits to the album’s grittiness but also says he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Music is obviously his way of communicating his experiences to people both poetically and realistically. “The most personal and the deepest track on the album is Never Would Admit It, fo’ sho’,” says Mouf softly but surely. “It’s a journey that someone takes on this path filled with drugs and everything that comes with it. It’s about a personal experience; everyday stuff that happens to everyday people. Everyone can try to relate to that scene. People don’t realise that it does get pretty bad and think that it’s all Neighbours, but this isn’t Ramsay Street.”

Maggot Mouf’s You’re All Ears is released on Friday July 16 and is available through all good record stores.

the word

BLACKBOX

on games Tilt To Live / rRootage Online Developer/Publisher: One Man Left Studios / fraglab.at Platform: iPhone / iPhone Style: Survival / Shmup Price: $2.50 / Free Rating: Worth Getting / Worth Getting Reviewer: Torben / Jemist Like most other iPhone games dubbed “the most addictive game ever” (for which there are a shitload now) Tilt to Live works off a simple premise, which in this case is: tilt iPhone, little ship moves, red dots die. Luckily there is more to it than that, with a mix of weapons, awards, modes and unlockables chucked in to keep you busy for at least an hour or so. And while admittedly it’s great fun for that hour – thanks in part to the slick visuals, fun gameplay and the overall quirkiness – the game eventually boils down to trying to best your own highest score, again and again… and again. Not surprisingly, this tires quite quickly and the presence of an online leader board does nothing to help out given how ludicrously large the top scores are. Sure, you can compete against friends, but in the absence of some kind of unified iPhone gaming profile, who can really be arsed to set that shit up?

So all up, yes this is a good game, yes it is better than Doodle Jump, but no, it won’t change your life. But hell, neither did that coffee and that probably cost more money. *** rRootage Online (‘Online’ refers to uploading scores on the leaderboards, not multiplayer) is an iPhone port of Japanese ABA Studio’s freeware Bullet Hell title. Western audiences tend to be left out of this niche genre of gaming, but we’ve been exposed to it via Ikaruga and Mars Matrix, and the recent Geometry Wars takes a page from the genre.

The premise is simple; you’re a little spaceship, and you’ve got to shoot the boss as it shoots hundreds and hundreds of bullets at you.

Each stage has its own bullet patterns, which inevitably get more complex as the game moves on. Like, heaps and heaps complex.

Like, heaps. Heaps.

Thankfully, control method is very simple; touch and hold on the screen to shoot and move, touch two fingers to activate the special. Works like a charm. Four game modes all up: Original, IKA (Ikaruga), GW (Giga Wing) and PSY (Psyvariar), the latter three mimic particular touches from each series. Beautifully simple vector graphics, by the way.

At a friendly 5.2mb download, and for the awesome price of free, I’d recommend giving it a go. Welcome to Bullet Hell.

Once upon a time in a galaxy not so far, far away, ABC was really the only station you actually needed. Auntie’s schedules were overflowing with the best English comedy (Fawlty Towers, The Young Ones and Ab Fab), homegrown hilarity (Australia You’re Standing In It) and it was the home of sci-fi (Dr Who, Blake’s 7), anime (G-Force) and other Asian treats (Monkey). In the early ‘90s the Americans learnt how to do quirky and the local commercial networks were overflowing (Seinfeld, Star Trek Next Generation, X-Files, Twin Peaks). A few years ago when everything headed for pay TV land, Chez Blackbox took an egalitarian stance and waited patiently for a return on the 8c a day investment in our national broadcaster. And it’s come back in spades. In fact, as this week’s schedule proves, you could almost stick with Auntie’s four channels (except for Big Bang Theory [WIN, Mon, 8pm and Go, Sun, 7.40pm and Thu, 8.40pm]). So here are Blackbox’s Top 5 reasons to watch Auntie: 1. The best of HBO – now that the commercial networks are passing on shows already aired on Pay TV, Auntie is running entire HBO series, without interruption or ads. The latest is the fabulous Deadwood (ABC2, Tue Aug 1, 9.30pm) filling the vacuum left by The Wire. Hopefully the ABC’s letter writers are tucked safely in bed by the time it hits screens as Auntie’s usual language warning will need to be on steroids.

2. A finger that’s really on the pulse – Jennifer Byrne Presents: Graphic Novels (ABC1, Tue Aug 10, 10.05pm), The Botany of Desire (ABC1, Thu, 9.30pm) which looks at our fave plants from marijuana to potatoes.

3. The best travel (and adventure) docos – Three Men Go to Ireland (ABC1, Tue Aug 3, 6pm) which follows British comedians Griff Rhys Jones, Dara O’Briain and Rory McGrath on a trek across Ireland, Nicholas Crane’s Britannia (ABC2, Tue, 8.30pm), The Trail of Genghis Khan (ABC2, Wed Jul 28, 8.30pm) which follows Tim Cope across the Eurasian steppe from Mongolia to Hungary.

3. ABC News 24 launches this week – make sure your TV (or set top box) is HD though – Auntie, not quite totally egalitarian when it comes to news.

4. Comedy old and new – The Goodies (ABC2, Mon, 8pm) and the Chaser election series Yes We Canberra! (ABC1, Wed, 9.45pm).

5. iView – if you miss any of the best programs, you can watch them at your leisure.

Elsewhere there’s the fourth series of Skins (SBS1, Mon Jul 26, 10pm), the return of Entourage (SBS1, Mon Jul 26, 10.55pm), new episodes of Man vs Wild (SBS1, Mon Aug 2, 8.30pm) and a new season of Rules of Engagement (SCTEN, Sun Jul 25, 7pm).

Docos to check out include Dateline: Mothers Against Paco (SBS1, Sun Aug 1, 8.30pm) about Paco, a drug made from the waste of cocaine production, Dateline: Bee Prepared (SBS1, Sun Jul 25, 8.30pm) about the move to allow beekeeping in New York City, Roll In Babies (ABC2, Wed Aug 4, 9.30pm) – a making of doco about the roller skating babies ad that went crazy on YouTube and I Know What I Saw (ABC2, Wed Jul 28, 9.30pm).

Don’t miss Review with Myles Barlow (ABC2, Thu Aug 5, 9.30pm) which covers the topic Killing Kyle Sandilands. ‘Nuff said.

TRACY HEFFERNAN tracyheffernan@bigpond.com

31

the word

naD

on albums

JAMES FAHY AND HIS TRIO THE SUN WILL BURN THROUGH THIS CLOUD [INDEPENDENT]

album of the issue Deutsche Elektronische Musik Experimental German Rock and Electronic Musik 1972-83 [Soul Jazz/Inertia]

When things got really interesting in popular music like psychedelic rock, funk and the experimental leanings of bands like The Velvet Underground, psychedelic German musicians of the 1970s paid close attention and particular aspects set some fascinating sounds in motion. I still reckon Pink Floyd stands out as the primary influence on German psychedelia, but adapted to suit a particularly inquisitive and forward thinking sensibility. So, when listening to the 1972 IBliss track High Life which runs for an appropriate 13 minutes, hallucinogenic vibes of an epic sort contain traces of such lysergic journeys as Pink Floyd’s Echoes. But the German bands were too smart to merely imitate, and sought out an original expression which in part arrived as the motorik beat, courtesy of key artists like Harmonia, Neu! and polyrhythmic funksters Can who are all represented by first-rate tracks on this outstanding two CD set. The compilers have not scrimped on diversity, and familiar names like Tangerine Dream share space with enticing trip-outs such as the 11 minute track Rambo Zambo from Kollectiv who might never have made the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, but probably should have.

DAN BIGNA

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If Fahy’s first recording, the five-tracked The Sun Will Burn Through This Cloud is to set a path, it heralds a voyage of discovery filled with inspiration.

Opener Throw Yourself trickles into the heart then bursts like a solar flare; its melody and harmonies testament to Fahy’s dedication to his art. His vocal range and emotive brilliance burns through in Numbers, Forever. He explodes and cascades with a dexterity that evidences true talent. West Virginia Coin speaks of folly and forgiveness but capable hands lead us through an unorthodox time signature that shows adeptness at composition.

When ...But Not That Hard rolls into view, Fahy has already built an expectation of greatness. A Song Is Not The Place ends the album with Fahy caressing away sentimental notions of notes wrapped up with string. Not one to dismiss admiration, he gently reminds us that life is not to be lived through another’s eyes, keen though they may be.

Throughout, Fahy effortlessly sweeps between soothing and aching, his voice weaves around the heart with thread finer than silk. With the exceptional aid of Bec Taylor, Chris Endrey and Joe Oppenheimer, Fahy has captured a real sense of beauty and hope that permeates and warms with that familiar closeness of friends.

The Sun Will Burn Through This Cloud is available from Smiths Alternative Bookshop and Landspeed.

ADRIAN THREADGOULD

JOE OPPENHEIMER TIME TICKS A WAY [INDEPENDENT]

MONAE The ArchAndroid [Warner Music]

Joe Oppenheimer does not wait on destiny. To find a more charismatic storyteller you’d scour the four lands and return empty-handed. Time Ticks A Way represents the first scribing of Oppenheimer’s tales, and the heart sings as the troubadour enchants and transports. Story of You resonates as a chronicle of love and the resigned understanding of its transience.

Oppenheimer positively shines in recognition of this fragile beauty. The undying melody and interlacing harmonies carry through to Hush Penelope with his emblem of blissful heartache.

The femininity and symmetry in Penelope’s vocals gives purity to this song that tears open the sky at its climax. Time Time gives Oppenheimer’s motif the rag-time treatment. Knowing very well the futility of his attempts to dissect his subject, Joe occupies the urge with a wink and a nod.

The Man Who Saved The World is a voice from another Age. Its eerily concise wisdom and train-like cadence reminds one of that other wandering folk poet, while Should You Ever closes with a haunting note of love beyond decaying senses. Oppenheimer’s songs often involve reflection or foretelling and the cyclical nature of time. This is indicative of the man himself, ever curious as to the weaving of life. Being his most natural expression, his songs carry his insight with a genuine timelessness. Oppenheimer will continue to weave his stories into songs articulate and prophetic.

One cannot help but be drawn to the pattern.

Just when you thought you’d had your fill of bonkers, robot obsessed, futuristic, Philip K. Dick vs. Prince vs. James Brown vs. Fritz Lang concept albums (never! - Ed.) – along comes Janelle Monae to make you look like an idiot. If you make it through the gonzo essay in the liner notes with sanity intact (and believe me its possible you won’t) you’ll find an album that aims very high and hits its mark more often than not. After being ‘discovered’ by Outkast in 2006 and joining Sean Combs’ XX label, Monae has spent the last few years gestating ArchAndroid in a world that sounds hell more fun than this one. It’s a three-suite monster built around outrageously addictive Atlanta grooves, hard funk, big band swing and afro-hip-hop. One minute it’s a dance-pop album channelling Lily Allen right down to a faux-cockney accent (Faster) the next it’s a Goldfrappesque downtempo autumn stroll (Sir Greendown) the next it’s sweet Nuggets-era psych-pop (Mushrooms & Roses).

Time Ticks A Way is available from Smiths Alternative Bookshop and Landspeed.

ADRIAN THREADGOULD

By the time you get to the double hit of soul-pop in Cold War and Tightrope its obvious Monae is some sort of didactic freak blessed with galloping ambition and a fearless shapeshifting voice that remains defiantly unchallenged by some pretty intense stylistic demands.

Arguably ArchAndroid could do with an edit – but I wouldn’t want to be the one to suggest it to her. Barely half way through her twenties, my spine tingles considering the possibilities Janelle Monae has wrought.

JUSTIN HOOK

singled out

with Dave Ruby Howe

Princess One Point Five What Doesn’t Kill You [Pharmacy Records] Proof that the dynamic between Sarah-Jane Wentzki and Richard Andrew (Underground Lovers, Crow) produces music of excellence consistently, What Doesn’t Kill You, is another beautiful offering from Melbourne’s Princess One Point Five. At first quiet and atmospheric, the album is reminiscent of ‘90s trip-hoppers Lamb (a very good thing indeed), with moody piano, haunting melodies and even a few instrumentals scattered throughout. Wentzki’s vocals are similar to those of Sally Seltmann/New Buffalo, and possess both a fragility and strength.

Spliced in between instrumentals, moody piano and fragile, poignant vocals, are boisterous pop songs with sly lyrics. Could Today’s chorus of “what the hell is with today today?” be a sly nod to ‘90s teen flick Empire Records? I hope so.

Nonetheless, it’s a whip-smart, neat little pop track, followed nicely by Quote Me, a quick jab at the music industry. Though all relatively short songs, every track is well crafted and sleekly produced.

Princess 1.5’s delicate nature can lend itself to be pushed into the territory of background music, and only a few tracks leap out and demand to be listened to on the first few plays. However, repeated spins of What Doesn’t Kill You rewards the listener with lingering tracks. Perfect timing too, as the the music’s distinctive wintery feel makes a good match for the current oh-so-cold weather.

Chiara Grassia

Terry Brock Diamond Blue [Frontiers/Riot] Terry Brock is one of rock’s perennial nearly men. First emerging in the early eighties as a backing vocalist for pomp rock gods Kansas, Brock then went on to add his considerable vocal elasticity to Scottish also-rans Strangeways (who have recently, for reasons best known to themselves, reformed). He then joined up again with elements of Kansas in the Seventh Key project before fronting a reformed Giant for their poorly received Promise Land opus from last year. Which brings us to the here and, indeed, the now.

For Diamond Blue Brock has teamed up with former Streets guitarist Mike Slamer (that’s Streets the eighties AOR Gods, not the pasty-faced rapper of the same name), and the results are predictably incendiary.

Melodic hard rock is the name of the game, and Brock and Slamer deliver the good stuff in spades. The title track is, simply, spine tingling in its simplicity – great vocal +brilliant solo+ massive chorus= instant classic in my books, and this rudimentary blueprint is used time and again throughout the album. It’s You is a gargantuan mix of Bryan Adams before he turned into a twat, whilst elsewhere Brock’s measured vocal brilliance lifts slightly more workaday material such as No More Mr Guy to heights of which you wouldn’t think such meat and potatoes fare capable. There’s absolutely no place for DB in the modern marketplace – but if you like great songwriting delivered with style and panache, then maybe you should give this a go. scott adams

The Soft Pack The soft pack [Pod/Inertia] I first encountered The Soft Pack through their loose association with Rick Froberg: he of San Diego’s finest Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes and now New York’s Obits. On the hunt for some similarly-charged garage rock to sub in for my increasingly worn copies of the Snakes’ three unimpeachable LPs, The Soft Pack’s debut proved a worthy addition to the collection.

That mini album - complete with bullet-riddled sleeve - was released under their previous, less marketing departmentfriendly moniker The Muslims, so here we have the first ‘Pack album proper. Lunkheadedlytitled opener C’mon is an energising statement of intent and sets the template for what’s to come: frantic floor tom ‘n’ snare drumming; bouncing basslines which utilise the full scale of the fretboard; slashing guitars topped with surf-inspired leads; and Matt Lamkin’s flat, though by no means charmless, vocals. The four-to-the-floor momentum of the album is only broken by the reverb-heavy wash of the doowop flavoured Mexico.

The Australian issue of the LP is also complemented by two bonus tracks which, far from being some cursory ‘added value’ tack-on, rival anything on the rest of the album. These noisy, ragged recordings pack a wallop and promise more great stuff from The Soft Pack down the line.

But for the moment, their debut remains eminently enjoyable. peter krbavac

Art Vs Science - Magic Fountain [Independent] This will be huge, no question about that. It’s got the big, thick keyboard riffs to shake plenty of bodies and the easy call-and-response vocals that’ll be chanted hoarsely at festivals for the next year. And good on ‘em, they’re full of energy and this is another winner. But they’re veering dangerously close to becoming the Muse of electro. Just sayin’.

Cody Simpson - iYiYiY ft. Flo Rida [Atlantic/ Warner] Jeez, I never thought that I’d be defending Justin Bieber’s turf, but here I am. It’s not that I have any issue with success, but this is a bald-faced and scarily dirty cash in on the unfortunate tidal wave of Bieber-fever. Some record executive has just swooped on an ordinary (and obviously talented) little boy, thrown some cash at him and saddled him with hip-hop’s Jim Crow, Flo Rida, in the hope of repeating Bieber’s recent rise to stardom. It’s the same thing, people. Except that Cody Simpson is just 13, even pre-er prepubescent. Our world is fucked.

Cut Copy Where I’m Going [Modular/UMA] I’m not sure anyone was expecting this. Cut Copy have traded in the layered electronics of In Ghost Colours for, err, some psychedelic Brit-pop? It sounds odd on paper, and actually it is odd on first listen. But Cut Copy do it in their own inimitable style that it sounds super natural for the band. And there’s still some bubbling synths fused with all the guitars, organs, handclaps and infectious woo-ooo’s, so it’s hard not to love, really.

33

the word

on films

WITH MARK RUSSELL

Before filming began for Predators, Adrien Brody apparently spent months out in the middle of the jungle by himself, getting into character and doing little else other than exercising and meditating... for Predators. This is what happens when you give an Oscar winner a ‘simpler’ film.

Throw them in a scene where they’re running away from a nightmarish alien horror, and they need help understanding the motivation. “Does he fear the beast because his uncle sexually abused him on a childhood hunting trip? Or is it all some kind of metaphor for The Holocaust?”

quote of the issue

“Man, let me tell you, if I get out of here, I’m going to do so much cocaine.”

Stans (Walton Goggins) Predators

34

creation

exit through the gift shop

predators

Charles Darwin (Paul Bettany) is a man oppressed by the war of his convictions. His scientific experiments, theories and enquiring mind have led him down a path that questions his faith in a divine creator. Can he arrest these two forces?

What a curious little entity this film is. Initially presented as a documentary on street art and its main progenitors, it quietly morphs into a cunning piece of self promotion, leaving one to ponder; is this actually a documentary, or a work of guerrilla art unto itself?

It’s been a long and colourful path for the Predator franchise, from the action gold of the Arnie original to whatever Alien Vs Predator was. This ‘reboot’ sees the roles reversed, as a group of hard-arses find themselves dropped on a strange land that serves as a game preserve in which these ugly mo-fos hunt humans.

Sounds like a great plot, doesn’t it? Kind of a not-too-subtle lead into the arguments going on in many American bible-belt schools over what to teach children about the nature of the universe? This kind of character crisis would make a great film – the most influential figure in evolutionary theory taking his first heretical steps towards writing On the Origin of Species. Unfortunately Creation is not this story. Screenwriter John Collee has shown little confidence in the inherent story, choosing instead to dress the script up with a non-linear timeline and occasional surreal moments. Darwin’s tumultuous inner journey is further diluted by the film’s focus on Charles’ relationship with his wife (played by Jennifer Connelly).

Her strong religious leanings are intended to (and really, they should) provide an outward representation of his inner conflict. Instead it just feels too much like a collection of all the stolen glances and pregnant English silences rife in any period piece.

Of course, it’s not all bad. The film looks great, shot with an eye that captures the rich natural world Darwin so loved.

And the performances are almost uniformly brilliant. But the pacing is languid at best, meandering at worst, and subject matter that should be inherently fascinating is left <ahem> unevolved. mark russell

The British Banksy is arguably the world’s most renowned street artist, as prolific as he is mysterious. Swathed in shadow and with distorted voice, the man’s identity is protected to prevent law enforcement disrupting his illegal form of art. Any surface in any world location is fair game for Banksy and street art in general, with once dull concrete veneers transformed into beautiful, often temporary, works of art.

This is called ‘A Banksy film’ and yet it is Los Angeles based Frenchman Thierry Guetta with the camera and narration.

In 1999 Guetta found himself becoming obsessed with filming and ultimately aiding in the creation of street art, beginning with his cousin Space Invader in France (famous for his pixel space invader motifs) then moving onto Shepard Fairey in LA (he of the Andre the Giant Obey effigy) and then Banksy himself.

The short running time means this documentary doesn’t overstay its welcome. We’re shown exquisite bits of street art (Banksy’s Israel/West Bank wall work is a highlight) and its conceptual twist is clever. Guetta isn’t the most charismatic of men, but his gumption is to be admired, even if it is at the expense of his long suffering wife. Well worth a look at this misunderstood art form.

ALLAN SKO

Predators is a rather strange collection of hits and misses, exemplified in the casting of credible thespian Adrien Brody as the head roughneck. His very above average acting chops give him the required emotional range with a simple eyebrow raise. Unfortunately a need to play against his naturally softer look means added bonuses like a tough guy voice that even Bale’s Bruce Wayne would call unnecessarily husky.

But where Brody gets better as the minutes and body-count increase, the film itself takes a nosedive. The mindless bloody fun, and inventive set-up, give way to laboured action and too-far ridiculousness. Laurence Fishburne feels especially forced and lacks a needed punch.

We also spend too much of the early stages waiting for the characters to catch up to us. Yes, they woke up falling from the sky. Yes, discovering you’ve been dropped into an intergalactic fox hunt would be a little disconcerting. But they should be with it by 30 minutes in – surely this sort of situation is common ground for stereotypes such as these?

Overall, Predators is a good bit of fun but the scent of blood in the water doesn’t lead to the hoped feast. mark russell

the word on dvds

Alice in Wonderland [Disney]

Blood, Sweat and Gears [Roadshow]

Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, a pseudo-sequel to Lewis Carroll’s tale, follows Alice (Mia Wasikowska), now 19 years old, whose memories of Wonderland – or rather, Underland – appear as nothing but a dream. Alice, suffocated by strict Victorian morals and her impending engagement to a sniffling, silly aristocrat, finds herself falling once more down the rabbit hole. But once there she finds it is her destiny – with help from Johnny Depp’s schizophrenic, mercuryaddled Mad Hatter and Anne Hathaway’s deliciously dreadful White Queen – to bring down the bloody reign of the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter).

What’s the hardest thing about riding a bike? The footpath.

Thanks. I’ll be here all week. Try the veal. Croaky old jokes aside, we all know the hardest thing about riding a bike is passing the drug test. Sure, it does look bad – but artificial stimulants in professional cycling are hardly a new phenomenon. Strychnine, amphetamines, cocaine, testosterone, chloroform, blood swapping, steroids… et al have been on the menu for over 100 years. A cloud of insinuation follows one of the sport’s biggest stars, Lance Armstrong, everywhere he pedals and even the most respected rider of all time – Eddie Mercx – knows his way around a doping scandal.

What to do? Blood, Sweat and Gears makes the case that it is possible to run a clean and successful professional racing team. This doco follows Team Slipstream from inception through its journey to top flight competitiveness. It’s a rag tag bunch of ex-cheats, aging coulda-beens and underachieving upstarts. They might not have the sponsorship or the media attention of the bigger teams – but they get drug tested every second day. Sorta like a massive ‘fuck you!’ to the rest of the sport.

By being so defiantly drug-free there is an implicit degree of finger pointing at the rest of the sport. Which, to be fair, probably isn’t so unwarranted. Any doco about cycling is bound to take in Le Tour de France and therefore guaranteed to contain bucolic footage of the French Alps, quaint cobble-stoned villages and smelly, baguette and cheese encrusted Gauls. On that measure it delivers.

But outside the suspiciously looking stock footage of daisy fields, Blood, Sweat and Gears looks rough and cheap. There are elements of friction and suspense yet probably not enough to drive a 90 minute narrative. The notoriously blunt ex-doper David Millar is a fascinating subject but the doco spends too much time meandering when it should be flying headfirst down the mountainside.

Alice follows a lacklustre and linear script, sans silliness – which is perhaps the strangest thing about the film.

Unfortunately the film itself should be strange: Carroll’s classic is a masterpiece of nonsense literature, and should not have been adapted into such a predictable plot. It is even more of a letdown than Burton’s unwillingness to subvert and make sinister a landscape that is ripe for it.

For a world that should inspire wanderlust, Underland is under-realised. The animation is not worthy of Alice’s story and all too often feels awfully artificial. It’s difficult to believe that the CGI creatures and actors are actually interacting, which makes the film feel both physically and emotionally unreal. The film does, however, look better on DVD than it did on the silver screen.

The DVD special features include a short featurette about adapting Alice into a film, another about the development of Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter, and another about the special effects and animation in the film – probably the most interesting of the three. Alice in Wonderland is disappointingly lacking in wonder. melissa wellham

justin hook

Edgeplay: A Film about the Runaways [Shock] This doco is not be confused with the recently released biopic on The Runaways that promises to be a good one.

And so it should, considering that the primary element is five sexy girls who kept the girl power flame alive by rockin’ out in an enticingly hard manner, but doing so alongside the usual sex and drugs stuff that is ever present in the glittery rock world and sometimes contributes to a good story.

Into the mix comes a very weird dude by the name of Kim Fowley who put out a couple of notable psych-rock singles in the 1960s, but who also favoured himself as an ideas man and talent scout when putting together the original Runaways lineup in the mid 1970s. It turns out that Fowley was also a total creep who abused various members of this promising teenage band in the hope that great art and lots of money would be made.

It’s a rather sad story, and this appalling documentary does little to tell it as it deserves to be told. Interviews with strong, beautiful women such as vocalist Cherie Currie and guitarist Lita Ford keep the story moving along, but the editing is of the kind more likely found on those teenybopper TV music shows where the camera disruptively leaps from one multi-angled frame to the next with unrelated ‘cool’ muzak playing in the background. And here we get to the problems. Little is offered in the way of the band’s musical achievements, replaced instead by ongoing discussions of bassist Jackie Fox’s supposed hypochondria. Also, where the hell is the music? The Runaways came up with one of the great proto-punk tunes in Cherry Bomb, but not one fragment of this song or any original music from the band appears in the doco, which is a major oversight.

DAN BIGNA

35

GIG GUIDE July 21 - July 27 wednesday july 21

FRIDAY july 23

Arts

DANCE

Pull Up! Reggae Dancehall Session

Rweromo garé niogehu mamabahe ajivé

Foreplay Friday

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

MONKEY BAR

CHAPMAN GALLERY

BAR 32

Exhibition of barkcloths. ‘Til July 25.

REV

Connecting You

Strangeways DJs night

Exhibition by Robyn Backen. ‘Til Aug 14.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE - GORMAN HOUSE

Place Maps

Exhibition by Tracey Meziane Benson.

‘Til August 14.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE - GORMAN HOUSE

Live

Finest of reggae and dancehall tunes.

Waterford

Launch their new single.

TRANSIT BAR

Boogie Nights

THE MARAM, ERINDALE CENTRE

4 Sound Sessions LOT 33

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Arrowhead CD Launch With The Alohas.

THE PHOENIX PUB

ACT Greens Benefit Gig

With Rafe Morris and more. 8pm.

MCGREGOR HALL

Jemist

Dio: A Tribute

Steve Lind (Syd)

P J O’REILLY’S, TUGGERANONG

MECHE

HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON

HIPPO LOUNGE

10pm, $15.

Like There’s No Tomorrow Tour

Performed by Live Evil.

The Naddiks

Feat. Mary Jane Kelly, Built on Secrets and Dead Kings.

Live

Found at Sea

With Super Best Friends, Yoko Oh No and Pleased to Jive You. 7.30pm, $12/$10.

Arts

2pm.

TUGGERANONG YOUTH CENTRE

With Voss and From the South.

THE PHOENIX PUB

sunday july 25

Los Capitanes

Arc: Amos Oz: The Nature of Dreams (2009, G)

Hippo Live

MCGREGOR HALL

HIPPO LOUNGE

Voodoo

Rock Nation Unplugged

With The Crunch.

HIPPO LOUNGE

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Take Cover

Arc: Accidents Happen (2009, M)

THE HUSH LOUNGE, PHILLIP

The Bridge Between Duo 6-9pm.

THE BELGIAN BEER CAFE, KINGSTON

Wednesday Lunchtime Live WESLEY MUSIC CENTRE

Found at Sea

HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON CHISHOLM TAVERN

Fate and misfortune keep crossing Billy Conway’s path.

Danger Beach, Ah! Pandita, Dominic Death

The Sheriff’s Daughter

Renaissance

With Voss and From the South.

Danger Beach album launch.

Something Different

Something Different

Transit Trivia / $5 Night TRANSIT BAR

Mo Splendour – Live Art Fundraising Event

Trivia Night

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

THE PHOENIX PUB

Free, 7.30pm.

SMITHS ALTERNATIVE BOOKSHOP

Celebrate Men’s Health and raise funds.

CANBERRA SERVICES CLUB, MANUKA

thursday july 22 Arts Greenfaces: Lawrence Mooney

Tickets from greenfaces.com .

CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

Arc: Accidents Happen (2009, M) 7pm.

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Dance Vel’vett’e

Soul, r’n’b, hip-hop

SATURDAY july 24 Arts The Sheriff’s Daughter

Performed by Miss Kitka’s House of Burlesque. 7pm. $25, tix through Moshtix.

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Performed by Miss Kitka’s House of Burlesque. 7pm. $25, tix through Moshtix.

CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

Dance Cube Sunday

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

Live Lucie Thorne

Presented by CMC, with The Cashews.

8pm, $20/$15/$12 (CMC members).

MCGREGOR HALL

monday july 26

CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

Arc: Australian Cinema at the End of the ‘50s Radical and Personal Voices.

Independent Australian films. 2pm.

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

DANCE

HIPPO LOUNGE

Candy Cube

Open Decks

One Love

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

DANCE Hospitality Night

TRANSIT BAR

tuesday july 27 live Bootlegs

LOT 33

Mario Gordon.

Army of Ignorance, Soheyla, The Mourners and Cherie.

Nathan Frost

Heartbeat: Party By Jake

Mandinka Sound

Free entry, doors open at 6.30pm.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

HIPPO LOUNGE

Feat. DJ Bricksta.

Live

TRANSIT BAR

Open Mic Night

Sa’ad, Ryz, B-tham. $10, doors open at 11pm.

POT BELLY BAR

College Fall

Telling their stories within a cocoon of acoustic folk, indie pop or alt rock.

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Therapy LOT 33

Ashley Feraude HIPPO LOUNGE

THE PHOENIX PUB

An extraordinary world music show where ancient West Africa and contemporary Australia meet. 8pm.

THE STREET THEATRE

TNT: Karaoke Dynamite

Open up your pipes for fame and glory.

TRANSIT BAR

Something Different

Domus Adultus

Jacuzzi Night

THE PHOENIX PUB

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

John Lollback, Corner Stone and Lady Grey.

36

Live

Strip off as you enter, grab a glass of wine. 7.30pm

GIG GUIDE July 27 - Aug 04 TNT: Karaoke Dynamizzle Open up your pipes to win big.

TRANSIT BAR

Open Mic Comedy

Greenfaces: Tahir

Tickets from Canberra Ticketing or greenfaces.com .

CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

A workshop for practising and emerging comedians to hone their craft. 8pm, free.

The Girls

Trivia and $5 Night

THE STREET THEATRE

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY TRANSIT BAR

wednesday july 28 Arts Night. Time.

As dusk falls, everyone chooses their moment... ‘til July 31. Tix: 6275 2700.

THE PLAYHOUSE

Live Nice Verdes

Nice Verdes create original world music that is sunny and uplifting. 7.30pm.

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Hippo Live

HIPPO LOUNGE

Mandinka Sound

Dianna Nixon, Leah Baulch, Hanna Cormick and Hannah Ley bare (almost) all. ‘Til July 31.

Perfect Places and Insatiable Appetites

Exhibition by Kalina Pilat, ‘til August 8.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE - MANUKA

Dance Mingle Intimates HIPPO LOUNGE

Domus Adultus Ladies Night!

Julia and the Deep Sea Sirens, Sarah Daphne Foo and Jacquie Nicole.

THE PHOENIX PUB

Nick Charles

Australia’s virtuoso of acoustic roots and blues. $10, 7.30pm.

Jazz City

THE MARAM, ERINDALE CENTRE

THE PHOENIX PUB

Something Different

Trivia Night Free, 7.30pm.

CANBERRA SERVICES CLUB, MANUKA

thursday july 29

TRANSIT BAR

friday july 30 Arts Bill Bailey

Funniest man alive? I’d say so. Tickets on sale now through Ticketek.

ROYAL THEATRE

Arc: Accidents Happen (2009, M)

Foreplay Friday

Arc: Hong Kong Cinema License to Kick (Men)

The Black Rose (1965, 18+). The high society Chan sisters lead a double life.

7pm.

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

THE STREET THEATRE

Austin Buckett (Kasha / Pollen Trio) Works for piano and strings with electro-acoustic improvisations, with Shoeb Ahmad from Spartak.

ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE

Special K

9pm ‘til 5am with DJs Matt and Pete.

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

REV

The Fuelers

THE PHOENIX PUB

Zack Kouns (US), Alps, Cat Cat, Brother Gozu

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Beg, Borrow, Steal 1pm, free.

CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

monday aug 02

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

saturday july 31

Arts Hospitality Night

TRANSIT BAR

Arc: Australian Cinema at the End of the ‘50s

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Arc: Sounds on Sight

Live Bootlegs

Duncan Sargeant, Beth’n’Ben, Margaret Helen King and The Far Canals.

THE PHOENIX PUB

The White Stripes: Under the Great Northern Lights.

tuesday aug 03

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

DANCE Candy Cube

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

Soundtrap

Arts Smart Casual

triple j darlings in their exclusive Canberra show. 8pm, $10.

TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Club night - techno/house.

wedensday aug 04

TRANSIT BAR

D’Opus

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

sunday aug 01

Purple Sneakers DJs

Alternation

HIPPO LOUNGE

HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON

Poetry Slam

Arts

Ashley Feraude

Endless Summer

Taking you on an uplifting journey.

Something Different

With Rodskeez.

TRANSIT BAR

THE STREET THEATRE

Freyja’s Rain

THE BASEMENT

BAR 32

HIPPO LOUNGE

The Ben Winkelman Trio

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE BOOKSHOP

Progfest II

Your weekly Big Night Out.

Effigy Presents Matt Rowan

THE MARAM, ERINDALE CENTRE

A tasty treat from the US

HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON

Los Chavos and Dub Dub Goose

Dance

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Award-winning piano trio.

The Beginnings of an Australian New Wave. 2pm.

Get funky.

$15+bf. 8pm.

Award-winning piano trio that truly pushes the boundaries of contemporary jazz.

The Alister Spence Trio

Arts

Arts

Fate and misfortune keep crossing Billy Conway’s path.

MCGREGOR HALL

With Astrochem, The Dosapops, Margaret Helen King and Druids. $10, 8pm.

Transit Trivia / $5 Night TRANSIT BAR

After the Fall

HIPPO LOUNGE

Fundraiser for ACT Women’s Legal Centre with Purrcussion, Jules Cowley, Lyndell Tutty and more. 8pm.

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Pleased to Jive You CD Launch

With Good Suns.

DJ Angel and Mario Gordon

Frau Now

Looking Glass, Ne Obliviscaris, The Marc Robertson Band and more.

Live

An extraordinary world music show where ancient West Africa and contemporary Australia meet. 8pm.

THE STREET THEATRE

Live

Robert The Bruce, Steady The Fall, Perpetual End and Makeshift.

live Mornings, Voss, Danger Beach

Local talent at it’s best

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFE

Captain, My Captain

Free live music at Canberra’s warmest watering hole.

THE PHOENIX PUB

THE BASEMENT

OUT JUL 21

The bedroom philosopher the cat empire darren hanlon hoodoo gurus ...and more!

37

FIRST CONTACT SIDE A: BMA band profile

BRASS’ERE Where did your band name come from? Boys having an ale after our first jam together.

Group members: Cameron Smith and Zach Raffan (trumpets), Michael Bailey and John Gosling (trombones), Nathan Sciberras (baritone sax), David Abkiewicz (tuba), Robert Nesci (drums) and Courtney Stark (vocals).

Describe your sound: Jazz and funk rock in a brass band wrapper.

Who are your influences, musical or otherwise? Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Hot 8 Brass Band especially, but anything with a groove. Anyone who is enthusiastic and has the courage to see things through.

What’s the weirdest experience you’ve had whilst performing? Seeing the wide age range of people who dig our music.

What’s your biggest achievement/proudest moment so far? Converting the crowd in a certain Southside beer garden. One flanny-wearing, rum-drinking punter came up afterwards and said “you guys are farkin’ awesome!”.

What are your plans for the future? Writing more songs and playing as much as we can.

What makes you laugh? See proudest moment. Also a dog relieving itself on Nath’s sax case was funny for all but him.

What pisses you off? People seeing a trumpet and immediately thinking we’re going to be too loud.

What’s your opinion of the local scene? There is a lot of great music for all tastes in Canberra. Lots of bands and people taking the initiative and making things happen.

What are your upcoming gigs? Friday July 23 live on Art Sound FM92.7 at 8pm; Saturday-Sunday July 24 and 25 at The Sheriff’s Daughter at the Canberra Irish Club with Miss Kitka’s House of Burlesque; Wednesday August 4 at Hippo Bar; Friday August 20 at The Front with Lady Grey.

Contact info: www.myspace.com/brassere and also Brass’ere on Facebook.

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Aaron Peacey Aaron 0410 381 306 Activate Jetpack activatejetpack@ hotmail.com Adam Hole Adam 0421 023 226 Afternoon Shift Adam 0402 055 314 After Close Scotty 0412 742 682, afterclose@hotmail.com Alcove Mark 0410 112 522 Alice 0423 100 792 Allies ACT (Oxfam Group) alliesact@hotmail.com/ myspace.com/alliesact Amphibian Sound PA Clare 0410 308 288 Amplif5’d Classic rock covers band Joy 0407 200 428, joybarac-heath@hotmail.com Annie & the Armadillos Annie 6161 1078/0422 076 313 The Ashburys Dan Craddock 0419 626 903 Aria Stone, sax & flute, singer/ songwriter (guitar) Aria 0411 803 343 Australian Songwriters Association (Keiran Roberts) 6231 0433 Arythmia: Ben 0423 408 767/ arythmiamusic@gmail.com Backbeat Drivers Steve 0422 733 974, www.backbeatdrivers.com Big Boss Groove Andrew 0404 455 834, www.bigbossgroove.com.au Bill Quinn Overheard Productions www.myspace.com/overheard productions, Ph: 0413 000 086 Birds Love Fighting Gangbusters/DIY shows - bookings@birdslovefighting.com Black Label Photography Kingsley 0438 351 007 Blister Bug Stu 0408 617 791 Bridge Between, The Rachel 0412 598 138, thebridgebetween.com.au Bruce Stage mgr/consultant 6254 9857 Caution Horses Nigel 0417 211 580 Chris Harland Blues Band 0418 490 640 chrisharlandbluesband@yahoo.com.au Clear Vision Films rehearsals/film clips/stunts - 0438 647 281 wcoulton.clearvisionfilms.com Cole Bennetts Photography 0415 982 662 /colebennetts@gmail.com Cris Clucas Cris 6262 5652 Crooked Dave 0421 508 467 Danny V Danny 6238 1673/0413 502 428 Dawn Theory Nathan 0402 845 132 D’Opus & Roshambo hifidelitystyles@yahoo.com DJs Madrid and Gordon 0417 433 971 DJ Latino Rogelio 0401 274 208 DJ Moises (RnB/Latin) 0402 497 835 or moises_lopez@hotmail DNA Vic 0408 477 020 Drumassault Kate 0414 236 323 Easy Mode Daz 0404 156 482, easymodeband@gmail.com Entity Chris 0412 027 894 Epic Flagon band@epicflagon.com Fighting Mongooses, The Adam 0402 055 314 Final Warning Brendan 0422 809 552 Fire on the Hill Aaron 0410 381 306/ Lachlan 0400 038 388 4dead Peter 0401 006 551 Freeloaders, The Steve 0412 653 597 Friend or Enemy 6238 0083, www.myspace.com/friendorenemy Funk Shui Dave 0407 974 476 Gareth Hailey DJ & Electronica 0414 215 885 GiLF Kelly 0410 588 747, gilf.mail@gmail.com Groovalicious Corporate/Weddings/ Private functions 0448 995 158 groovalicious@y7mail.com Guy The Sound Guy live & studio sound engineer, 0400 585 369, guy@ guythesoundguy.com HalfPast Chris 0412 115 594 Hancock Basement Tom 6257 5375, hancockbasement@hotmail.com Happy Hour Wendy 0406 375 096

Haunted Attics band@hauntedatticsmusic.com Hitherto Paul 0408 425 636 In The Flesh Scott 0410 475 703 Inside the Exterior Nathan 0401 072 650 Itchy Triggers Andrew 0401 588 884 Jacqui Seczawa 0428 428 722 JDY Clothing 0405 648 288/ www.jdyclothing.com Jenn Pacor singer/songwriter avail. for originals & covers, 0405 618 630 Jim Boots 0417 211 580 Johnny Roadkill Paulie 0408 287 672, paulie_mcmillan@live.com.au Karismakatz DJ Gosper 0411 065 189/ dj@karismakatz.com Kayo Marbilus myspace.com/kayomarbilus Kurt’s Metalworx (PA) 0417 025 792 Little Smoke Sam 0411 112 075 Los Chavos Andy 0401 572 150 los.chavos@yahoo.com.au Manilla Green Herms 0404 848 462, contactus@manillagreen.com, Mario Brujo Gordon world/latin/ reggae/percussionist and DJ. 0405 820 895 Martin Bailey Audio Engineer 0423 566 093 Words for You: writer/publicity/events Megan ph 6154 0927, megan@wordsforyou.com.au Mercury Switch Lab Studios mercuryswitch@internode.on.net Missing Zero Hadrian Brand 0424 721 907 hadrian.brand@live.com.au Moots aspwinch@grapevine.com.au Huck 0419 630 721 MuShu Jack 0414 292 567, mushu_band@hotmail.com MyOnus myonusmusic@hotmail.com/ www.myspace.com/myonus No Retreat Simon 0411 155 680 Ocean Moses Nigel 0417 211 580 OneWayFare Chris 0418 496 448 Painted Hearts, The Peter 6248 6027 Phathom Chris 0422 888 700 The Pigs The Colonel 0422 412 752 Polka Pigs Ian 6231 5974 Premier Audio Simon 0412 331 876, premier_audio@hotmail.com Rafe Morris 0416 322 763 Redletter Ben 0421 414 472 Redsun Rehearsal Studio Ralph 0404 178 996/6162 1527 Rhythm Party, The Ross 0416 010 680 Roger Bone Band Andy 0413 483 758 Rob Mac Project, The Melinda 0400 405 537 Rug, The Jol 0417 273 041 Samsara Samahdi 0431 083 776 Sansutra J-Ma 0403 476 350 Simone Penkethman (Simone & The Soothsayers, Singing Teacher) 6230 4828 Soundcity Rehearsal Studio Andrew 0401 588 884 Solid Gold Peter 0421 131 887/ solid.gold@live.com.au Super Best Friends Matt 0438 228 748 Surrender Jordan 0439 907 853 Switch 3 Mick 0410 698 479 System Addict Jamie 0418 398 556 The Morning After (covers band) Anthony 0402 500 843/ myspace.com/themorningaftercovers Tiger Bones & The Ferabul-Zers Danny feralbul@aapt.net.au Tim James Lucia 6282 3740, LUCIAMURDOCH@hotmail.com Top Shelf Colin 0408 631 514 Transmission Nowhere Emilie 0421 953 519/myspace.com/ transmissionnowhere Udo 0412 086 158 Undersided, The Baz 0408 468 041 Using Three Words Dan 0416 123 020, usingthreewords@hotmail.com Voodoo Doll Mark 0428 650 549 William Blakely Will 0414 910 014

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