Sauce - Issue 36,

On the street Every Second Wednesday

Issue #36 21/02/07 - 06/03/07

SUBAUDIBLE HUM

Listen Closely

BY TOM WILSON

Some bands deserve to be pigeonholed into a musical genre. Some don’t. And with some, it’s just impossible. Because I get antsy when I can’t slap a label on someone, I subaudibly hummed to singer Daniel Griffith to see if he could do it for me.

It’s also been said that you “write from that mysterious void between emotive art and didactic thesis”. What do you think this means?

I think it means basically that our music is conscious; that the lyrics are written almost as a separate part, intent to get a point across. But at the same time we’re immersing the lyrical content in a backdrop of highly dramatic music.

To what extent do you think it’s accurate?

A large extent; less so on some songs on this album which have a lighter approach to them, but the idea of creating a movement still holds.

response, as in, I can’t remember what we were thinking when it came out. But I remember we were all really happy with the final mix and thought it was a really special album. It’s hard to gauge what people actually think, as friends and press alike will praise the hell out of it whether it’s that good or not. I think it’s pretty damn good for an indie release.

We’ve heard that there was a freaky coincidence with the album’s title and the weather around Australia when it was released. What can you tell us about that?

Yeah; the title is a lot more metaphoric, but as the bushfires blazed around the country in early January, it fucking snowed! In the middle of summer, it was snowing in NSW and VIC. Weird. We’ve got a pretty sick weather system at the moment. “Oh, but I’m sure it’s nothing …”

If the band had the superhuman ability to control

the weather, “X-Men”-style, what would you do with it?

Turn down the heat.

“

I think the next record is going to be weird

”

Musically, what kind of progression do you think was made between your debut and this release?

We had a lot more confidence in the studio and a lot more confidence in our own ideas and the ability of people working with us. I think we weren’t afraid to go bigger and bigger, and try out things that were potentially costly and/or lame.

What plans do you have for working on new material?

I’m writing now, and I think the next record is going to be weird. I reckon we’re at a place where we know what we like; we know what we do well, so we know where we don’t have to go again. Having said that though, there’re always elements that will keep popping up in songs because they’re the enjoyment factors in playing. You never really want to let them go.

Online, the band has cited one influence being “tendrils that make that whipping sound”. To what extent would it be accurate in saying that Subaudible Hum like a good whipping?

I don’t think anyone likes to be whipped for no reason; so it depends what the reason was …

Subaudible’s music seems to draw from a lot of different genres. To what extent has this been a conscious effort?

It hasn’t – we’re always trying to write music that hasn’t been written before. If an influence becomes apparent, then it’s by accident. I don’t think we’re a “genre” band that revels in bygone eras and celebrates music someone else invented. We try and make our own music.

You’ll be Subaudibly Humming in Tasmania in early March. What impressions do you have of Tassie?

We were there last year (or the year before?). I loved it, but got a little more sunburned than I usually would.

Is that due to the ozone hole? Anyway, yeah, it’s beautiful and there are a lot of people keeping a really cool indie scene going. Hell of a lot of goth metal bands, though…

How do you think your second album, “In Time For Spring, On Came The Snow” has been received?

What kind of feedback have you had?

It’s been great. I’m not sure we expected the

AUGIE MARCH

Publisher / Editor David Williams Graphic Design Simon Hancock

shancock@sauceonline.net

Editorial Tom Wilson

twilson@sauceonline.net

Contributors: Adam Ferguson, Emma Dilemma, Nicky Wilson, Chris Rattray, Ryan Cooke, Ryan Farrington, Ian Murtagh, Felix Blackler, Zadoc, Patrick Duke.

Dane Hunnerup.

Deadlines Sauce #37, 7th Mar - 20th Mar

The Choir Goes “Moo!”

BY DAVE WILLIAMS

Oh, how funny things look in hindsight … When Augie March’s Dave Williams spoke to me on Australia Day, as the Hottest 100 was counted down on Triple J, he wasn’t terribly fussed about where his band would rank. I can only imagine the look on his face when he was told that “One Crowded Hour” actually took out #1 on the coveted list. I think it’s safe to say we’ll be hearing that at their back-to-back shows at Hobart’s Republic …

What is the name of your album, “Moo You Bloody Choir” referring to? It sounds derogatory to me.

Nah, it’s a lyric listed for one of the songs from the album.

Address: Po Box 5094, Launceston, Tas, 7250 Phone: 03 6331 0701

And what’s that referring to?

Well, the song was “The Honey Month”, and that song was inspired by … Glenn was out at his mum and dad’s house on a weekend, probably doing some writing. It’s in the country, and their house is near an abattoir. He woke at two in the morning to hear the cows being herded into the abattoir … He heard the sound; it sounded like a choir, he thought.

Advertising: advertising@sauceonline.net Editorial: editorial@sauceonline.net

“The choir of death”…

He’s such a poet. He’s such a poet, that man.

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

So … apart from chatting with your namesake now, what are you doing for Australia Day? Well, me and Edmondo have to go up to Sydney,

Adver tising Booking: 1/02/07 Adver tising Ar twork: 15/02/07 Gig Guide: 14/02/07 Editorial: 14/02/07

Contents 4-7

Rock Salt

8

Bangers & Mash

9

Hard Boiled

10

Hip Hop

11

Punk

12-13

Gig Guide

14

CD / DVD Reviews

15

Gig Reviews

17

Falls Festival Review

18

In Focus

19

Burn Out

20

Ar ts

21

Comedy

22

Toon / Street Fashion

PAGE 4

to do some interviews for Triple J. So that’s kind of what we’re doing for the Hottest 100.

I thought you might be interested to know how many entries Augie March [has], and where they come in the list.

You know what? In our band, it’s funny … We’re interested when someone emails us – like, “Yeah, have a look!” But we’re kind of out of the loop on that thing.

“

He’s probably kissing [a tree]. Him and Johnny Butler …

”

You haven’t got Triple J on somewhere? You haven’t been listening to it?

No I haven’t, no. That’s not me being cool – that’s me being “un-hip” … We don’t even ask people to vote for our songs … We don’t like people calling up and asking if we need insurance … so we don’t like people to big us up on radio, either. We’re so cool, aren’t we?

Now [I’ve heard that] Glenn has been writing a lot of new material. Is that right, or is that just total promo bullshit?

I haven’t seen the big man since our last gig, which was just before Christmas.

Everyone decided that we’d had enough of each other for about a month, so we said, “Let’s all have a break and go on holiday!” He’s literally on holiday now; he’s actually up a tree, in the Daintree, in a hut watching the cricket. He likes to go to exotic places to watch one-day cricket.

I thought he might have been chained to a tree somewhere.

Yeah, he’s probably kissing it. Him and Johnny Butler …

Back to the Hottest 100 for a second, what’s your guess for number one? We’re going to look back and see how wrong you were.

Yeah, well, maybe Eskimo Joe. Which one? [Sniggers] Oh, come on, mate! You’re kidding me, aren’t you?

That was the hottest song of 2006, wasn’t it? Mate, I could’ve done me eggs on that song – it was that hot!

To listen to the entire interview go to www.sauce.net.au/interviews

MAMMAL

Hitting Up MS Fest

BY DAVE WILLIAMS

Sometimes, when you’re in a bad situation, it’s best to pull out and cut your losses. You can have all the success and opportunities in the world, but it ultimately means nothing if you’re not happy. You could be in an Aussie band on tour in the States; a band that’s just got a coveted record deal.

But “success” is sometimes hard to define, and former Full Scale vocalist Eziekel knew that what he had wasn’t it. So he walked. And now, punters at MSFEST 07 are going to reap the benefits when he walks on stage with a new band, a new sound, and a new direction next month. He spoke to me about the sound of Mammal, his former band, and getting angry.

If I was to describe the music of Mammal as a fusion of hip-hop and metal, to what extent would you agree with that?

I think it’s probably a little bit ... ah, what’s the word I’m looking for? Limiting; at the moment ... Generally, we’re pretty much a rock band, with all that that takes in.

So everything from Queen to Zeppelin to Black Flag.

If you were to describe the music of Mammal, I would probably describe it as “uplifting” and “dance orientated” ... We’re definitely more of a band that appeals to a wide cross-section through the mainstream; we’re finding a lot of people coming to enjoy our dancefloor elements. We’re not really a

band that gets mosh pits as much as we get dance floors.

You guys formed under a year ago?

Yeah. About ten months ago, I think.

How did you come together?

We came together in a period of time where our bass player and our guitarist, Nick and Pete, had been working together for quite some time. I’d come back from America after breaking up my last band, which was over there touring and had a record deal.

“ ”

I suppose I am angry!

And I met up with Pete again; Pete and I had been childhood friends, and he said he needed a singer for his project. Then, once we had those three sort of confirmed, we wrote about fifteen songs in the studio, and we found Zane, our drummer, quite quickly after that.

Why did Full Scale, your last band, break up; with a record deal and touring in the States?

I was over it. I’d changed every member of the band around me at least once, and I was the only one who’d always been in the band. And I felt like I couldn’t really move forward as an artist or a musician with those people, due to interpersonal stuff... It was my stuff, you know? I wasn’t interested in working with those people anymore, and [I felt that] we’d taken

the matter as far as we could. And to start again would be much more difficult than it was to get a new project together, and feel that I had some new energy flying my way.

So how does Mammal differ from Full Scale?

It’s a lot more focused. It’s a lot more musical; a lot more politically developed, I believe. And, I think, a lot more available to a lot of different concepts within that. And, on a personal level, it’s a lot more joyous to be a part of, and a lot less stressful.

There’s a lot more maturity within the group.

On the Internet, I’ve read you described as “an angry young man”. To what extent would you agree with that?

I’d agree with that.

What are you angry about?

Well, I was having a rant on stage in Sydney last week, and a few people got really put-off. I was talking about Australia Day, and the propensity for people to wave the flag; I see that flag as being a symbol of genocide and oppression. I got told by people afterwards that I was “too angry”. And I said to them, “Well, doesn’t genocide make you angry? Doesn’t oppression make you angry?” You know? And I think a lot of people would rather not think about these things, because the feeling that it would lead to is one of anger and being appalled and really disassociated. These are feelings I’m willing to face on a daily basis; oppression and capitalism, and what it does to the world, really anger me, because it’s insidious and it’s snide and it’s calculated. It’s the bringer of war and hate and isolation, and these are things I’m really committed to getting rid of in my life, and for everyone else. So I suppose I am angry.

PAGE 5

KINGTIDE

The Scared New World

BY TOM WILSON

On the surface, modern reggae may seem laid-back. But its powers of social and political awareness didn’t die with Bob Marley. Sydney’s Kingtide think we’re living in a “Scared New World”. When speaking to vocalist Paul Snatch, I wanted to know why.

The current album is called “Scared New World”. What were you trying to say with this title?

Well, it’s a bit of a play on words. There used to be a wonderful saying; “a brave new world”.

But considering fear is one of the biggest commodities pumped down our throats in all forms of media every single day, it’s a scared new world! (Laughs) Everyone’s

gone a bit “safety-Nazi” – they’ve put rails up wherever you can fall. People aren’t responsible for their own things.

You can take it all the way back to the insurance industry – you can trip over in a pub, and then sue the pub

“

… You can trip over in a pub, and then sue the pub because you were pissed!

”

because you were pissed! Take “brave new world”, flip it on its head – “scared new world”, based on several observations of the current world we live in, I suppose.

of old gear that I bought 15-20 years ago that I can’t even use anymore! (Laughs) So yeah – because we had the technology, and the want.

Indeed! So what’s Kingtide scared of most?

What are we scared of? It’s more of an observation, I guess you could say. But what are we scared of? I guess not being able to have a good time; not being able to jam on!

What were some of the most challenging aspects of producing it yourself?

Running out of beer. Actually, the whole thing was probably the smoothest project any of us have ever really worked on. We never really worked on it; it just flowed out really, really easily. It was actually a pleasure; there was no fights … overdoses … no psychiatrists needed. It was all pretty smooth sailing.

I was expecting you to say “snakes” or “spiders”, but that’s good.

I actually live in the bush in Sydney, and have many redbellied blacksnakes and funnel webs around. I’ve made peace with those little critters.

You produced the album with Tony [Hughes] – why did you decide to do it yourselves?

Well I guess cost initially, and also, that’s what we do.

I’ve been mucking around and producing various things for the past fifteen years. I’ve got my own little studio.

And when you’re recording, any cost you can cut … anything you can do yourself is worthwhile, you know?

It’s become a lot easier to do that in recent times, due to the advancement of technology. I’ve got a whole bunch

I understand that one track on the album was written as a tribute to The Skatalites. Why did you decide to do this?

Well we supported them when they came to Sydney in the middle of last year. They’re kind of the grandfathers, or one of the originators of ska music.

And they just blew us away. They were incredible. It was nice to hear some “shmick”, wonderfully played ska.

To listen to the entire interview go to www.sauce.net.au/interviews

JET

Get Born And Shine On

BY DAVE WILLIAMS

Love them or hate them, there’s certainly no ignoring retro-rock monster Jet. We spoke to bassist Mark Wilson before their recent show in Hobart, about the band’s evolution, the benefits of isolation, and what it really means to “live up” to a debut.

How conscious was the band about trying to live up to the awesome success of your debut CD? It’s always in the back of your mind. It’s hard to say what “living up to” is – some people might think it’s the sales, other people might think it’s the quality... It’s a hard question that, because the concept of “living up to” is such an abstract thing. In what way?

Well, what’s most important to you, then?

The most important thing has always been to do something that I like, first and foremost. There was a conscious decision not to re-write “Get Born”, you know what I mean? That’s often a trap that bands who do really well with their first record fall into – they rewrite their first one, but it’s sort of watered-down.

How would you say that this album represents the growth or evolution of the band?

Good question. I think the songs are stronger, songwriting-wise. I think they’re a lot more rich to listen to – to my ears anyway. For me, it’s definitely more interesting for me to listen to; I enjoy the songs. They go to a bit more of a darker place than “Get Born”, which I like as well.

“Get Born” to “Shine On”?

Well... I’m twenty-six now. When we were recording “Get Born”... I turned twenty-three when we were on one of our first tours of the States. With getting a couple of years older, you gain more confidence; you’re a bit more interested in what other people think, and what makes you happy. So I think you can be a bit more honest with your music and with yourself.

What about as a bass player?

“

You never want to make a compromise ... Someone’s got to win..

How have you changed personally in this time, from

”

Yeah, definitely. I mean, I play it every day now, so you’ve got to improve.

Someone made a comment at a conference I was at once, that part of the success of “Get Born” was produced because you made that album in relative isolation, away from outside influences like record companies.

This one was similar, in that we were very subjective and very secretive about what we were doing. With the success of the first record, we sometimes got people

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Peter Bjorn and John

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trying to stick their noses in.

So we definitely tried to keep people out of it as much as possible, as we did the first one. But it ended up taking us a lot longer than “Get Born”, which was a difference.

How does the band resolve issues, such as how much you allow people to be involved in projects?

If you disagree on something, how do you get past that?

If we disagree on something, it’s generally “have it out!” (Laughs) If you’re passionate about something, you’ll fight for it. Whether it’s within the group, or with management, or a record company, we’ll generally have it out! We’ll take them. That’s what we do.

We fight amongst ourselves, but we never let the sun go down on an argument. It’s not like bitchy fighting; it’s passionate fighting.

It’s fighting for something that you believe in.

And sometimes, after a big fight, you can see the other person’s point. You never want to make a compromise, that’s the thing. “Half your way, half my way” never works. Someone’s got to win!

Within the band, who’s the peacemaker? Who’s the negotiator? Who’s the volatile one?

(Laughs) Ah, I’m probably the peacemaker. The volatile one is definitely Chris.

To listen to the entire interview go to www.sauce.net.au/interviews

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Jed Rowe 9pm Son Del Sur $3 Cover 9pm Des Peres supp Attic Grooves $10/$8 conc 10pm Feed the Pony 9pm Quiz Night 8.15pm Joe Piere & Greg Frith on sax 9pm Loose Cabose 9pm SubAudible Hum supp Enola Fall $12 pre $15 door 10pm Augie March $22 pre / $25 door 10 pm Augie March $22 pre / $25 door 9pm G. B. Balding 8:30pm Simon and Atalana 9pm www.republicbar.com PAGE 7

MASON

Eat An Oompa-Loompa

BY TOM WILSON

“

… If I was bored I’d let them fight each other and place bets on it He’s Dutch, he can play the violin, he composed an internationally renowned dancefloor monster in his kitchen, and if you gave him the chance, he’d eat an Oompa-Loompa. Awesome. Mason spoke to me ahead of the Hobart stop of his 2007 World Tour …

We’ve heard that you played the electric violin on stage with Tiesto – what was that like?

A lot of people most of all..! He did these concerts for 25,000 people per night in a soccer stadium, so it was quite a thrill to play there. Afterwards I joined him on his tours as a violin player during his sets, and as a warm-up DJ before him.

”

and party. In Amsterdam it’s also a thing of being seen, act cool etc. However, I’m resident DJ for the Dutch Electronation parties, and those have a great audience.

As a DJ, who are some of the artists you look up to? Why? I love people who’re not afraid to flirt with pop music, without focusing on making a huge hit, like Jacques Lu Cont, Alan Braxe and Sebastien Leger, but I’m also a big fan of this melodic techno/electro like Oxia and James Holden make. And Elvis, of course, as he’s just so goddamn cool.

What kind of trends have you seen in the Amsterdam dance music scene recently?

It’s really funny: Amsterdam very in love with everything that comes out of Berlin. The minimal thing is still huge here, so if a party has a DJ headliner with a German-sounding name and a German haircut, the crowd is going mad. People like Ricardo Villalobos and Luciano make the biggest venues sell out in no time, while big UK DJs have difficulties filling a place. Maybe I should change my name so it sounds a bit more German…

How busy are you these days? How much time do you have outside of DJing?

It’s … ah … pretty busy! Not only DJing – that’s just a small part of the time – but I’ve got lots of work to do in the studio as well. Anyway, I’ve been the workaholic kind of type always anyway. You also need to have a certain geekiness in you to spend so many hours behind equipment in a studio per day, with not too much daylight and oxygen. But I’m incredibly happy things are going like they do – I’ve worked twelve years towards this point, so I’m enjoying every second of it!

What are some of the main differences between Dutch crowds and those in other countries?

To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of the Dutch crowd.

They tend to be a bit more arrogant than in most countries. It seems, abroad, clubbers have a much more pure reason to go out, which is just to have fun

Having one of your tracks played by another highprofile DJ must feel like an amazing compliment.

How did you react when heavyweights like Pete Tong and Fatboy Slim started pushing your work?

It was really bizarre. The whole story about “Exceeder” is pretty crazy really. I made it in a kitchen, as I was

KID KENOBI

Since his early beginnings behind the decks in 1996, Sydney-based Kid Kenobi has steadily risen to his current place as the busiest DJ on Australian shores, now widely regarded as the home of the most booming breaks scene in the world.

2002 & 2001 saw him take the award for the Australian DJ of the Year, and in 2001 he also took home the award for People’s Choice NSW DJ of the Year at the Australian Dance Music Awards. A great feat for not only Kid Kenobi as a DJ but also for the ever growing breaks community in Australia. Complimenting these awards are endless residencies and guest spots around the country where the Kid plays to consistently packed-out houses, often to the point of hungry punters being turned away.

These awards are merely a tip on the iceberg for a largely successful year or two which have seen Kid Kenobi features splashed across the pages of Rolling Stone, FHM, Ralph and Urb to name just a few. Countless radio and TV appearances ensued. Alongside his role as a well-respected music journalist, the Kid’s unique mix of educator and entertainer as a DJ has undoubtedly played a mammoth part in the success of breakbeat downunder.

PAGE 8

in between moving from one studio to the other, and I only had a computer and two speakers plugged in.

I wasn’t really sure if it should be released, but a few friends of mine convinced me I should release it on a small Dutch label. Then things went pretty fast: all of a sudden people, like Tiga and Sander Kleinenberg started to play it, and lots of labels started ringing me to license it. I never expected “Exceeder” to become [big] the way it did and was incredibly amazed by it.

What’s the biggest misconception about DJs? That it’s work … and that they all wear fancy sunglasses … and that it’s very important to have a metal shiny headphone … and that they’re not all alcoholics, because they are.

You’ve been working on your debut album – what stage is that at now?

It’s pretty far – I think I need just a few more weeks to finish it. However, it might still take some time before it will be in store, as I’m working on some vinyl releases too, which will be out before the album.

What would you say is the overall vibe of the record, and why did you decide to go for it?

It’s pretty melodic, and it’s definitely not all made to dance on. It’s also a picture of what I’m about and what I’ve been doing in my studio the last few years.

I like to write different kinds of electronic music, and for me this album is the biggest landmark so far, as I can finally put stuff out that I like instead of only vinyls that need to be DJ-friendly.

FUNK D’VOID

You’re playing at Syrup in Hobart in March; what should punters expect to hear on the night?

Noisy electronic music – I hear quite often that I make a lot of noise…!

It’s not gonna be this banging, pumping electrohouse sound you hear everywhere these days, because I’m finding that quite boring, but it’s still gonna be to dance on!

What’s one thing a DJ should never leave home without, and why?

My iPod is pretty important to me – I listen to all new stuff on it, so it’s like doing my homework on the road. A clean pair of socks is also important.

And my mother would say “earplugs” probably, although I tend to forget them.

What’s one dance track you never, ever want to hear again?

I never liked ‘Sweet Dreams’ from Eurythmics … And, of course, everything from Special D, Gigi D’Agostino and the Crazy Frog, but that goes without saying.

What would you do if you were stuck in a room for an hour with some Oompa-Loompas?

If I was tired I’d use them as a pillow; If I was bored I’d let them fight each other and place bets on it; and if I was hungry I’d eat one of them (probably a smaller, quite type that doesn’t have too many friends anyway).

Much in demand as a DJ around the world, Funk D’Void is a critically acclaimed producer as well, with three albums to date; 1997’s “Technoir”, 2001’s “Dos”, and 2003’s “Volume Freak” (all on Soma) – not to mention a string of killer singles and remixes, plus his more jazzier project as a member of the band Chaser.

His remix work is stellar; New Order, Kraftwerk, Underworld, Laurent Garnier and Kevin Saunderson have all asked for his unique take on their music, with a host of others to numerous to mention.

Funk D’Void has proven to be a consistent player in today’s club scene and never fails to deliver powerful, emotional sessions wherever he plays. Having started DJing in 1986 (he was a Scottish DMC finalist two years in a row), he shows no sign of slowing down; he shows a hunger for music and interaction with international clubbing crowds that is unparalleled.

His recent collaborations with artists like Alexander Kowalski, Phil Kieran and Ken Ishii have seen him venture into a more edgy, raw, club-based feel, and this has translated into his sets of late. His new LP “Second Skin” promises a new arena for Lars to showcase his talents, as he is constantly looking for new sounds and inspiration, whilst never losing that visceral, emotional core to his music and performances.

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BIAS B

MYNSE

A Song For The Dead

The Cycle Begins

BY TOM WILSON

Anyone who’s shared a can with the Mynse and dared to mention hip-hop is within seconds aware of Mynse’s enthusiasm for the local scene and his drive to get it out there as much as possible.

His collaborations with other artists are many, and range from “pissed tracks”, created on the spur of the moment after a few beers (these number many), to more professional releases, whether it be on a Mynse beat or if he’s just chucking on some vocals.

Common fixtures in these tracks include Axesent, Cejas, Oxcyde, Azrael, Mynse, Skurge1, Drastik X and Rumn. He has done production for artists including Axesent, Deedare, Drastik X, Cejas, and Skurge1. The energy Mynse has injected into the local hip-hop scene through his groups and collaborations has certainly paid dividends for the young producer himself. His frequent

“Been There, Done That” – the third solo effort of Oz hip-hop mainstay Bias B – is being buzzed as “a genuine look into his life and persona”. But how can this be true, when the album is orchestrated by not one producer, but a handful of different people? How can such a work retain a sense of personal introspection for the artist? I decided to find out when Bias spoke to me ahead of his Tasmanian visit.

Firstly, production duties on the album were shared between several different people, including Plutonic and Bones. Why so many? Why not just one?

I find … I have a lot of friends, and if I’m always around everybody, and in the studio, that type of thing, and I hear beats from different people. That makes me think, “I want to work on that.” “I want to work on this.” Most of the people I work with are MCs themselves, so it’s hard to get a whole album of good beats out of them, because when they make a real banger, they want to keep it themselves.

That’s also difficult. I find, myself, [that] with working with different people, you learn a lot more, because each person works differently; they have different ideas in tracks, and it helps me learn about what I do as much as it helps them. So I think that’s why I’ve always worked with a lot of different producers. Some people say it can take away from the consistency of an album, but at the same time, if it’s always the same producer, it can always have a “same sound”. I think I like to do different things; it means it brings different things out in me; different ideas and different concepts, because everyone’s going with their personality, and the type of music they make reflects on the overall tracks when they’re finished.

This is your third album. How confident are you that this album’s going to have the longevity of your previous two albums?

I think it will, because it’s a lot more – for me, anyway – a lot more professional. In the past, when I’ve recorded things, there’s always things that, when I listen back, make me cringe a little bit, and I find it hard to listen to my own voice and listen to my own music. But this one, I’ve got right in there; if there was one backup that was wrong, I went back and moved it. If there was one beat I didn’t like that came in before a verse or something, I went back and changed it. So, to me, this is the most professional

PAGE 10

thing I’ve done. And I guess I’ve put [in] a bit more variety; it’s not all about graffiti, or just about girls.

It’s more … there’s a few more personal tracks, like the track about my Mum. I guess [there’s] just more of a mature touch. And also, different types of beats. We’ve got Bigfoot; Bigfoot did half of the production on it. His beats are really good at the moment; [I’m] loving what he’s doing. He plays a lot of the instruments himself. I’m hoping that it will do – I’m pretty confident that it will do – better in sales than the other two.

“

… There’s a few more personal tracks, like the track about my Mum.

”

You were mentioning the track about your Mum, called “Now You’re Gone”. I gather from the lyrics that this happened a long time ago. What prompted you to write this song now?

Well I’ve always tried to. She was one of the inspirations for me, in the whole hip-hop thing, and also in life. She always said, “If there’s something out there that you want to do, go out there and do it, regardless of whether it’s right or wrong; you will learn from your mistakes. No one else can tell you how to make a mistake. You have to go out there. If you believe in something, go and do it. That sort of led me to do the hip-hop; I was always a shy person, and for me to get on stage was a really big thing … I always wanted to write something about her; a track. And I always wrote tracks more about what happened; cancer, and the sadness.

It sounded bad. But when I took the angle of writing it for her, it was a lot more personal. And it’s turned out as one of my favourite tracks on the album. It’s one of those ones that gives you the tingle up the spine; even when I listen to it myself.

With Miss Brown on the vocals in the chorus … I write a lot of personal stuff, but I never release it, a lot of the time. And that track – I think it came out really beautiful. I really feel it, and I hope other people feel it as well. It’s just a nice personal side of me. I still think about my Mum; she was the closest person in my life. I just had to get that out.

And I finally had the beat that was perfect. I think everything just came together great.

To listen to the entire interview go to www.sauce. net.au/interviews.

recording and gigging have seen him finely hone his production, beatmaking (a daily practice for Mynse), DJing and MCing to a point where they are winning fans statewide.

The lyrical content of “The Mynstrual Cycle” will mainly feature Mynse’s musing on the life lessons learned over the past few years, his battles to overcome negativity, and the constant belief that if you want something bad enough, there’s nothing to stop you achieving it. It’s also a voyage into Mynse’s many and varied musical tastes, and will feature “slightly off-center/deep tunes to hyped beats”.

Those familiar with his earlier work know that Mynse doesn’t pull any punches; this release will be no exception. So, if you’re a fan of what you’ve heard in the past, you can certainly expect to hear the same skills here, plus a side of the Mynse you may not have previously encountered!

“The Mynstral Cycle” will be launched at Launceston’s James Hotel on the 2nd of March.

Prepare for the world according to Mynse.

PRESERVING EFFORTS DVD

Hip Hop On A Budget With budgets ranging from $100 to $50 000, a new hip hop video clip archive, the “Preserving Efforts Vol.1” DVD, proves you don’t need a lot cash to make a kick-arse clip. We caught up with a handful of the artists featured on the DVD to chat about their clips.

“At the time of making the “Better Man” clip, I was studying video production at TAFE. This clip

clothes designer and wanted a variety of colours.

Other than that, we chose some good locations, and the team behind the clip knew what they were doing, so we made a decent clip on a tiny budget.”

– Urthboy on their “Come Around” video clip “It’s an animated video for what a lot of people in the Canadian underground call my “breakout hit” [laughs]” – Wordburgler on his “The Wordburgler” video clip “My Brother Ryder Grindle came up with about 5-10 ideas, and we chose one and spent one-and-a-half days in a car park driving around in circles. We all ended up with a very high level of carbon monoxide in our system.”

– BVA from Mnemonic Ascent on their “Hold Back” video clip

was actually my first project as part of the course.

It was a two-man crew and myself, and we spent the day shooting it down in Sorrento at the back beach. In the end it only cost me $100 to cover tapes, petrol and food expenses. It came out really raw but I think it suits because the song, as it’s quite raw itself.”

– Muphin on his ‘Better Man” video clip.

“We combined ideas with a vision, the production company responsible for it, and eventually took our idea of pedaling our 12-inches like drugs on street corners with their “future dystopia” take on things, and combined it with crazy vampire-Nazi-cops. We were pretty drunk during the whole shooting, but we had a great time. It was something completely new for us. There’s actually a lot of “behind the scenes” footage of the clip too that will probably surface on an upcoming DVD release … or on “Today Tonight”, if there’s a slow news week.”

– The Optimen on their “Give It Up” video clip “I wore a bunch of clothes that I’d never wear in real life, ‘cause the director’s brother was a

“For the “Adrenalin” clip, we handed the creative driving wheel over to someone else. That was a first for us, and a hard thing to do, but when you allow a team of people to do what they do best, great things are possible. We had grips to tie a camera to a truck and all that stuff that normally involves real money and government approval. But in true hip-hop style, it was done mostly by donated efforts and while no one was looking.”

– Danielsan from Koolism on the pair’s “Adrenalin” video clip

NOFX

PUNK

Out Come The Wolves

BY STEVE TAUSCHKE

On the eve of neo-punk’s mid-90s explosion, NOFX’s Pied Piper-like leader Fat Mike, already a ten year veteran of the San Francisco Bay Area scene, offered his own prerequisites on attaining punkdom’s esteemed high office.

“There can’t be any rock stars in the band,” he warned me over the phone during a break on a European Punk In Drublic tour back in 1994.

“Punk rockers are shit. They’re not very good musicians typically, and it doesn’t take much to play guitar … or to yell. Anyone can learn bass guitar in about half an hour. Actually I taught my 78-year-old grandmother how to play a song on bass.”

While Mike’s beloved grandma has since passed on, NOFX are still dishing out albums that, in a “Mad Magazine” kind of way, depict the lighter side of punk rock and all its trappings. The quartet’s new album “Wolves In Wolves’ Clothing” tackles everything from drinking songs to the more serious matter of America’s flawed foreign policy, as illustrated in the ship-headed-for-theiceberg analogy of “USA-Holes”.

“Yeah, it’s funny how many American kids say, “Why are you singing about the Titanic?”,” laughs Mike. “God, fuckin’ stupid kids! It’s a pretty easy metaphor for America, and there’s no escaping this either. I just think this country is on its way down; we’re just going to turn into a country like South Africa where urban places are super dangerous, the economy sucks and everything will slowly turn into chaos.

“I mean, cities such as Detroit are fucked; you just don’t want to go there. Or Pittsburgh, which used to have three million people and now it has 300,000. There’s just empty house upon empty house, and if you live in a city with no work, it’s just turned into a crime-ridden city, and so people leave.”

Notably, Fat Mike, born Mike Burkett, was instrumental in releasing, on his own Fat label, the “War On Errorism” album in 2003 followed by two installments of “Rock Against Bush”; leftist politico-punk compilations that, in the build-up to the 2004 US elections, re-jigged the “wake up America” template of the Dead Kennedys two decades earlier. Back then, Mike was a teenage misfit with punk rock aspirations. He spawned NOFX in 1983.

“If you wanted to put out a record in 1984 or ‘85 there were maybe only five or six labels in the US; SST, Discord, Mystic and a few others,” he says of the group’s long-held DIY ethos.

“You had to put out your own stuff if you wanted a record out, and that’s what most bands that we knew did; they just put out their records, and then later, more labels popped up. I always thought going to a major would be the wrong career move for us.

Despite citing Against Me, Arctic Monkeys and the “new (My) Chemical Romance record” as recent highlights, Mike does concede his passion for music has waned considerably over the years.

“I think I’ve got 10% of the enthusiasm I used to have,” laughs the 39-year-old father-of-one. “One thing though; when I find a band I really like, it does make me really happy. There’s this band called The Spits, I heard one of their records and it totally gave me faith in music again.”

“I don’t give that advice to bands now, because it’s too hard. They say, “Oh, I want to do everything myself”, but you can’t anymore. You try booking your own tour, and the clubs are not going to book you. The only reason we can do it is because we have a history. You might get popular on Myspace, but you’re not going to know what to do with that. You need to get an experienced booking agent and some kind of experienced record label if you want a career out of touring the world and surviving on playing music. It’s pretty hard to do yourself if you’re just starting now.”

“

Ask Mike for his thoughts on the Myspace phenomenon and his tone turns to indifference.

“There’s kind of some good and bad things about it,” he shrugs. “For me, the whole downloading of music is bad for my record label, but it’s kind of good for new bands. I’m not really one to bitch about it because that’s just how it goes. I used to tape records for my friends when I was a kid, but there’re just so many bands to choose from now, it’s just really hard to find new bands – they’re so much mediocrity out there.”

”

PUNK Behind rock n roll lies business...and a lot of hard work. One person you certainly don’t need to tell that to is Mischa Calcagno (far left in the photo); he of the baseball cap, punk rock group Stand Defiant, and Tassie’s own independent punk label, Disconnect Records. We had a yarn about releasing albums and hating zucchini …

Last time we spoke, you were releasing your EP, “Our Own Destruction”. How did the production process go – writing, recording, mastering and then publishing?

Yeah, it was a really positive experience for us … I spent a lot of time in the studio with Stu Long at Red Planet getting the post production just right; I’m pretty particular about how I think our band should sound, and his expertise really helped us mould the sound of the record into something we’re

“

… We’ve had a lot of s**t thrown our way …

”

very happy with.

What’s been the feedback, so far?

Really good actually; everyone who’s heard it who is into punk rock, and a few who aren’t, are impressed with both the sound quality and the songwriting. But that’s all much-of-a-muchness, really; we’re happy with it, and our mates seem to like it, and they’re far more brutal than any magazine reviewer ever could be, so that means it was worth the effort! [Laughs] What element of it are you happiest with?

I guess it’s more about how it all came together, and not the sum of its parts for me. That being said, the most important thing was that it taught us a few lessons that we needed to learn, about the difference between recording and playing live, which we have been doing for years. But we’ve had pretty limited studio experience, and it’s always good to get the balance right as recording is the other half of our craft.

BY TOM WILSON

“We’ve already got permission to play Beijing and Taiwan and we’re going to Russia and Israel and South Africa and hopefully all over South East Asia. And we’re playing Tasmania – we’ve never been there before!”

Punk rockers are shit.

STAND DEFIANT

The Business Of Punk Rock

Currently plotting a world tour of locations as yet untouched by NOFX, Mike says 2007’s road trip adventures will be documented, bloopers and all, on a DVD package for release hopefully later in the year.

What are you looking to improve on with future releases?

Everything. If you’re not learning new things and getting better each time, you might as well be dead.

I would hate to meet the person who thinks they know everything about recording or songwriting; it’s an impossibility, as everyone approaches it

differently and has their own way of doing things.

The hardest but most rewarding part is making all those ideas fit together to make a cohesive unit, so you can put out a good record, which I think we have done.

We’ve heard that, with the EP, there was a mix-up involving dodgy freight companies and a box of other people’s records. What happened there?

Just a pretty standard fuck-up. We’re used to this shit in our band – the universe trying to fuck with us, that is. We’ve had a lot of shit thrown our way in the last four or five years, but we’re still doing what we do because we love it. The CD mix up is another thing in a long line of problems that have come up, and it won’t be the last, I’m sure.

On the Disconnect front, you’ve released your first LP, for The Scandal. What can you tell us about the process of producing an LP, compared to an EP – to what extent is it just a case of more tracks?

Obviously it’s a much more drawn-out and involved process, especially for those guys. Every member was integral to not only music and lyrics, but drawings, photography, lay out etc.

When you first started Disconnect Records, how long did you think it would take to release your first LP, and to what extent was that estimate accurate?

When we sat down and started talking about doing the label, we never really set ourselves a timeframe for anything, other than the immediate things like the Split EP, label launch and the first Against Me! show. So it was up to the bands to work to their own timetable. It takes two years to get anything done around here, due to real life getting in the way. But hopefully we’ll be a bit quicker with Stand Defiant’s next release. No promises, though.

[Laughs] To get things organised for when you’re rich and famous, what will be on Stand Defiant’s milliondollar rider?

[Laughs] Zucchini, so I can throw it in the bin because it’s shitful; Reece will want stout; Kenny and Jay will probably want pot, and definitely some Jagermeister and scotch… Yum-yum…down into my belly…

Where would you like Stand Defiant to be in two years time?

Touring a lot more. I’d like to see us do New Zealand, Japan and Europe or the US within two years. But it takes two years to get anything done, so maybe four? Get back to me; I’ll let you know how it’s coming together! [Laughs]

PAGE 11

Feb 21st to Mar 6th Launnie

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DVD THE SMITHEREENS

CLIPSE

MEET THE SMITHEREENS

Billed as “an affectionate homage to The Fab Fours’ groundbreaking record “Meet The Beatles””, “Meet The Smithereens” is the latest release from prolific New Jersey natives, yep, The Smithereens.

A band that was deeply influenced by The Beatles’ album of almost the exact same name as youngsters, and have crafted their own sound to the same beat (so to speak), have taken a giant leap backwards in my opinion as a band, in feeling the need to broadcast their musical inclinations in such a way as to cover one of the most perfect albums of all time and do it with their own style which is near to, yet so far away from The Beatles’ own. Don’t get me wrong!

I love every single song on this album but don’t need to hear ‘The Smithereens’ version in order to gain any more perspective on them.; They’re all perfect to begin with; and any half intelligent music fan who has heard anything ‘The Smithereens’ has done, can tell the influence the original version has on their career as a band.

Maybe not their most inspirational album of all time, but it is definitely an affectionate homage to the particular Beatles’ album which set them on their way in the music industry… maybe even a little too affectionate, if you know what I’m saying. Put it this way; if you love The Beatles, listen to The Smithereens earlier stuff before you go and buy this.

HELL HATH NO FURY For an album that was made in 2003 (but withheld until now), “Hell Hath No Fury” is still up to scratch compared to the more recent commercial releases.

And with the entire album produced by Pharrell Williams (of The Neptunes), you know that Virginian duo Clipse mean business.

MCs Pusha-T and Malice have an interesting vocal presence, and the hooks are catchy. But there’s not a great deal of substance to the lyrics.

Production on the album is grimy, with a sort of Scott Storch feel, and you can hear the Neptunes’ influence (which would have been one of Pharrell’s main focuses when the album was made). But the drum sounds are still relevant, and still hard.

The best track has to be “Mr Me Too”; a smooth track with a subtle beat, which digs at fakers and jealous cats who claim to be living like the top dogs. It also boasts Pharrell on the lyrical tip.

“Hell Hath No Fury” doesn’t really do much for me in the way of “sit down and listen” value, but I can imagine it might be the sort of thing you’d put in your car and not pay a lot of attention to.

Overall, the release isn’t really my cup of tea, but I suppose there is a market for this kind of thing.

5/10

4/10

Review By Ryan Farrington Review by Adam Ferguson

DJ YODA

SARAH BLASKO

WHAT THE SEA WANTS THE SEA WILL HAVE Famous for being disappointed at getting into JJJ’s Hottest 100 on someone else’s steam, Sarah Blasko returns to give us “What The Sea Wants, The Sea Will Have”. What – is it still considered rude to just give it back? Though intriguing, the title smacks of selfobsession, as though it’s trying to sound arty.

UK’s DJ Yoda isn’t your usual DJ. In fact, the infectious humour displayed throughout his odd mixes is quite unusual indeed. But how many DJs do you know of who could mash together annoying TV themes with bouncy hip-hop beats in the middle of a large nightclub – for hours – and not get bottles thrown at his/her cranium?

“The Amazing Adventures of DJ Yoda” is a fruity mix of hardcore breakbeats, odd hip-hop boogies and throbbing bass-lines, and is accompanied by the lyrical assistance of artists such as Biz Markie, Jungle Brothers, Apathy and Andy Cooper (of Ugly Duckling).

The last song has nice bits, but is an otherwise disappointing end to what should have been a good EP. Slow start, misfire ending – if this CD was on at a party I’d turn it off. It’s dreary and sinks as its name suggests.

When it comes to original DJs … well, look at it this way; Yoda samples himself brushing his teeth or scratching with his pants zipper, slaps a beat over it, and rappers come from all around to jump on it.

This album doesn’t quite match up to the quality of his weird and wonderful array of mixtapes, but his skill is undeniable, and it’s good to hear a club DJ taking the art in a totally different direction. On “Playin’ Around”, we get a taste of living legends Jungle Brothers blessing Yoda’s upbeat, BBQ beats, whereas, on “Fresh Fly Fellas”, we hear Yoda doing something unexpected yet again – connecting (traditionally) rough rappers Apathy, Celph Titled and Kwest with a jumpy, reggae banger.

7/10 Review By Ian Murtagh Review By Ryan Farrington

A stand out track would be “Acid Over Sydney”; definitely a popular song through the past few years, and remixed quite well by Blu and Dj Neo. CD 2, mixed by Max B. Grant, is yet another full-on banging-style mix CD, consisting of a lot of 145bpm distorted kicks and synths, with a whole bunch of vocals spewed throughout the tracks. “Pornstar” has some comical virtues towards it, with the use of vocals and the use of cocaine.

JAZZY JEFF

When people hear the name “Jazzy Jeff”, some say, “Oh, that’s the guy from that “Fresh Prince” show!

Hey, didn’t he have something to do with rap music?”

But anyone who’s heard some of his mixes/records will know that his short cameos on “Fresh Prince” were nothing compared to the crux of this legendary hip-hop artist.

Since the 1987 Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince release “Rock The House”, Jeff has achieved DMC Champion status. He designed the first scratch mixer, and collaborated with jazz artists before any other hip-hop artist had even thought of doing it. And now, twenty years on, Jazzy Jeff is set to release his second solo album; “The Return of the Magnificent”.

In preparation for the release of this upcoming album, Jeff has put together “Hip-Hop Forever 3” – a mixtape featuring an amazingly well-picked blend of classic hip-hop. From summertime funk-masters The Pharcyde to the legends of vintage boom-bap Gangstarr, this mixtape is equipped with everything to educate those unfamiliar with unpretentious hiphop, and please the ears of the average hip-hop fan.

If you like hard house, you’ll definitely dig this CD. 4 Doof Doof Monkeys out of 10

9/10

Review By Patrick Duke PAGE 14

This album is easily above average, and I expect big things from these guys in the future.

8/10 Review By Ryan Farrington

RAINMAN

FIRE IN THE BELLY Brisbane hip-hop releases just keep flowing. Because of the slowly growing scene there, Queensland artists tend to end up on each other’s releases constantly, so it’s starting to give Queensland hiphop a pretty definitive feel. The newest artist to make some noise from that part of our land is Rainman, who recently released his debut album “Fire in the Belly”, and it’s not bad.When I first picked this CD up, the underground-looking cover art had me thinking this was a pretty cheap release, and the fact that I hadn’t heard of Rainman didn’t have me holding much hope for this being a quality release.

But evidently, all of the effort was centred elsewhere – in the actual music.

Review By Ryan Farrington

NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS THE ABBATOIR BLUES TOUR “The clothes don’t make the man,” goes the old proverbial. Maybe – but they can definitely reflect what he does. So consider the attire in “The Abbatoir Blues Tour” DVD as nothing short of a head-to-toe mirror of what Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds do. Poised upon a stage in London’s Brixton Academy three years ago, Cave is an archetype with a microphone; his lavish suit soaked with sweat, vividly demonstrating both the elegance and class of the music and the intensity and passion it is played with.

Standing before the sea of gobsmacked fans, Cave – musician, screenwriter, Australian music treasure – shines in a blue-grey hue of stage light. Given the mood he so famously evokes, there is really no colour more fitting.

There seems little point for me to detail the songs performed; each of the numbers seem so powerful in their own right that their inclusion in the live show may as well be the 11th Commandment. Cave seems to occupy a priveliged niche, in which he rubs shoulders with the likes of Mozart, Led Zeppellin and the Beatles: there’s is the kind of music that is respected even by those who don’t necessarily like it. His work has never been mainstream, and it’s never needed to be.

The gorgeously gothic title is wryly befitting for Cave’s music and the mood that drips from it. At first exposure, a listener could say that a Bad Seeds number is like a soundtrack to drinking alone after they’ve been dumped.

They may be right, but even if they hate what they’re hearing, it’s a fair bet they’ll keep listening anyway.

Review By Tom Wilson

The production duties on this album are covered

by Brisbane’s finest – Sammsonite (The Optimen), Firstbourne, Toxic Al (The Coalition) and Rainman himself, so this release is basically heavy on the real bass lines and snappy drums.“Fire in the Belly” is a laid-back release, fuelled by a bunch of funk samples, thumping DJ Premier-style drums, equipped with traditional-yet-solid rap structures projecting witty lyrics. But even though it’s solid, it doesn’t really stand up to the majority of great hip-hop around at the moment. I really dig the track “Rough Draft”, which explains the idea of nothing (in life) ever being finished, and that most things just forever linger as a draft of what they should be.

Review By Ryan Farrington

HIP HOP FOREVER 3

Throughout the mixtape, it becomes evident that this is partly – if not fully – a tribute to the legend of one of the greatest producers, J Dilla, who passed away last year. This feel-good, summer mixtape is a must for anyone’s CD collection, no matter who you are.

Yes, this is another hard house CD that, to me, sounds the same on both CDs; painfully boring-as-shit for my ears. But remember; I hate this style of music.

“Rock to This” is a metal-driven mash up of live call/ respond chants and boast-y verses, matched with a speedy, Public Enemy-style beat; elements which work unusually well together. My favourite track on the album is “The Worst Things” – bittersweetsounding strings and a well-sequenced beat underlie lyrics that tell of the small forms of bliss found in under-achieving. “The High Life” has a quality that a lot of underground Australian hip-hop artists lack; a form of variety that actually compliments the crew, and great sound quality. The only problem I have with the release is the overwhelming abundance of club-like chants and hooks; comparable to those you’d hear on commercial US mix-tapes.

6.5/10

MIXED BY BLUTONIUM BOY & MAX B. GRANT

The first CD, mixed by Blutonium Boy, starts off with a pretty cool mix of “Vampires” by Do Neo which he did himself. Hard as nails, it’s for those people who like experiencing 3am starts and smashing on until the next afternoon. The progression doesn’t really get soft until the last track.

An intriguing trio, Overproof consists of the quickwitted Swarmy MC; one of the most underrated producers in Australia, Fame; and the versatile lyricist Abuse. “The High Life” has a combination of rabid punch lines, raw samples, thick bass lines and blazing drum loops. Simply put, it’s classic Oz hip-hop with a little something to add. All three of these outstanding artists bring something different to the group. Swarmy holds down the well-worded, intellectual side; Abuse handles the impressive rap structures; and Fame boasts a very versatile blend of street-y beats and club bangers.

I liked this album – it was well-crafted. But, unfortunately, it does get old pretty quickly.

HARDSTYLE Vol 5

Basically I find hard house repulsive, just because it’s not for me, so don’t expect a review that’s too fair for the bangin’ people out there (but, in all honesty, I couldn’t give a donkey’s turd!).

THE HIGH LIFE

THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF DJ YODA

The first song drags on dissonantly like a dirge, and searching the lyrics for treasure finds you with a fist-full of five-cent pieces. Track two didn’t happen, except to pop its head up to say “I’m all over the place”, but song three is kinda quirky, in a Danny Elfman way. Then there’s track four, and still there’s no winner, and I’m convinced I just listened to this song. Nice chorus in “Planet New Year”; it’s about time this album put some runs on the board. Putting on this CD is like watching England bat against Australia! Track six is quite similar to the previous song, but it does have a magic chorus; very floaty, in a Coldplay way. The next song’s beginning is the last song’s end, and you listen intently, hoping that it’s a good one … and it is. It has the flavour of a good Crowded House song, complete with a middle eight that melts into it like sugar into coffee.

Who likes big, banging tunes that make your ears bleed? If you do, Ministry Of Sound have got Blutonium Boy and Max Grant to flog Volume 5 to the “HARDSTYLE” series.

OVERPROOF

THIS FUTURE… CHAOS THIS FUTURE… CHAOS

Can you remember back only two years ago, when the only all-ages show in Launceston each year – if you were lucky – was the Rock Challenge final? I remember back in 2005, going along, and discovering a shit-hot band from Launceston College called This Future… Chaos. A lot has changed since then, but one thing hasn’t; TFC are just as brutal, and popular, now as they were back then. Finally in January 2007, the band released their debut self-titled album. From the intro into the opening notes of “A Reptilian’s Throne”, this CD has you by the balls! All your live favorites are here, including “In the Forest of the Skinwalkers”, “Mercury Flood”, and my personal favorite, “Casket Hunter”. Every track still contains that raw live energy that you experience when you attend a show. Every genre of music seems to be touched on; everything from hair metal to straight-up hardcore, to even death metal. If you only had to check out one track, I would fully recommend “The Burial of Edgar Pickett”; it gives you taste of everything the album and band have to offer, plus it has a few great sing-a-long parts. Some of the names of songs and lyrics have changed from what you’re used to, but the raw brutal Chaos sound is still there. Everyone needs this album!

Review By Ryan Cooke

MOBY THE VERY BEST OF MOBY There is a very simple test to prove the integrity of a music video. Hit the “mute” button. Most become pointless montages of flashing lights and jumpy edits. But some are so visually striking that the song itself doesn’t even seem important anymore. The great ones stand out because they pushed the envelope of what people expected.

I think of Tool’s “Sober”, Radiohead’s “Karma Police”, Meshuggah’s “Rational Gaze”; clips so vividly realised, they are remembered when thousands of others are forgotten, and kept close at hand for “Rage” guest programmers and aspiring VJs. Some highlights include the cleverly conceived “Honey”, featuring multiple Mobys (surely every Eminem fan’s nightmare), and his cover of the James Bond theme, which manages to wriggle through the clichés of being a soundtrack tiein (picture Moby as an action hero, outrunning trucks, and beating up ninjas. No, seriously.)

“Porcelain” is a classic; a meditative series of extreme close-ups based around a single, brilliantly coloured eye. The anti-war anthem “Make Love, Fuck War” is another high point, if only because it serves as a visual document of a musical pairing no one saw coming – Moby with Public Enemy.

Music video compilations are, by nature, polarising; if you don’t like the act, it gives you nothing, but if you’re a fan, it will give you more than you could want. “More” is primary word here; somehow, Moby has popped out twentysix video clips in total. Vegans must have better concentration spans than the rest of us.

Review By Tom Wilson

Ben Morris

Chris Isaak

Infusion

By Felix Blackler

By Ian Murtagh

By Felix Blackler

SYRUP – 19/01/07

TOLOSA PARK AMPHITHEATRE - 12/11/06

CURLY’S BAR – 31/12/06

Paul Arnold HALO - 17/12/07

By Felix Blackler

Ben Morris was in Hobart fresh off releasing “Kink 2”, mixed by himself and Sharam Jey. Returning to Syrup, Ben was definitely out to see what was shaking; it was just a pity that not many came out to see him.

Syrup is normally charging every weekend, with a mix of those out to see a solid act and those just wanting to break off a working week, but turning up to Syrup, you would have wondered where all the punters were; perhaps already spent after what is proving to be a huge summer of touring DJs. Despite a small crowd, Ben got to work, mixing in some heavy bass-driven house with short punchy jabs. “Kink” nights are well known for showing a darker and dirtier style of house, which Ben was throwing down so hard it made you want to go home and have a shower.

Ben’s style allowed him to give a strong, pulsating vibe throughout Syrup. With ease, he was able to cue up the next track, crack a few effects out of the mixer, and bang, drop another load of dirty house onto the club before the mood was allowed to ease.

Not to be disappointed by the turnout, Ben still threw down a great set that has put “Kink 2” on my Must List, choosing a great bunch of tracks that had you jiving like a turkey and saying, “Damn, that shit is tight … yet so dirty!”

I was a little dubious of another gig at Tolosa Park; I’ve been to a few rotters there, so anyone spotting a guy in white glasses leering at everyone suspiciously could be forgiven for giving me a wide berth. Most people thought to bring a little fold-up chair to sit on, and for people who didn’t remember to there was a wicked-cool Mount Franklin stand giving away inflatable cushions.

Red Hot Roosters were up first; they’re so “phat” the earth thunders under the feet of people wiggling spasmodically. I expected a sort of slow wind-up; the crowd at Tolosa was definitely there to test out their summer sweat glands. Ross Wilson was still dead cool – exactly what you’d expect from him. His roots-y, 50’s sound took me back years. It surprised me how limber he was; an odd thing to think to yourself at a concert, I know. I was surprised that the majority of the crowd knew his songs and got into him (which goes to show how not on the pulse of society my finger is.)

Chris was sensational. No other word for it; he owns the stage without even standing on it. His phobia of moths was worth a cackle, as he was afraid they’d attack his shiny silver suit. He chased a terrified ten-year-old who sprinted away when he bounded into the crowd singing. His encore of “Blue Hotel” was smashing; I love the song, and it didn’t hurt that twenty or so stunning girls picked from the audience joined them on stage to jive while the band jammed.

It wouldn’t suck to be Chris Isaak.

New Year’s Eve, a night full of memorable moments, and moments trying to remember exactly what happened. Curly’s was trying to make their first New Year’s Eve a memorable one, and did so in style, hosting who I believe are Australia’s best live electronic performers, Infusion.

Arriving just before the countdown to 2007, the mood was high, the lights low, and Curly’s was beginning to look like it would be a sold-out show. Before long, Infusion hit the stage, proceeding to blow me away with the ease in which these guys (Jamie, Frank & Manuel) utilised their equipment. The place alive, Infusion brought the crowd a solid set of old favourites and new tracks from their forthcoming album. Tracks such as “Do To You in ‘82” and “Girls Can Be Cruel” were thrown down to great effect with a personal live touch that makes every Infusion show a completely unique experience.

Curly’s was pumping as those who knew the tracks jumped right into it, only to be then blown away by previews of some new material the boys have been cooking up over the past year. My only disappointment is that it may be some time before Infusion grace our shores again, carving their own creative wake and unique sound through the international dance scene, and wanted in cities around the globe.

Curly’s and Infusion made a memorable and fantastic start to 2007 – I’m just glad I can still remember it.

Paul “Trouble” Arnold was in Australia for his fifth Summer Tour, heading back to Halo with his bag of fresh breakbeats. The head of Fat! Records, and organiser of the longest-running breakbeat night, “Chew the Fat”, Paul often has his fingers in many pies, and it was good of him to spare a moment to drop back into Hobart.

A lot of big names in breakbeat work hard to push their own sound, but Paul works tirelessly not to promote his own name, but for the greater cause of solid breakbeats from his label. Whilst the crowds were kept back after killing all their energy the day before, Paul was unfazed, and still eager to work in some new material. A purist of breakbeat dedicated to his sound, Paul dropped tracks that were solid bass-driven breaks with deep hooks, which show this genre can be kept innovative and powerful with a fresh outlook for the future.

As mentioned, Paul was keen to show off some new goodies which Fat! has in store, and did no better than dropping a killer hard-hitting track by Merka, who, surprisingly, has a full-length album, “Beserka” due for release on Fat! sometime this year. Definitely one to keep an eye out for. Despite it being a rather small night, it was good to hear some evolving breaks coming out of a big breakbeat camp in the UK. “Trouble” will definitely be about this year, so keep your eyes peeled and your ears at the ready!

The Scandal

Lyrics Born + Pigeon John

Ugly Duckling

4 Strings

By Ian Murtagh

By Ryan Farrington

By Ryan Farrington

By Dave Williams

TROUT – 24/11/06

This isn’t the first time the lads have taken the stage to launch a CD (2004 split EP with Stand Defiant), and you can really tell. They’re playing savagely tonight. From the size of the mob that showed up, it’s obvious they’ve made a splash. People give a shit about this band. Linc le Fevre of Fell To Erin fame mixed the new album; I had a chance to hear it before the gig, and it’s bloody sensational.

The Ghost And The Storm Outside (TGATS – the most unpronounceable acronym in Hobart) didn’t do a bad job warming up a half-merry crowd; playing fast and frikkin’ loud. I love it when the opener gives it a good thrashing to make the second band step up. Didn’t mind Your Demise, and Stand Defiant were in good form. Would have preferred a three-band line-up; the bands get more sand to build their castles with, and a line-up stuffed to the seams tends to make me bored before the main event.

The Scandal’s new material sounds exciting live, and it’s pretty damn close to the sound they achieved with the new record; something other local bands in the same genre should have penis envy over. They sounded rawer than I thought possible; Ivan must have sucked extra juice from the PA just for them.

This was probably just the start of better gigs; should be good to see the next one. I awoke with the familiar aches that accompany fast-paced head wobbling and bobbing to music while trying not to spill beer in an over-crowded Trout; proof positive I didn’t have a crap night.

THE UNI BAR – 25/11/06

The night kicked off in its usual manner for a hiphop gig at the Uni Bar; everyone’s backs against the wall, way too cool to wait up the front of the stage for the opening act to start.

After a short, sonic warm up by Hobart’s own DJ Grotesque, DJ Nick Toth hopped up and mentioned that “Pigeon John will be on shortly!”, which brought the crowd forward, pricking their ears up slightly.

After a brief DJ set by Mr. Toth to keep the vibe going, out came energetic, Californian rapper Pigeon John who (by the end of the set) managed to enthuse a room full of anxious “put the damn main act on already!” punters enough to eventually crowd around the stage, ready for Lyrics Born and his band.

REPUBLIC BAR – 29/12/06

I’d seen these guys at Falls the year before, but I was keen to check them out in a more personal, pub environment. First up was Unleash the Nugget, shelling out a bunch of energy for a (initially) somewhat unappreciative crowd.

Towards the end of the set, people managed to finally get settled in their spot on the dance floor.

After a few minutes out in the beer garden, I heard some bangin’ beats blasting from inside, by the time I got in the UD had roused up a packed crowd with their first track. As Einstein, Andy Cooper and Dizzy Dustin worked their way through numbers like “Smack” and “Yudee”, the three-hundred-ish-sized crowd was going ballistic.

Pigeon John’s performance was hilarious, including a short skit half way through his act where John had a small encounter with the big man upstairs.

Shortly after John got off stage, LB’s band jumped up and started off their instrumental intro which kept building until the crowd was roaring for Lyrics Born.

Unfortunately, the vocals were a bit quiet throughout the night, but the majority of the crowd seemed nonetheless unfazed. For “Pick-Up Lines”, UD picked a girl out of the audience to come up onstage before the track started; although the girl didn’t seem to know what was going on while Dizzy and Andy went through their pick-up line routine, it just made the situation all the more humorous.

Finally, LB came out to an extremely welcoming crowd, and hopped straight into a funk-driven set.

They ran through hits from “I Changed My Mind” all the way through to “Bad Dreams” and finally closed on “Calling Out”.

At some stage of the night, the band decided to bring up a local MC to spit some lyrics … which didn’t go so great for him, but the friendly crowd kept him comfortable, reacting with supportive cheers.

For me, Pigeon John was the highlight, but by the end of the night, all that anyone was talking about was Lyrics Born and his amazing band.

When everyone thought it was all over, the boys jumped into set finisher “A Little Samba”, giving the crowd just what they’d been waiting for all night.

JAMES HOTEL – 6/1/07

At 10:30pm, the doors opened, and a steady stream of punters flowed through the doors to see Randall opening the night. A little over two hours in, the venue was pumping. I’m not sure exactly how many people were there, but the place looked and felt well and truly alive.

Then, when the clock struck 1:30, 4 Strings took to the decks, and began to dish out the distinctive Euro sound he’s known for; playing out as a nonstop dancefloor epic of uplifting beats with massive build ups and even bigger breakdowns. Now, most DJs – and bands for that matter – aren’t immune to seconding their more well-known stuff for their recent material. And, in ways, this was true of 4 Strings. But then, you never know exactly what you’re going to get with this guy, and he had plenty of surprises up his sleeve; dropping bursts of oldschool happy hardcore which sent the crowd into an epileptic nightmare of waving glow-sticks.

For four hours, 4 Strings kept the energy at a peak, creating an energetic vibe so thick you could almost reach out and touch it. You don’t see many highprofile DJs play the entire night, so seeing 4 Strings belt it out until closing was awesome. He gave the crowd a great night, and I think they returned the favour.

PAGE 15

GAMES PREVIEW

BY CHRIS RATTRAY

FINAL FANTASY XII PS2 In the mythical land of Ivalice, a street urchin named Vaan becomes involved with a bunch of resistance fighters during an invasion. Sky pirates, a renegade princess named Ashe, and other inhabitants of the Kingdom of Dalmasca will band together with Vaan to put an end to the invasion and bring peace to this war-ravaged land.

And so begins the latest epic in Square Enix’s recordbreaking “Final Fantasy” series, proving that, at installment number twelve, they should perhaps rethink its title!

However, to make such an obvious crack about the titling of this series is to undermine its profound effect; “FFVII – IX” on the PS1 were gaming events, and the PS2-exclusive “FFX” is still one of the most beautifullooking and richly rewarding gameplay experiences to be had on that system, a good five years after its release.

With the PS2 about to be usurped by the PS3, “FFXII” should give you plenty of months’ worth of gaming while you wait for Sony to mark their new console down to a more sensible price – for only a tenth of the cost of a new PS3 system!

CRACKDOWN XBOX 360 Three rival gangs are slicing Pacific City into pieces, and it’s up to you, as a super-powered law enforcement officer, to clean up the streets in any way you see fit.

Such is the promise of this latest game from the creative genius behind the legendary “Lemmings” and “Grand Theft Auto”, David Jones. “Crackdown” gives you a massive city to explore the length, breadth, and width of, as you cruise the streets unleashing instant terminal justice; and the more you play and exercise your skills, the more powerful you’ll become. Sick of pursuing your foes in rush hour traffic?

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE QUEEN

Blur & Gorillaz Clash It’s lunchtime on a bright October day, and one of north London’s finest architectural gems is looking grand and imposing.

We’re here at the recently refurbished Roundhouse Theatre in Chalk Farm to meet an extraordinary new group featuring the unlikely combination of Blur and Gorillaz’s Damon Albarn, The Clash’s Paul Simonon, Gorillaz guitarist Simon Tong and world music superstar Tony Allen. Though the quartet prefers to remain nameless, they’re generally being called after the title of their debut album – “The Good The Bad And The Queen” – which this evening they’ll be performing here in its entirety.

Instantly hitting it off, Damon and Paul quickly moved on from re-working the Nigerian recordings to collaborating on whole new batch of songs.

What started to emerge in the next few months was what Simonon calls “a postcard of London”, reflecting the city he and Albarn were born in and love. The music took shape as a celebration of the capital in all its unpredictable forms, good and bad – its vibrant multi-culturalism, the 24-hour drinking laws, the melancholy weather, rich and poor living cheek by jowl, the violence, the architectural beauty, the guns and housing estates, the fact whales occasionally swim up the Thames…

Tickets for tonight’s show sold out within hours.

For a group fascinated with London’s colourful past, the Roundhouse is the perfect venue for their grand unveiling. Illustrated in Charles Dickens’ novel “Dombey And Son”, it was originally a railway building before becoming home to the Gilbey’s Gin distillery in the 1880s. Intriguingly, Damon and Paul may unknowingly have brushed

The excitement surrounding this project has been intense. Paul Simonon – immortalised by Pennie Smith’s cover-shot for The Clash’s “London Calling”, showing him smashing his bass on a New York stage in 1979 – hasn’t been involved in music since the early ’90s.

Since then, he’s carved out a successful second career as an artist, specialising in moody oil paintings of London cityscapes.

It was Paul’s dual fascination with the capital and reggae (it was he who injected a West Indian influence into The Clash’s music, having been raised in the heavily black areas of Ladbroke Grove and Brixton) that brought Damon Albarn calling in 2005. The Blur and Gorillaz front-man had been recording some material in Nigeria with Lagos-born drummer Tony Allen and several other veteran Afrobeat musicians, but felt it needed an infusion of English character to make the whole thing work.

“I was fascinated with using Afrobeat, but I wanted to make a record that English kids could relate to,” says Damon Albarn, backstage in one of the Roundhouse’s sparse dressing rooms. “So I thought of Paul’s bass-playing and interest in London. The music would be English, but there’d also be these exotic [African] things the kids could go and discover for themselves.”

“Damon’s call came out of the blue,” adds Simonon, looking sharp in pinstripe jacket, Levi jeans and black trilby hat. “I had a lot of respect for his stance on world affairs and I really liked his music. So I went down to listen to some tracks and have a chat. That’s when I met [producer] Danger Mouse. I got the impression I was an element that was needed to bring together the project Damon did in Africa.”

past each other here 30 years or so ago. In the summer of 1976, Simonon was rehearsing in an old storehouse a couple of hundred metres away with the fledgling Clash. Albarn, meanwhile, visited the Roundhouse around that time with his parents to watch a performance of a musical called The Point.

“I remember that day because my parents bought me a clay ocarina in Camden Lock,” recalls Damon, who was then just eight years old.

“Because we rehearsed down the road, we used to spend a lot of time clambering about on top of the Roundhouse to see the what was going on through the cracks in the roof,” smiles Paul.

“The security would chase me round the top, but because of the size of them, and because I was undernourished at the time, they’d only be able to creep up so far. It must have been entertaining for people to watch.”

The album came together in 2004 and 2005 at Albarn’s studio on an industrial estate in

SIK SKIN

north-west London. Tony Allen, the former percussionist and musical director for Fela Kuti’s pioneering Afrobeat group, Africa 70, was invited to become the group’s full-time drummer. A veteran the sessions in Nigeria, the 66-yearold percussionist came with something of a reputation for brilliance. When it’s mentioned that Brian Eno once referred to him as “the greatest ever living drummer”, Albarn is quick to offer a correction: “Actually, he called him ‘the greatest musician who ever lived’.”

Friendly and beaming, Allen seems thrilled to be part of this fascinating collaboration. He’d been amused several years ago to hear Damon drop his name in the Blur song “Music Is My Radar”.

Today, the respect is clearly mutual.

As Albarn’s trusted guitarist in Gorillaz and the live replacement for Graham Coxon since the latter’s departure in 2002, Simon Tong simply “found himself” playing in The Good, The Bad And The Queen as the tracks developed.

Indeed, “The Good, The Bad And The Queen” is a subtle and musically complex album, with ambitious dynamics and a dark, haunting, mesmerising feel. Tong’s guitars and Damon’s keyboards weave eerie textures, while Allen’s understated, super-subtle jazz rhythms (Damon: “he’s as good as Art Blakey was”) allow space for Simonon to add fluid, moody, reggae-inflected bass-lines. There are echoes of reggae and ska, a hint of be-bop and Afrobeat and some moments were the music snaps into Clash-like stomps, but mostly the sound is all their own.

Damon insists, “It’s not like rock music, it’s not meant to be a pop record”, which it isn’t, yet at the same time the beautiful, nagging melodies that have characterised all of Albarn’s work are highly in evidence. This is an album whose melodies creep up on you, and whose songs have an almost dangerously infectious quality.

Perhaps the most chilling moment on the album is the line “Drink all day, ’cos the country’s at war” from “Kingdom Of Doom”. The horrors of the conflict in Iraq loom large in The Good, The Bad And The Queen’s collective psyche. Simonon is keen to impress that the album has “a strong anti-war message”, while Tony Allen explains that “any lyric against war is good for the people”.

“Yes, I do think the world has changed since the war and the [Indonesian] tidal wave,” adds Albarn, commenting on another line, this time from another track, “Greenfields”. “We’re living in a very brutal time. The world’s never stopped being brutal, but I think our culture is brutal too.

The ever-decreasing circles of celebrity is a form of brutalism…”

GR8 GRAF

Why not leap a tall building with a single bound instead!

The ability to hop from rooftop to rooftop is just one of the many cool powers you’ll be able to master.

Additionally, the game will remember previous actions and their effects – say you’ve piled a bunch of cars in a heap using your super strength and then nipped over to the other side of the city to fight evildoers.

When you come back, your car pile will still be there, just waiting to be ignited with explosive glee! With gameplay possibilities limited only by the player’s imagination, Crackdown could be the Xbox 360’s “GTA”-beater. Even better, some units of the game will ship with an invitation to take part in beta testing for “Halo 3”!

PAGE 16

Got a great tat? Don’t keep it to yourself!

Take a photo and send it to us – editorial@sauceonline.net

Seen some graf that was good enough to share? Take a photo and email it to us – editorial@sauceonline.net

JON DEE

STATE CINEMA - COMING SOON

IN FOCUS

375 Elizabeth St, North Hobart www.statecinema.com.au 6234 6318

An Inconvenient Truth

BY ANDREW SECCOMBE

Venus (UK) Maurice (Peter O’Toole) and Ian (Leslie Phillips) are old friends, veteran English actors who never hit the big time. Now in their seventies, they continue to work (Maurice, for example, is playing a corpse in a television drama) but their comfortable routines and banter over breakfast in a favourite café are disrupted by the arrival from the provinces of Ian’s grand-niece, Jessie.

She quickly tries her great-uncle’s patience. But Maurice is taken with the girl, and proceeds to show her the cultural sights of the capital.

Maurice tries to teach Jessie something about life, but in the process he is surprised to discover how very little he actually knows now that his own life is drawing to a close.

“I think the single biggest myth is that nuclear power is going to do anything to stop global warming. The other biggest myth is that if we sign up to the Kyoto Protocol, it will damage our economy.

Absolute nonsense! You just have to look at how many significant major developed economies have signed up to the protocol.

They’re putting in place carbon trading and taking the issue of climate change way more seriously than us...”

Co-Founder and Managing Director of Planet Ark, Jon Dee, is determined to see environmental change.

In his 21 years of environmental work and activism, he’s helped make Planet Ark the largest online environmental news service in the world; co-founded National Tree Day with Olivia Newton John; pioneered banning plastic bags in Australian supermarkets and more recently, he’s worked on the DVD release of Al Gore’s landmark environmental documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth”. It’s a film that has had remarkable global impact already, and Jon’s hoping that it will have even greater influence on the world’s television screens.

“The one great thing about “An Inconvenient Truth” is that it explained the issue of climate change in a really simple, understandable way. It also made people realise that if we don’t do something right now, within the next ten years we’re going to stuff up the planet’s ability to provide for our current generation of kids.”

With a three-year-old daughter himself, Jon’s investment in the environment’s future has an even greater poignancy. He believes we’re at a “tipping point” regarding our planet’s health, and is glad that the issue of global warming is finally being addressed within Australia, commenting that it’s already been front page news in Europe for two to three years. “John Howard, who was previously obfuscated on climate change, is now fully accepting it,” he says. “Now you’ve got the political parties with Rudd and Howard trying to out-Green Bob Brown, which I think is a really positive thing. I think it’s going to be a really defining issue at the next election and we’re also in a situation where the corporate sector is taking a far bigger lead on the issue than

the government has. Thankfully, green has become the new black again and it looks like there’s going to be significant changes.”

“An Inconvenient Truth” chronicles how excessive greenhouse gas emissions, produced from human industry, have contributed to global warming, which in turn has significantly reduced the world’s ice reserves as well as contributed to increasingly chaotic weather conditions. If things continue the way they have been, global flooding could take place on a scale never experienced. Yet, as Jon explains, there are changes that the government and the general public can make to combat the now desperate situation.

“

If things continue the

way they have been, global flooding could take place on a scale never experienced

”

“There’s some really basic stuff the government can do in terms of phase outs. One of my campaigns I’m going to launch personally this year is “Ban The Bulb”. I’ve been saying to the Federal government I want existing light globes banned. I only want to see energy efficient globes. They last 8-10 times longer than a normal globe, they only use one fifth of the electricity and because of that you’re saving around $40-50 for each bulb that you buy.”

Jon also outlines the importance of banning inefficient shower heads, which he describes as “tin cans with holes in them” that use huge amounts of water. Water efficient shower heads cost as little as $25 and can save the average family of four up to $200 a year in reduced water usage. For a drought ravaged land like Australia, this is clearly essential.

He goes on to explain the importance of introducing “hybrid technology” in cars, where a vehicle makes use of both an electric engine as well as a petrol one, vastly reducing emissions. Such hybrids use half the petrol that regular cars do and as Jon explains, they will significantly reduce already astronomical fuel costs.

“What I’d personally like to see is the government

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Solar power is high on Jon’s agenda as well and he also explains the importance of people switching off their appliances rather than leaving them on stand-by, which increases energy bills by up to 10%.

To educate the public on such issues, he’s currently working on a Channel 10 prime-time special that explains how to combat global warming through lifestyle changes, which will air in February. “It will basically be showing people the convenient solutions to the inconvenient truth,” Jon explains. “It’s going to show Australians just how much money they can save by making little changes in their lifestyle, in a way that once those changes are in place, you won’t notice them. The one thing you will notice is that you have more money in your wallet.”

Yet the biggest change that the average person can make to combat global warming is to switch to Green power. Renewable energy companies like Jack Green offer discounted rate packages and the usage of renewable electricity, which is available from any electricity supplier in Australia, will significantly aid the already suffering planet. Notably, Jon and his colleagues at Paramount and Jack Green are “walking the talk” of these various environmental ambitions, as each DVD copy of “An Inconvenient Truth” has been supplied in 100% renewable packaging, and for every copy sold, a tree will be planted in Australian soil.

Worthy of further note is that Jon lists his involvement with the film’s DVD release as the highlight of his 21 years of environmental work.

“As an environmentalist, I’ve been very honoured to help with the DVD release,” he says. “The most exciting thing I’ve ever had was when I came out of “An Inconvenient Truth” to see the impact that it had on the journalists personally. I had people calling me afterwards saying “OK, what can I do?” That’s what great about the movie – it created a tipping point.

It’s vital that everyone sees the DVD because once you have, you will be compelled to change the way you live your life.”

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Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (Germany) In eighteenth-century France lives Jean-Baptiste Grenouille – a genius, a monster, a murderer – notoriously obsessed with smell. Born with one sublime gift – a heightened sense of smell – he lives to detect any odour on earth. But he himself has no scent of his own. He apprentices himself to a prominent perfumer who teaches him the ancient art of extracting the scent from precious oils and herbs. Then one day he catches a hint of a scent that will drive him on an evermore-terrifying quest to create the most powerful perfume in the world – made of the scent of young virgins.

Paris, Je t’aimes (France) One city. 10,000 hearts. One love story. One film. Through the neighbourhoods of Paris, love is veiled, revealed, imitated, reinvented and awakened. Made up of 18 shorts inspired by 18 Paris arrondissements [districts], the film speaks of romantic encounters taking place in various spots of the capital. Every five minutes the directorial hand changes; shared between a stunning array of great international filmmakers.

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insist that all car, truck and bus companies have to have some element of hybrid technology in every vehicle that is sold in Australia. If the government brings in legislation that makes all car companies have to use that hybrid technology, then the price of those cars will come down significantly and make it more affordable for the average person. If we were to make that change, we would halve our use of petrol in Australia and halve the fuel bills of Australian families.”

Scoop (UK) The “Tarot Card Killer” is at large in London, and only one man knows his identity: one Joe Strombel, journalist. Sondra (Scarlett Johansson)is an American journalism student visiting friends in London. During a stage performance by the magician Sid “Splendini” Waterman (Woody Allen), Sondra is confronted with the ghost of Joe the journalist. From beyond, he gives her the scoop of a lifetime and Sondra immediately starts chasing the big story, enlisting Sid Splendini as a very reluctant assistant. That chase leads right to handsome British aristocrat Peter Lyman (Hugh Jackman).

Soon, Sondra finds that the romance of her life may well be the dangerous scoop she’s looking for.

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Hopefully a Ford Typhoon, ha-ha. Realistically? A BMW 3 series.

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FOX IN THE SNOW PRESENTS

DANNY BHOY

“HIS ACCENTS AND IMPERSONATIONS ARE SUBLIME. HE SKIPS FROM ONE HILARIOUS STORY TO THE NEXT WITH A FOOTLOOSE AIR OF IMPROVISATION THAT MAKES THE CROWD FEEL THIS SHOW IS A ONE-OFF JUST FOR THEM.” THE SUNDAY AGE

“You’ve put a band-aid on an alligator bite.

Oh, _____ you’re my gallant knight.”

Record and send your own love song at www.gallantryisback.com

www.dannybhoy.com www.myspace.com/dbhoy

LAUNCESTON - THE PRINCESS THEATRE FRIDAY 2 ND MARCH, 7.30 PM BOOKINGS: 6323 3666

HOBART - THE THEATRE ROYAL SAT 3RD MARCH, 8.00PM BOOKINGS: 6233 2299

Gallantry is back.

PAGE 19

UPCOMING ARTS EVENTS TANGO AND SALSA PARTY!!

The Cambalache Tango Club invites you to our first Salsa and Tango party at Toro’s on York! There will also be local Latin performances during the night.

Thursday 22 7pm Adults $15

nd

February – MONTHLY

Toro’s on York, Launceston Mr Rodrigo Arriagada 0404 196 957

SHINE The Poimena Art Award 2007 – $5000 up for grabs!!!

A $5000 award for mixed media works. Any artist working in Australia or overseas can enter.

Theme: For the 2007 award artists are asked to consider the notion of “Shine”. “Shine” might be seen as: The play of light - lustre, sheen, gloss, glint, glow, gleam, incandescence. Taking the shine to someone - fancy. Polishing up - gloss, glaze, burnish, lustre, finish, patina. Being eloquent. Being an expert at something - excel in/at; be master of; have a gift, a talent, a bent. Being famous – to leave one’s mark Being ostentatious - dazzle, splurge, splash.

Looking beautiful - beam, bloom, take the breath away. Rubbing – buff, dress, furbish Critical Dates: Closing date for entries Thursday 23 February 2007 Notification of selected artists Week beginning 30 March 2007 Receipt of work 18, 19 June 2007 - 9am to 4pm Announcement of winner Friday 29 June 2007 Exhibition Friday 29 June to Monday 23 July 2007 Work to be collected Tuesday 24 July 2007 All other work dispatched by Wednesday 25 July 2007 http://www.lcgs.tas.edu.au/poimena/art-award.php for more information

THREADS OF CONTENTION

Threads of Contention features the works of six contemporary Australian textile artists Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery Inveresk Launceston 03 6323 3777 Exhibition closing SUN 25th FEB FREE ADMISSION

SPOTLIGHT QUEEN OF THE SNAKEPIT MARCH – STATEWIDE

Born and raised on Flinders Island, actor Cheryl Wheatley is a proud fourth generation islander.

“Queen of the Snakepit” is a theatrical collage of life and family on Flinders Island.

Poimena Art Gallery, Launceston Church Grammer School, Mowbray Katy Woodroffe 6336 6039.

Exhibition Closing TUES 27th FEB FREE ADMISSION

DANNY BHOY International Comedian Danny Bhoy Austalian Tour 2007 FRI 2nd MAR- ONE NIGHT ONLY 8pm Adults $29.90 Conc $26.90 Princess Theatre Brisbane St Launceston 03 6323 3666

SCOTTSDALE PLAYERS: THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES SAT 3rd MAR 7.30pm Adults $20 Conc $12 Scottdale High School Tix available Roses Newsagency Scottsdale & the Bridport Café

LILYDALE SCARECROW FRESTIVAL

BY SARAH MCCORMACK

LAUNCESTON Earl Arts Centre 26 & 27 March At 6 & 8pm HOBART Backspace Theatre Sackville Street (behind the Theatre Royal), 29 & 30 March At 9.30pm, 31 March At 6.30 & 9.30pm

CLASS CLOWNS 2007 MARCH – STATEWIDE

It’s on again! In conjunction with our good friends at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Is Theatre proudly presents Class Clowns Tasmania 2007!

Is Theatre are inviting young Tasmanian’s (between 14 – 17 yrs) to prove to us that they’re as funny as they think they are and participate in the second largest comedy festival in the world! The best act from Tassie will be flown to Melbourne for the Class Clowns National Final, which will be held on the main stage of the Melbourne Town Hall, during the April 2007 Festival. The National Winner takes home $1500 for themselves and $1500 for their school.

Is Theatre are holding heats around Tassie as follows: Launceston Heat: Saturday 10 March, 7pm The Earl Arts Centre Hobart Heat: Friday 16 March, 7pm The Backspace Theatre (Sackville St, behind Theatre Royal) State Finals: Saturday 17 March, 7pm The Backspace Theatre (Sackville St, behind Theatre Royal) Tickets to all heats and the finals available at the door For full competition details and how to register go to www.istheatre.com or contact Is Theatre on 03 6234 8561

What’s the highlight of your year so far, Luke?

It’s between two things. I recently created and performed a new independent dance work called “Lifesize”. [Secondly] Peaches and her kick-ass rock. You’ve gotta love a rock show that involves triangle wedge guitars, twenty pairs of silver panties and blood spitting… Sarah, what’s yours?

tear-soaked hankies, and I’m now sole Artistic Director of Stompin. So I’m changing the company name to Luke George and the Interpretive Dancers of Launceston, and doing more productions that involve chiffon scarves, abstract a capella and live animals… If that sucks, then maybe we’ll stick to the current company name and throw a big party on April 14th featuring a dynamite line-up of edgy new dance works by myself and a guest choreographer, Antony Hamilton, with music sets by local bands, performers and DJ’s. Sarah, how can people get involved with Stompin?

Well, getting my bluebird tattoo, becoming a ON TOUR THROUGHOUT MARCH -and TANDEM yoga guru, having a Myspace goingSKYDIVE to lots of BBQs. How’s Stompin going to rock Launceston Smithton March 15 - 22 in 2007?

Wynyard 23 - off Aprilwith 5 Well, as most know, we waved March Bec Reid

Call me! Yes, it’s that easy. Just give me a bell or email and tell us about what you do and we can chat. We cater for all types of1800 people who want 043 080 to rock this town. Go on, you know you want to! www.skydivetasmania.com.au (stompin.net or 6334 3802).

An interview with Luke George, artistic director of Stompin Youth Dance Company.

All forms of comedy are eligible including individual stand up routines, double acts, sketches, musical comedy, parodies and satire.

HOST OF ABC TV’S SPICKS & SPECKS

A PRUDENT PUMP Exhibition Of Paintings

By Susan Mcarthur Susan McArthur has had a long held fascination with shoes, and in this exhibition she presents a series of oil paintings which employ the shoe as a symbolic reference to social issues, from a personal and public perspective.

“As a mark of identity for generations, the shoe stretched the public sphere of global culture to the personal choice of the individual”, writes

s you "If you cannot enjoy Adam Hill tsman cannot have a pulse" The Sco

McArthur. In these (much) larger-than-life images, she presents the viewer with a range of shoes – as pairs, individually or in mysteriously mismatched groups, in lushly-staged settings, or part of a social or street scene which hints at partly hidden, unfolding scenarios. Centred around relationships within the artist’s own family, the artworks comment on the development of the individual, the bonding nature of mother and child, and the journeys we all make to explore

PLUS Best scarecrow competition!!! ThemeImagination. We encourage the use of recycled materials. Entries to be erected on SAT 24th FEB and judged at festival.

has exhibited widely throughout Tasmania, with

SAT 3rd MAR Providence Vineyard 236 Lalla Rd Lala Entry forms available from Lilydale businesses or 6395 1314

Contemporary Art at the University of Tasmania

11am- 4pm FREE ADMISSION

University of Tasmania School of Visual and

new horizons. A self-employed artist since 1988, Susan McArthur lives and works in Burnie. She numerous solo exhibitions in Burnie – this is her first solo exhibition outside of her home region.

Susan is currently completing her Bachelor of Academy of the Arts in Launceston. The exhibition will be opened on Tuesday the 13th of February at 6pm by Penny Mason, Head of Painting Studio, Performing Arts, Academy of the Arts, Inveresk.

A celebration of Longford including arts, stalls, entertainment and more…

Where: Arts Alive Art-space 178a Charles Street, Launceston

SUN 4th MAR Longford Village Green Longford 03 6397 7303 10am- 4pm Adults $5 Children FREE

When: 13th to 24th February 2007 Opening by Penny Mason – 6pm Tuesday 13th Opening hours: Tue to Fri: 10am - 4pm Sat: 10am – 2pm

PAGE 20

Luke George

FLINDERS ISLAND Flinders Island Sports Club Whitemark 23 & 24 March At 7pm

Showcasing the areas fine foods and wines, and talent of its local artists at stalls set up throughout the property.

BLESSING OF THE HARVEST

SPOTLIGHT

This moving portrayal of longing, endurance, strength and solitude is staged cabaret style in the island’s infamous ladies lounge – the Snakepit.

LOOKING THROUGH GLASS

This exhibition features the work of five young women artists who respond to their position as women in the world, utilising their bodies – and photography or video as their expressive tool.

STOMPIN

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DANNY BHOY

COMEDY

Hecklers Beware!

BY TOM WILSON

“It’s nice to be here, wherever I am…”

With the possible exception of William Wallace, it’s hard not to like Scotsmen – and Danny Bhoy is no exception. About to take to the mike in Tassie, he had a yarn from his hotel room about hecklers, vomit and dickheads. Lovely!

“

Save your breath – you’ll need it to blow up your girlfriend

”

Of all the celebrities you’ve bumped into on the comedy circuit, Danny, who’s been the biggest dickhead?

Oh Christ … Well, to be honest, I did the Royal Variety Show a few years back, and I found Pavarotti a bit difficult. (Laughs) He’s obviously a huge star, but we all had to gather the night before.

Because it’s a performance for the Queen, we all had to gather in the same hotel. There were quite a few big names on the bill, but he was the biggest. Apparently, at the hotel he was staying at in Edinburough, he actually got another room knocked through; he knocked through a wall between two suites, because he didn’t think his room was big enough. And these are huge suites; they take up half a floor. So they actually knocked down a wall for him, and then they had to re-build it again.

I met him the next night; I said, “Hello, I admire your work” and all this kind of stuff. And he was just, “Who the fuck is this guy? Who is he?” And got his entourage to shepherd me away! He’s a very, very arrogant man!

What’s the strangest heckle you’ve ever got from an audience member?

Well, one guy … in a show about two years ago in England, [he] asked me if he could come up on stage. It was halfway through a routine, and I said, “Sure, if you really want to.” He came up, and he was shaking. I said, “Well, what is it that you want to say?” He said, “Can I borrow the microphone?” And he proposed to his girlfriend – live on stage!

I was half very happy, and half of me thought, “Well, you could have let me finish the goddamn joke!” For me, it meant that that was naturally the climax of the show, [but] then I had another twenty-five minutes to try and get people still listening, you know?

How do you top that?

Well, you can’t. You can’t top a marriage proposal … unless I proposed to someone. I tried, and it didn’t work.

Have you got a favourite heckle comeback?

To be honest, I’ve got loads. The think about heckle comebacks is that there’s a stockpile of regular ones that work.

Generally, I’ll listen to what the actual heckle is, and try and respond appropriately, rather than just use a heckle putdown.

Because there’s so many heckle putdowns. “Save your breath – you’ll need it to blow up your girlfriend”. “I don’t come down to where you work and tell you how to flip burgers”. “Where did you learn to whisper? In a helicopter?” There’s just thousands and thousands.

When was the last time you vomited?

I’d say not since university; that last kebab on a Saturday night, stumbling out of the university union.

I seem to remember waking up the following morning, covered in vomit. Probably not even just my own.

To listen to the entire interview go to www.sauce.net.au/interviews

RAW COMEDY 2007

A Call for Entries Do you live in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, the back of Bourke or the middle of the desert? Does your grandmother think you’re the riot of the family, the class clown, a professional ventriloquist, or do you just make yourself laugh?

open mic comedy competition. Competing in nearly 75 heats across the whole country a panel of judges will select performers most likely to become the next big thing.

And what would you do if you won a life-sized straw chicken wearing a pair of over-sized Groucho Marx glasses? Oh, and a trip to the Edinburgh Festival?

Quite simply, you have to be in it to win it!

The RAW Comedy Grand Final winner is then flown to the Edinburgh Fringe for their chance to joke around with comedy’s big guns.

The lucky jokesters then progress through a series of semi and state finals, before slugging it out at the National Grand Final at the Melbourne Town Hall as part of the 2007 Melbourne International Comedy Festival in April.

In addition to announcing Australia’s best RAW Comedian at the National Final, we’ll also declare the best first-time entrant in RAW to be our RAW Recruit Winner.

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival, with the support of Triple J is calling for entries for the 2007 RAW Comedy competition.

Undiscovered comic geniuses have only a matter of weeks to sign themselves up for heats in their area, which have begun now.

RAW Comedy is Australia’s biggest and truly national

2006 Winner Hannah Gadsby with her trophy

It’s time to get entries in! Log onto Raw Comedy at www.rawcomedy.com.au for registration and venue details, plus information on how to be a part of the audience for those who are not quite ready to get up on the stage.

STRUTH BE TOLD:

What Goes On Backstage

By Justin Heazlewood Miriam: How’s your band?

Jimmick: We just got signed.

Miriam: That’s a bit mainstream.

Jimmick: No, I mean signed by the audience.

Everyone at our last gig stuck their fingers up at us.

Miriam: Tough crowd. We got signed too, but we’re totally independent.

Jimmick: No label, keeping it real.

Miriam: No, the record label is called Independent Records; it’s an off-shoot of Sony.

Jimmick: Oh. What’s your deal?

Miriam: We have to make an album every fifteen years, plus we get clothing sponsorships, “Rage” guest programming rights, a skill-tester filled with cigarettes and a packet of 10,000 mixed Myspace friends.

Jimmick: You’ve sold out.

Miriam: But we have total creative control.

Jimmick: No I mean your t-shirts, I tried to order a men’s medium but they were out. So what are you called?

Miriam: “Finding Emo”.

Jimmick: I don’t get it.

Miriam: Exactly. So how’s your album coming along?

Jimmick: Okay, we’ve laid down some tracks.

Miriam: What kind of sound?

Jimmick: No, I mean actual tracks. We’re all working for Cityrail to pay off the studio hire.

Miriam: Right. What’s the album called?

Jimmick: B-sides, c-sides d-sides and rarities. It’s a greatest hits concept EP. Miriam: What’s the concept?

Jimmick: It’s a secret album. Every track is a secret track recorded in a special frequency that only dogs can hear.

Miriam: Are you worried about people burning it?

Jimmick: No, we’ll have copy control.

Miriam: I meant in a fire. Hey, we’re having a launch next week, you should come along.

Jimmick: Yeah, whereabouts?

Miriam: The local army airbase. They’re going to do a test launch aimed at North Korea.

Jimmick: Overseas market, cool. Hey, did I mention we just picked up a grant?

Miriam: Well done.

Jimmick: Yeah, Grant Taylor, our bass player. We literally picked him up from the side of the road, he was passed out.

Miriam: Yeah right, did you have to deal with an agent?

Jimmick: Yeah, Demestos mainly, he was in pretty bad shape. Maybe I could support you sometime?

Miriam: Your band?

Jimmick: No I mean emotionally; make you cups of tea, rub your feet, listen to you grumble.

Miriam: You’re not really my genre of person. Plus, I’m kind of going out with my music career.

Jimmick: Are you defacto?

Miriam: Yeah, but Centrelink don’t know.

Jimmick: Okay. See you.

Miriam: I guess.

Jimmick: Whatever.

Miriam: “Whatever” is passé.

Jimmick: Oh, um, “whatever two”?

Miriam: I guess. www.myspace.com/thebedroomphilosopher www.beedogs.com

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254 Mount St Upper Burnie 7320 THURSDAY FEBRUARY 22

JAZZ CLUB '07 VIKTOR ZAPPNER TRIO

featuring Teresa Beck-Swindale from Loongana on Tenor sax 8.00PM, $5 COVER CHARGE FRIDAY FEBRUARY 23

Name: Metal D Age: 27 Favourite Band: Iron Maiden Favourite drink: Boags Red If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you want to play you?

Christopher Walken What would the movie be rated? G What do you wish you could have done with Anna Nicole Smith before she died?

“Build a carport with her” [Girlfriend sitting beside him] What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done involving a car?

Other than crashing them several times?

Name: Eleisha Age: 20 Favourite Band: None at the moment.

Favourite drink: Midori & lemonade.

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you want to play you?

Paris Hilton What would the movie be rated? PG What do you wish you could have done with Anna Nicole Smith before she died?

Bugger all – keep her away!

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done involving a car?

Re-enacted a monster truck rally in a pram.

Name: William Russ Pugh Age: I’ve forgotten – I’m dead Favourite Band: The Dead Abigails Favourite drink: Guinness – plenty of iron If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you want to play you?

Marlon Brando. Shit, he’s dead too.

What would the movie be rated? R What do you wish you could have done with Anna Nicole Smith before she died? Amazed her with my steely pecks.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done involving a car? Grand theft horse & cart.

THE ANDY FARRELL TRIO 7.00PM, $5 COVER CHARGE

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 24

HIPNOSIS

Return of the bellydancers 7.30PM, $5 COVER CHARGE. THURSDAY MARCH 1

JAZZ CLUB '07 VIKTOR ZAPPNER TRIO featuring from Deloraine Greg Harrison on baritone and tenor saxophones and from Launceston Cameron Scott on trumpet and Flugelhorn 8.00PM, $5 COVER CHARGE FRIDAY MARCH 2

NEIL GIBSON

folk and blues 7.00PM, $5 COVER CHARGE SATURDAY MARCH 3

Name: Dave Age: 19 Favourite Band: Bloc Party Favourite drink: Cascade Pale Ale If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you want to play you?

Sully from “Monsters Inc.” What would the movie be rated? PG What do you wish you could have done with Anna Nicole Smith before she died?

Skydiving – her parachute optional.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done involving a car?

Eating a Mars Bar with someone driving for me.

Name: Nathan Age: 20 Favourite Band: Bit of everything.

Favourite drink: Beam & cola.

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you want to play you? Brad Pitt What would the movie be rated? M What do you wish you could have done with Anna Nicole Smith before she died?

Stick her in a washing machine – she was dirty!

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done involving a car?

Um … Driven one.

Name: James Age: 19 Favourite Band: Eskimo Joe Favourite drink: Jim Beam If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you want to play you? Sean Connery What would the movie be rated? R What do you wish you could have done with Anna Nicole Smith before she died?

Put her in a garbage compactor to test the strength of her implants.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done involving a car? Driven with someone on the bonnet (who fell off)

SHINDIG 13 TELEN RODWELL & GREG CORNISH

7.00PM, $5 COVER CHARGE THURSDAY MARCH 8

JAZZ CLUB '07 VIKTOR ZAPPNER TRIO

featuring from Hobart Alex Howroyd on tenor sax & Matthew Ives on drums 8.00PM, $5 COVER CHARGE FRIDAY MARCH 9

NEIL GIBSON

Alana & Callan

folk 'n blues, 7.00PM, $5 COVER CHARGE SATURDAY MARCH 10

MELBOURNE'S HUGH MCGINLAY

7.30PM, $5 COVER CHARGE.

To be continued ...

PAGE 22

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