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ry Art presents Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre and the Museum of Contempora
ARE YOU 12 – 18 YEARS OLD AND INTO CONTEMPORARY ART AND CULTURE? CHECK OUT GENERATIONEXT - A UNIQUE ART EXPERIENCE MADE EXCLUSIVELY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. EXPLORE THE ARTWORKS IN NIU WARRIOR, CASULA POWERHOUSE’S EXHIBITION OF CONTEMPORARY ART BY ABORIGINAL AND PACIFIC ISLAND ARTISTS. GET STUCK INTO WORKSHOPS WITH ARTISTS, HEAR A CURATOR’S PERSPECTIVE ON THE EXHIBITION, TASTE-TEST FOOD AND LISTEN TO LIVE LOCAL MUSIC. ALL WHILE CONNECTING WITH HUNDREDS OF LIKEMINDED YOUNG PEOPLE. Supported by the Balnaves Foundation
WHERE: 1 Casula Road, Casula COST: FREE WHEN: Sunday 13 Nov, 6.00 – 8.00pm RSVP: essential by Friday 11 November EMAIL: generationext@mca.com.au PHONE: 02 9245 2402 Onesian, In South We Trust, 2010 Water-based ink airbrushed cotton hooded sweatshirt Image courtesy Cerisse Palalagi an MCA event, supported by the Balnaves Foundation
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Purchase tickets online via HOMEBAKE direct - at www.homebake.com.au or Ph.1300 762 545 - NB: this service is provided by Oztix Australia - www.oztix.com.au
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“Starting with the horn-fueled train-like chug of ‘Chicago’, to the closing ballroom chorale of ‘New Year’s Eve’, Bad As Me displays Waits’ full body of songwriting prowess. Like a good boxer, these songs are lean & mean, with strong hooks and tight running times... Bad As Me shows the artist at the pinnacle of his craft.
THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011 • 21 •
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Contents Issue No. 1085 Tuesday 8 November 2011 PLEASE NOTE: All entries for giveaways are now via our Facebook, so head to facebook.com/drummedia for details.
ART VS SCIENCE
FOTSUN A SECOND TIME, ANYONE? Festival Of The Sun, Friday 9 and Saturday 10 December in Port Macquarie, has heaps of bands performing including Art Vs Science, Ladyhawke, Dan Sultan, Hungry Kids Of Hungary and more. We have two General Admission double passes that include camping to give away.
CLAP YOUR HANDS ON SOME MERCH Heading over for Harvest, this week’s Drum cover artists Clap Your Hands Say Yeah are also playing at Oxford Art Factory on Monday. We have one double pass to the show and a poster, the latter here in the office to collect.
FAKER TAKES THE STANDARD After a three-year hiatus, Faker is busy recording, complete with a new line-up. There’s a new single from their new “prequel” EP, How Did We Not Get Loved?, and now they’re back in town. We have one double pass to their show at The Standard Friday night to give away.
STILL THE MOODY BLUES They started out like most British bands in the mid-‘60s, playing a blend of beat and blues, but when they finally found they worked best with an orchestra, The Moody Blues were unstoppable. Still standing after all these years, they play the State Theatre Friday and we have one double pass to give away.
CHRISTA GETS SHONKY Friday night, The Basement Circular Quay hosts the launch of the new album, Shonky, from Christa Hughes, accompanied by The Honky Tonk Shonks and special guest Dick Hughes. Taking songs from artists as diverse as AC/DC, Britney Spears and The White Stripes, Hughes has given them the bump’n’grind like it’s 1929 treatment. We have five copies to give away.
EWAN TELLS WHO’S FASTEST Narrated by actor Ewan McGregor, Fastest is a new documentary feature that takes you through the thrills and spills of MotoGP from the rider’s point of view. Shot around the world during the 2010/2011 world championship season, see how Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner battled it out for top honours at Hoyts and Event Cinemas over four nights only from Thursday. We have five in-season double passes to give away.
MEEM HITS GOTHAM Pioneering Sydney electronic music producer Michael Mobius AKA Meem is launching his latest and limited edition album, Monsters Don’t Sleep OK!, at Gotham this Friday, and we have three copies of the regular edition of the album to give away.
GOLD ON FRIDAY TOO Gold Fields have exploded not only nationally but internationally this year, and they’re bringing their self-titled debut EP to the Transit Bar Thursday, Level One at Newcastle Leagues Saturday and Friday night it’s the Oxford Art Factory, for which we have three double passes to give away.
NANTES DELIVERS FOR SPECTRUM Last year the various members of local four-piece Nantes decided it was their time, went into Studios 301 and cut a self-titled debut EP and now they’re off on tour, the local launch Friday at Spectrum, and we have one double pass to give away, the winners also collecting two copies of the EP at the gig.
CASH ON SATURDAY Paying tribute to the late, great Johnny Cash at The Basement Circular Quay Saturday night, Daniel Thompson is accompanied by guitarist Stuie French, bass player Artie Taylor and drummer Ben Elliot in Cash. We have three double passes to the show.
INSERT COIN(S) AT LEVEL 2 Thursday night, the Insert Coin(s) crew will be paying tribute to old school arcades with games, music and art, taking over Oxford Art Factory. While you get the choice of playing tabletop, pinball and standing arcade units as well as the latest gaming titles, DJs will spin the best in ‘80s, ‘90s and modern rock, while Glass Towers deliver the live sounds. We have two double passes to give away. Please note – prizes that are to be collected from the office must be done within four weeks of notification of winning. • 24 • THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011
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DRUM MEDIA Giveaways – Look to your left for free stuff, silly! 24 The Front Line hits hard with industry fact and conjecture, plus we look at a couple of big things that have happened with the Big Day Out this past week. 28 Mailbag – your say on what floats your boat or makes the red mist descend, plus Backlash and Frontlash. 30 The News – just like it says, with tours, releases and more. 32 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah thinks outside the box. 38 Jinja Safari wants to forget about the melodic metal, but it’s always going to be there. 40 The past year has been a crazy roller coaster for Gold Fields. 42 Pajama Club is grateful no one yells out for Weather With You. 43 TV On The Radio does things to please themselves. 44 Guineafowl had to practise backwards lip-syncing for three months. 45 For those wondering about the next Portishead album, don’t just yet, as there’s nothing on the horizon at the moment. 48 Despite losing a member, Jane’s Addiction is more cohesive. 48 Chimaira turns negatives into positives. 50 About give away the hip hop game, Reason can do it with a smile on his face. 50 It’s all about the hits for The Pointer Sisters. 52 There’s nothing Children Of Bodom can do to shock people after covering Britney Spears. 52 The Stepkids don’t think their sound is retro. 52 The Moody Blues plan things so their set goes out with a bang. 52 Eli Wolfe’s journey takes him all overseas, including on an episode of Futurama. 54 Husky writes about the human condition. 54 Lachlan Bryan goes solo, but still gets help from his band. 54 In order to really hear her song, Laura Jean cranked up the acoustic guitar. 54 On The Record reviews new release albums and singles from DRC Music, Tim Freedman, Bluejuice and more. 56 Chris Maric gets local with hard rock and metal in The Heavy Shit. 60 Sarah Petchell brings us local and international punk news in Wake The Dead. 61 Adam Curley muses on all things pop culture The Breakdown. 62 Viktor Krum asks you to Get It Together with the latest in hip hop. 62 Dave Drayton gets Young & Restless with all ages goings on. 62 Cyclone gives you urban and R&B news in OG Flavas. 62 Dan Condon features the world of blues and roots with Roots Down. 63 Michael Smith delivers some Blow with jazz and world music news. 63 Go south as you enter Pedro Manoy’s Swamp Shack. 63 Tim Finney shows us his Dance Moves with new currents in the dance world. 64 Bob Baker Fish looks at leftfield music in Fragmented Frequencies. 64
FRONT ROW This Week In Arts plans your week ahead; Tahli Corin discusses the monthlong festival, NovemberISM; new release film Our Idiot Brother is reviewed; Cultural Cringe wraps up the week’s arts news and whispers. 65 Queensland theatre-maker Angela Betzien talks up her The Dark Room for Belvoir; Made You Look previews the Outpost street art festival on Cockatoo Island. 66 Four nominees of the upcoming Screen Music Awards, including David McCormack and Alex Lloyd, talk about writing music for the screen; Sydney Festival unveils its 2012 program. 67 Actor James Mackay runs through games-on-set during Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark’s filming; artist Scott Morrison talks soundscapes and gallery spaces. 68
LIVE It’s all here: gig reviews, tour guide, what’s happening this week, charts, gig guide, club guide, random shit and Dick Diver critically thinks about song selection, while getting a Motown vibe works wonders for Money For Rope. 69 Heading to Harvest? You’ll need a map and times, then. 78 Check out our guide to the Newtown Festival. 80 Backstage and BTL – your guide to studios, recording, gear, courses and more. 86 The Classies – need a singer/bassist/ drummer/any other service/product you can think of? Your answer is here. And on iflog.com.au. 89
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LINE
NEWS FROM THE INDUSTRY WITH SCOTT FITZSIMONS
GEOFFREY GURRUMUL YUNUPINGU
MORE ARIA PERFORMERS, PRESENTERS ANNOUNCED Further presenters and performers have been announced for this year’s ARIA Awards ceremony, with Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, Art Vs Science and Kimbra – who joins Gotye – set to perform. Gotye, Drapht and Boy & Bear had already been announced. Presenting awards will be Noah Taylor, Hamish & Andy and Benji and Joel Madden (Good Charlotte). Tickets are on sale now and the event happens Sunday 27 November at Allphones Arena.
FRESHLY INKED With bassist Jeremy Kelshaw having become a new father this year, Cloud Control are going through some expansions – another of which was their recent signing to US label Turnout. The band – who’ve relocated to London – have toured the UK and Europe extensively in the last 12 months, where their album, Bliss Release, was released by Infectious. Turning their attentions to the US, joining Turnout will see their album released through Atlantic/Warner. The band plan to be touring the US next year and Kelshaw is optimistic about juggling his fatherly and band duties: “I don’t think it should impact too much,” he told The Front Line. “We’ll deal with it case by case.” The band are in the process of writing new material, planning to focus harder on their second album beginning of next year. The band are determined not to struggle with second album syndrome, either. “If it needs to take more time, we’ll take more time with it. We don’t want to be the band whose second album does nothing.” Meanwhile, Shock Records have signed ‘90s Brit-grunge legends Bush ahead of their comeback album, Sea Of Memories, out 25 November. The labels’ General Manager of Music Leigh Grupetta told Your Daily SPA, “We are absolutely thrilled to partner up directly with Bush on such a fine return to the world stage. The obvious dedication the band has to this album’s global success is inspiring and we are very excited to now be actively involved in making this happen.” Sydney pop/punk band Tonight Alive, currently signed to Sony Music Australia, have been successful in finding a prominent punk label in the US to call home. Fearless Records have taken them on and have just released their EP, Consider This, to be followed by their album – What Are You So Scared Of?, which debuted at #15 on the ARIA Album Charts last month. Vocalist Jenna McDougall said, “We’re so stoked to be a part of the Fearless Records family. It’s an exciting time for us, we love the label and the acts! We can’t wait to come back to the States to tour!” Also, after leaving an evidently positive impression at the BigSound conference this year, Brisbane band Numbers Radio have signed a deal with Shock Records. It’s believed initial discussions occurred at BigSound and Shock will release the band’s next album next year, with single, White Light, to be released shortly. The band announced November East Coast dates this week. Stop Start have just added new UK artist, Daughter (Elena Tonra), to their roster, joining New Zealand’s Tiki Taane and US residents Jim Ward and French Horn Rebellion as the label’s international contingent.
NEWS? ANNOUNCEMENTS? TIP-OFFS? RUMOUR AND GOSSIP? SEND THEM THROUGH TO FRONTLINE@STREETPRESS.COM.AU
PHILADELPHIA GRAND JURY SPLIT
Berkfinger and MC Bad Genius of Sydney band Philadelphia Grand Jury have announced their band will be no longer, with both musicians already working on other projects. A post of their Facebook page read, “After years of touring together, recording together, working together and living together, we’ve decided we need our own space. Big, big thanks to everyone who has supported us and given us the opportunity to have what is pretty much a dream existence. Most of all, thanks to all the drummers that have put up with us both.” Despite the ‘Philly Jays’ having a spot in a triple j’s Hottest 100 list and having played a large number of shows including bigname festivals, the pair will turn to work on other projects. In his Berlin studio Berkfinger has been doing some recording for an album that Peaches is producing/engineering while also finishing an album with his new band Silver Futures, while bassist MC Bad Genius is working with other artists on various yet-to-be-announced collaborations.
PHILADELPHIA GRAND JURY
FACE THE MASTER CLASS
live music scene for many years and has been run by Townsend since 2005.
Melbourne’s Face The Music conference will host exclusive master classes for various sectors of the music industry including songwriting, band agreements, artist development, music production and music markets. The tickets for the classes are extremely limited and only open to Face The Music ticket holders. The lucky attendees could take part in a hands-on song writing master class hosted by Eagle & The Worm’s Jarrad Brown among other rare classes. Applications are on the APRA/AMCOS website and close on November 9.
FBI RADIO GOES ‘ON DEMAND’
BLACKBERRY’S FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS Blackberry has launched its own music service, BBM Music, a subscription service that allows users to share music with each other through the device’s BlackBerry Messenger format. For $5.99 a month, users gain access to the cloud-format music library permission and are then able to share up to 25 tracks with their “musical community”. Playing on the ‘sharing’ aspect of music, the more friends a person has, the more songs they will have access to. Parent company Research In Motion use the example that if you have 25 friends, you’ll have access to 1,250 songs. The Vines’ Hamish Rosser, a part of the launch, said the service is intended to encourage the social side of music consumption. He told The Front Line, “I also think you’ll find other people to share with. It’s not like Facebook where you’re sharing intimate information, it’s just music. I’d be more inclined to share with someone because of their tastes and if they seemed cool.” Users will swap the songs via the latest free Blackberry-to-Blackberry Messenger service, BBM 6.
NEWTOWN’S SANDRINGHAM HOTEL FOR AUCTION Newtown’s iconic venue the Sandringham Hotel will go to auction Thursday 17 November, but current manager Tony Townsend is confident that live music will continue under the terms of his lease. Despite the listing promoting 387-389 King St as “vacant land” with “real development potential”, Townsend told The Front Line, “We have a lease agreement with the current owner of the building who is selling the building/ land. It’s that simple, no tricks. There is the possibility however that the new owners may decide to redevelop the property and in that case we would be forced to find another building; that would be sad.” He added, “For the record most hotels and businesses operate in leased premises. This is what we intend to do with the Sando.” The venue on King St has been a part of Sydney’s
Community radio station FBi have launched FBi On Demand this week, allowing listeners to stream archived radio programs online. Located at ondemand.fbiradio. com the service works on iPhones and iPads as well as online. The service will hold the last five shows from every program, with shows appearing online 45 minutes after they air.
OZ ARTIST TOP TEN ANNOUNCED The top ten artists for this year’s Channel [V] Oz Artist Of The Year have been announced. 360, Amy Meredith, Gotye, Guy Sebastian, John Butler Trio, New Empire, Owl Eyes, Parkway Drive, Short Stack and The Jezabels are in the hunt, with voting open now to fans at the pay-TV channel’s website.
ALL AGES INITIATIVE RETURNS Century Venues are kicking off their Access All Ages initiative again, with a focus on school-aged bands to perform in venues like the Factory Theatre and The Pavilion at The Concourse Theatre. Feeding Edgar will headline The Pavilion Saturday, while Drawing North will be at The Factory Saturday 19 November. The gigs mark the launch of the initiative’s 2012 program.
FANS FUND LOCAL BAND’S ALBUM Perth’s piano-rock outfit Sir Thomas are funding their debut album using an innovative format – 100 True Fans. The idea works by attracting small donations from a large number of fans and has already raised the Perth outfit an impressive $7,000. Those ‘True Fans’ will decide which songs get selected for the album after they’re played at an exclusive show.
INDIES AROUND THE WORLD Perth-based Wolves At The Door have been invited to perform at the SXSW showcase in the US next year by Brooklyn indie label Paper Garden Records who want them for their showcase. Recently releasing their second EP, Wolves At The Door II, digitally, they’re only just back in the country following tours of UK and France. The band have accepted the SXSW offer and will tour Los Angeles, Austin and New York as part of the trip. Meanwhile Claude Hay has scored a spot on
music
• 28 • THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011
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the bill of France’s Blues sur Seine Festival. The Blue Mountains-originating one-man band has spent a lot of time overseas recently, including working on his next album in Memphis’ famed Sun Studios. Also, Sydney group sleepmakeswaves will be performing at next year’s Dunk! festival in Zottegem, Belgium as one of the Sunday night headliners. The alternative music festival is being held from April 6 – 8.
METALLICA PROMOTERS ARRESTED IN INDIA After what was supposed to be Metallica’s first ever show in India, promoters from the company DNA Entertainment were arrested last week. The show, scheduled to take part alongside the country’s first Formula One motor race near Delhi, had been cancelled last minute due to “technical reasons”. According to the organisers the safety barricade at front of stage was not adequate and could not be repaired in time, but due to the arrests of four executives from the company some speculated more “sinister” reasons. Metallica’s website carried a statement which read, “We were notified that there was a serious question as to whether the show could proceed with regard to the safety of the concert audience. And our first and foremost concern is always for the safety of you, the fans.” The crowd’s reaction was less than safe, with the destruction of equipment and the stage estimated at costing $200,000. Police said they had received a number of complaints from fans who said DNA over-sold the venue and they weren’t informed of the cancellation. A police spokesperson was quoted as saying, “We are interrogating four others who are in our custody. Once the company’s chief comes here, we will be able to ascertain the reason behind the sudden cancellation of the event.” Despite the Delhi cancellation, Metallica’s show in Bangalore was considered a success. The band played an 18-track set in front of 50,000 fans at Palace Grounds for their first gig in the country.
UK TRIO DOMINATE CHARTS Florence + The Machine have nabbed top spot of the ARIA Album Chart this week while everyone was looking at Coldplay (Mylo Xyloto – #2) and Adele (21 – #3). The Florence Welch-led outfit’s second album, Ceremonials, leads an all UK top-three. Michael Bublé’s Christmas debuted at #4, beating Justin Bieber’s festive season effort, Under The Mistletoe, which debuted #6. The latest They Will Have Their Way – The Songs Of Tim & Neil Finn compilation debuted at #31. Elsewhere Gurrumul’s self-titled debut has gone triple platinum, according to his label.
FIRST THE SPLIT, THEN THE COMPLAINTS front BIG DAY OUT WAS AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE INDUSTRY NEWS LAST WEEK, FIRST WITH THE DRAMATIC SPLIT OF PROMOTERS KEN WEST AND VIVIAN LEES, AND THEN WITH ODD FUTURE WOLF GANG KILL THEM ALL BEING PULLED FROM THE NEW ZEALAND EVENT AFTER COMMUNITY BACKLASH. BY SCOTT FITZSIMONS.
L
ast week was a big week of changes for one of Australia’s most recognisable and enduring festivals – the Big Day Out. Helmed by the equally recognisable and enduring (or so it seemed) partners Ken West and Vivian Lees, the promoters last week announced their immediate split, after three-odd decades. The two had run international tours for about a decade before starting the festival Big Day Out, which is to celebrate its 20th year in 2012, which makes their split one of the biggest industry stories of the year.
Late last week there was to be another change in the Big Day Out world, one that would affect the punters – in New Zealand, at least. Controversial rap collective Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All has been pulled from the New Zealand leg of the festival after owners of Big Day Out’s venue Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland Council, intervened. Wellington man Calum Bennachie emailed the festival’s promoters – with a number of other people CCed in – with what was described as a “strong case” by website GayNZ objecting to what he saw as homophobic lyrics and messages.
As reported in Your Daily SPA, Lees has left the partnership to “ease the workload” and look to “new challenges”. In a statement he said, “After 20 wonderful years as co-producer of the Big Day Out Festival I have decided to move on. My decision is principally to ease the workload on myself and I believe this will also allow me to increase my commitment to my family and interests outside of Big Day Out. For the first time in my life I will be stepping off the gas a little instead of stepping on it and I am looking forward to new challenges I may find outside the Big Day Out.
In his letter he wrote, “By allowing Odd Future to play at BDO, you are proving that you have little concern for the lives and welfare of LGBT people, that you are willing to endanger their lives, and seek to encourage stigmatisation against them. I find this disappointing in an organisation that could do so much to enhance the self esteem of youth, reduce stigma and discourage violence. Over the last year we have heard of a number of LGBT youth who have committed suicide due to bullying tactics that are endorsed by music that belittles LGBT people, such as that played by Odd Future. Lyrics such as those played by Odd Future increase the societal discourse against LGBT people, a discourse that encourages bullying and violence.”
“I am a passionate supporter of the Big Day Out and the musical legacy I have created with Ken West, who will now continue to produce the show as sole producer. To all my friends and supporters, the loyal and committed Big Day Out staff and the legions of Big Day Out audience members I thank you and I will always be indebted to you for keeping me in such a great job for so long.” Ken West was a little more frank in his quotes and pointed to ‘constant tensions’ between the pair throughout the Big Day Out’s life. It was widely known that the two had different personalities and approaches – popular understanding is that West is the one with the ideas and imagination and Lees was the one to rein it all in and make the event happen. “Tensions were always constant,” West said. “It was my vision for the show, and his concept was to streamline it as much as possible so he could understand it. You could say we stayed together for the children — the children the Big Day Out and everyone associated with it!” As said, West will continue on as sole promoter for the time being, but may take on a minor partner in the future.
LINE
One of those people CCed in was Chair of Auckland Council’s Parks and Heritage Forum Sandra Coney, who said, “I approached the CEO of Regional Facilities Auckland John Brockie with Calum’s concerns and my own having watched YouTube. After a discussion with BDO organisers this group will no longer be appearing in BDO in NZ.”
ODD FUTURE WOLF GANG KILL THEM ALL This decision is likely to have been in the pipeline for a while – and is unlikely change the punter’s experience at the event – as Lees has often hinted at life beyond the Big Day Out. Back in 2005 he told The Age, “It’s only a rock show. It’s not life.” He added, “It’s one of the most fun things you can do, living inside the Big Day Out for two weeks a year. I love it. But it is not reality. When my wife and children arrive over in Perth at the end of the
tour, I’m back to being fully grounded within one day of the end of the tour.” West admitted, even then, to controlling the festival. “You have to be military about your decision-making process so no one has the capacity to debate with you, because you don’t have the time.” The paper added: “Mild-mannered and quietly-spoken, Lees tackles life and his show at a completely different speed to West.”
Although he initially declined to comment, when the news broke organisers confirmed the news in a statement from Ken West. “The Auckland City Council has jumped the gun, leaking that Odd Future will no longer be appearing at the Auckland Big Day Out due to lobbyist groups. We are currently in discussions with Odd Future and will be announcing their own solo show for Auckland in the coming weeks. This does not affect Australia. Last time they played for the government at Vivid!”
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ODD COMPLAINT Dear Drum, Why does the vocal minority always seem to triumph over the majority? I’m talking in respect of Odd Future getting kicked off the Big Day Out bill in New Zealand. I get the complaints levelled at them – their lyrics do have a level of homophobia to them. But once again people are being denied the choice to see them or not. Why should they be kicked off the bill because one activist doesn’t like them? There are plenty of other acts I’d like to see kicked off the bill first, but that has more to do with musical preference than offence with their lyrics. But you know what? I probably won’t go see them when they play. The festival is called the Big Day Out for a reason and there are a heap of bands playing. From past years, it seems like at any one time you can probably have six to eight bands performing at the one time. If you don’t like, for example, Odd Future, go and see someone else who is playing at that time. You’ll have plenty to choose from. Can’t find anyone you like playing then? Well, that’s when you line up for the bar/ toilet/whatever else requires queuing. I object to being told what I can and can’t see; I’d like to make that decision myself. Thankfully the Australian shows haven’t been affected as yet, so I’m hoping it stays that way.
re-listen to that act’s album because it might be a little too sensitive to your ears at that point. You can’t talk to your mates or whoever you went to the gig with, recapping about what a great night it was because even conversation might hurt your ears. In this day and age of course you can post your thoughts online so the whole water cooler effect isn’t as prominent and you don’t actually need to talk to anyone per se, but you get my meaning. Even outdoor concerts can sometimes be quite loud, so don’t think the sound will just drift away on the breeze. I think usually you’re only safe when it’s an acoustic gig not to wear earphones, but even then, depending on the level of amplification if there is any, it still might be required. Anyway, just a little community service announcement to hope that Drum readers continue to enjoy many more gigs for many years to come. Steve Meadowbank Remember, if they’re not in, it’s not on. Or something. – Ed
Peter Canterbury The world has gone Yonkers, hasn’t it? – Ed
EAR, EAR Dear Drum, Re: people wearing earplugs to gigs (mailbag #1084), it’s a top idea. I’ve been to many, many, many gigs over the years and for the past quite a while I have worn earplugs. I’m not some old fogey telling the kids of today what to do, it’s just that I’ve noticed that how much pleasurable the next day can be when you can actually hear the world around you and not necessarily a constant ringing in your ears. It makes sense – while you might have an awesome night at a gig, what’s the point if the next day (or depending on how loud it was, the next few days), you can’t hear anything? You can’t
FRONTLASH
BACKLASH
OUTPOST
NUDIE RUNS
It’s the first show of its kind in the southern hemisphere, it’s at Cockatoo Island and entry is free! Too many artists to mention here, but take it from us, it’s worth a visit or two. Especially with glorious weather.
So the MTV Awards had nudity. Big deal. Most of the people performing have barely-there outfits anyway, so someone going starkers doesn’t seem that out of place.
BESIDE(SHOW) OURSELVES The festival sideshows keep on coming. Yep, summer is well and truly on its way.
SARAH WATT Australian film has lost a great talent.
WEEKEND SUNRISE The big relaunch started with a whimper more than a bang when the scheduled show on Saturday morning failed to materialise.
MARS NEEDS CARPARKS So there was an experiment where subjects spent 520 days in an underground carpark in a training run for a mission to Mars. Even though in reality, a mission to Mars is decades away. Who knows how much the human condition could change in that time?
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• 30 • THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011
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THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011 • 31 •
NEWS@DRUMMEDIA.COM.AU
ASHES TO ASHES
Announced as a part of Perth Festival all the way on the other side of the country, we here at Drum HQ breathed a sigh of blissful relief when Ryan Adams also announced dates right here in Sydney. The notoriously moody, but undeniably brilliant, singer/songwriter released a new album, Ashes & Fire, recently, and was last in Australia in 2009 with his band, The Cardinals. This time he’s coming on his own to play solo shows for the first time ever in Australia, and in Sydney that’s happening Tuesday 28 February at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. Tickets are on sale 9am Monday 14 November.
SIGUR RÓS Recorded and filmed over two nights at London’s Alexandra Palace towards the end of 2008, Inni is a double live album and feature-length documentary film of Sigur Rós, the core four-piece accompanied by string section, Amiina, out now. Disturbed delivers their first collection of B-sides, The Lost Children, this Friday, while on the same day Perth-based singer/songwriter Felicity Groom releases her debut album, Gossamer, which includes contributions from members of Jebediah, Tame Impala and The Kill Devil Hills, French/Finnish duo The Dø release their new album, Both Ways Open Jaws, ZZT releases the “apocalyptic” dance album, Partys Over Earth!, Portland, Oregon world lounge combo Pink Martini releases a best of titled A Retrospective, and Rogue Traders are bundling a second disc of greatest hits with their new album, Night Of The Living Drums, titling the set The Sound Of Drums. 2011 ARIA Hall of Fame inductee Kylie Minogue will be releasing the first ever 3D music DVD, Aphrodite Les Folies: Live In London, filmed at London’s O2 Arena last April, Friday 25 November. Not quite the album she was working on before her untimely death, Lioness: Hidden Treasures pulls together various bits and pieces recorded across the brief career of Amy Winehouse, out Friday 5 December. Megan Washington is guest vocalist on a seriously limited edition 7” vinyl single, The Wilhelm Scream, from The Bamboos, celebrating their first decade together. Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood have teamed with DOOM on a new track, Retarded Fren, the first track from Complex, a forthcoming compilation from Lex Records celebrating their tenth anniversary. Friday 25 November, Bush releases their first studio album in a decade, The Sea Of Memories. The farewell performance by Melbourne’s Antiskeptic in September 2008 is now out on DVD/CD, titled Goodbye Goodnight Live At The HiFi 2008. Hot on the heels of their decision to part after 31 years together, R.E.M. are releasing a 40-song careerspanning first ever definitive greatest hits album titled R.E.M., Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage, 1982 – 2011, Friday 18 November, which will include a new song, We All Go Back To Where We Belong. Watford, UK’s finest, five-piece Spycatcher, featuring members of Gallows, Haunts and Cry For Silence, release their debut album, Honesty, the same day. Also out that day is Made In Stoke 24/7/11, the two-CD first live solo album from Slash, Immortal, the musical tapestry created by Cirque du Soleil for their production Immortal, based on the music of Michael Jackson; the Trentemøller-produced debut album, Alive In Us, from Darkness Falls, and a remastered and expanded 40th anniversary edition of the debut album, Tago Mago, from German experimenters Can, with a bonus disc including nearly an hour of previously unreleased material. London-born Australian Marvin Priest releases his debut mini-album, Beats And Blips, Friday 25 November. Also that day, Lady GaGa is releasing a Blu-Ray/DVD edition of her Madison Square Garden performance filmed during her international The Monster Ball tour with exclusive never-before-seen footage, the same day also seeing the release of the GaGa album, Born This Way The Remix, a 14-track collection of remixes by some of today’s most prominent artists, DJs and producers. The same day sees Adele release her Live At The Royal Albert Hall concert film, also released on DVD/Blu-Ray. The Black Keys release their new album, El Camino, coproduced with Danger Mouse, Friday 2 December, as does Beyoncé the double-disc concert documentary, Live At Roseland, an expanded, doubledisc edition of Roxette’s most recent album, now titled Charm School Revisited. Finnish Euro-metal five-piece Nightwish will release their new album, Imaginaerum, the same day. • 32 • THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011
SPACE OUT
DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE
The Space Ibiza party is returning to Australia in 2012, kicking off the year in style with an underground house event on New Year’s Day at the Greenwood. Space Ibiza Presents: Kehakuma features techno king Seth Troxler, remix mastermind Radioslave, British house aficionado Eddie Richards and Paris’ Jef K, among many others. There will be more Space Ibiza parties spread out over the rest of the summer, but as for the NYD celebration, tickets are on sale now.
The pop-up party that calls itself Rabbit Hole returns to Spectrum Friday 18 November, rocking on into the small hours. The formidable and mysterious Tom Ugly, disco lovers Tales In Space and electro pop whiz kid Elizabeth Rose are all presenting their wares on the evening, which has a 4am curfew – so you know you’ll be able to party literally non-stop all night. Between acts there’ll also be DJs spinning tunes to keep the vibe alive.
SOPHISTICATED TUNES Local disco lover Donny Benét is a Sophisticated Lover, and he’s even got a track by the same name to back that assertion up. It’s the second single from his debut album, Don’t Hold Back, and its video clip features dancing, dogs and fabulous music. He’s previously supported some big names, next month he will take his tunes across the country for the very first time on a headlining tour. He plays in Sydney Friday 2 December at FBi Social, with Erik Omen and SunSun (Disco Club).
COMING HOME Just as their name suggests, Expatriate have been living it up overseas the last few years, calling Berlin home after finding great success in their native Australia. They’ve since played festivals all over Europe, as well as supporting Placebo on an arena tour across seven countries. Now the new album, Hyper/Hearts, is all done and will be released in 2012. The first single, Miracle Mile, is out and the band will bring it when they head back home next month to play FBi Social Saturday 17 December.
SILENCE IS GOLDEN Northern Beaches rockers Seek The Silence are dropping their debut EP of good old punk rock fun, Not My Fault, in December. The band has been around for the last three years and played iconic venues across the city, supporting some well-loved bands. In December they’ll be heading out to launch the EP, playing an all ages show Friday 2 at YoYo’s Youth Centre with Critics, Oh Pacific, Recording All, Nostalgia and Oxygen Factory, then Saturday 3 at the Lansdowne with Monks Of Mellonwah and Broadway Mile.
OH DEAR Techno artist Matthew Dear, from the city of Detroit in Michigan, USA, is the brains behind Ghostly International, as well as a number of other labels. Under his own name he’s now released four albums of techno goodness, but he’s also made music as Jabberjaw, False and Audion. Dude has lots of experience and made his mark on remixes for prominent artists including The xx, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Spoon and Hot Chip. Catch him in action on Australia Day, Friday 26 January, at the AGWA 012 Yacht Party.
CHRISTA HUGHES
SHONKY TONK Shonky is the latest album by Christa Hughes, but trust us when we say that it’s anything but. The ARIA-nominated singer has taken hits from the last few decades, by artists as diverse as The Jackson 5 to AC/DC and Jessie J, and put her own twist on them, all powered by her unique and commanding voice. She’ll be launching the record at The Basement Circular Quay on Friday, so expect to hear your favourite tunes sung like you’ve never experienced them before.
GOLDEN DAYS American indie rockers Lydia came very close to breaking up for good in 2010, but thanks to their dedicated fans they decided to keep trucking on. They even had a farewell tour, but, as it turned out, it was far from the end. Summer 2011 they hit the studio once again and emerged with Paint It Golden, their latest release. They’re feeling energised once again and will bring that release down to Australia in January, with NSW’s own The Cavalcade joining them on the tour. They play The Brewery on Sunday 8, Rock Lily Wednesday 11, the Cambridge Hotel Thursday 12 and The Patch Friday 13.
CROOKED TOUR
PAINT IT RED
Tim Wheatley, AKA Crooked Saint, is back with a new EP, Sweating Bullets, which is the first release he’s done with a full band. For the current tour, though, Wheatley is doing his thing solo and acoustic, playing Wednesday at The Gaelic and Saturday at the Hotel Gearin this week. Next week you can catch him at 34 Degrees South in Bondi Wednesday 16, the Old Manly Boatshed Friday 18 and Beaches Saturday 19, then a bit further down the track at Rock Lily Wednesday 30, the Old Manly Boatshed Thursday 1 December and the V8 Supercars at ANZ Stadium on Saturday 3.
Theatrical rockers The Red Paintings are known for their elaborate stage shows, mixing music with live art, visual projections, human canvases and more. Due to popular demand on social networking sites, the band is returning to Australia to play headline shows for the first time in three years, bringing their latest stage show, The Black Paintings, incorporating more unique instrumentation and artistic experimentation. Their debut album, The Revolution Is Never Coming, which features a 20-piece choir and 45-piece orchestra, is due for release in 2012, five years in the making. In January they’ll be playing the Entrance Leagues Sunday 8, The Factory Wednesday 9 and the Tuggeranong Alliance Church Thursday 12.
Hailing from the sunny state of California, All Shall Perish is headed for Australia for the second time next month, on the back of latest album, This Is Where It Ends. The quintet has been around for almost a decade now and built up to its current status by DIY-ing tours, and is now recognised for highly proficient technical metal that melts faces live. They are joined on tour by Sydney’s own Resist The Thought, and both bands will play the Blackbox Theatre in Newcastle Friday 2 December, Masonic Hall on the afternoon of Saturday 3 and The Wall that night. All shows but The Wall are all ages.
DAWN OF A NEW ERA Hatchet Dawn’s debut album, Rebirth, sees the Melbourne-based band mix heavy rock and metal to create something wholly unique. In 2009 the band toured with Marilyn Manson and flogged their then current EP, Faith In Chaos, and they’re set to take Drum territory by storm again next week. They’re at The Wall Friday 18 November and Saturday 19, they head to the nation’s capital to play Metal Fiesta at The Basement Belconnen.
PERISH THE THOUGHT
DIVIDE AND CONQUER Melbourne instrumentalists Margins have finally put the finishing touches on their new album, Divide, after two long years of hard work. The record will be released in March 2012, but first the band will hit the road in the lead-up, showcasing tracks both old and new. The band stops by Sydney for one night only, playing at FBi Social alongside Harmony, Nikko and Model Citizen.
MUSIC BY NUMBERS Energetic rockers Numbers Radio have hardly slowed in the year since releasing an EP, and they’re now at it hard again in support of their new single, White Light. The new single is the first taste of the band’s album, set for release in May 2012. Right now they’re touring to flog the new single, playing the Burdekin Friday 25 November and an acoustic set at the Great Northern Newcastle Saturday 26.
NYE AT THE SOH
NIKKO
THE NIKKO CASE Brisbane band Nikko is soon to relocate to Melbourne after six years of blood, sweat and tears in the Queensland music scene, but not before coming down to our parts for a show or two. It’s their first national tour and in Drum territory, they play FBi Social on Saturday 26 November with Harmony, Model Citizen and Margins, before moving to the ‘Gong on Sunday 27 to play Yours & Owls with Hira Hira, On Sierra and Alkan Zeybek & The Lesser Men.
All these abbreviations! What do they mean?! Well, NYE – that one’s a no brainer, and it’s only six weeks or so away, so you’d better start thinking of your plans now. SOH – the iconic Sydney Opera House, that pretty thing smacked in the middle of this fair city’s harbour. What do they have in common? It’s 11.12, a house party being held at the Opera House the last day of the year, curated by You Only Live Once and featuring Frankie Knuckles and Jamie Principle among many, many more. It’ll be a celebration full of dancing, food, drinks and sexy peeps – what more can you ask for?
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MIC CONWAY & ROBBIE LONG
DREAMS COME TRUE Street Of Dreams is the new album made collaboratively between Mic Conway and Robbie Long, who have years of experience between them both. It includes some favourites from Conway’s old Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band archives, as well as a bunch of ‘new’ old songs and the odd original tune. The album is launched on Friday at The Vanguard.
GZA
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PERFORMING
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THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011 • 33 •
DOWN TO THE ROOTS Reggae fans will get a treat soon when The Congos come to town, playing a one-off showcase at Manning Bar on Saturday 19 November. The group has been around for decades and has laid down some of the greatest roots and reggae recordings of all time, with a deep sound and harmonies renowned the world over. Other acts joining in on the night are the UK’s prolific Mad Professor, Melbourne’s Mista Savona and Sydney’s own Firehouse.
M A R L E Y FESTIVAL NEWS www.thehouseofmarley.com.au
THE DEATH SET
IN A SEA
JIM WARD
Singer/songwriter Jenna Murphy is heading out on the road to launch her debut EP, Ancient Sea Warrior, a collection of indie folk sensibilities and powerful pop hooks. Originally from Ireland, the songwriter recorded the EP at Red Room Records in Melbourne. Murphy is a regular on the Sydney gig scene and has gathered some of the city’s best musicians, including Ross James (The Young Romantics), Tim Wilson (Pugsley Buzzard) and Paul Derricott (Lanie Lane, The Beautiful Girls), to play in her band. They launch the EP Saturday night at The Supper Club.
THEY GOT SOUL
EARTH, WIND & FIRE
IT’S ALL HAPPENING IN SYDNEY Believe it or not, it’s that time of year again, when the Sydney Festival is announced, promising to bring an enormous slew of musical talent both local and international to our fine city. This year there’s also a Parramatta program, but as for stuff happening in the city, read on… As always, the month kicks off with Festival First Night in The Domain on Saturday 7 January, with Holly Throsby performing her kids’ album, See!, Jamaica’s The Jolly Boys and more. There’s way too much to include it all in here, so here are some highlights we haven’t previously announced – for the rest hop online or check our tour guide! Deerhoof and The Boredoms’ DJ Yamantaka Eye, with Sydney’s own Frames, will play the Keystone Festival Bar on Monday 9. Two’s company at Keystone Festival Bar on Wednesday 11, with the Dan Deacon Ensemble and John Maus teaming up for a double hit of indie goodness, and over three nights from Wednesday 11, alt. rock legend J Mascis is at The Famous Spiegeltent. Scotland’s Sons & Daughters play the Keystone Festival Bar Thursday 12. Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor is these days riding solo as CANT, releasing his debut album, Dreams Come True, this year; he will play The Famous Spiegeltent on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15. Mike Patton’s Mondo Cane plays free at The Domain Saturday 14, and then plays two nights at the State Theatre Monday 16 and Tuesday 17. Coming to Australia for the first time in half a decade is Beth Orton, who’ll be playing City Recital Hall Angel Place on Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 18. Kurt Wagner is at the festival in three different guises – first, with KORT, he’s at The Famous Spiegeltent Thursday 19 and City Recital Hall Angel Place Friday 20; then with Lambchop, City Recital Hall Angel Place Saturday 21, and finally as himself, The Famous Spiegeltent Sunday 22. Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner presents his classical composition, 41 Strings, at the Sydney Opera House on Saturday 22. Icelandic magic weavers Amiina are very busy at this year’s festival, playing Monday 24, Tuesday 25 and Wednesday 26 at The Famous Spiegeltent, as well as Thursday 27 at Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre. DJ Koze and Prins Thomas come to Australia for the first time to get the dance floor moving, Friday 28 at Keystone Festival Bar with Future Classic DJs. Fiery Furnaces frontwoman Eleanor Friedberger takes the stage alone on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 at The Famous Spiegeltent. Tickets for all shows are on sale Wednesday so as mentioned, jump online and browse the enormous lineup first before you spend all your hard-earned clams on exciting shows to kick off 2012.
APPARATLY The folks behind Subsonic Music Festival have announced a one-off Sydney sideshow for Subsonic act Apparat AKA Sascha Ring, where he will be performing new album, The Devil’s Walk, with a four-piece live band. Producer/DJ Apparat is, in the eyes of many, electro royalty. He is co-owner of seminal electronic label, Shitkatapult Records, done Sessions for John Peel, was a member of electro supergroup Moderat and released a volume in the DJ Kicks series. The Devil’s Walk live show is the next bold move from the producer and will be happening Thursday 1 December at The Standard, with support from Bon Chat, Bon Rat and Max Cooper (UK). • 34 • THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011
SONS & DAUGHTERS
BACK IN BLACK Third time’s a charm for the hard-rocking Atlanta quartet Black Lips. They first visited Aussie shores in 2007 and have booked in their third trip down under for March 2012, where they will appear at the Golden Plains and Adelaide Festivals. Still riding high on the release of sixth album, Arabia Mountain, the band has increased its stay in Australia next year, announcing a series of five headlining sideshows around the country. Here in Sydney that happens Sunday 4 March at The Standard.
BLUES ARE BACK The first lot of acts are in for 2012’s Bluesfest and as expected, there are a lot of exciting artists performing across wider genres than just blues during the four-day event in April. Without further ado, here they are: Roger Daltrey performing The Who’s Tommy and more; disco superstars Earth Wind & Fire; Celtic punks The Pogues; Australia’s own root rockers John Butler Trio; My Morning Jacket, who recently released a new album, Circuital; G3 featuring three of the world’s great guitarists in Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Steve Lukather; ‘70s progressive rockers YES; blues veteran Buddy Guy; James Brown collaborator Maceo Parker; Brian Setzer’s Rockabilly Riot; American guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd; blues and gospel singer Jonny Lang; France’s Yann Tiersen; soulful singer Bettye LaVette; father and son and musicians both Steve Earle and Justin Townes Earle; previous Bluesfest visitor Trombone Shorty; Canadian folk rockers Great Big Sea, and The Jayhawks. There’s still more to come, so keep your eyes glued to these pages.
HAVING A FIELD DAY
sideshows around the country while they’re visiting. The Brooklyn band originally hails from the Gold Coast, as it happens, and recently released a new album, Michel Poiccard. Sadly, founding member Beau Velasco died of an overdose just before the writing of this album commenced, but remaining member Johnny Siera has powered on with two new bandmates to continue The Death Set’s legacy. The party animals will play The Standard on Thursday 29 December.
GOOD MORNING
BEDROCK OUT bedROCK is an event set to take place at the Sando on Thursday 24 November, raising funds for the Sydney Homeless Connect organisation so that they can continue to expand on what they’re already doing to help out the needy. The lineup for the night includes some of the best up and coming and established local artists – The Maladies, Hailer, Hilsden featuring The Pullaparts, The Raids, Karl Broadie, Alice Terry and Jack Carty – and there’s a silent art auction and more.
Kentucky rockers My Morning Jacket are heading our way for Bluesfest in April 2012, and have announced that they’ll throw in two sideshows while they’re in the great southern land. The band’s most recent album is this year’s Circuital, and their visit next year will be the first since 2009, when they headed here for the Big Day Out and supported Neil Young at his mammoth headlining shows. Tickets are on sale now for the show at the Enmore Theatre on Tuesday 3 April.
WARD IS BACK At The Drive In/Sparta member and now solo musician in his own right, Jim Ward is becoming a secondary Australian citizen, what with the frequency of his visits lately. Following his last visit just months ago, he’s back at the end of the year to play at the Peats Ridge and Pyramid Rock festivals and has announced both a new single, My Town, and sideshows while he’s in town. He’ll be accompanied by a live band for the first time when he plays the Sandringham Hotel on Friday 6 January, with tickets on sale Monday.
THE FRESH PRINCE
The already massive Field Day lineup just got bigger with the announcement of dance superstar Calvin Harris and London rapper Example as two of the latest additions to the bill. Dubstepper Modestep joins the fun and there have also been new names added from closer to home, including Flight Facilities, The Aston Shuffle, Cloud Control and New Navy. The festival is now in its 12th year and is a favourite among Sydneysiders for a good New Year’s Day throwdown, celebrating the start of a year in style. Previously announced acts include Justice live, Crystal Castles, Moby in a DJ set and more.
One of the most anticipated highlights of 2012’s Golden Plains festival is undoubtedly Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, real name Will Oldham, whose brand of unique Americana music has made him a household name over the 16 albums of his career to date. His most recent is this year’s Wolfroy Goes To Town, and when he visits Australia in 2012 he’ll be visiting with The Cairo Gang. Aside from playing the festival, Oldham has announced that he will also perform a headlining show at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall on Monday 5 March.
POGUES PLAY SIDESHOW
ALL OF THE LIGHTS
As mentioned elsewhere, legendary Celtic punks The Pogues are a part of the first lot of artists announced for 2012’s Bluesfest, but have also announced their own sideshows while they’re in the country. The band has been around for the last three decades, but it’s been a while since they were last in our neck of the woods, back in 1989. They have a hell of a lot of material to draw from with all that experience, and their fiery tunes remain relevant to this day. They’re at Bluesfest on Sunday 8 April, but if you’d like to check out the sideshow in Sydney - jot Wednesday 11 April into your diary - that’s when they take over Hordern Pavilion. Tickets are on sale Friday.
Alan Palomo, AKA Neon Indian, has only been on the scene for a couple of years yet has already become one of chillwave’s biggest names. This year he released a new album, Era Extraña, and in 2012 he will return to Australia to play at Playground Weekender and the Perth International Arts Festival, as well as a string of sideshows. Live he is joined by a band, expanding his sound beyond its recorded realm. Catch Neon Indian at The Standard on Friday 2 March.
READY, SET, GO The Death Set is one of the bands on the Falls Festival lineup this summer, but for those of us who can’t make it there, good news – they’ve announced a series of
Sydney-based The Torchsong Country Soul Band has a debut album under the collective belt – it’s called Smalltown Love and showcases the vocals of Irish singer Marie Phelan, whose voice has been compared to the likes of Gillian Welch and Alison Krauss. Now around for seven years, the band has become a staple on the local live scene and these 13 new songs are sure to become live favourites. The album is launched on Sunday at The Gaelic from 4pm.
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HAWKSLEY WORKMAN
EYES LIKE A HAWK Canadian singer/songwriter Hawksley Workman is escaping the blustery winter to head down under once more to enjoy our summer sun in January. The musician has won the prestigious Juno Award and has been tirelessly plugging away for the last decade, releasing a handful of albums. Full Moon Eleven is the newest one, released this week, and sees Workman rejigging the Christmas album he wrote for his grandmother in Paris a decade ago. He plays the Clarendon Guesthouse Wednesday 4 January, The Brass Monkey Thursday 5 and Notes Friday 6.
THE NEVERENDING STORY Sydney band Endless Heights is heading on a tour of the East Coast in December, supporting their new EP, Dream Strong. The EP was recorded in Newcastle and sees the band maturing in sound and approach, combining sounds from hardcore to melodic rock. Having already played alongside some of the finest local and international bands, Endless Heights will head out to headline shows across the next month, playing Hermann’s Bar Friday 25 November, the Great Northern Newcastle Wednesday 7 December, Bar 32 Wednesday 14, Chatswood Youth Centre Friday 16, Loud Fest 2 at the Annandale Saturday 17 during the day, again that night at SFX and finally Sunday 18 at the Unanderra Community Centre.
SIREN SONGS Perth’s The Siren Tower is currently riding high on their latest single, The Banishing Of William McGuiness, which has been shortlisted in the Australian Songwriters Association’s Songwriting Contest and met with generally enthusiastic reviews. Of course what follows a successful single is a tour to spread its sounds far and wide, so Saturday 10 December the band heads to the other side of the country to say hello to us at The Square, with Bears With Guns, Jack Colwell & The Owls and Chloe Harrison & Band.
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AMERYKAH TO AUSTRALIA
Erykah Badu, the Grammy Award winning soul singer, is heading to Australia for the very first time this summer. Having been around since the late ‘90s, the musician’s latest release is New Amerykah Part II (Return Of The Ankh). It has really been such a long time coming for Ms Badu, landing on our shores, and these tickets are sure to be snapped up in the blink of an eye, so best book yours when they go on sale Monday 14 November for her show at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall on Sunday 19 February.
SEALED WITH A KISS FROM A ROSE Soulful singer Seal is set to head down our way in February 2012, playing shows around the country. Soul 2 is his eighth and latest album, due for release locally this week, and fans can expect to hear a smattering of those tunes, as well as all the old favourites. His last visit here, in 2009, attracting rave reviews, and the upcoming shows will surely be met with the same enthusiasm. Tickets are on sale Monday for the shows at AIS Arena on Thursday 9 February and the Sydney Entertainment Centre Saturday 18.
OMAR GOODNESS The Mars Volta’s Omar Rodriguez Lopez is stepping out on his own, bringing his eponymous group to Australia for the first time after countless tours with his many other projects. Of course, he’s also been involved with the likes of At The Drive In (from the ashes of which The Mars Volta was formed), and the ties continue to run rampant throughout everything he does, with the three-piece Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group featuring The Mars Volta’s current drummer and bassist. Joined by LA via Mexico art punks Le Butcherrete, in which Omar also plays bass, the Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group plays ANU Bar on Friday 9 December and Manning Bar Saturday 10.
WHAT DO YOU KNOW? Melbourne electronica-loving party boys Oscar + Martin are welcoming the summer with a new single, What I Know, and, of course, a series of gigs. Featuring Bec Rigby of The Harpoons on guest vocals, the tune is lifted from the duo’s debut album, For You. Live, the pair uses tape loops, drum machines and other fanciful technological items to recreate their sounds and beautiful harmonies. They play Yours & Owls Thursday 15 December and Oxford Art Factory Friday 16.
FEELING THIS Local singer/songwriter Emma Davis has a new single, Feel A Thing, lifted from her 2010 self-titled debut album. The London-born Sydney-based musician has enjoyed a successful 12 months, from supporting household Australian names to joining international artists on stage. She’s currently touring with Husky, but Friday 25 November she’ll take to the stage in her own right to launch the single at Hibernian House, then moves to the nation’s capital Saturday 3 December to play at The Front.
FLYING HIGH 2012 has already got a whole heap of musical goodness lined up, and here’s another addition to the lot – a triple bill featuring Flying Lotus, Africa Hitech and Martyn. Flying Lotus – or FlyLo, as he’s affectionately called – is a regular visitor, whether he’s riding solo with a laptop or playing with a full band, playing music traversing a heap of genres. Dutch but living in America, Martyn burst onto the scene in 2009 with his dubstep and deep house blend. Sydney-based English duo Africa Hitech rounds it all out, with obvious African sounds mixed in with a whole lot of everything else. Catch all three together at The Metro Friday 6 January.
TWO TIMES It’s a double punch of launch fun at the Annandale on Thursday 24 November, when Sydney artists Designer Pilot and John Vella both take to the iconic venue to push respective new releases. For quartet Designer Pilot that’s Time And Space, a seven-track mini album of pop nostalgia, and for Vella it’s the DVD, Backbreaker: Live At The Annandale, tracking his 2010 debut album launch at the very same venue. Opening the night are rockers DreamDelay, who will perform their first ever live shows in 18 months together.
MELISSA – DON’T MISS ‘ER Singer/songwriter Melissa Etheridge recently earned one of the highest honours in the entertainment world when, in September, she had her own star placed on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. The musician’s career has seen her scoop Academy and Grammy awards, and why not? Her brand of confessional honesty in music has earned her respect from fans the world over since she debuted in 1988. She’s heading back our way in July 2012, with tickets on sale next Friday 18 November. She’ll be at the Sydney Opera House Wednesday 11.
KOOII TIME Jazz fusion band Kooii comes to visit this week for the first time in over six years, bringing the mixed sounds of Afrobeat, reggae and jazz to a stage near you. They’re showcasing their latest album, In This Life, which has earned them some gold stars around the traps from some pretty high up peeps, too. Friday at 505, Saturday at the Clarendon Guesthouse and Sunday at the Old Manly Boatshed.
Shane Nicholson will be opening for k.d. lang when she takes the State Theatre stage Thursday 17, Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 November, after joining the cast of Way To Blue: The Songs of Nick Drake, in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall this Friday. With his first Sydney Football Stadium show Friday 2 December having sold out in half an hour, Eminem has announced a second and final show there Sunday 4. Stonefield will be doing the honours opening up for Foo Fighters and their guests Tenacious D and Fucked Up when they play the Sydney Football Stadium Thursday 8 December.
• 36 • THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011
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THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011 • 37 •
getting
RE-ACQUAINTED
IT’S BEEN A FEW YEARS BETWEEN DRINKS FOR CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH, BUT THEY’RE BACK WITH THEIR THIRD AND MOST ASSURED EFFORT TO DATE. FRONTMAN ALEC OUNSWORTH CHATS TO TROY MUTTON ABOUT RE-CONNECTING WITH THE FANS AND THEMSELVES.
I
f the term ‘hipster’ were bandied around as frequently in 2005 as it is today, Brooklyn/ Philadelphia five-piece Clap Your Hands Say Yeah would surely have been one of the word’s defining acts. With charming indie/alt-pop tunes and a distinctive voice that people either loved (see: certain online music magazines) or loathed, the nerdy fivesome of Alec Ounsworth, Robbie Guertin, Lee and Tyler Sargent and Sean Greenhalgh bounded onto the scene with breakout hit, The Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth, and their accompanying self-titled debut album. However, it’s 2011 now and in many ways they transcend the word. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah aren’t trying to be cool, indie or hip, they’re just a bunch of guys who like making music on their own terms. So much so they’ve taken four years since their second album, Some Loud Thunder, came and went in more of a blustery shower than a storm cloud. Their return effort, Hysterical, is as good any good band’s third album should be – an improvement on those past, with nods to what they’re known and loved for, backed by an understanding of where they’re at.
2008, something that three years on is still relatively new to him. Fair enough then to take it easy with band commitments, you would think? “Maybe in the back of my mind was not to go full-on [with the band] in that period as well. I don’t know if I directly thought that was the exact reason to take the time off with Clap Your Hands… it might have had something to do with it. So you know my point is I haven’t really, completely had the chance to experience [family life], all that, you know. I have a feeling that [touring] will be difficult.”
Drum catches up with frontman and voice of the band Alec Ounsworth in the calm before the storm, as it were. “[We’re] on a slight break, just got back from New York; we were doing some radio shows up there and practising separately. We don’t really start until shortly before we go to Australia.” From here they’re then off to Canada, around America and then Japan, followed by the UK and Europe and after a long lay-off, “It’ll be pretty steady for a while, but it’s something to look forward to, you know?” Ounsworth says, a slight touch of concern creeping into his voice.
“
Ounsworth is almost lackadaisical down the line, the slightly uninterested tone in his voice suggesting he’d rather be off working on some music for whatever project is tickling his fancy at the time. He’s a classic case of someone who doesn’t really like to sit still for too long. “I think that’s the best you can do. You can keep working and keep working and then you’re ready. If anybody else is like me, you go through a lot of starts and stops to everything. You know, I do this every day and you cross your fingers that you’ll hit at some point and you’ll know when that point in time comes. “You just gotta keep working, because at the very least, even if you throw away a thousand songs or a thousand half-finished ideas or something like that, you’ll have a couple that really are something, you know?” During Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s time off, Ounsworth released his own solo album, Mo Beauty, along with an album with his other band Flashy Python, called Skin And Bones. Ounsworth also got married and had a daughter in • 38 • THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011
So, break out of the way, it brings us to their new album, Hysterical, and after so many years off, the album itself was actually completed relatively quickly. “I think we did a good six months preparation before we went to the studio. A lot of it was getting re-acquainted with the idea of being a band and then re-acquainted with the sound that we had in mind in the beginning… the face of the band; the sonic face. “In any case for six months off and on and then in the studio probably about three or four weeks maybe. Definitely not full-on. I mean, everybody has other
IT’S A RELATIVELY UNHINGED LIVE SHOW AND I LIKE THAT ASPECT OF THIS BAND.”
jobs and that sort of thing.” And three albums in, does Ounsworth feel like he knows where the band is at and where it’s headed? “Yes, to a degree. On the other hand I don’t like the idea of making the same record over and over again, let alone the same song. I think it should be always changing. As for the idea that this band has their sound…” he pauses to ponder. “You know a lot of it comes from Lee’s guitar. He’s not gonna turn around and start playing guitar like Keith Richards; that’s just the way it is, for example. So everybody’s got their identity built into how they play and that comes off I think, how we all play.” You’d also hope after six years together professionally (with more before that in college), the group has learnt a thing or two about life in a rock band. For Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, it’s a constant process. “I think we know our way around a studio a bit better. We’ve also started to pick up on certain elements of the live show that would help improve it. Or at least help it, or keep it from falling apart,” he laughs. “It’s a relatively unhinged live show
and I like that aspect of this band. However, there comes a point in which you have to get everything straight and I think little by little we’ve been getting there. But as everybody else does, we were put in to a position of that being an accelerated process. I think we are identifying with this project as its own entity and then the others their own.” The accelerated process Ounsworth refers to is the band’s breakout single, The Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth. In a sign of things to come, the group achieved much of its early success through using the Internet as a dispersion tool, as opposed to record labels, with blogs really hitting their straps around that time and Pitchfork giving them huge raps on their increasingly influential review site. In keeping with their tradition of trying different ideas, the group recently re-released their debut album on vinyl, with Ounsworth acknowledging the importance of continually evolving and thinking outside of the box. “I do think it’s important. I think there are bands that take advantage of that absolutely and, yeah, there are a lot of good ideas that have come about as a result. I think it’s only natural to think outside the box. Especially due to the fact if you do the same old thing it’s not really gonna get you too far these days; that’s just the way it is, like it or not.” Much like the increased obligation of bands to get out of the studio and onto the touring circuit: “That’s what everybody tells me,” he chuckles. “But that’s an opportunity in and of itself, as long as it doesn’t hamper your attitude towards everything. Let’s face it, it’s not the easiest thing in the world to tour constantly. Some people get burnt out, that’s just the way it is. You gotta know when to re-group and you gotta know when to tear it down, that’s all.” Which brings us to their upcoming tour of Australia, their first since Laneway a few years back. Ounsworth promises the set will feature an even mix of the old and the new. “At first I think we leaned heavily on the new songs and then it occurred to us all that maybe we needed to inch back in/get re-acquainted with everybody out there. Sort of reminding everyone that we do… For one thing, we remember how to play the old songs and for another, we haven’t forgotten where we came from,” he laughs. “I mean, at this point now that the record is out, it’s a pretty even spread, more or less. And it really works well; I’m really surprised that everything… It just doesn’t lose any steam from one record to the next.” WHO Clap Your Hands Say Yeah WHAT Hysterical (Wichita/Cooperative) WHEN & WHERE Sunday, Harvest; Monday, Oxford Art Factory
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SATAN SAID SIDE PROJECT As mentioned, Alec Ounsworth has plenty of other stuff going on, but he’s not the only one. Let’s take a look at the bands surrounding Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.
FLASHY PYTHON Besides his solo work, Flashy Python is Ounsworth’s main project outside of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. They’ve only released one album, Skin And Bones, in August 2009, with little-to-no press. It merely popped up on their website for streaming or purchase in vinyl, CD and mp3. The group is made up of people in other bands too: Matt Barrick, drummer from The Walkmen (also here at the same time as Clap Your Hands Say Yeah for Harvest), Toby Leaman and Scott McMicken of Pennsylvanian psych-rockers Dr. Dog and Billy Dufala from another Pennsylvanian experimental rock act, Man Man.
UNINHABITABLE MANSIONS Robbie Guertin and Tyler Sargent are part of this New York-based indie rock band, formed in 2008, which doubles as an art collective. They also released their debut album in 2009, Nature Is A Taker. Other members of the group include Annie Hart from dream-pop girl group Au Revoir Simone, Doug Marvin from NY shoegaze/indie-pop fourpiece Dirty On Purpose and Lindsay Baker and Chris Diken from another Clap Your Hands Say Yeah side project…
RADICAL DADS This is another Guertin’s side projects, born from the above group really. Before their formation in 2008 the trio had swapped instruments in various groups together for over a decade; however, the ‘Dads keep it simple, with Baker and Diken on guitars and Guertin drumming for a more straight-up brand of indie rock. Just this year the group released their debut LP, Mega Rama, following the 2010 7”, Recklessness.
THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011 • 39 •
INTO THE WILD
FROM DIVING FOR ABALONE TO MEETING A LONG LOST GRANDPARENT IN UGANDA, THE JINJA SAFARI JOURNEY HAS BEEN A STRANGE ONE FOR MARCUS AZON. HE AND LIZ GALINOVIC EXPLORE THE BAND’S MUSICAL FUTURE AND MELODIC METAL PAST.
A
fter so much talk of Africa, of being influenced by the sounds and stories of a Ugandan city named Jinja and an unknown grandmother serving as a missionary, Marcus Azon decided it was time to see the place – and the grandmother – for himself. One of the vocalists and guitarists in five-piece indie/folk/Afro-pop band Jinja Safari, he wasn’t the only band member to recently take a break from touring, recording and writing music in order to search for more inspiration. “There’s a lot of inspiration here in Australia, but we kind of want to mix world music in with what we’re doing,” Azon explains. “And I guess we kind of have to go and explore a bit of the world in order to do that, not just talk about it from an idealistic, safe, comfortable position in a very successful and comfortable nation like Australia.” Cameron “Pepa” Knight (vocals/guitar) went to India, Jacob Borg (drums) went to the former Yugoslavia, while Joe Citizen (bass/ vocals) and Alister Roach (percussion/vocals) have explored the east coast of Australia. “Before we went, we each got a sound recorder and our aim was to record as many sounds and then bring them back and somehow use them in recording our albums. I’m not sure how that’s going to go, but if nothing else I’ve got all these fantastic memories.”
Jinja Safari have been steadily infiltrating ears and hearts over the past 18 months. It started (contrary to what has been widely published) when two abalone divers bonded over their love for music. Azon and Knight were not childhood friends and they were not romantically reunited over a campfire at a beachside party; they were “just a couple of abalone divers with big dreams”. “We were just kind of making this music and we knew some of the other boys and we just got them involved,” Azon says. After a couple of months making tracks they were very soon in need of a live band to take up the opportunities that were coming their way and, as most people do in this situation, they asked their friends to join them. Two EPs and a slew of singles – radio favourites Peter Pan, Hiccups and Mermaids are just a few examples – led to sold-out shows on their own tours as well as being a welcome addition to festival bills like Big Day Out, Falls and Splendour. They have just released Locked By Land, a compilation of already released tracks, brand new ones and a couple of remixes, before they set off on a celebratory tour of the east coast. While sticking to the established “Afro-folk” nature of their sound, Azon detects a change in the mood of the songs. “I don’t know if there’s a clear difference, but I mean we’re kind of exploring different colours. There was definitely an angle when we first started like, ‘Life’s not as bad as we make it out to be and the world’s not as lost and we’re not in the doldrums as much as everybody says we are.’ That was sort of our angle when we first started out, trying to do something a little positive. But now maybe it’s kind of looking at some other stories, some darker stories, some tales of lost loves, etcetera.” The African influence in Jinja Safari’s music is what’s most talked about – an influence commonly attributed to Azon and his distant Ugandan connection. “So much of our music is ripping off Ugandan rhythms and melodies and a lot of the stories were about my grandma and my family; my grandma who I don’t know and still don’t really know after spending three weeks with her.” But this is not the only influence, nor should it be completely attributed to Azon, who points out that while those few months of Jinja Safari as a duo embraced the African polyrhythms, the incorporation of Roach and Borg took this to another level. “We definitely wanted to have an African kind of Afro-beat inflection with the rhythms, but it was also gonna be a little bit softer folk music, a little bit more sort of introspective or something. But then once we got the two drummers involved it just became mayhem in the rehearsal studio... It became so much fun we kind of thought, ‘We’ve got to let them go free, we’ve got to let those drummers fly free and explore the polyrhythms.’” But it’s the marriage of Jinja Safari’s many, constantly growing influences that make the band’s music so enjoyable. “We’re certainly not married to any particular genre or style at all and we all love so many different types of music and so many bands and artists I think it’s probably always going to be some sort of a reflection of the artists that you’re listening to at the time. “Alister and I, when we were 13, 14 and playing music, the only music that we listened to was Tool, Deftones, A Perfect Circle – melodic metal I guess you could say was a big part of what we love. So, it was absolutely surreal to play at the Big Day Out, which is something we always wanted to go to [but] we grew up in Christian houses so we were never allowed to go. Then we played Big Day Out this year and it was our first time going and we got to see Tool and Deftones playing and we were just like, ‘Man I sure as heck hope that Maynard [James Keenan, Tool vocalist] doesn’t make it down to our stage to watch us play, because I just don’t think he’d like our sort of music.’ “That’s where we came from and it’s hard to let it go, as much as you want to forget about the melodic metal, it’s always going to be there. It certainly comes out in how ferocious the drummers [in Jinja Safari] play sometimes. Sometimes I watch Nugget [Roach] and we’re playing pretty upbeat happy Afro vibes, but then you look at these boys smashing the kit and you think, ‘Oh man, there’s some unresolved issues there... like every young metal fan has.’” WHO Jinja Safari WHAT Locked By Land (Cooperative Music) WHEN & WHERE Friday, Metro Theatre; Thursday 17 November, Wollongong UniBar; Saturday 26, Foreshore Festival • 40 • THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011
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THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011 • 41 •
GOLDEN YEARS
GOLD FIELDS GUITARIST VIN ANDANAR RECALLS THE LAST 12 MONTHS AS “A BIG BLUR… OF BEING IN A VAN OR BEING IN A PLANE OR SETTING UP GEAR.” BRYGET CHRISFIELD MINES SPECIFICS AND DISCOVERS THAT THEIR JOURNEY GOES FROM REHEARSING IN THEIR LOCAL PUB TO PASHING BETH DITTO.
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in Andanar, guitarist for Ballarat’s Gold Fields, pinpoints a gig that he went to featuring “a bunch of local bands” as being the catalyst for seriously pursuing a career in music: “I was in Year Ten, there was Epicure and it was the album launch in Ballarat for the Goodbye Girl album. That was the show that made me want to write music. I was there with Mark [Fuller, vocals]. I think we were fourteen or fifteen ‘cause before that we were playing in a band – but just with our friends and just basically playing silverchair covers – and then after that show I said to him, ‘I wanna start writing music. This is amazing.’” Once Gold Fields hit the stage, there was no stopping them. “We played our first six shows in Australia and then flew straight to the UK and played another seven over there in November [2010]. This whole twelve months, plus six months in LA, has all been a big blur and, like, if I look back all I can think of is being in a van or being in a plane or setting up gear.” It sounds as if Andanar expected life in a band to be more glamorous than the reality. “Nah,” he counters, “it’s just hard to remember everything. Like, maybe in the moment you’re like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe this is happening,’ or, like, ‘I can’t believe I’m meeting this person’ and then three months later you just forget about it.” Gold Fields’ first official gig was at Ding Dong Lounge in Melbourne, but Andanar remembers the band organised a public rehearsal of sorts on Ballarat’s Karova Lounge stage. “We just asked the owner and said, ‘Can we come in and play a set? ‘Cause we really wanna practise and see what it sounds like and stuff.’ So we went there and then I think there were three girls just sitting at the bar and one of my mates and his mates rocked up, like, halfway through our set or something. And then they were all like, ‘Oh my God, who are you guys?’ And we were like, ‘Um, we don’t have a name yet, we’re just practising.’ So that was sort of our first show, I guess… We didn’t know how it was gonna pan out, so we got one of our mates to film it as well, ‘cause, I dunno, we were just super-wanting to get that Ding Dong show right. We were trying to do everything we could to prepare ourselves. We look back on that video and think, ‘What the hell were we thinkin’?” A Sydney show followed – “just for our managers ‘cause it was to see whether they wanted to manage us and whether or not we were gonna let them.” And of the “few industry people” that were invited, Gold Fields also secured a booking agent. From here everything fell into place, which must make the band feel as if they are on the right course. “Yeah, I think so,” the guitarist hesitates. “It’s still not sinking in in our brains. It’s just crazy. This last twelve months has been this crazy roller coaster.” At the time of our chat, Gold Fields were mid-Parklife tour, having just returned from LA a week prior. “It was like Groundhog Day,” Andanar tells of the band’s time in the US. “It was weird, like, we literally landed and then went straight to Capitol Studios. And then for the next two days we were there writing… It was crazy thinking of all the bands who had been through Capitol Studios and we’re sitting there writing, just guys from Ballarat.” They must have been wondering whose butts last left imprints on the couches they were sitting on. “Yeah, exactly. When the studio manager was taking us on a tour before we started writing, she was like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s Frank Sinatra’s chair, that’s his piano,’ and then they grabbed the microphone for us to record on. So we were just thinkin’… I don’t know what!” Channelling the magic via Sinatra’s mic perhaps. “Yeah, I guess, but it’s like Frank Sinatra… Gold Fields.” Did Andanar just mime a set of unbalanced scales? “Yeah, that’s exactly what I just did,” he laughs. The band also took the opportunity to play a few Stateside gigs. “The first one was at the Roosevelt Hotel, which is apparently some well-known hotel. Every Tuesday in summer they have pool parties and when we went there our producer got us into the pool party and that’s where they’ve shot stuff from Entourage… But, yeah, we played there – there’s a couple of clubs at the Roosevelt so we played at one section called Teddy’s and that was kinda cool. It was super-exclusive and pricey and you have to be on some stupid door list to get in. Like, you have to buy vodka by the bottle and it’s $300 bottles!” So who was on the Teddy’s guest list the night Gold Fields played? “I don’t know if you’ve seen this movie, Hot Tub Time Machine? The teenage boy that has the glasses – the son. What was his name? Anyway, we met him and he said he enjoyed the show. And Ryan from The OC [Ben McKenzie] was there – that was kinda weird, like, ‘That’s what my high school life was all about, just watching you on TV!’” While we’re on the subject of lifestyles of the rich and famous, surely Andanar has a wild after party story to share. “Actually the Perth Parklife – which, I didn’t go to the after party, I went straight home to bed – but Rob [Clifton, keys/percussion] and Ryan and Luke [Peldys, bass], they went and Beth Ditto kissed our keyboard player.” Really! A pash? “Oh, he said it was a pash, but I would have liked to be there. I don’t think there was any tongue. They all saw it. There’s a photo of them two together, but apparently he met her, took a photo and then he went out for a smoke and then he came back in and she just kissed him on the lips.” When it’s pointed out that Ditto doesn’t usually bat for his team, Andanar acknowledges, “Nah, she doesn’t. Maybe she got a bit confused. Maybe Rob doesn’t look like a guy. Either way, lucky for him I think. She’s something else, that girl.”
WHO Gold Fields WHAT Gold Fields (Capitol/EMI) WHEN & WHERE Thursday, Transit Bar; Friday, Oxford Art Factory; Saturday, Level One; Wednesday 30 November, Beach Road Hotel; Thursday 1 December, The Patch; Saturday 3, Homebake • 42 • THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011
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MARRIAGE OF DRUM AND BASS
NEIL AND SHARON FINN ARE THE DRUMS AND BASS OF PAJAMA CLUB. LIZ GIUFFRE SPOKE TO NEIL FINN ABOUT THE NEW VENTURE, TEASING HIS SONGWRITER SON AND PAUL HESTER’S PUBES. COVER INSET AND FEATURE PICS BY TONY MOTT.
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wo years ago when we started jamming, Sharon [Finn, Neil’s wife] had never really played bass before and I’d never really played the drums in any kind of meaningful way before, but now we’re doing gigs. We opened up the Wilco festival, they had a festival for 5000 people and it’s pretty scary shit, you know,” says Neil Finn down the phone from London. Doesn’t 35 years in the biz make you immune to such things? Seems not. As talk moves to starting again – and particularly getting merch ideas down for the brand new band – this writer jokes about Pajama Club pyjamas for festival fans. “We are exploring various bedroom options for our merchandising and you know, including sleeping pills,” Finn begins. But he adds, with a warm nostalgia, “Paul Hester once sold his pubic hairs as merchandising [for Crowded House] … he put them in a little guitar pack and he signed them and put them out for merch and he sold them too, I might add … anything after that is really a bit of a, um, quite naïve and innocent.”
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We’ve just been really blown away that people are willing to absorb a whole set of new material.”
The Pajama Club record is Finn on drums/vocals (hold your drummer jokes, kids), Sharon Finn on vocals/bass, Auckland singer/ songwriter Sean Donnelly on keys and other fancy sounds and former Grates drummer Alana Skyring taking the skins live and adding an extra sparkle. (Note, dear reader, that Skyring had left The Grates and music generally just prior to Pajama Club, but when Neil Finn rings and asks you to play with him, you tend to get back on the horse). “She’s quite watchable on stage, Alana, because when she’s having a good time her face lights up and it’s a really characterful band, that’s what I like about it. We didn’t pull in a couple of session players to just do what we wanted them to do; although Alana is playing my parts from the record, she’s still got a lot of personality in the way she plays and it feels like a real band,” says Finn. As someone who’s been in The Industry for over three decades, he’s no doubt seen and heard a lot, as well as having been presented with many hoops to jump through in order to get his sounds to the masses. This release is proper indie, released through the Finn’s own label, Lester Records. In June of this year the Pajama Club played a tiny Australian tour, their first after a debut show in New Zealand, which took in Byron Bay, Melbourne and Sydney, with the latter played in the tiny Oxford Art Factory on a Monday night no less. “We weren’t sure how a Monday night was going to work but it seemed to work really well. We took great heart from that tour; it was our first run, so you know, it’s exciting to have something totally fresh at this point,” says Finn. “I started off my whole musical career just playing at parties for my friends and to me that’s always been a pretty central part of the whole thing… [and] it was such a nice audience. We’ve just been really blown away that people are willing to absorb a whole set of new material that they don’t know and no one yells out for Weather With You all night. I take that as a huge blessing and I’m very grateful.” The new band’s sound is melodic and folkie, but with enough of a twist to make it distinctive. “I think she’s got a great deal of poise and calm and exudes serenity, but it’s a huge, intense experience for her… But initially it’s just a matter of putting your head down and just doing it, playing as best as you can,” Finn says of Sharon’s work. “But she’s always going to move pretty well to it and I think the high kicks will come.” Having said that, she does pack a punch when she needs to, such as in Go Kart, where she lyrically gets to give Neil a good whipping. “It’s a race from start to finish and I just like the idea of Sharon’s role being ‘I’m going to kick your arse, just watch out, I’m faster, leaner, meaner than you all’. I really like that. We can’t leave that kind of sentiment for the hip hoppers, you know, you’ve gotta take it back, us hung up Kiwis,” Finn says with a fabulously funny dryness. Neil and Sharon Finn have worked before in various roles, including of course making new musicians in the form of Liam and Elroy Finn. What’s interesting is how the two generations have come to inspire each other musically. Liam referenced this with latest album FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), inspired literally by being stuck at home while Neil and Sharon were off in pre-Pajama music creation land. For Finn, this has also been a new way to experience and express himself musically. “I think he’s fascinated with that concept [of missing out] and I am too. There’s something about our connectivity these days with everybody, whether it’s Skype or Facebook – I’m not on Facebook – it’s that you’re almost always constantly aware of what other people in your life are doing, so you’re almost always judging your day against theirs. And part of it is, you know, ‘They sound like they’re having a really good time and what am I doing?’ So there really is a dilemma, a modern day dilemma about always hearing about the party going on somewhere else.” Finally, while Neil and Sharon Finn make new music, the older stuff bubbles on with the They Will Have His Way live tribute concert later this month. Is he okay with the idea that Pajama Club might also get swept up in the rest of the merry-go-round? “Well, it’s a bit early for a tribute to Pajama Club yet,” Finn laughs. This writer notes that Liam Finn once threatened to form a band with Elroy and call it The Finn Brothers so as to get to his inheritance early. Finn senior seems happily complicit with this idea. “Well they can and they can’t be sued, can they?” WHO Pajama Club WHAT Pajama Club (Lester Records) WHEN & WHERE Sunday 5 February, Laneway
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THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011 • 43 •
MULTIMEDIA MIASMA
HAVING SURVIVED A COUPLE OF SETBACKS THAT WOULD HAVE DERAILED A LESSER BAND, CO-FRONTMAN KYP MALONE TELLS STEVE BELL THAT IT’S ONLY MADE TV ON THE RADIO APPRECIATE WHAT THEY HAVE EVEN MORE.
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t’s been a relatively humbling couple of years for Brooklyn art rockers TV On The Radio. The band who’d achieved so much from such meagre beginnings nearly burned out following a gruelling touring schedule on the heels of their third studio album, 2008’s Dear Science, with their dynamic so strained that they announced a hiatus, in which the various members either stepped away from music or formed other projects. Then, not long after the band had announced resumption of activity, their bassist Gerard Smith was diagnosed with lung cancer and barely a month later – in April this year – he passed away. The band’s new opus, Nine Types Of Light, had only been on the shelves for a week when the tragedy occurred, but they rallied and soldiered on, determined to take their new music to the masses of acolytes who they’d amassed over their decade-long existence. It can’t have been easy but they’ve prevailed and are now bringing Nine Types Of Light – which is brazenly more accessible than their past fare, without eroding their inherent experimental bent and flagrant artistic ambition – to Australia for the inaugural Harvest Festival. “I think that it was organic,” guitarist and vocalist Kyp Malone offers of the record’s shift in tone. “People are at different places in life. From my perspective there’s been a growth or change from record to record this whole time. Sometimes at the start there’s ideas about what people want something to sound like, but that’s usually abandoned pretty quickly once we get into it and they realise that it’s just going to be what it is. I think it’s just what came out this time.” Despite the critical acclaim afforded Dear Science, Malone doesn’t believe that this placed any more pressure on the band when they got back together to record Nine Types Of Light. “No, I in no way want to imply that those accolades aren’t helpful – I want to remain gracious in regards to that stuff – but you never know what people are going to think and you can’t go in trying to please anyone but yourself,” he reasons. “Which sounds really gross, but you could turn into a crazy person trying to figure out what people are going to like. I feel like it’s sustained itself to this point because fortunately what we’ve come up with is something that appeals to enough people that it’s kept it going. Life is short and there’s never enough time to actually explore all the different directions that you can take a creative idea, so simply repeating what was successful in the past is probably a good way to make a career or something, but it would be boring ultimately.” Malone was one of the TV On The Radio members who took the chance to form a side-project during his day job’s break, releasing an excellent solo album under the moniker Rain Machine. He believes that this experience stood him in good stead once it became time to rejoin the fold. “It meant that I was still tired because I didn’t really take a break,” he laughs of Rain Machine’s major contribution to the process. “But besides that I think it did [have a positive effect] – I learned a lot in that experience, playing with a whole new set of people. It’s a great thing to have helped built something from a point before there was any real expectations of it doing anything. When the [2003 TV On The Radio debut] Young Liars EP came out – or before it even came out – and [original core members] Dave [Sitek] and Tunde [Adebimpe] were playing me mixes from it, it felt that there was no question that people would dig it. It seemed really accessible, given most of the stuff that I was involved with or my contemporaries were involved with, it seemed like a bunch of different people could like it, even though for everyone who got on board after that it was for the love of music – that was the overriding thing. And then you go through different places and experiences and things can get corrupted here and there, but ultimately we had that foundation and we became vaguely established. It’s hard to quantify where we’re at [in TV On The Radio], we’re kind of like a mid-level band, but compared to not being established at all that’s significant. “To start something from scratch with people – even though they were friends – to go back to the drawing board with the Rain Machine, touring that record I put a band together of some people who put a lot of good hard work in and I felt we had a year of really good touring for our first run, but it made me really appreciate what we’ve built as TV On The Radio and the work and life that has gone into that.” From an outsider’s perspective it seems that the band has achieved so much without having to pare back the eclecticism that makes their music so fascinating, but Malone believes that there’s always concessions being made, even in the most abstract of outfits. “Well there are always compromises. That’s definitely part of life and being engaged in a flailing industry like the recording industry or the entertainment industry, however you see this whole thing,” he muses. “There’s compromises, but ultimately we’ve gotten to do by and large what we’ve wanted to do and even dealing with a major label at a time when budgets are being cut left and right, we got to make the feature-length film with a video for every song on the last record [also called Nine Types Of Light] – even the budget that we got to do that compared to the scale that we wanted to do it on, it would have been easy to say that it can’t happen, but it did happen. Any time that I feel frustrated about any friction I’m experiencing, or we’re experiencing as a band, I have to remember all of what we’ve gotten to do and everything that’s under our belt already. I mean, we’re going to Australia for the third time! That’s all the way on the other side of the planet from where we live.” WHO TV On The Radio WHEN & WHERE Sunday, Harvest; Tuesday 15 November, Metro Theatre
• 44 • THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011
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FOR THE BIRDS
SAM YELDHAM OF GUINEAFOWL TALKS CHRIS YATES THROUGH THE RELEASE OF HIS FIRST EP, GETTING A BAND TOGETHER TO PLAY THE SONGS AND THE PROS (AND SEEMINGLY LACK OF CONS) OF GROWING UP IN AN ARTISTIC FAMILY.
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hile still a very new player on the Australian indie scene, Guineafowl is wasting no time getting the music out there. Chatting on the phone from New York, the band is already well and truly churning through their first US tour. “It’s amazing, it’s a beautiful city,” Sam “Guineafowl” Yeldham says enthusiastically. “I came here a few years ago when I finished school but I was on my own last time, so I’m having a lot more fun now. We’re playing [industry showcase festival] CMJ, so we’ve got some shows throughout the week. We’ve just been in Los Angeles for about thirteen days and we played a lot of shows over there as well. It seems like Americans are taking to us, which is very nice! We’ve done a mix of showcase shows and regular gigs. It’s no different to playing industry gigs at home; there’s still the same amount of folded arms at those gigs [laughs].We’ve got our first real national tour when we get back so that’s great.”
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I believe that you’ve got to know why you’re making something in order for it to get somewhere.”
Using a very unconventional recording method for his debut EP, Hello Anxiety, Yeldham didn’t really expect that what he was working on in his bedroom in Bondi would go any further, but there was something captured that he didn’t want to lose. Even when things got to the stage that they had to get a bit more professional and polished, he was determined to try and keep some of that unique sound he had stumbled across. “Well, the EP was recorded half at home and half in BJB Studios in Surry Hills in Sydney,” he explains. “The stuff at home was just my laptop and that was it. I recorded stuff like the guitars and vocals on the laptop using just the in-built microphone and I liked it – I didn’t want to lose it when I went into the studio, so we just mixed all that in. It was pretty do-it-yourself.” It resulted in a really interesting sound – there’s an airiness and feeling of space in the mix that can no doubt be attributed to trying something different like this. “I guess it’s like with any piece that’s not being used how it’s meant to be used you can get something really interesting out of it. I don’t think the Mac laptop microphones were meant to be used as recording mics, but you can get something out of it if you can warp them enough. It’s actually still how I record now. I’ve started on a bigger body of work and I’m demoing in exactly the same way.” This body of work will eventually become Guineafowl’s debut album, but this is quite some time away, as Yeldham wants to come up with a whole new approach for recording. This will include extensive demoing with the band he put together after garnering some interest with his home recordings and realising that he couldn’t pull off the vision he had for his music playing solo. “I only lasted about six shows,” he laughs. “I had to put a band together very quickly!” Hello Anxiety features two singles that have been brought to life by filmmaker and NIDA student Kip Williams – both one-take videos that look like they were a lot of fun to make but, as Yeldham says, also required some meticulous timing. “They were his ideas, I just endorsed them. The Little Fingers video was difficult but it was lots of fun. I had to practice the backwards lip-syncing for about three months. It was nuts.” Yeldham says that the idea behind the song Little Fingers was mostly satirical, but in writing the song it gave him a chance to communicate an idea and a revelation that he had while chatting with fellow artists his own age. “Little Fingers is about entitlement,” he starts to explain, somewhat cryptically at first. “I was thinking about how a lot of people my age have this feeling that they’re entitled to something without putting in the effort to achieve it – myself included. It’s not just about other people, it’s more an observation about how I felt and how young people feel entitled to gaining access to things and achieving things without reaching the milestones that grant or warrant achievement. I felt there were other artists and other musicians around me who felt like they were destined for things without figuring out why or how to get there. Their intentions for creating their art was based on this idea of achieving a destination and not for the desire to just create art. I believe that you’ve got to know why you’re making something in order for it to get somewhere.” A profound and soul-searching self-awareness may have led him to this school of thought, but Yeldham has not been short of influences from successful artists to help him shape his way of thinking. In fact, he didn’t have to look any further than his own family – accomplished artists the lot of them – and with parents who have carved themselves out a living as professional artists, it was probably inevitable that he followed in their footsteps to a degree. “There was never any pressure from my family,” he laughs at the idea that maybe they would have preferred him to take up a career as a professional footballer, or perhaps an accountant. “I know I could have done anything and my family still would have been proud of me, but if you grow up in an environment where creativity is encouraged, then you’re probably more naturally inclined to pursue it professionally, despite it being a very difficult career to pursue. I probably had a bit more desire to put myself through some of the crap that you have to endure being an artist.” WHO Guineafowl WHEN & WHERE Friday, Great Northern Newcastle; Sunday, ANU Bar; Friday 25 November, The Standard; Sunday 26, Yours & Owls; Saturday 10 December, Festival Of The Sun
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THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011 • 45 •
THE FOURTH
AS LONDON WAS BURNING, AAROM WILSON PRODDED PORTISHEAD’S GEOFF BARROW TO FIND OUT WHAT FIRES OF THEIR OWN THE BAND HAS BEEN CREATING OF LATE, INCLUDING WHETHER ONE OF THOSE IS THE MUCHRUMOURED FOLLOW-UP TO THEIR THIRD ALBUM.
Third, the past year has been filled with plenty of tours to help stir their creative juices. This year alone they’ve left hordes of festivalgoers satiated, including Exit Festival in Serbia, Roskilde in Denmark and their two I’ll Be Your Mirror music festivals they curated as part of the All Tomorrow’s Parties series, held in London and New Jersey. Never short of sharing a frank opinion, Barrow told Pitchfork a few months back about his disappointment in playing some of the bigger “bullshit” festivals. “That was kind of taken the wrong way. Well the headline was taken, but the stuff underneath it wasn’t, which is often the case with modern music media. But yeah, I basically just said that we shouldn’t have been playing on their festival; we shouldn’t have been playing with Coldplay and Bruno Mars.
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here’s something strangely fitting about tGeoff Barrow answering the phone at home in Bristol, UK just as news of the London riots are exploding all over the world. After all, Portishead isn’t the kind of band you’d expect to be conducting business with a rainbow over their roofs. Nor is Barrow the kind of mind to dismiss such incidents lightly. “That seems to be happening every time we’ve got a Tory government in power; they just cut everything,” argues Barrow. “They cut any kind of education, every out-ofschool plan. These are third generation unemployed kids who actually don’t care about themselves. They gave up a long time ago and, to be honest, going into the street and smashing some things up is most probably the most exciting thing they’re going to do in their life.” Whilst the opening topic of Drum’s conversation is grim, Barrow’s voice is generally nothing like what some might expect from the producer and multiinstrumentalist who, together with Adrian Utley and the contralto-wielding frontwoman Beth Gibbons, is responsible for such melancholic music. Rather than a gloom machine, Barrow is quite the opposite; energetic and friendly. Still, could these, as Barrows labels them, “hideous” affairs help provide the perfect dreamscape for the always elusive next Portishead album to emerge? “D’you know what? It would be really crass of me to say yes, because I’m not on the breadline. I think it would be disrespectful to people to actually say, ‘Yes, this helps my creative issues’. Like, ‘Thanks very much for smashing someone’s business, it gives me things to write some beats with’. I’d really like not to say that, but…” Barrow
trails off before sighing. “I’m just slightly let down by the lack of any kind of political statement through any modern music. I find it revolting that basically, out of all the brains they’ve got out there… You know, the stuff that gets played on the radio is just, ‘I want to be a millionaire so friggin’ hard’. Like, for fuck’s sake. What’s that going to say? But, I don’t know, I hope that this moves some younger artists into making some judgements in the way that they write and influencing some people into doing the right thing with music.” Whilst Barrow is keenly politically and socially aware, Portishead’s brand of trip hop and electronic darkness has focused more on personal relationships and feelings. So could main songwriters Gibbons and Barrow be finding inspiration in the world’s woes for a new thematic reign in Portishead’s songwriting? STOP. Before you get your hopes up, Barrow has a confession to make on how the next album is going: “It’s not,” he responds bluntly. “We’re terribly bad at over-thinking. We just over-think ourselves into a pit stop and the tires go flat.” It’s the kind of response that would surprise very few Portis-heads. Formed in 1991, the band released Dummy in ‘94, an album that included the Isaac Hayes-sampling classic Glory Box, helped spawn the
trip hop sound classification and went on to win the Mercury Music Prize. They then retreated from the spotlight, leaving stormy rumours of disbandment to swirl overhead, only to bring the rain in 1997 with their self-titled second album. The same year they included Australia in their busy touring schedule, then released Roseland NYC Live in ‘98, an album – and subsequent DVD – recorded live from a one-off performance with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Unfortunately the Roseland recording would be the closest the world would get to experiencing Portishead live, with the band going on another hiatus before a tsunami benefit concert saw them play live for the first time in seven years in 2005. It was this re-entry into the live sphere that helped reinvigorate Portishead. “Playing live seems to be the purest music link to people for us now. With all the bullshit that’s gone on with radio, with media and celebrity crap, it really does seem like it’s really a true form to play to people,” ponders Barrow. A year later they posted a few tracks and then Third’s destiny was set for a 2008 release. While they’ve only released one track since then – Chase The Tear to help raise money for Amnesty International – and only played a handful of shows to celebrate
ON THE SAME PAGE
MOROCCAN SUFI MUSICIANS LAYING DOWN TRACKS FOR THE FIRST SINGLE, A REVOLVING DOOR FOR BASSISTS AND A VERY DIFFERENT RECORD TO ANY JANE’S ADDICTION HAS MADE BEFORE. DAVE NAVARRO TALKS THE GREAT ESCAPE ARTIST WITH BRENT BALINSKI.
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ane’s Addiction admit they’re a thoroughly different band to the one that recorded Strays, the band’s 2003 comeback album. “When we recorded Strays, we kind of got together and decided to make a record,” says Dave Navarro, guitarist with the alternative granddaddies. “And Strays is kind of an audio documentation of us getting to know each other again.” The band broke up in 2003 soon after Strays – a solid effort though not one that you’d call a fan favourite – and got back together in 2008, more recently visiting here for the Splendour In The Grass Festival. “Whereas [with] this record we’d been touring for two years prior – before even writing – and we toured... And so I think that if anything we began this process on the same page, creatively speaking. Not to say that we weren’t on Strays, but there was a lot of finding our musical groove. “I think that is a documentation of us finding our groove and I think a lot of it’s really good and a lot of it I’m not so sure about today. But be that as it may I still love that record. This record was a little bit more cohesive in the sense that we knew what we wanted to do, prior to even setting foot in the studio.” The “groove” Jane’s Addiction found is a very different one to any other they’ve displayed – and it didn’t come easy, at least in terms of keeping a bassist. Almost immediately after they finished with Soundwave in 2010, Eric Avery decided Jane’s was for the birds and Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver) took his place, assisting with the writing of three tracks on The Great Escape Artist and leaving after five months (some reports say the electronic aspects in the new songs • 48 • THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011
grated with him). Producer Rich Costey has credited McKagan with helping the record find its “sea legs”. Costey was instrumental in helping the band get together with Dave Sitek (who joined the band for writing and recording purposes, but never really joined it. Chris Chaney is the current touring bassist.) Sitek’s work you’ve probably heard before, as a guitarist with TV On The Radio and as a producer for numerous bands. “Dave Sitek was more than a bass player on this record. He was our contributor and creative collaborator... It was a unique experience in that sense because he was never supposed to be the Jane’s Addiction bass player,” explains Navarro, who believes Sitek also helped curb some of the band’s studio pedantry. “Dave’s instincts musically are a little different to ours in that he works a lot faster than we do and makes broad decisions very rapidly.” Producer Costey, as well as helping get Sitek on board, was also important in keeping things on track with the album. “One thing I can tell you that we really tried to
do is use the studio as an instrument itself. As a fifth instrument – we have bass, drums, guitar, voice and studio. And in some ways it’s advantageous because we’re able to think of something, try it without missing a beat. But at the same time that can be a disadvantage because anything you can think of you can do...” The guitarist believes that if it were up to singer Perry Farrell and himself, the project might never see completion due to the habit of constant tweaking. “Perry and I especially will turn knobs forever, until someone tells us not to. One, because we want to make it better and, two, because every time we turn a knob we like something different.” Jane’s Addiction hasn’t shied away from technology lately and in July teamed up with LG for what was billed “The World’s First User-Generated 3D Concert Experience”. And recent recording techniques haven’t been avoided. “We wrote the single, Irresistible Force – I wrote the music in about half an hour in the studio. And then Dave and Stephen [Perkins, drums] jumped on it and we kind of arranged and created some sound beds,” Navarro explains the album’s second single. “And
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“To be honest, I don’t want to be at a festival where…” Barrow hesitates before continuing, “I don’t want to be a middle class indie music snob, but at the same time I want to be in a place where people prefer a band with a collection of songs put together to have an album for their lifetime. It would be nice.” Portishead needs not fear their Australian tour, the band playing the extremely relevant Harvest Festival circuit. “That’s really good news. It [Harvest] seems like a really good idea as well and what you’re trying to do with it sounds great. Right up our street.” He admits the band intends to hit his new studio in January, so let’s hope the trip here proves to be just the right inspirational medicine. You can expect another album from his side-projected Beak> to drop before the next Portishead album though, with Barrow claiming “it’s coming on really well”. Responsible in recent years for the music on Banksy’s Exit Through The Gift Shop and producing The Horrors’ Primary Colours, Barrow is also on the cusp of releasing his Quakers record – a project in collaboration with his Invada Records label partner Ashley Anderson AKA Katalyst and an all-star cast of MCs. For such a prolific creative mind, why always such lengthy breaks between Portishead albums then? “We don’t ever want to repeat what we’ve done in the past.” So quit yo’ complaining; perfection takes time. WHO Portishead WHEN & WHERE Sunday, Harvest
then we sent it to Perry and within a couple of days he sent it back with vocals, melodies and lyrics attached and we were all just floored and blown away by what he did with it.” The song was put together, in a way, by email. “So that aspect of things is really nice to be able to utilise, especially in Perry’s case. His house is about seventy miles away from the studio and I don’t think he was too excited about driving to the studio every day [laughs].” Another remote contribution to the album was made by the Master Musicians Of Joujouka, the Moroccan Sufi group who lend their talents (they play pipe, reed and percussion) to End To The Lies, which was released for download in April. “They came at the recommendation of producer Rich Costey and were recorded in Africa. We sent them the track – End To The Lies – and they did their own take on it and sent the files back to us and we slipped them into the track. It was as simple as that.” The African virtuosos might not be apparent at once – they are perhaps felt rather than heard – but the end product would be different without them. “And I think that the idea probably came about because the guitar lines in the song sounded a lot like those instruments... So what we have is kind of – they’re very difficult to hear in the track, but if they were gone, you’d miss ‘em.” Reviews from listening parties have been positive so far and the record doesn’t display the far out, progish moments you heard on, for example, Ritual De Lo Habitual. Six album tracks previewed to Sydney music hacks in July were remarked on for their straightforwardness and “radio-friendly” nature. The Great Escape Artist seemed a very song-oriented record with touches of haunting electronica and is perhaps, in the predictions of a reviewer earlier in the month, one that “will catch some folks off guard”. Whatever the case and whatever its reception, expect Navarro and co. to be back some time soon. “I don’t have dates to give you, but that’s the plan. At this point we’re all about playing these songs live. And we’ve spent a long time making them, you know? The next course of action is to take them out and play ‘em to people.” WHO Jane’s Addiction WHAT The Great Escape Artist (EMI)
• SINGLE LAUNCH TOUR •
The Basement
Friday 18 November
Special Guests: Sierra Fin & The Miller’s Tale 29 REIBY PLACE, SYDNEY 7.30PM DINNER / 9.30PM SHOW Tickets: www.thebasement.com.au or Moshtix 1300 438 849 www.sophiekoh.com
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THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011 • 49 •
MANIPULATING ENERGY OUT ON A HIGH
AFTER LOSING THREE BAND MEMBERS IN LESS THAN A YEAR, ONE COULD FORGIVE CLEVELAND METALLERS CHIMAIRA FOR OBSESSING OVER THE NEGATIVES. HOWEVER, FRONTMAN MARK HUNTER ASSURES BRENDAN CRABB HE’S FINDING PLEASURE IN PAIN.
ABOUT TO RETIRE FROM THE HIP HOP WORLD, REASON CAN WALK AWAY A CONTENTED MAN AS HE REFLECTS WITH RIP NICHOLSON.
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f you’ve seen the candid 2004 DVD, The Dehumanizing Process, or its follow-up, Coming Alive, you’ll be aware that despite experiencing their share of inner-band turmoil, metallers Chimaira thrive on their brotherhood. Therefore, it was a shock that in a relatively short period, bassist Jim LaMarca, drummer Andols Herrick and electronics man Chris Spicuzza all left their ranks. Drum suggests to vocalist Mark Hunter that their best music has always channelled their own frustration and anger, as was the case on 2007’s mighty Resurrection and dark, brooding new disc, The Age Of Hell. “I agree, definitely,” he responds. “I think it produces a feeling in us, this panic, this excitement, all in one and it’s cool, what you can do and how you manipulate the energy.” Despite the lineup changes, it’s perhaps been overlooked that the sextet’s core, its three songwriters – Hunter and guitarists Rob Arnold and Matt DeVries – are still on board. Thus, their new album still sounds distinctively them. “It was more us showing the world that despite everything that can happen you can still do what you want to do, even when things go bad. The point was to make a great record and we tried to do our best to do that. Despite what happened, we didn’t let that hold us back. I think that if more people applied those things to their lives and were able to find the positives out of the negatives, then that might help them get through things. We knew that it would be okay from the get-go and we had no fear. There was no hesitation.” So, what have new members – bassist Emil Werstler, sticksman Austin D’Amond and keyboardist Sean Zatorsky – brought to the dance? “They’re amazing. Great energy, great attitude, very positive, excited and all of that translates into the performance.” He’s also reflective when asked if he’s maintained friendships with his trio of ex-bandmates, admitting no journalist had asked him that question yet. “Not as well as I would have liked to. But certain things in these situations, all they require is time. It’s best for us to
just go away diplomatically, like a cool-down period. It’s not like things were left on bad terms, it’s just, ‘we’ve been around each other for a very long time, let’s take a break’.” Having six albums and numerous world tours under their belt, Drum asks what goals Chimaira have left to achieve. “I’d like to enjoy the positives of it for once. I think we’ve always been artists that kind of focus on the negatives and a lot of bands get really trapped in that – and we definitely have. I’ve been awakened to that. So I’d like to spend some years doing this and just having fun with it, not stressing over the petty things that just infect a band like cancer. It could be anything, from silly band arguments to the industry fucking you. I think it’s imperative to just move on from that; so many people I know focus on the negative things and I just don’t get it. I look forward to turning this band back around into something extremely positive. I’d like to enjoy the time with these guys. When things get you down, sometimes you lose sight of what your goals or who you are, when it gets that dark.” A popular fixture on these shores, the band will return to Australia for Soundwave 2012. “I’m really excited to be part of that, with so many bands that are my favourite bands – Meshuggah, Slipknot, Lamb Of God and Machine Head. We’ve only really tapped the surface over there; I think this show will put us into another category and that’s exciting.” WHO Chimaira WHAT The Age Of Hell (3Wise/Sony) WHEN & WHERE Sunday 26 February, Soundwave
efore he leaves us for good, the path that Jason ‘Reason’ Shulman has blazed becomes ever more apparent with every new hip hop joint stamped into the history of Australian music. Fifteen years ago one MC led an assault of Aussie rap and gave us an American franchise reared strictly on home soil, representing our own struggles and poetic renaissance of expression. On his final exit, new album, Window Of Time, pieces together one man’s legacy and the inward paths to furthering hip hop on our own home turf, for our own identity. Shulman created a distinction from the trend of rap music that infiltrated the early development of Australian hip hop. He persevered against the grain and nurtured a new wave of local dialect, cutting the umbilical from the American accent and covenants that were ready-laid in uniform. From the once-dubbed ‘Occa-rap’ to the strength of real-talk rap that is widely acknowledged and celebrated on a mainstream level currently, this was an issue that once tortured the plight of pioneering artists like Shulman. But today, the way the art has blossomed, he is at peace with all the dialects and enunciation that permeate within our culture. “It’s something that frustrates me particularly for the last five years. The very core of Australian hip hop scene still stands true to its value, but that concept of making music to the masses has evolved now to where some people are taking it to a place where I don’t believe is not worthy of Australian hip hop. “Fifteen years ago there was a group of us who were staunch and totally against this concept of rapping with an American accent. We thought this was a place where we could truly develop a sound that is Australian. We tried our hardest in so many different ways to ensure that these people would eventually disappear. And they didn’t. So, we have learned to coexist. We accepted that there are other types of hip hop from this country and ‘nuff respect to those who have stuck with it. I haven’t got any issues with it now. Fifteen years ago, I found it hard to deal with.”
to pursue his career, family life and the workshops of which he remains dedicated. “I wanna walk out on a high. All the time and effort that I have invested into this scene, all the passion that I’ve shown, that that’s still in my heart and proud of my achievements and the achievements of my peers across the country. “All the people that I can comfortably say I gave a first break to, who are now not only my contemporaries, but stand strong as icons of Australian hip hop. I remember taking Bias B on his first across-state tour, Pegasus on his first back-up show. I’m blessed to have been a part of this development. They could have chosen other paths but chose to blaze further into hip hop and I’m proud to be involved with that history.” Behind him, the Australian hip hop scene stands in A1 health and Shulman, a forefather of this movement and much more than an MC, can now walk away, content with his life’s work and contribution. “It’s been so worth it,” confides Shulman. “Sometimes in my own quiet little world I think about how far Australian hip hop has come to right now and if there was a hidden camera in the ceiling it would see this old fella sitting in the corner with a massive smile on his face. He hasn’t lost his marbles, he’s just really proud of where we’re at.”
As one of the oldest in the culture, Shulman leaves
WHO Reason WHAT Window Of Time (Obese) WHEN & WHERE Thursday 8 December, Factory Theatre
DIRECT FROM AUSTIN TEXAS, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AUSTRALIA
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KING & BONNEVILLE COLE TIDE STRANGER
TOURING NOVEMBER 2011 Thursday 24 BRASS MONKEY CRONULLA
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FRI 18 505 SYDNEY
special guests LUCIE THORNE + BILL CHAMBERS | www.venue505.com
SAT 19 HERITAGE HOTEL BULLI
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special guest BILL CHAMBERS | www.heritagehotel.com.au
Saturday 26 & Sunday 27 MULLUM MUSIC FESTIVAL
SUN 20 CLARENDON GUESTHOUSE KATOOMBA special guest BILL CHAMBERS | www.clarendonguesthouse.com.au
www.mullummusicfestival.com
THUR 24 – SUN 27 MULLUM MUSIC FESTIVAL RAY is making 4 appearances | www.mullummusicfestival.com NEW ALBUM BAD MANS BLOOD OUT NOW ON RED HOUSE RECORDS www.raybonneville.com | www.redhouserecords.com
• 50 • THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011
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BRINGING OVER FOUR DECADES OF MUSICAL EXPERIENCE TO THE STAGE, THE SIBLINGS WHO CALL THEMSELVES THE POINTER SISTERS ARE STILL EXCITED. RUTH POINTER GIVES LIZ GIUFFRE THE RUNDOWN ON A FAMILY AFFAIR.
AFTER CUTTING BACK ON THE BOOZE, CHILDREN OF BODOM SHREDDER ALEXI “WILDCHILD” LAIHO IS ENJOYING A CLEARER OUTLOOK, AS BRENDAN CRABB LEARNS.
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uth Pointer has been in music for over 40 years. Along with sister Anita, The Pointer Sisters have made discos dance with songs like I’m So Excited, Neutron Dance and Jump (For My Love) and now return to the stage with a no apologies, just hits concert. “We’ve been doing a show that’s been made up of our hits and that’s what we’re bringing,” Ruth Pointer begins. “We don’t have a lot of dancers and circus acts and all that, fireworks and all that, we just bring a lot of energy. And our audiences range from babies to grandmas and grandpas and every night there’s a family onstage. I’ve got my sister, my daughter, my granddaughter too. My daughter [Issa] left for a while to have a baby and when she left my granddaughter [Sadako Johnson] stepped in and she’s great. She’s 27 years old and she’s just so energetic and when I look at her I think, ‘Okay, that’s what I used to do.’ She’s just a joy to have up there. I think, ‘Did I ever move like that?’” she laughs. “We’re not working on new things so much, we have experienced that where you play something new and then it just falls flat, so we figure, if it hasn’t been a hit that everybody knows, then maybe they don’t want to hear it. I mean, it would have to blow you out of the water to be good, but even then. We play songs that were recorded by other artists as well, we pay homage to them, but we also just play songs we like too.” As you’d expect, the group has seen a lot change in the music industry since they started. While Pointer simply offers “eat good and keep yourself fit and musically, just try to get a bit of everything” as the secret to longevity, she’s also real about some of the issues that have plagued those in the older guard of the business. “There’s a fine line but you know, everything’s been done, everything’s been done before and you have to be unique enough to take what you’ve heard and enhance it and make it something new without it being exactly a carbon copy. But hey, why not? But as long as you’re not using the actual recording. If you’re using the actual recording, then compensate the person you got it from,
it’s only fair,” she says, describing the balance between homage, piracy and influence. While Pointer is happy (excited, definitely) that her music retains a currency for audiences and new artists, like many of her contemporaries she’s also had to be wary of being taken advantage of. “[Still gaining the attention of new artists is] flattering, and it was a little surprising at first, but once they got all the particulars, the legal particulars, straightened out, then it’s flattering and it keeps the music evolving and going on forever. The kids are very creative.” The Pointer Sisters have become tied to pop and disco; however, some of their first musical experiences were with gospel. While they’ve not formalised this connection professionally, it’s an association Ruth Pointer is happy to maintain – but her professional hesitation to formally branch into gospel is one of business and giving the people what they want. “Our fans are so faithful and love what we do so much that we haven’t taken the time to explore it and sometimes it can confuse an audience. But I used to do a gospel song in a big show that we used to do in Las Vegas, as a part of a huge show that we filled up and at times I sang and dressed myself up like my mum with a big church fan and church hat and all that and did the big shout and it was fun. Vegas – you just have to make it bigger than life!”
WHO The Pointer Sisters WHEN & WHERE Monday, Royal Theatre; Wednesday 16 November, Enmore Theatre; Saturday 19, EVAN Theatre
UNIQUE AND TASTY
The Stepkids’ recently released debut self-titled effort earned them quite a bit of praise. It seemed as though they may have been right in that no one else was doing what they were and it was a hit. But despite the seemingly retro nature of their music, Edinberg is quick to point out that their efforts to create something different doesn’t mean they looked at one section of music history and emulated it. “We think of ourselves as having a very wide variety of influences and we just chose a few specifics to focus on for one album… We don’t really think our sound is retro, even if, yes, there are a couple of sounds of that era, we’re always consciously trying to combine at least two or three unique influences that we thought no one had combined before.” So the influences vary, with Edinberg claiming that as well as artists like Sun Ra, the band has channelled “a lot” of contemporary classical music and rock – “Bowie and T. Rex were a very big part of the record as well.” Everything about The Stepkids seems to be a fusion of old and new. They recorded the album on a four-track cassette recorder before going off to buy a reel-to-reel. “We started experimenting with it and we found that if • 52 • THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011
As much as they love living the touring life to the fullest and their high-octane metal is filled with frenetic guitar/ keyboard histrionics and furious energy, Children Of Bodom are also adored for wacky cover selections. The likes of Kenny Rogers, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Billy Idol sit alongside Iron Maiden, Sepultura and Slayer in their recorded history. However, Relentless Reckless Forever arguably tops them all for silliness, featuring a bonus track version of Eddie Murphy’s
Said covers are unlikely to make it into the setlist during their upcoming Australian tour though. “We’ve got fucking seven studio albums out, it’s impossible to fit everything we would like to play in one setlist. We try to change it every once in a while, but we’re going to play stuff from the new album, four or five songs. But we also try to play stuff from each album, so there’s going to be equally old and new stuff mixed together.” WHO Children Of Bodom WHEN & WHERE Saturday, Big Top Luna Park
UK BEAT BOOM SURVIVORS THE MOODY BLUES ARE STILL DETERMINED TO PUT ON THE BEST SHOW THEY CAN FOR YOU, AS DRUMMER GRAEME EDGE TELLS MICHAEL SMITH.
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When the initial project was completed the trio felt it “didn’t break enough ground”; that it wasn’t “really different”. “After we did that, really, in a conscious effort to be different, we honed in on this sound. We didn’t think that anyone was doing Funkadelic, Hardway Connection, a whole lot of bands like that – we didn’t think anybody had been paying them tribute in a modern way.”
The effects of excess took their toll mentally and physically – and were played out publicly via the media – so it was inevitable they would have a sizeable impact on the band’s seventh and latest album, Relentless Reckless Forever. “Well, I guess it did a lot. But when I went to the hospital all that shit happened actually after the album was already recorded and written. But self-destructive behaviour was one of the topics that I’ve wrote a lot of songs about. I think there’s a lot of that [on the album], as far as the lyrical content.”
Party All The Time. When asked about it, the frontman chuckles. “At that point it was hard for us to make a cover that would shock people or even come as a surprise. What are you going to do after covering Britney Spears? There’s nothing you can do to shock people after that,” he laughs. “Somebody just came up with the idea to do the Party All The Time song, ‘cause I don’t know why, but in the studio, the video was just like looping over and over. I guess because it’s so fun; it’s a funny video. Then somebody just came up with the idea that we should just cover that and I thought it was a good choice.” Has anyone ever turned the tables and tried their hand at a Bodom song? “No, actually. I saw one band playing a track live, but I’ve never heard any bands actually recording any covers.”
POETRY AND STRINGS
THE STEPKIDS’ BASSIST AND KEYBOARD PLAYER, DAN EDINBERG, TELLS LIZ GALINOVIC HOW THE BAND HONED IN ON AN OLD SOUND TO CREATE A CONTEMPORARY ONE.
efore they became The Stepkids and began delivering a mix of soul, funk and jazz that sounds as though it swaggered straight out of the ‘60s, Dan Edinberg (bass, keyboard), Jeff Gitelman (guitar) and Tim Walsh (drums) produced an entirely different album together. “It was more like an indie rock type thing,” Edinberg says. “We were really influenced by Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, Fleet Foxes and we still are to this day but more, I think, in a subtle way.”
t one point my drinking was just, like, way out of control,” Alexi Laiho, guitarist/vocalist for Finnish heavy metal sensations Children Of Bodom, explains candidly. Even a man as renowned for his hard-partying lifestyle as Laiho (he once claimed “drinking is my hobby”) eventually realised that it was all becoming too much. “It just got to the point where it wasn’t fun anymore. One of the reasons was the touring just kept going on and on, the [2008’s] Blooddrunk tour, it was just endless. It just got to the point where I wouldn’t even leave the fucking tour bus unless I would down like five shots of fucking Jameson first. And that wouldn’t even get me drunk; it wouldn’t get me a buzz or anything. That would just make me feel normal, you know? At that point I’m just thinking, ‘This isn’t fun anymore, it’s kind of sad.’ Then I ended up in a hospital… I had like stomach bleeding and stuff like that, just ‘cause of too much drinking and whatnot. So it was just a wake-up call for me that I just have to take care of myself and I need to slow down a little bit, which I did. I still drink and I like to have a good time, but I’m not fucking killing myself like I was at that one point.”
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we played what we felt was a standard soul groove, it somehow sounded more unique and tasty coming off the tape.” This then influenced their whole recording process, with Edinberg saying that they wrote a whole bunch of songs specifically because of the sound of the tape. “So we tracked everything to tape and then we would record digitally so we could edit digitally.” In order to enhance the psychedelic nature of their live shows, the trio employed the services of Jessie Mann to create a projection show to go with it. The band performs in white clothing, with white instruments and a white backdrop, effectively becoming the projection canvas themselves, while Mann designed a unique projection set for every song. Musos from way back, in high school the trio were making a living as session musicians on the jazz circuit in Connecticut, going on to have impressive musical careers as individuals. Perhaps because of this, the Stepkids project is entirely collaborative. “We write lyrics and melody together. We just agree on a lyrical concept and then we’ll write an entire song individually and then we might pick one person’s verse or one person’s chorus. We’re constantly vetting and criticising each other’s lyrics.” Despite their successful history, Edinberg gives the impression that this project is a highlight. “We literally put our whole lives into every single song and we couldn’t rest until it was done. We couldn’t even pick which song we wanted as a single because every single one was so dear to us.” WHO The Stepkids WHAT The Stepkids (Stones Throw/Fuse) WHEN & WHERE Friday 27 January, Keystone Festival Bar
ne of the most successful groups to emerge from the British beat boom of the ‘60s, having sold more than 70 million albums worldwide, The Moody Blues were one of the first pop bands to successfully fuse their sound with classical music. They kicked off a remarkable run of seven albums in 1967 with Days Of Future Passed and effectively ended with 1972’s Seventh Sojourn, though they continued to record and release albums until 2003’s December. They also continue to tour, albeit in a regenerated form around the three remaining original members, singer and guitarist Justin Hayward, bass player John Lodge and drummer Graeme Edge. While the other members of the classic line-up, which also featured singer, songwriter and flautist Ray Thomas and keyboards player Michael Pinder, were all contributing songs, Edge found himself the band’s default poet, contributing pieces that Pinder would recite as the band played. “That’s the way it worked out, but I was actually trying to write a lyric for a song,” Edge explains, on the line from his home in Florida. “We were doing Days Of Future Passed at the time and the theme of it was midnight to midnight – one day sort of thing – and being typical musicians we had plenty of things for the afternoon and John had Peak Hour and Justin had Nights In White Satin and [Thomas’] Twilight Time and all those songs, we were kind of thin on the ground from dawn through till midday,” he laughs, “not having a lot of experience of it. “So I was trying to write a song that would both cover that and the evening. When I presented this lyric to the boys to see if they wanted to put a song to it, they took a look at it and said, ‘It’s just too wordy, you can’t sing that many words [laughs].’ Then they said, ‘Let’s just read it as a poem and put it on there with music behind it,’ and everybody brought a little music and I spoke it out and they said, ‘Yeah, that’ll work,’ but then they got Mike to say it because his voice was a little throatier than mine at the time, a much
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deeper, browner voice and I got the bookends of the album!” While Edge did eventually manage to simplify the poetry enough to contribute the odd song, his poetry became as much a part of the Moody Blues sound as the Mellotron they used to cart around to recreate the orchestral arrangements Peter Knight and producer Tony Clarke devised for them in the studio. These days, with the departure of, first, Pinder in 1978, and then the retirement of Thomas at the end of 2002, the three core members augment the line-up with second drummer Gordon Marshall, who’s been the band some 20 years and filled in for Edge for a tour he missed through injury and stayed; keyboards player Alan Hewitt, Julie Ragins also on keyboards, guitar and vocals and flautist Norda Mullen. Inevitably these days, the live shows focus pretty much on those seven albums released between 1967 and 1972. “There are the four or five that you’ve got to play – Nights In White Satin, Tuesday Afternoon, [I’m Just A] Singer (In A Rock’N’Roll Band), I Know You’re Out There Somewhere and [Your] Wildest Dreams – and then you kind of try and represent… You’ve got two things you’ve got to do – you’ve got to try and represent all of your albums so that everybody gets a track from the album if they can and you’ve also got to construct the show. We do two one-hour spots and within that one hour you’ve got to construct it so you’ve got a beginning, a middle and a proper end so you close with a bang.” WHO The Moody Blues WHEN & WHERE Friday, State Theatre
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THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011 • 53 •
HOMEMADE POP
SONGS ON FILM
HUSKY ARE OBVIOUSLY DOING SOMETHING RIGHT, SO MICHAEL SMITH CHATS WITH HUSKY GAWENDA AND EVAN TWEEDIE TO UNCOVER WHAT IT’S TAKEN TO ACHIEVE THAT.
A RELUCTANT SOLO ARTIST, LACHLAN BRYAN IS STILL VERY MUCH IN THE WILDES HE TELLS MICHAEL SMITH.
T
he last time Drum spoke to Melbourne singer/ songwriter Lachlan Bryan, it was back in March for the release of an EP, Unfortunate Rose, he’d released with his band The Wildes. Bryan still feels much more comfortable hiding behind a band and The Wildes are still very much a going concern – in fact the band all share a house together – but along the way, he found himself with a group of songs that were really something other than Wildes songs.
O
ver the past six months alone, Melbourne fourpiece Husky have done national tours with Jinja Safari and Kimbra and picked up plum supports for overseas visitors Devendra Banhart and Noah & The Whale, all before releasing their debut album, Forever So, which itself has made a very respectable entry into the ARIA charts in the weeks since its release. Husky create a gentle, reflective kind of pop awash with the sweetest harmonies, something that was central to the whole process of making the album. “It probably starts out with our influences,” singer and guitarist Husky Gawenda explains, “which are the usual I guess sort of sixties and seventies classic songwriters and bands, a lot of which had the sort of California sound, the California harmonies – the Beach Boys and Crosby Stills & Nash and Neil Young. Paul Simon’s another influence definitely and the songs that I write and we’ve written, firstly there’s quite a strong focus on the lyrics, so I suppose that naturally means that you have to give the lyrics some space, so that more gentle approach probably suits that better. “The songs themselves direct the way that we approach them to a large extent. We produced ourselves and recorded and engineered almost all of it ourselves as well, so going into the recording we talked about really wanting to do things based on what the songs require, rather than trying to create some sort of sound for the sake of it because we have a sound in mind. “Then the recording process and the headspace that we got into really dictated a lot of the songs and how they were written and the themes became very strong, I think, as the process went on. I think they’re pretty obvious, some of the themes, like time, memories and the ghosts of one’s past, but it’s hard to pinpoint exactly where that came from. It’s something that’s often written about, memories and time gone by. It’s a human condition.” The quality of the resulting album is even more surprising when you consider the band recorded it in their own makeshift studio in a backyard bungalow and their penchant for creating all manner of tinkly sounds.
“That’s also what happens when you record at home,” Gawenda admits. “You might not have access to all sorts of expensive instruments, but you have access to pots and pans and old Casio keyboards that you’ve had in your closet for ten years.” “The best creativity comes from boundaries,” bass player Evan Tweedie adds. “Sometimes you need some homestyle cooking to be able to create that feel that speaks to people.” “It’s happening a lot these days,” Gawenda continues. “People are recording at home and you’re finding all sorts of weird sounds. I think that’s a good thing but it’s also a trap because you can get carried away with recording all sorts of things because you can. It’s knowing when to stop and when a part is adding something to the song or it’s just there for the sake of it. That was something we had in mind and that was also something that Noah [Georgeson], who mixed the album [at the House of Blues Studios in LA] helped with. He knew when to say when a part wasn’t doing anything for the song.” WHO Husky WHAT Forever So (Liberation) WHEN & WHERE Thursday, Clarendon Guesthouse; Friday, Northern Star; Saturday, The Standard; Sunday, Brass Monkey; Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 November, Mullum Music Festival; Friday 30 December, Peats Ridge Festival; Sunday 5 February, Laneway
ELECTRIC FOLK
“While I wrote Valenteen and Marry Me quite early on, but Noël was probably the song that made me think that the album was going to be quite different from the last one [2008’s Eden Land]. But I suppose those three songs still sit in that early folk tradition. I don’t understand how that happened – I think it must be an ancestral memory,” she laughs. “I’ve got a lot of northern English in me, even though I’m eighth-generation Australian! “Unlike my second album, which was thematically very uniform, I think these songs are about a real wide range of things. There are songs about love and time, like Valenteen, plus songs about conceptual stuff, like Noël, which is kind of about, you know, I had a bit of a disappointment in my life around that time and my career and this was my way of reminding myself that I didn’t get to see where that path went, but it doesn’t matter, I can just be dazzled by other things to worry too much about it. Then there are just very simple devotional songs, so there’s a whole range of themes on there.” And then there’s Australia, full of scathing observations • 54 • THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011
The recording Bryan mentions is the debut solo album he’s still in the process of making with producer and guitarist Rod McCormack up on the Central Coast, the first fruit of which is the single, Fly By Night. “Rod and I only met at the start of this year and I really didn’t know much about his work. I’m not really in with the country music scene in Australia and that’s probably a good thing in a way; maybe he was pleased about that too. We just started talking and he has a label [Core], which he’s used so far to work with established country acts in Australia, including his wife [Gina Jeffries] and a couple of others, but his intention in starting the label had been to do a bit of artist development work for some newer faces and singer/songwriters. “Sharing some music it seemed like we were pretty keen on making the same sort of record. I started to listen to some of the work he’d done and particularly liked the
Bryan still isn’t entirely sure that Fly By Night will actually be included on the forthcoming album and its genesis is certainly different from anything else he’s written. “It actually had to do with an idea that Sean Genders, my friend that does our videos, had for a short film that he was making – and that short film has actually ended up being incorporated in the video clip for the song. So I kind of wrote the song based on the story that he was trying to tell. No one’s actually seen the film yet apart from the few scenes that are in the video, but I guess it was just the idea of trying to interfere in the love life of an ex is the general perspective the song has. I’ve written songs for films before and it’s really hard to know whether you should just literally tell the story or do something approximate and vaguely along the lines and I guess that’s what’s happened with this one; we’ve told it vaguely along the same lines.” WHO Lachlan Bryan WHAT Fly By Night (Core Music/Sony) WHEN & WHERE Thursday, Sandringham Hotel; Friday, Heritage Hotel; Saturday, The Vault; Sunday, Newtown Festival (arvo), Grand Junction Hotel (evening); Saturday 19 November, Canberra Country Music Festival (arvo); The Front (evening)
SOMETIMES THE STARS JUST SEEM TO ALIGN AND EVERYTHING FALLS INTO PLACE. SINGER/SONGWRITER ELI WOLFE TELLS MICHAEL SMITH ALL ABOUT HIS BIT OF SERENDIPITY.
Y
ou might recall the face and that defiant shock of blond hair, the man whose travelling as Eli Wolfe has a whole new story to tell. It begins last year with an eight month, 80 show solo national tour he dubbed Community Australia, which spawned an eponymous debut album and a series of the most fortuitous chance meetings.
“I
All this is a propos of course of Laura Jean’s latest album, A Fool Who’ll, which carries elements of all of the above, particularly, on some songs that taste for the music of the Renaissance, particularly the song Valenteen.
As it happens, the rest of The Wildes – Shaun Ryan on bass and Mat Duniam on drums – are still part of the solo action. “We just like travelling and touring together, and we’re, like, best mates. They didn’t do the recording but I guess it’s given those guys a different perspective on playing different parts they wouldn’t necessarily have written themselves. So it’s been really interesting from that perspective.”
Paul Kelly album that he made a few years ago, Foggy Highway. I liked how it all sounded like it was done in one take and really organically, so it seemed like a good match. Plus he can really play the banjo!”
IT’S TIME
LAURA JEAN MAY BE IN LOVE RIGHT NOW WITH HER YELLOW GIBSON SG ELECTRIC GUITAR, BUT AS SHE ASSURES MICHAEL SMITH, HER NEW ALBUM IS STILL VERY MUCH FOLK ACOUSTIC.
grew up hearing a lot of folk music,” Melbourne singer/songwriter Laura Jean outlines, explaining how she came to be so imbued by the folk aesthetic long before it became de rigueur. “The Silly Sisters was one of my mother’s favourite bands and they do all modern English trad songs. I think that gave me a grounding from a baby and then I always liked renaissance kind of music, choir music and stuff. I was never into Bob Dylan or the folkie – I probably got into that later on, in my twenties. By then I had my idols like Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and Gillian Welch and PJ Harvey and people like that, strong singer/ songwriters I guess.”
“The songs weren’t really lending themselves to the sort of bar band that The Wildes was becoming and that we wanted it to become – and still do,” Bryan admits. “I guess I felt like the band was being manipulated to suit the kinds of songs that I was writing and we weren’t necessarily the right band for that. So the end result is that when we do Wildes stuff, it’ll be more what the Wildes are good at.”
about the way we see ourselves, with lines like “Europe and the Americans send their artists down here to vent/ I’m afraid to sing in my own accent”. “Yeah, that’s a whole other kettle of fish,” Laura Jean agrees with a chuckle. “I’ve had people tell me to downplay my accent. I mean, it’s okay if you’re doing rock or you’re a bloke or whatever, but if you’re someone who’s a bit more niche like me, a bit arty, then yeah, the Aussie accent thing isn’t encouraged, you know, because Australia isn’t seen as a place where high art is made. It’s seen as a backwater still by most of the world and I think that’s disappointing. Some of the most exciting art and music is being made in Australia.” The pastel yellow Gibson SG mentioned above was part of the package of prizes when, in 2009, Laura Jean won an APRA Professional Development Award, which proved the key to making A Fool Who’ll. “I wrote these songs on the acoustic guitar but it wasn’t really working. I could play them on the acoustic guitar and they were nice but I couldn’t hear them. Normally when I play a song I hear the production straight away, so I had to wait for a year or so before I actually grasped how I was going to record it and that’s when I played the electric guitar and I realised that the songs needed to be on that; that’s how they were going to work.” WHO Laura Jean WHAT A Fool Who’ll (Chapter Music) WHEN & WHERE Friday, Petersham Bowling Club
“I already had some songs written and I was writing on the road,” Wolfe explains. “As a body of work, it’s almost like a psychological biography [laughs]. It’s about the beauty, love and the humanity in it, but also that depth of the unknown that we all experience. So there was a whole bunch of these themes that showed themselves as I went along and tied it together as a little journey; the longing and the awesomeness of everything yet the delicateness of sharing. Then in the recording process it was to be acoustic, but I’d make it colourful in the sound textures that were around it. Like there are no traditional drums on it or electric guitar or electric bass.” Which is why the track that’s being presented as a single, Speak Lovingly, features foot organ pedal and, in place of regular percussion, the sound of a washing machine, sink and a plastic wall strip. The song has been released in association with The Line, an Australian Government campaign promoting respectful relationships among young people, making him one the initiative’s musical ambassadors alongside Pez, Lisa Mitchell, Maya Jupiter and Tenielle. “That song was written after a close friend of mine was going through a bit of a hard time with her boyfriend,” Wolfe explains. “She’d ring me up and I’d have to, like, listen and after about seven or eight phone calls she parted ways with this guy who was manipulating her psychologically. Two weeks later the song just popped out and it’s kind of cool, to be birthed like that and to go a greater sharing vibe through The Line. Fortuitously that campaign ties in with the launch tour for the album.” But that’s getting ahead of things. Before that came the
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first of that series of chance meetings, which ultimately saw Wolfe put off the local launch of the album until now. “I did a showcase at the One Movement festival in Perth and that’s where a guy who organises Canadian Music Week invited me to go over to his festival in Toronto earlier this year. Then while we were there, I met a label guy there that put me on a tour with an amazing Canadian guy for a month up through Montreal and Quebec. “Whilst we were over there – and this was a trippy thing – before I got to Canada I got a message from a guy at Fox Studios in LA trying to get in touch with me about a song I’d written about a painting I’d done called Eggman. I thought it was a prank but I rang back and the guy wanted the song for an upcoming episode of Futurama, so after the month in Canada we spent three weeks in LA, met the guys from Fox and did some showcases there as well. “From there we went to Paris for three weeks, staying with the French girl [Carol Nortier] who played flute on the album and I was playing whiskey bars, but before that, back in Montreal in a café I’d met these two German guys who wanted to organise some shows...” Suffice to say, Wolfe ended up touring Germany and then Canada twice more before finally getting the chance to launch his debut album here this week.
WHO Eli Wolfe WHAT Eli Wolfe (MGM) WHEN & WHERE Thursday, Hive Bar; Wednesday 16 November, Lizotte’s Dee Why; Friday 18, Merry Muse
Keystone Festival Bar Hyde Park Barracks Museum. January 8-28. 14 nights | The hottest live bands and DJs January 8
MOUNTAIN MOCHA KILIMANJARO & ELECTRIC EMPIRE January 9
DEERHOOF & DJ YAMANTAKA EYE (THE BOREDOMS) January 11
DAN DEACON ENSEMBLE & JOHN MAUS January 12
SONS AND DAUGHTERS, SONGS & THE LAURELS January 13
FBI NIGHT: SHABAZZ PALACES, TAYLOR MCFERRIN & SHANGAAN ELECTRO January 14
PICNIC: ANDREW WEATHERALL & NEVILLE WATSON January 18
SO FRENCHY SO CHIC: ASA & FEFE January 19
SO FRENCHY SO CHIC: NOUVELLE VAGUE & MORIARTY January 20
FBI NIGHT: TUNE-YARDS & JONTI January 21
THE WHITEST BOY ALIVE & NEW NAVY January 25
MAD RACKET: PEVEN EVERETT January 26
THE PEDRITO MARTINEZ GROUP & WATUSSI January 27
THE STEPKIDS & ELECTRIC WIRE HUSTLE S January 28
FUTURE CLASSIC: DJ KOZE & PRINS THOMAS sydneyfestival.org.au/keystone
THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011 • 55 •
WITH ROSS CLELLAND
ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI W.O.W. Modular It’s still a bit of an adjustment as Architecture In Helsinki even more leaves their primary coloured, primary school singalongs behind for their more grown-up faded blues and greys look and feeling of now. Adding to the differences, this is one of Kellie Sutherland’s plaintive ballads of romantic memory, and quite honest and real, it seems. There’s almost a touch of the dappled sunlight sound here, though the oddly endearing little beeps and pings from their array of old synths takes it a little away from that.
BRIAN ENO/RICK HOLLAND Panic Of Looking Warp/Inertia Much as there is a correct loathing for the word, ‘soundscapes’ are accurately exactly what Eno makes. Another word that inspires fear and loathing is when someone describes themselves as a ‘poet’. But Rick Holland does, and is. Put that all together and this can probably go in the ‘aural art’ column, just to make for a trifecta of descriptive wankery. Just to spoil the cultural reverse snobbery at play here, some of this is quite enveloping and compelling as it drifts in front of your ears. Uncle Brian remains interesting.
SNOWY BELFAST Stones Independent Although actually from rainy Melbourne, there is a touch of Irish folk harmonies abounding here as the story of a relationship in one of those typically slow-motion breakdowns unfolds through Esther Holt’s hoping-against-hope words and vocals. The resigned calm in her voice then gets contradicted by a fizzlingly grumpy fiddle and other noises washing across each other in suitable quiet confusion. That this comes available on olde world 7” vinyl also seems kind of right. They be good at what they do.
BEN LEE
BLACK TUSK
BLUEJUICE
Dew Process/Universal
Relapse/Riot!
Dew Process/Universal
Deeper Into Dream
Set The Dial
Company
You can imagine the boys from Bluejuice getting into a lot of trouble as youngsters, followed by declarations from generous observers that they were simply up to some harmless fun.
On first listen it is as though this is the wrong disc. Like there had been a mix up. But no, it’s Ben Lee, and it’s not to reveal the album’s secrets early. For those fans looking for the instant Ben Lee singalong, there may be a small amount of disappointment. Lee has gone out on a limb on this album to indulge the listener in his quest for truth in dreams. He has also embraced what is commonly referred to as the concept album.
‘Energetic sludge’ may seem to be a contradictory term, but that’s Black Tusk in a nutshell. On their fourth LP, the Savannah Georgia natives churn out dirty bileinfected riffs with a defiant punk edge. This bastard love child of Black Flag, ASG and Eyehategod is a glorious celebration of rock’n’roll, with the primal rhythms of Ender Of All, Carved In Stone and Resistor destined to move pits across the globe.
The songs on Deeper Into Dream are a confusing sprawl, linked by the usual Ben Lee quaint verses and hook-ridden choruses. Even when using a messed-up soundtrack as his backdrop, Lee manages to use his nursery rhyme-like melodies to make the track stick in your mind. The second part of the album is possibly the more interesting side. Glue is where Lee’s production and songwriting come together to create an almost perfect song. Indian Minor, with its ‘80s influences, is another close encounter with the Lee ability to write a hit.
Though they hail from the murky south, Black Tusk have achieved a powerfully taut sound thanks to the skills of producer Jack Endino (Soundgarden and the mercurial High On Fire), who sensibly enough doesn’t try to sanitise the band’s sound with studio wizardry but instead brings just enough clarity to the proceedings for every instrument to breathe in the overall mix. The band’s patented triple-vocal approach is also in full effect and means that each of the album’s ten tracks (barring the instrumental opener) is distinctive in its own right.
It’s been quite a while since the success of Catch My Disease and it’s great to see Lee isn’t trying to just do more of the same on this record. The nerdy character is still evident on these tracks and his overstatement is still there even when discussing his dreams. The concept album is a noble idea that is always difficult to execute.
But best of all is the fact that this is an album that doesn’t outstay its welcome. Clocking in at thirtysomething minutes, Set The Dial knocks the door down, rocks the fuck out and then stumbles drunkenly into the night, leaving raised fists and burst eardrums in its wake. Wrapped up in a sweet John Baizley sleeve, Set The Dial is another entry in a growing canon of must-have metal albums from below the Mason-Dixon line. If you like Baroness, Kylesea, ASG and the mighty Mastodon, then you owe it to yourself to check out the Black Tusk juggernaut.
Sebastian Skeet
Mark Hebblewhite
Monique Cowper
FIONN REGAN
LA DISPUTE
LHA
Heavenly/Cooperative
No Sleep/Shock
Independent
That pretty much sums up their third release, Company. Like its predecessors, this album is full of everything we have come to expect from Bluejuice; bright, vibrant, catchy tunes that will either leave you humming their songs for days or madly trying to erase their memorable hooks from your head. Both of their previous releases have had massive singles in the form of Vitriol and Broken Leg. So far the first single, Act Yr Age, off Company, has been well received and a very Bluejuice video clip has helped that along. It is definitely one of the standout tracks. Opening track, Can’t Keep Up, is a typical cheeky Bluejuice song with lots of great, layered vocals and their sensational signature harmonies, while Cheap Trix has the potential to be another mass crowd pleaser with its infectious chorus line, as does Dressed For Success. There is a little bit of musical experimentation on Company, like the funky I’ll Put You On, which is one of the weaker songs on the album but the more sentimental Aspen, New York and On My Own are a nice change of pace. Bluejuice hasn’t done anything groundbreaking or different on Company, but that’s probably what their fans would expect. They’re a smart band that knows where their strengths lie and stick to them. This is an uplifting set of songs which will do very well at a summer festival, if they don’t exhaust you with their unyielding energy.
JACK ON FIRE Sermons From The Eastern Seaboard Hooked Up With a band name showing the good taste to have been stolen from an old Gun Club tune, the move from Perth to Melbourne has perhaps even further hardened their mood and muse, much of this EP coming with an almost Drones-flavoured gothic folk darkness, though built on the often-haunting female voices of Samantha Wass and/or Kelly Lane. It can seep into an almost swampy stagger in other places, where the banjo underpins Ben Blakeney’s skirl as eyes watch the canoes drift down river.
ROCKETS McBird Creative Vibes A good little band not afraid to be big. Modern in style and substance, though not forcedly so, Rockets – again, such an apt simple name, why had no one thought of it sooner – make a rock song with some anthemic qualities, but manage to make it sound natural rather than just fishing for the support on the next Coldplay tour. The jeans are reasonably tight fitting, but the hair suggests they’ve probably got some old Lynyrd Skynyrd records. That’s the guys Kings Of Leon listened to, kids.
RE:ENACTMENT Higher Duties Paper Street/Lofly Fine, can deal with the ‘Brisbane electro-punkers’ description. ‘Fist-pumping, dance-inducing party tunes’, not so much. What it does have is an insistent drum machine and off-centre voice, which does drive it along like the soundtrack in the cassette player of a 1982 Ford Cortina. On closer inspection it has some frayed edges (much like that 1982 Ford Cortina) and the genuine energy of a band bashing it out in the same room – which apparently they’d never done before, recording-wise. Gents, it’s worked. • 56 • THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011
Wildlife
100 Acres Of Sycamore Fionn Regan’s third album arrives without much fanfare a mere 18 months after his previous record and it sees him slightly shift direction once again. Following the electric folk pop of The Shadow Of An Empire, the Irishman has moved back towards his debut. However, just because 100 Acres… lands closer to the acoustic nature of 2006’s The End Of History, doesn’t mean it is a regression in any way. Bold and lush orchestration compliments the acoustic melodies and reflective narrative on the record. Its opening title track is an emphatic example of this. Atop strings and guitar that create a dramatic atmosphere, Regan proclaims, “If he darkens your doorway/Come and tell me where he resides/Text me or bell me/ Rise up, sister/I’ll make sure he never darkens your doorway again.” It is a stunning start, combining achingly beautiful instrumentation with powerful imagery which flits between romance and menace, dark and light. The album continues in such a fashion, strings sweep and soar but are never overblown, while tracks like Dogwood Blossom pare things back. The album also illustrates what a fine lyricist Regan is. The poetic folk displayed here has intelligent sincerity to it that is reminiscent of Laura Marling. If The Shadow Of An Empire was Regan looking out of the window into the world, this is a clear look in. These slow-burning songs revolve around a central love story that is intimate, captivating and believable. A well-crafted work of sad yet warm beauty, 100 Acres Of Sycamore is Fionn Regan’s finest work to date. It is the kind of album that deserves your full and undivided attention from first note to last. Rob Townsend
La Dispute’s second full-length effort is a daunting album. Clocking in at close to an hour, the fumbled beats before songs proper begin, acoustics – scattered non-descript soundscapes – and relatively raw recording quality lend Wildlife a strange voyeuristic quality. It sounds as though someone has recorded the band without their knowing; it’s personal and incredibly visceral. Producer Andrew Everding and engineer Joe Pedulla captured the album with no artificial reverb, and it shows. More than that, it is the perfect setting for Jordan Dreyer’s stream of consciousness, tortured spoken word delivery. Words, and there is a near endless torrent of them, spill from Dreyer’s mouth, trailing one another. In opener, A Departure, he sings: “I’m not sure I’m even writing this/but I guess it feels right/ it sort of feels like I have to/like an exorcism,” his sentiments encapsulating the band’s nervous energy, the inevitability of their emotional output. The vocals are rarely pitched but peak and trough in the emotion and energy invested in each statement. There are moments, as in A Letter and King Park, where it seems as though he has reached breaking point, like in the company of jangly guitars, he’s completely lost control. Beneath the guitars, often a balanced and twangy duet, sits a menacing rhythm section – similar to that in From Monument To Masses or These Arms Are Snakes – the drums are calculated, complex in rhythm but well-articulated enough to retain impact; the bass flows like blood to the percussive heartbeat. Wildlife is worth every minute, every syllable, every bruised and meandering guitar line. Affecting in the same manner as Relationship Of Command. Dave Drayton
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Split Decision An aptly-named crew, LeeHahn (the ‘L’ and the ‘H’) and Addikal (the ‘A’) have released an aptly-named album. Split Decisions is, in part, a triumph of beatmaking craftsmanship. LH doesn’t put a foot wrong and shines as an example of the difference between a good idea and the realisation of that idea. Addikal is about what’s going on in his head: his love, his search for a muse, his self doubt. The two stand in sharp contrast. One could easily imagine LeeHahn settling into a groove making call-and-response bangers for up and coming crews thirsting for easy airplay. Addikal’s place is not so obvious. He’s private and, occasionally, difficult to access or empathise with. It’s a disappointment because it means we keep our distance from LHA just as we should be dancing with them. At Last is a gem. Keep It Movin’ (the most popular song title in rap) is appealing, though Addikal’s humility contradicts what could have been a reason to turn those speakers up loud. LeeHahn is waving his hands around on the dance floor. Addikal’s inviting us outside for a deep and meaningful conversation. As listeners we’re forced to ask where we’d rather be at the party. It’s not always an easy decision as Addikal proves that “charisma” is a very different thing to “volume” or, indeed, “swagger” but there’s a frustration here as two talented individuals pull us in different directions. So, aptly named as I say, this is a split decision: a considered, expertly constructed set of beats and an intelligent, eloquent host. The two don’t mesh, though. It’s not fatal but it does keep us from wholeheartedly embracing this solid album. James d’Apice
genres, cultures and styles need not exist separately, but when done right, can broaden the scope of sound infinitely. Sevana Ohandjanian
FACT FILE Length: 14 tracks, 48 minutes. Moods: Sophisticated, energetic and daring.
MAYER HAWTHORNE
PETER GABRIEL
DID YOU KNOW
Universal
Warner
• Amongst the many Congolese artists featured on the album are Tout Puissant Mukalo, Bokatola System, Loi X Liberal and Washiba. Some of the artists appear on multiple tracks.
How Do You Do
New Blood
Snoop Dogg on Mayer Hawthorne: “He make great shit.” The Doggfather sought the new-soul singer out for his Mayer Hawthorne G-Mix of Gangsta Luv and returns the favour here on How Do You Do track, Can’t Stop, which he cowrote/coproduced and supplied additional vocals for. If you didn’t know in advance you’d never pick it, but together they create a gangsta’s paradise. The string arrangements throughout How Do You Do are unparalleled. In fact, all of this album’s arrangements flow so seamlessly you couldn’t dream of hearing them any other way: flugelhorn has never sounded so sweet and if you’ve never before heard or embraced the euphonium, head directly to The News. “Additional finger snaps” (supplied by two sets of phalanges, by the way) also score a loving mention in the liner notes. Hawthorne’s music transports you back to a time when gentleman callers knocked on doors with bouquets behind their backs, holding hands counted as a ‘sexual act’ and words such as “dismay” were in common usage. Listen closer though and lyrical content may surprise: “Baby whatcha doin’ now?/You’re pissin’ me off”, “I know you’re tryna be good girl/But you imagine what I’m like in bed.” And why hasn’t anyone ever used the doo-wop BV couplet, “So long/You did me wrong” before? Backing vocals always elevate these songs and human voices are treated as instruments within the final mix. You’d swear Hawthorne discovered a vault of unrecorded Curtis Mayfield demos in his attic, dusting them off for You Called Me: “I used to think I’d be the last man standing from ‘79” – stop kidding around, Hawthorne, you released a 7” on red, heart-shaped vinyl! You know you’ve got game.
The collision of rock music with orchestra can be hit-and-miss. The massed ranks can add depth and gravitas to the music, but equally can just clash and the whole enterprise can drown in a syrup of strings – nobody coming out the better for it. So, it maybe has to be approached in different ways. Recently, the church succeeded at the Opera House by completely recasting some of their songs and nearly everything fitted. Not that he was ever going to ruin it, but Peter Gabriel takes some of the complete rebuild approach, then goes the extra step – doing away with the guitars and drums altogether, making his often-richly layered songs even more classical in nature.
Bryget Chrisfield
Ross Clelland
The results can open songs in whole different ways. Rhythm Of The Heat loses little of its propulsive power, but the strings and things make its heartbeat even more studied and inexorable. Gabriel’s slightly rasped but always plaintive, always feeling, vocals centre it all. The orchestra comes in waves to carry it along, or thankfully can hold back when necessary, letting the songs still breathe. By accident or design, some of Gabriel’s works become almost operatic in nature – San Jacinto an outtake from Carmen, Red Rain sweeping and portentous, Don’t Give Up (Gabriel’s daughter Melanie taking the Kate Bush voice) a duet of familial support rather than the romance of the original. And a final bit of art – A Quiet Moment is five minutes of ambient near-silence recorded on Solsbury Hill no less. Only then do you get the eponymous song, which full-stops a thoughtful and stylish reimagining of one man’s work.
DRC MUSIC
Kinshasa One Two Warp/Inertia
One can only wonder what goes on inside Damon Albarn’s head. That creatively fertile brain has produced a cartoon band, one of the biggest bands of the Britpop era and operas, for a start. Harking back to his Mali Music project, Albarn has gathered some producers, named them DRC Music, and teamed them up with over 50 contemporary Congolese performers to create an Oxfam record to help the charity’s work in the conflict-wracked Congo. Avoiding the clichés of charity album songs that boom with falsely anthemic aspirations, Kinshasa One Two is a spirited, diverse dip into an incredibly unique amalgamation of traditional and modern music; K-Town has a tribal percussive beat but is dusted with hip hop inflection, and Lingala combines a ritualistic voice with beats that are fantastically unbound to genre, yet reminiscent of folktronic dubstep.
• The 14 tracks on the album were recorded in Kinshasa, Congo, across just five days. The album’s purpose was dual – to raise funds for the Congo and the victims of its current situation, and in the words of Oxfam’s DRC country director Pauline Ballaman, to “shine a light on the incredible musical talent coming out of the country”. • This is not the first such project that has been taken on by Albarn – in 2006, he formed Africa Express, a collective of musicians from the US and UK that he flew out to Mali to collaborate with local musicians there. The collective still performs today, having played Glastonbury a couple of times, and also includes artists like Franz Ferdinand and Fatboy Slim among its alumni.
The list of producers involved in this project is some indication as to why the record flits between so many genres with such cohesive energy. Besides Albarn, T-E-E-D (Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs), Dan The Automator, Richard Russell, Marc Antoine and many more have contributed. The driving force, though, is the shivering depth and passion with which the Congolese musicians perform on every song. Kinshaha One Two is an inimitable example of how
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THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011 • 57 •
ONLINE MUSICAL WIN WITH DCR
STATIK SELEKTAH
THE DØ
THE LAST KINECTION
Shock
Cartell/Inertia
Elefant Traks
Population Control
Both Ways Open Jaws
To unseat one’s heroes in your chosen field is a rare achievement, yet for American hip hop producer Statik Selektah it’s close to becoming reality. Inspired by underground legends Pete Rock and DJ Premier, Statik has risen through the ranks to sit as arguably the number one go-to man in the realm of trad-hip hop. The accolades are deserved, as Statik has demonstrated himself amazingly prolific and an untouchable ear for a good loop over the past few years, pumping out endless collaborative efforts with innumerable MCs.
LISTENER The beginning point of this week’s column comes not through a new band that’s getting hyped up in the various buzz blogs we seem to draw from week in, week out, but a duo with an extensive back catalogue that hasn’t released an album in well over a year. A friend directed us to a duo from Atlanta, Georgia – Dan Smith and Christin Nelson – who record music under the name of Listener. They’re currently on a UK tour supporting The Chariot and cite Neutral Milk Hotel, As Cities Burn and mewithoutYou as artists they like. Every line is delivered by vocalist Smith like a preacher delivering his final sermon at the end of days; you can hear the exhaustion pouring out of him like the sweat that flies from his brow as he pleads you listen to his words, his gospel. It’s rap as if it was born from the freight hoppers of the Deep South, punk stripped back to its very essence. Smith’s clearly enamoured with Henry Rollins; he’s a little less angry but certainly no less passionate, his songs a rallying call to those seeking authenticity in their lives, driving themselves further and further away from the suffocating quicksands of technology. Listener’s videos are all shot beautifully, with late afternoon sunshine filtering through each and every one of them, burning them into warm familiarity, offering us nostalgia and lulling us into reverie. There are a lot of videos on their website with multiple versions of many of them, from official cuts to Take Away Show-worthy live recordings, and whilst there is deep-set sincerity throughout there are also moments of humour. For example, in the video for Building Better Bridges the duo presents a song, set in a stately Parisian villa, to an old French lady who sits listening and sipping her tea, only to declare at the end of the video, “I don’t understand a thing.” Boom. But the first song that really grabbed our attention (and we mean really, inasmuch as it still hasn’t let go in the week since discovering it) was a stunning monologue called Wooden Heart. It’s simple and raw and emotional and pretty damn special stuff, the dirt and dust of a life lived hard coating each and every lyric exploding out of Smith with as much conviction as Daniel Day-Lewis (the similarities between Daniels Smith and Day-Lewis don’t just end there, too, as you’ll discover when you view their videos). The imagery is rugged, tough – wandering across the Appalachian Mountains in the harsh summer sun, endless roads long worn away by tyres and the midday heat. Their latest album – released in 2010 – is called Wooden Heart, and can be downloaded for a mere $7 through listener.bandcamp.com, where you can purchase their entire back catalogue. In brief: David Lynch, David Lynch, David Lynch. Where to begin? He’s been releasing Twin Peaks music previously unheard outside of the actual TV series – which is available to purchase through davidlynchmusic.com – and then there’s his Crazy Clown Time album of bluesy tunes, which’d be weird if it wasn’t so evocative of Crispin Glover’s foray into music in 1989 (post-Back To The Future), The Big Problem Does Not Equal the Solution, The Solution Equals Let It Be, which contained the immortal classic, Clowny Clown Clown. It’s probably no surprise that two of Hollywood’s weirdest are into clowns. Lynch, though, has also released a mix tape, which is up on Pitchfork if you’re keen for a listen and contains the sort of music you’d expect from a Lynchian playlist – plenty of rock’n’roll and sweet ’60s sounds – but also stuff like James Blake (what?) and Gnarls Barkley. It’s an eclectic listen, that’s for sure. • 58 • THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011
Following on from last year’s slamming 100% Proof: The Hangover, for Population Control, Statik again calls on a cavalcade of rappers and singers to ply their trade over his lush, soulful beats. Continuing his love affair with ‘90s East Coast hip hop, Statik consistently digs up horns Pete Rock would be proud of, in particular on the party-starting Sam Jack with XV, Jon Connor and Daytona and luxurious Gold In 3D with STS and Dosage. Calling on some of the hottest new talent from all over the States, Statik provides tracks to suit; Southerner Big K.R.I.T receives some smooth, early Outkast vibes while Westsider Dom Kennedy gets a synth-heavy beat perfect for the drop top. Continuing to mix it up, They Don’t Know with Pill and Reks is heavily reggae-inspired while the smooth, jazzy New York New York helps Styles P sound as good as he ever has.
While their debut album, A Mouthful, reached the number one spot in France, The Dø perhaps isn’t especially well-known outside of Europe. With the release of a hugely adventurous second long-player, they’re clearly looking to take the next step and go truly global. Their self-produced second album is a broad, bold, diverse, eclectic affair. Just when you think you’ve got a handle on The Dø’s sound, Both Ways Open Jaws leaps somewhere else. For instance, Too Insistent is sweet indie pop, Wicked And Blind mixes fuzzy alt-electro with sweeping orchestration, The Calendar is folky and quirky and Slippery Slope sees the band fuse tribal drums, an M.I.A. flavour and the kind of party vibe that makes Friendly Fires seem reserved. Dan Levy proves himself to be quite the instrumentalist, playing, among other things, sax, trumpet, harpsichord and piano, while the emotional range in Olivia Merilahti’s vocal is also very impressive. She is measured and pretty on opener, Dust It Off, primal on Gonna Be Sick! and comes across all Joanna Newsom on The Calendar.
Next Of Kin
Flawed but not fatally so, Next Of Kin is an engaging second album from The Last Kinection and our chance to get better acquainted with one of the best rappers in the country. The whole here, as with all successful collaborations, is greater than the sum of its parts: straightforward catchy melodies, neat production, good – occasionally transcendent – rapping. With Nay’s presence on the microphone and Weno’s and Jaytee’s skill doing the heavy-lifting on the boards, this is one of the more impressive releases to come out of the country this year. It’s well worth the price of entry and is immediately canonical if only for its social and political significance, let alone its musical excellence. Not without its limitations, Next Of Kin opens with a statement of intent: too few Aboriginal Australians who have enjoyed some success working in The System are opening doors for others. Next Of Kin, then, is a furious tirade against this attitude. It is liberally peppered with Aboriginal rappers who, otherwise, would not have enjoyed this level of exposure. Sadly, aside from some notable exceptions like Briggs and Trials, the guests pale in comparison to Nay and detract from the overall experience. Nay’s politics are also problematic. On the one hand she pleads, “If you could only walk a day in my shoes…” but a few songs later uses the word “gay” as an insult (but “not in a ‘you like boys’ kind of way”, she explains.) She seeks from her audience the sort of empathy for her situation that she refuses to show the gay and lesbian community.
Though several tracks on Population Control fail to hit and a couple of the MC pairings sound forced, Talib Kweli and M.O.P.’s Lil Fame for instance, there remains no doubt Statik Selektah is an incredible talent with the potential to become one of the great hip hop producers.
Its diversity of sound, coupled with the fact that it has a running time of almost an hour, means that Both Ways Open Jaws is somewhat hard to wrap your head around at first. But while it is a lot to take in, it’s certainly worth the effort. What it lacks in obvious cohesion it makes up for in invention and ambition and there are enough fine tunes and joie de vivre here to suggest The Dø will be bothering the charts on these shores as well as at home.
Darren Collins
Rob Townsend
James d’Apice
TIM FREEDMAN
WATERS
WOODEN SHJIPS
Sony
Spunk
Thrill Jockey/Fuse
Out In The Light
Australian Idle
Putting The Whitlams’ brand name on well-deserved long service leave, Freedman reverses some of the usual conventions when the singer starts using his own name. Rather than looking inward and spilling his heart and guts – which he’s done at points on the band’s albums anyway – he mostly tells stories: some real, some cobbled together from barstool conversations. While some are told in the first person, they might not be actually confessional. Some of the music is just bigger. Freedman’s regard for old-school piano-driven storytellers of wit – notably Randy Newman – comes through. It’s the album of a (mostly) contented man. A jauntiness pervades. Even in the opening Old Man, where a very Australian approach to fighting cancer is taken – i.e. just cut the bugger out. Or his take on Billy Field’s moment of melancholy glory, You Weren’t In Love With Me, which becomes more a shrugged ‘fuck you’ as he drives away.
Van Pierszalowski, formerly of Port O’Brien, decided to get a new band together and draft the ever-excellent producer John Congleton in after a year filled with travelling, rediscovering his muse in the process. The results are what you’d expect – snappy, overdriven pop songs. The emphasis is on the simple beauty bursting from the hairy fuzz atop it all. In fact, The Thermals spring to mind as chords slam through a slight haze of lo-fi tape. For The One sounds huge, the title track is a chiming, hummable bluster and Abridge My Love is an addictive three-chord anthem. Ones You Had Before and Mickey Mantle are acoustic, world-weary numbers. The latter is a gorgeous way of closing the album – a wistful, piano-plucking lullaby. But it’s the brash, trashysounding tunes like Back To You – Pierszalowski’s howling voice careening over the top – that you lust for in subsequent listens.
The songs are approachable pop for grown-ups. He’s still able to find the hook or a title that well sets a mood – Back When We Were Beautiful, or Are You A Dreamer? for instance. Not so much a mid-life crisis record, but a look back and around, with a bash at the keyboard as if to try and prove the title, There’s Life In Old Boy Yet. Yeah, could be.
It’s probably an unremarkable album, but only in the same way that the aforementioned Portlanders make unremarkable albums; the fresh slap in the face of something so snug in its own parameters, so perfectly similar that it’s like an old friend you’ve just met. How does it not get boring and forgettable? It’s raw; you believe Pierszalowski has really invigorated himself and his output, and the dustbag strewn across the record suggests an unfussy and urgent need to get these songs down on tape. It’s believable, making a virtue of a pop melody and using it constantly against roaring guitars. Really, there’s nothing more that needs adding to the record at all. Originality is not a concern here – few records are able to make so much out of so little.
Ross Clelland
Brad Barrett
He may have grown up a bit – a child’s love sneaks in occasionally - but there’s still room for the occasional one-liner or bit of smartarsery. Peter Brown’s eye on an ‘eccentric’ (that’s the kind word) acquaintance opens with “he’s not an alcoholic, but the ice never melts”.
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Great? Yes. Imperfect? Like most things: yes. Next Of Kin nonetheless deserves a place in our hearts and in our playlists.
West
San Francisco psych lords Wooden Shjips have had a great run of releases so far with no misfires among the albums, EPs and compilations they have issued since forming back in 2006. West is the band’s fifth album and finds them shifting into a cleaner, more concise musical space. Sure, all their trademark signifiers like the droning organ, krautrock drumming, ambivalent vocals and fuzzed-out guitars are still there, but the production and sharper song editing provides a fresh angle on the band. Opener, Black Smoke Rise, sets the scene with a narcotic nod to droning psychedelic rock and predecessors like BRMC and Jesus & Mary Chain. It hits a groove and sticks with it for the duration of the song, drawing the listener right into the interior of the album. Crossing features some razor-wire guitar distortion before Lazy Bones triples the tempo and a heady pop song emerges. Home harnesses the loose, laid-back vibe of Neil Young’s work with Crazy Horse, while Flight is a slow-burning snake-charmer of a song, weaving space rock guitar lines in and out of the music. Rising moves forward even though they’ve flipped the recording into reverse. It kind of works, much in the same way a bonus track does, but makes you wonder what the normal direction would sound like. Restricting their songs to under seven minutes, their economy serves them well and prevents any descent into mindless noodling. The overall feel is of a summer afternoon cruise down the highway with the low-angle sun burning holes in your retina. West is the soundtrack for the approaching summer. Chris Familton
THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011 • 59 •
METAL AND HARD ROCK WITH CHRIS MARIC
GWAR
RIP FLATTUS MAXIMUS Last week Cory Smoot, the lead guitarist for satirical heavy metal band Gwar, was found dead moments before the group was due to cross the US border to play a series of shows in Canada. Smoot’s character in the band was called Flattus Maximus and he was the longest-serving person in that particular role, joining in 2002. The band formed in 1984 and is known for its elaborate costumes and wacky stage antics. There has been no word on the cause of death, nor any decisions made regarding the band’s future plans and immediate movements for the tour that they had been heading to play. Smoot leaves behind a wife and family.
SING ON TheWeek.com has reported that Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler is among the musicians helping to fund a special gel that replicates the action of human vocal cords. It’s being developed by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is aiming to help musicians and cancer patients alike, by mimicking the vibrations of human vocal cords and aiding those with damaged voices.
PRIEST IN COURT John Baxter, the long time manager of Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford, has filed a lawsuit against the rocker and other members of the band and its management for fraud, breach of contract and “intentional interference with contractual relations”. Baxter had been Halford’s personal manager for almost 30 years but was fired in August via a letter from a lawyer which reads, in part, “It has become clear over recent weeks that the relationships between our parties has run its course and that you are not acting in our clients’ best interests”. Baxter’s people are saying that the termination was unjust and that the defendants have ulterior motives and “their own agenda”.
When people like Kirk Hammett and Robb Flynn cite your band as favourites, you know you’re onto a good thing. And for All Shall Perish that is precisely the case! With new album, This Is Where It Ends, unleashed on the world, the Californian quintet is set to hit our fair shores for the second time. They will be rocking it in ten venues across the land including an all ages show at Blackbox Theatre in Newcastle on Friday 2 December and a double-up on Saturday 3, with another all ages at the Masonic Hall in Blacktown before racing into the inner west to play the Bald Faced Stag. Resist The Thought has scored the main support for the entire tour too! More for Sister Sarah’s column but in case you sit on both sides of the metallic fence, The Contortionist has amended tour dates and you can now catch them at Venom on Saturday 26 November and the next day at an all ages show up at the Valve. This one came out of nowhere and is happening very soon so I tell you this now okay – Romanian folk/black metal awesome band Negura Bunget is sneaking into the country in two weeks’ time. This is one of those bands that transcends musical boundaries and has such a Transylvanian spirituality about them that it’s almost otherworldly. Find (or lose) yourself at The Gaelic on Saturday 19 November. More proof that the talent coming out of the local gene pool of metal is top notch, Our Last Enemy has delivered a great video for 10000 Headless Horses, which comes from their #1 iTunes Metal charting album, Fallen Empires. It’s got all the right ingredients and looks kick-arse, too. It’s the next in a long line of great local video clips that have been made recently – Melody Black, Segression, Nekrofeist, RECOIL v.o.r and more have all got some mad videos doing the rounds and sure you can YouTube them if you like, but I still have a soft spot for watching clips the way we were meant to – on Headbangers Ball! Expect a new EP from OLE early next year too. So much happening this week I almost ran out of space!
THURSDAY Johnny Roadkill, King Of The North, Critical Monkee and Forgotten Fridays all land at The Basement Belconnen tonight as part of the Rock’N’Roll In Spring tour. Rawk on.
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ALL SHALL PERISH FRIDAY
At the Stag this evening you can check out The Alice Cooper Show, with Sirens Of Io and Neon Heart. Get your glam/vamp on and be there from 8pm.
Friday’s date is 11/11/11 – also known as Nigel Tufnel day! Grab your copy (or your dad’s) of This Is Spinal Tap and relive the magic! Do you wear black? What better way to celebrate Tufnel day than a night out at No Life Till Leather? Tonight they are celebrating the 25th anniversary of Van Halen’s 5150 and Europe’s The Final Countdown. Oh man I feel old! It will be a headto-head showdown of hairspray and guitar pyrotechnics! As usual, the guys will be playing all the greatest ‘80s hard rock, glam and metal hits. Get your arse down to Hermann’s Bar at Sydney Uni from 9pm till the small hours.
The Kill City Creeps continue their residency upstairs at the Beresford Hotel and joining them this week are The Jungle Giants. Up at the (these days) often overlooked Lewisham Hotel, SkulDugory will be strutting the stuff that won them the Seven Deadly Sins Band Comp at the Lucky Australian Tavern recently. The band also features David Colless, who has quite the resume. He was in Tribe Maelstrom and Apostasy when you were in primary school and was the frontman for Grungeon for a few years too!
The lads from Our Last Enemy will be playing their last show of the year at Venom tonight – they hit the stage at 9.20pm but I also hear they will be doing something rather special at Tufnel hour – 11.11pm.
Indian metal. Two words combined that can’t make sense? Wrong. Sub-continental heroes Blind Image are bringing their groove-inspired semi-experimental metal to our shores and are in fact the first metal band ever from India to tour the country! Tonight they hit the Whiplash Festival at The Basement Belconnen along with a seriously badarse lineup of local talent that incudes Norse, Mad Charlie, Engage The Fall, Devine Electric, Nekrofeist, Katabasis, Dawn Heist, Kunvuk, Humonic, Chud and Hemina. Tix are $25 on the door. The first band hits the Front Room stage at 2pm and the back room stage kicks off 30 minutes later.
Melbourne’s two-piece punk/prog unit Dead is in town along with Japan’s Cyberne, who have been described as The Jesus Lizard on ‘roids, speed and acid all at the same time! Both bands will be joined by half a Hard On in Nunchukka Superfly, Battle Pop and Video Nasty at Black Wire Records on Parramatta Road. All ages, Doors at 7pm and it’s ten bucks in. The walls of The Patch in Wollongong will be lined with denim this evening as local thrashers Rampage, Thundasteel, a band that quite literally goes by the name of Metal and prog/power masters Avarin will be all out to entertain you and you only have to cough up ten bucks.
SUNDAY Blind Image headlines the Valve Bar with their Indian groove this evening. Get there from 4pm and settle in for another night of monstrous metal as a bunch of bands make the trek up from Canberra fresh off the Whiplash Fest. Engage The Fall hit first and then Kunvuk, Datura Curse, Katabasis, Havoc and Dawn Heist.
SATURDAY Undoubtedly, the biggest gig of the week goes to those Finnish masters of shred, Children Of Bodom, who will be at the Big Top at Luna Park along with Perth’s finest, Voyager, whose new album, The Meaning Of I, hits the shelves this week!
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ROCK THE NIGHT AWAY AT
NO LIFE TIL LEATHER!
TH OF CELEBRATING THE 25 ANNIVERSARY
VAN HALEN’S 5150
EUROPE’S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
OF SIN PLAYING THE COLONEL KNOWLEDGE AND THE SULKTAN ALL NIGHT LONG! BEST ’80S METAL, GLAM AND HARD ROC HITS, S
11TH 9PM–L ATE HERMANN’S BAR FRIDAY NOVDNEEMY BER UNI - OPP MAIN GATES) CNR BUTLIN AVE & CITY RD (SY
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PUNK AND HARDCORE WITH SARAH PETCHELL New York’s Backtrack will be heading to Australia this January for the very first time, bringing with them their take on the traditional NYHC style. Since their inception in 2008, the band has slowly built up a reputation as a hardcore powerhouse yet has only recently backed up that reputation with the release of their highly anticipated debut album, Darker Half, out now through Reaper Records. Joining Backtrack will be Melbourne’s Iron Mind, fresh from the release of their debut fulllength, Hell Split Wide Open, which I’ve raved about quite a few times now. You can catch the pairing when it hits Sydney on Saturday 21 January for an 18+ show at Hermann’s Bar. Then on Sunday 22 there is an all ages show at Bowman Hall in Sydney. As for Newcastle and Canberra, Bar 32 will host an 18+ show in Canberra on Monday 23, while on Tuesday 24, there is an all ages show at the Blackbox Theatre in Newcastle. Merry Resistmas to one and all! Resistmas is the first ever Christmas party hosted by all the guys at Resist Records, at the Annandale Hotel on Saturday 17 December. It will be a free show, headlined by A Death In The Family, with I Exist also playing. Toy Boats, the newest addition to the Resist Records family, will also be showcasing what earned him a spot on the label’s roster. If you want to attend, you need to email the guys at resistmas@resistrecords.com by Friday 2 December, with your name and how many people are coming with you. The Annandale will also be running their annual Smith Family Drive, so feel free to bring along a small, wrapped gift to place under the Annandale’s Christmas tree. The gifts will go to underprivileged kids throughout Sydney. Email if you’re keen, because it is set to be a great night. Sydney’s Endless Heights are set to release their second EP, Dream Strong, in the coming weeks. The six tracks that make up their EP show a band that is maturing both in outlook and in songwriting, drawing inspiration from the likes of The Carrier, Balance & Composure and More Than Life to create something that owes as much to punk rock as it does hardcore. To celebrate the release of the Dream Strong EP, the band is embarking on a massive tour across the country, having lined up some big shows with even bigger lineups. You already know about the show on Saturday 25 November at Hermann’s with Iron Mind, Warbrain, Sex Wizard and so many other amazing bands, but add to that a show in Newcastle on Wednesday 7 December at the Great Northern Hotel with Taken By Force, on
NORTHLANE
DISCOVER NORTHLANE The five rockers that are Sydney’s Northlane are all set to release their debut album, Discoveries, through UNFD. Drum lined them up for a few questions before their extensive album launch tour sees them pull into Hot Damn on Thursday, the Cambridge Hotel Wednesday 23 November and Gee Wiz in Gosford on Thursday 24.
How do you try to stand out amongst the huge Australian punk/hardcore scene?
TONIGHT ALIVE Wednesday 14 a show with Something Must Break at Bar 32 in Canberra and on Friday 16, an all ages show at Chatswood Youth Centre with One Vital Word and Fixtures. Then there is an appearance at Loudfest on Saturday 17 December, followed by SFX that night with Hopeless and One Vital Word. Congratulations have to go out to Sydney pop/punk act Tonight Alive, for capping off a massive year with their signing to Fearless Records in the United States. The release of their debut EP, Consider This, will coincide with an appearance on the Fearless Friends tour, before their debut full-length, What Are You So Scared Of?, gets a US release early next year. Tonight Alive is in the process of wrapping up a massive regional tour, before heading to the States, returning home in time for their appearance on Soundwave 2012. Legendary hardcore punk band DYS has announced a series of new digital singles that will begin launching this week. The band will release one song each month that will be available via a few sources (iTunes, Amazon etc) in multiple digital formats. The single series will run from this November until March 2012 and comes courtesy of Bridge Nine Records. The songs feature the band’s all new lineup and are a mix of news songs and covers, starting with Wild Card, which has already premiered through RevolverMag.com. If you head to Bridge Nine you can check out details of what songs are to come, but in the meantime, the first unheard tracks are hitting town right now. DYS’ last release was the live
album, More Than Fashion: Live From The Gallery East Reunion, which was released in August. One of the bands that I keep hearing about in the wake of the mass exodus to the US that took place earlier this year, for Sound & Fury and This Is Hardcore festivals, is the Los Angeles straight-edge act Minority Unit. The band has a demo under its belt and looks to be releasing a 7” soon. Last week a new track called Mind Your Fucking Business that’s to be featured on the record was debuted on a US radio program. Keep an ear out for more information on the release as it arrives. And check out the demo, as Minority Unit is something of a supergroup, featuring members of Soul Control and Rotting Out. If you like what you hear, watch some footage of them on YouTube and try to figure out just how many singers they have as well. The newest band to join the roster of Brisbane-based label Arrest Records is San Francisco’s Alcatraz. Having been around since 2005, what started as a side project for most of the members (who were in First Blood at the time) turned into the main focus for the members by 2010. Arrest Records will release the band’s album, Smile Now Cry Later, on Friday, with the release containing 14 brand new tracks from the band as well as six songs from their out-of-print debut release. With the release, I also hear rumours of plans to tour Australia in 2012. Hit up the Arrest Records Big Cartel for all information relating to ordering and purchasing.
We try to mix in the meaningful and passionate lyrics from hardcore and fuse them with more complex soundscapes. We’re also very disciplined as musicians and work really hard to constantly better our skills.
What was the process like behind recording Discoveries? Did you run into many difficulties, and would you do anything differently next time? It was a really awesome experience. We learned a lot about gear and recording, as well as working with some of the best engineer/producers in Australia. We did underestimate how long the whole process would take, we went over-schedule by about a week but in that last week we were feeling the pressure and ended up bringing in Jon’s recording rig to finish off leads while Adrian was finishing up vocals in the room downstairs! Next time I guess we would allow more time for tracking.
What can we expect from the album? How would you describe the Northlane sound and philosophy to someone who has never heard your music? You can expect a whole lot of variety and diversity in this album. It’s the same ‘Northlane sound’ you’d have heard on our EP but heavier and more refined. We are using a lot of different soundscapes to make our heavier parts sound more interesting and keeping the melodic parts super epic at all times. The lyrics in each song reflect the album title Discoveries, whether it be external or internal discoveries. The songs cover many topics but are written in a way we hope will echo deeply within our listeners and create that ‘goosebumps’ connection between artist and listener.
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THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011 • 61 •
HIP HOP WITH VIKTOR KRUM Occasionally, only occasionally, our confidence that we live in the best city in the world can be tested. Where are all the boroughs? Why do we have a public transport system designed by the Mad Hatter and then approved by Loki, the Norse god of anachronistic silliness (or whatever he is)? Why did we get the terrible nickname of ‘Sin City’ or, the even less imaginative ‘Syd City’? Why don’t we have a cool nickname like Melbourne’s ‘Burn City’ or Brisbane’s ‘Boom Town’? The list goes on. It’s easy to feel sorry for ourselves. But it’s also important to remember that in some respects, we live in one of the best cities in the world. It’s a city that contains Scott Burns, one of Sydney’s best (and least productive!) rappers, and Nebs, who is arguably the best beatmaker in the country. And, now, it’s a city that has given birth to a collaboration between those two heroes: Burns Sugar Nebs Magik. Ignore the Chili Peppers reference for a moment and simply embrace the fact that there is a high quality, locally made, free release sitting at sugarmagik.com just waiting for you to come and discover it. It’s too early for me to talk about favourite tracks but, so far, anothermessage shines. We’re from Sydney, y’all, and sometimes that’s OK. While we’ve got that Sydney pride vibe going, let’s talk PK Crew. The facts go something like: you have not heard them on your radio, you’re unlikely to, and they’re great. If we’re talking about genuine Sydney it’s tough go past Benji, Kaoe and Stats: they’ll sell you their new album, Fewcharz Dark, and take your beer while they’re at it. While “lad” is a term that’s become a little bit A Current Affair, if you were going to use it about any Sydneysiders, it’d be your PK men. Still defiantly independent and running an exclusively in-house operation, PK are a shining light to those who want to make music for themselves (and a few thousand bumbag-wearing, longneck-smashing, train-bombing, Nautica-loving mates). Ugh. We get it, Syd the Kyd: you are a lesbian. You’re into girls. Not guys. OK. And you’re in Odd Future. How are we going to deal with it? A lesbian?! In a scene dominated by men?! Homophobic men?! We’re all pretty blown away, Syd. Well done… Yawn. Luckily, would-beboundary-pushing aside, Syd is a mega talented artist and DJ. As part of her new team up with Matt Martian called The Internet, she proves it again. The new track is called Cocaine and it is pretty great. (The clip features
ALL AGES WITH DAVE DRAYTON There is an awesome gig happening on Friday at The Gate (see thegatepresents.com for exact location) that is a proudly all ages affair. The incredible Charge Group will be launching their latest single with N. Martin, Aleks & The Ramps and Valar. Entry is a $15 donation. A relatively new venue on the north shore, the Civic Pavilion is part of the new Concourse development in Chatswood. Lucky for you, they’re catering to the all ages crowd with Feeding Edgar, the dashing dudes who played as part of Rock The Schools through the year, playing alongside Wildlife, Chasing Indie, Formal Pantz and Glasshouse this Saturday. Also on Saturday Lakeside, Regrets After All, Final Frontier, Forever A Dreamer and Make No Mistake play alongside headliners I Escape at the Lucky Oz Tavern for an AA show that kicks off at midday.
SCOTT BURNS lesbians! Wowsers!) The debut’ll be called Purple Naked Ladies. (The title could be a reference to lesbians! Wowsers!) I missed the moment when Rick Ross slipped from being a semi-relevant, upper B-grade pop star/rapper to become a universally mocked figure of fun. He’s like a character on a VH1 reality TV show these days. Him, Flava Flav and Young MC should hang out. When did this happen? Was it because he was a prison guard? Maybe, but I’m pretty sure every single tough guy rapper is probably not very tough. Maybe it was his hilarious, pathetic Twitter account? Hm. Anyway, Ricky Rozay (wink wink) just suffered two in-flight seizures and – because Ross’s star has waned – it feels like the punch line to a joke rather than a serious health scare. Luckily the doctors have ruled out cancer, diabetes and HIV. Lol? OK, now we’ve got the DOOM, Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood track. Like Radiohead itself, the track’s shitty name disguises the excellence that lies beneath. Retarded Fren (ugh) is incredible. DOOM is the weakest link, but you always knew that was going to be the case. It’s great, though. Trust. Different people like different things. (So true! They should call this thing Get It True-gether!) If you like Christian rap and workshops, head to halomusic.com.au ahead of a block party on this weekend at Canterbury’s Wiley Park. getittogether@drummedia.com.au
Coming up this Sunday is yet another Generationext event. Moving away from its regular home at the MCA, this time it takes place at Casula Powerhouse Art Centre. Different venue, but the rest is the same: art, music, performance, rad times, all specifically catering to 12–18 year olds. RSVP essential, do it at generationext.com.au.
There are even more blatant ties, and Rihanna’s We Found Love clip is a good example. In the clip, Rihanna is seen drinking Budweiser products on two separate occasions: first a bottle and then a can. In her previous single, Cheers (Drink To That), Rihanna namedrops Jameson whiskey in the lyrics of the song and, in the clip, gets a live audience to sing that particular line back to her. Elsewhere, Taio Cruz displays Florida’s 4 Orange Vodka prominently in the clip for his new single, Hangover. Post-Ke$ha Californian newcomer Dev gives Grey Goose pride of place in the clip and lyrics for her Bass Down Low track, which has clocked up over 30 million YouTube views. Of course, Ke$ha has become the poster girl for booze branding following her repmaking talk of brushing her pearly whites with a “bottle of Jack” in her debut single, Tik Tok. Since that track, she’s advertised Revolucion tequila in We R Who We R and Cristal champagne in Blow. Product placement is nothing new, though it’s undoubtedly becoming a more widely used and accepted • 62 • THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011
CALVIN HARRIS method of advertising. It’s certainly not limited to alcohol brands, either – however, as has often been noted, alcohol sales thrive in hard economic times. Many US fast food chains are adding alcohol products to their menus to boost sales. Some towns in the country’s south have even reconsidered their booze bans, left over from Prohibition, to keep themselves alive. It makes sense, then, that as the music industry looks to brands for funding, the alcohol industry has stepped up as one with money to invest. The placement of alcohol has also recently exploded in the film world. Binge drinking has become not just prevalent, but has done so without the usual ‘moral consequence’ in recent rom-coms, acting as a regular social lubricant for the fit, attractive and career-successful stars. And the characters are very loyal to their brands, from the downing of Grey Goose in Crazy, Stupid Love, to Stella Artois in No Strings Attached, Heineken in Something Borrowed and – randomly – Texan brew Shiner Bock in Friends With Benefits. All this comes after widespread discussion of alcohol-related social problems in the western world, no less. Perhaps not surprisingly, that discussion has largely been silenced as booze has lifted its game to help keep economies afloat. Not everyone is selling out to booze brands. And there are some surprising names amongst those who aren’t. Despite their sleazy party shtick, LMFAO don’t use a brand bottle of champagne in the clip for their single, Champagne Showers, instead opting for a plain black bottle. And not one alcohol brand pops up in Katy Perry’s Last Friday Night (TGIF) clip, which is almost unbelievable considering the amount of product placement in her previous clips. breakdown@drummedia.com.au
journey of life. The floor is yours to sell your gig on Friday at YoYo’s to us… It’s the launch of the album we started writing a year ago, the anticipation is huge for this show, our supporters have waited way too long for it and from what they’ve told us, they’re pretty hungry!
Y&R lined up an interview with Northlane guitarist Josh Smith, on the road launching their new album, Discoveries. We did this because these guys are awesome and are playing a couple of all ages shows; Friday at YoYo’s Youth Centre and Saturday 19 November at The Loft, Newcastle.
What’s the best all age venue in your opinion?
When you were recording Discoveries did you have label interest or did UNFD come later?
You guys have heaps of AA shows on this tour. Why do you think it’s important to play all ages shows?
When we recorded the CD, before it was mixed we sent it out to a whole bunch of labels and one by one were knocked back by all of them. Then UNFD came along and honestly we wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
I prefer playing AA shows because the fresh minds of today’s youth are the most appreciative crowds to play to. They’re tomorrow’s big thing. It’s important for young people to be in a controlled environment when they’re out with friends, and it’s very important to support local music communities. Everyone deserves a chance to see and discover their favourite bands and play with them too despite their age. Any advice for young musos out there looking to kick start their band?
Is it daunting recording an album without knowing if a label will jump on board? We funded it ourselves and it cost us about as much as a nice car. It was never daunting because we believed we had something to run with and were confident the risk was worth it. What’s the story behind Discoveries? The title ties together what the lyrics convey. Though each song is about something different they’re all based around what we discover about the world and ourselves through the
POP CULTURE THERAPY WITH ADAM CURLEY It might seem obvious that drinking and pop music go hand in hand. For some of us, the only time the kind of whirring dance-pop that fills the charts can be heard is while traipsing past a bar or club on the way to somewhere better, or perhaps coming out of the radio on the way home in a cab. For others, being barely conscious (or just straight-up unconscious) is what would be required to make the likes of Jason Derulo or Maroon 5 bearable. But there’s another way alcohol and chart music is linked, and it seems to be growing more prevalent, or at least obvious. I’m not talking about the general post-Skins themes of pop-song film clips, although it could be argued that we’re currently seeing the Americanisation of British ‘chav’ culture as the US version of Skins, shown on MTV, infiltrates pop culture. Film clips like Rihanna and Calvin Harris’s We Found Love and Harris and Kelis’s Bounce and Tinchy Stryder and Harris’s Off The Record feature, if not direct drug and alcohol consumption, then some very obvious references to them. Smoky hand-held camera footage of sweaty dudes jumping around a lounge room with their eyes rolled back doesn’t happen after sharing a couple of soda waters. And it’s not hard to pick the link here – Calvin Harris has branded himself the mischievous British puppeteer of the new American ‘high-energy rave’ fad.
CHARGE GROUP
YMCA HQ in Perth. No other Australian venue has as much history behind it as that place, the atmosphere is awesome and it never disappoints.
Be persistent, practise harder than your peers as individuals and as bands and never stop pushing yourself for selfimprovement. There’s nothing more satisfying than reaching your goals so work hard and believe that you can get to where you want to go. alllages@drummedia.com.au
URBAN AND R&B NEWS BY CYCLONE Byronic soulstress Amy Winehouse will have been gone less than six months when her first posthumous album, Lioness: Hidden Treasures, drops on 5 December. The ‘Lioness’ bit comes from her label, Lioness Records, which she created in 2009 to issue music by her goddaughter Dionne Bromfield. Lioness… clearly isn’t the actual third album she was rumoured to be making. Possibly that project doesn’t even exist. Instead, Winehouse’s producers, Salaam Remi and Mark Ronson, together with her family, management and label, have selected 11 songs from the vaults – alternate takes of classics (including Valerie), demos and previously unreleased tracks, dating from “before, during, and after the release of Frank and Back To Black”, according to Island Records’ press blurb which, coincidentally, re-uses or shares content published “exclusively” in The Sun. Lioness… will take in Winehouse’s recently aired duet with Tony Bennett, Body And Soul, her last-ever studio recording, rounding the track listing to 12. She cut the ‘jukebox’ Between The Cheats with Remi in May 2008 potentially for an album. It alludes to the breakdown of her marriage to Blake Fielder-Civil. There’s also a new song, Like Smoke, with Nas, who inspired Me And Mr Jones, from the same sessions with Remi. Nas’ contribution was arranged in post-production. Aside from Body And Soul, Lioness… showcases Winehouse’s covers of bossa standard, The Girl From Ipanema, the earliest recording here, The Shirelles’ Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow (helmed by Ronson and featuring players from The Dap Kings) and Leon Russell’s A Song For You, a number usually associated with the equally tragic Donny Hathaway. An emotional Winehouse performed A Song… on guitar with Remi in her home studio two years ago. The album’s lead single is Remi’s reggae-fied Our Day Will Come, a hit for Ruby & The Romantics in the ‘60s (and later Frankie Valli). The collection’s highlight is likely to be Halftime, a song Winehouse was working on even amid the Frank era. Her buddy ?uestlove from The Roots has finished it off. NME’s Dan Martin attended a Lioness… listening session with Remi introducing the songs and reports that Winehouse’s original collaborator insisted, “This is not a Tupac [Shakur] situation.” Presumably, Remi doesn’t envisage a stream of Winehouse LPs. Infamously, more 2Pac albums have surfaced posthumously than the rapper released in his lifetime – although, to be
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AMY WINEHOUSE fair, cynical commentators often neglect to mention his politically engaged mother Afeni has used sales to fund the worthy Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation, which runs arts programs for disadvantaged youth. Still, Martin adds, no one is officially precluding further posthumous Winehouse sets. Nevertheless, Island is obviously mindful of the controversy surrounding last year’s Michael – members of the Jackson family disputed the King of Pop being the legit vocalist on several songs. Assures Winehouse’s cabbie dad Mitch, “Had the family felt this album [Lioness…] wasn’t up to the standard of Amy’s others, we’d never have agreed to release it. We believe it will stand as a fitting tribute to her musical legacy.” A portion of sales will go to the Amy Winehouse Foundation. The ‘Amy’ industry was in full swing well before her death from alcoholic poisoning, Winehouse callously exploited by a sensationalist media culture. Most sickening were those morbidly gleeful announcements of her joining the so-called 27 Club. NME ran a superb Winehouse tribute. It was among the few outlets not to re-publish paparazzi photos of her in distress. Regardless, Winehouse is now credited for today’s surge of mercurial female performers, from Adele, her most conspicuous heir, to Lady GaGa to Florence Welch. Welch, inclined to make heroes of tragic women like modernist novelist Virginia Woolf, praises Winehouse for “kick[ing] the door open for female singers” in an NME cover story for her new album, Ceremonials. “Growing up, it was such a male banddominated music environment and [Back To Black] was seminal – [it proved that] women could be strong, powerful and rebellious, but as a singer, not a band.” ogflavas@drummedia.com.au
MUSIC AND THE MUSE BLUES AND ROOTS WITH DAN CONDON greatest songs ever written. Fans will argue it’s not their best, but that‘s always up for debate. This is a finelycrafted pop masterpiece; complex but catchy, beautiful without being overly sentimental and every single note is utterly perfect. How this song didn’t become a massive hit I’ll never know. I saw Mark Olsen and Gary Louris play as a duo a couple of years back and it was great; this will be greater.
The first announcement for Bluesfest has dropped. It’s massive, it’s awesome and here’s the first instalment of my mix tape for the 2012 bill. Sick Bed Of Cuchulainn THE POGUES One of my fondest ever Bluesfest memories was seeing Shane MacGowan stumble his way through a set with The Popes back in 2003. The Pogues are, for me, one of the best punk rock bands this planet has ever seen; their fusion of traditional Irish music and punk rock just kicks you in the guts like nothing else and every line of this song is pure genius. I Don’t Mind THE WHO I don’t like Tommy all that much. I mean, I like it, but I just never got into it as much as I did The Who’s first record, My Generation. So I’m glad Roger Daltrey will be doing other Who tunes as well as playing that record in full. This James Brown cover from that record is just classic ‘60s British mod rock. Devil’s Right Hand STEVE EARLE You might know him from Copperhead Road, you might know him as Bubbles’ buddy on The Wire, but if you’re a fan, you know Steve Earle as one of the truly legendary American songwriters of all time. There are so many songs I could choose. I’ve chosen this one from his smash hit 1988 record, Copperhead Road, because I just feel like listening to it. Yuma JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE
A Man And The Blues BUDDY GUY
JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE Steve’s son is always in Australia – the past couple of years have seen him here at least once a year. If you still haven’t seen him perform live, you must! He’s a consummate performer – supremely talented as a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter and charming to boot. Yuma is from Justin’s first EP and it is one of the saddest, most affecting songs I’ve ever heard. Anytime MY MORNING JACKET They’re one of those bands that has always been considered a perfect fit for Bluesfest. MMJ is a great, jammy roots rock band with such wide appeal. Their live shows are incredible; question is, will Bluesfest give them a long set? Their club shows can stretch for over three hours if they’re allowed to. Anyway, this tune is from their excellent Z record from a few years back.
Buddy has proven he is back to his finest as a performer. While he’s been here a bit lately, don’t take the opportunity to see him for granted; he is truly one of the greats of all time. This song proves it. September EARTH, WIND & FIRE Okay, so they’re a bit cheesy, but these dudes are one of the most iconic bands from the disco era and they should put on a pretty fun show. Bring your dancing shoes! Soul Power ’74 MACEO PARKER
Blue THE JAYHAWKS
Bluesfest 2008 was one of the best ever and Maceo was an unexpected major highlight. He’s played with James Brown, P-Funk, Prince, Brian Ferry and so many more, but when he’s leading his own band he lays it down in the classiest of fashions. This tune shows both Parker’s hard groove and proficient soloing.
Forgive the hyperbole, but this might be one of the
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There have been decades of both marriage and music, but husband and wife Tuck & Patti show no signs of slowing. We caught up with the twosome ahead of their shows Wednesday at the Clarendon Guesthouse, Thursday at The Basement Circular Quay, Friday at the Street Theatre, Saturday at Camelot Lounge and Sunday at Lizotte’s Newcastle.
You’ve been playing together for 33 years and married for 30. How do you balance the personal and professional? The family that plays together definitely stays together! We believe that either one could have flourished without the other, but not as much as when the two relationships support each other. We gave up trying to separate the two roles a long time ago (ignoring everybody’s advice); it seemed like an artificial distinction. It’s easy, because we assume no onstage persona other than just being ourselves. In any relationship it helps to have a foundation of friendship and respect; we became best friends very early on.
What does Tuck bring to Patti’s arrangements with his style of guitar playing? Much of the unusual guitar playing comes from the fact that Tuck is trying to figure out a way to render what Patti is hearing, and that Patti’s ideas are conditioned as much on directing choirs and playing violin in orchestras as on playing with a guitarist. It helps that Tuck started on piano and was influenced as much by keyboard players and the sound of entire rhythm sections as by guitarists. One of our mutual heroes, Art Lande, always says, ‘serve the music’. It’s nice that we generally agree on what that specifically means from song to song, and that we manage to come pretty close to actually realising it.
OBEY THOVEN JAZZ/WORLD WITH MICHAEL SMITH Evan Lohning – Hernandez Café Glebe
A heady fusion of Afrobeat, reggae and jazz, Brisbane quintet Kooii showcases its latest album, In This Life (Vitamin), at 505 on Friday, the Clarendon Guesthouse Saturday and the Old Manly Boatshed Sunday.
Liz Frencham – Colbourne Ave, Glebe Gadjo Guitars – Ravesi’s Bondi Beach
FRIDAY
Newcastle born and bred, Emma Hamilton is one of this country’s brightest emerging jazz talents, and bilingual too, singing in English and French. She is the very special guest of consummate American husband and wife duo Tuck & Patti – guitarist Tuck Andress and vocalist Patti Cathcart – who play the Clarendon Guesthouse Wednesday, The Basement Circular Quay Thursday, the Street Theatre Canberra Friday, Camelot Lounge Saturday and Lizotte’s Newcastle Sunday. Saturday night, 505 hosts the launch of the new album from Abuka, featuring Brazilian guitarist, singer and composer Tiago De Lucca, pianist, piano accordionist and composer Marcello Maio and multi-percussionist Sandro Bueno, with a variety of special guests. Two of Australia’s finest contemporary pianists, Fiona Joy Hawkins, showcasing her forthcoming album, Christmas Joy, and most recent one, Blue Dream, both with ABC Music, and Trysette, showcasing her latest album, Le Café Ancien, take to the Camelot Lounge stage Sunday night.
Jackson Harrison: Solo to Trio – Sound Lounge Yuki Kumagai/John Mackie/Tony Burkys – Well Connected Café, Glebe
SATURDAY Phillip Johnston & The Coolerators – Sound Lounge
KOOII
Michael Griffin Quintet – Summer Hill Hotel
Ba and Miriam Lieberman, as well as a special guest appearance from internationally renowned percussionist Epizo Bangoura, at Marrickville Town Hall.
TUESDAY
Sabine Meyer & Modigliani String Quartet – Sydney Conservatorium
SUNDAY
Matt Keegan Trio Meets Dave Ades + The Doig Collective – 505
The Swinging Blades – Marrickville Bowling Club
WEDNESDAY
Gary Johns – The Armory Wharf, Sydney Olympic Park
MONDAY
Dave Ades & Friends – 505
James Muller Trio – 505
Will Henderson – Kudu Lounge Café Carnivale presents the West African Festival 2011, 1-11pm Saturday, featuring Pape M’Baye & Chosani Afrique, Afro Moses, Errol Renaud & Caribbean Soul, Karifi, Sibo Bangoura with Keyim
Darren Percival & James Valentine Quartet – Notes
THURSDAY Eastside Radio presents Alphamama & The Love Drug – 505
George Washingmachine Quartet & Accordions Alfresco – The Basement Circular Quay blow@drummedia.com.au
Who said classical music couldn’t be cool? WQXR 105.9FM, a classical radio station operated by New York Public Radio, is promoting November as Beethoven Awareness Month with a poster campaign urging people to “Obey Thoven”. The campaign graphics are, of course, based on the Obey Giant work by artist Shepard Fairey – famous for his “Progress” and “Hope images of Barack Obama – who has given his blessing to the homage. It’s happening on TV, online and at events, and though it’s not an overly expensive campaign the station has high hopes for a wide reach, aiming to find new listeners and remind casual and regular listeners to continue to tune in. They’re also considering adding T-shirts and tote bags related to the composer with the slogan “Beethoven was def”.
CLASSICAL AND RAP COLLIDE Vibe Magazine recently teamed up with the Berklee Symphony Orchestra and some musicians from the opposite side of the spectrum, Nas and DJ Premier, as a part of Hyundai’s RE:GENERATION documentary project. DJ Premier, also known as Primo, was given classical music and met with classical music academics to study theory and inspirations within the genre. Primo then bought records of symphonies and chopped them up to make a song of his own and was then taught by Stephen Webber, from Berklee, how to conduct a 58-piece orchestra. The final touch came with a verse laid down by legendary rapper Nas. The RE:GENERATION project also features Pretty Lights, Skrillex, Mark Ronson and more. More information is available at ReGenerationMusicProject.com.
THE TIME HAS COME ROCKABILLY/PSYCHOBILLY/ALT.COUNTRY WITH PEDRO MANOY Since his death some years ago, the music of Johnny Cash has lived on with special re-releases of his numerous recordings and DVDs of his live performances. Tribute bands determined to keep the songbook alive have also been plentiful and one such is simply named Cash. The combo features the wonderful rich bass baritone voice of Daniel Thompson, a former Independent Country Music Male Vocalist Of The Year, as well as a trio of top shelf musicians in Stuie French, Artie Taylor and Ben Elliot. At a time when country music is becoming increasingly lightweight and pop, the band is proud to be taking the music back to its basics, playing Cash’s music with the tightness and raw magic it was meant to have. If songs like Cry! Cry! Cry!, Folsom Prison Blues, I Walk The Line and Ring Of Fire send a tingle up your back, get along to The Basement Circular Quay this Saturday for all things Johnny with Cash. If you’re interested in voting for the Australian Country Music People’s Choice Awards for 2012, you have until 5pm Wednesday 30 November to cast your vote online at peopleschoiceawards.com.au/voting.html. Winners will be announced in January, marking the 13th year of the awards, originally established as a balance to the numerous gongs presented in country music in Australia by giving “the people” the right to vote and have a say in who they believe is the best. The awards are for current artists and their songs, working in Australian country music. 2011 winners included Beccy Cole, Adam Brand and Lee Kernaghan. Smalltown Love is the title of the new album from
Dave Tice & Mark Evans play Ryan’s Hotel in Thirroul from 8pm.
FRIDAY The Velvet Set swings like crazy at The Factory in Marrickville with the sounds of Ellington, Dorsey, Sinatra and the more recent neo-swingers like the Royal Crown Revue and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. Finn plays the Chisholm Tavern in the ACT from 9pm.
SATURDAY
ADAM BRAND the Torchsong Country Soul Band, which they’re releasing with a huge launch party at The Gaelic this Sunday from 4pm. Unique on the local music scene, think Hank Williams meets Sam Cooke and a voice reminiscent of Emmylou Harris from lead vocalist Marie Phelan. Torchsong also features Joe Fenech on mandolin and vocals, Edmond Kairouz on guitar and vocals, Nick Williams on guitar and dobro and Andrew Thor on drums. The new album features 13 original tunes and will be available at the launch.
TUESDAY
Ginhouse Blues Band is cruising Sydney Harbour on the Rocks Rhythmboat from 11.45am, bookings essential on 0414 854 749. Finn is back in town to play the Sandringham Hotel from 4pm, while the nomadic Terry Batu is solo at the Mortdale Hotel. The Road Runners let loose at the Sly Fox in Enmore along with The Baddies and Eager from 8pm. At the Hornsby Inn you’ll find the Steve Edmonds Band from 8.30pm. Los Skeletone Blues shake, rattle and roll at the Eastern Suburbs Rugby Union Club in Bellevue Hill.
SUNDAY
Old Man Crow brings his sensational blues to the Sandringham Hotel from 8pm.
Want to escape the madding crowd at the Newtown Festival? Why not secrete yourself at the Sandringham Hotel where Lucy DeSoto & The Handsome Devils will be dishing it up loud from 4pm? Or Hunter & Suzy Owens at the Marrickville Bowl, and House of Blues, featuring Matt Black & The Phat Cats, at the Botany View Hotel from 7pm.
THURSDAY
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The Studio 57 Pro Jam, hosted by Ross Ward and Al Britton, is a great night at Club Cronulla from 7.30pm.
WEDNESDAY
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Country-roots songwriter Sara Tindley has delivered her hotly anticipated third LP, Time, and will be launching it Thursday at the Empire Hotel and Saturday at Mars Hill Café. Drum caught up with Tindley to find out more.
What are your favourite songs on the album and the stories behind them? Golden is a personal fave as this was the song that broke a yearlong battle with writer’s block. Once it was written I knew I was back in the saddle. Water Ran Red started out from a vision that was haunting me of a woman with a child on her back running from a man on horseback. The rest of the story just wouldn’t come so I researched historical events in places I had my own history with and came across the story of Bareetch Chuurneen, an Aboriginal woman who, with her child, survived the Murdering Gully Massacre of 1839 that saw up to 40 men, women and children shot while they slept on the banks of Mt Emu Creek in western Victoria where I grew up. Time, the title track, was great fun to write with my mate Stu Eadie. Writing for me is usually a very solitary pursuit so to be able to share the process with someone without being self-conscious was lovely.
What were the differences between making this album and the last, and how did working with The Yearlings affect the final outcome? The Yearlings record with tape and this is the first time I’ve recorded analogue. There was something about the sound of that big old tape machine kicking in that made me breathe a bit deeper. THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011 • 63 •
NEW CURRENTS WITH TIM FINNEY I’ve not really paid a huge amount of attention to dancehall since a period of absolute obsession in the early 2000s. In the past year, though, Jamaica has been on. My sense is that this year has seen the flowering of several trends: a will-to-perversity, dancehall artists trying to make bigger and more insane songs and demanding bigger and more insane riddims from producers to match. Linked to that, a certain density: many tracks are fast, layered and cover a lot of ground very quickly. And finally, lots and lots of amazing girl tunes this year. Or is this new golden age just in my head? Here’s a summary of my favourite 2011 dancehall tunes so you can judge for yourself. Mad Sick Head Nuh Good Division: TOK’s Heroin Needle is the rawest music you’ll hear this year, a frenzied explosion of clattering percussion, violent cellos and menacing performances from TOK and Sleepy Hallowtip, like an extended death threat. Busy Signal’s Pon Dem (production courtesy producer of the year Di Genius) is schizophrenic and morphological, Busy and the beat both constantly mutating into ever more histrionic displays of overwrought triumphalism, a montage of all the bloodiest battle scenes through history. Cherine Anderson’s Make Up Sex, meanwhile, is an exhausting panorama of lust and fury, from Ward 21’s gonzo beat to her shocked declaration, “Boy you got me breakin’ breakin’ glass/boy you got me cussing so low class!” Mellow Vibes Division: Vybz Kartel’s recent album was disappointing, but preceding single, Colouring Book, is totally devastating, sounding melancholy, wounded and forlorn. When Vybz sings “galla said me pretty like a colouring book” over dolorous minor-key strings I can’t help but imagine some Where The Wild Roses Grow-style ending. Tanya Stephens’ Shame On You is deceptively breezy summery fun, Tanya trying literally to shame the object of her desire into spending the night, but as the song progresses things get tinged with desperation and outrage, Tanya finally warning “I want to take legal action, if I don’t get no satisfaction!” Girls On Top Division: Aisha’s My Loving is a gloriously effervescent slice of consummate, high-energy, no-nonsense female
• 64 • THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011
OTHER MUSIC FROM THE OTHER SIDE WITH BOB BAKER FISH So how would you like your music? With ideas, please. Earthstation is what happens when you combine a sustainability conference featuring leading scientists and academics with world music in the Belair National Park about 10km out of Adelaide. “India is moving 5cm every year, pushing the Himalayas North,” offers Professor Mike Sandiford in his lecture, Humans As Geological Agents. At some point in 2050 he suggests our output of power will match the planet’s power, the equivalent of an atom bomb a day.
TANYA STEPHENS dancehall, the graceful pounce of the beat contrasting with the joyful torrent of her multi-tracked vocals. Jordanne Patrice’s quicksilver performance on Ready When Yuh Ready (slipping imperceptibly between chat and singing) subtly alights on enough hooks for five songs over relentless high-drama string stabs. Pop Crossover Division: Toi’s charming dancehall/R&B fusion on You’ll Be Mine – what sounds like a novice singer with a novice song to create heartwarming summer pop that sweeps you up in its precarious loveliness. Denyque’s When We Touch is smoother but equally seductive, a faux-mournful sigh of frustrated desire that cradles your ears with comforting reggae-pop vibes. Laza Morgan’s One By One is maybe the only current dancehall tune you could describe as “Balearic”, coming on like Wayne Wonder singing over some awesome disco edit of a Lionel Richie hit: stirring, resonant, an ever-swelling ripple of boundless goodwill gradually enveloping the entire dance floor in its winsome vibes. Tune Of The Year Division: Konshen’s Nuh Pull It Up feels positively epic, moving from smooth slow-jam to frenetic party-starter to impassioned exhortation with a major case of ADD, jarring if it wasn’t executed so flawlessly. Konshen skewers DJs who rewind tunes too often, not letting dancers settle into the groove; is matching this rant to such an unpredictable tune a moment of ironic selfawareness or actually the perfect meta-move? Or both? dancemoves@drummedia.com.au
The music began with the USA’s Kronos Quartet performing Terry Riley’s NASA-commissioned Sun Rings. Using, samples and incredible visual imagery of space, they conjured up a weary yet uplifting tone, where skittering electrics interweaved with classical strings. Two days later they would play a set in the hot sun with pieces from Riley, Glass, even Syrian superstar Omar Souleyman. Chinese pipa (an ancient string instrument) master Wu Man performed with the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, presenting traditional centuries-old folk and classical music. The Zheng, a mouth organ on steroids, was particularly amazing as the orchestra took us on a tour through provincial China with their stately music. Closing night they would surprise and fascinate with a hilarious rendition of Click Go The Shears on the 21-string zither. Central Australian Indigenous rockers Iwantja’s recent album, Payla, is a cracker. It’s everything but the kitchen sink fusion. “Who likes to party? This next song is called We Like To Party. So get ready to party,” they warn. Their energy is infectious in a set that goes from Gurrumul-style crooning to ‘80s soft rock finger-tapping guitar solos to ‘60s surf guitar, outback reggae, power blues, heavy metal and everything in between. “You can’t expect the US to lead on this issue, but you can expect Australia to,” Roy Neel, Al Gore’s chief of staff, suggests in a lively panel discussion on the politics and policy of climate change. He’s quite impressed that carbon tax is still alive in Australia when it was shot down in the US. Other panellists aren’t so sure. Ian Lowe from Griffith University suggests Australia can no longer use the drug dealers defence, that if we don’t sell coal someone else will. The irony of implementing a carbon tax whilst exporting coal and uranium is lost on no one. “It’s important to have a well hung parliament,” sums up Giles Parkinson.
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KRONOS QUARTET Zakir Hussain delivered a master class in percussion, joined on stage by an ever-changing gaggle of percussionists including his own brother, who opened the performance with incredibly percussive breathing. Hussain understands mastery plus theatre equals a great performance. His brother talks of the journey of a train and they proceed to represent it through rhythm, ending in an incredible percussion call and response duel. Congo’s Konono N˚1 took to the stage with bemused smiles, peering down at us as they fiddled with their likembes. It was like they knew something that we didn’t, and as their trance music began to take hold we rose like lemmings to dance to this strange, beautiful, bizarre music. The likembe sound soaring across the Belair parklands was majestic, causing people to act in strange ways from bizarre dancing to kids being flung headlong into the air on blankets. The one constant was the beatific grins held by all. Later, Mark Atkins regaled all with his bush tales. His approach to the didgeridoo is quite unique: beat boxing, even talking through it, conjuring up everything from experimental drone music to techno, and the sound of ‘a road train right up the arse’. The festival ended with the stately Mandela-like South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim. Seemingly improvised, he played solo piano for over 50 minutes of gentle, beautiful simplicity. A light rain fell and we lay on our backs, closed our eyes and just allowed the music to flow over us. “We don’t inherit the earth from our parents, we loan it from our children,” came a Native American proverb during the final Kronos performance. It’s a statement that sums up the festival as a whole. Ideas were everywhere, combined with solution-focused positive thoughts for the future. It’s one of the smartest festivals around.
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THIS WEEK IN
ARTS
SATURDAY 12 After Dark – exhibition featuring the work of two photographers, each of whom has created an evocative series under cover of darkness, each using very different photographic techniques. Digby Duncan photographs the Chinese village of Feijiacun, situated close to Beijing, whilst David Smyth turns his camera to the Glebe tram sheds and the ‘End of the Line’ trams. Final day. Syndicate at Danks, Waterloo.
SUNDAY 13 Bloodland – Stephen Page, artistic director of Bangarra Dance Theatre and award-winning choreographer, collaborates with writer and actor Wayne Blair on this landmark work. Featuring an Indigenous cast of 12 including established urban actors as well as traditional Yolngu storytellers, the production fuses traditional languages and Pidgin English as well as dance and song to tell the story. Closing day. Wharf 1, Sydney Theatre Company.
MONDAY 14 Titicut Follies – Frederick Wiseman’s first film has been his most controversial. It is marked by uncharacteristically pointed editing. For 20 years it had the unique distinction of virtually being banned from public screening by a court order following a change of mind by the state authorities who initially agreed to both the filming and the release of the completed Follies, filmed in the state hospital for the criminally insane at Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Chauvel Cinémathèque at Chauvel Cinema, 6:30pm.
The Paper Mill, Angel Place until 19 November. Fiona Hall: Shot Through – new exhibition from the highly revered Australian photographer. Roslyn Oxley9, Paddington until 26 November. Julius Caesar – directed by Peter Evans, Bell Shakespeare’s associate artistic director. “To see the future one must only look to the past, like many who came before him, and after him.” This sharp political drama puts friendship to the test and reveals a stark contrast between our intentions and our actions. With Alex Menglet as Caesar and Kate Mulvany as Cassius, we go behind the scenes as yet another leader is forced from office, terminally. Sydney Opera House until 26 November. No Man’s Land – written by Harold Pinter, directed by Michael Gow. Two unlikely drinking buddies, Mr Hirst, a well-heeled but fading London literatus who’s in the last lap of a race he has long forgotten how to run, and Mr Spooner, a scruffy booze-hound and poet bent on ingratiating himself with his superiors. Savouring Pinter’s precise linguistic games and famous silences. An STC production. Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House until 11 December.
ONGOING
Outpost: Art From The Streets – Cockatoo Island is transformed into a huge canvas for street artists, with the likes of Anthony Lister, Banksy, Beastman, Ben Frost, Ears, HAHA, Max Berry, Meggs, Numskull, Paste Modernism and the Secret Wars crew representing. Opening day. Cockatoo Island until 11 December.
Champagne Urbana: New Work from Sydney and New York – exhibition bringing together the work of five young artists living and working in two major cities; an attempt to glean some insight into the convergences/ divergences of the urban experience by the analysis of their respective visual vocabularies. Artists involved: Ernesto Burgos, Shane Caffrey, Chris Hanrahan, Chloe Hughes and Liz Magic Laser. Curated by Aaron Anderson.
Sprout – written by Jessica Bellamy, directed by Gin Savage. A vision of an environmentally ravaged Australia of the future, where everything has dried up, run out or fled. Amongst this desolation, four people start again. “No matter how barren and empty, no matter how hot and dry, new and hopeful things sprout. Life will always crack through.” Old Fitzroy Theatre until 19 November.
FILM
A WHOLE MONTH OF ISMS ISM FOUNDER TAHLI CORIN TELLS DAVE DRAYTON ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF A THEATRICAL COMMUNITY.
“W
e settled on the name ISM so we could basically take over anything by just adding ‘ism’ to the end of it,” playwright and ISM founder Tahli Corin states. It’s a novel concept with some hilarious results – waffleISM, influenzaISM, prismISM – but the collective currently has its eyes set on taking over November. “ISM is a playwrights collective, or a writers collective,” Corin explains, “and we’ve been meeting for two years to learn about our craft, to talk about our craft, to read plays together, to get guests in and learn from them.” The team behind ISM – comprising Corin, Tamara Asmar, Kit Brookman, Rebecca Clarke, Jo Erskine and Rick Viede – have branched beyond their regular meetings in the past, running The Playwright’s Muster this year at Griffin and the NOT The NSW Premier’s Award in 2010.
“They have a really strong sense of that community, too. It’s an artistrun space and for years they’ve been running as a music venue for musicians to get out there and to get their work known, but also, the community responded to that strongly, so I feel like it’s a wonderful synergy between what we want to achieve and the space and what they’ve already achieved with it.”
“So those two came out of a need from a community in order for playwrights either to celebrate their work when it wasn’t being acknowledged by the New South Wales Premier’s Literary Award, or in terms of the Muster, it was a year later and we thought, ‘You know what, let’s get together again.’ I’d never been to an event where there has been a hundred playwrights gathered in a theatre. An annual gathering of playwrights is essential I think and we’re really excited about helping that to happen again; there’s so few opportunities for playwrights to get together. You don’t meet playwrights, really. We’d been so buoyed by that that NovemberISM came out of a want for that to be a more intense and longer and workdriven process or opportunity.”
With a whole month at their disposal the programme is extensive, with writing workshops, talks, devising sessions, readings and performances throughout the duration of the festival.
Fittingly, rather than a short-stay shindig, or muster, ISM have commandeered all of November, with the Old 505 Theatre in Surry Hills as their HQ.
“Both Kit and I were at the point where we really wanted to learn through that opportunity and for one or more reasons these plays hadn’t found a home yet so we thought, ‘Let’s make a home for ourselves.’ We’re calling them ‘studio productions’, so both of
“Sydney is so venue-tight. It’s really tricky to find a space that will go,
REVIEW
Corin will premiere her new play, One For The Ugly Girls, during the festival’s evening performances, as will Brookman, with his new comedy, Heaven. “I was just like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t go another year with out having a show on,’ so that’s part of the reason why One For The Ugly Girls is getting up.” Corin’s latest staged work, a short play titled The Arcade, was performed last month as part of Sydney Theatre Company’s Next Stage Money Shots production. “It takes ages to get your work on!” she laments before explaining the show’s inclusion.
C U LT U R A L
OUR IDIOT BROTHER Our Idiot Brother ticks all the boxes as far as studio-indie comedies go, whose crossover appeal seems to be the work of a dedicated focus group. Dysfunctional family! Popular comedic actor in lead role, sporting a beard and Cosby sweater! Zooey Deschanel and cast members of Parks And Recreation and The Office in supporting roles! Adorable moppet kid who drops F-bombs! Sentimental subplot involving an equally adorable golden retriever! Nonstop wistful indie-folk over the soundtrack! Numerous emotional predicaments solved by montages accompanied to aforementioned music! Meet-cute final scene! Fortunately, the indomitable Paul Rudd is in the lead as the titular sibling who turns his sisters’ lives upside-down after serving a ninemonth prison stint for selling weed to a uniformed police officer. Rudd’s combination of bland handsomeness, likeable goofiness and discordant comic timing has consistently made him one of today’s most welcome screen presences, and he singlehandedly masks some of the
‘Yeah, take over the theatre for a month,’” Corin says, laughing. “For 505 it became very clear in our early conversations that yes, they had costs to cover but they were so excited about having a group of playwrights in their space for a month that it became a negotiation of what they needed and what we wanted. They get it, they’re artists, they get it. They get the struggles of being independent and they do everything that they can to support the work.
OUR IDIOT BROTHER film’s most glaring shortcomings; namely that the film’s central irony – that such a loveable goof has the ability to bring out the worst in everyone around him – is all but repeatedly printed on inter-titles. Indeed, Our Idiot Brother amounts to little more than a feature-length sitcom episode, but on a scene-byscene basis, it’s constantly amiable, mostly due to Rudd’s inventive delivery and alchemic ability to the revitalise even the most stale
scenarios. He’s helped in no small part by the equally appealing (and uniformly attractive) supporting cast - Deschanel, Elizabeth Banks and Emily Mortimer as the sisters - as well as Rashida Jones, Adam Scott, Steve Coogan and many others. As an in-flight movie, it’s probably a masterpiece. WHERE & WHEN: Screening in cinemas now IAN BARR
the productions – One For The Ugly Girls and Heaven – both Kit and I are directing, which is a new thing for both of us; it’s an opportunity for us. It’s definitely going to be a production. It’s not necessarily a development opportunity in terms of the script moving forward much more, but more of a development opportunity for us as writers to get an audience in front of our work so that we can learn about that process. It’s vastly different with an audience and that’s part of the process. I understand we can’t all have our work on all the time, but it’s such an essential part of learning as a playwright. And learning to be a better playwright, the opportunity to see how an audience responds to your work and your voice.” Alongside these two polished productions will be late night slots, readings of new works in various stages of “ready-ness and polishedness”. “I think audiences seem to respond to being right there when discoveries
are being made and we’re hoping that they’ll engage in that as well. People don’t just go to the theatre to watch. They want to be engaged, they want to be drawn in and so by presenting work at an earlier stage or just by being really honest about where things are at I think audiences feel like they’re being told a little secret or that they’re involved; that their response affects the continuing development or growth of a playwright or a work. “In my opinion theatre comes out of community. So if community aren’t engaged, aren’t invited into that process, when the work’s ready I think there can be a bit of separation. I think when theatre looks at itself too much separate from a community we kind of find ourselves in a little bit of trouble.” WHAT: NovemberISM WHERE & WHEN: Old 505 Theatre until Sunday 27 November
CRINGE
WITH JAMELLE WELLS
whose theatre work is banned.
Archibald Prize-winning artist Adam Cullen has faced a Sydney court on charges of drink-driving and possessing illegal weapons. Police say after they pulled him over near Goulburn in July they found a taser, slingshot, guns and rifles in his car. They also say he had a blood-alcohol level more than two and a half times over the limit. The 46 year old won the Archibald in 2000 for his portrait of David Wenham and has used weapons to make other artworks. His lawyer Charles Waterstreet said his client has diabetes and depression.
New Zealand prime minister John Key didn’t attend the Queen’s official opening of the Commonwealth leader’s summit in Perth, preferring instead to visit the Hobbit movie set. Key will contest a general election later this month for a second term. The same day the Queen opened the meeting, he was on the set of director Peter Jackson’s latest Tolkien epic on the North Island. Key changed the country’s labour laws last year after Jackson and Hollywood studio chiefs threatened to move production offshore over a dispute with unions.
Amnesty International says Iranian actress Marzieh Vafemehr has been released from jail without suffering an allotted 90 lashes for her role in South Australian movie, My Tehran For Sale. She was arrested in June after black market copies of the film circulated in Tehran, showing Vafamehr without an Islamic hijab. In 2008 South Australian producers Croser and Julie Ryan filmed the movie in Tehran and brought the footage back to Adelaide for postproduction. Vafamehr plays an actor
There’s speculation Sydney’s Theatre Royal will have financial woes after the four-month season of the musical, Rock Of Ages, was cancelled. The owners of the theatre are getting ready to sell it, while a replacement for the show, which was to open in January, hasn’t been confirmed. Three dancers with the Australian Ballet hoping to return to work next year after maternity leave include principal artists Olivia Bell and Lucinda Dunn and soloist Laura Tong. The
soloist and former dancer Tristan Message recently became proud parents of a baby boy. Stevie Wonder apologised to Sydney fans last week after coming on stage an hour late. His audience heckled at Star City’s Lyric Theatre. Wonder didn’t say why he was late – but played a 20-song set including his hits Superstition, Higher Ground and Signed Sealed Delivered. He played a request for actor Leonardo DiCaprio who was in the audience. This is serious – an exhibition about the changing fashion of men’s facial hair is showing at Canberra’s National Portrait Gallery. Titled Jo’s Mo Show (with beards), it has 60 portraits spanning two centuries, from the Captain Cook era to the 1980s. Curator Joanna Gilmour tells us facial hair can be linked to cultural, political and social movements. She says the exhibition features prominent figures like sporting legends Ron Barassi, Dennis Lillee and Max Walker – who all had big handle bar moustaches. THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011 • 65 •
frontrow@drummedia.com.au
THE PLAY’S THE THING
MADE YOU
WITH BETHANY SMALL
ANGELA BETZIEN’S THE DARK ROOM WAS FIRST PRODUCED BY BLACK SWAN IN 2009. NOW BELVOIR ARE GIVING IT A SYDNEY DEBUT. WORDS BY DAVE DRAYTON.
“T
he thing about new Australian work is you actually rarely get the opportunity to have a second production and it’s one of the big gripes that Australian playwrights always have,” says playwright Angela Betzien. “After a first production you recognise the faults in a piece and I saw that there were some opportunities to make more links between the characters and to deepen the symbolic world of the play, so we’ve been very slowly working on that.” Betzien formed Queensland-based theatre company Real TV alongside The Dark Room director Leticia Caceres, in association with composer Pete Goodwin and actor Jodie Le Vesconte, 11 years ago. From day one the company has developed work collaboratively and Betzien is revelling in the opportunity to further the collaborations on The Dark Room’s second production. “Belvoir programmed the play and then they approached Leticia to direct it. We work really, really closely together and it’s been quite a mammoth process of re-writing for this particular season, which we’ve been working on for a year, at least, before now in preparation.
“Originally I was commissioned by Black Swan. They had an ensemble of six actors, so I was really responding to the actors; I met them, had a look at them [laughs] and wrote accordingly. But this is quite a different cast. A very different main character; I’ve known for a long time that Leah Purcell was going to be playing the role of Annie, I’ve known that Brendan Cowell was going to be playing the role of Steven, so their voices have been in my head as I’ve been rewriting for some time, it’s really great to finally hear them speak the words. And it’s great when you get into a room and actors bring a whole new perspective on the piece. It’s been really good because three of the actors are actually writers as well, it’s such a fantastic team.” At the centre of the play is a motel room; it houses six individuals, three intertwined stories and a mass of darkness. “Anyone who has been into one of those seedy three-star motels can feel and smell and sense the history of a place like that, because so many people come and go in an environment like that. So I was interested in the history of place, but I was more on the level of our national landscape. I’m really interested in our history as a nation
SYDNEY: 17NOV-27NOV MELBOURNE : 29NOV-06DEC www.japanesefilmfestival.net
• 66 • THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011
LOOK
and as a people infects or feeds our consciousness in our daily lives, in our personal relationships. So that was a central metaphor I was exploring through the motel.” Looking at that national landscape on a cultural level Betzien also found a trend towards the thriller and horror genres, something she’s tapped into in the writing of The Dark Room. “I’d call it contemporary gothic Australian drama and there’s actually a big trend, I think, in Australian new
writing towards that and I’m really fascinated with the trends in Australian film at the moment towards thriller and horror. It’s popular I think because it’s a thrilling and exciting and visceral, edge of your seat kind of experience. I actually think theatre needs to have that in a way that film has it.” WHAT: The Dark Room WHERE & WHEN: Downstairs, Belvoir St Theatre until 11 December
Why Outpost, huh? Like, usually festivals in Sydney are called pretty straight-up things, like ‘Sydney Festival’ or ‘Sydney Film Festival’ or ‘Sydney Writers’ Festival’ or ‘Art Month Sydney’ or ‘the Biennale of Sydney’. Amirite? (Yeah I think I just demonstrated that I am. But that is how rhetoric works. #reminders) My theory on why Outpost is not called a more straightforwardly descriptive name is severalfold: it is more edgily brand-establishing to call it something like this; that most of the best vague names were taken; that the Harbour Foreshore Authority are being all smartypants with reference to Cockatoo Island’s past in the military and present as a discrete landmass; that the whole thing represents a kind of a defensive stance regarding or on behalf of street art in general – not that this is necessarily the position of the artists, but rather the putting of the art in major public event centre stage; that literally saying what it is would take a long time. ‘Small Island Covered In A Cool Ghost Industrial Complex Festival Of What We Deem To Be Street Art But Have Stayed Well Away From The Gallery/Street Cohabitation Question’ is probs not so catchy, right? Marketing: there is a reason I do not work in you. The whole branding of Outpost towards a different audience to that of existing festivals is quite content driven, sure, but also is a means of justifying its existence in terms of differentiation and because engaging
with ‘alternative’ forms of expression and engaging Young People Today is good for funding and approvals and attention. And it’s nice to see an approach that goes so hard in directly addressing a community that doesn’t necessarily get heaps excited about an arts festival with an arts festival. This is not to say that other festivals don’t have tons of Youth and Street and What Have You referential/based things, but I guess that one cannot be sure if the proposed audiences are going deep enough into a festival guide to see that they might like it? I am not exactly deeply embedded in the ‘street’ or ‘urban’ ‘scene’ and thus don’t know exactly how legit what is going on at Outpost is. But it is interesting and participatory and includes people who have a certain amount of scene gravitas and longevity, and by virtue of taking a person who used to do graffiti to the opening I learned a lot about the techniques and history and terminology and etiquette of these things. I also heard the aesthetic verdict on a T-shirt that “Yeah it’s a cool image, like, I’d jerk off to it. But I wouldn’t wear it.” That was also informative, but not in a way that I am thinking that I will take on board. Yet I cannot be all like ‘Dude gross my fine art sensibilities are concerned,’ because my fine art sensibilities are constantly finding relevance in – these both being things I will have seen this month – a piss fountain and a reanimated pig heart. Now who’s tough?
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SCORING FOR THE SCREEN THE 2011 SCREEN MUSIC AWARDS ARE FAST APPROACHING, SO WE SAT DOWN WITH FOUR OF THE NOMINEES – JED KURZEL, ALEX LLOYD, KIT WARHURST AND DAVID MCCORMACK – TO TALK SHOP. How different is composing music for screen to writing for your dayto-day band/project? Jed Kurzel, Feature Film Score of the Year (Snowtown): Very different; one has a deadline and the other doesn’t. Alex Lloyd, Feature Film Score of the Year, Best Soundtrack Album and Best Original Song Composed for the Screen with The Pigrim Brothers (Mad Bastards): The big difference for me in particular with the score for Mad Bastards was collaborating with other musicians, which was a real eyeopening experience and one I would like to do again.
JK: Film is a collaborative process, so by the time it comes to the score you’re being influenced by the performances, cinematography, editing, etc. and all of this is being guided by the director. AL: The director has as much creative input as he or she wants. They are king, and at the end of the day it’s their baby. The level of input varies with each project. WHAT: 2011 Screen Music Awards WHERE & WHEN: City Recital Hall Monday 14 November
MORE INFO australianballet.com.au
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AY
Transaction fee of $5.00 $8.50 applies
Kit Warhurst, Best Television Theme (Adam Hills in Gordon Street Tonight): The challenges differ for every project. If the creative team is hands-on then being able to tap into what the director, writer and producer are after and translate that into sound that works for you as well. If it’s more open, being able to determine a tone and feel that is going to support and enhance the vision and not get lost in too many options. There are the more organisational aspects such as working to a deadline and being able to fit in and around normal band activity and commitments.
SD
TICKETS from $32
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10 - 28 NOVEMBER Opera Theatre, Sydney Opera House with Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra
TH
FABULOUS FROCKS, DASHING ARISTOCRATS AND AN INTOXICATING TALE OF LOVE LOST AND FOUND
DAVID MCCORMACK
S
AL: Making sure I’m on the [same] page as the director. Everyone hears music differently so it can at times take a little while to understand each other’s musical dialogue. It’s something I think is a very important part of the process.
How much creative input does the director have?
EN
What are the challenges of composing for the screen?
DM: On Rake, our brief was the sound of Sydney as a decrepit amusement park, a broken carnival. Apart from that, we were pretty much left to our own devices.
OP
David McCormack, Best Music for a Television Series or Serial with Michael Lira and Antony Partos (Rake): There’s a time limit on the material I compose for the screen as opposed to the vast, open-ended time tunnel that is my personal composition. I am quite a scatty type and I’m easily distracted, so working to a timetable and within a specific brief is very, very good for me.
KW: It can vary from a quite specific brief to being open slather but for me it has mostly been somewhere in the middle.
DM: It can be daunting sometimes to look at the moving pictures on the screen and have absolutely no idea what music should go there. Hours can pass and still nothing happens, then, all of a sudden, as if by magic, something will pop into my head and we are off. It is such a relief. Then, the next day I will have a listen and realise it is completely wrong and the whole process repeats itself. Does the television or film director give a specific brief or a general outline for you to explore creatively? JK: We kept everything very open right from the beginning so as not to box ourselves in and let a great idea pass us by. AL: Sometimes you will get a few days to play around before the direction is decided and perhaps in so doing offer suggestions, but most of the time there is a very clear brief. That’s not to say that doesn’t change throughout the process.
NEWS SYDNEY FESTIVAL UNVEILS 2012 PROGRAMME In a gala at CarriageWorks last Wednesday night, Lindy Hume unveiled her third and final programme as artistic director of Sydney Festival. Whilst artists and musicians such as Meow Meow and PJ Harvey had already been announced, there were plenty of surprises – as familiar names and faces joined the excitingly unknown on a bill that has a huge theatrical component and a dedicated ten-day parallel festival in Parramatta. Choreographer Damien Jalet joins familiar names Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Antony Gormley (Zero Degrees, Sydney Festival 2007; Sutra, Sydney Festival 2010) for Babel (words), an exploration of identity, ethnicity and culture; National Theatre of Scotland (Black Watch) return – with Frantic Assembly – to perform Beautiful Burnout, set in the world of boxing and featuring a soundtrack from Underworld; experimental shows L’Effet de Serge (an ode to Tati and Beckett) from France’s studio Vivarium and Rimini Protokoll’s Radio Muezzin; the aforementioned PJ Harvey; Mike Patton’s Mondo Cane, a show dedicated to Italian pop songs of the 1950s and ’60s boasting a 25-piece ensemble; Cheek by Jowl’s version of ’Tis Pity She’s A Whore; the classic musical film, West Side Story, with live soundtrack performed by Sydney Symphony under conductor David Newman; Gideon Obarzanek’s final piece for Chunky Move as their artistic director, Assembly; Tubular Bells For Two, and Nick Zinner’s 41 Strings, taking Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and adapting it for, well, 41 strings. Saxophonist Joshua Redman and pianist Brad Mehldau team up; Beth Orton returns, and Washington performs her once-in-Australiaonly Insomnia show. One of the festival’s highlights, however, will be Black Capital, a programme of events exploring the Indigenous culture in Australia’s “black capital”, Redfern, which includes Wesley Enoch’s I Am Eora, consisting of dance, performance, film, art and literature; The Barefoot Divas (Ursula Yovich, Emma Donovan, Whirimako Black, Maisey Rika, Merenia and Ngaiire) performing Walk A Mile In My Shoes; 181 Regent St: Addressing Black Theatre, an exhibition dedicated to the National Black Theatre also comprising of talks, playreadings and films, and Brook Andrew’s Travelling Colony – a fleet of hand-painted caravans. Parramatta has an exciting programme of events, including many that are exclusive to the area, and a second Spiegeltent will be installed in Prince Alfred Park with nightly shows. The full programme is immense, so make sure you head to sydneyfestival.org.au for all the details.
“A VISUAL DELIGHT FROM START TO FINISH ... A PERFECT NIGHT AT THE BALLET” Sunday Herald Sun
Choreography Ronald Hynd Music Franz Lehár Arranged and orchestrated by John Lanchbery
Robert Curran & Kirsty Martin • Photography—Paul Empson Government Partners
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THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011 • 67 •
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ALL THE RIGHT MOVES
ON THE HORIZONS
ACTOR JAMES MACKAY EXPLAINS TO DAVE DRAYTON HOW ONE CAN “TOM CRUISE TO THEIR KATIE HOLMES”.
SCOTT MORRISON TELLS DAVE DRAYTON ABOUT CONTEMPORARY APPROACH TO LANDSCAPES IN ART AND SWAPPING GALLERIES FOR A GIG.
J
ames Mackay was one of the fortunate ones; his first job after graduating from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts was on a Troy Nixey feature, the new release, Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark, with a cast that included Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce. Shooting in Melbourne during July 2009, Mackay plays ‘The Librarian’ in a pivotal scene midway through the movie, opposite Holmes. While his role is small (he has no misconceptions about that fact) it gave him experience on a professional set early on and one hell of an anecdote. “Amongst ‘the boys’ there developed a way of signing off at the end of a night – saying you had to go home or go to bed – which was, instead of saying ‘I gotta cruise’, ‘I gotta Tom Cruise’. Which naturally evolved to ‘I gotta Tom Cruise to my Katie Holmes,’” says Mackay of the ‘logical’ progression. “And then a convention was swiftly established that you could substitute any Tom Cruise movie for ‘I’ve gotta go’. So to give you an example; ‘It’s been fun fellas but I’m pretty knackered, better file a Minority Report, I’m hearing some Tropic Thunder rumbling on the horizon, time to get an early night,’ or, ‘Gentlemen, there is a Mission Impossible ahead of me getting upstairs to bed, but I better start now.’ “You know, you could use any of them. So very swiftly this became hilarious because people started to get creative with it. The obvious solution was to get a small whiteboard – which we did – on which we wrote every Tom Cruise movie title. And we put it up in the living room so there was always a permanent reference there. And then because there are some pretty obscure titles there it got even more outlandish, a veritable down-the-rabbit-hole of god humour.” My suggestion – ‘It’s time for you to show me the money’ – is met, to my relief, with approval. “Then of course, inevitably, there was a conversation about how hilarious it would be if Tom Cruise ever found out that there were these four dudes in a house in Petersham riffing on his name instead of saying goodbye to each other,” Mackay admits.
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on rhythm, repetition and texture in the creating.” To celebrate the launch of the DVD Morrison is getting out of the gallery and playing a gig. A rare occasion for the artist, he’s in good company alongside Room 40 boss Lawrence English and Sydney artists Gail Priest and Adrian Klumpes.
“I
KATIE HOLMES, DIRECTOR TROY NIXEY AND JAMES MACKAY Cue Mr Cruise paying Katie a visit on set in Melbourne while they were filming the library scene. “I thought, ‘I’m never going to get a better opportunity than this!’ I did end up meeting him twice. The first time was at the cast drinks at the beginning of the process and I just very briefly introduced myself – you’re Tom Cruise, obviously I’m going to want to meet you – and then the second time was my second shoot day. “On the first shoot day we were shooting in the Reading Room of the State Library, which is a stunning, big, beautiful, I think octagonal room. The last shot they wanted to get was this big wide shot from up in one of the galleries. That meant they had to clear away gear, it was a really long setup. Katie and I were hanging around having a chat with the director – she was talking about an online business she wanted to set up; coordinated outfits for mothers and daughters, and I was talking a bit about Cry Havoc [a theatre company Mackay co-founded]. At some point the director had to check the shot, so he left and I realised, ‘This is the moment,’ Troy had been talking before he left so there was complete subject blank slate,” Mackay explains with a cheeky smile. “So it was kind of amusing when I found out I was going to be working with you because my friends and I have this game we play with Tom’s surname,” Mackay says to a hypothetical Katie re-enacting the moment. “She had a pretty good chuckle, tried out a few examples herself. I was just so relieved she found it amusing! That has the potential to be a bit creepy.” Mackay and Cruise’s second meeting came the next day on set. During a
momentary break Mackay spotted Cruise off shot and went to introduce himself. Cruise’s response took him by surprise – ‘James, I remember you. Hey, how’s your theatre company?’ – all of a sudden, says Mackay, the hilarious hypothetical from the lounge room looked like it could be a reality. “I was kind of taken aback that he knew about that, because I’d never told him. We chatted a bit further about the scene and what it had been like working on it. I was thinking, ‘Unbelievable.’ Obviously what happened is that Katie has told him about the conversation we had the day before. So if she told him about that element of the conversation I can’t conceive for a second that she wouldn’t have told him about the game we play with his name.” He didn’t admit to as much in words and Mackay felt it inappropriate to press the matter but says, “His eyes are intense. There was a smile. It may have been a slightly dry way of saying ‘Oh yeah, I know.’” Anecdotes aside, Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark, the screenplay for which was written by Guillermo del Toro and Matthew Robbins, is apparently really scary, “One of the assistants at my agent’s office concluded after having read the script and having to keep the lights on that she would never be able to see the movie.” Sounds like any good thriller; it’ll keep you on the edge of your seat and you’ll struggle to turn The Colour Of Money without a nightlight. WHAT: Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark WHERE & WHEN: Screening in cinemas now
feel a certain kinship with traditional landscape studies, be it painting or otherwise,” Sydney sound and video artist Scott Morrison explains. He is soon to launch Ballad(s) For Quiet Horizons, a DVD housing documentation of earlier installations he has done in a gallery space, each of them addressing nature in an audiovisual landscape, on Room 40 Records. “I love the idea of the search for the sublime in nature, how you can inject your own concerns and responses into this. Although my work is moving and has a physicality of sound, it is still very much referential to the idea of the gaze, the meditation of location and how we can find our own rhythms in surrendering to it. I think nature and its ability to reveal moments that cannot be orchestrated is embedded in the works I create.” Though getting those works in order for a DVD release was a different beast and timing is everything. “In a gallery context, the ballads were created and installed so that you could
spend five minutes or five hours with the work. Each work also takes so damn long to make, I might spend a week shooting content in the woods but only use nine seconds of footage to make a nine-minute work. The devil is in the detail, and I’m quite obsessive about it. “I like things that have no defined start or end, I guess this is why I’ve focused on nature. The drama in my work is in the recreation of moments of time. It’s a particular thing, I work in a timebased medium, but I really try to create works that are essentially timeless, I want you as an audience to find your place and response with these works. I think this is why I really try to focus
“I’ll be recreating the Ballad(s) work as a live AV set. I love the idea of the ballads finding a happy home somewhere in the world beyond an installation that lives in a specific place for a specific time. For me, I’m a gallery artist predominantly, so taking my works to a live setting is a little scary and not a regular thing. I really wanted to do something special for the release, so the venue, the artists have been selected as a one-off moment that hopefully shines bright and true! “Not only am I massive fan of their respective works, but it’s a chance to give props to two amazing people who have in their own way been integral to my artistic development and career. The venue is a church hall in Glebe, the boys from Hospital Hill recordings will be bringing in a special sound system for the space, so I guess it’s a chance to get immersed in some quality left-field sounds.” WHAT: Ballad(s) For Quiet Horizons (Room 40) DVD Launch WHERE & WHEN: Glebe Church Café Friday 11 November
live@drummedia.com.au LANIE LANE @ THE VANGUARD. PIC JOSH GROOM
NATIONAL
LANIE LANE
THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS MISS LITTLE
The Vanguard 04/11/11
A slightly slurred voice piped up between songs. “We love you Laneyyyyyyy!” The artist paused, smiled a ladylike smile and patiently explained, “Thank you, but you say it ‘Lanie’. It rhymes with fanny.” That, delivered with such charm – and just a hint of naughty – made you like her more, if her talent hadn’t impressed you already. Earlier, Miss Little had some charm and style too, but let’s try and avoid the ‘quirky’ default description. The voice was wispy, the music slipping from vaguely electronic to balladry, with a touch of the Miller-Heidkes here, some darkly melodic pop there. Each is right, but sometimes not quite gelling. But to focus on her tangents might take from her individuality. It’s easier to explain The Fearless Vampire Killers: guys younger than you’d think doing older-style 12-bar blues with a dash of country surf about. They’re certainly good at what they do, but maybe not quite fitting with what’s gone before or after. There were a lot of people in the room not expecting anything quite so, well, loud. Three nights into four sold-out evenings at the venue, Lanie Lane was just loving it; the smile not often disappearing, except when the song called for it, like reflective opener To The Horses, before she switched up to the tribal cabaret of Jungle Man. The voice went from Billie Holliday to Patsy Cline and other places. The look was souvenir hat from a day-trip to Tijuana in 1962 and truly special sparkly jean shorts which – like the music – could fit in New York or New Mexico. Her band followed her tracks and sidetracks well, helped by their diverse histories – guitarist Aidan Roberts better known for the psychedelic noise of Belles Will Ring, jazzist Paul Derricott on drums and Zoe Hauptmann, who swapped from double bass to fuzz bass toward the end, with a little detour for Don’t Cry‘s “best ukulele solo of all time”. More unexpected was the encore where Bruce Springsteen’s I’m On Fire was given a desolate longing, before flipping the switch back to vaudeville for the final playful Bang Bang. Girl knows how to entertain. Ross Clelland
MOJO JUJU: Nov 8 Porteno HEROES FOR HIRE: Nov 9 Tuggeranong Youth Centre CROOKED SAINT: Nov 9 The Gaelic, Nov 30 Rock Lily FAKER: Nov 10 Cambridge Hotel, Nov 11 The Standard COLD CHISEL: Nov 9 & 10 Allphones Arena, Nov 12 Bimbadgen Winery, Nov 13 WIN Entertainment Centre, Nov 15 Sydney Entertainment Centre, Nov 17 AIS Arena DANIELLE SPENCER & STEVE BALBI: Nov 10 The Vanguard GOLD FIELDS: Nov 10 Transit Bar, Nov 11 Oxford Art Factory, Nov 13 Level One, Nov 30 Beach Rd Hotel, Dec 1 The Patch 360: Nov 10 Level One, Nov 11 Waves, Nov 12 Annandale Hotel DROPBEARS: Nov 10 Brass Monkey, Nov 11 Sandringham Hotel THE GRATES: Nov 10 Waves, Nov 11 Cambridge Hotel, Nov 12 The Metro SARA TINDLEY: Nov 10 Empire Hotel, Nov 12 Mars Hill Café HUSKY: Nov 10 Clarendon Guesthouse, Nov 11 Northern Star, Nov 12 The Standard, Nov 13 Brass Monkey WAGONS: Nov 10 The Front, Nov 12 & 13 The Vanguard LACHLAN BRYAN: Nov 10 Sandringham Hotel, Nov 11 Heritage Hotel, Nov 12 Vault 146, Nov 13 The Junkyard, Nov 19 The Front DAVE TICE & MARK EVANS: Nov 10 Ryans Hotel, Nov 13 Lizotte’s Kincumber, Nov 17 Lizotte’s Newcastle, Nov 19 Sandringham Hotel, Nov 20 Lizotte’s Dee Why SHAMELESS SEAMUS & THE TULLAMORE DEWS’: Nov 11 The Gaelic LAURA JEAN: Nov 11 Petersham Bowlo ALEKS & THE RAMPS: Nov 11 The Gate MY FRIEND THE CHOCOLATE CAKE: Nov 11 Lizotte’s Dee Why, Nov 12 Lizotte’s Newcastle NANTES: Nov 11 Spectrum, Nov 12 Transit Bar LEO SAYER: Nov 11 Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre, Nov 12 Belmont 16ft Sailing Club DEEP SEA ARCADE: Nov 11 Annandale Hotel, Nov 12 Cambridge Hotel DAVE GRANEY & THE LURID YELLOW MIST: Nov 11 Camelot Lounge, Nov 12 Great Northern Newcastle KOOII: Nov 11 505, Nov 12 Clarendon Guesthouse, Nov 13 Old Manly Boatshed JINJA SAFARI: Nov 11 The Metro, Nov 17
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GOOD CHARLOTTE
FEATURE TOUR
Friday night, US pop/punk rockers Good Charlotte take to Selina’s as a part of The JD Set, recreating Weezer’s classic self-titled, or “blue”, album, which houses hits including Buddy Holly and Undone – The Sweater Song. They’re joined by Amy Meredith.
Wollongong Uni GUINEAFOWL: Nov 11 Great Northern Newcastle, Nov 13 ANU Bar, Nov 25 The Standard, Nov 26 Yours & Owls MIC CONWAY & ROBBIE LONG: Nov 11 The Vanguard, Nov 12 Royal Exchange, Dec 3 Clarendon Guesthouse TABERAH: Nov 11 The Patch, Nov 12 The Basement Belconnen, Dec 31 Sandringham Hotel DICK DIVER: Nov 12 GoodGod THE CROOKED FIDDLE BAND: Nov 12 Katoomba RSL THE CELIBATE RIFLES, SEMINAL RATS: Nov 12 Sandringham Hotel BRITISH INDIA: Nov 12 The Gaelic ISRAEL CRUZ: Nov 12 Fanny’s Nightclub REDCOATS: Nov 12 Spectrum CELADORE: Nov 16 Rock Lily, Nov 17 Phoenix Bar, Nov 18 Yours & Owls THEY WILL HAVE THEIR WAY feat. SARAH BLASKO, HOLLY THROSBY, PAUL DEMPSEY and more: Nov 16, 17 & 18 Sydney Opera House MARK MY WORDS: Nov 16 Hamilton Station Hotel, Nov 24 Blush Nightclub, Nov 25 Killer Nightclub, Nov 26 Chatswood Youth Centre STRAIGHT TO YOU feat. ADALITA, LANIE LANE, LISA MITCHELL and more: Nov 16 Royal Theatre, Nov 17 Enmore Theatre, Nov 19 Newcastle Panthers STEP-PANTHER: Nov 17 GoodGod TIJUANA CARTEL: Nov 17 Oxford Art Factory, Nov 18 Cambridge Hotel THE BON SCOTTS: Nov 17 Sandringham Hotel, Nov 18 The Junkyard THOUSAND NEEDLES IN RED: Nov 17 City Diggers, Nov 18 The Gaelic LANEOUS & THE FAMILY YAH: Nov 17 Beach Road Hotel, Nov 18 Pot Belly Bar, Nov 19 Kings Cross Hotel THE STRIDES: Nov 17 505, Nov 24 Shore Club, Nov 25 Great Northern Newcastle, Nov 27 Brass Monkey
TIM FREEDMAN: Nov 17 & 18 Street Theatre, Dec 13 & 14 Lizotte’s Newcastle, Dec 17 The Metro CLAIRY BROWNE & THE BANGIN’ RACKETTES*: Nov 17 The Vanguard, Jan 13 Idolize Spiegeltent FRANKENBOK: Nov 18 Bald Faced Stag, Nov 19 The Basement Belconnen UNDERGROUND LOVERS: Nov 18 The Factory LAURA: Nov 18 Annandale Hotel GEOFFREY O’CONNOR, TWERPS: Nov 18 GoodGod CLOUDS: Nov 18 Oxford Art Factory SUSY BLUE: Nov 18 Excelsior Hotel Glebe BROUS: Nov 18 Kings Cross Hotel EMMY BRYCE: Nov 18 El Rocco SOPHIE KOH: Nov 18 The Basement Circular Quay PHIL JAMIESON: Nov 18 Lizotte’s Newcastle, Nov 19 The Vanguard HATCHET DAWN: Nov 18 Bald Faced Stag, Nov 19 The Basement Belconnen RON S. PENO & THE SUPERSTITIONS: Nov 18 The Vanguard WITHOUT WOLVES: Nov 18 Yours & Owls, Nov 19 Kings Cross Hotel LEEK AND THE WAR WICK TRAGEDY: Nov 18 Brass Monkey, Nov 19 The Patch, Nov 20 Mars Hill Café THUNDAMENTALS: Nov 18 Hotel Gearin, Nov 19 Cambridge Hotel, Nov 26 Oxford Art Factory JAMIE HUTCHINGS: Nov 18 Notes, Nov 19 Yours & Owls, Dec 16 Clarendon Guesthouse LACHY DOLEY: Nov 18 Northern Star, Dec 1 The Vanguard, Dec 2 The Junkyard, Dec 3 Beaches Hotel, Dec 15 Old Manly Boatshed, Dec 18 Vault 146 THE SNOWDROPPERS: Nov 18 Great Northern Newcastle, Nov 19 Beachcomber Hotel, Dec 9 The Metro
JEBEDIAH: Nov 19 The Metro GYROSCOPE: Nov 19 The Factory KOBRA KAI: Nov 19 Woodport Inn, Nov 24 Mona Vale Hotel, Dec 2 Cambridge Hotel, Dec 9 The Patch, Dec 17 The Gaelic, Dec 18 Clubhouse JACK COLWELL & THE OWLS: Nov 19 The Front ASHTON TREMAIN: Nov 20 Newport Arms Hotel, Dec 2 Narrabeen Sands Hotel WATUSSI: Nov 20 Parramatta River Stage SEEKER LOVER KEEPER: Nov 22 St Stephen’s Uniting Church Sydney, Nov 23 Christ Church Cathedral Newcastle, Nov 24 St Stephen’s Uniting Church Sydney, Nov 25 St Paul’s Anglican Church Canberra MADDY HAY: Nov 23 Camelot Lounge THE ANGELS: Nov 23 Kingsford Juniors, Nov 24 Davistown RSL, Nov 25 Southern Cross Club, Nov 26 Belmont 16ft Sailing Club, Dec 9 Penrith Panthers STICKY FINGERS: Nov 24 Yours & Owls, Nov 25 Upstairs Beresford HTRK: Nov 24 GoodGod MATT CORBY: Nov 24 Oxford Art Factory BOOM! BAP! POW!: Nov 24 Kings Cross Hotel HEAVEN THE AXE: Nov 25 Annandale Hotel STRANGE TALK: Nov 25 Oxford Art Factory NUMBERS RADIO*: Nov 25 The Burdekin, Nov 26 Great Northern Newcastle HARMONY: Nov 25 Pot Belly Bar, Nov 26 Kings Cross Hotel THE GETAWAY PLAN: Nov 25 The Metro, Nov 26 Cambridge Hotel, Nov 27 University of Canberra THE MISSION IN MOTION: Nov 25 Spectrum, Nov 27 The Lair MI-SEX: Nov 25 Dapto Leagues Club, Nov 26 Rooty Hill RSL, Dec 2 The Basement Circular Quay EMMA DAVIS*: Nov 25 Hibernian House, Dec 3 The Front ENDLESS HEIGHTS*: Nov 25 Hermann’s Bar, Dec 7 Great Northern Newcastle, Dec 14 Bar 32, Dec 16 Chatswood Youth
THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011 • 69 •
live@drummedia.com.au
BOY & BEAR
BALL PARK MUSIC THE PAPER KITES
Enmore Theatre 06/11/11 Centre, Dec 17 St James Hotel, Dec 18 Unanderra Community Centre MESSRS: Nov 26 Upstairs Beresford HOUSE VS HURRICANE: Nov 26 St John’s Hall (arvo), Nov 26 The Gaelic NIKKO*: Nov 26 Kings Cross Hotel, Nov 27 Yours & Owls THE LAST KINECTION: Nov 26 GoodGod, Dec 3 Cambridge Hotel THE SCRAPES: Nov 30 Kings Cross Hotel GRINDERMAN: Dec 1 The Factory A NIGHT AT THE CROSSROADS feat. DOM TURNER, IAN COLLARD, SUZANNAH ESPIE and more: Dec 1 The Basement Circular Quay, Dec 7 Lizotte’s Newcastle, Dec 9 Lizotte’s Dee Why, Dec 10 Lizotte’s Kincumber SAND PEBBLES: Dec 2 The Front, Dec 3 GoodGod BOB EVANS & ADALITA: Dec 15 Lizotte’s Kincumber, Dec 16 Notes, Dec 17 Lizotte’s Newcastle, Dec 18 Lizotte’s Dee Why
INTERNATIONAL JANET JACKSON: Nov 8 Sydney Opera House Concert Hall FOLK UKE: Nov 8 Clarendon Guesthouse, Nov 9 Brass Monkey KD LANG: Nov 9, 10, 16, 17, 19 & 20 State Theatre ROBYN HITCHCOCK & JOE BOYD: Nov 9 The Basement Circular Quay TUCK & PATTI: Nov 9 Clarendon Guesthouse, Nov 10 The Basement Circular Quay, Nov 11 Street Theatre, Nov 12 Camelot Lounge, Nov 13 Lizotte’s Newcastle PASSENGER: Nov 11 The Gaelic WAY TO BLUE: THE SONGS OF NICK DRAKE feat. VASHTI BUNYAN, ROBYN HITCHCOCK and more: Nov 11 Sydney Opera House Concert Hall THE MOODY BLUES: Nov 11 State Theatre GOOD CHARLOTTE: Nov 11 Selina’s RON CARROLL, VULA, LUCIANA: Nov 12 Sydney Harbour CHILDREN OF BODOM: Nov 12 Big Top BLIND IMAGE: Nov 13 Valve Bar CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH: Nov 14 Oxford Art Factory THIS TOWN NEEDS GUNS: Nov 14 The Vanguard BRIGHT EYES: Nov 14 Enmore Theatre THE POINTER SISTERS: Nov 14 Royal Theatre, Nov 16 Enmore Theatre, Nov 19 Penrith Panthers TV ON THE RADIO: Nov 15 The Metro FLORENCE + THE MACHINE: Nov 15 Seymour Centre DOLLY PARTON: Nov 15
Touring their recently released debut album Moonfire, Boy & Bear very nearly sold out their second Sydney show as the local crowd turned out in full force to support their own.
JEBEDIAH
DRUM PRESENTS
FOLK UKE: Nov 8 Clarendon Guesthouse, Nov 9 Brass Monkey 360: Nov 10 Level One, Nov 11 Waves, Nov 12 Annandale Hotel FAKER: Nov 10 Cambridge Hotel, Nov 11 The Standard GOLD FIELDS: Nov 10 Transit Bar, Nov 11 Oxford Art Factory, Nov 13 Level One, Nov 30 Beach Rd Hotel, Dec 1 The Patch JINJA SAFARI: Nov 11 The Metro, Nov 17 Wollongong Uni GUINEAFOWL: Nov 11 Great Northern Newcastle, Nov 13 ANU Bar, Nov 25 The Standard, Nov 26 Yours & Owls THE CROOKED FIDDLE BAND: Nov 12 Katoomba RSL CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH: Nov 14 Oxford Art Factory THOUSAND NEEDLES IN RED: Nov 17 City Diggers, Nov 18 The Gaelic JEBEDIAH: Nov 19 The Metro GYROSCOPE: Nov 19 The Factory NIKKO: Nov 26 Kings Cross Hotel, Nov 27 Yours & Owls HOMEBAKE: Dec 3 The Domain MUDHONEY: Dec 6 Manning Bar KURT VILE & THE VIOLATORS: Dec 6 Oxford Art Factory FESTIVAL OF THE SUN: Dec 9 & 10 Sundowner Breakwall Tourist Park SUMMER RHYTHM: Dec 9 – 11 Goolabri Resort EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY: Dec 11 The Metro BOB EVANS & ADALITA: Dec 15 Lizotte’s Kincumber, Dec 16 Notes, Dec 17 Lizotte’s Newcastle, Dec 18 Lizotte’s Dee Why THE DEATH SET: Dec 29 The Standard PEATS RIDGE: Dec 29 – Jan 1 Glenworth Valley GROUPLOVE: Jan 3 The Factory ALOE BLACC: Jan 4 Enmore Theatre THE JIM JONES REVUE: Jan 5 Annandale Hotel THE KOOKS: Jan 6 Hordern Pavilion ARCTIC MONKEYS: Jan 12 Hordern Pavilion, Jan 13 Enmore Theatre THE DAMNED: Jan 21 The Metro SEETHER: Feb 5 The Metro JESSIE J: Mar 8 Hordern Pavilion FUTURE MUSIC: Mar 10 Royal Randwick Racecourse WILD FLAG: Mar 13 Manning Bar
Allphones Arena, Nov 19 & 20 Hope State, Nov 29 Allphones Arena WEIRDO HEROES feat. BUSDRIVER, LOUIS LOGIC, CESCHI RAMOS: Nov 16 The Gaelic JOHN HAMMOND JR: Nov 16 Lizotte’s Newcastle, Nov 17 Lizotte’s Dee Why, Nov 20 Lizotte’s Kincumber, Nov 22 & 23 The Basement Circular Quay, Nov 25 Southern Cross Club KATCHAFIRE: Nov 18 Selina’s RAY BONNEVILLE: Nov 18 505, Nov 19 Heritage Hotel, Nov 20 Clarendon Guesthouse THE MAGICIAN: Nov 18 Trinity Bar, Nov 20 Ivy Pool AFTER THE FALL: Nov 18 Hamilton Station Hotel, Nov 19 Hermann’s Bar, Nov 20 Black Wire Records, Nov 23 Bar 32 THE CONGOS*: Nov 19 Manning Bar NEGURA BUNGET*: Nov 19 The Gaelic TIM FINN: Nov 19 Belmont 16ft Sailing Club HARIS ALEXIOU: Nov 19 Enmore Theatre CUT OFF YOUR HANDS: Nov 19 The Standard THE DYNAMITES: Nov 19 & 20 The Basement Circular Quay JASON MRAZ: Nov 19 & 20 Sydney Opera House JAPE: Nov 24 The Lair SALT N PEPA: Nov 24 & 25 Enmore Theatre XZIBIT: Nov 24 Fannys Nightclub, Dec 10 The
• 70 • THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011
Factory DAEDELUS: Nov 25 GoodGod ELTON JOHN: Nov 26 & 27 Lyric Theatre, Dec 3 & 4 Hope Estate THE CONTORTIONIST: Nov 26 Venom, Nov 27 Valve Bar MISFITS: Dec 1 Manning Bar APPARAT*: Dec 1 The Standard MUDHONEY: Dec 6 Manning Bar KURT VILE & THE VIOLATORS: Dec 6 Oxford Art Factory EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY: Dec 11 The Metro THE DEATH SET*: Dec 29 The Standard GROUPLOVE: Jan 3 The Factory ALOE BLACC: Jan 4 Enmore Theatre TOTALLY ENORMOUS EXTINCT DINOSAURS: Jan 4 Trinity Bar THE JIM JONES REVUE: Jan 5 Annandale Hotel THE KOOKS: Jan 6 Hordern Pavilion ARCTIC MONKEYS: Jan 12 Hordern Pavilion, Jan 13 Enmore Theatre SEETHER: Feb 5 The Metro JESSIE J: Mar 8 Hordern Pavilion WILD FLAG: Mar 13 Manning Bar
FESTIVALS HARVEST: Nov 13 Parramatta Park
NEWTOWN FESTIVAL: Nov 13 Camperdown Memorial Rest Park STEREOSONIC: Nov 26 Sydney Showground BREAKOUT: Dec 2 Hordern Pavilion/Byron Kennedy Hall HOMEBAKE: Dec 3 The Domain FESTIVAL OF THE SUN: Dec 9 & 10 Sundowner Breakwall Tourist Park SUMMER RHYTHM: Dec 9 – 11 Goolabri Resort PEATS RIDGE: Dec 29 – Jan 1 Glenworth Valley MISSION TO LAUNCH: Dec 31 Weston Park HARBOUR PARTY: Dec 31 Luna Park SHORE THING: Dec 31 Bondi Park FIELD DAY: Jan 1 The Domain ILLAWARRA FOLK FESTIVAL: Jan 12 – 15 Bulli Showground NEW BEGINNINGS: Jan 14 Morriset Showground BIG DAY OUT: Jan 26 Sydney Showground LANEWAY: Feb 5 Sydney College Of The Arts SOUNDWAVE: Feb 26 Sydney Showground FUTURE MUSIC: Mar 10 Royal Randwick Racecourse CMC ROCKS THE HUNTER: Mar 16 – 18 Hope Estate THE GUM BALL: Apr 27 & 28 Dashville * indicates new or amended listing this week
The Paper Kites were a nice start to the night, with sweet and dreamy harmonies over acoustic melodies. Their voices blended together well and the sparse but effective bass and drums managed to keep anyone from drifting off into peaceful sleep. The young guns up the front loved it, with their enthusiasm endless and unconditional. Ball Park Music was a delicious dose of energetic fun. iFly had the crowd jiving early in the set and the catchy tunes caught more than one punter by surprise as they found the words on their lips. Sam Cromack was a classic frontman, expertly working the room with cheeky banter and rock star moves. His lyrics were silly and his voice bold, harmonising closely with bassist Jennifer Boyce. The rollicking keys were an awesome feature. The guitarists entertained with an assortment of jump-kicks and mad guitar swinging, while keys player Paul Furness impressively whipped out a trombone mid-song. The star is definitely rising for this band. My Only One opened Boy & Bear’s set to a roar from an excited crowd. The Moonfire hits ran thick and fast with their trademark vocal harmonies as rich and glorious as ever. The acoustic guitar was nicely complimented by some grungy distortion on the electric and thundering drums from Tim Hart. Cello and violin were beautiful additions to the set-up and their earthy pedal notes in The Storm added a haunting layer to the oldest song in the set. Fall At Your Feet was an epic singalong and while they do boisterous choruses exceedingly well, Dave Hosking’s voice was most potent in the quiet verses, when splashes of quick vibrato added a vulnerability that could break any heart. Guest appearances of mandolin, banjo, flute and a bongo provided a nice variety of sounds and textures to the set. The mix was a tad too loud and could have better showcased the strings, but this was only a minor gripe of an outstanding performance. Their no encore policy was politely announced to some cries of disappointment, but Feeding Line was an excellent ending and the fans drifted out, thoroughly satisfied, into the summery night. Alex Hardy
THE CROOKED FIDDLE BAND
THE BARONS OF TANG KIRA PURU & THE BRUISE
Factory Theatre 04/11/11
An elegant stillpoint wrapped in a little black number, Kira Puru & The Bruise delivered a measured set of darkly sophisticated lounge rock meets smoky jazz cabaret with a remarkably controlled elegance – a hand lifted here, the slightest flick of the hip there – while her trio of loping stick insect musicians skulked behind. The sonic landscape they create sits for the most part a brooding restraint somewhere between a David Lynch soundtrack and Chris Isaak, which occasionally explodes with a Nirvana-esque intensity before falling back, merely a threat again. The Barons Of Tang, by contrast, were all animation, the stage abuzz with an unrestrained energy, particularly from the trio of women on saxophone, clarinet and percussion who swirled and punched the air with their instruments with almost uncontrollable energy. They’ve been described as something of a gypsy/klezmer-powered version of the Cantina band from Star Wars and there was a lot of that evident tonight, as accordion pushed through one minute, the clarinet the next. And that’s where it became obvious that the band was being done a serious disservice by a sound that seemed incapable of bringing the various solos out of a muddy mix. The power with which The Crooked Fiddle Band hit the stage immediately had the room’s complete attention – and so they should. Violinist Jess Randall and acoustic guitarist Gordon Wallace in particular performed like there was no tomorrow, with Wallace throwing himself around like the metal shredder he once was while Randall took to her instrument with a vengeance. Drummer Joe Gould’s double-kick drum set-up provided an unstoppable propulsion, barely held down by Mark Stevens’ double bass. As their set ebbed and flowed, there were moments of pure classicism, one moment drawing on centuries of choral tradition, the next pure string quartet lyricism, courtesy an invited quartet that would add that elegant extra layer when called upon. Then there are the folk
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rock elements that have inspired everyone from Fleet Foxes to Joanna Newsom – those pioneering British acts Fairport Convention and, in particular, Steeleye Span. With this album and performances like tonight, The Crooked Fiddle Band have ramped themselves up to a truly international act. Michael Smith
DESTRUCTION
MORTAL SIN 4ARM
The Wall 05/11/11
Melbourne-based 4ARM takes Bay Area heroes Heathen, Testament and even Machine Head as guides and the quartet delivered a solid set of complex thrash. Offerings from most recent album The Empire Of Death were particularly impressive, and the band stands in good stead to widen their appeal if they keep playing to this standard. Mortal Sin has gone from strength to strength in recent years and an energetic set in support of one of their greatest influences showed that there was life in the old warhorses yet. Frontman Mat Maurer sounded as strong as ever as he belted through a set that mixed highlights from the brand new Psychology Of Death platter (Blood Of My Enemies, Hatred, the title track) with classics from the band’s extensive back catalogue. Of course the likes of Lebanon and Blood Death Hatred had necks snapping like it was 1987 again, but it was the anthemic pairing of Mayhemic Destruction and the mighty I Am Immortal that had the older and balder among us wishing for a return to our hirsute and carefree younger days. Hopefully the local lads can now enjoy the level of success so cruelly denied them in past years. Destruction burst onto to the stage and proceeded to churn out huge slabs of nasty Teutonic thrash that made Mortal Sin and 4ARM sound quaint by comparison. It’s easy to see why Destruction and their Germanic comrades in arms are hailed as the spiritual forefathers of the black metal movement. Despite playing with far more precision than in their formative years, the trio has lost none of their aggressive edge or, dare one say it, punk spirit. Offerings from recent LPs such this year’s Day Of Reckoning sounded far nastier live than they did recorded and melded in seamlessly with classic cuts such as Curse The Gods, Mad Butcher, Bestial Invasion and Total Desaster. Destruction kept it admirably raw and brutal – just like it should be. Motörhead, Venom, Tank and, what the hell, Cream – power trios are inherently awesome and Destruction remains one of the last words in authentic thrash metal. Mark Hebblewhite
MAD SIN
THE CORPS RUST
Annandale Hotel 05/11/11 Rust set out with their jagged pub rock/streetpunk blasts. Their act was honest, minimal and raw; a kind of sped-up version of Rose Tattoo. In appearance and sound they were sinewy and menacing. The Corps followed in a similar vein. They’ve been at it a few years and their act was polished if a little samey: several songs (such as Whisky Talking) reminded this listener of Gang Green’s classic Alcohol. This wasn’t a bad thing, mind, plus the band’s impeccably spiteful delivery was well-rehearsed, with each song the aural equivalent of being confronted by a burly, surly, sweaty fellow who has just staggered out of a gym, grabbed your shirtfront and demanded to know what the fuck you are looking at. German psychobilly/punk granddaddies Mad Sin made no secret of their disappointment at the small, sedate audience. The room looked half-empty and gargantuan frontman Koefte deVille vainly urged it to “be more wild” than the eighty punters the previous night at the Gold Coast. The dancing area was a small one and only about a third of the crowd participated (and quite meekly) in the “Hey! Hey!” bits. DeVille tried everything he could, shaking his considerable bulk around and belting himself with a tambourine in To Walk The Night. His efforts were such that he had to walk offstage and take a breather every few songs, with outstanding double bassist Valle taking over vocals. The set ended with a cover of Vince Taylor’s Brand New Cadillac, before the band came back and finished the encore with Communication Breakdown, maybe their most enjoyable song. Despite the poor turnout – perhaps 40-odd dollars was asking too much – this was a good evening. The two support bands were solid ones, but they didn’t really match Mad Sin’s style. Maybe Sydney just isn’t as keen on psychobilly as it was a few years ago. Brent Balinski
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SHAPESHIFTER
DJ JPS
TIM FINN
single FOCUS
SWAMP THING
Metro Theatre 05/11/11
Metro Theatre 04/11/11
DJ JPS was the sole support for the return of Shapeshifter to Sydney and he played an entertaining set with a range of styles from hip hop to IDM and some light-stepping drum’n’bass. A cleaner mix and more volume would have done him a favour, but even DJs are subject to the curse of the support act lest they show up the headliner.
One half of the supporting duo, drummer Michael Barker, is no stranger to the main act having played with him at various times in the past and indeed as his drummer tonight. In his own band, New Zealand based Swamp Thing, Barker added a powerful force to the fast paced rocking blues sound. Frontman Grant Haua was equally dextrous on acoustic guitar, hammering out some aggressive sounds. It was a commanding performance that simply demanded to be heard.
That was never ever going to be the case when Shapeshifter is the main attraction. As with shows by compatriots like Salmonella Dub, Katchafire and Fat Freddy’s Drop, the crowd always contains a high proportion of Kiwis flying the flag for their homeland in some kind of communal musical patriotism. It always makes for a celebratory feel to the evening and big take at the bar. Shapeshifter has spent the last six months holed up in a Berlin studio working on new material and accordingly, they seemed damn excited to be out of the cage and back on stage where their music is best experienced. Early on they dropped some of their best known tunes like Bring Change before playing a balanced mix of new, recent and older songs. Shapeshifter wasn’t afraid of the epic approach and songs like Twin Galaxies and Dutchies felt like stadium anthems in waiting, even if some were a tad too close to something like Europe’s The Final Countdown in the grand synth gestures. They did it with such unbridled enthusiasm it was hard not to smile and laugh off any flashes of cynicism. Elsewhere they showed some acid jazz leanings on Lifetime and others with a more laidback beat from incredible drummer Johnny Hooves and some tasty saxophone work from Devin Abrams. Late in the set they took the crowd to another level of frenzied dancing with Electric Dream, a rapid fire pop-tastic journey into ‘80s electronic kitsch. Long White Cloud featured some teeth rattling bass high in the mix courtesy of soundman extraordinaire Tiki Taane, a star in his own right back in New Zealand. His hands on the mixing desk made the pulverising volume immensely listenable and immersive. Everything was in its right place and he knew just when to pull things back to spotlight a sax solo or vocal section. This was a show that lived up to the high expectations set by previous performances and gave some musical glimpses as to where the band is headed next. Chris Familton
On the other hand, Tim Finn appeared to be in a somewhat subdued mode, a condition perhaps not helped in playing to a far from capacity venue. There was a beautiful clarity in his opening Only A Dream, but as the night went on it became apparent that was more down to Finn’s own self-determined intensity than anything else. With over a third of his set being made up of material from his recently released album The View Is Worth The Climb, he seemingly wanted that material to be as well received as his vast back catalogue. As a result though, the new Opposite Sign appeared sluggish, almost as if the song was trying to free itself, while the instrumental break in Everybody’s Wrong came across a tad laboured. The vibe was not helped by Finn’s clearly perfectionist overtones as he occasionally queried tempos and starts to songs. He was visibly more relaxed for the smattering of classic Split Enz inclusions. The sense of relief he exhibited during My Mistake was very noticeable, almost as if he suddenly didn’t feel the need to prove anything, yet even then he stopped short of letting the songs run away with him. Although Six Months In A Leaky Boat was featured, the song seemed to have more energy in it than there was in Finn. Three out of the four songs included in his two encores were also from Split Enz, with the solid and accomplished Poor Boy – which concluded in a swirl of sound – the highlight. By the end it really seemed as if Finn believes he has a fight to be taken as seriously as a songwriter now as he was for all those big hits in the past. The fact is he has still got it and just needs to convince himself of that and revel and relax in what are still some great new songs.
BIGPHALLICA
DROPBEARS What would people remember you for (and when)? In 1981 people might remember us as the band with the punk, the surfer and the straight. In 1982, they might remember the punk leaving the band, unceremoniously via the mosh pit at a packed gig. In 1982-‘86, they might remember seeing us on Countdown, or Sounds with Donnie Sutherland. They won’t remember buying our album (see “What caused the split?” below). Management, a record company that let us make singles, but wouldn’t cough up for an album, agents and various other bastards.
What inspired the reformation? We were invited to play at the Viva-La-Gong festival in Wollongong, our old label has finally re-released our stuff for download and we were all available, so why not?
Who’s back in the fold? Unchanged since 1982: Phil Hall on bass, Mike ‘Snapper’ Knapp on drums, and yours truly, Johnny Batchelor, on guitar. But we also have a longstanding reputation for recruiting remarkable ring-ins to ensure we sound good. These shows are no different - enter Jak Housden (Whitlams) on guitar and Sandi Chick (Rockmelons) on vocals! The Essential Dropbears album and Fun Loved EP on iTunes and see facebook.com/dropbearsofficial
Next available at: Thursday – The Brass Monkey Friday – Sandringham Hotel
BAND OF HORSES
Seven-piece The Barons Of Tang are gearing up to play the Newtown Festival this week, having just played a slew of international festivals. They pop into the festival at 2.20pm this Sunday, hitting the main stage.
Band Of Horses is an outfit that melds big, moody and atmospheric with a bluesy, country twang into a specimen that, judging by the response of the early attendees, is not unappreciated, despite frontman Ben Bridwell reporting he’d spent the day being called a bogan. They do a nice line in layers and textures but without the grunt that would really sell it. “This one is about my feelings,” said Bridwell. “It’s gonna be pretty intimate.” – nor are they averse to the occasional blaze of feedback. The video montages that lit up the back of stage alternated between snow-capped peaks, computer kaleidoscopes and high speed montages of tour/ festival hijinks.
COMING BACK
Allphones Arena 04/11/11
All the classics from the likes of Cash, Perkins and Presley inform the musical direction of John Kennedy’s ’68 Comeback Special, who bring their new seventrack mini album to the Rose of Australia on Friday.
WELCOME TO THE ‘60S Before taking to the Opera House with others on Friday for the Way To Blue tribute to the music of Nick Drake, producer Joe Boyd and singer Robyn Hitchcock hit The Basement Circular Quay on Wednesday to showcase the ‘60s in all its magic.
ROPE ME IN
Kings Of Leon opened their set with a haze of red smoke and fireworks. They went for a stripped down looking stage that belied the production the show boasted, superimposing video effects over live footage. Old garage-y favourites Four Kicks, Molly’s Chambers and Taper Jean Girl were revamped to fit in with the arena sound the four-piece now plies their trade with. “I wish we could have been here sooner, but thanks a lot for coming back. Sing along if you know this one,” said frontman Caleb Followill, prompting a rash of blue screens around the arena. Guess no one smokes anymore.
Money For Rope has just released their third single,
The big singles got the clapalongs and singalongs going and Knocked Up ensured the band got plenty of offers from the floor, plus also begged the question, when did flashing the band come back into style? Show closer Sex On Fire brought the seated to their feet for a bout of air punching and howlalong. They returned for a three song encore that saw band and audience livelier than they had been all night, ducking fireworks notwithstanding. This was a show that banged a lot of gongs for new fans, but for older fans, Regurgitator summed it up best: “I like your old stuff better than your new stuff”. Fiona Cameron
NIC DALTON
WHY SO SERIO? Terry Serio & The Ministry Of Sound, Nic Dalton & His Gloomchasers and Them Apples are all at the Sando on Sunday, playing for a smooth $10.
For more info see:
TANGY
KINGS OF LEON
SoundSchool Rwanda is raising funds this Thursday with a huge (no pun intended) night of music from ‘mock cock rock’ band Bigphallica. With special guests, including Steve Paoli and a Groove Terminator DJ Set, and prizes to be won, the show will go hard at the Upstairs Beresford from 6.30pm.
What caused the split?
Saturday – Viva-La-Gong festival
Paul Smith
COCKING AROUND
I’ve Had Days/December, on a delicious orange vinyl and wants to celebrate with a few gigs this week. They stop by GoodGod with Made In Japan on Thursday, The Patch on Friday and The Sando on Saturday with Celibate Rifles and The Seminal Rats.
FOLK IT UP The lovely US duo Folk Uke, featuring two musicians who are not only the daughters of prominent songwriters but also hugely talented in their own right, continue their visit to Australia this week hitting Drum parts over the next couple of days. They play the Clarendon Guesthouse tonight and The Brass Monkey on Wednesday. They’re supported by The 49 Goodbyes.
FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS You’ve Got A Friend is the name of the benefit concert at the Manly Fig on Friday night, raising funds for a very ill John McConnell. It’s all-star Australian talent with Kevin Bennett & The Flood, Stuie French, Felicity Urquhart, Camille Te Nahu and dozens more, and entry is $25 on the door. There will also be raffle prizes, door prizes and plenty of other fun activities.
BIZARRE BAZAAR If you love all things bizarre, curious or downright strange, The Rocks is the place to be this Friday night. The Rocks Village Bizarre will be held every Friday until the end of December, with a myriad intriguing burlesque acts, performances and a Cabinet Of Curiosities taking place in the cobbled streets. Drew Fairley and Nick Fury will be performing this week.
ABBY DOBSON WOLFKAHN
MORE METAL KING OF LEON @ ALLPHONES ARENA. PIC: LINDA HELLER-SALVADOR
Metal madness ensues at The Wall on Friday, with sets from Mortal Sin, Desecrator, Wolfkahn and Deprivation. Tickets are $18 on the door.
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DON’T DOB ON ME Friday night, former Leonardo’s Bride frontwoman Abby Dobson steps into The Brass Monkey to share the expertise she’s collected over the years. These days she’s singing in a duo called Baby et Lulu, but she’ll be solo at the Cronulla venue. THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011 • 71 •
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DRUMMING UP GUITARS TAKING CUES FROM ‘60S MOTOWN AND ‘80S AUSSIE ROCK, MONEY FOR ROPE IS CREATING THE KIND OF RACKET THE SPANISH LOVE, AS MICHAEL SMITH DISCOVERS FROM GUITARIST RICK PARNABY.
T
hey’re hitting town to launch their third single, I’ve Had Days, their first 7” vinyl release, a lovely shade of sherbet orange, and you can expect a fourth single before Christmas, but they’ve also just finished their debut album, so it’s all happening in the Money For Rope camp. The Melbourne twin-drummerpowered six-piece was formed a couple of years ago out of two bands, both of which featured singer Jules McKenzie, as guitarist Rick Parnaby explains. “He had these two bands and just decided to pool the talent and just focus on one project, pulling together both the drummers from the two bands and we ended up as a six-piece. And it was a good move I think ‘cause he could sort of focus on the one group and the one set of songs. The sound has been evolving a lot, especially
ep FOCUS
recently since we’ve been doing more studio stuff, and we also got a new drummer who is a bit more of a musician than us [laughs].” As for the album, they called in Steve Schram, who’s worked with Little Red among others, to produce it, and “he’s all about drum sounds, so he was perfect for us. He just got this cool, crunchy ‘60s Motown vibe out of these drums and it’s sounding awesome.” While they’re injecting that Motown thing into the Money For Rope sound, the original intent has always been to create a contemporary version of the classic Australian guitar rock sound. “That comes out more I guess in the songwriting itself. Our main songwriter Jules very much comes from a punk and Australian rock’n’roll background, and we all listen to The Saints, Radio Birdman and The Sunnyboys, just these old ‘70s and ‘80s Australian punk influences.” Money For Rope actually has an album coming out in Spain on the same small boutique label that’s released records by The Bowers.
“They just heard us on YouTube I think and said they wanted an album, so they’re going to do some sort of a deluxe vinyl LP of all the singles we’ve done as a compilation and we’ve recorded a couple of extra songs as well.” WHO Money For Rope WHAT I’ve Had Days (Fuse) WHERE & WHEN Thursday, GoodGod; Friday, The Patch; Saturday, Sandringham Hotel
NANTES What’s the title of your new EP? EP.
How many releases do you have now? One.
How long did it take to write/record? It took us about six months to do it all.
Was anything in particular inspiring you during the making? Just the want to create music.
What’s your favourite song on it? Lost.
Will you do anything differently next time? Yes. We learnt a lot from this recording. Things that will make the next recording much easier.
Will you be launching it? Friday – Spectrum
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FEICK’S DEVICE
EX MARKS THE SPOT Feick’s Device head to the Excelsior Glebe on Saturday to play a free show, where they’ll be joined by new band Fabels.
DEEP SEA ARCADE
MENTAL AS ANYTHING
FOR THE GIRLS
THAT’S MENTAL Veteran rockers Mental As Anything take to Vault 146 on Friday to play a show. There are options for both dinner and gig or gig only, the latter setting you back around $20.
Local indie rockers and ‘60s enthusiasts Deep Sea Arcade have a new single out. It’s called Girls and they’re on tour to support the release, stopping by the Annandale on Friday and the Cambridge on Saturday.
TOO JAZZY?
STRUCTURAL ELEMENT
FOLKRAISER
Mr Percival and James Valentine Quartet hit up the lounge on Saturday from 7pm at Notes, for all things jazzy.
Ninth Pillar will be playing a special acoustic set at the Excelsior Glebe this Friday, complete with a theremin. Kyle Horsley and Marquez will be joining them.
Orchestral folksters Packwood are hosting the Folkraiser Festival this Saturday in order to raise money to fund their new EP. The awesome festival will also have The Maple Trail, Faith Lee, The Falls, Patrick James, Missing Children, Amanda King and Arbori playing at the Hibernian House. There’s also going to be a bake sale and a pop-up photo booth.
EVILUTION Metal Evilution surges into The Patch this Friday for a night of thunderous heavy metal. Rampage will be headlining with support from Thundasteel, Metal and Avarin. Headbanging will ensue from 8pm.
PUGS AND WAGONS Melbourne’s Wagons and Chicago’s Joe Pug are on the road together this week, hitting The Vanguard on the weekend to play both Saturday and Sunday, with March Of The Real Fly joining that first night.
I’M ON A BOAT The Ivy Pool Club’s Summer Boat Party is hitting the harbour this weekend! USA’s Ron Carroll, Basement Jaxx’s Vula and the UK’s Luciana, among other DJs, will all be playing sets on the boat. If you grab a second release ticket, rest assured you’ll be taking a good hard look at the motherfuckin’ boat. Vula will also be at Wollongong Uni Bar on Friday.
THE OTHER GUY Chinese Laundry brings the best of dubstep this Saturday with the UK’s The Others taking the headline slot. Will Styles, Pop The Hatch, The Hump Day Project, A-Tonez, Neon Stereo, Ramske, Samrai, Gabriel Clouston and DJ Eko are also on hand.
MATRIX Need some drum’n’bass in your life? Get down to Chinese Laundry this Friday to see Matrix and Futurebound headline, as well as Mark Bionic, Royalston, Glovecats, lasttoleave, Autoclaws and Rubio all joining them from 10pm. Night ends late, late, late.
CATCH THE BADDIES The Baddies, Eager 13 and The Road Runners band together to bring punters a gnarly night of punk, rockabilly and ska to the Sly Fox Hotel this Saturday. The free show will kick off at 8pm.
SAINT AND SINNER Crooked Saint is well into his Sweating Bullets tour now, which stops at The Gaelic this Wednesday with Dan Crestani and Thom Crawford, and Hotel Gearin this Saturday. Both shows are solo and acoustic.
DOUBLE TROUBLE Fiona Joy Hawkins and Trysette are out on tour together this month, this Sunday stopping at the Camelot Lounge. The show has gotten fantastic reviews so far and is $26 on the door.
ROCK’N’ROLL LILY Steve Edmonds is bringing his chill blues/rock vibes to Rock Lily at Star Casino this Friday night. The Steve Edmonds Band rocked earlier this year at the Jimi Hendrix Tribute shows. He’ll also play at Hornsby Inn on Saturday and the Towradgi Beach Hotel on Sunday.
SO INDIE Young alternative/indie band Chasing Indie is fresh out of school and getting the ball rolling with a bunch of gigs. This Saturday they play the Access All Ages gig with Wildlife, Glasshouse, Feeding Edgar and Drawing North at The Concourse in Chatswood.
HORSIN’ AROUND Tristen Bird recently released his debut album, Horse To Water, and this month is on tour in support. He plays at the Lass O’Gowrie this Wednesday.
REVERSE COUGAR
Brothers Grim & The Blue Murders bring their ‘20s to ‘40s-influenced blues sound to Coogee Diggers on Friday, dapper suits, beards and all.
The She Likes Older Men tour brings British India to The Gaelic on Saturday, where they will play after opening sets from King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard and Betty Airs.
• 72 • THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011
FBI’S FAVOURITE NEW AUSSIE TRACKS Sunken House Unison Hands In Flux Mahoney
JINJA SAFARI DEADBEAT & HAZY ALPINE OTHER PLACES WITCH HATS
Big (Nicholas Jaar’s Always By Your Side version) SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM
Stare Into The Eyes Of The Wolf STEP-PANTHER Keep You Around THE HARPOONS Girl I Used To Know (radio edit) TONI TONI LEE Promothug DRO CAREY
[V] SATURDAY 8AM MUSIC VIDEO CHART Pumped Up Kicks FOSTER THE PEOPLE Sexy And I Know It LMFAO We Found Love RIHANNA FT. CALVIN HARRIS Good Feeling FLO RIDA BENNY BENASSI FT. GARY GO JESSIE J CALVIN HARRIS BLUEJUICE DUCK SAUCE
ARIA TOP 10 AUSTRALIAN SINGLES
LOVE ME
BLOODY MURDER
Mylo Xyloto COLDPLAY Gauntlet Hair GAUNTLET HAIR BBC Sessions DEEP PURPLE Requiem THE GETAWAY PLAN Sydney Festival 2012 VARIOUS Dark Side Of The Moon: Immersion PINK FLOYD Wish You Were Here: Immersion PINK FLOYD The Year Of Hibernation YOUTH LAGOON Ashes And Fire RYAN ADAMS Neverendless CAVE
Cinema Domino Feel So Close Act Yr Age Big Bad Wolf
IN THE COUNTRY
Last seen in these parts supporting Custard, Queenslanders Little Lovers are back in town to play The Gaelic on Thursday. They’re joined by The Fabergettes and more.
ON THE DRUM STEREO
Dedication To My Ex (Miss That) LLOYD FT. ANDRE 3000
Country is the flavour of the evening at The Gaelic on Sunday, with The Torchsong Country Soul Band, Peter Carantinos, Steph Miller and Lapis Sky all offering their wares.
BROTHERS GRIM & THE BLUE MURDERS
nantesband.com
JESS CHALKER
RIDING WITH A PASSENGER British singer/songwriter Passenger is pretty much an honorary Aussie – he’s around these parts all the time! Friday night he’s at The Gaelic once again, joined by Stu Larsen and Jess Chalker. The gig is sold out.
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Somebody That I Used To Know GOTYE FT. KIMBRA Galaxy JESSICA MAUBOY FT. STAN WALKER Get It DJ HAVANA BROWN Inescapable JESSICA MAUBOY Light It Up STAN WALKER FT. STATIC REVENGER Free PETE MURRAY Boys Like You 360 FT. GOSSLING We Run The Night DJ HAVANA BROWN Awkward SAN CISCO Super Soaker BOMBS AWAY
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MONKEYS AND MAGICIANS
D
anielle Spencer and Steve Balbi came together while reworking some of Spencer’s old songs for acoustic arrangements. The collaboration was a roaring success and the two have now joined forces for the Alone & Together co-headline tour, playing the Vanguard this Thursday. Drum lined up the twosome for some questions. Why did you want to revisit White Monkey acoustically? Danielle: When I got back out on the road and starting playing some shows last year there were a lot of requests for tracks from my debut album, White Monkey, and so we started playing them live and then people starting asking where they could buy them. The album was released in 2001 through EMI and is now deleted and largely unavailable, so I decided to record a six-track acoustic EP available for sale at all the shows and online from November 18. How did the creative collaboration between the two of you arise? Steve: It was a late night shopping run at Woolie’s and as I strolled down isle five I noticed a very beautiful woman [Danielle] staring indecisively at the confectionary. I asked if I could help and she asked me to name three words that rhymed with orange. The rest
is history... Or, Tony Wall, the engineer who worked on Danielle’s album, Calling All Magicians, with producer legend Tony Visconti had suggested me. D: My last album, Calling All Magicians, was recorded very differently to my first. I intentionally did that, as I wanted it to have a real point of difference and I also was excited about pulling a band together and touring it. I approached Steve about being my musical director and guitarist, which he came on board for, so we have been working together for a couple of years now both here in Australia and in the UK. You’re midway through your tour so what can audiences expect? Any surprises? S: We play songs alone and together, pretty simple really. The only real surprise is that before the show I hide behind the door as fans pay to get in then suddenly jump out dressed in drag, surprising them with a modern rendition of Tiptoe Through The Tulips. D: There is a surprise track in our set and we are having a great time performing it and audiences seem to be responding well to it. You’ve recorded a version of David Bowie’s Ashes To Ashes; are you fans? S: Oh yeah, I love distortion and rainbows, that’s what he is to me.
taste TEST
D: Yes, I’m a big Bowie fan from way back... And I was very fortunate to have had Tony Visconti – legendary New York producer known for his work with Bowie in the ‘70s – produce my second album. He also got up and played with us at a gig I was doing in London, which was definitely a career highlight for me (and Steve I think?). How do you feel your musical styles compliment one another? S: I’m not sure why opposites attract but they do. D: Ha! Well yeah I guess opposites attract... What’s next? D: I’ve started writing some songs for a new album and I’m looking at doing some co-writes as well.
DAVE GRANEY The best record I stole from my folks’ collection was… Well, my dad didn’t really get into music at all. He just didn’t hear it. More a sports kind of guy. The TAB and the football. Australian Rules. The only guy he ever mentioned was Hoagy Carmichael. I bought a CD of his a couple of years ago and found he is a bit of a genius, so I’m glad I picked up that hint. My mother loved Buddy Holly, Elvis, Roy Orbison, the Stones. She was very hip. I like all those people too.
The first record I bought with my own money was… Let’s say it was Helen Of Troy by John Cale. Either that or 801 Live, or Muddy Waters’ The London Sessions. Something really cool anyway. I’m not gonna step in here and say I heard about an act on JJJ or anything. It was long ago in a world before youth culture had its own radio network.
The record I put on when I’m really miserable is…
BRIGHT EYES
BURNING LIKE FIRE Indie rock favourites Bright Eyes, led by the inimitable Conor Oberst, step onto the Enmore Theatre stage on Monday to play a sideshow after their Harvest Festival commitments the previous day. They’re touring on the back of their latest album, The People’s Key.
MEGASTICK FANFARE
THE VELVET SET
ON SAFARI
SMOOTH LIKE VELVET There are a whopping 19 members in The Velvet Set’s big band when they take to The Factory on Saturday night, promising a huge night of swing dancing and ‘50s throwback good times. Expect to hear all your old school favourites revamped by the group, and don’t be afraid to dress up for the night!
11:11
STOP! FBI!
WATER BATTLERS
FBi Social has a big week planned as always. On Wednesday, Sooners, A Casual End Mile, Valar and Rohin Hones will be playing; on Thursday they’ll have The Faults, Hailer, I Know Leopard and The Grease Arrestor, and on Friday Rat Vs Possum will be launching their album with FLRL and Fishing in support.
Sydney singer/songwriter Jenna Murphy is launching her debut EP, Ancient Sea Warrior, this Saturday at The Supper Club and would like everyone to come join her. She’ll have a band consisting of Ross James of The Young Romantics, Tim Wilson of Pugsley Buzzard and Paul Derricott of The Beautiful Girls.
DON’T FAKE IT
WHIPPED
After several years off, Faker is back with new material, all energised to gig away once again. Thursday they play the Cambridge, then move to Sydney to hit The Standard on Friday.
Throw up your metal horns because Whiplash is heading to Canberra! Dawn Heist, Norse, Mad Charlie, Hemina, Engage The Fall and heaps more are slated in to play the festival at The Basement Belconnen on Saturday and it’s only $25 at the door.
KING KANG Kang will be launching the Your Money, Or Your Life! EP this Saturday at the Empire Hotel and would like you to join in the celebrations. Also playing on the night are Taylor King, Fats Moseley’s Little Big Band and SAR.
There’s plenty of local talent on display at The Metro on Friday night, with jungle lovers Jinja Safari heading up the charge as they launch their debut album, Locked By Land. They’re supported by megastick fanfare, Pluto Jonze and Elizabeth Rose, and their shows get pretty crazy – so get on your best jungle gear and head on down!
GOT THE MOJO Mojo Juju ends her residency at Porteno tonight, playing free at the Surry Hills bar.
Taking the mystical power of 11 to new heights, Fantine will perform her last show of 2011 at 11:11pm on 11/11/11 (Friday) at Upstairs Beresford. She’ll be celebrating with her single called – surprise! – Eleven. She’s joined by M Jack Bee, Phebe Starr and DJ Martin Novosel from Purple Sneakers.
TOO COOL
Straight Life by Freddie Hubbard, or perhaps Blues And The Abstract Truth by Oliver Nelson. The new one by Tiniwaren is pretty good too. North African demon guitar players.
The record I put on when I bring someone home is… Quiet by John Schofield. His acoustic guitar album. Probably one of my most favourite records.
The most surprising record in my collection is… Depends who I was trying to surprise. I have a lot of records. Absolutely no Leonard Cohen. Perhaps one Neil Young. Only Tom Waits up to Foreign Affairs. No Beatles, except if they’re covered by other people like George Benson. Never heard Radiohead other than Creep. No Arcade Fire. Tons of disco and R&B, reggae, jazz and country and hip hop. Very little indie rock from America or the UK. Australian indie rock is more to my taste in that area. Lots of ‘70s rock. Lots of comedy and recorded poetry albums. If I really wanted to frighten somebody I would put on Songs Of A Lesbian Anarchist by Kathy Fire.
The last thing I bought/downloaded was…
Phillip Johnston & The Coolerators are an avantorgan quartet with a dash of bass and drum as well, and they’re heading to the Seymour Centre this Saturday at 8.30pm. Recognised as superb by The New Yorker, the quartet will be playing another set at 10pm too.
FIRE UP
Let England Shake by PJ Harvey. I love it, never could really tune into her stuff before. Also Tha Carter IV by Lil Wayne, that Lost Animal CD, A Fool Who’ll by Laura Jean, This Body Is Wrong For Us by Go Go Sapien, Hot Sauce Committee Part Two by the Beastie Boys.
Upcoming shows: Friday – Camelot Lounge
Mathcore band This Town Needs Guns is playing a sideshow here in Sydney as part of their tour with Harvest Festival this month. The Oxford boys play an 18+ show at The Vanguard on Monday.
Saturday – Great Northern Newcastle
For more info see: thedavegraneyshow.com facebook.com/davegraney twitter.com/davegraney
LIZ FRENCHAM
GLASS TOWERS
THE RUMJACKS
MIC AND ROBBIE
INSERT COIN(S)
CASUALTIES ARE GO!
Having recorded an album together, Mic Conway and Robbie Long perform it this week at The Vanguard on Friday with Liz Frencham and the Royal Exchange on Saturday. With Mic’s cabaret tendencies (fire-eating, juggling and more) it’s sure to be a show to remember.
Nostalgic for the ‘80s and the retro gaming era? Have no fear, Insert Coin(s) is here! With pinball, standing arcade games, an ‘80s style (alcoholic) milk bar and Glass Towers playing live, it’s going to be an awesome Thursday night at Oxford Art Factory where you can level up for the weekend.
The rescheduled show from punk rockers The Casualties is finally happening Friday night at Manning Bar, after immigration issues pushed it back from its original September date. In support are Wollongong’s Topnovil and local boys The Rumjacks.
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MY FRIEND THE CHOCOLATE CAKE
CHOCOLATE FIASCO With their seventh album, Fiasco, in hand, My Friend The Chocolate Cake is on a huge national tour. This week they stop by Lizotte’s Dee Why on Friday as well as Lizotte’s Newcastle on Saturday. Eat up! THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011 • 73 •
live@drummedia.com.au
SOUND DEVELOPMENT DICK DIVER POSSESS A VERITABLE SONGWRITING EMBARRASSMENT OF RICHES. THE BAND’S RUPERT EDWARDS AND ALISTER MCKAY TELL SAMSON MCDOUGALL THAT DRAWING INPUT FROM ALL FOUR PARTS HAS ALLOWED THEM TO DEVELOP THEIR GROOVE.
D
ick Diver arrived a couple of years back and managed to get an EP, Arks Up, out. It was a cracker. Then it seemed like they’d disappeared. In fact, if it weren’t for the odd live performance and the fact that a couple of them play in other bands, you could’ve sworn they’d dropped off the planet altogether. Then, as if from nowhere, they finally drop an album. It captures all of their tonal slackness and packs a real sense of humour outside of the Australian stories it tells. Alistair McKay explains it was the writing of these songs that caused the hold up. “Both Rupe [Edwards] and I write pretty slowly,” he admits. “We write a lot of songs
UP THE NANTE Indie rockers Nantes are set to release their upcoming self-titled EP this week at Spectrum on Friday. They play with Sleepyhands and We Are Volcanoes for only $12 on the door.
SHAMELESS SEAMUS Irish plus Australian plus Guinness plus gypsy caravan equals supergroup Shameless Seamus & The Tullamore Dews. The new cross-continental supergroup hits up The Gaelic this Friday, with John Doyle in support at 8pm.
HONKY TONK SHONK Christa Hughes is picking up where she left off with her new album, Shonky, a reimagining of hit songs of the last decade in a New Orleans style. With a couple of new original songs too, she will be launching the album at The Basement Circular Quay this Friday.
B.Y.O.M. This post-punk duo is noisy, raw and moody but still
single FOCUS
but we’re not happy with most of them. This is the first record that we’ve done with Steph [Hughes] and Al [Montfort] doing stuff as well. We recorded a bunch more that we had but we settled on ten that we wanted. “I reckon Rupe probably throws out about ninety per cent of the stuff that he writes, I write fewer songs. Al writes heaps of songs but he’s in six bands; Steph’s in three at the moment and it was just a matter of going up, recording a bunch of things and having the time to sit back and think relatively critically about it and pick out which songs we thought fit together.” The songs paint a picture of inner-suburban life, strung together like a wee narrative. “I guess it’s been so long in the making and it feels like it’s been so long since we recorded it to now,” says Edwards. “I’ve listened to everything so much now that it’s just weird that everybody’s just hearing it for the first time. So I’m feeling good about it but it’s just a weird thing that there’s been such a delay, I guess.”
to their launch, though: “Playing them live is still heaps of fun, I’m not at all over that.”
WHO Dick Diver WHAT New Start Again (Chapter Music) WHEN & WHERE Saturday, GoodGod
He still reckons he’ll be able to bring some enthusiasm knows how to have a lot of fun. Corpus hits up SFX this Saturday along with Halfwait, Flagfall and I’m No Thief. The gig is also apparently BYO moustache to celebrate Movember, so you know what to do.
TWIST AND SHOUT Twist And Shout: ‘60s Dance Party is moving homes to the infamous Spectrum from now on. Shake your tail feathers this Friday from 11pm for only $5 at the door and DJs Dylabolical and Doctor J there to liven up your night.
COOEY! Brisbane five-piece Kooii is heading down to Sydney for the first time in more than six years so this would be silly to miss. The dynamic Afrobeat/jazz/reggae band will play Friday at 505 with Bam Bam Boogie!, Saturday at the Clarendon Guesthouse and Sunday at the Old Manly Boatshed.
SING US A SONG
musicians for free. It’s a competition, with a prize of over $50,000 worth of production, so head along and cheer your favourites on from 8pm.
HEADLINE Foot In The Wall at the Bald Faced Stag offers a peek at some of the city’s best up and coming talent. This Thursday that’s Remmos K, Elizabeth Riordan & The Back Up Plan, King Of The North and Phantasmagoria. It’s all in for $8.
MAMA ON THE RADIO Thursday at 505, Eastside Radio presents its second monthly live music night of jazzy goodness. This week’s featured artist is Alphamama, accompanied by The Love Drug. There’ll also be a DJ set from the station’s own Taline, who hosts Moodswings on Tuesday nights. It’s $15 to get in, or $10 for concession and Eastside Radio supporters. Head down from 7.30pm.
The second week of the Singer Songwriter Series at The Lair, upstairs at The Metro, is happening on Wednesday, giving you an opportunity to check out up and coming
ALEKS & THE RAMPS
Middle Aged Unicorn On Beach With Sunset What’s the song about? When I was 22 I worked as a cleaner at a primary school. Taking care of the garbage bags from the art classes was my favourite task. Usually I’d spend a few hours going through the bags for any discarded art pieces and occasionally find something pretty fantastic. I came across one titled ‘middle-aged unicorn on beach with sunset’ which depicted, as you can imagine, a unicorn with glasses, grey hair and the beginnings of jowls standing on the beach at sunset. The artist didn’t sign it, probably because it was incomplete, the sunset hadn’t been coloured in, and the perspective of the unicorn and his four legs was all out of whack. I’ve kept this picture in my drawer ever since, and now that I’m around the age that I’m assuming the unicorn is, I feel a deep affinity with him. My kids make pictures in art class too sometimes, but they’re usually quite disappointing.
Is this track from a forthcoming/existing release? Yes. The last track on our album currently titled FACTS, due out on 14 February 2012.
How long did it take to write/record? Not too long, though I can’t even remember. I was on some pretty mind-warping medication for a back injury I sustained falling out of an avocado tree I was pruning. I felt like time was speeding up/slowing down all the time…
Was anything in particular inspiring you during the making? Hot weather. Young coconut juice. Sailors. Blood rituals. Slumber parties. The 1992-93 Chicago Bulls. X-ray binaries.
What’s your favourite part of the song?
THE DEMON PARADE
IN THE JUNGLE DATURA CURSE
GET THIS INDIA Indian metallers Blind Image hit Valve on Sunday, with a massive bill of homegrown talent joining in, too – that’s Engage The Fall, Kunvuk, Datura Curse, Katabasis, Havoc and Dawn Heist. It’s all happening from 4pm.
• 74 • THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011
CHRISTINA MIMMOCCHI
MAKE NOTE Christina Mimmocchi launches her debut CD, Rumours Of Summer, at Notes on Thursday with Gramophone Man, who’ll be spinning hits from the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s.
Brisbane indie popsters The Jungle Giants are in town this week, shimmying around with the songs from their debut, self-titled EP. Thursday they’re playing free at the Lansdowne with Dead Beat Band, then Friday they hit World Bar for the weekly MUM with The Demon Parade, Giraffe Season and The Future Prehistoric – that one’s $15 on the door. Finally on Saturday night, they join Kill City Creeps at their weekly Upstairs Beresford residency, with Radio INK also on hand. The final show’s on the house, too.
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The start of the song, where Joe’s baby, Raven, can be heard making giggly noises under all the digital blippy-blippy bits.
Do you play it differently live? We don’t have an acoustic guitar, marimbas, a choir of ladies and time-warping medication running through our veins. So yeah, it’s a little different.
Will you be launching it? Friday – The Gate Saturday – Emma Soup Sunday – Newtown Festival
For more info see: aleksandtheramps.com
& present
www.iconmusic.com.au
IN-STORE SIGNING Featuring celebrated ESP endorsee and band driving-force Alexi Laiho, along with fellow ESP users rhythm guitarist Roope Latvala and bassist Henkka Blacksmith, this in-store appearance by the whole band is not to be missed!
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THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011 • 75 •
TIN CAN CARTEL
getting COMFY
Tijuana Cartel are still gearing ahead on their huge tour around the country, this Saturday stopping at the Great Northern. Newcastle. They’re supported by Tin Can Radio.
KILL CITY CREEPS
DOWN IN THE GONG
What is it about the venue that makes you want to do a run of shows there?
Viva La Gong is happening this Saturday at MacCabe Park in the heart of Wollongong’s CBD, with plenty of arts, music and more to entertain you throughout the day. The free event boasts live performances from the likes of Alotta Presha, Atticus and Bennie James, to name just a few.
Well we played a show not too long ago supporting Wolf & Cub and loved the primo sound. Also they have a rad band room and a diverse crowd. And... they don’t charge entry for bands. Giggity!
INNER WESTERN
Same set every week or mixing it up? We like to mix it up... Playing the same set can get so boring and we are rambunctious young ‘uns with short attention spans.
Any special guests going to make an appearance during your tenure? East River, The Jungle Giants, Doc Holiday and Reckless Vagina will all be supporting on various weeks. Most of them are our mates and their music is sick!
Favourite position at the venue when you’re not on stage? Well before we play watching the other bands and then after... At the bar or in the band room getting pissed and smoking durries.
The Petersham Bowlo comes alive Sunday with a Inner Western country covers event featuring performances from Suzy Connolly, Bryan Estepa, Queen Ravine, James Thomson and The Dead Setters. It kicks off at 5pm and kids get in free, while everyone else has to chuck in $15.
When are you in residence? Every Saturday in November! Doors opens at six and bands start at eight! And did I mention it’s
OPEN THE GATE At The Gate, located in Artarmon, this Friday, you’ll find Aleks & The Ramps, Valar and more playing. For a $15 donation you can check it out, and it’s open to all ages.
free? Yeah boi!
DROP IN Eighties rockers Dropbears are back in action, playing two shows this week – first at The Brass Monkey on Thursday, then at the Sando on Friday. They’re joined by Young Docteurs at both gigs, and also Ruby Wilde on the second night.
I SEE RED1 Melbourne’s Redcoats are in town, celebrating their new, self-titled debut EP. Saturday night they step into Spectrum, where Strangers and Dirty Little Rebels will also play.
NO HARM, NO FOWL The sweet indie pop tunes of Guineafowl are being taken around the place this week, stopping in at the Great Northern Newcastle on Friday and ANU Bar on Saturday.
MISTY MUSIC The prolific Dave Graney & The Lurid Yellow Mist aren’t slowing down this week, with Camelot Lounge on Friday and the Great Northern Newcastle Saturday their destinations in the van.
HE’S MY BROTHER Dave Tice and Mark Evans have their own spectacular stories of musical life, from AC/DC to travels across the globe. The two are now musical partners in crime and with their new album, Brothers In Arms, they play Ryan’s Hotel on Thursday and Lizotte’s Kincumber on Sunday.
CRUZ WITH ME Soulful urban singer Israel Cruz has his new single, Party Up, tucked away in his pocket and has been taking it around for a spin the last few months. Saturday he finishes his NSW run with a show at Fanny’s Nightclub in Newcastle.
PEAS BE THERE Saturday night at the Lansdowne there’s a heck of a lineup playing, with Peabody and Betty Airs taking to the Broadway stage along with Go/No-Go and New Brutalists. What’s more, the show is free.
SOUNDS MANKY Mixing jazz, dub, soul, electronic and much more is The Mank, a collaboration between like-minded individuals. They’re at Beach Road on Friday from 8pm in the Rex Room, while DJ Jimmy Carroll keeps the beats flowing in the Public Bar.
SWEET AS CANDY
Thursday 24th November s w/ Cheap Fake
ND! TWO NIGHT STA ber Sat 19th Novemrewe K w/ Boom Band & DJ Mr Chad
mber Sun 20th Nove
weights w/ Superheavy & DJ Hot Grits
GO NORTH mber:
g events in Nove
the followin so appearing at
r AWME ar Melbourne fo B Fi i H e Th : th 8 in Friday 1 ilway Club Darw al a R e Th : rd 3 2 Wed Festiv mbimby Music al Fri 25th: Mullu liff Music Festiv sc n e e u Q : th 7 2 Sat 26th & Sun
Al
le at: Tickets availab •76 • THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011
Check out the new weekly event at Candy’s Apartment on Fridays, with bands across two rooms, 15 DJs and heaps more. It’s called Button Down Disco and doors open at 8pm, with $5 drinks up ‘til 11.
Sunday afternoon once again sees Peter Northcote take to the Bridge Hotel from 3.30pm, this week joined by Paul Gray. Pop/rock is his game and he does it well, and you’ll just need to set aside $10 for the afternoon. Kids are welcome, too.
PSYCH OUT FOUR Psych pop four-piece Plasticine Machine plays the Royal Cricketers’ Arms in Prospect on Sunday to launch their debut EP, PlasMa.
GET YOUR SHIT IN ATTN: Local bands! If you have a gig or release in the pipeline that you want to promote, send the details, blurb (no longer than 100 words) and pic (no bigger than 1MB, NO SMALLER THAN 200 DPI and in .JPG or .PDF format) to live@drummedia.com.au. Get in quick, it’s fuckin’ FREE!
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EP TOUR
11/11/11 FRIDAY 11 NOVEMBER 2011 SPECTRUM - 8.00PM - OXFORD ST w/SLEEPYHANDS & WE ARE VOLCANOES Tickets available from Moshtix Outlets, www.moshtix.com.au or 1300 GET TIX 1677
PRESALE: $10 | DOOR: $12
EP FEATURING “FLY” AND “CHARLIE” OUT NOW THROUGH MGM AND I-TUNES WWW.NANTESBAND.COM THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011 • 77 •
RESEARCHERS FROM THE NATIONAL DRUG AND ALCOHOL RESEARCH CENTRE WOULD LIKE TO TALK TO PEOPLE WHO USE
DRUGS.
THE QUESTIONNAIRE TAKES APPROXIMATELY 40 MINUTES TO COMPLETE AND ALL INFORMATION GIVEN IS STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL. PARTICIPANTS WILL BE REIMBURSED FOR OUT OF POCKET EXPENSES.
PLEASE RING THE NATIONAL DRUG AND ALCOHOL RESEARCH CENTRE (02) 9385 0104 TO SEE IF YOU ARE ELIGIBLE. • 78 • THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011
MASSIVE TWO DAY SALE! 19th 20th & of NOVEMBER SATURDAY SUNDAY TOP SECRET! WE CAN’T LIST PRICES THIS SOON! DETAILS TO BE RELEASED NEXT ISSUE - STAY TUNED!
YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS THESE DEALS! MANY ITEMS ARE BELOW COST! FIRST IN - BEST DRESSED INSANE PRICING ON GUITARS, AMPS, ACCESSORIES AND MANY MORE!!! BRING YOUR CAR, VAN, TRUCK OR TRAILER TO TAKE HOME A BARGAIN!
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THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011 • 79 •
ROYAL CHANT James Carthew
What do you think the sound of Newtown is and how does your act fit into it? There is a great ‘anything goes’ attitude with regards to music in Newtown – hip hop, folk, blues, roots, garage, indie pop, garage... There is something for everyone.
Why do you think your band is a good fit for the Newtown Festival? We like to think we are an enthusiastic live show and we love playing to crowds – Royal Chant will hopefully provide the energy to set the entire day of live music in motion!
You’re off stage post-set, where’s your next stop at the festival? Unfortunately we’ll have missed the Newtown Festival Dog Show so we will most likely be hanging around the Essential Stage checking out the competition.
You’re in Newtown and down to your last $5 – what are you spending it on? Pies! Having only $5 left in Newtown is a fairly regular occurrence for some members of the band.
You’re jumping on stage with one of the other acts, whose set are you crashing/cameo-ing? Cowbell solo on Slow Down Honey’s One I Know. I first heard that song on a music blog a couple years ago and had it on repeat for about a month.
SLOW DOWN HONEY Alex What do you think the sound of Newtown is and how does your act fit into it? There looks like there’s a bit of everything – I think we’ll bring a bit of bum shaking to the proceedings. Why do you think your band is a good fit for the Newtown Festival? I think our music’s pretty fun – so it should be good for people to groove along to on a beautiful Sunday in Newtown. You’re off stage post-set, where’s your next stop at the festival? Food stalls for late breakfast. You’re in Newtown and down to your last $5 – what are you spending it on? Last time this happened – I went to Egg records and bought GoldenEye for Nintendo 64. Good purchase. You’re jumping on stage with one of the other acts, whose set are you crashing/ cameo-ing? Blues jams with Stonefield for sure.
SPIT SYNDICATE
STICKY FINGERS
Nick Lupi
Paddy Fingers
What do you think the sound of Newtown is and how does your act fit into it?
What do you think the sound of Newtown is and how does your act fit into it?
Trying to describe the sound of Newtown is very difficult because Newtown is about as diverse as they come. But I’d describe it as rowdy, loud and free of any pretentious bullshit. We draw a lot of inspiration from the sights and sounds of Newtown.
We fit in because we don’t fit in. Does anyone really fit in? We fit in because we’re diverse in sound and attitude. And haircuts and shoe sizes. That’s it – it’s because of our haircuts, curly, red, Brit pop and dred.
Why do you think your band is a good fit for the Newtown Festival?
Why do you think your band is a good fit for the Newtown Festival?
Because very few acts represent the Inner West of Sydney like we do. Everywhere we go, we take the Inner West with us because that’s where we got our style, in terms of hip-hop, slang, graff, etc.
Because we’re from Newtown. Maybe it’s also because there’s so much of us scraped, dropped and dribbled onto the streets: money, knees, elbows, heads and love. We leave it all in Newtown. It’s where we live and die.
You’re off stage post-set, where’s your next stop at the festival? Stonedfield. I’m not talking about the band either.
You’re in Newtown and down to your last $5 – what are you spending it on? Either a schooner at the Courty or a Vietnamese roll from the bakery near the RSL.
You’re jumping on stage with one of the other acts, whose set are you crashing/cameo-ing? Sticky Fingers; those boys know how to put on a show.
Best gig you’ve seen at any of the various excellent venues in Newtown?
Best gig you’ve seen at any of the various excellent venues in Newtown?
Best gig you’ve seen at any of the various excellent venues in Newtown?
The last gig seen in Newtown was the Eels at the Enmore a few months ago!
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings a couple of years back was incredible!
I love the parties the Big Village crew throw at The Sando; that’s a great venue for hip-hop. Seeing Tame Impala play at Changing Lanes last year was cool too.
DUBMARINE
What do you think the sound of Newtown is and how does your act fit into it?
BETTY AIRS Cristian Campano What do you think the sound of Newtown is and how does your act fit into it? A mixture of a million styles all meshed into a pot of down-to-earth, best–of-Sydney goodness. Newtown is an inspirational place to live and a lot of the new Betty’s songs were penned in the Freaky Tiki Bar over a few cold ones. Viva El Tiki! Why do you think your band is a good fit for the Newtown Festival? We’ve all lived or grown up in the inner west and like to play goodtime party shows. It’s gonna be rad fun to play to a boozy day-time crowd. Bring maracas amigos. You’re off stage post-set, where’s your next stop at the festival? Probably hanging out with local buddies… There’s a rad lineup of different styled bands so will be a fun day. You’re in Newtown and down to your last $5 – what are you spending it on?
GHOSTWOOD
Paul Watson
What do you think the sound of Newtown is and how does your act fit into it? This will actually be our first time performing in Newtown so I guess this may be the beginning of our Newtown sound education! I once bought a secondhand bag from an op shop in Newtown and while this bag didn’t have a distinctive sound, it was a good bag.
Why do you think your band is a good fit for the Newtown Festival? We are a high-energy band that likes to deliver a great show and get the crowd moving and involved. And from what I understand the Newtown festival goes off, so should be a good fit!
You’re off stage post-set, where’s your next stop at the festival? We will definitely be off to watch friends of ours The Barons of Tang perform at the festival. An act not to miss, we have shared many a festival bill with the guys ‘n’ gals of Tang and are big fans.
Defo a Rowdy Ya Habibi felafal roll.
You’re in Newtown and down to your last $5 – what are you spending it on?
You’re jumping on stage with one of the other acts, whose set are you crashing/ cameo-ing?
I actually think the bag I bought from the op shop in Newtown was around $5 so if I am in need of another bag, perhaps I will grab one. Failing that, a coffee, beer or some Tally Hos.
Elton John always lets us dance on his piano.
Best gig you’ve seen at any of the various excellent venues in Newtown?
Best gig you’ve seen at any of the various excellent venues in Newtown? Swollen Members at the old Globe (RIP) round 2001. Good times! • 80 • THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011
Again being from Brisbane I haven’t caught many shows (maybe one) in Newtown. I have seen a show at The Vanguard and thought the venue was great, the band playing however I can’t remember.
Newtown seems to encapsulate cultural diversity, or at least try its best to be accepting of everyone. I guess that means the sound of Newtown really could be anything. But at the same time, it seems everyone who lives in or around Newtown can somehow play guitar so maybe that’s something we’ve got in common too. Why do you think your band is a good fit for the Newtown Festival? I think because I can’t think of any music that wouldn’t fit in. I’m really looking forward to playing our new songs for our album which is due soon. It’ll be fun playing during the day as well. You can actually see the crowd at a festival, which always makes a huge difference. You’re off stage post-set, where’s your next stop at the festival? I really want to see the dog show! I have a dog called Jimi. He’s a lovely little brownish/red kelpie. Maybe we can both go... You’re in Newtown and down to your last $5 – what are you spending it on? Ice cream and/or lollies. You’re jumping on stage with one of the other acts, whose set are you crashing/ cameo-ing? It’s a tough choice between either Stonefield or the Official Opening by the Mayor. I think either case would end up being pretty fun/weird.
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You’re off stage post-set, where’s your next stop at the festival? I’ll try and squeeze in next to the groupie with the unlimited smokes, driver’s license, big wallet and the smile. Where will we go after that? Courty maybe, stumbling distance. You’re jumping on stage with one of the other acts, whose set are you crashing/ cameo-ing? Probs Stonefield. I met their mum when we played with them at a festival in Bathurst, so we should be catching up. Best gig you’ve seen at any of the various excellent venues in Newtown? Don’t know about the best gig – seen too many.
RICHARD CUTHBERT What do you think the sound of Newtown is and how does your act fit into it? Well, the sound of Newtown, um, the Courthouse beer garden? The traffic? The bouncer at the Townie saying ‘Sorry mate’. Maybe that’s it. Someone saying hello? Definitely not Funky Café. Sorry Funky Café. I guess I fit in somewhere between the laughter and the pedestrian crossings.
Why do you think your band is a good fit for the Newtown Festival? I like Newtown. I think it is one of the best things about Sydney. Maybe the best thing. So it’s great to play at Newtown Festival. Hopefully people will enjoy it.
You’re off stage post-set, where’s your next stop at the festival? The Essential Stage ‘cause I’m MCing that stage on the day!
You’re in Newtown and down to your last $5 – what are you spending it on? Well me and my friends have actually been in this situation many times. I guess you buy a longneck and then borrow another $5 for another longneck.
You’re jumping on stage with one of the other acts, whose set are you crashing/cameo-ing? Probably Betty Airs or Aleks & The Ramps. I’m sure Aleks & The Ramps won’t even notice me there.
Best gig you’ve seen at any of the various excellent venues in Newtown? Definitely the Atom Bombs, the Fabergettes, Little Lovers and Shakin Howls at Number 9 Albermarle Street.
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THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011 • 81 •
GIG GUIDE TUE 08
ADAM PRINGLE + FRIENDS: Sandringham Hotel, street level JAZZGROOVE feat… MK3 MEETS DAVE ADES, THE DOIG COLLECTIVE: 505, 280 Cleveland St Surry Hills
JULIA MORRIS: Lizottes, Newcastle LADY SINGS IT BETTER: Camelot Lounge - Marrickville LAST DINOSAURS, Dune Rats: Beach Rd Htl (Rex Room) Bondi LIVE & LOCAL: Lizottes, Dee Why LIVE & LOCAL: Lizottes, Kincumber
LADY SINGS IT BETTER: Camelot Lounge - Marrickville
MANDI JARRY: Northies Cronulla HtlSport Bar
LYALL MOLONEY, MOUNTAINS, ANG ELLA: Beach Rd Htl (Rex Room) Bondi
MYE: Artichoke Café Manly
MATT JONES: Observer Htl MATT TOMS: Coogee Bay Hotel - Beach Bar OMG!: Scruffy Murphy’s - City OUT THERE: Lizottes, Newcastle PETER HEAD: Harbour View Hotel - The Rocks RENATE NGUYEN, GENE FEHLBERG, LAURA BEASANT, DAN USHER, LOU THE LUBED-UP LLAMA FROM LJUBLJANA, SAMANTHA JOHNSON, THE SPHINXES, RUSSELL NEAL, CAROLYN CRYSDALE: Kogarah Hotel STEVE TONGE: O’Malleys City STUDIO 57 PRO-JAM: Club Cronulla - Cronulla THE YELLOW CANVAS: Café Insomnia - Pennant Hills THEY CALL ME BRUCE: Maloneys Hotel - Sydney WED 09 ANDY MAMMERS DUO: Maloneys Hotel - Sydney BRIAN CADD & RUSSELL MORRIS: West Leagues Club Newcastle CAMBO: Novotel - Brewery Bar, Olympic Park CATCH 22: 3 Wise Monkeys Pub - City DAN SPILLANE: Coogee Bay Hotel - Beach Bar DAVE ADES + FRIENDS: 505, 280 Cleveland St Surry Hills DJ ALEX MITCHELL: Beach Rd Htl (Camera Club) Bondi DJ GREG PERANO: Beach Rd Htl (Public Bar) Bondi DJ MOUSSA: Marlborough Hotel Newtown GAVIN FITZGERALD, JAMIE FOSBERG, PAUL MCGOWAN, KEN MCLEAN, NICK PUNAL, PETE SCULLY, TAOS: Coach & Horses Hotel, Randwick GEMMA: Observer Htl HARD-ONS, CYBERNE, ZEAHORSE: Sandringham Hotel, upstairs
OLD MAN CROW: Sandringham Hotel, street level PETER HEAD: Harbour View Hotel - The Rocks SHANE FLEW: Dee Why RSL SONGS ON STAGE feat., RUSSELL NEAL + GUESTS: Cat & Fiddle Hotel Balmain SONGS ON STAGE feat., STEVE MCNAUGHTON, DaNIEL HOPKINS, + GUESTS: Taren Point Hotel - Taren Point TH BLUE SPACE: Petersham Bowling Club THE GRAND UNON, + SPECIAL GUESTS: Valve Bar - Tempe TRISTEN BIRD: Lass O’Gowrie Hotel Newcastle TWO MINDS TRIO: Scruffy Murphy’s - City
THU 10
031 ROCK SHOW: Scruffy Murphy’s - City ALPHA MAMA: 505, 280 Cleveland St Surry Hills ANDY MAMMERS DUO: Orient Hotel - The Rocks ARJ BARKER, JOEL OZBORN: Mingara Recreation Club - Auditorium BIGPHALLICA, STEVE PAOLI, DJ GROOVE TERMINATOR: Upstairs Beresford - Beresford Hotel BRIAN CADD & RUSSELL MORRIS: Nelson Bay Diggers Club BRIAN MCFADDEN: Lizottes, Newcastle
8 - 14 NOVEMBER 2011 gigs@drummedia.com.au INSERT COIN(S) feat, GLASS TOWERS, + DJ’s: Oxford Art Factory JAMIE LINDSAY: Maloneys Hotel - Sydney JOHN VELLA: Toxteth Hotel - Glebe JONNY ROCK: Coogee Bay Hotel - Beach Bar KATRINA BURGOYNE: Dee Why Hotel KIRK BURGESS: Sackville Hotel - Balmain LACHLAN BRYAN, CHARLIE HORSE: Sandringham Hotel, upstairs LADY SINGS IT BETTER: Camelot Lounge - Marrickville MICHAEL MCGLYNN: Greengate Hotel - Killara MICK RAVEN, MASSIMO PRESTI: Excelsior Hotel - Glebe MICKEY PYE: Novotel - Brewery Bar, Olympic Park MIKE MATHIESON, CHRIS ALEXANDER: Bankstown Trotting Club
DROPBEARS, YOUNG DOCTEURS + GUESTS: Brass Monkey - Cronulla
I’M WITH STUPID: O’Malleys Kings X
FAKER, THE PAPER SCISSORS, ROCKETS: Cambridge Hotel - Newcastle
JAMIE LINDSAY: Mean Fiddler Hotel Rouse Hill
HUSKY: Clarendon Guest House Katoomba
• 82 • THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011
AUSSIE EMCEES feat, REZADENT&DSIPL, TRU N DEED, PHENOMENAL HANDCLAP BAND, WIZDM, BRB, BBOYS SOLO & SAMSON ( JUSTICE CREW), MISTERY, GENESIZ & THE COMMISSION: Canterbury Leagues AZADOOTA: Cat & Fiddle Hotel Balmain BEN FINN: PJ Gallaghers Drummoyne BIG WAY OUT: 3 Wise Monkeys Pub - City BLACK ROSE: Courthouse Hotel - Taylor Square
BLAKHATZ: Lewisham Hotel - Lewisham
PAT DRUMMOND: Pioneer Tavern - Penrith
BLOW, BLACK LABEL: Bridge Hotel - Rozelle
PETER HEAD: Harbour View Hotel - The Rocks
BLUE SUEDE ROCKERS: Belmont 16’s
SARA TINDLEY: Empire Hotel - Annandale SKYSCRAPER: Stacks Taverna - Darling Harbour
BOBBY C: The Mark Hotel - Newcastle BRIAN CADD & RUSSELL MORRIS: Muswellbrook Workers Club - Muswellbrook
DJ MATT, SCOTTY SAX: Bankstown Sports Club
IGNITION: Crows Nest Hotel (late)
DJ MJ: Gymea Bay Hotel
ITCHY FEET: Hotel Jesmond
DNA, DANIEL CHAMPAGNE, GENEVIEVE CHADWICK: Eastern Lounge, Chatswood
JACKS IN BLACK: Crown Hotel - Sydney
ROCKETS, EARLY BIRDS, YOUNG PRETTIES: Oxford Art Factory Gallery
JACKSON HARRISON: SIMA
RYAN ENRIGHT: Parramatta RSL
DR LOVE: Charlestown Bowling Club
JASON NORRIS: Grand Hotel - Rockdale
SAM & JAMIE TRIO: Kirribilli Hotel - Kirribilli
JD SETS, Good Charlotte: Coogee Bay Hotel - Beach Bar
SHAMELESS SEAMUS & THE TULLAMORE DEWS: Gaelic Club
DR ZOOM DUO: Nelson Bay Diggers Club DROPBEARS, YOUNG DOCTEURS, RUBY WILDE: Sandringham Hotel, upstairs ELEVATE: Customs House Sydney ENDLESS SUMMER BEACH PARTY: Commercial Htl Parramatta ENORMOUS HORNS: Ettamogah Hotel - Rouse Hill FAKER, THE PAPER SCISSORS, ROCKETS: The Standard - Surry Hills FALCONIA FRIDAYS feat, HOBOGESTAPO, STARJUMPS, KRISTY LEE, ISBJORN, STONEY ROADS: Kit & Kaboodle - Kings Cross FALLON BROTHERS: Observer Htl - Late
FAST TRACK ZODIAC: North Richmond Hotel
STEVE TONGE: Harbord Beach Hotel Harbord
CHART BUSTERS: Rooty Hill RSL-Fred Chubb Lounge
TALK OF THE TOWN: Charlestown Bowling Club
CHASING KARMA: Engadine Tavern
FELICITY URQUHART, THE FLOOD, KARL BROADIE, + more: Manly Fig
THE DALTON’S GANG’S LAST RAID, VICIOUS DICKENS, SIX WHITE HORSES, STUART ARMOUR: Valve Bar - Tempe
CHRISTA HUGHES & THE HONKY TONK SHONKS: The Basement
THE POD BROTHERS: Gymea Bay Hotel THEE CONVICTS, THE BED WETTIN BAD BOYS: Annandale Hotel Annandale THINK ROCK N FOOD: Lizottes, Kincumber TOM TRELAWNY: Marlborough Hotel Newtown ZOLTAN: Northies Cronulla HtlSport Bar
FRI 11
031 ROCK SHOW: Riverstone Memorial Club
CRAIG THOMMO: Royal Oak Htl Parramatta CRIMSON TIDE TRIO: Cessnock Supporters Club DAMIEN LEITH, MACSON: Western Suburbs Leagues Club DARREN JOHNSTON: Red Cow Inn Penrith DAVE GRANEY & THE LURID YELLOW MIST: Camelot Lounge - Marrickville DAVE WHITE DUO: Castle Hill Tavern DAVID AGIUS, MARK TRAVERS: Castle Hill RSL DEEP SEA ARCADE, PALMS (EX RED RIDERS), WOE & FLUTTER: Annandale Hotel - Annandale
URBAN GUERILLAS, STEPH MILLER & THE WINTER STATION, HANDSOME YOUNG STRANGERS: Valve Bar - Tempe
HUSKY: Northern Star Htl Newcastle
CAROLYN CRYSDALE: Artichoke Café Manly
COUGAR DUO: Hills District Bowling Club
RESIDENT DJs: Jacksons on George Sydney
DJ JIMMY CARROLL: Beach Rd Htl (Public Bar) Bondi
BRIAN MCFADDEN: Lizottes, Kincumber
THE GRATES, LAST DINOSAURS, THE MEDICS: Waves Nightclub Towradgi
TWIST AND SHOUT: 60’S DANCE PARTY: Spectrum
HOORAY FOR EVERYTHING: Kurnell Rec Club
SONGS ON STAGE feat. RUSSELL NEAL + GUESTS: Red Lion Hotel - Rozelle
CHOMP INC: The Wharf - Wagstaffe
RENAE KEARNEY: Mill Hill Hotel - Bondi Junction
ROBERTS: The Watershed Darling Harbour
FANTINE, M JACK BEES, PHEBE STARR, DJ MARTIN NOVOSEL: Upstairs Beresford Beresford Hotel
THE JUNGLE GIANTS, DEAD BEAT BAND: Lansdowne Htl
DI SOLOMON: Campbelltown Catholic Club
ARJ BARKER, JOEL OZBORN: Doyalson RSL, Auditorium
PANORAMA: 3 Wise Monkeys Pub - City
CHEAP FAKES, BENJALU, BENTLEY, LOKI: Beach Rd Htl (Rex Room) Bondi
DAMIEN LEITH: Southern Cross Club ACT
ANDY MAMMERS DUO: Hillside Hotel - Castle Hill
NEILL BOURKE: O’Malleys Kings X
CAMBO: Observer Htl
DAMIEN LEITH: Canberra Southern Cross Club - Top Of The Cross
ANDY GOLLEDGE, MICHELE MADDEN, HAZZY BEE + GUESTS: The Square, Hay Street Haymarket
BLACKSTAR: Kincumber Hotel - Kincumber, Central Coast
THE JAZZ FACTORY: Great Northern Hotel Newcastle
CHRIS MALLORY: Artichoke Café Manly
24 HOURS: Warners at the Bay
FIONA LEIGH-JONES DUO: Harbord Beach Hotel Harbord FRESHMIX: Kro Bar, East Leagues Club, Bondi Junction GEOFF RANA: Macquarie Hotel Liverpool GOLD FIELDS, MILLIONS: Oxford Art Factory, Live Art Space GREEN DAY SHOW: Scruffy Murphy’s - City GREG BRYCE: Duke of Wellington Hotel GREG BYRNE DUO: Mean Fiddler Hotel Rouse Hill GUINEAFOWL, GLASS TOWERS, SONNERS HOPES, VULTURE CULTURE, THE SI CLAROS, 1929 INDIAN, POST PAINT, THE HAVELOCKS, RUN SQUIRREL: Great Northern Hotel Newcastle HARBOUR MASTERS: Kings Cross Hotel - Kings Cross
DJ: Campbelltown Catholic Club
HEATH BURDELL: Northies Cronulla HtlSport Bar
DJ JEDDY ROWLAND, DJ MIKE SILVER, DJ MATTY
HIP NOT HOP: Stacks Taverna - Darling Harbour
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JINJA SAFARI, MEGASTICK FANFARE, PLUTO JONZE, ELIZABETH ROSE: Metro Theatre JJ DUO: 3 Swallows Hotel - Bankstown JONATHAN LEE JONES: Great Southern Hotel Sydney KOOLI: 505, 280 Cleveland St Surry Hills KRISHNA JONES: Bankstown Htl LACHLAN BRYAN, CHARLIE HORSE: Heritage Hotel - Bulli LAURA JEAN, RESCUE SHIPS: Petersham Bowling Club LITTLE BASTARD, ANDY GOLLEDGE, MICHELE MADDEN, HAZZY BEE, THE DIAMOND QUILLS: Capitol Square Hotel Haymarket LJ: Chatswood RSL MACKA: Matraville Hotel - Matraville MANDI JARRY DUO: Crows Nest Hotel (early)
ROB HENRY: Observer Htl - Early
SIMA feat, THE DILWORTHS: The Sound Lounge Seymour Centre SINGLED OUT: Club Central, Hurstville SMELLS LIKE 90s: Heathcote Hotel SONGSALIVE, SLIGHTLY OFF, INICIATE, CAROLYN WOODORTH, + GUESTS: Everglades Country Club Woy Woy SONGWRITERS, DAN CRESTANI, EMAD YOUNAN, SIMON MARRABLE: Mars Hill Café - Parramatta STEVE EDMONDS BAND: Rock Lily - The Star Casino - Pyrmont STEVE TONGE: Novotel - Brewery Bar, Olympic Park STREETS OF OMAH: Belmore Hotel - Newcastle SUVI: Vineyard Hotel - Vineyard TERRY BATU: East Hills Htl, East Hills
MARQUEZ, NINTH PILLAR, KYLE HORSLEY: Excelsior Hotel - Glebe
THE GRATES, LAST DINOSAURS, THE MEDICS: Cambridge Hotel Newcastle
MARTYS PLACE: Mosman RSL
THE GREAT ESCAPE: Kingswood Sports Club
MATT JONES DUO: PJ’s Irish Pub Parramatta
THE JUNGLE GIANTS, DEMON PARADE, GIRAFFE SEASON, FUTURE PREHISTORIC: Mum @ The World Bar
MATT TOMS: The Belvedere Hotel Sydney MICKEY PYE: Albion Hotel-Parramatta MIMESIS: Woolloomooloo Bay Htl
THE MANK: Beach Rd Htl (Rex Room) Bondi
MOHI CHASE: Oasis on Beamish Hotel Campsie
THE MOODY BLUES: State Theatre
MY FRIEND THE CHOCOLATE CAKE: Lizottes, Dee Why NICKY KURTA: Sebel - Surry Hills ONE HIT WONDERS: Wentworthville Leagues ORIGINAL SIN - INXS SHOW, SWING SHIFT COLD CHISEL SHOW: Penshurst Htl RAMPAGE, THUNDA STEEL, METAL, AVARIN: The Patch - Fairy Meadow
THE ROCKER FELLERS: Windsor Castle Hotel Newcastle THE RUB: Orana Hotel - Blacksmiths THEY CALL ME BRUCE: Quakers Inn - Quakers Hill THINK ROCK N FOOD: Lizottes, Newcastle THIRD TIME LUCKY: Penrith Gaels - Kingswood
REASONS 2B CHEERFUL: Narrabeen Sands
THUNDERSTRUCK-AC/ DC SHOW, SHADOW BOXER- THE ANGELS TRIBUTE: Bull & Bush - Baulkham Hills
REDLINE: The Stag & Hunter Hotel
TOUCAN: Padstow RSL
RAPTURE: CLUB RIVERS
VULA (BASEMENT JAXXX): UniBar - University of Wollongong WAY TO BLUE: THE SONGS OF NICK DRAKE: Concert Hall, Syd Opera House WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS- QUEEN TRIBUTE: Pioneer Tavern - Penrith WILDCATZ: Marlborough Hotel Newtown YUKI KUMAGAI, JOHN MACKIE, TONY BURKYS: Well Connected Cafe Glebe ZAC SLATER: Rydges Parramatta ZOLTAN: Town Hall Hotel - Balmain
SAT 12
360: Annandale Hotel - Annandale 80s RADIO: Exchange Hotel - Newcastle ABBY DOBSON: Lizottes, Dee Why ABUKA: 505, 280 Cleveland St Surry Hills AFTER PARTY: Nelson Bay Diggers Club ALL STAR DUO: Bankstown Sports Club ALTITUDE: Beach Palace Hotel Coogee ANGIE DEAN, MATT JONES: Castle Hill RSL ARMCHAIR TRAVELLERS DUO: Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club BRENDAN DEEHAN: Observer Htl - Late BRIAN CADD & RUSSELL MORRIS: Hexham Bowling Club BRITISH INDIA, KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD, THE FROWNING CLOUDS, BETTY AIRS: The Gaelic - Surry Hills CAMBO: Sir Joseph Banks Hotel Botany CC SHOOTER: Orana Hotel - Blacksmiths CHINESE BURNS UNIT, END O THRASH, SMALL TOWN INCIDENT, CRUELTIES FUN, + SPECIAL GUESTS: Valve Bar - Tempe (Early) CHRIS READ: Waratah Rugby Union Club - Newcastle CLAUDIO MEYER: Charlestown Bowling Club COUGAR: Carousel Inn Rooty Hill COVER NOTES DUO: Engadine Tavern DAVE GRANEY, THE SINS: Great Northern Hotel Newcastle DEAR ORPHANS, SARA TINDLEY: Mars Hill Café - Parramatta
THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011 • 83 •
GIG GUIDE DEEP DUO: Stacks Taverna - Darling Harbour DEEP SEA ARCADE, WOE & FLUTTER: Cambridge Hotel - Newcastle
8 - 14 NOVEMBER 2011 gigs@drummedia.com.au
LEO SAYER, ANDREW LAWSON: Belmont 16’s, Star Lounge - Belmont
DAVE TICE & MARK EVANS: Lizottes, Kincumber DAVE WHITE DUO: Northies Cronulla Htl
LJ: Picton Hotel - Picton LONESOME TRAIN: Club Five Dock
DAVID AGIUS DUO: Ettamogah Htl - Afternoon
MANDI JARRY DUO: Ettamogah Hotel - Rouse Hill
DJ BRYNSTAR: The Watershed Darling Harbour
DJ GREG PERANO: Beach Rd Htl (Public Bar) Bondi
MARK DA COSTA & THE BLACK LIST: Crows Nest Htl
DJ MIKE SILVER: Cohibar - Darling Harbour
MARK TRAVERS: PJ Gallaghers Drummoyne
DJ JAMIN (THE TRIP), THE LIVE COLLECTIVE: Beach Rd Htl (Camera Club) Bondi
EBONY & IVORY: Penrith Hotel - Penrith
MATT PRICE DUO: Panthers - Terrace Bar, Penrith
DES GIBSON: Lansvale Hotel - Lansvale DJ, PEACHY: Mounties Mt Pritchard Terrace Bar
FUNKSTAR: Marlborough Hotel Newtown GARY JOHNS DUO: Mean Fiddler Hotel Rouse Hill GILBERT WHYTE: Artichoke Café Manly GODS OF RAPTURE, MINUS HOUSE, MONSTER GALE, + GUESTS: The Square, Hay Street Haymarket GOLD CADILLAC: Belmont 16’s GRAND THEFT AUDIO: Belmore Hotel - Newcastle GUINEAFOWL: ANU Bar - Canberra ACT HUSKY, TIN SPARROW: The Standard - Surry Hills INFUNKTIOUS: The Stag & Hunter Hotel JAMES CHATBURN: South Leagues Club JELLY FISH: Blacktown RSL JENNA MURPHY: The Supper Club, Oxford Hotel - Darlinghurst JEROME: The Mark Hotel - Newcastle KAATO, UNCORRECTED, LIMOWRECK, SUMMER MIXTAPE: Valve Bar - Tempe (Afternoon) KILL CITY CREEPS, RADIO INK, THE JUNGLE GIANTS, DJ KRISTY LEE: Upstairs Beresford - Beresford Hotel LACHLAN BRYAN, CHARLIE HORSE: The Vault - Windsor LEEROY: Duke of Wellington Hotel
DRIVE feat. PETER NORTHCOTE, PAUL GRAY: Bridge Hotel - Rozelle ELEVATION - U2 ACOUSTIC: Orient Hotel - The Rocks (afternoon)
MATT SCULLION: Toukley RSL - Toukley MICHAEL MCGLYNN: Kirribilli Hotel - Kirribilli MICHAEL PETER: The Belvedere Hotel Sydney
FIONA JOY HAWKINS & TRYSETTE: Camelot Lounge - Marrickville
MICHAEL STEWART, RESIDENT DJs: Jacksons on George Sydney
HUNTER & SUZY OWENS: Marrickville Bowling Club
MICKEY PYE: Northies Cronulla HtlSport Bar
HUSKY: Brass Monkey - Cronulla
360
MIKE MATHIESON, CHRIS ALEXANDER: Lakemba Ex-Services Club - Lakemba MY FRIEND THE CHOCOLATE CAKE: Lizottes, Newcastle NEXT BEST THING: Seven Hills RSL NICKY KURTA BAND: Bull & Bush - Baulkham Hills ORIGINAL SIN - INXS SHOW, SWING SHIFT COLD CHISEL SHOW: Goulburn Workers OVER THE EDGE: Kro Bar, East Leagues Club, Bondi Junction PEABODY, BETTY AIRS, NO-GO, NEW BRUTALISTS: Lansdowne Htl PETER HEAD: Harbour View Hotel - The Rocks PHASE III: Bay Hotel PHILLIP JOHNSTON & THE COOLERATORS: SIMA POWDERFINGER SHOW: South Hurstville RSL
GIG OF THE WEEK
Rapper 360 is out on the road this week in support of his new album, Falling And Flying, which he brings to the stage at Newcastle Leagues on Thursday, Waves on Friday and the Annandale Saturday..
REMIXES: Kingswood Sports Club RENAE KEARNEY: Northies Cronulla Htl REPLIKA: Brewhouse Pub Marayong ROAD WORTHY: Riverwood Inn ROB HENRY DUO: Harbord Beach Hotel Harbord ROCK BUSTERS: Macarthur Tavern Campbelltown ROCK MY SOUL, SNAKETOWN RATTLERS: Penrith RSL, Castle Lounge
SHAKEN LOOSE ROCK N ROLL BAND: Campbelltown Catholic Club SHARRON BOWMAN: Engadine RSL SIMA feat, PHILLIP JOHNSTON & THE COOLERATORS: The Sound Lounge Seymour Centre SKY BAR: The Watershed Darling Harbour SMOKING PONIES: Beach Rd Htl (Rex Room) Bondi
RUBICON: Warners at the Bay
SONGS ON STAGE feat., LINDA READ, CAROLYN WOODORTH: Terrey Hills Tavern Terrey Hills
RYAN DALEY: Windsor Castle Hotel Newcastle
SOUNDPROOFED: Mean Fiddler Hotel, Woolshed - Rouse Hill
SARAH HUMPHREYS: Lizottes, Kincumber
STEVE EDMONDS BAND: Hornsby Inn
STEVE TONGE: Observer Htl - Early
ZOLTAN: Ettamogah Htl - Afternoon
TAYLOR KING: Empire Hotel - Annandale
ZOLTAN: Revesby Workers
TED NASH: Pittwater RSL TERRY BATU: Mortdale Hotel - Mortdale THE BADDIES, Eager 13, THE ROAD RUNNERS: Sly Fox Hotel - Enmore THE CELIBATE RIFLES, SEMINAL RATS, + SPECIAL GUESTS: Sandringham Hotel, upstairs THE GOYLES: North Nowra Tavern THE GRATES, LAST DINOSAURS, THE MEDICS: Metro Theatre THE JACKS: Oatley Hotel THE LEVYMEN: Cessnock Supporters Club THE PREHISTORICS, THE VOLTS, CHOPPA & THE HONEYBOY: Botany View Hotel Newtown THIS IS ARTCORE feat, FEICK’S DEVICE, FABELS: Excelsior Hotel - Glebe TRASHBAGS DJS, + MORE: Oxford Art Factory, Live Art Space TUCK & PATTY: Camelot Lounge - Marrickville VELVET HOTEL: Brighton RSL
• 84 • THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011
IGUANA: Duke of Wellington Hotel
JIMMY BEAR: Kincumber Hotel - Kincumber, Central Coast KICKSTAR: Oatley Hotel KLASSIC BLAK: Belmont 16’s
SUN 13
LACHLAN BRYAN, CHARLIE HORSE: Grand Junction Htl Maitland
ACCA DACQUIRIS: Bankstown Sports Club
LE TRIO DE LEE CASS, HELMUT UHLMANN, + GUESTS: Coach & Horses Hotel, Randwick
3 WAY SPLIT: Orient Hotel - The Rocks
ANDY MAMMERS TRIO: Mean Fiddler Htl - Sub Bar APHRODISIAC INDUSTRY NIGHT: Jacksons on George Sydney ARLEY BLACK: Royal Federal Hotel BENN GUNN: Kro Bar, East Leagues Club, Bondi Junction BILL CROFT: Hurstville RSL Club BILLY WASHINGTON’S DRIFTERS: Lizottes, Dee Why BLIND IMAGE, DAWN HEIST, HAVOC, KATABASIS, DATURA’S CURSE, ENGAGE THE FALL, KUNVUK: Valve Bar - Tempe (Afternoon) BLUES SUNDAY feat. MARK HOPPER: Artichoke Café Manly BRIAN CADD & RUSSELL MORRIS: Toronto Workers CAMBO: Observer Htl - Early CEARA FOX: Waverley Bowling Club CLAUDIO MEYER: South Leagues Club
VIP: Scruffy Murphy’s - City
DAN SPILLANE: Mean Fiddler Hotel Rouse Hill
YOUNG REVELRY, + SPECIAL GUESTS: Oxford Art Factory Gallery
DAVE MCMASTER, GORDON: Campbelltown Catholic Club
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JESS POLLARD, CHAMPAGNE SUNDAES: Harrington Grove Country Club
LOVE THAT HAT: The Mark Hotel - Newcastle
The Rocks PSYCHO ZYDECO: Exchange Hotel - Newcastle REBECCA JOHNSON BAND: Time & Tide Hotel - Dee Why (Afternoon) RESIDENT DJs: Mounties Mt Pritchard Terrace Bar ROB HENRY: Observer Htl - Afternoon SHANE FLEW: Kamma Wine Bar, Neutral Bay SHANE MACKENZIE: Cohibar - Darling Harbour SONGWRITERS & OPEN MIC NIGHT, MEN WITH DAY JOBS, CAROLYN WOODORTH, + GUESTS: Avalon Beach RSL SOUL SHAKEDOWN DJ’s: Great Northern Hotel Newcastle STEVE EDMONDS BAND: Towradgi Beach Htl TERRY SERIO’S MINISTRY OF TRUTH, NIC DALTON & THE GLOOMCHASERS, THEM APPLES: Sandringham Hotel, upstairs THE GENERATORS: Riverstone Sports Hotel Riverstone THE PREHISTORICS, THE VOLTS, CHOPPER & THE HONEY BOY: Botany View Hotel Newtown THE ROCKER FELLERS: Charlestown Bowling Club THE TORCHSONG COUNTRY SOUL BAND, PETER CARANTINOS, STEPH MILLER, LAPIS SKY: The Gaelic
LUCY DESOTTO & THE HANDSOME DEVILS: Sandringham Hotel, street level
TOM & DAVE SHOW: Northies Cronulla HtlSport Bar
MANDI JARRY: Harbord Beach Hotel Harbord
TORI DARKE: Penrith RSL, Castle Lounge
MARDOG & THE APEMAN: Orana Hotel - Blacksmiths
TUCK & PATTI: Lizottes, Newcastle
MARISSA SAROCA: Warners at the Bay
ZOLTAN: PANTHERS - TERRACE BAR, PENRITH
MATT PRICE: Ettamogah Hotel - Rouse Hill
MON 14
MIKE BENNETT: Observer Htl - Late
BRIGHT EYES: Enmore Theatre
MIKE MATHIESON, CHRIS ALEXANDER: Campbelltown RSL
CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH, + SPECIAL GUESTS: Oxford Art Factory, Live Art Space
MYSTERY GUEST: The Belvedere Hotel Sydney NEILL BOURKE: O’Malleys Kings X NEWTOWN FESTIVAL feat, TIN SPARROW, GOSSLING, THE BARONS OF TANG, STICKY FINGERS, SPIT SYNDICATE, ROYAL CHANT, SLOW DOWN HONEY, BETTY AIRS: Camperdown Memorial Park - Newtown PETER HEAD TRIO, + FRIENDS: Harbour View Hotel -
JAMES MULLER TRIO: 505, 280 Cleveland St Surry Hills JAMES MULLER TRIO: VENUE 505 ROB HENRY: Observer Htl SONGS ON STAGE feat. RENATE NGUYEN, ALAN WATTERS, RUSSELL NEAL, + GUESTS: Kellys on King - Newtown Starr Witness: Roxbury Hotel - Glebe
THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011 • 85 •
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
BEHIND THE LINES WITH MICHAEL SMITH BTL@STREETPRESS.COM.AU
JASON BLUME SONGWRITING MASTERCLASS American songwriter Jason Blume is one of the few songwriters to have his songs appear on Billboard’s Pop, R&B and Country charts at the same time, courtesy Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys and Jesse McCartney. He’s also written or cowritten hits for artists as diverse as the Oak Ridge Boys and the Gipsy Kings. Throw in his time as Assistant to the Director of A&R for RCA Records, which saw him working with artists like Alabama, The Pointer Sisters and Eurythmics and it’s obvious he knows a thing or two about songwriting. Blume is presenting a twoday songwriting seminar 9am-5pm Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 November at JMC Academy in Surry Hills, covering everything you could possibly want to know about the art, craft and business of songwriting. The cost of the weekend is $250 or $200 for APRA, NSAI, ASA, SSA, Songsalive or Song Central members and Soundworks students. To book a place, check into the CMC Productions website.
FBI RADIO MUSIC OPEN DAY IN GOSFORD Sydney community radio FBi’s next free Music Open Day will be held at the Youth Arts Warehouse in Gosford 1-6pm Saturday, and opening the afternoon is a Music Industry 101 Panel, with industry experts discussing the best way to score gigs, promote your band, get on radio and make money from your music, the panel featuring FBi Music Director Dan Zilber, APRA’s Sean Price, Paper Scissors frontman and manager Jai Pyne and entertainment lawyer Gene Goodsell. After the panel, hang around, have a bite to eat and chat one on one with FBi and MusicNSW representatives. Whether you’re wanting to present your demos to someone or just tell them about your music, they’re more than happy to listen. There’s a live music showcase, featuring The Paper Scissors and up and coming Central Coast acts Sons Of Alamo, Jacob Pearson and Sky Squadron. The FBi Music Open Day is held every month and everyone’s welcome. All you need do is bring along four or five copies of your tunes on CD to hand in. Make sure you include a short bio, track list, your email address and any upcoming gig dates with each copy.
SCREAMING ANGELS
rediscovered that sort of thing as well,” John Brewster, sitting in the control room of Albert’s Studio 1, equipped with a Euphonix CS3000 total recall 72-channel analogue desk, suggests.
OUT OF THE ASHES OF THEIR LAST REUNION, THE ANGELS HAVE FOUND THEMSELVES REINVIGORATED BY A SHOT OF DAVE GLEESON. MICHAEL SMITH CAUGHT UP WITH THEM AT ALBERT STUDIOS.
R
euniting in 2008 in the classic original lineup of singer Doc Neeson, guitarists John and Rick Brewster, bass player Chris Bailey and drummer Buzz Bidstrup after several years where various members worked in a variety of configurations, 2011 began with that lineup once again going its separate ways. Throughout the previous four years, the Brewster brothers had continued pursuing their own career path and it was in that capacity they found themselves performing at a venue in Hahndorf, in South Australia’s Mt Lofty Ranges, called The Haus, when a familiar face gradually insinuated itself and was invited up to sing a few Angels songs – Screaming Jets frontman Dave Gleeson. It didn’t take long for the brothers to realise the mix had potential, and here they are in Albert Studios in Neutral Bay recording a new album together, the studio itself a reincarnation of the one where their original career began. “We’ve always kept very close contacts with Albert’s,” John Brewster explains. “Harry [Vanda] is no longer with Albert’s but George Young and [A&R Manager and manager of all things AC/DC] Sam Horsburgh are, but whatever happened over in [original premises] King Street [Sydney], the spirit’s survived and it’s over here now too. This is a great studio and Rayne [House, studio manager] is a fantastic engineer. And much as I love the old analogue recording and those old records still sound great to me, you know, if you wanted to go back and work with that technology now I reckon it would drive you mad. We’re recording stuff as instantly as you think about it.” Albert Studios, set up by the late Ted Albert, who was instrumental in establishing the careers of The Easybeats
“The last time we were in,” Rick Brewster explains, “I used a Marshall quad box with a Fender Bassman 50 watt head, and it’s a really good sound, but I went home and did some overdubs with what I’m using now, a little 15 watt Vox Night Train, a single Celestian box… And I like it better.”
and then Vanda and Young as the studio’s house engineers, relocated to Ranger Road in Neutral Bay in 1986, when the original premises were demolished. “I reckon we’ve come full circle; we’ve come back to just not getting too precious about stuff. When you’ve got engineers like Rayne, he just makes everything sound so fantastic, and we use a combination of old things and new things. An old Les Paul I purchased in LA in 1985 when our truck was stolen – the second truck!” Just how open the sessions are is exemplified by this anecdote from John Brewster: “I was in the bathroom a couple of days ago and I heard this guitar thing going off and I thought, ‘Oh, somebody’s making a nice little overdub on some track – I really like that.’ Then I realised that sounds like my brother, so I walked up to him and said, ‘What were you just playing?’ He said, ‘I don’t know,’ and I asked to him play it again and he started playing this thing and I went, ‘That’s it! That’s a song there.’” Over the years, The Angels’ guitar sound changed from the original template of John Brewster’s power chord rhythm and Rick Brewster’s tight lyrical soloing as the band endeavoured to keep up with the times, particularly when guitarist Bob Spencer brought in his more exploratory blues-rock style. In recording this new album, the brothers have in many ways returned to the sounds of their classic albums Face To Face, No Exit and Dark Room. “I suppose in a way we’ve gone and probably
“For me it’s still a big Marshall and a big quad box,” John Brewster admits, “though for one track I just used a small thing too. I mean it all sounds good. Those little amps are brilliant.” Rick Brewster has also dusted off his old trusty white Strat again, after “rediscovering” it a couple of months ago when he and John were invited to be a part of a Jimi Hendrix tribute night at the Enmore Theatre. Nick Norton, a multi-instrumentalist who was in a young band John Brewster used to mentor, Gangawry, has picked up where drummer Buzz Bidstrup left off and for the sessions is content to use the Albert’s house kit. “It’s a Pearl Reference, one of their premier kind of kits, but the various other noisemakers, the cymbals and snare, are mine. I’m not too precious about my own drum sounds because Rayne has the studio kit tweaked to sound perfect in this room and it suits the sound of The Angels perfectly.” “It just makes more sense to play a kit that’s tuned to the room that you’re playing that’s been tuned by the guy who’s recording it,” Gleeson adds laconically. As for the vocals, “Once again, I’m just happy to be guided by the engineer who runs the place, which is funny ‘cause live I can’t use anything but a 58 – even the Beta 58s I don’t really so much. An SM58 is what a rock singer should use on stage, I don’t know why – for me. But in here they’ve got a huge range of Neumanns and all the good gear. The hard part for recording vocals, always for me, is to keep my hand off the microphone [laughs]. You can’t get away with it, can you? They’re gonna hear it.”
SOUND BYTES CMI Music & Audio has been appointed the Australian distributor for Antares Audio Technologies, which develops innovative DSPbased audio software and are leaders in AutoTune technology. Apple has now made its breakthrough music creation app, GarageBand, available for iPhone and iPod touch users. Angsty, prolific Mark E. Smith has been all over the shop recording what will be the 39th album from The Fall, Ersatz GB, kicking off in Manchester before heading to Berlin to record in the Funhaus, which used to house the former East German broadcasting company, cutting nine songs in two days. Then it was back to the UK and Metropolis in Chiswick, then the analogue Toe Rag Studios in Hackney, London, and finally 6dB in Salford. San Antonio, Arizona three-piece Girl In A Coma took themselves over to Austin, Texas to cut their new album, Exits And All The Rest, with producer Mike McCarthy (Spoon, …Trail Of Dead), recording live to analogue tape. Californian all-girl four-piece Dum Dum Girls headed into Josh Homme’s Pink Duck Studios in Los Angeles with producers Richard Gottehrer and Sune Rose Wagner to record their second album, Only In Dreams. Sydney singer/songwriter Piers Twomey, who recorded his latest album, Strange Advice, at co-producer Tony Dupe’s (Saddleback, Holly Throsby, Jack Ladder) cottage studio in Kangaroo Valley in the NSW Southern Highlands, saw Dupe not only take the record to Berlin to mix, but also the Isle of Skye, in the Scottish Hebrides, where it was mastered by Denis Blackham (Rachel Unthank, Talk Talk) at Skye Mastering. Sydney artcore outfit Feick’s Device is currently recording a debut album in Damien Gerard Sound Studios in Balmain, which is where they recorded their EP, Still Busy Storing Away Fat For Your Trial By Fire. Engineer is Russell Pilling, who also worked on their EP, and they’ll be self-producing. August saw Underlights head into the now dearly departed Big Jesus Burger Studios in Surry Hills, to knock out the first two singles of their forthcoming debut EP under the guidance of legendary producer Paul McKercher. The first, Now That You’re In Love, has already become a triple j Unearthed Artist of the Week pick. • 86 • THE DRUM MEDIA 8 NOVEMBER 2011
SEAGULL MARITIME SWS CW SG QI The mid-range acoustic guitar market is flooded with instruments that are all too familiar – similar looks and feels without much individuality. Seagull is a Canadianmade guitar, which sets it apart from its many Asian contemporaries, though the look and feel remains standard amongst its peers. Quality of tone is where the difference lies and this guitar features not only a solid spruce top but solid mahogany back and sides as well, giving it a strong foundation for producing a vibrant tone. Seagull pressure tests the solid spruce used for the soundboard; apparently rigidity and stiffness gives the top-board maximum harmonic vibration. What is instantly notable is the clear bottom end, a balanced tone with distinct highs yet maintaining a fat sound. The projection is strong without a honking mid-range, another fine point of all solid wood guitars. This model has a cutaway and features a Godin pickup with a surprisingly accurate tuner. The level is even across all strings and as with any amplified, full-bodied acoustic, the volume/EQ needs to be set differently for each scenario. The finish is semi-gloss custom polished, which gives it a satin feel and promotes the aging of the guitar – this instrument will sound better as time goes on (stick it in front of your speakers to expedite the process!). Overall, the all-solid wood construction of this guitar is what really matters; laminates just can’t match the sound. While this guitar won’t have Martin and Taylor aficionados reaching for their wallets, at around $1000 it may sway others looking at their lower-end guitars that cost a lot more.
SEAGULL MARATIME SWS CW SG QI that is rather pleasing to the eye, and a very solid rock maple neck. Like all Godin necks, this maple neck is on the slim side, a nice satin finish, the shoulders rounded and the frets nicely dressed so that it feels quite slick. The fact that it has only 21 frets and has quite a chunky heel making lead playing feel a little clumsy. Compared to traditional single coils, the Godin GS-2 pickups have a slightly thicker midrange and moderately higher output. The overall sound is a tad darker, with a firmer tone that has more low and midrange punch. It’s still a “vintage” vibe but slightly warmer and the high frequencies are more balanced with the rest of the tonal spectrum. The Godin Humbucker bridge pickup is a moderate output pickup that adds extra girth and drive to the bridge position, but still retains commendable clarity and high
frequency response. It’s by no means a distortion pickup but it will drive gain channels and pedals with authority. Pressing the HDR Active Revoicer switch gives the guitar a lively “souped up” tone. Running off a 9V battery, the HDR circuit scoops the midrange slightly and there is a crisp high end and piano-like tone to the bass notes. It doesn’t increase volume but it adds presence and a little spice. The USB out is convenient for recording without an interface or soundcard. Overall, this is a quality instrument with a wide variety of classic tones, a smooth feel and good looks to boot. Sean Hughes Supplied by Dynamic Music; for stockists see dynamicmusic.com.au/DealerList1.asp
Sean Hughes Supplied by Dynamic Music; for stockists see dynamicmusic.com.au/DealerList1.asp
GODIN PROGRESSION BOUTIQUE The Godin Progression is a real mixed bag of new and classic features. Visually, it has a nice quilted maple veneer over a maple/poplar body with a natural finish
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EMPLOYMENT ADMINISTRATION DJ AVAILABLE- ANYTIME www.djzokithefab.com -0416306340 for any dj service club or home or birthday call anytime-GET A REAL DJ NOT MP3 PLAYER OR CRAPPY DOWNLOAD.......VINYL DJ ROCKS iFlogID: 16089 DRUM KIT WANTED or cymbals, snares etc. Also interested in anything vintage, ph 0419760940 iFlogID: 13226 Drummer wanted for Sydney Grunge Band. In Carlingford/Paramatta area 24 years and under. Influences: Silverchair, Nirvana, AIC, Sabbath etc Contact Daniel on 0403 885 433 for more info and demos. iFlogID: 13938 Grill’d Crown St need solo musos to perform paid sets every Sunday. Email link to your demo. darlinghurst_crown@grilld.com.au. Great opportunity for local exposure! iFlogID: 16285
GUITARIST GUITARIST-SONG WRITER LOOKING TO JOIN/ FORM A ALL ORIGINAL SUCCESSFUL SYDNEY ‘ROCK’ BAND. 20-30. I HAVE ‘KILLA’ RIFFS & LYRICS, 8 ORIGINAL SONGS, PRO-RECORDING EXP INCLUDING SONG TITLED ‘CAUGHT BY HER EYES’. HAVE MARSHALL STACK, GIBSON ‘LES PAUL’ & OWN TRANSPORT. INTERESTED CALL ABE 0405808941 & GET READY TO START A RIOT. iFlogID: 16222
SALES & MARKETING People needed to send eMails offering a new music Book for sale. Must have own computer - payment by commission via Paypal. Contact Bill on (02) 9807-3137 or eMail: nadipa1@ yahoo.com.au iFlogID: 13289
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Manager wanted for established artist, industry experience preferred. Brisbane based but looking for the right one Australia wide. Ph: Justin 0467448963 info@earthgoat.com www.earthgoat.com iFlogID: 15871 Sydney bassed Christian Alternative/Metalcore band(I Saw A Strong Angel)Seeks Drummer and Bass Player, keen to play shows and tour on finished, recorded EP, Must have gear, ages 18-21.Contact Nick -isawastrongangel@ live.com iFlogID: 16320 WAVELENGTH RECORDING. $350/day (BYOE) $550/day (Eng inc). Best Value for money. Guaranteed international quality. SSL console. Acoustically acurate mixing and recording. Freelance Engineers & Producers welcome. Free Assistance. Ph 0404066645 iFlogID: 15602
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PIANO & VOCAL TEACHER Piano & Vocal teacher required for large and growing music school in Blacktown. We are looking for a dynamic individual to join our team. we require someone with live playing experience and an understanding of not only music & theory but of the industry as a whole. Successful candidate must display an enthusiastic attitude towards teaching both children and adults and must provide a well rounded music syllabus. While we appreciate the dedication and skills AMEB examinations and Music Degrees provide it is not a requirement for this contract. We also recognise the value in live playing and teaching experience. Successful Candidate will require: - Thorough knowledge of vocal techniques with a strong emphasis on diaphragmatic technique - (Vocal) Performance, Jazz and Theory Knowledge (Piano) - Live playing experience and an understanding of live band processes - A minimum of 3 years teaching experience with both Children and Adults Please contact Kalinda. Email: kalinda@ bambammusic.com.au iFlogID: 16271
ENTERTAINMENT MASTA GRAVITY are back in town to rock you with there glam/ hard rock show. VALVE BAR 900 Princess Hwy, Tempe, 11/12/2011, time 4pm. get ready to be blown out of your SOCKS don’t miss out iFlogID: 16258
Peavey MKII Bass amplifier 600 watt. Good condition, great sound and loud. $390 no offers. 97590970 iFlogID: 16070
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Zildjian K crash cymbals. 18” K Dark thin brand new in plastic bag, $290. 16” K Dark thin brand new in plastic bag, $275. Ph 0419760940 iFlogID: 15332
GUITARS FENDER PINK PAISLEY STRAT. genuine 1980’s.all original.in case.great tone/action/condition.very rare.$1500 ono. Ph.0428744963.Cooroy iFlogID: 13027 Bass Guitar For Sale. KSD (Ken Smith Design) 5 string Bass guitar, Excellent cond. Used only once. $390 97590970 iFlogID: 15930 Bass guitar, black, 4 string, good condition. Looks and sounds great. $100. no offers. 97590970 iFlogID: 16068
Christmas Mastering Special... giving your music the gift of sonic perfection. .>.We’re giving away 8 sessions for December and 8 sessions for January at a never to be repeated price... Album - $400 EP - $200 Single - $50 .>. Your music will pass delicately through over $50,000 worth of the best valve and solid state outboard equipment on earth, plus be heard through a monitoring system worth double this amount, and more importantly, will be....>.Utilising a skilled engineer working with numerous Indie and Major Record Labels, including EMI Music and Liquid US, with credits for major artists such as FAKER, Papa Vs Pretty & Melody Black. .>.This is a complete package price, including a Master Red-Book CD, Master DDP DVD, Master Listening Copies and a high resolution project archive..>.Plus, you are more than welcome to attend the mastering session! .>.Terms; -book before November 30; for sessions in December or January. -20% deposit required on booking. -Spaces are limited to 8 sessions per month at this special rate. Contact; info@the-butler.com/ 0403 435 686 / www.the-butler.com iFlogID: 16081
OTHER ++ play more chinese music - love, tenzenmen ++www.tenzenmen.com iFlogID: 14468 Get your Band or Business Online Cost effectively and PROFESSIONALLY - from $299 including Hosting and email addresses! Contact info@bizwebsites.com.au or see www. bizwebsites.com.au. iFlogID: 15452
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HIRE SERVICES For as low as $100, you get a professional sound/pa mixer system with operator for the evening. Suitable for weddings, pub/clubs band gigs, private parties etc. Infovision@yayabings. com.au. Contact Chris 0419272196 iFlogID: 15173
MANAGEMENT Manager wanted - Earn 100% commission 1st 6mths -Help book live performance gigs, update Social Media sites, business deals, etc. Contact: Louie 0409 749 906 iFlogID: 15467
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PHOTOGRAPHY - PHOTOGRAPHER Affordable Sydney based professional photographer.Band and solo promo shots for print/cd/ online use.Contact Kat 0431 166 774 mynameiskaterina@gmail.com iFlogID: 15706
GUS MUNOZ PHOTOGRAPHY Specialising in Music Photography. 100% Guaranteed Fixed Price. No Hidden Fees. Studio or Location, Live Gigs, Posters, CD Covers Unlimited Hi-Res Images on a Disc Full Info: www.gusmunozphotography.com email: guspo1@netspace.net.au Mobile: 0415617346 iFlogID: 15919 Image is everything! If you have a band wanting to get ahead let me capture the next gig. High quality pictures say everything. http://www.flickriver.com/photos/senrabyor/ Korakin Photography 0414 243 811 iFlogID: 16208
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Music publicity. Do you want to get noticed? Affordable exposure for your band by someone that actually cares! www.perfectlywrite.com. au Drop me a line! iFlogID: 15737
for bands and singer songwriters. To get a record deal or played on the radio or before recording; you want your songs to have maximum impact to give you maximum career success. Working with you at your rehearsals or home; I focus on : lyrics, structure, form. Phone Carl on 0424 176 699 iFlogID: 15191
PA / AUDIO / ENGINEERING P.A hire using top quality outboard gear; Lexicon, Allen & Heath, Sure 4.800, DBX drive-racks, 160SL compression, 4-way front-of-house, 3-way active fold-back. 30years+ experience in the music industry. 0414355763. iFlogID: 13264
PORTABLE RECORDING/ PRODUCTION: Spring Clean your Songbook! Get those dusty old songs you wrote in winter out of your head and onto CD or start some new ones! I can come to your rehearsal space, home, church, school, wherever you are creative. Call 0438382873 Send me a message with ideas - I can work with any budget or project scale iFlogID: 15942
A sound treated Analog Studio(half inch tape) equipped with Tube Compressors, Mikes, Amps, Vintage Instruments and Pro Tools friendly. Rates start at $50 per song 0416824147 iFlogID: 15845
MUSIC PRODUCTION HOUSE/OFFICE Required casual person with music industry background for promotions/ liaising/musical activities etc for ARIA Award winning studios/production house. Good in-person/phone presentation and interaction are essential. Hours to suite. Central position. Great opportunity for a music lover with ambitions/abilities to get in the hub of successful music makers. Please send your details to lmusic1@hotmail.com iFlogID: 16215 Recording Studio, Parramatta, $30hr casual rate. No kits! Singers, songwriters, instrumentalists for acoustic, world, classical genres specialist. 25+yrs exp, multi instrumentalist, arranger, composer, producer. Ph: 02 98905578, 7 days. iFlogID: 15152 Recording Studio, Parramatta, $30hr casual rate. No kits! Singers, songwriters, instrumentalists for acoustic, world, classical genres specialist. 25+yrs exp, multi instrumentalist, arranger, composer, producer. Ph: 02 98905578, 7 days. iFlogID: 15160
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QUALITY PA HIRE with friendly, experienced operator. Vocal systems to full band rigs. All with lighting and at great rates. Corporate entertainment specialist. Graham 0418 423 463 platonic@bigpond.com iFlogID: 14573 Sound Hire. Systems to suit your needs for parties ,bands,ipod to full band systems let me look after your event from $65 pickup or delivered and setup Neville 0413802337 iFlogID: 14518
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Written a song but don’t know where to go from here? Get your songs professionally produced, mixed & mastered to an ARIA quality at affordable rates. Visit www.musicentourage. com or email hookmeup@musicentourage. com iFlogID: 14476
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REPAIRS
AMPLIFIER REPAIRS Service & repairs to all Brands of Guitar ,Bass ,PA’s & Mixers,120 volt to 240Volt conversions,Vintage amp Restorations. Servicing Sydney,Wollongong,South Coast & Southern Highlands,Courier service to & from our workshop available at reasonable cost,All work Guaranteed. Ph Joe at Amptek on 02 42280069 or visit our website www. amptek.com.au iFlogID: 15650
GUITAR REPAIRS AND SETUPS Professional Guitar Tech and Luthier. Clients have played with Jimmy Barnes, Guy Sebastian, Human Nature, Short Stack, Moving Pictures etc. All repair work and setups. Call Timo 9484 4374 iFlogID: 15727
TUITION 5 STRING BANJO TUITION Up-Picking (Pete Seeger Style) and 3 Finger Picking (Scruggs Style). tel. John 0431953178 iFlogID: 16006 Always wanted to learn the bass? Being the best part of the rhythm section, why not? I am a teacher-trained bass player! Contact me claireh.musictutoring@hotmail.com or call 0413 416 210 iFlogID: 16301
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DRUMMER AND DRUM LESSONS Drum Lessons avaliable in Gladesville Teach all Levels, ages and experience. Played for 16 years. I studied at Billy Hydes Drumcraft, Obtained Dipolma in Drummming Mob: 0402 663 469 Michael iFlogID: 13703 FINGERSTYLE GUITAR, open tunings, slide, flat picking, improvisation, country, blues, folk, celtic styles. All styles from Doc Watson and Nick Drake to Blind Willie Johnson and Eric Clapton. Beginners are welcome. tel. 0431953178 iFlogID: 15998
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GUITAR TUITION BY MAL EASTICK Guitar tuition customised to the individualall levels-beginners to professionals. Blues, rock, theory, equipment & tone my specialties. 39 years professional experience in tuition, gigging, recording, production, songwriting, arrangements, & consistent improvement. Central suburban Sydney location. Limited vacancies. Phone: 0407 461 093 - Email: mal@maleastick.com iFlogID: 15035
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Sean Carey (ex Thirsty Merc) is the In-House Producer/Engineer at TRACKDOWN Studios in Camperdown. Multi-platinum ARIA accredited Artist with over 10 years of production experience. Vintage guitars, microphones, gear and industry contacts! Get the most out of your songs! www.seancarey.com.au. Ph: 0424923888. iFlogID: 15612 Want to be a recording artist? We’re looking for singers/songwriters for recording & development. Contact studio@musicentourage.com or 02 4013 1977 iFlogID: 14616
You will find tuition for- Guitar, Bass, Drums, 5 String Banjo. Rock, Blues, Country, Jazz, Slide, Finger Picking, Music Theory. Sutherland Shire Contact Terry 0402 993 268 iFlogID: 16077
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Music tuition, classical / flamenco guitar, celtic harp, theory & harmony, arranging. 9am 9pm, 7 days. Parramatta area. $40 hr, $30 half hr. Mature & patient. Harps for hire. Ph: 02 98905578 iFlogID: 15158
Cubase and Nuendo tuition $25/hr Darlinghurst area. Ph. 0416117743. iFlogID: 15735
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PARAMOUNT GUITAR TUITION. Learn to play the guitar. Or learn to compose &/ or improvise on guitar. Most importantly, learn at your own pace, no pressure! Classical & other styles. 0402 630 243 www.pgtonline.net pgtonline@hotmail.com Parramatta area iFlogID: 15320
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SINGING LESSONS Voice science is out there to help improve your singing quickly. One on one lessons in hi tech multi award winning studio with fully qualified singing and performance expert. First assessment FREE. Beginners and professionals. I will help you find your voice. www.avic.com. au studio - 9588 2184 mob - 0414 453 066 Stephen Baker MRA iFlogID: 15629
SUPER BOLD HEADING 13500
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SLIDE GUITAR TUITION All styles from Duane Allman and Ben Harper to Blind Willie Johnson and Son House. www.acousticfingerpicking.com tel. John 0431953178 iFlogID: 16002
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CREATIVE GUITAR TUITION
Petersham/ Sydney. Real guitar for committed students. Attentive, one on one guitar lessons in a fully equipped music studio. Learn Jazz, Rock, Blues, Contemporary , Funk, Latin , Gypsy, Folk and other popular styles. Learn at a pace and in a direction you want to go. Beginners to advanced, all aspects of guitar are supported. Incorporate a practical approach, using rhythm, harmony, melody and improvisation. Learn theory and all about scales and modes and how to apply them effectively. Learn songs and practice techniques. Ear training, song writing, composition and sight reading. Learn all about chords, arpeggios, substitutions, synonyms and inversions. Alternate tunings, slide guitar, finger style, chord melody and world music. Study your favourite players and learn how to develop your own sound. Comfortable, air-conditioned studio with huge resource library and comprehensive digital recording available to those wanting to demo. Days and evenings, Monday to Thursday and Saturday day. Ask about special introductory offer and gift vouchers. Contact Craig Corcoran: 0430344334 (02)95726702 creative-guitar@hotmail.com www. creativeguitar.com.au iFlogID: 16155
Additional words 10 cents each.
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Learn The Drums - Have fun and discover your rhythm. I’ve created a step by step program for you on learning how to play the drums, go to www.chrismccaig.com/learn-the-drums iFlogID: 14503
AT STRINGS ‘N’ SKINS:
RemmosK @ The Wall - Bald Faced Stag Hotel - Leichhardt - 17-11-11 iFlogID: 16204
SONG FINALISING
Want to know what it takes to record a song? Book in an obligation free Q&A session in our recording studio at Five Dock. Visit www. musicentourage.com or email hookmeup@ musicentourage.com iFlogID: 14478
Learn guitar by Christmas - from beginers to professional - lessons & studio. All music skills taught one on one. Phone Chris Turner 9552 6663 guitardoctor@bigpond.com - www.bigrock.com.au/artists iFlogID: 16039
MUSICSTAGE.COM BENCHMARK STUDIO’S giving away free studio time to the winners of the WWW.MUSICSTAGE.COM competition. Upload your profile and a video of you or your band playing original music and your in the running to record your song with renowned producers. iFlogID: 16141
KEYBOARDS Kawai ES6 digital portable stage piano with travel case and stage stand. Condition as new. $2000. Pick up from Albury or other arrangements possible - hstrong@live.com.au iFlogID: 16079
Sydney PA Hire: Best quality equipment, small to large 2, 3 and 4 way systems, packages for all occasions, competitive prices servicing Sydney and environs. Details; http://www.sydneypa.biz, Chris 0432 513 479 iFlogID: 13943
Band photographer available for Sydney bands looking to stand out and impress! I am an independent and experienced photographer who has a passion for photography and music. Can help with promotional, artistic or live shots. Contact sydneyrockphotography@gmail.com for more info! iFlogID: 15867
Slam Poets needed for Rock & Writers gig at the Sando! Consumptive fops and lovesick swains also welcome. Call Charles 0407 286 391 iFlogID: 16055
For sale: GALLIEN-KRUEGER 400RB MARK IV Bass Head. Good Condition, barely used. $450 or nearest offer. Ph Jaimey 0430641158. Parramatta area. iFlogID: 16182
LEAD VOCALIST WANTED, 70’S TO 80’S FOR GLAM/HARD ROCK STYLE, MANY ORIGINALS WRITTEN, IF INTERESTED CALL 0425365408 MAQK iFlogID: 16187
CHRISTMAS MASTERING SPECIAL...
PRODUCERS OF ‘DARK ROOM’ ARE LOOKING FOR INVESTORS TO HELP FUND THE FILM. FOR $50 YOU GET TO APPEAR AS A PHOTO VICTIM AND YOUR NAME IN THE CREDITS EMAIL darphi@tpg.com.au iFlogID: 15988
2 channel.footswitchable.great fat tone. reverb/saturation etc.USA made.VGC.$350. Ph.0428744963. Cooroy iFlogID: 13019
HEAVY ALTERNATIVE BAND ALPHA DEGENERATE NEED BASS PLAYER, WILL HAVEN, MARK OF CAIN, UNSANE, SHELLAC, BREACH. GIGS WAITING. PRE-PRODUCTION SONGS AVAILABLE TO LISTEN TO AT www.soundcloud. com/alpha-degenerate CALL MATT 0422796666 OR EMAIL alpha.degenerate@gmail.com iFlogID: 16165
Audio Mastering, mixing, recording. CD-R music & data duplication, cover artwork, colour disc printing, online global distribution. Full studio package deal for EP or full album projects. Enquiries ph: 02 98905578 iFlogID: 15162
Print & Online Classifieds
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COLOUR IMAGE Steve Ostrow, New York voice teacher and vocal coach who discovered and nurtured the careers of Bette Midler, Barry Manilow, Peter Allen, Stevie Wonder and countless others now Sydney City based and welcoming students on all levels; beginners, advanced and performers; Rock, Pop, Classical etc. For availability call on 0408461868. For a free e-copy of my book ‘On Becoming a Singer..A Guide To How’ email me on sostrow@bigpond.net.au. Lessons include the entire scope of singing...voice production, musicianship, interpretation, performance skills etc. I look forward to hearing from you. iFlogID: 16289
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VOCAL TUITION for students having problems with pitch, placement and breathing. tel. John 0431953178 iFlogID: 16004 Wanted left handed electric guitar teacher Parramatta area, Contact John at... rodt1114@ yahoo.com iFlogID: 16308
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VIDEO / PRODUCTION D7 STUDIO MUSIC VID FROM $250 music vid $250. Live gig edits, multi angles, fr $125 a set, 1 live track $100. All shot in full HD. d7studio@ iinet.net.au 0404716770 iFlogID: 13368 Kontrol Productions is a highly professional production company that specializes in the production of music video’s. We ensure that our products are of the highest industry standards. For enquiries www.kontrolproductions.com iFlogID: 13827
DRUM TUITION. Drum Tuitiojn in Stanmore with a Billy Hyde trained teacher. Dip Ed, Dip Drums. All levels and all styles taught. Beginner Welcome! Call Lee 0403307796. www. lee-carey.com iFlogID: 15519
For a limited time. Free online and print classifieds Book now, visit iflog.com.au
$2
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All prices include GST
VISIT IFLOG.COM.AU TO PLACE YOUR BOOKING NOW.
MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION
TOP INTERNATIONAL DRUMMER available, great backing vocals, harmonica player and percussionist. Gigs, tours and recording always desired.www.reubenalexander.net iFlogID: 14261
GUITARIST 18 year old guitar player looking to form Rock N’ Roll band. Influences: Guns N’ Roses, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, New York Dolls. Preferably in South. Call Tom on 0401722767. iFlogID: 13358 Creating professional music videos to help you boost exposure and broadcast your song via YouTube, Facebook and TV. We can scale any production to meet both your needs and your budget so visit us at www.popfilms.com. au or email paul@popfilms.com.au or call 0412 222 111 iFlogID: 15774 MUSIC VIDEOS offer a great way to gain exposure. Immersion Imagery has worked with a variety or artists and strives to offer quality & creative Music Videos. Visit www. immersionimagery.com email info@immersionimagery.com iFlogID: 13825
MUSICIANS AVAILABLE BASS PLAYER
BASS PLAYER AVAILABLE Experienced bass player (36) available for serious punk / garage band (or dedicated players to form a band) who are interested in touring here and overseas. I’m a founding member of US punk band the Hudson Falcons, tour, label and studio experience. Serious inquiries only please. Contact Jim 0416 824 784 or jimmeyer176@ yahoo.com iFlogID: 16234 Electric & upright bass. Good gear. Comfortable in most styles. Experience performing live and in the studio. Check out my website if you wanna hear more. http:// www.wix.com/steelechabau/steelechabau iFlogID: 16159 Freelance or join band. Experienced, backingvox/some lead. Melodic rock (non-metal) R&B, reggae, blues, country. Good gear/attitude. Email 10 song audition list n’ Let’s do it! Mature age. Ralph. razza50k@gmail.com iFlogID: 16025 Pro Bass player requires work. mature age, huge repertoire. Experienced in most types of music. Best equipment. Also play Double Bass. Ken 97590970 Mob. 0434475785 iFlogID: 15932 SINGER /HARP PLAYER NEEDED FOR DR FEELGOOD TRIBUTE BAND [A LEE BRILLO[ SO IF YOU GOT THE GOODS THE BAND KICKS TONS OF LIVE EXPERIENCE RING OR EMAIL PETE iFlogID: 16036
DRUMMER A1 PRO DRUMMER AVAILABLE for freelance gigs, tours etc. Extensive touring experience, gret time/tempo/groove, great drum gear and pro attitude. Sydney based but will travel. More info, ph 0419760940. www.mikehague.com iFlogID: 13230 Call me Ringo, drummer looking to make hit. Influences include captain arab, def leopard and led zeppelin. Enjoys funk, pop, heavy and everything between. Call to snare me today: 0432953628 iFlogID: 16297
COVERS DRUMER GREAT SOUND Solid reliable and versatile drummer looking to join a working covers band (ideally rock!) Mid 30’s - with 15+ years gigging and studio experience. Pro gear, great sound good laugh! iFlogID: 16072 EXPERIENCE MALE DRUMMER Seeks working covers band/ fill in work 60’s to 80’s looking for easy going people with a positive outlook. Age group 35 plus NO DRUGS ph Mark 0422 173 728 96628330 iFlogID: 15725
Experienced drummer available for classic rock, pop and light funk covers work. Good gear and transport. Ready to get to work and have some fun! Ph: Jeremy 0414 800 255 iFlogID: 16108 Percussionist is looking for band. Any style. Professional gear and attitude. Call 0415475206 or email: plevy_@hotmail.com iFlogID: 15971 Professional mature-age Drummer/Vocals/ reads/back acts/shows - all styles including jazz - available for casual work. phone:(02) 9807-3137 eMail: nadipa1@yahoo.com.au iFlogID: 13285
Syd based Guitarist, 24, have heaps of gear... looking to start jamming with others who are interested in taking it seriously.... Influences, bb king, gaslight anthem, springsteen... Call Grant, 0416511409 iFlogID: 15130
KEYBOARD Keyboard-programming lead guitarist seeks a musician/vocalist with pro-level PA system to partner with. SEQUENCE-DRIVEN mainstream dance covers for parties and corporate. Experienced Professionals ONLY - 0414 729-931 iFlogID: 16277
BASS PLAYER WANTED
For all original pop/rock band, I’m looking for someone reliable and dedicated. Not necessarily John Paul Jones, phone Paul on (0404) 283273 or email: promacca@gmail.com iFlogID: 16133
BASS PLAYER WANTED
for original funk/pop band influences from Prince to RHCP, Stevie Wonder to Matchbox 20.Contact Robbie on 0400 177 221 iFlogID: 15584
for original funk/pop band influences from Prince to RHCP, Stevie Wonder to Matchbox 20 Contact Robbie on 0400 177 221 iFlogID: 15582
BASS PLAYER WANTED for punky/garagey band “Ang and The Airbenders”. Check out www.myspace.com/ angandairbenders. We will be an unoriginal band that rips off better bands. We plan to go gigging soon. Email michaelcorpuzbrock@ hotmail.com iFlogID: 15833
BASS PLAYER WANTED
SINGER Attractive 25 year old female singer (trained) searching for covers band to either join or create. Prefer pop, country, modern funk, reggae beats contact me on pebblesandbam@ hushmail.me iFlogID: 15826
FEMALE SINGER Female singer for working bands, duo’s etc. 60’s to 80’s music. I also play keyboard. Loads of live performance experience and have own transport. Please call Steph 0403250560 iFlogID: 15980
MUSICIANS WANTED BANDS Bass and Lead guitar player needed for a new agency backed Rock Covers show based in Sydney.Profesional gear, transport and attitude a must.Gigs waiting.contact Roger after 5pm.0404044808 iFlogID: 15515 Drummer wanted established 5 piece band Newcastle area. Semi Pro or pro covers + originals. Hardrock,blues,pop,rocknrol l ,metal. 2 booking agents. gigs booked album 2012 peter 4984 4731 iFlogID: 16125
HARD ROCK COVERS BAND Guitarist based in Eastern Suburbs requiring drummer, bass and rhythm guitarists, male vocalist and keyboardist for covers band. Age 18-25 preferred but not essential. Influences: Lostprophets, 12 Stones, Story of the Year, Nickelback, 3 Doors Down, Metallica, Papa Roach, Linkin Park. Being committed and passionate is highly valued. Jordan - 0439 530 276 iFlogID: 16059 Hey – looking for musicians (Bass/drums/ vocals preferable, but all are welcome) who are influenced by the ethos of bands such as Stone Roses/Joy Division/The Verve/Suede/ Nick Cave/Ride/The Doors/Jeff Buckley/The Libertines/My Bloody Valentine/Oasis/Pixies/ Radiohead/The Smiths/Spiritualized etc. Some things are more important than talent. andrewblomberg@hotmail.com/0406386566 iFlogID: 15838
Sydney hard rock/metal outfit HARD AS NAILS is looking4 a dedicated & dynamic Bass player. H.A.N is ready2 rock w/gigs waiting & recording well under way. Think BIG & be creative if you can make this you’re own we want to hear from you! Check out tracks on facebook.com/ HardAsNailsBand & if you think you can cut it email details to hard.as.nails@hotmail.com / call Leon on 0401 887 129. iFlogID: 16022 BASSPLAYER WANTED URGENTLY FOR ORIGINALS GLAM/HARD ROCK BAND IF YOU PLAY LIKE KISS POISON METALLICA QUEEN DOKKEN, ONLY SERIOUS PLAYERS. MUST HAVE GOOD GEAR AND PREPARE TO TRAVEL CALL 0425365408 MAQK ANTHONY NOW iFlogID: 16260
DEATH METAL BASSIST NEEDED BASS PLAYER required for death metal band in the sydney area. Must have ability,a decent live rig,own transport and be 25yrs or older. Band is new to the scene but has a solid fan base, find us on facebook under Exekute (OFFICIAL). Contact the band here exekuteband@gmail.com iFlogID: 16149
ok were a rockabilly lovin band with out a slap bass player we palay in the vain of johnney bunnet trio /top cats / stray cats/ reverend horton heat ect were all in our 40s with 40 years of playin betwen us we dont care how old you are as long as you play young we have our own rehersal studio add good contacts were based in the shire [dont hold that againt us] look you dont have to be lee rocker just the right attitude and you dont have to be shit hot but if you want some fun and love true rockabilly give me a ring 0419637381 peter g iFlogID: 15911 Untalented Libertines/BlocParty/SexPistols inspired singer/songwriter/guitarist seeks bandmates who are also inspired by these bands, willing to practice, prefer making originals rather than covers & who are easygoing. Inner West/Sydney, How bout it? iFlogID: 13790
BASS PLAYER
BASS PLAYER WANTED \M/ New band is currently jamming & writing a set, influences metal, punk, hardcore, power groove but open to ideas, if it sounds good and moves people. Based around Lower North Shore, Manly & City. Drop me a line Jake 0402539280 iFlogID: 16101
Energetic drummer needed to form a progressive heavy rock band in Bondi area. Are you serious, determined and able to drive the rhythm section whilst still keeping a groove? Call:0414399413. iFlogID: 14934
FEMALE DRUMMER WANTED Dollar Bill (X ‘the prickles’) seeks a female drummer to play snare with brushes to form almost acoustic duo, grand ole opry style. beginner no prob. phone steve 0411528300 iFlogID: 16094
Looking for a drummer interested in creating amazing music, influenced by ethos of bands such as StoneRoses, JoyDivision, Verve, Suede, NickCave, Doors, Smiths, (although by no means exclusive). andrewblomberg@hotmail. com/0406386566 iFlogID: 16020 Night Flight - Led Zeppelin Tribute require a drummer. Not a look-a-like show band. You need solid timing, good gear, transport. Rehearsals Haz Studios, W.Gosford weeknights. For details contact: scottm@y7mail.com iFlogID: 16199
WHO ARE YOU? Are you a reliable Metal Head into Conspiracies who plays Drums or Guitar? CONTROL NEEDS YOU... Contact: 0423 350 259 iFlogID: 15071
GUITARIST 18 year old guitar player looking for another guitar player. Influences: GN’R, Aerosmith, Zeppelin, New York Dolls. Preferrably someone in the south (Shire). Call Tom on 0401722767 iFlogID: 13407 Acoustic guitarist/singer/songwriter wanting to rehearse with other acoustic guitarist singers with intention to gig at local acoustic venues and open mic nights. Phone Paul on (0404) 283273 or email promacca@gmail.com iFlogID: 16135
Schitzophrenic+eclectic Bass-keteer with groove to Join Band or do some gigs http:// soundcloud.com/ronymunoz call Rony on 0401658007 no time wasters appreciated. iFlogID: 16053
ANGUS FOR THUNDERSTRUCK
Two pieces of sh-musicians need a bass player. Waiting to record & get started. Sounds like Tumbleweed, Custard, Magic Dirt. Rehearsing at Marrickville. Call Poncho 0414184301 iFlogID: 15419
DJ Looking for a cool DJ to work with in forming a killer club act with live drums/percussion. Call Al on 0400 909 633 drumpercuss@ hotmail.com iFlogID: 14052
DRUMMER “THE ROAD CRUE” SEEKS DRUMMER
A Lead Guitarist playing the role of Angus is required for one of Sydney’s premier AC/DC Tribute bands. Thunderstruck has been around for about 10yrs. A great agency represents us, rewards with good pay, great venues, continuous work. We want a good player who can perform to the music of AC/DC’s Angus Young. Please check out the web page www.thunderstrucklive. com.au or email patgeezer@hotmail. com or simply ring Pat on 0435 939 772 iFlogID: 15986
DARK SEXY GUITARIST WANTED
Heavy Rock/Metal band “The Road Crue” seeks drummer. Good gear and transport essential, must be able to play double kick. We have an album released and management backing, must have a hunger to play gigs and no time wasters. Influences: Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Guns n Roses, Megadeth, Dio and Black Sabbath. Ages between 25-35 need only apply, rehearsals in Western Sydney. For further band info send email to: roadcrew2011@hotmail.com Ph: 0435885868 iFlogID: 16293
For a band that is creating dark sexy music very much with a Nick Cave feel. You must have the desire and ability to play differing styles blues, country, jazz, sea shanties and rock and roll - in order to form a truly original sound. Your influences should be varied, BAD SEEDS, Sarah Blasko, Tom Waits, Dresden dolls, Rolling stones, Frank Sinatra, Elvis... the ability to not over play is essential. Age 30-40 Rehearsal inner west. MARK 0421 840 720 iFlogID: 16180
aggressive solid drummer needed for band. have material written and demos recorded. rehearse in the wollonong area, keen to gig asap. age/sex/skill level not important. contact 0403508102 for demos iFlogID: 14021
Original alternative rock band looking for a modern lead guitarist. In order to fit in you will need to have an array of effects and also good gear. Professional attitude a must. Must be aged between 25yrs - 35yrs. Rehearsals weekly in Wollongong. Please no time wasters. Serious musicians only. To check some of our stuff go to http://www.myspace.com/yoyodiablotheband or call 0404 267 155. iFlogID: 16237
DRUMMER EXTRAORDINAIRE WANTED For a band that is creating songs with a Nick Cave feel. You must have the desire and ability to play differing styles - blues, jazz, sea shanties and rock and roll - in order to form a truly original sound. Your influences should be varied, BAD SEEDS, Sarah Blasko, Johnny Cash, Tom Waits, Dresden dolls, Age 30-40 Rehearsal inner west. MARK 0421 840 720 iFlogID: 15936 Drummer required for Low Gear. Sydney 7 piece Reggae Soul and Ska band. JUst starting to gig, working towards paying gigs for Xmas. Please contact jon@low-gear.com if interesting! iFlogID: 15459
METAL BAND WANT 2ND GUITARIST! We are a metal band based in south west Sydney and we require a second guitarist who has decent ability, good gear, own transport, commitment, and is willing to rehearse at least once a week. We rehearse at Homebush and have a full set of songs ready to be unleashed. The driving influences behind this band include, but are not limited to, In Flames, As I Lay Dying, Soilwork and a variety of others. If anybody is interested in the position, please listen to some demo tracks at the following website before applying. http://www.starnow.com.au/ bands/9923-TIL-RAPTURE. Band consists of ex members of Sulkus, Misery, Art Imitates Crime, Black Horizon, and The Darkest Illusion. If you connect with the songs and are genuinely interested in joining this dedicated band, please contact Steve on 0404007460 or stevenhuch@hotmail.com. \m/ iFlogID: 16129
LEAD GUITARIST NEEDED!!!
GUNS N ROSES LOOKING FOR AXL
Sydney based Guns N Roses Tribute is looking for Axl Rose. If you’ve got what it takes to be the front man for one of the worlds greatest rock bands, in one of Australias premier Tributes contact james@thelaunchsquad.com.au Gigs are waiting. www.liesndestruction.com iFlogID: 15757
Salsa band looking for piano/keyboard player. Must be experienced. Impro not essential but chart reading skills are useful. iFlogID: 16189
OTHER MUSICIANS WANTED. to form new 60’s - 70’s group. Stones, Beatles Creedence, Eagles etc. Regular social rehearsals working towards gigs. We are experienced 50+ Vocalist, Rhythm Guitarist/Drummer 4727 0230 043 279 0076 iFlogID: 15850
PRODUCTION I need a pianist to work with me on recording/ creating covers and originals. In return for your services I offer my studio and compositional/ engineering ability, trading 1 hour of my time for 1 hour of your time. If you wish to pay me with currency rather than services, I only accept Bitcoin [BTC]. Please contact me to chat in more detail on 0412 111 935 or michael@ urbanfirebeats.com - any day between 9am and 9pm. iFlogID: 15512
SINGER Attractive Female Backing Vocalist Required for a pop-rock Band/Show with Album on iTunes. Paid performances booked. Reliable Singer with melodic voice and professional experience. Mosman area. Phone: 9969 1179. iFlogID: 15952
CAN YOU SING?!!
Ian (KARNIVOOL) Clint(BUTTERFLY EFFECT) Maynard(TOOL) Patton(FAITH NO MORE) Kim(DEAD LETTER CIRCUS) Serj(SYSTEM) Corey(SLIPKNOT) Flynn(COG) Chino(DEFTONES) Jonathan(KORN) Chester(lLINKIN PARK) Brandon(INCUBUS)... call SCATTERFLY 0404184802 0403228107 scatterfly@hotmail.com iFlogID: 16329
JUMP BLUES & SWING SINGER Established jump blues and swing band seeks engaging front personality with strong vocals. Professional attitude and a sense of fun both a must. Male or female. Age open but 30’s upwards preferred. Contact lemonsqueezindaddies@gmail.com for more info. iFlogID: 16057 Male singer wanted for blues / southern rock band based hawkesbury area. Covers from Black Crowes, Skynyrd, Stones, ZZ Top , Bad Co . Own transport & be reliable. Scott 0416256471 Steve 0404959756 iFlogID: 15367 Rhythm guitarist seeking to join or form Blues/ Rock covers band in the Penrith district. Contact Paul on 0402 746 733 or 4774 0085 iFlogID: 13646
SINGER FOR FUNK/SOUL BAND Male or female singer with good harmonies wanted for a gigging covers & original funk/ acid jazz/ Soul band. Experience and professional attitude plus good stage presence required. Influences are Jamiroquai, EWF, B N Heavies, Steely Dan, and similar. Interested?? - email pscottman@yahoo.com.au with your details and demos or myspace ref. iFlogID: 16091
SINGER NEEDED We’re a new band playing heavy stoner rock and roll, looking for an experienced frontman. We have a lot of material written, but are missing the right singer. Inf; Sabbath, The Stooges, Motorhead etc. Call Jeff on 0405 225 267 iFlogID: 15958
SINGER WANTED ASAP Experienced Progressive Heavy Groove Band seeks, Strong Heavy/ Melodic Vocalist. Think Sevendust, Tool, Karnivool etc. READY TO PLAY!!! Call Si - 0413210550 iFlogID: 16256 The Cleftomaniacs, the enthusiastic 25-member a cappella choir who brought you the most recent Sydney A Cappella Festival, invite new members (especially those lovely tenor & bass blokes). Eclectic repertoire from Sting to classical polyphony to gospel and we love to gig! Rehearsals school term Thursday evenings in Waterloo. Contact Catherine 02 9388 7010 / 0414 517 010 / flittie@iinet.net.au iFlogID: 16041 Drummer, bassist and guitarist looking for versatile vocalist; influences ranging from Queen to RATM, RHCP and Metallica. Inner West Sydney. 16-24 (preferably). Email me: st_jimmy_greenday94@hotmail.com . Cheers iFlogID: 15425 Female, looking for Lori.S ACID KING inspired. We need you to complete line-up. CALL: 0439653489. iFlogID: 16171 FRONTMAN WANTED URGENTLY FOR ORIGINALS GLAM/HARD ROCK BAND IF YOU SING LIKE - KISS POISON METALLICA QUEEN AC/DC, ONLY SERIOUS VOCALIST NEEDED. MUST HAVE STAGE PRESSENCE, PREPARE TO TRAVEL CALL 0425365408 MAQK ANTHONY NOW iFlogID: 16262
Lead singer for working covers band playing funk/soul from 70’s to now. We need an experienced male or female , good vocal range, harmonies, and audience skills. Call Dean for audition details on 0400 803 787. iFlogID: 16325 GOSPEL SINGERS WANTED for nondenominational music ministry to record triple-CD in Perth. World-class, passionate and devotional vocalists sought. View www. THE001Music.com for details. Jesus is KIng! Reverend Eslam. God Bless You! iFlogID: 13088
TROMBONE An exciting new Reggae Project is looking for a trombone player with reggae/ska experience to hit the recording studio immediately! Fantastic potential. Email reggaeproject@hotmail. com or call 0432089495 for more details. iFlogID: 16267
An exciting new Reggae Project is looking for a trumpet player with reggae/ska experience to record. Fantastic potential. Email reggaeproject@hotmail.com or call 0432089495 for more details. iFlogID: 16265
SERVICES BEAUTY SERVICES
CUSTOM MADE MUSICIAN PLUGS Musician Plugs come in four different filter choices to reduce the volume of loud music to a safer level. They will not distort the tonality of the music, rather simply reduce the volume ‘equally’ across all tones.Fitted by a qualified hearing professional we have a number of locations throughout Sydney as well as in the CBD. To make an appointment call 9223 0225. iFlogID: 16291
iFlogID: 13862
If you want to use DRUGS, that’s your business If you want to STOP, we can help. Narcotics Anonymous 9519 6200 www.na.org.au iFlogID: 16217
Need to promote your restaurant, club and make it the place to go? Contact us now, because providing good entertainment is a personal skill. Chris 0419 272 196 ventura@ yayabings.com.au iFlogID: 15175
PROFESSIONAL BAND PHOTOGRAPHY
Get your Band or Business Online Cost effectively and PROFESSIONALLY - from $299 including Hosting and email addresses!Contact info@bizwebsites.com.au or see www.bizwebsites.com.au. iFlogID: 15450
iFlogID: 13615
VOCALIST WANTED!!! New band currently jamming & writing a set. Influences are metal, hardcore, punk, Heavy blues/groove mix. Have myspace songs for listening. Contact Jake 0402539280 iFlogID: 16105 Want to be a successful recording artist? We’ll help you write a song produce, mix & master it then help you pitch it Email: studio@musicentourage.com call: 02 4013 1977 iFlogID: 14472
Does your band or act need original music? Let me write music for you in the style of folk/ pop/country/rock Call Paul on (0404) 283273 or email: promacca@gmail.com iFlogID: 16153
TATTOO Monstrosity Dreadlocks, Sydney. Dreads and maintenance special: All service $30 per hour. Professional, guaranteed service. Kings Cross. Call 0421356410 iFlogID: 13613
TUITION Bass guitar lessons for beginner to intermediate levels. Aim to push students beyond the basics of bass and how to play the genre THEY love.Sydney’s Inner-West, Contact Blake: 0405182840 iFlogID: 16178 That’ right. get a free pair of Ministry of Sound Turntables when u book into our Nov 19th, 2011 Turntable Workshop course. More info at www.djbootcamp.com.au or call 95472578 iFlogID: 15790
GUITAR LESSONS
Get your Band or Business Online Cost effectively and PROFESSIONALLY- from $399 including UNLIMITED pages, Logos, Hosting and 5xemail addresses and much more! Contact info@bizwebsites.com.au or see www. bizwebsites.com.au iFlogID: 13864 Limited Edition mens tees and hoodies with a sense of humour. All hand-screened and numbered. monstrositystore.com iFlogID: 13611
POSTERS & FLYERS Full Colour Band Posters @ Amazing Prices 100 A4 full colour on Gloss = $40 100 A3 full colour on Plain = $50 100 A3 full colour on Gloss = $80 Go to www.blackstar.com.au for a full price list iFlogID: 14957
OTHER
With experienced and fully qualified tutor. Who has 20 years of studio and live performance. Most styles including Rock, Pop and Jazz. Learn to play your favourite songs, practical theory, improvisation, proper technique, etc. etc. Beginners to advanced are welcome. In the convenience of your own home. Good results guaranteed. Phone Oles on 0407413143 or email olesguitarlessons@yahoo.com iFlogID: 16110
P&O DJ CRUISE P&O and DJ Bootcamp present, 8 day, 3 island professional DJ Cruise # 2. Nov 26th, 2012. Book early and save. www.djbootcamp. com.au iFlogID: 15754
Less than 24 years old please. influences: Silverchair, Nirvana, AIC, Sabbath etc Contact Daniel on 0403 885 433 for more info and demos. iFlogID: 13145 Singer wanted to front Hard Rock band from Sydney’s West. Age between 16 to 20 would be best suited. Influenced largely by Motley Crue. Email: sr_2848@hotmail.com
Studio, live, candid or location shots with an experienced band photographer. Gigs, promos, album covers, artwork. Affordable prices, professional quality. 25% off for unsigned bands! Mobile: 0479060317 Email: admin@mattgphotography.com.au Web: www.mattgphotography.com.au iFlogID: 16047
FREE TURNTABLES
GRAPHIC DESIGN
SINGER WANTED FOR SYDNEY GRUNGE BAND.
SONG WRITER FUNK SINGER FOR SYDNEY BAND
We require a guitar teacher for our Eastern Suburbs based music school. The role is to commence in the new year. Applicants should have some teaching experience, good communication skills across many age demographics, and plenty of patience. Must also be reliable, consistent, and driven to succeed in teaching. Please email resumes to luke@lsguitar.com.au. iFlogID: 16117
Get your Band or Business Online Cost effectively and PROFESSIONALLY- from $399 including UNLIMITED pages, Hosting and 5xemail addresses and much more! Contact info@bizwebsites.com.au or see www.bizwebsites.com.au.
TRUMPET
KEYBOARD For a band that is creating songs with a Nick Cave feel. You must have the desire and ability to play differing styles - blues, jazz, sea shanties and rock and roll - in order to form a truly original sound. Your influences should be varied, BAD SEEDS, Sarah Blasko, Tom Waits, Dresden dolls, Leonard Cohen, Age 30-40 Rehearsal inner west. MARK 0421 840 720 iFlogID: 15934
TEACHER GUITAR TEACHER WANTED
PIANO / ORGAN / KEYS
PIANIST OR AN ARRANGER? I need a pianist and an arranger to work with me on recording/creating covers and originals. In return for your services I offer my studio and compositional/engineering ability, trading 1 hour of my time for 1 hour of your time. If you wish to pay me with currency rather than services, I only accept Bitcoin [BTC] Please contact me to chat in more detail on 0412 111 935 or michael@urbanfirebeats.com - any day between 9am and 9pm. iFlogID: 15510
Looking for bassist interested in making art rock, influenced by ethos of bands such as StoneRoses, JoyDivision, Verve, Suede, NickCave, Ride, Pixies, Radiohead Doors, Oasis, Smiths, Blur, Pulp, etc... andrewblomberg@hotmail.com/0406386566 iFlogID: 16018
MALE GUITARIST WANTED Female singer/songwriter looking for a guitarist with experience aged between 20-30 that has a passion for playing Pop/Rnb/Soul/Jazz. The right person will need to commit to rehearsing at least once a week.There will be no pay for rehearsals but hopefully the aim will be to start getting paid gigs on a regular basis. Please email me if you are interested alanaderoma101@hotmail.com iFlogID: 16123
DRUMMER WANTED
looking for a drummer for loud, postironicpunkrockalternativeantiegotistical band. influences: sonic youth, pavement, modest mouse, MBV, elliott smith, deerhunter, neutral milk hotel, the fall, pixies etc, call/message adam 0432930850 iFlogID: 15945
OTHER We are a friendly jazz band playing music to any style for romantic situations, weddings, anniversaries, small cozy clubs - very affordable. contact Chris 0419 272 196 ventura@ yayabings.com.au iFlogID: 15177
DRUMMER WANTED
For all original pop/rock band. I’m looking for someone with a reliable, dedicated attitude. Not necessarily Stanley Clark. Phone Paul on (0404) 283273 or email: promacca@gmail. com iFlogID: 16131
SINGING LESSONS THAT ROCK. Your voice has the ability to sing at the Audioslave/Muse/ Aretha/YeahYeahYeahs level because of Design. Increase range sing with effortless power using the right technique. Beginners-Advanced. 0405-044-513 iFlogID: 15761 Being a musician too expensive? Awesome daily deals for musicians. Up to 90% off on musical instruments, equipment, services, accessories and much much more! Sign up today(it’s Free!) Go to www.musodeals.com NOW! iFlogID: 16303
DOES YOUR BAND’S WEBSITE SUCK? We create professional quality AMAZING looking Multipage band websites November ONLY! Discount price $599 (save $1400) + BONUS Facebook design. DON’T MISS OUT Email fox@ musowebs.com today & quote “drum” for the discount! iFlogID: 16295
EARPLUGS FOR MUSICIANS Protect your hearing with custom moulded earplugs designed to reduce the level of sound without adversely affecting the frequency response of the music. Choose between 10,15 and 25dB attenuation. Fitted by professional audiologist, by appointment only. Ph 9387 3599 iFlogID: 15216 Get your Band or Business Online Cost effectively and PROFESSIONALLY - from $299 including Hosting and email addresses! Contact info@bizwebsites.com.au or see www. bizwebsites.com.au. iFlogID: 15454
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SINGING TUTOR Singing lessons! Friendly and informal help to overcome vocal problems. Beginners welcome. Your place or mine - Sydney East and inner. Pls call Steph on 0403250560 iFlogID: 15982
WANTED OTHER A new online modelling competition is looking for female entrants 18-35. Heat one begins November with the winner each month appearing in an exclusive 2013 calender.Plenty of great prizes Apply darphi@tpg.com.au iFlogID: 16210