Sauce - Issue 61, 6-2-08

On the street every second Wednesday

Free Edition #61

06/02/08 - 19/02/08 Made in Tasmania

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SAUCE #61

DANCE // SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM

Sneaking into MS Fest 2008

By Tom Wilson

When you’re getting party invites from Robbie Williams – and are sufficiently too-cool-for-school to blow the joint after a few ciggies – it must be easy for Sydney party-starters Sneaky Sound System to forget that it all began with two members meeting while dressed as cowboys and indians. But one thing we hope they don’t forget is that they’re about to hit the stage at MS FEST 08 in Launceston this month, alongside the likes of the Hilltop Hoods, Little Birdy, Bliss N Eso and Cog. MC Double D – known to his mum as Daimon Downey – dusted off his cowboy chaps and toy six-shooter for a showdown with SAUCE’s own journalistic gunslinger, Tom Wilson …

You guys supported Robbie Williams. I’ve always wondered – what’s he like? Does he smoke as much as people think?

The guy is great! The right mix of ego and charm. He took the time to come out to our dressing room to thank us, but we were not there, so he came back later … we were not there.

Then he came back again the next night – sorry Robbie, we were not there. Then, finally, the next night we did meet, and he was very sweet. He invited us to a party – we went, had a few cigarettes, and left.

How would you describe your live show? What do you think sets it apart from other dance acts?

It’s up-up-up! No turntables, three mics, drums, a couple of guitars, a keyboard, a bunch of knobs and buttons for effect, and shitloads of lights. A smoke machine, a huge banner, and a room filled with every type of person you could imagine, all singing and jumping as loud and as high as they can. I think the difference with Sneaky is [that] we are a dance-slash-pop act, so the dance floor is full and the sing-along is loud, so it must be a lot of fun out there.

Cowboys and Indians fancy dress party”. Who was in the cowboy suit, and who was the Indian? And what is the likeliness of you bringing the costumes out at a future gig?

We’re saving the costumes for a Sneaky reunion tour in twenty years when we run completely out of money. But there has been talk at the Whack House of taking the story to Broadway with Sneaky the Musical, and I think it would be a nice touch to use some of our original garb we once wore. Oh yeah, it was me in the red and white tasseled chaps, and the f*cked up thing is … I own them.

had to release our album independently, and to release a record you need a label, so voila! Whack was born. Now it’s all very grown up; we have an office (the Whack House) and we have desks where the people do the business (the Whack

Heads). We do have plans for working with other artists, but right now, we’re busy enough looking after ourselves.

Sneaky Sound System plays MS Fest 08 in Launceston on the 16th of February. www.sneakysoundsystem.com

Two of you run Whack Records. What’s been happening with that lately? Who have you been working with?

Well Whack Records only exists because we

What’s the best and worst thing that has happened while you were playing live? And how did you deal with it?

Apart from the power going off, ducking for cover from a shower of glowsticks, falling from a speaker stack and having a naked man jump on the stage, we have had a pretty sweet run.

Your debut has gone platinum. What do you think it was about the record that had such an appeal?

Almost triple platinum … freaky! Who knows what the appeal is exactly?

We really had no idea this would happen. After a while it becomes its own beast, and takes [on] a life of its own. But maybe the album does have a little something for everybody – boys, girls, young, old. Plus constant radio support is not bad either.

What plans do you have to follow it up? And what direction would you like to go in with it?

The new album isn’t too far away.

It’s hard to talk about something that’s not finished, but it’s been written with the same hands, so safe to say you will like it. We do!

“a shower of glowsticks, falling from a speaker stack and having a naked man jump on the stage”

You and Black Angus met at a “dodgy

FESTIVAL TIMETABLE Main Stage 11.00- 11.25 11.35 - 12.00 12.10 - 12.35 12.50 - 1 .20 1.35 - 2 .05 2.20 - 2 .50 3.05 - 3.35 3.50 - 4 .30 4.50 - 5 .30 5.50 - 6 .30 6.50 - 7 .30 7.50- 8 .30 9.00- 10.00 10.30- 11.30

Your Damn Neighbours Shock Corridor The Embers Timbre Terrorists The Getaway Plan TZU Behind Crimson Eyes Parkway Drive Bliss n Eco Cog Kisschasy Little Birdy Sneaky Sound System Hilltop Hoods

Local DJs Dexter Phil K Klaus Hill Sam La More Hook N Sling Goodwill Kid Kenobi & MC Shureshock 9.30 - 10.30 Mark Dynamix 10.30 - 11.30 The Presets 12.30 - 2.30 2.30 - 3 .30 3.30 - 4 .30 4.30 - 5 .30 5.30 - 6 .30 6.30 - 7 .30 7.30- 8 .30 8.30 - 9 .30

SAUCE #61

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METAL // BLOOD DUSTER

Clothes abandoned as the pit is hit

By Tom Wilson

The fact that any band worth their salt should hold absolutely nothing back while performing notwithstanding, it’s still fairly uncommon for the average punter to know what a bass player’s willy looks like. But then, Jason P.C. is a very uncommon man in a very uncommon band. Coming down for the first time with Psycroptic blast-beater Dave Haley behind the kit, death-grind-rock felons Blood Duster are coming to give us one last ear-bashing before heading to the U.S., so SAUCE got in touch. Taking off his pants so he’s not the odd one out, Tom Wilson spoke with their frequently nude bassist …

You’re coming down here again – is this on a new album, or is this still on Lyden Na? This is on the Lyden Na thing … We’ve got Dave from Psycroptic drumming for us now, so we’ve got a bit of a Tassie connection now, and he just suggested we go down before we go to the States and stuff. So we’re doing a final kind of …

I wouldn’t say a “tour”, but we’re doing a final run of shows and stuff. We’re going to do Tassie; we’re going to do a Sydney one, a couple of Melbourne shows in there, [and] in May we’ll go to the U.S. And then when we come back, we’ll be doing another tour to launch the next EP that we’re putting out.

So how did you hook up with Dave?

Well basically we just booted our old drummer out. Like, good drummer and all that kind of stuff, he just got a bit annoying and whatever … that was Matt Rizzo. So we booted him, and I thought, “Well, we’ve got to find someone.” And I didn’t think Dave would really want to do it, but he offered his services, so we were like, “Alright, cool! You’re in!” So we’ve done a couple of tours with him so far, and he’s been working out good. But this is the first time we’ve been in Tassie with him, so he’s on his home turf, you know?

Did you say you were going to be putting out a new EP? Yeah, we will. We haven’t quite announced it yet, but it looks like it’ll be late April when it’ll come out. It’ll be like a Drink Fight F*ck kind of EP, you know? Short and sweet.

So you guys have finished the recording and everything?

No, no – haven’t even started the recording. [Laughs]

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SAUCE #61

Oh, good. Lazy bastards.

I sort of do the recordings and stuff myself, so we can make stuff up really quick, and I work in a mastering studio, so all that stuff’s really easy for me to do. In two weeks, I can have a full product turned around, so we’re not stressed.

Are you intending to keep with the same sound? You guys moved from grindcore to that death-rock thing.

Are you going to stick with it?

Well, I don’t know. The last thing, we had death-rock, then we had grind and all that kind of stuff, and I think this time

– the guy could be shooting blanks, which is probably a good thing; genetics and all that kind of stuff … weeding out the weak gene. It’s probably good that he’s not having kids.

Has your tendency to perform in the nude ever assisted your conquests with the ladies, or are you a taken man now?

I’m a married dude. I’ve been married ever since I started getting nude, I think. It’s “look but don’t touch,” you know?

That kind of deal.

Was the nude thing kind of a reaction to getting mar-

“I’ve been married ever since I started getting nude, I think. It’s “look but don’t touch,” you know?” we’ll just go flat-out, as fast as we can possibly go. You know, we’ve got Dave drumming, so we might as well utilise what he’s really good at, and he’s really good at going really fast, so yeah. So I think that’s the kind of direction, yeah.

That’s pretty much all the serious questions I have, so … since Tony is a thoroughly sexy bitch, I’m wondering – roughly how many illegitimate children do you reckon he’s fathered to groupies?

I have no idea, but there’s got to be a few. There’s been quite a few scares, I know that. But you know, scares are one thing

ried? Like, “OK, I’m taken, so now see what you’re missing!”

It was just kind of getting drunk and trying to take it as far as we possibly could, you know? It’s just more to confront more than anything else, you know, because we’re not playing a big venue; you’re not looking at it from a distance.

You’re pretty much in my face, you know what I mean?

So it’s a little more confronting than normal stuff, I guess!

[Laughs] I’m curious – your last press photos were the infamous

emo pisstakes. What’s your view on the whole “straight edge” thing?

Strange you should ask, because we did a cover back in 1998, when we did the Str8 Outta Northcote record, and we were playing the song Straight Edge by Minor Threat, when that kind of stuff first started coming back, after dying in the 80s when everyone turned twenty-one. Back then it was just coming back in, and we were doing these re-releases for Relapse Records, and I thought, “Oh, I’ll put that on there.” And just this morning, we got word from Dischord Records, who put out the early Minor Threat stuff and all that stuff.

So Ian MacKaye himself is hearing us sing the song F*ck Straight Edge … We’d changed the lyrics of Straight Edge to “F*ck straight edge”, and he’s actually listening to it to approve, to see whether it’ll go on the new record or not.

It’s weird the way those things sort of work. So we’re just waiting for permission from the leader of the straight edge scene. It’s kind of funny.

[Laughs] What are your chances, do you reckon?

Well, I don’t know … we do call the whole crowd … I think we called them “homo retards” or something like that. Like, “can it get any more wrong?” So we’ll see! [Laughs] Blood Duster get drunk and f*ck shit up at Launceston’s 39 Club on the 8th of February, before taking on young and old at licensed and all-ages shows at Hobart’s Brisbane Hotel on the 9th.

To listen to an MP3 of the full interview, go to www. sauce.net.au

SAUCE #61

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SPOTLIGHT // SCOT COTTERELL

Puttin’ out the art-fire ... with gasoline

By Tom Wilson

Take one look at the online portfolio of Tasmanian artist Scot Cotterell, and you could be forgiven for thinking (as well did), that he would be an odd choice to put on the bill of a jazz festival, like the one kicking off in Clarence this month. But look a bit closer, and you’ll realise ( just like we did) that, given his passion for combining sight and sound into new and innovative creations, the question isn’t “why him?” The question is, “who else but him?” Scot spoke to SAUCE about art-via-fire …

Your online portfolio is quite stylistically diverse.

How would you sum up the kind of subject matter and themes you dabble in?

My influences are media, sub-culture, identity, property, capital, ownership, authorship. I make work from whatever is at hand and suits the particular idea I’m working on.

Sometimes this means I make complex combinations of sound and video, other times simple objects or collections of things.

What are your tools of the trade? And how long does it usually take you to do a design?

I collect a lot; old equipment, computers, cameras, magazines, books, art work. I like to play with found old gear – anything with a bit of nerd value. Time-wise, it varies drastically; in some instances a work can come to mind very quickly, in other instances ideas can take months to come together.

The tools differ based on the ideas and where I am at the time; if I’m in an airport, then it’s a digital camera or internet kiosk; at an event it’s a laptop, guitar, projector or old mixer; in a gallery, found objects, tech, photographs, video.

You’re putting on a video art installation at the Jazz Lounge, running from Wednesday to Saturday. What can you tell us about this? What will you be doing for it?

The Jazz Festival work will be a two-screen video projection, inside and outside the Barn/Jazz Lounge space. The work collects images from musicians involved in the project, and members of the public through posters popping up around Clarence, and mixes them with images and lo-res video footage sourced by me around Clarence. It’s kind of like an abstract mix-tape of place. The images are cropped and cut up into smaller segments to become a sort of colour and texture collection specific to Clarence. People can submit images and videos to: clarenceproject@gmail. com, or SMS, MMS to 0404 523 576 A jazz festival seems like an odd place for an installation of this type. How did this come about? And to what extent will your work accompany or enhance the musical aspects of the festival? In other words, will this installation be related to jazz in any way?

A work like this is an interesting challenge, as certain elements are pre-decided, and the main focus of the event and space is, of course, the performers, so in some ways the work needs to be simple and subtle and fit well into the environment. It will be related to jazz in the sense that embedded in the work is the idea of call and response, a tried and true creative/collaborative technique. Over time, as an artist, you can find yourself adding complexity kind of for the hell of it, so I’m keeping a tight rein on this work, remembering that the best ideas are usually the simple ones.

that influence the work and, in turn, the work influences certain elements of society as all actions do, but I’m not really setting out to drastically alter society by being an artist.

Having said this, I know a lot of people have seen or related to my work, and this is a very cool, humbling thing. I’ve worked with kids, elderly people, disabled people, dancers, writers, choreographers, musicians, curators and artists, and that’s how I input into society.

Lastly, what are some other projects you have in the works that we might be seeing later this year?

I’m making a big installation work for the ONO project curated by Pip Stafford and Kate Kelly, which will be a large group exhibition of Hobart and Melbourne artists held in a disused space in Hobart’s CBD around March. Repeater, a new work, has been commissioned by the Mountain Festival for their sculpture trail, also in March. I’m also creating a score for the second Echo Dance Ensemble, and performing with Damo Suzuki at the Brisbane Hotel on the 16th of February.

Scot’s visual art installation runs at the Clarence Jazz Festival from the 20th to the 23rd of February, and plays Hobart’s Brisbane Hotel on the 16th. www.scotcotterell.com

“… It’s more about taking an image or idea really close to you and destroying it to see what happens …”

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In addition to your visual work, you’re also quite prolific in music. Will you be combining these two elements in this installation? If so, how? If not, why not?

Music and art are intertwined elements of the things I do, and I think the process of making both are often quite similar. The musicians performing at the Barn have been invited to contribute to the project. I was approached to make this work after the musicians had been invited, and I feel that in this instance it’s really their stage and my screen, and that’s cool with me. I’m excited to see how it all comes together.

What are some art works or designs that have been particularly inspiring for you, and why?

I tend to be more inspired by ideas, events, chance happenings and discoveries more than “artworks” per se. I like artists who have a mythology around their practice and who play with it, pulling things apart and putting them back together – irreverent and bold artists who take risks with their work and don’t take things too seriously.

In what ways do you think your work has evolved since you started?

This is a huge question; I’m really into the idea of constant change, although sometimes it means people don’t quite know where to put you, but I think that constantly searching, learning and growing with your work is the ultimate goal. My work started out being fairly formulaic, post-modern pop/ punk painting; at the same time I was doing gigs with tables full of discarded old tech, and making video clips on old VHS cameras, handing out ‘zines at gigs and playing with media.

I guess the two came together, and now seem to fluctuate between the two, usually settling somewhere in between.

I’ve also been really lucky over the last few years, and been given the opportunity to write about other’s work, review things, curate exhibitions, travel and perform and collaborate with some amazing artists, and still keep Hobart as my base. We are incredibly lucky here to have the quality and diversity of art that we do. The main evolution I guess has been the diversity of things I’m involved with – I’m much more open towards trying something out these days.

Which of your works do you consider to be the most personal, and why?

The most personal recent work, I guess, is Guitar Burn. It is a twenty minute video of me, camera in hand, buying a brand new electric guitar, draining lighter fluid all over it and burning it. This video plays looped in the space, and the charred guitar body leans against the wall, kind of “giving away” the ending. I think people tend to read this work through its relationship to rock mythology; the Hendrix thing, the pathos of fame etc. But it’s more about taking an image or idea really close to you and destroying it to see what happens, and trying to undermine the cock rock, white male domination of music and art, whilst being aware that I’m a part of it.

In what ways do you see your works reflecting life or society? Is that kind of deeper meaning something you have always intended?

I think that it’s not really possible to make things without reflecting life or society; sure, there are elements of society 8

SAUCE #61

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FRIDAY 8TH 1 HOBART Alley Cat Bar The Green Mist @ 10PM Brisbane Hotel Aleks and The Ramps + Moe Grizzly + Viva Computer + The Native Cats

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Kelly Collins Band with Invisible Boy at 9pm

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SAUCE #61

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HIP-HOP // TZU

Coming straight at tzu

By Tom Wilson

When we last spoke to Melbourne’s TZU in issue #59, it was a pretty formal affair. Evolution of the hip-hop scene, musical beginnings, et cetera … ground they’ve no doubt covered for every music publication that’s interviewed them – which is fine, but it gets a little boring. On the eve of their set at this month’s MS Fest 2008, I got to thinking … how many times has an interviewer asked Joelistics if TZU is actually the devil incarnate? Not many? Well, that sounds like a challenge to me …

You last spoke to us a couple of weeks ago, and at that time you were working on a new album. What stage is that at now?

We’re pretty close to finishing it. If it was a house, the roof and the walls are up. And we’ll be living there by about May. Apparently.

How would you describe this new material? Is it inkeeping with what you’ve done before, or is it a departure? And what would you say is the general mood of these tracks?

We at the TZU school of inspiration have tried to write the album you would put on to dance to if you were holding a

house party on the top floor of the tallest building in the busiest city when they drop the big one.

You’re heading down to Tassie this month. For those who are yet to see you live, what can they expect to see? And for your fans, how will this be a different TZU than the one they’ve seen in the past?

Well … for a start, we will be bringing down our band this time; bass, drums, keys, samplers and turntables – similar to ye olde TZU, but better.

When you were first getting into hip-hop as a kid, who’s posters did you have up on your walls? And do

you remember your parents liking or hating it when you played it?

My dad was a big Bob Dylan fan, so he kinda saw the connection to hip-hop and folk music. It didn’t mean he liked it.

As for posters, it was all about Cindy Crawford and the left cheek mole back in the day.

As a punter (as opposed to as a musician), what’s the best live gig you’ve ever been to, and what made it awesome?

I just saw Björk at the Big Day Out in a crowd of fifty thousand peeps. [Check out my Melbourne BDO review next issue – Tom] To my left was a girl crying in blissful abandon, to my

right was a couple guys pilling and dancing the arm dance of the truly wasted. In amongst all of that was me and my friends, having the time of our lives. Also, seeing Ray Charles with my dad was pivotal.

Who in the Oz hip-hop world make the best drinking buddies? Off the top of our head, we’re thinking Funkoars …

Forget the drinking champions; everyone in Oz hip-hop can drink. In fact, it’s pretty much compulsory. We’re more interested in the best crew to trip with.

What’s a hip-hop stereotype that you hate? And what’s one that you embody wholeheartedly?

Besides the obvious misogyny, homophobia, recycled racism and fear of anything different that infects a lot of hiphop, the thing that really irks me is that God gets the most shout-outs in CD liner note thank you’s.

As for the stereotype I most embody, it would be that I talk a lotta ka ka when I freestyle – “straight off the top of the dome …”

I was interested to see that the last interview you did with us had a word count of exactly 666 words. What do you say to the rumours (which I started, for a bit of fun) that you’re actually the devil incarnate?

Ah, yes, the old devil in the detail, Satan in the snare, beast in the beat call. Contrary to popular belief (in Tasmania), we are not the devil incarnate, just a bunch of very naughty boys.

We hear that Matt gets sticky fingers when he’s around other bands’ riders. Who was the owner of the last rider he pinched stuff from, and what did he pinch?

(The last one I pilfered belonged to the Rogue Traders – I helped myself to their bourbon and coke stash while the security guard had his back turned … he-he-he) Well, we have alleviated a number of bands of the burden of their rider and, in turn, had our riders pillaged. What goes around, comes around.

“Contrary to popular belief (in Tasmania), we are not the devil incarnate, just a bunch of very naughty boys.”

Any final words?

“Ventriloquist”, “conundrum”, “succulent”, and “Hieronymus Bosch” are a few of my current favourites.

Mine’s “trousers.” Anyhoo, catch TZU at Hobart’s Republic Bar on the 15th of this month, and at MS Fest 08 in Launceston on the 16th. www.myspace.com/wearetzu

ROCK // TIMBRE TERRORISTS

Terrorists! Run!

By Dave Williams

OK, let’s get this out of the way early. First; they aren’t actual terrorists (settle down, ASIO).

Second; they can spell they weren’t trying to say “timber.” All clear? Good. Hailing from regional Victoria, three-piece hip-hop troupe Timbre Terrorists is heading to MS FEST this month, armed with what should prove to be quite a unique take on what normally passes for Oz hip-hop these days. Dave Williams got on the horn with MC/instrumentalist/ dreadlock connoisseur Dyme 1 – otherwise known as Dwayne Hawke – who took some time out from toiling deep in the belly of the studio ….

What are you guys doing in the studio? What’s all this time in the studio for?

At the moment we’re recording … rehearsing and also recording, and, like, pre-production for a new EP, that’ll be done this year.

Have you guys got any idea of when you think you’ll be finished recording, or when you think you might release?

We’re hoping for early … in the second half of the year, so hopefully around August/September. But we just wanted to give ourselves plenty of time with this one.

Have you got a working title for it yet?

Oh, there’s been a few ideas thrown around … We’re not ones to be scared of long titles, so I’ve sort of put up in the air the idea of calling it The Search for a Prescription to Endure the End of the World. But there’s also … we’re planning on doing a mixtape as a promo before the release, and Wayde, our DJ, he’s taking care of that, and I think he was throwing around ideas of calling the mixtape Prelude to a Plane Crash … Yeah – there’s ones that we’re working on at the moment, but it could all change.

I really liked the name of your first EP – First Impressions Judged on Face Value. I thought that was really apt. How will this coming EP, you think, differ from that one?

Well I think, with the first one, it’s a fairly dark, and fairly heavy sort of listen – for a hip-hop release, anyway. This new one tends to go a little bit more to either extreme of it; we’ve got a lot more funky and groove-oriented tracks, and also a lot more really somber and darker stuff as well.

So there’s a lot more of either end of the first one. We’ll just have to see. I dare say that it’ll probably end up being a lot more funky, and maybe a lot more nasty as well.

What makes Timbre Terrorists different from other hip-hop groups in Australia? What’s your point of difference?

Well I think … the boom of Australian hip-hop at the moment is fantastic, but I think a lot of it is really … it’s really based and stuck within that idea of the scene of hip-hop, and with the Australian spin on it … I suppose a lot of it is barbeque, 10

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backyard-style hip-hop; go and drink a few beers and have a barbie and have a good time, and it’s all about good times and whatever else, and I think so far, to this point, there’s only been very few hip-hop bands that have really, in a dark kind of manner, challenged social issues … You know, a lot of people talk about political and socio-political issues within Australian hip-hop, but it’s all still done in that very fun, tongue-in-cheek fashion, whereas I suppose ours is maybe a little bit more confronting, and a little bit more obviously passionate, I suppose. I don’t know whether that’s being a little bit too … blowing too much smoke up my own arse!

[Laughs] I was going to say “wanky” …

[Laughs] Or just a little bit wanky, yeah! But I just think … what we do, it’s a starker style, and a bit more of a … a darker, nastier style of doing that, instead of the fun, tongue-incheek style.

For those of us who don’t know, what is “Timbre”?

“Timbre” is the colour of music. It is the sound of a tone.

Can you give me an example?

Let’s just say you can buy a beautiful 1960s Gibson Les Paul guitar, and it’ll be tuned exactly in the same way as a really beautiful Fender Telecaster of the same era, and they both sound different. You can be playing exactly the same song, and it’ll sound completely different. I don’t know – that’s a really basic one. But just the “colour” of a sound; the tone of that sound, and what defines that certain sound from any other sound.

I love that you guys, especially in the current world political climate, have a name like “Timbre Terrorists.”

How did that name come about? And what consequences, if any, have you experienced from having the name “Terrorists” in your group title?

It came about strangely. It was a name that I had long before the stigma was attached to the word “terrorism”, so I think I sort of had it as an idea, or a loose idea, when Wayde, the DJ from Timbre Terrorists and I were playing in another band. A couple of years before that band finished up, I sort of had this idea that I wanted to start another hip-hop band called Timbre Terrorists, and this was long before any of the

“ours is maybe a little bit more confronting, and a little bit more obviously passionate” attacks or “war on terror.” So at the time, it was like, “Oh, I really like the idea – the whole idea of terrorising different colours of music and different sound.” So that’s where the idea for the name came about. Consequences – we often get people … especially people booking us for some strange, strange reason – saying “Ooh, that’s a fairly risky name,” or “Oh, what are you going on about there?” But also a lot of people who don’t understand what the word “timbre” means, and think that we’re talking about something envi-

ronmental …. You know, “Timber Terrorists.” So yeah, it gets a lot of mixed response, that’s for sure.

To listen to an MP3 of the full interview, go to www. sauce.net.au Timbre Terrorists play MS Fest 08 in Launceston on the 16th of February.

REGGAE // SALMONELLA DUB

Hit ‘em with the riddum

By Tom Wilson

Purveyors of smooth Kiwi-flavoured reggae that, despite their namesake, certainly won’t make you sick, Salmonella Dub are bringing their infectious grooves and renowned visual splendor to Hobart next month. Andrew Penman smacked me in the head with a riddum …

I understand there’s a [specifically] visual aspect to your shows. What can you tell me about this?

We have always run visuals as a part of our show. In the early days, we started with a slide projector that we could trigger from onstage. Back then, we were a bit more instrumental, and Dave, Pete and I shared the vocals. We were keen to avoid the cult of personality associated with a front-person, and used visuals instead. We were very DIY back then … our sampler was an old cassette deck that we had hotwired a guitar on/off pedal to the motor of. We would dub off cassettes of the same sound/sample over and over again, and then trigger it from onstage with the foot pedal.

Outside of seeing you guys at your live shows, what do you think would be the perfect listening environment for Salmonella Dub music?

The best live shows are always outdoors, preferably in the bush. Natural amphitheatres are my favourite. I guess the perfect environment would be a surround sound system in the bush mid-summer, beside a lake or the beach, so you had something wet you could jump in and out of.

“ … A bit like Tasmania … where your low population density and beautiful geography is bound to get into your psyche.”

Heal Me came out in September last year. How has it been received?

Despite the state of the market, it has sold better than past releases. We are about to go Platinum in Aotearoa, and it is up over five thousand in Oz. The reviews have been positive, but I guess the main thing for us is that we are happy with [it], but know how we could have made it better … and this has motivated us to start the next album next month.

What can you tell me about the song Heal Me? What inspired it?

You would have to talk to Dave about that, but the original line “make me human inside” reflects the desire/need for therapy after long bouts of touring. For us, musically, the studio is therapy.

What about your plans to follow it up?

We have three or four new tracks underway, and plan to take time out from May to start working properly on the next album. We plan to have an EP ready by the end of next spring.

What kind of writing process do you guys have? What comes first?

The riddum section must always come first. We build from the ground up. Everyone throws stuff at the canvas, and it naturally morphs from there.

There is a lot of emphasis on your homeland in your music. This seems to be especially true of most New Zealand acts. Why do you think this is?

I guess ‘cos we are isolated, and our landscapes are quite extreme; a bit like Tasmania in a way, where your low population density and beautiful geography is bound to get into your psyche.

What’s on the Salmonella Dub rider these days?

It’s pretty humble these days … lots of water and towels.

Bombay Sapphire gin is probably the most decadent ting.

What are your plans for the rest of this year?

We are currently in the middle of a tour with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and plan to record and film next week’s shows. The plan is to release this mid-year, and follow it up with an EP of new material before the summer.

Salmonella Dub play the Uni Bar in Hobart on the 15th of March. www.myspace.com/salmonelladubmusic

CHEEKY SOUND CHASER CHANGE NAME Launceston jazz-fusion troupe Cheeky Sound Chaser have finally made the move we’ve seen coming for a while now and changed their name to Sound Heist. But why?

“We just changed the name [because] it was coming too close to obvious similarities with Sneaky Sound System,” trumpeter Monty told SAUCE. “We’re changing it to ‘Soundheist.’”

But is it a case of “new name, same problem”? Sounds pretty close to late nu-metallers Superheist.

“I know, but they’re defunct now, so I don’t really care about that,” Monty explained with a laugh.

Keep your eyes peeled for a full-length follow-up interview with the guys coming soon.

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METAL // THIS FUTURE … CHAOS

Look into the future

By Tom Wilson

Last year, Launceston’s This Future … Chaos put out a debut full-length in the face of an annoying level of animosity from some corners of our metal scene, and succeeded in making damn near every one of their critics eat their f*cking words – nicely done, if this writer may say so. But now, in 2008, what’s next? Ahead of their set supporting grind-rock roughnecks Blood Duster, SAUCE spoke to TFC’s extensively inked singer-guitarist Joel about new material and creating hippy mosh pits …

You released your self-titled debut LP last year. How was it received?

Yeah we did – I think people really enjoyed it, and we did move a lot of copies, so yeah, I think it was well received! In retrospect, I think there are a lot of things on that album we could have done differently, but we are still very proud of it.

What plans do you guys have to follow it up? And what kind of sound would you most likely be going for – a consistent one, or some kind of departure?

We are currently working on a follow-up record with famed producer Dave Venter behind the desk once again! I think we have all grown a lot as musicians, so, in turn, the album will be a lot more mature and well-written. The songs are a bit more diverse, and when they are heavy, they are heavier, and when they are melodic, they are more melodic than the last album. So I guess we are just building on the strengths of the previous album, and just vamping things up a bit.

While it’s old news for some, it’s new news for others, so I’ll ask – what was the story with the change in gui-

tarists? What necessitated this?

We just needed a change. Certain members of the band weren’t really enjoying themselves, and if you don’t enjoy it, then what’s the point?

How has the band’s audience changed since you guys started? Has your fan-base been very consistent? Or have you noticed different types of people turning up at your shows?

We have maintained a pretty consistent audience, but yeah, there are always different people turning up to shows, and it’s good to see people not into that style of music getting into what we are doing. For instance, we just played at the Jacky’s Marsh Forest Festival to a big crowd of hippies, and they all loved it, so it just goes to show that the more you play, the more different fans you get.

Who are some guitarists you look up to, and why?

Personally, I love the work of James Erwin and Shane Blay from Oh, Sleeper and J.B. Brubaker and Brent Rambler from August Burns Red – those guys are my idols!

“I think there are a lot of things on that album we could have done differently, but we are still very proud of it.”

What were the last three CDs you bought?

With Blood Comes Cleansing – Horror, Oh, Sleeper – When I am God and Bullet for my Valentine – Scream, Aim, Fire. They are all great CDs, but I would have to say that Oh, Sleeper’s new album is the best album of this year so far!

To make a new record, play more shows, do a mainland tour and hopefully get signed to a record label!

What would you say is the band’s main objective for this year? What do you most want to accomplish?

www.myspace.com/thisfuturechaos

This Future … Chaos play Launceston’s The Hub on the 15th.

CD REVIEWS SIN CITY Hungry For Love

SEBASTIAN BACH Angel Down

CHRIS BROWN Exclusive

Sin City were originally formed in 2001 in Perth, WA under the name of “Local Pricks,” and in two years had a resume as long as their arm, including three independent releases, four Aussie tours, national radio airplay and rave reviews for over two hundred shows. But it was in 2003 when they changed their name to Sin City that it became clear that they were running in the right direction.

In the next six months they did two national tours, loads of support gigs, performed at the Big Day Out, and re-located to Melbourne.

I first started paying attention to Sebastian Bach about two years ago, when MTV had the Supergroup show where the band Damnocracy was made. It features Axl Rose from the legendary Guns ‘n’ Roses, and also a cover of Aerosmith's Back in the Saddle.

Two years ago, at the age of sixteen, Chris Brown released his debut single Run It, which soared to number one, making him the first male solo artist to the top the Billboard charts.

But now, a bit older and wiser, his talent has matured and thrived.

There are many talented musicians, such as ex-Testament bassist Steve Digorgio, adding extra flare to this album. The title track Angel Down is a great way to start the album, with a great peaceful intro leading straight into the action.

It doesn’t stop there; since moving south, they have progressed immensely, with an abundance of support gigs, headlines at top venues throughout Aussie, radio air time for four songs, as well as a booming fan base, only adding to their already strongly, overflowing portfolio.

The three Axl Rose tracks are a great addition to the album.

Take You Down with Me grabbed my attention with its intro, and held it right up to its closing moments. Falling into You had to be the best track they could have finished the album with – it felt like a ballad, and was just a great song.

Exclusive’s release illustrates the evolution of Chris as an artist, from a young boy with high potential to a young man with a clue. Now storming along, Brown’s enthusiasm and witty charm infects every track. The album’s sixteen songs are equally appealing, with strong pop beats, RNB-style hiphop and tight lyrics. There are a couple of slow ballads on the album, which identify with the emotions of love either lost or longed for. We can all relate to the messages he conveys within his songs.

Recorded in Sing Sing studios by Tony Cohen in only two weeks, Hungry for Love is a twelve-song debut compilation release that is raw-edged punk rock meets pop vibes. With Miksie Triks on bass, Tommy Gunn on drums/vox and Devil Fingers on lead guitar, these guys are set to show the world what they are made of, and this is a pretty good way to start. Adding to their unique sound is the unyielding lyrics and distinctive voice of Molotov Barbie, who brings her own blasting attitude to the mix.

All in all, this album was very well presented; I did find it a bit too predictable at times, but that was balanced out by the high standard of musicianship and sound quality. I feel it would be a good buy, regardless of whether you’re an old-school metal fan waiting for a reunion tour of one of the greats, or someone in high school jamming out covers.

LISA HOWELL

MINISTRY OF SOUND Housexy – Spring 07 – Mixed by Alan Thompson & Wei-Shen

Track two, Kiss Kiss featuring T-Pain is definitely the best track on the collection, and is my pick of the album! The album is definitely an insight into the abilities of Chris, with six tracks including fellow vocalists in the industry who are known for their widespread influence and collaborations with other artists. The album overall was upbeat and catchy. I recommend it if you’re into RNB, with strong, defined beats and meaningful lyrics, or for those of you who love to kick back and chill out to smooth, flowing tunes.

LISA HOWELL

It’s definitely worth giving a go if you like raw acoustics with a live-but-mellow punk rock appeal.

LISA HOWELL

MOS’ house compilation for spring last year has only just enough grunt to keep it going into summer.

I had anticipated this two-disc compilation to be an extravaganza of sexy, whispery vocals over laid-back beach house, but that wasn’t the case. On the inside sleeve of this release, to describe its contents, is written “… elements of disco, electro and a heavy dose of soul …” which couldn’t sum it up any better. It seems that in the majority of tracks over both discs, deep-voiced soul divas dominate the soundscape here.

Now, I have no problems with soulful house, but it got extremely tiring after a while; for most tracks it sounded like the same vocalist every time! In my opinion, soul house is not a sexy genre – at least, not when the lyrics talk about packing up your bags and leaving your man, now that the love is gone. Where’s all the “come back baby, I miss you” or “let’s dance together all night” that should be in here? Aside from this lack of any “sex appeal”, this compilation at least has something else to fall back on – style. Most tracks have a great groove to them - something you’d really feel getting caught up in. There’s also a good smattering of fresh house sounds too; a bit like funky house with a tiny bit of electro synths for good measure.

“How sexy” is it? Not very, but the tracks aren’t too bad if you can put up with power divas screaming their troubles at you throughout –especially on the first disc.

ALEX BARWICK

PACHA The Potbelleez, Vandalism – Mixed

by The Potbelleez, Vandalism & KC Taylor

BOB SINCLAR Soundz Of Freedom

Pacha’s offering of three well-mixed discs is full of electro beats, each mixed by a different artist/DJ. The titular featured artists are of course very much on top of their game on their respective discs, and KC Taylor isn’t easy to fault either.

Nearly every one of the forty-seven tracks are either pure electro or of an electro-house breed. If these two sibling genres really appeal to you, buying this compilation will be an easy decision. I enjoy my fair share of electro, but was a little disappointed that there were no other contrasting genres to break up over two hundred minutes of edgy electro synths. At least in Peter Gelderblom’s Waiting 4 there is a great Red Hot Chilli Peppers sample (from their 2002 hit By The Way). It’s very catchy, and reworked to good effect. Another brilliant remake is of Bob Marley’s I Shot the Sheriff (entitled No Deputy) by Richard Grey, which is pretty much the only track to not have an electro feel.

On to more positive electro aspects of this compilation; the synths are just what you’d expect – gargantuan, grating and groovy. The beats are solid and the basslines constant; all of the tracks are well-produced and sound even better with the stereo cranked up! The energy seldom fades away, and if you’ve already decided to buy this release, then get a bunch of electro-loving friends around this weekend and give it an extreme volume thrashing to hear its full potential!

Three discs, three different mixing crews and a play time of over three hours and thirty-three minutes means that it’s the perfect choice for those who less-than-three electro.

ALEX BARWICK 14

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You either love him or hate him – a bit like sushi, but perhaps frog’s legs or snails would be a better analogy for this Frenchman. It may have been just the disc I had, but of the fourteen tracks on it, the fourteenth comes first, followed by track one, track two, etc. and finishes with track thirteen! I know Bob does a lot of things slightly differently to the mainstream, however I’m pretty sure these track reversals weren’t intentional.

But, enough of the minor manufacturing mishaps and on to the music; put simply, if you loved his track Rock This, you’ll like this album. I was never a hardcore fan of Sinclar’s again after the cheesy whistling of Love Generation got on my (and everyone else’s) nerves, but I still admit to owning a few of his later vinyl records. Separate from his disco style from the turn of the century, he attempts to fuse house sounds with Afro-Latin beats and West Indian-style toasting/deejaying, to great effect. (In case you didn’t know, Jamaican MCs are called “deejays”, “toasting” means rapping or singing, and their DJs are called “selectors” … if you follow.)

Overall, Bob pulls off a good collection of hippy-esque tropical beach bombs shuffled up with unreleased remixes of old songs. If you loved Sinclar’s work from years back, the fresh remixes are sure to get you dancing to old favourites such as 2000’s I Feel For You or 1998’s Ultimate Funk again.

It still gets a bit cheesy in parts (it’s a French thing), but if Bob is your thing you’ll love it. There must be a reason he gets onto so many gourmet compilations …

ALEX BARWICK

VARIOUS ARTISTS Hardstyle Vol. 3 – Mixed

by Blutonium Boy & DJ Neo

THE WOMBATS A Guide To Love, Loss And Desperation

If you’re a fan of Blutonium Boy, you’ll like this release, although I was expecting to see more than just eleven acts (that’s counting Blutonium Boy collaborations separately) over this two-disc, thirty-track offering from German label Blutonium.

One thing I appreciated straightaway was that, although this is hardstyle (roughly the electronic music equivalent to industrial/metal), it wasn’t all thrash and slam – along with the token distorted bass drum and heavily granulised vocals there were some beautiful, melodic, edgy sequences that melded the images of dirty industrialism with clean technology – all of which were integrated wonderfully.

Both discs were dominated by Blutonium Boy’s work (his influence was apparent in sixteen of the thirty tracks, either as producer or remixer), but overall there was a good amount of deviation between tracks – at least, as far as the bounds of hardstyle have been stretched so far.

Pavo and Blutonium Boy’s This Is My Floor (Blutonium Boy Hardstyle Mix) was my favourite with its great trance synths – something I’m definitely a fan of. The following track by Blutonium Boy, Hardstyle Instructor Returns (2007 Return Mix) was also quite good. Polish DJ/producer Tornadozzer’s powerful (if sometimes sexually explicit, in the cases of Soundf*ck and Hey Bitch) vocal additions to his tracks also made for a hilarious, entertaining listen over both discs.

Hardstyle is a very niche genre, so if you don’t like bashing, ringing, industrial-sounding tracks or the hard house/hard trance styles, this release isn’t for you. However, if you’re a lover of all things hard, then by all means treat yourself to a copy.

ALEX BARWICK

The Wombats have set A Guide To Love, Loss And Desperation free to the world, and although the band originally began as a joke, the world has taken to this album with all seriousness.

This band has mastered the art of comedic lyrics, and with song names such as Patrica the Stripper and Little Miss Pipe-Dream; the idea is set in one’s mind from the beginning that this is not a band to take entirely seriously. The Wombats have managed to weave a slightly 90s electronic feel underneath their tunes, and it works surprisingly well alongside the rock riffs.

As one of the more meaningful songs in the mix, Lost in the Post stands out from the album straight away. Still not entirely straight-faced, but not at all lacking any energy, this is my favourite from this release. Containing an incredibly catchy chorus, this is the sort of song that keeps you humming and smiling throughout the day.

Most of the songs start well and continue strong, until they reach a point and seem to either fade off into oblivion, or just get quite repetitive, with lyrics and music that seem to be stuck on repeat.

Still, it’s an interesting album, and obviously, from the lyrical inspirations that all of the songs come from, a great story.

This is obviously meant as a house party album, and it would do its job well, keeping everyone dancing away madly, and grinning from time to time at the cheeky lyrics.

CAROLE WHITEHEAD