SYDNEY’S LARGEST CIRCULATING FREE MUSIC PUBLICATION • 29 JANUARY
MS MR
NITE JEWEL
STRANGERS
2013 • 1145 • FREE
INSIDE: • DEAD CAN DANCE • KINGS OF CONVENIENCE • DIVINE FITS • CLOUD NOTHINGS
Aleka
SAE Institute Graduate SAE was key to gaining an insight into the world of sound. Since then, I’ve been applying all this knowledge to my career in the music industry.
SAE INSTITUTE
ENROL NOW for our February intake. Spaces limited.
Audio Production | Film Production Electronic Music Production FEE-HELP Approved Call: (0)2 8241 5200 Visit: www.sae.edu.au /saeinstitutesyd | 55-57 Wentworth Ave, Sydney NSW 2000
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PRESENTS
PRESENTS
PRESENTS
EVERYBODY’S TALKIN’ THEIR BRILLIANT LIVE ALBUM OUT NOW
TEDESCHI
BONNIE RAITT ARMATRADING TROMBONE SHORTY THE LONG AWAITED RETURN OF
JOAN
WITH GUESTS
WITH
MAVIS STAPLES
TRUCKS
ENMORE THEATRE WED 3 APR
ENMORE THEATRE SUN 24 MAR
PRESENTS
EXPRESS & STAR
JON ANDERSON AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH
THE VOICE OF
LIZOTTES NEWCASTLE WED 3 APR
YES
FACTORY THEATRE SAT 6 APR
CAPLAN IS TO FOLK-BLUES WHAT SMOKE IS TO BOURBON. RUGGED, RASPY & ROARING WITH CHARISMA AND THE GROWLING INTENSITY OF SEASICK STEVE & TOM WAITS.
ENMORE THEATRE SUN 31 MAR PRESENTS
‘THE HARDER THEY COME’ ‘MANY RIVERS TO CROSS’ ‘YOU CAN GET IT IF YOU REALLY WANT’
JIMMY THE KING OF REGGAE
BEN CAPLAN CLIFF METRO THEATRE THU 28 MAR
NOTES WED 3 APR PRESENTS
SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN SOUNDTRACK ALBUM OUT NOW THROUGH SONY MUSIC PERFORMING WITH THE BREAK
RODRIGUEZ FEATURING MEMBERS OF
& ORLEANS AVENUE
“GENIUS PLAYER” LENNY KRAVITZ “COMPLETELY BLOWN AWAY” JEFF BECK
PRESENTS
SOLO
“YES, JON STILL IS THE VOICE...ANDERSON’S VOICE REMAINS EXQUISITE.”
BAND
A UNIQUE PAIRING OF BLUES AND SOUL
MIDNIGHT OIL, VIOLENT FEMMES, HUNTERS & COLLECTORS
SOLD OUT! ENMORE THEATRE MON 25 MAR SELLING TUE 26 MAR FAST!
“EXTRAORDINARY SONGS, MESMERISING GUITAR PLAYING, AND A VOICE THAT GOES EFFORTLESSLY FROM BRUISE-TENDER TO SCAR-HARD IN A MATTER OF MINUTES ... SHE HELD THE AUDIENCE SPELLBOUND.”
PRESENTS
THE GUARDIAN
AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH
SHAWN COLVIN
THE BASEMENT SUN 31 MAR
PRESENTS
PRESENTS
“AN ATOMIC BOMB IN LIPSTICK - THE QUEEN OF ROCKABILLY” BOB DYLAN “SHE’S LIKE MY ROCKABILLY ETTA JAMES. I LOVE HER, SHE’S SO BRILLIANT. I DON’T THINK ‘ROLLIN’ IN THE DEEP’ WOULD EXIST IF IT WASN’T FOR WANDA JACKSON” ADELE
WANDA JACKSON FACTORY THEATRE SAT 23 MAR LIZOTTES NEWCASTLE MON 25 MAR
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METRO THEATRE FRI 5 APR
FIRST AUSTRALIAN TOUR
THE ULTIMATE BLUES REVUE:
Robert
Y A R C
g
Smokin Gun
Don’t B Afraid e of the
BLUESFEST TOURING PRESENTS
DIRECT FROM THE US A GOSPEL SPECTACULAR
PRESENTS
Fishin’ Blues
Taj
p to Going Uuntry, the Co t My Pain Blue Mailbox
L MAHA trio & ie g g u h S
S I T O
Lovin My Ba in by Eyes ’s
THE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA PLUS
ALLEN TOUSSAINT ALSO
SWEET HONEY
Strawberry Letter 23
IN THE ROCK
ENMORE THEATRE SAT 23 MAR ENMORE THEATRE - MON 1 APR PRESENTS
ROYAL SOUTHERN SOUTHERN ROCK SUPERGROUP
BROTHERHOOD FEAT CYRIL NEVILLE (OF THE NEVILLE BROTHERS & THE METERS), DEVON ALLMAN (ALLMAN BROTHERS), HIGHLY AWARDED BLUES GUITARIST MIKE ZITO, CHARLIE WOOTEN & YONRICO SCOTT (OF TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND)
THE BASEMENT THU 28 MAR
PRESENTS
PRESENTS
ALBUM OUT 15 MARCH
US SOUL SENSATION
“TOM WAITS, NICK LOWE AND JOHN PRINE ARE BIG FANS OF HIS ...GAURDIAN THINK ELVIS PRESLEY’S OUTPUT BEFORE HE JOINED THE ARMY” UK “THE DISC WAS RECORDED IN 100% ANALOG AND CONTAINS 100% OUT ROCKABILLY SWAGGER.” TIME NEW YORK
ALLEN
“ALLEN STONE HAS THE BEST EFFING VOICE I’VE EVER HEARD.” MTV “THE SON OF A PREACHER MAN... PITCH-PERFECT POWERHOUSE” USA TODAY
THE FINEST MUSICIANS FROM THE STREET CORNERS OF THE WORLD UNITE ONSTAGE TO CREATE CHANGE.
PLAYING
JD MCPHERSON STONE FOR CHANGE THE BASEMENT WED 3 APR PRESENTS
THE REAL BLUES
MUSIC MAKER BLUES REVUE! FEATURING
IRONING BOARD SAM MAJOR HANDY PAT DR. WILDER BURT
|
WITH NASHID ABDUL-KHAALIQ ARDIE DEAN | ALBERT WHITE |
BLUE BEAT LIVE DOUBLE BAY THU 28 MAR
BLUE BEAT LIVE DOUBLE BAY SAT 30 MAR
JOHN “THE CURRENT QUEEN “INCREDIBLE ARTIST” ELTON OF SOUL” HITS “PUT ME IN THE FAN CLUB!” KEITH RICHARDS “THERE’S NO-ONE MORE SOULFUL.” CNN “ONE OF THE BEST SOUL VOICES EVER.” BLUES & SOUL “THE GREATEST FEMALE SOUL SINGER.” RY COODER “THE HIGH PRIESTESS HUFFINGTON OF R&B.” THE POST “ONE OF R&B’S GREATEST ELVIS ...VOCALISTS.” COSTELLO “TINA TURNER WITH EVEN MORE COMMAND.” ROLLING STONE “SOME SINGERS SING... BON THEN THERE IS BETTYE.” JON JOVI “SHE IS GONNA GROHL STEAL THE SHOW... UNBELIEVABLE.” DAVE FOO FIGHTERS “ONE OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE R&B SINGERS SINGING RAITT “THE LAST GREAT VERNACULAR TODAY.” BONNIE NEW BLACK SINGER.” THE YORKER “THE VERY FINEST, MOST “MISS LAVETTE THE SOUL-DRENCHED VOICES OF ANY ERA. ” INBASEMENT NOW RIVALS “THE MOSTARETHA EMOTIVE, EMOTIONAL SINGER IN THE FRANKLIN THE MINNEAPOLIS R&B WORLD.” STAR TRIBUNE AS “LAVETTE IS THIS THE SEXIEST FEMALEGENERATION’S VOCALIST ALIVE.” ESQUIRE MOST SOUL “RIVALS ARETHA FRANKLINVITAL AS HER GENERATION’S THE NEW SINGER” NEW YORK TIMES MOST VITAL SOUL SINGER.” YORK TIMES
BETTYE
LAVETTE FACTORY THEATRE FRI 5 APR
ALSO APPEARING WITH ROBERT PLANT FOR SELECT PERFORMANCES
FACTORY THEATRE MON 1 APR PRESENTS
PRESENTS
“JAKE IS TAKING THE INSTRUMENT (UKE) TO A PLACE THAT I CAN’T SEE ANYBODY ELSE CATCHING UP WITH HIM.” EDDIE VEDDER AFTER RELEASING HIS OWN ALBUM OF UKULELE SONGS
JAKE
SHIMABUKURO LIZOTTES NEWCASTLE SUN 31 MAR LIZOTTES CENTRAL COAST MON 1 APR LIZOTTES SYDNEY WED 3 APR
THE BASEMENT THU 4 APR
FOLK-INSPIRED SINGER/SONGWRITER AND MERCURY PRIZE NOMINEE
WITH
CARUS THOMPSON
NOTES WED 20 MAR
LIZOTTES SYDNEY THU 21 MAR LIZOTTES CENTRAL COAST FRI 22 MAR LIZOTTES NEWCASTLE SAT 23 MAR BRASS MONKEY CRONULLA SUN 24 MAR
VISIT BLUESFESTTOURING.COM.AU FOR TICKETING INFO. ALL ARTISTS ALSO APPEARING AT BLUESFEST.
ALSO TOURING:
7
th f e or ha m rperl hoy te
l
OPEN ‘TILL 3AM
MUSO’S NIGHT
8.00PM FREE ENTRY FRONT BAR
ROCKIN WEEKLY BLUES JAM
FRI 1
HEY DENISE (EP LAUNCH)
8.00PM $10 PRE SALE $10 DOOR
+ ELECTRIK DYNAMITE + FAR AWAY STABLES + SWING FROM A SREETLIGHT + TARA FAVEL
PLUDO (QLD)
8.00PM $13 PRESALE $18 DOOR
OH, SLEEPER (USA)
2.00PM $20 PRESALE $25 DOOR
SAT 2
+ THE FIXATORS + MY ESCAPADE
SUN 3
+ FOR ALL ETERNITY + STORM THE SKY + GHOST ON BROADWAY + ELEGIST + HEY DENISE!
GRIMSKUNK (CANADA)
900 PRINCES HIGHWAY, TEMPE PH: 9559 6300 www.valvebar.com.au
WED 30 WED 30TH 7PM
“THE VICIOUS DICKENS” , “BLACK DIAMOND” THU 31ST 7PM
“RIOT NINE” PUNK SHOW WITH SUPPORT FROM “KARL MARX” , “FESKIT” , “THE CRUNTBURGERS”
FRI 1ST 7PM
“DAMAGE INC” METALLICA TRIBUTE BAND WITH SUPPORT FROM “DEAD LIFE” , “STEEL SWARM” ,
SAT 2ND 3PM
“HOT ANGEL” GLAM ROCK SHOW WITH SUPPORT FROM “DIRTY DEZIRE” , “SYLVAIN” ,
SUN 3RD 3PM
COMING SOON:
‘GOBOOKEM.COM’
“RISEN DRED” ,
“A GENTLEMAN’S AGREEMENT” , “THE BITTER SWEETHEARTS”
THU 7
8/2: THE FIXATORS, 9/2: ROCK & METAL MAYHEM, 10/2: CHRIS TURNER & THE CAVEMEN, 14/2: BURLESQUE BABES, 15/2: THE ESSENCE ENTERTAINMENT – SYDNEY LABEL LAUNCH
“CICADA” GRUNGE ROCK SHOW WITH SUPPORT FROM “KARMIC DIRT” , “CHRISTINA THIERS” ,
“EXPOSURE” PUNK ROCK SHOW WITH SUPPORT FROM “UNTIL DARKNESS FALLS” , “BREAK THE SILENCE” , “WINTER WOLVES” , “ROSE FROM RUINS”
COMING UP: Wed 6 Feb: Immortal Band Competition Grand Final ; Thu 7 Feb: Punk Show with “Driverside Airbag” , “Another Broken String” , “Everything I Own Is Broken” and guests ; Fri 8 Feb: “Hell Bent Forever” Judas Priest tribute with support from “Thundasteel” ; Sat 9 Feb: “Maiden Oz” Live Evil perform phenomenal Iron Maiden tribute show ; Sun 10 Feb: “Civility Lost” presents young talent showcase
For band bookings please email valvebar@gmail.com
Bistro open Lunch and Dinner !!
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www.thebasement.com.au
The Home of Live Music Since 1973 TUESDAY FEBRUARY 5
JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE (USA)
THE RETURN OF THE REAL COUNTRY BLUES DEAL
ELIZABETH COOK (USA) + EMMA SWIFT
THE COUNTRY SENSATION TOURING HER ALBUM WELDER
GERVAIS KOFFI + JAMINO
A NIGHT OF AFRO-CARRIBEAN GROOVES
TAKE A LOOK
THU 31 JAN FRI 1 FEB
NIGHT AT THE JAZZ ROOMS
SAT 2 FEB
WOODEN MUSIC FESTIVAL
W/ PERCH CREEK FAMILY JUG BAND, QUARRY MOUNTAIN DEAD RATS & BEARDED GYPSY BAND
WED 6 FEB
PARISIAN RENDEZ-VOUS
THU 7 FEB
BAD MOON RISING: CREEDENCE SHOW
FRI 8 FEB
EL ORQUESTON
SAT 9 FEB
WITH UK DJ CHARLES CRAIG, DOJO CUTS & MORE
A NIGHT OF CABARET FOR FRANCOPHILES
DO GO OUT TONIGHT! ALL THE CCR HITS…
2 SETS OF LATIN FEVER
NEWS FROM THE BASEMENT COMING SOON:
4(% .%#+3 n &%" s #92), " "5.4%2 "!.$ n &%" s */!..% 3(!7 4!9,/2 n &%" s +!2!6!. -53)# &%34)6!, n &%"
JUST ANNOUNCED:
"2%44 7).4%2&/2$ n -!2#( s 6).#% */.%3 n -!2#( s -!-! +). n -!2#(
FOLLOW US: ON FACEBOOK @ THE BASEMENT SYDNEY & ON TWITTER @ #DOOR_DIVA CHECK IN ON FACEBOOK EVERY THURSDAY & FRIDAY FOR DISCOUNTS AT THE BAR 10
SECRET SOUNDS PRESENTS
LEVEL 1, 354 BOURKE ST. SURRY HILLS
THIS WEEKEND : JAM PRESENTS no cover charge
FRI 1 FEB FEEDING EDGAR (ALBUM LAUNCH) DEAD EARS, KARL BROADIE DJ: S.KOBAR
SAT 2 FEB FISHING GLASS TOWERS, JORDAN SLY BAND DJ: KRISTY LEE
BUY NOW AT WED 6 FEB JESSIE WARE (UK) COLLARBONES , BAD EZZY
THU 14 FEB VAN SHE PRES. PUMP FEAT. VAN SHE (LIVE) + AJAX OLYMPIC AYRES + LINDA MARIGLIANO (JJJ) + MORE
THU 28 FEB THE HERBALISER DJS (UK) DJ HUDGE, DEEJAY MATHMATICS, FRENZIE JC (FUNKDAFIED)
WED 13 MAR MORIARTY (FRA) + GUESTS "A REAL TROUPE OF MODERN BOHEMIAN GYPSIES...FREE, INNOCENT AND MAGNIFICENT, LIKE MUSIC SHOULD ALWAYS BE" - THE GUARDIAN
WED 27 MAR FRED WESLEY & THE NEW JB'S "WE SPEAK OF LOVE AND HAPPINESS: FOR ME, HAPPINESS IS FRED WESLEY PLAYING HIS HORN" - JAMES BROWN
COMING UP FEELINGS, HAYLEY COOPER, ALL THE COLOURS, LURCH AND CHIEF, JORDAN MILLAR (ALBUM LAUNCH), OLLIE BROWN, VAUDEVILLE SMASH, FOR THE LIGHTS, THE CHEMIST, THE NECTARS
TUESDAY 19TH FEBRUARY
THE METRO
TICKETS FROM TICKETEK.COM.AU & 132 849
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
UPSTAIRSBERESFORD.COM.AU OR 8313 5050 FOR GIG INFO HAPPY HOUR BEFORE 8PM FRI & SAT. DINNER & SNACKS AVAILABLE
SECRET-SOUNDS.COM.AU
FATHERJOHNMISTY.COM
PRIVATE BOOTH & VENUE BOOKINGS 8313 5000 11
WEDNESDAY 30TH JANUARY
BEN SALTER
+ Richie Cuthbert + Annaliesse Monaro
COMING SOON Thursday 7 February Jeff Martin Friday 8 February Barry Leef Band Saturday 9 February
THURSDAY 31ST JANUARY
GRIMSKUNK
(MONTREAL / CANADA) FRIDAY 1ST FEBRUARY
THE RADIATORS + The Childs + R.J. Chops
Peter Northcote Sunday 10 February Sarah McLeod Wednesday 13 February Caravãna Sun Thursday 14 February Jackie Dee Friday 15 February The Snowdroppers Saturday 16 February Luke O’Shea
SATURDAY 2ND FEBRUARY
STEVE EDMONDS PRESENTS:
HENDRIX AND HEROES (A Salute To The 70’s)
SUNDAY 3RD FEBRUARY
PROFESSOR GROOVE AND THE BOOTY AFFAIR + Tainui Richmond
WEDNESDAY 6TH FEBRUARY
JEFF MARTIN - RAY BEADLE - TEREPAI RICHMOND
Sunday 17 February Professor Groove Wednesday 20 February Joanne Shaw Taylor Friday 22 February Astral Weeks Saturday 23 February I Am Apollo Sunday 24 February Paul Greene Wednesday 27 February The Art of Storytelling Thursday 28 February The Black Sorrows Friday 1 March King Tide
OUT IN JANUARY
PRE-ORDER NOW THEMUSIC.COM.AU
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SAT 9/02
Kiss Beer Launch With Kissteria FREE ENTRY THUR 14/02
Jeff Martin Ray Beadle Terapai Richmond FRI 15/02
Vin Garbutt (UK) SAT 16/02
Heather Peace (UK) THUR 07/03
Chris Smither (US)
Wed 20/02 Sarah McLeod Fri 22/02 Sons Of Sun – The Sam Phillips Story Sat 23/03 Jim Conway’s Big Wheel Album Launch Fri 1/03 Mary & The Banks Sat 2/03 The DC3 (ex TISM) Wed 6/03 Abigail Wahsburn & Kai Welch Thur 7/03 Chris Smither (US) Fri 08/03 Alasdair Frazer (Scot) & Natalie Haas (US) Wed 20/3 Seth Lakeman (US) Fri 22/03 Kane (US), as ‘Go Jane Go!’ Sat 23/03 John McCutcheon (US) Thur 28/03 Mary Coughlan (Ire) Fri 29/03 Good Friday Early Show Neville Staple (UK) Wed 3/04 Ben Caplan (Can)
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HOME OF THE NEW
MIC Y EN ER OP T EV AY H D NIGHURS TIONS T TRA M 7P GIS RE ROM F
KELTS BAR
47355300 - 1 Leonay Parade Leonay 2750 THURSDAY 31ST JAN
OPEN MIC NIGHT FRIDAY 1ST FEB
LOCAL SHOW-CASE
FEATURING; A GIRLS A GUN, FLYING FISTS OF FURY, NORMAL DAY, 20 MILE HOLLOW SATURDAY 2ND FEB
ACDC SHOW THURSDAY 7TH FEB
OPEN MIC NIGHT FRIDAY 8TH FEB
DAN HOPKINS DUO SATURDAY 9TH FEB
JEFF MARTIN, RAY BEADLE, TEREPAI RICHMOND TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MOSHTIX
COMING SOON PAUL GREENE AND THE OTHER COLOURS JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MOSHTIX
WWW.EMUSPORTSCLUB.COM.AU
BAND BOOKINGS TO ARM.PRODUCTIONS@HOTMAIL.COM
AT THE BREWHOUSE WWW.LIVEATTHEBREWHOUSE.COM.AU
22 The Promenade, King Street Wharf, Sydney NSW
JAN 31ST
SONGS ON STAGE
TIX - $15
FEB 14TH
BENNY WALKER SINNERS AND SAINTS TOUR TIX - $15 1ST DRINK ON US
FEB 16TH
BLUES BROTHERS REBOOTED MARCH 2ND
BEN RANSOM TIX - $15 1ST DRINK ON US
MARCH 16TH
REALIGNING ALICE TIX - $15
MAR 23RD
ARMS ATTRACTION 14
TIX - $15 1ST DRINK ON US ALL AGES SHOW
Now Opened in Lane Cove
GIVEAWAYS topped the Irish charts with their debut album, Becoming A Jackal. Villagers recently released their second album, {Awayland}, described by Mojo as O’Brien’s “great leap forward”. We have three copies of {Awayland} to give away so you can make up your own minds. Winners can collect their CDs from the Drum office.
CRISIS? EARTH CRISIS! Villagers
B A R . C A F E . L I V E M U S I C . TA PA S
Thursdays
CONOR’S IN THE VILLAGE Irish singer-songwriter Conor O’Brien wrote the first song for his band Villagers recovering from a hangover the day after his previous band The Immediate broke up. That was back in 2008 and, a lot more focused, Villagers
FOR MORE GIVEAWAYS THIS WEEK HEAD TO FACEBOOK.COM/DRUMMEDIA AND CLICK ON THE GIVEAWAYS TAB
$2.50 Taco’s 6–9pm Looking For live Acts from the North Side of Sydney Thursday Nights. Email details to: info@unwinedbar.com.au
Fridays Jess and Mitch
1 Feb From 8.00
Mr Laurence
8 Feb From 8.00
Saturdays Greg Page
2 Feb ex-wiggle Playing the sing-a-long classics. 9 Feb
Paper Magic
Sundays
Andy Mammers In February from 4pm
Unwined Bar
22 Rosenthal Ave, Lane Cove
(opposite back of post office next to Car park)
02 9418 8074 info@unwinedbar.com.au facebook.com/unwinedbar www.unwinedbar.com.au
Trading hours
Monday–Wednesday 6am till 2pm (cafe only) Thursday–Saturday 6am till 11pm Sunday 7am till 7pm
T H E D R U M M E D I A I S S U E 1 1 4 5 T U E S D AY 2 9 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 3
DRUM Giveaways – Check it out for free stuff and head to Facebook for more! 16 The Front Line hits hard with industry fact and conjecture, while Forward Line brings you the latest news on tours, releases and more. 18 What’s in a name? UK duo Alt-J (∆) chat about uni days and misplaced tweets. 24 Jay-Z-approved NYC electro-R&B duo MS MR head for Laneway and US indie synth ingénue Nite Jewel AKA Romona Gonzalez proves quite the philosopher. 26 Sydney rockers Strangers feel their name suits them and a reunited and touring Dead Can Dance try to pin down the magic. 28 For LP #4, Justine Townes Earle channelled Stax Soul while Brooklyn’s El-P aka Jaime Meline brings hip hop to Laneway. 30 Meet Norway’s harmonious acoustic duo Kings Of Convenience. 31 Just don’t call US/Canadian combo Divine Fits a side project and Cleveland four-piece Cloud Nothings introduce a new sound. 32 Fresh out of Austin, Texas, Stefanie Franciotti aka Sleep ∞ Over gives us a tiny glimpse of the woman behind the music; Ruby Boots talk up their new “accidental” single; get over the name – there’s much more to Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys; and American singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin muses on bad lovin’ and good music. 34 The Funk & Soul of DJ Craig Charles or life beyond Red Dwarf; and hardcore pioneers Earth Crisis disprove any bigotry. 35 On The Record reviews new release albums and singles from Local Natives, Jim James and Unknown Mortal Orchestra among others. 36
FRONT ROW Check out what’s happening This Week In Arts, and this weeks Art Or Not? We chat to PUBLISHER Street Press Australia Pty Ltd GROUP MANAGING EDITOR Andrew Mast EDITOR Mark Neilsen ASSOCIATE EDITOR Michael Smith FRONT ROW EDITOR Cassandra Fumi frontrow@drummedia.com.au CONTRIBUTORS Adam Curley, Adam Wilding, Alex Hardy, Anthony Carew, Bethany Small, Brendan Crabb, Brent Balinski, Bryget Chrisfield, Cate Summers, Celline Narinli, Chris Familton, Chris Maric, Cyclone, Dan Condon, Danielle O’Donohue, Dave Drayton, Guy Davis, Helen Lear, Huwston, Jake Millar, Jamelle Wells, James d’Apice, James Dawson, Jessie Hunt, Katherine Edmonds, Katie Benson, Kris Swales, Liz Giuffre, Lucia Osborne-Crowley, Mark Hebblewhite, Matt MacMaster, Paul Ransom, Paul Smith, Pedro Manoy, Rip Nicholson, Robbie Lowe, Ross Clelland, Sarah Braybrooke, Sarah Petchell, Scott Fitzsimons, Sebastian Skeet, Sevana Ohandjanian, Simon Eales, Steve Bell, Stuart Evans, Tim Finney PHOTOGRAPHERS Angela Padovan, Carine Thevenau, Cybele Malinowski, Josh Groom, Justin Malinowski, Kane Hibberd, Linda Heller-Salvador, Maclay Heriot, Tony Mott ADVERTISING DEPT sales@drummedia.com.au Brett Dayman, James Seeney, Andrew Lilley CLASSIFIEDS iflog.com.au
16 • To check out the mags online go to themusic.com.au/mags
US straight-edge hard/metalcore pioneers Earth Crisis are back on Australian soil this week to vapourise audiences with tracks from their most recent album, Neutralize The Threat, and favourites from their other six albums, taking over Hermann’s Bar in Sydney Uni Friday 1 February with guests Civil War, Aftermath, Legions and Arteries, and we have one double pass to the show to give away.
Neil Gaiman, who’s in town for The Sydney Writers Festival, and Kate O’Grady creator and producer of Burlesque Babes. This week we review Django Unchained, The Rape Of Lucrece, Machine Head: Inside The Machine Book, Masi, Rust And Bone and chat to SAE graduate Kevin Khachan. We have Cultural Cringe and Trailer Trash and level with Paige Rattray about ATYP’s Voices Project, while Belinda Wollaston also chats about her second Mardi Gras show.
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LIVE Reviews of the past couple of weeks’ big gigs including Band Of Horses, The Waterboys and Foals. 43 Featurettes on The Demon Parade and Blank Realm. 45 Dan Condon features the world of blues and roots with Roots Down, Chris Maric gets local with hard rock and metal in The Heavy Shit and Sarah Petchell brings us local and international punk news in Wake The Dead. 46 Cyclone gives you urban and r’n’b news in OG Flavas; Adam Curley muses on all things pop culture in The Breakdown; Dance Moves brings you Tim Finney’s latest dance currents and Michael Smith delivers some Blow with jazz and world music news. 47 Viktor Krum asks you to Get It Together with the latest in hip hop and Dave Drayton gets Young & Restless with all ages goings on. 48 It’s all here: Tour guide, what’s happening in indie news this week, gig guide and more. 50 The Classies – need a singer/bassist/drummer/ any other service/product you can think of? Your answer is here. And on iflog.com.au. 56 Muso – everything you need to know about the making and recording of music, from studios to gear and beyond. 58 ART DEPT artwork@drummedia.com.au Dave Harvey, Matt Davis COVER DESIGN Dave Harvey ACCOUNTS DEPT accounts@streetpress.com.au GIVEAWAYS/GIG GUIDE Justine Lynch THE DRIVERS Grant, David, Julian, Ray, Paul, Al, Mark PRINTING Rural Press (02) 4570 4444 DISTRIBUTION distro@drummedia.com.au SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscriptions are $2.20 per week (Minimum of 12 weeks) – Send your details with payment to Subscriptions Dept, The Drum Media, PO Box 2440 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012 (cheques/money orders to be made payable to Dharma Media Pty Ltd) ADDRESS Postal: PO Box 2440 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012 Street: Level 1/142 Chalmers St Surry Hills NSW 2010 Phone (02) 9331 7077 Fax (02) 9331 2633 Email info@drummedia.com.au www.themusic.com.au The Drum Media is also available on iPad via the iTunes App Store
SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE PRESENTS
T Y X DA E N RS U H T
!
FIRST A USTRAL IA
N HEAD LI
NE TOU R
7 FEB. C O N C E RT HA TICKET S F R O M L L* $59
‘PEERLE
SS, EFFO RT
L E S S AU TUMNAL THE LIS T, U K
FOLK’
‘MUSIC AT THE HOUSE’
TO BOOK SYDNEYOPERAHOUSE.COM/MUSIC *TRANSACTION FEE OF $5-$8.50 APPLIES TO ALL BOOKINGS EXCEPT INSIDERS
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FOREWORD LINE
NEWS FROM THE FRONT
COLD AND CURIOUS Jordan Millar’s long-awaited second album, Cold Lights On Curious Minds, is set for release on Friday 15 February, with a special and intimate launch that night at Upstairs Beresford. His unique blend of pop, folk and bluesy acoustic riffs, mixed with intimate and candid lyrics, takes the listener on a bittersweet journey, evoking memories of the past and dreams of the present.
I N D U S T RY N E W S W I T H S C O T T F I T Z S I M O N S frontline@streetpress.com.au
JUST A MOMENT Lines is comprised of five young Sydney ruffians who formed a band to keep out of trouble. They’re just about to release their first single, Moment, which also features two B-sides. To celebrate, they’re playing a show at Spectrum on Saturday 2 March with Twincest and Gunface.
The Rubens
EMBATTLED PEATS RIDGE UNDER PRESSURE TO PAY ARTISTS, STAFF Organisers of the embattled Peats Ridge Festival came under scrutiny last week from the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance [MEAA] who claimed that “hundreds” of artists and production crew members have not been paid for their work on the festival over New Year’s. The allegations came after theMusic.com. au broke the news that the festival was being wound up, with the announcement coming just minutes after key festival staff were notified. The MEAA’s entertainment, crew and sport section director Mal Tulloch said that those who worked on or for the event “have to be paid what they are owed, and the Alliance is determined to work with everyone affected to chase unpaid monies… It is simply not acceptable for them to be left in debt and struggling financially because a particular promoter fails to budget for employment costs as a priority. As their union we will stand with those affected until we get a fair outcome from this debacle.” In a statement issued to theMusic.com.au, Festival Director Matt Grant said that he has been in contact with the union, as well as affected artists and crew, and is “working very hard to find a solution”. He added, “The process for payment for artists is a legal one and the liquidators have been speaking to all creditors to the festival who have contacted them, as we have instructed all festival suppliers to do from the moment we were advised liquidation was the only option facing the festival. I have been openly transparent about what is happening and I have personally communicated with the vast majority of those affected including the MEAA.” Grant also told theMusic.com.au that he is currently talking to investors – including other unnamed festival promoters – to save the event. Believing he could trade his way out of financial trouble, he had courted possible backers last year. He said his main focus currently is the search for an investor to save the event – with or without himself. “The process that I’m going through at the moments is talking to a few people to bail the festival out… up until two days before [the company entered receivership] I was in discussion for an investor to come in. I’d followed all due diligence and the investor was at the festival so it was promising.” However accountants advised that continued trading would not be possible and that the festival would need to be wound up. The camping festival, which regularly booked over 200 artists and performers, took place in New South Wales’ Glenworth Valley over New Year’s. The event had attempted to trade its way out of a financial hole incurred in 2007 when extreme weather forced its cancellation. In 2011 the organisers’ company went into receivership and a new entity was formed, under the same management, to helm the festival. Most of the existing suppliers and staff had stayed on under the new entity. Grant said they’d expected $650,000 more in insurance money than they eventually received following the 2007 disaster and it has been a “a really long and challenging process to build the festival back up since then”. He added, “I believe if I can find someone to come in and back it I can take the company out of liquidation… That would be the best outcome for everyone.”
PRESENTED BY
Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite
NOT DONE YET
The Wonder Years
The announcements just keep coming with the Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm Bluesfest. The festival has added another stack of artists to its already incredible line-up: Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite, Zac Brown Band, The Music Maker Blues Revue, Leonardo’s Bride, Nicky Bomba’s Bustamento, Shaun Kirk, Genevieve Chadwick, Brother Fox, Skipping Girl Vinegar, Allen Stone, Kim Churchill and a second show from Manu Chao La Ventura. The 24th Bluesfest will take place between Thursday 28 March and Monday 1 April.
DEEP CONVERSATION Canberra-based alt-folk pioneers Julia & The Deep Sea Sirens are set to release their second album, Family Pets, on Friday 22 February. Dealing with everyday experience, Family Pets explores the fondness and heartbreak of living in a transitory town. Catch the band at the Newsgency on Friday 22 February, Canberra’s National Folk Festival from Thursday 28 March-Monday 1 April, Yours & Owls on Friday 5 and the Lass O’Gowrie in Newcastle on Sunday 7. PVT
A PVTL EVOLUTION PVT are set to return with their highly anticipated fourth studio album, Homosapien, out Friday 8 February. A gruelling worldwide schedule across Europe, the US and Australia on recent tours with Bloc Party, Menomena and Gotye has seen them further hone their craft. Celebrating their album release with their first headline shows at home for more than two years, PVT will be playing at Oxford Art Factory on Thursday 28 March with special guests Collarbones.
CROSSING BRIDGES Few overseas artists can claim over 30 Australian tours since the late ‘90s, but Eugene “Hideaway” Bridges has made Australia his second home with shows in hundreds of towns right across the country. It was the Basement where Eugene first unleashed his take on Texas blues and soul in Australia back in 1999, so it’s fitting that it’s there he’ll celebrate his 30th Anniversary tour on Saturday 16 March, along with The Continental All Stars and some of the many artists with whom he’s shared the stage over the past decade.
TO AND AFRO Direct from New York, masters of modern Afrobeat Antibalas are heading down under as part of their 2013 Indian-Pacific tour. Born in a Brooklyn warehouse in 1997, the 12-piece ensemble is credited with introducing Afrobeat to a wider global audience, influencing countless musicians and developing a live show that is the stuff of legend. The band’s most recent, self-titled album was their first in five years, released late last year. See them do their thing at the Factory Theatre on Tuesday 12 March.
Allen Stone
A STONE’S THROW Seattle soul singer Allen Stone will be touring Australia for the first time in March. Combining socially-charged lyrics, R&B vocals with a dash of Southern soul all set against a backdrop of uplifting horns and driving keyboards, Stone has drawn comparisons to Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Prince, Donny Hathaway and Bill Withers. He’s also appeared on Ellen, The Late Show With David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel Live and Last Call With Carson Daly just to name a few. See him at Blue Beat on Saturday 30 March.
Sylosis
METAL MONOLITH Sylosis have arguably redefined the metal genre; it’s not for nothing that the English quartet has been considered as UK’s greatest metal export. Now they return with their new album, Monolith. Featuring the legendary godfather of death metal, Chris Barnes, Six Feet Under has been delivering their brilliant brand of unapologetic metal since 1993. Catch this doubleheader at Annandale Hotel on Tuesday 26 February.
THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM
Ruthie Foster
FOSTERING FEELINGS Soulful Grammy-nominated musician Ruthie Foster and her band will be powering onto Australian stages in March. She brings her combustible blend of soul, blues, rock, folk and gospel to the Factory on Thursday 21 March, Canberra’s Street Theatre on Friday 22, Penrith’s Q Theatre on Saturday 23, Lizotte’s Dee Why on Sunday 24, Lizotte’s Kincumber on Tuesday 26 and Lizotte’s Newcastle on Wednesday 27. Ruthie Foster is also appearing at Bluesfest.
18 • For more news/announcements go to themusic.com.au/news
Due to unprecedented demand, a third and final Sydney show at the Oxford Art Factory has been added to Sunday 10 February for Hermitude’s The Villain tour. Final show tickets are already on sale and selling quickly. The duo recently took out FBi SMAC Awards for Best Live Music Act and Best Song (HyperParadise Flume Remix) and were shortlisted for the Australian Music Prize. Special guest Jonti will be supporting at all shows.
GODZ KILL The Demigodz, the super crew headed up by underground hip hop favourites Apathy and Celph Titled, will be embarking on a national Australian tour this March. Their latest Demigodz project, KILLmatic, will be released on Tuesday 5 March. This album is a monumental event for their hardcore fans, as it has been anticipated immensely for more than ten years now. See them live at the Factory Theatre on Wednesday 27 March.
A THING OF WONDER Engaging musicianship that reaches far beyond the repetitive droning of most of the genre has made The Wonder Years critical darlings even before their legion of fans began to take notice. They’re playing a Sidewave at the Annandale Hotel on Monday 25 February with support from Such Gold, Living With Lions and Versus The World.
TWO AND COUNTING With tickets for American seven-piece multi-platinum modern rock band Counting Crows going on general sale last week, their Sydney Opera House show on Wednesday 9 April has now sold out, so due to obvious demand, a second show at the Sydney Opera House for their first national headline tour since 2004 has been announced for Wednesday 10 April. April last year saw the release of their first new album in more than four years, Underwater Sunshine (Or What We Did On Our Summer Vacation).
SIMON SAYS Already announced for Bluesfest and the West Coast Blues N Roots Festival, Paul Simon will also be playing headline sideshows. In the wake of the 25th anniversary of his musical landmark, Graceland, Simon will bring a performance spanning all eras of his illustrious career, from beginnings in the folk clubs of early 1960s Greenwich Village to the anthemic fruits of his celebrated partnership with Art Garfunkel, and his acclaimed solo career. Catch Paul Simon with special guest Rufus Wainwright at Hope Estate Winery Hunter Valley on Saturday 30 March and the Sydney Entertainment Centre on Tuesday 2 April.
THERE IS A LAMPLIGHT While touring in Victoria, The Lamplights ended up in King Lake and were stunned by the extent of the devastation from 2009’s bushfires. They were also awestruck by the propensity of the human spirit to never give up. This experience was the spark for the lyrics of new single, The River. In support of the single’s release, The Lamplights are playing at Lizotte’s Dee Why on Wednesday 13 March and Yours & Owls on Thursday 14. All proceeds from sales of the single will go to the Warrumbungle Shire Mayor’s Bushfire Appeal.
Local Natives
HEAD TO YOUR LOCAL Local Natives are returning to our country this May in support of their new album, Hummingbird, out this Friday. Since their last visit to Australia, the band have headlined shows across America and Europe, opened for The National and Arcade Fire and earned slots on the bills of major festivals around the world, garnering masses of critical acclaim along the way. Catch them at Metro Theatre on Wednesday 15 May.
TOWNIES The Townhouses AKA Leigh Hannah will be launching his album, Diaspora, this February. Released in November last year as a free download, the album was inspired by Hannah’s obsession with ethnomusicology and features collaborations with Italy’s Giorgio Tuma, Guerre, Rainbow Chan and Felix Weatherbourne. Check out the launch at FBi Social on Thursday 14 February.
W O H S L A N I 3rd & F
FRIDAY 22 MARCH ALLPHONES ARENA
ON SALE MONDAY 4 FEBRUARY FOR EXCLUSIVE PRE-SALE INFORMATION GO TO FRONTIERTOURING.COM PRESENTED BY MAX AND THE FRONTIER TOURING CO. IN ASSOCIATION WITH JACOBSEN INTERNATIONAL BRUCESPRINGSTEEN.NET FRONTIERTOURING.COM 19
FOREWORD LINE
NEWS FROM THE FRONT
RURAL FIRE SERVICE BENEFIT On Sunday 10 February, the Valve Bar (Tempe) will host the New South Wales Rural Fire Service Benefit Festival, local talent coming together to raise much-needed funds for the Service. The festival features Hot Grass, J-Squared Flat, Risen Dred, Larry Leadfoot, Noveaux, Upside Down Miss Jane, Cordea, SteelSwarm and Civility Lost, with Trojan doing two standup comedy sets. Doors open at 3.30pm and entry’s only $15.
I N D U S T RY N E W S W I T H S C O T T F I T Z S I M O N S frontline@streetpress.com.au
The Hillbilly Killers
YUMMY GUMMY Dave Grohl
DAVE GROHL SIGNS DEAL WITH KOBALT Dave Grohl has signed an international administration deal with Kobalt, which will see the publishing services company begin immediate representation of his new material. Grohl’s new works include tracks from the Sound City – Real To Reel album that accompanies the Grohl-directed documentary, which debuted at Sundance last week. Grohl has also formed a supergroup collective, dubbed the Sound City Players, which featured members of Nirvana, Fleetwood Mac, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Foo Fighters, Slipknot and Rage Against The Machine when they played their first show – also at Sundance – last week. The album, which features Paul McCartney, Stevie Nicks and Josh Homme amongst many others, is due for release in March. In 2014 Kobalt will also provide representation to Grohl’s legendary back catalogue, including his interests in Nirvana, Foo Fighters and Them Crooked Vultures. Kobalt has worked hard to align itself as a streamlined and transparent alternative to traditional publishing contracts and will look to exploit creative and synching opportunities for the catalogue. The company’s founder and CEO Willard Ahdritz said that the signing was a “privilege and thrill for all of us to be working with Dave Grohl, John Silva and his management team.” Earlier this month, Kobalt signed a similar deal with Radiohead’s Thom Yorke for his upcoming Atoms For Peace project, as well 2006’s solo record, The Eraser. Other recent moves from Kobalt include last year’s entrance of the Kobalt Label Services division into Australia and New Zealand, and their deal with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.
THE RUBENS SIGN TO WARNER BROS. WORLDWIDE Audiences outside of Australia will finally get their chance to snap up a local release of the debut album from one of Australia’s biggest recent breakouts, The Rubens, as the band have signed their first big international deal. Warner Bros. will be looking after the band, who are signed to Ivy League locally, in all territories outside of Australia and New Zealand, with the band joining a roster that includes everyone from R.E.M, Muse, The Flaming Lips to the band’s idols The Black Keys. This news comes at the same time that the band’s aforementioned self-titled album and single, My Gun, both scored Gold accreditation, having shipped 35,000 units. The band will be performing at Laneway, they’re supporting Bruce Springsteen down at Hanging Rock and they’re hitting Europe, the UK and the United States next month.
The Gum Ball festival announces its second round of artists. Comprising Tim Rogers, Catherine Britt, Bill Chambers and friends, the formidable alt-country collaboration known as The Hillbilly Killers will be performing an exclusive set. Joining them at the festival will be Australian stoner rock legends Tumbleweed, DEADLY Award winners The Medics, New Zealand string band The Eastern, Melbourne rockers Money For Rope, along with a small army of quality emerging acts from around Australia. Dashville, Hunter Valley will open its gates to The Gum Ball at midday Anzac Day Thursday 25 April, running through to Sunday 28. For full line-up and details, visit thegumball.com.au.
PEACHY GREEN After a huge 2012 of relentless touring and preproduction for their upcoming debut album, psychedelic rockers Greenthief are getting set to undertake their first run of international dates, as they chase summer across the European continent with a run of 30 shows beginning in April. But first, they’re playing a final round of east coast shows. Send them off in style when they play the Oxford Art Factory on Friday 22 March.
Pimmon
BLACKSMITH It’s just a few weeks until seminal Canadian postrock collective Godspeed You! Black Emperor bring their heartrending live show to Australia for the first time. Supporting GY!BE at the Enmore Theatre on Thursday 14 February will be Pimmon, recognised internationally as one of a handful of artists pushing the boundaries of music and digital composition, his combination of pop, minimal composition, exotic drones and found sounds creates a dense, emotive, compelling and challenging listening experience.
BORED STRANGERS HUG Bored Nothing, Popstrangers and Bearhug play a triple bill at GoodGod Small Club on Thursday 7 March and a free date at Canberra’s Phoenix on Saturday 9. New Zealand’s Popstrangers will make their first visit to Australian shores since announcing their debut LP, Antipodes, due for release on Friday 1 March. Bored Nothing – aka Fergus Miller and a bunch of Melbourne cohorts – has played over 30 shows nationally since the release of his debut album late last year. With a new EP in tow, Sydney’s Bearhug are soon hightailing it to Austin to play a string of shows at the SXSW festival.
FROM THE JAM TOUR CANCELLED Bad news for Australian fans of The Jam who were excited about witnessing Bruce Foxton’s From The Jam, the band formed to continue the legacy of the legendary British Mod band that also features vocalist Russell Hastings, as their tour of our country, set to kick off at the end of this month, has been cancelled. Drummer Mark Brzezicki is reportedly the reason - he has left the group in order to focus on his role as drummer for Big Country, the popular Scottish rock band of which he was a founding member. Brzezicki has also been a member of The Cult, Ultravox and Procol Harum. In a brief statement on the band’s Facebook page, Foxton and Hastings announced the news of Brzezicki’s departure and Select Touring and Big Apachee, who are running the forthcoming Australian tour, confirmed that the upcoming tour, which was set to begin in Perth next Thursday, has been cancelled. Refunds can be sought from point of purchase.
PRESENTED BY
Playing For Change
FOR A CHANGE Ironing Board Sam
IN REVUE Non-profit North American organisation Music Maker Foundation is dedicated to giving back to the roots of American music. Bluesfest Touring are proud to present The Music Maker Blues Revue featuring Boogie Woogie legend Ironing Board Sam, guitarslinging siren Pat Wilder, Alabama bluesman Dr Burt and Zydeco giant Major Handy, with Albert White, Nashid Abdul Khaaliq and Ardie Dean. Check them out at Blue Beat on Thursday 28 March.
SMITHEREENS
THE PASSENGER SIDE After 12 months of crossing the globe more than once in support of his latest album, All The Little Lights, troubadour Mike Rosenberg, aka Passenger, is set to return to his adoptive homeland for his first national theatre tour. His constant touring has paid off, with the current single, Let Her Go, reaching number one single status in Belgium and Holland in late 2012 and iTunes in the UK calling the album the Singer Songwriter Album Of The Year. He performs at the Enmore Theatre on Saturday 6 April.
20 • For more news/announcements go to themusic.com.au/news
Bored by Washington’s apathy towards trenchant and punishing music, Black Breath emerged in 2005 to combine elements of punk and metal with doses of the garage rock of their hometown. Their latest release, 2012’s Sentenced To Life, projects an even more vile, metallic sonic attack than its predecessor. This April, the band will make their maiden trip to Australian shores with Canberra’s I Exist coming along for the ride. Catch them at Hermann’s Bar on Saturday 6 April.
The Abercrombie will be transformed into a vibrant jungle, complete with vines, trees and wild animals on Saturday 9 February for An Afternoon With Butch. Kicking off at 2pm, the party will continue well into the night, with the acclaimed German DJ, Butch, set to inject his unique sound into the crowd, dropping a mix of house, techno and electronic beats. He’ll be joined by a bevy of local talent, including Aboutjack, Whitecat, Antoine Vice, Space Junk and Ben Ashton.
Chris Smither
Passenger
BREATHALYSER
BUTCH IT UP
LIKE A BOSS A third and definitely final Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band concert will take place at Allphones Arena on Friday 22 March. This will also be the tenth and final show to be added to the Australian leg of the Wrecking Ball World Tour. General ticket sales are available from this Monday; this will be your last chance to catch The Boss this time around.
Black Breath
Honing a synthesis of folk and blues for more than 40 years, Chris Smither is an American original. He returns to Australia for his sixth tour, off the back of his 12th studio album, Hundred Dollar Valentine (released mid last year). See him at Notes on Thursday 7 and Tuesday 19 March, Blue Mountains Music Festival in Katoomba on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17, the Gallipoli Club Newcastle on Wednesday 20, National Folk Festival in Canberra on Thursday 28 to Saturday 30 and at Bluesfest on Sunday 31 to Monday 1 April.
GETTING ILL Founded in 1971 by four brothers in northern Chile, Illapu became well-known for their cultivated rendering of Andean folklore and Bolivian rhythms, a fusion that later developed into the “Nueva Canción” movement. Since then, Illapu have continued to produce folkloric explorative music with songs about love, life and justice. They’re coming back for their sixth Australia tour, stopping off at Lyric Theatre on Friday 1 March.
Bluesfest Touring proudly introduces Playing For Change. The nine-piece band includes the most diverse and talented musicians from across four continents, each with their own rich cultural background and distinctive voice. The Playing For Change Foundation was created in order to help communities conserve their rich cultural music heritages and have so far developed eight music programs and music schools in Ghana, Mali, South Africa, Nepal and Rwanda. See the special event live at The Factory on Monday 1 April. This is in addition to their supporting Robert Plant’s Sensational Space Shifters on Thursday 28 March at the Sydney Entertainment Centre.
GHOST STORIES Deborah Conway and Willy Zygier have announced their first national tour in three years, launching their new album, Stories Of Ghosts. Building on the acoustic instrumentation of 2010’s Half Man Half Woman, Stories Of Ghosts adds layers of wood, strings and air, creating a sound veering from delicate and melancholy to savage and fierce across its ten tracks. Catch them at Camelot Lounge Friday 15 March, Lizotte’s Dee Why Saturday 16 and Riverside Theatres Parramatta Sunday 17.
DANCE BASH Saturday 16 March, the Oxford Art Factory hosts Julio Bashmore, the host of BBC Radio 1’s In New DJs We Trust and one of the most in-demand DJs in the world - his events often selling out weeks in advance in his home country and abroad. Joining him on the night are fellow Brit T Williams and local legends Lancelot and Slow Blow.
ELECTRIC DREAMS With the release of their latest single, Dreamland, Sydney hip hop crew Electric Elements are doing a national headline tour. The crew, whose unique sound is a blend of blues, funk and hip hop, enhance their live performances b showcasing live instrumentals, guitar solos, beat boxing and turntablism. Catch them at Brighton Up Bar on Saturday 9 February with Koolta, Mute MC and Elemont.
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FOREWORD LINE
NEWS FROM THE FRONT
MIND FORCES Australian industrial dance act Forces return with new single, Overland (In My Mind). Its taut industrial pop propels the listener across an endless terrain while the distant sound of commerce echoes deep in the earth. The Sydney launch will be at Club 77 on Friday 8 February, with support from Silk Rd Band (Chris Petro), DJs Kirin J Callinan, DS (Siberia Records) and Angelo Cruzman.
I N D U S T RY N E W S W I T H S C O T T F I T Z S I M O N S frontline@streetpress.com.au
THY ART IS MURDER SIGN WITH NUCLEAR BLAST Sydney metal outfit Thy Art Is Murder have signed an international label deal with one of the world’s most recognisable and respected heavy metal labels, Nuclear Blast. The deal, which covers all territories outside of Australia, New Zealand and Canada (they’re signed to Shock imprint Halfcut locally and Distort Entertainment in Canada), will see the release of last year’s album, Hate, in Europe and the US this April. Founded in Germany in the late ‘80s, Nuclear Blast calls itself the “world’s biggest” independent heavy metal label and boasts acts like Anthrax, Dimmu Borgir, Meshuggah, Nightwish and Sepultura on its roster. Thy Art Is Murder, who played on the Big Day Out festival tour, were signed by the label’s US head Monte Connor, who said in a statement, “After getting multiple calls and emails from various industry contacts telling me, ‘You gotta hear this band!’ and seeing the online buzz at iTunes here in the US, it was very clear to me that something very real and organic was happening; this band was reacting massively all on their own.” The band grew out of the Western Sydney metal/ hardcore boom, which was fuelled by the rise of MySpace and subsequently the band – and their team – has built upon that original social media footprint. The band’s guitarist Andy Marsh said, “To say we now share a label with the greatest extreme metal bands of all time is ridiculous. It was never a dream, it was impossible. But we’ve done it.” Much fanfare was also made in 2008 when Tasmanian technical metal band Psycroptic signed to the label, to which they’re still signed.
PRESENTED BY
IN THE ISAAK
The Gaslight Anthem
GASLIGHT UP MY LIFE In a few short years, New Jersey quartet The Gaslight Anthem have gone from punk rock bruisers to one of the most celebrated and prolific rock acts in the world today. Continuing to raise the bar, they have returned with their new album, Handwritten, the most committed, affecting and compelling album of their career. They’re coming here this May, playing an all-ages show at the Enmore Theatre on Sunday 12.
DOUBLE ACT
WHAT ARE THE ODDS
To celebrate the release of the first single, Double Act, lifted from their forthcoming debut record, out mid-2013, Day Ravies have made a film clip and announced a maiden east coast tour. Bassist Caroline de Dear put together the clip using video feedback from house party footage shot by friend Sam Chiplin. Check them out at Brighton Up Bar on Thursday 14 March and Terrace Bar in Newcastle on Friday 15 with No Art and Hell Setzer.
Fresh off the back of the release of their debut album, Place Your Bets, Full Tote Odds have scored a support slot for hip hop super-group Slaughterhouse. Full Tote Odds have been making waves of late, with singles Southern Wind, What’s Going Down and Adrenaline receiving heaps of airplay on triple j. The Adelaide-based collective hit the road with Schoolboy Q for the Slaughterhouse tour this February, and will follow it up with a national headline tour of their own in May. Catch the show at the Enmore Theatre on Saturday 23 February.
COCKTAILS ON BOURBON Let The Island Bar at Cockatoo Island transport you to Bourbon Street in New Orleans for an Aussie take on one of the world’s legendary festivals: the New Orleans Mardi Gras. From Friday 15 to Sunday 17 February starting at 12.30pm and going until late, there will be an irreverent festival atmosphere at The Island Bar with top bartenders showcasing the traditions and history of cocktails from New Orleans. Not to mention, there will be food carts serving unique Louisiana and Creole cuisine, and signature New Orleans jazz, blues and soul music and street performers. Entry to the party is free.
22 • For more news/announcements go to themusic.com.au/news
IT’S A GOOD LIFE Australia’s leading under-18s music festival Good Life is heading to Sydney for the very first time, with Swedish super-star Avicii set to headline. Promoted exclusively to the 13-17 year old demographic, Good Life has grown at an exponential rate since launching in 2010, so much so that all three festivals so far have sold out completely. Good Life comes to Randwick Racecourse on Sunday 10 March. Stay tuned for the full line-up announcement.
Chris Isaak will be returning to Australia in March. The crooner has had an impressive recording career, from his 1985 debut, Silvertone, to last year’s Beyond The Sun, which pays tribute to some of music’s greatest artists including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison, who all recorded at Sun Studios. Catch Isaak at the State Theatre Wednesday 20 March. Support comes from Jon Stevens.
SHAKE YOUR BONJAH Bonjah are proud to announce their return to Sydney, the band’s first headline show here since touring Europe and writing their anticipated third record. Bonjah recently sold out their London show and played to the biggest crowd of their careers at Germany’s Juwi Festival. See them showcase new material and old favourites at the Great Northern Friday 22 February and the Annandale Hotel Saturday 23. Support comes from Lime Cordial and Royal Chant.
Mindless Self Indulgence
INDULGE A LITTLE The four-headed, many-limbed beast that is Mindless Self Indulgence has woken after a three-year slumber and will be playing an all-ages Sidewave at the Hi-Fi Thursday 28 February. Warming up the stage will be The Blackout and Cerebral Ballzy.
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Vocalist Joe Newman and keyboardist Gus Unger-Hamilton – one half of British outfit Alt-J (∆) – sat down with Celline Narinli to relive some hilarious university tales and that time they accidentally tweeted their number out to all their followers. Cover and feature pic by Nick Manuell. t’s a pretty cool piece of gear.” Keyboardist Gus Unger-Hamilton is intrigued by the interview recording gadget. Lead vocalist Joe Newman peers over to check it out, “Yeah, I’ve seen that before, I love those things.” A closeto-perfect introduction to the inquisitive and relaxed nature of the duo – one half of British outfit Alt-J (∆).
“I
in the slightest. “I’d say I answer that question more than I have to deal with hype. It seems like more something that people asks about than happens, do you know what I mean?” explains Unger-Hamilton. When the idea is brought to the table for discussion, the duo fall into an intense analysis on the nature of hype – completely dissecting its value and meaning. “Hype’s kind of invisible. It’s kind
it was written down, and a lot of people kind of like really expect us to give great explanations about it or think that we’re Illuminati or something. But I don’t know – it’s kind of – we just enjoy it, we enjoy the way it looks, and it’s a good way to brand yourself, which I guess is kind of important.” So there are no real links to anything then? “No, there’s no links. There’s never links (laughs). We just pick things that sound cool,” he chuckles. The four members – including guitarist/bassist Gwil Sainsbury and drummer Thom Green – met while attending Leeds University in 2007. Newman reflects on the day they all first met. “We were in halls together and some guy, I think he was called Mickey…” “Oh Mickey, I remember Mickey,” interjects Unger-Hamilton. “Was it Mickey or Mike?” asks Newman, and the two get lost in fast-paced banter, as they attempt to uncover the fine details of their first meeting; the banter reflective of their long-term
different. We didn’t like going out and dancing and meeting up with girls – we talked about meeting up with girls, but actually didn’t ever end up meeting up with girls. “Mmm… yeah. But when you’re at university there’s so much pressure to kind of really be into going out and stuff,” agrees UngerHamilton, directing his words to Newman, “and I think like meeting you, and then Gwil and Thom, I opened my eyes to the
number.’ Thought I DM’d it, actually just tweeted it to like tens of thousands of people (laughs). So then we got to the bar where they said they were, and they had left, and we were like ‘Oh, okay, we’ll just have a beer then.’ So it’s not as glamorous as you might think, but we’re doing our best.” Now winners of the prestigious Barclaycard Mercury Prize, the two friends had much to say about who they would’ve
for a good reason, because they’ve got a great album. And you know, a few years ago a band called Portico Quartet were nominated, another jazz group who you know, I don’t remember who actually won that year, but I’m sure they deserved it.” “Ummm… it was Elbow,” responds Newman. “Yeah, and that Portico album was amazing,” continues Unger-Hamilton. “So you know it would be quite nice if a jazz group won it just to kind of show people that it’s not all about making up the numbers. [But] Django Django, I think would be worthy winners, they’ve got a really wicked album.” Newman adds, “Lianne La Havas, she’s got a great album, um…” “Just name all the nominees,” laughs Unger-Hamilton.
ANONYMOUS STARS The success of Alt-J (∆) came at lightning-bolt
speed once they dropped their debut – now stamped with the Mercury Music Prize seal of approval – An Awesome Wave in May 2012, which has just been re-released as a two-CD deluxe edition with bonus live, acoustic and remix tracks. During their first trip to Australia in October last year, Newman explained how though the buzz had kicked in, they still didn’t get recognised on the streets. “No one recognises us anywhere unless we’ve just played a gig and we’re outside the venue. I like where it is at the moment, where we stand. So you’ll get recognised in the area that you are playing, but that’s about it. People won’t stop you in the street.” UngerHamilton continues on that train of thought, “I don’t expect it to change.” Considering the amount of success and attention Alt-J (∆) have garnered over the past nine months, the inevitable hype does not phase them
of tasteless,” muses Newman. “We don’t actually know where it is and when it is, and when you’re kind of being exposed to it. Especially if you’re in another country and the hype is happening back in England. But we’re good at dealing with hype because, I mean, at the end of the day it’s working on the songs. The songs are the key kind of thing. So, if we keep the songs strong we can deal with the hype.”
Though the duo carry a complex and in-depth thought process – analysing questions rather than answering them – it’s surprising to see that much of their creative choices bear no real depth or meaning. Like the Alt-J symbol (∆) for instance… “Well, it’s a lot more shallow than what people think; it just kind of looks cool,” Unger-Hamilton admits. “I mean, we came up with the name Alt-J, you know, we thought it was quite neat. It looked quite good when
friendship. “There was definitely a Mickey in my block,” affirms Unger-Hamilton. “I think he was called Mickey C,” clarifies Newman. “Yeah he was!” laughs Unger-Hamilton. “Basically,” Newman continues, “I had made friends with one of my roommates who there was a complete lack of chemistry. And so we were like ‘Let’s go to the student union.’ We didn’t know where it was but we knew it was close, so we were just walking away from our halls and some guy just shouted out the window ‘Come to my room, we’re having a party!’ just like randomly. And that was Mickey C. And there I met you, and I remember you coming into the kitchen, ‘cause we were congregated in the kitchen.” “Looking scared,” Unger-Hamilton chimes in. Newman confirms, “You looked very, very scared. You’re eyes were sort of just completely sort of like…” “I think it was just completely new,” interrupts UngerHamilton. “I mean I went to university [and] I had turned eighteen about ten days before, so I really wasn’t used to – I came from quite a sheltered background – and I wasn’t really used to parties and stuff so it was quite overwhelming. And everybody seemed a lot older than me because they had done gap years so everyone was like twenty and I felt like I was still seventeen, so seeing Joe in there looking fairly approachable and not sort of, you know, drinking Jack Daniel’s through a funnel, I was like ‘I’ll go talk to this guy.’” It was during university that the four sat down to pen An Awesome Wave, over a five-year period. Unger-Hamilton explains: “We had band practice like three nights a week, so that took up all of our time. And we kind of enjoyed spending time together and getting to know each other.” “I don’t think we liked going out,” reveals Newman. “We liked drinking and we still like drinking. I mean, you know, we’ve got that bug, but the way we did it was
fact that not everyone at university is there just to like get smashed and do fancy dress like five nights a week.”
Now a full-time touring band, Alt-J (∆) are slowly becoming familiar with their new lifestyle. “We don’t have many cool band friends really, like we try,” admits Unger-Hamilton. “We tried to meet up with Bombay Bicycle Club in – was that in Houston?” he asks Newman. “Yeah somewhere in Texas,” he responds. “And like I don’t know, it was quite a funny story ‘cause we were tweeting them – I was tweeting them – and I was like ‘Oh, I’ll just DM you the band’s phone
liked to have seen win – as we chatted prior to the announcement. “Well I mean I’m a big fan of – there’s a jazz band who are nominated called Roller Trio – they’re a fantastic band and I really enjoyed their album,” explains Newman.
“Everyone talks in this really snide way about ‘Oh, the token jazz nomination’ every year,” continues Unger-Hamilton. “But that’s totally not the case, because you know everybody is nominated on merit, there is no kind of tokenism involved. So, you know they are nominated
Returning to Australia for St Jerome’s Laneway Festival, the two picked out some of the artists on the bill they’re most looking forward to catching on the day. “I wanna see El-P, this rapper, who I think is – his new album, Cancer 4 Cure, it’s a fucking great album, it’s really good,” responds Unger-Hamilton. While Newman shares his love for Brooklyn duo Poliça. “[Give You The Ghost] is a real grower. That album, at first I was really struggling to digest it and after a while you digest it and you feel really good.”
WHO: Alt-J WHAT: An Awesome Wave (Liberator) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 2 February, St Jerome’s Laneway Festival, Sydney College Of The Arts
BEFORE ALT-J Prior to the Alt-J (∆) moniker, the four-piece had gone through two other band names. The first of those two was Daljit Dhaliwal – which is the name of a female Al Jazeera news correspondent. “It’s really an odd thing,” explains Newman, “I don’t think any of us were fascinated with her. But basically when I was younger I used to watch [the Australian television show] Neighbours and at the end of the show, you’d have after the credits roll, you’d have the production logo and the end of the song, which was kind of always taped to the back of Neighbours, and it always used to go (sings staggered descending notes) “di di – di di di” and it had the same rhythm and the same amount of syllables as Daljit Dhaliwal.” “So as a kid I’d always used to be like (sings) “Daljit Dhaliwal” and that’s it. That kind of scorched my memory as a child and I’ve always remembered it and like when we were thinking of a band name, I was like ‘Well, what about Daljit Dhaliwal?’ and that’s really it.” Shortly after they settled with Daljit Dhaliwal as the official band name, they changed it to Films. The stories within their songs make a number of references to films – in particular the song Matilda, which was based on Natalie Portman’s character in the film, Léon. UngerHamilton explains: “I would say that we didn’t consume sort of films and books at any greater rate than we normally would [during the album-making process], but I think we have an [attitude] to songwriting where nothing is off limits in terms of what you can write a song about. So, you know, we weren’t sort of like going to the library at university and watching loads of obscure Polish films in this kind of effort to consume culture; it was more just that, you know I think we realised writing songs, or you know you realised that the consumption of things like film and books is great material for songwriting as much as personal experiences or feelings or whatever. “Stories in film are better than stories in real life (laughs); that’s why we write songs about them,” he concludes.
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JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR
Australian Tour 2013 14th February - The Wicko, Newcastle 20th February - The Brass Monkey, Cronulla 22nd February - The Basement, Sydney 23rd February - Kelt’s Bar, Emu Plains 24th February - Towradgi Beach Hotel
www.joanneshawtaylor.com
Chase The Sun
“ONE MEAN, GUN-SLINGING POWER TRIO” Drum Media
www.chasethesunband.com
JANUARY 31 - THE WICKO - NEWCASTLE FEBRUARY 2 - BEACHES - THIRROUL FEBRUARY 7 - THE PEACHTREE HOTEL - PENRITH FEBRUARY 8 - THE ROCK LILY - STAR - SYDNEY 25
PREFIXATION How does it feel to be Jay-Z approved? “It feels awesome! Mostly because I feel one step closer to Beyoncé,” chuckles Lizzy Plapinger – one half of New York’s MS MR – as she chats to Celline Narinli. n the brink of their first visit to Australia for St Jerome’s Laneway Festival, Lizzy Plapinger – one half of electronic-R&B duo MS MR – is “drowning in clothes” as she packs her bags for the trip. With the heatwave at the back her mind, she calls from New York as she tries to figure which clothes to bring.
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Plapinger, who is also the co-founder of Neon Gold Records – a New York City/London-based boutique record label founded in 2008 with business partner Derek Davies, which also home to Gotye, Marina & The Diamonds, The Naked & Famous and more – mentioned that there was no way she would have released MS MR material via the label. “It was definitely a discussion. But honestly, you know, it would’ve been a bit cheeky to release my own material on Neon Gold. But you know, I sort of needed to feel like I had earned it independently as of everything else that I had created. “And so, I wanted it [MS MR] to have its own sort of identity. I think it was really important for me just to genuinely appreciate and recognise the other artists [on the roster], otherwise it would have been seen as a vanity pleasure because I’ll be treating it much less seriously, and [it would] also become much more about me. And I think what Max [Hershenow, other half of MS MR] and I really want to make clear is that we’re a duo. This isn’t my band, this isn’t all about me, it’s the two of us. And so doing it separately from Neon Gold, I think was really important. “
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The business background proved beneficial for Plapinger, as the duo created music for two years, allowing that to simmer before unleashing themselves into the public sphere. They meticulously scoped out the best ways to market themselves as a new band. Looking back at how her place in the industry started, she goes on to note the importance of the knowledge she acquired during her journey.
“I love music so much and it’s always been the most important piece of my life. Like, you know, at a young age [I was] going to record stores all the time and sneaking into gigs when I was too young to be able to go. I worked at so many different labels and interned at PR companies, and I feel like I’ve absorbed so much information on business and the industry side of things, which is really vital. “But I wanted the opportunity to turn that off for just a second and just do the creative. I [now] have a different level of confidence; it means that Max and I have been able to dictate and have power over every choice that we’ve made ‘til this point – in the way that most artists don’t – because I’ve had the experience of going through this process a few times with different acts.” And so success started trickling in for MS MR. Their EP Candy Bar Creep Show features the radiofriendly Hurricane, which reached number one on the Hype M charts and was claimed ‘Hottest Record’ by the BBC’s Zane Lowe. They even got the Jay-Z stamp of approval. “It feels awesome [to be Jay-Z approved]! Mostly because I feel one step closer to Beyoncé,” laughs Plapinger. The accompanying video for Hurricane featured a collage of vintage pictures created by the duo, and similarities came flying out. Their sound was likened to that of Laneway-buddies Poliça, the video was said to channel the DIY-touch of Lana Del Rey. Not fazed by the comparisons, Plapinger states that it’s only natural for new bands to be put into boxes. Their identity, however, plays a huge role in their art. At first, the duo stayed hushed about their personal identities, which carried an even more curious and mysterious aura around the MS MR moniker. “It’s funny, because I honestly don’t even completely remember where [the band name] came from. We were trying to think of names for the project, and we wanted it to sound like a duo and we wanted the boy/girl theme, and now when we were talking about anonymity and titles… As soon as I said [MS MR], we were like, ‘Hey, that’s it’. I love the idea that it’s so specific but it also means totally nothing.”
Fascinated with mixed-media and collage, the duo also have a strong Tumblr following, which they have utilised for marketing gain. They have even described their style as “Tumblr glitch-pop”. Their Tumblr page shows a stream of Rocky Horrorlike, art-house and cinema-noir photographs. After likening the images to Rocky Horror Picture Show, Plapinger laughs. “That’s exactly what my dad calls it – ‘What’s this Rocky Horror Picture Show aesthetic you’ve got going on?’ I’ve definitely always been drawn to cinema and visual aesthetic. It definitely creates an easy vocabulary for us to work with and then piece together and I think that that has sort of been expressed through the way we release our music. We love music from all different genres and time periods, and a lot of the different songs can take on a different personality.” Performing at St Jerome’s Laneway Festival, MS MR already have strong relationships with Australian artists and are looking forward to making more friends while down under. “There’s a few Australian bands that have played shows I’ve put on in the past that I’m hoping to reconnect with. I think it’s going to be a really good trip. “I am so excited about Laneway, it’s ridiculous. I’m sure it’s going to be like band summer camp in that we all become best friends. I’ve never seen Poliça, I’ve never seen Bat For Lashes, I love Yeasayer, I love Pond, I’ve never seen Pond play. There’s this Australian band, is it called… ummm… See-dee-
dank-tal? Do you know what I’m talking about?” Sorry, what? “Wait, I had it here, it is Snakadakal.” Ah, yes. “Someone played me a song, I was curious about them, I’m interested to see them. And Chet Faker, who did the [Dark Doo Wop] remix for us; I can’t wait to see him. I’m definitely going to be very excited running around the festival trying to see as many people as I can.” Now that they’ve burst into the spotlight, Plapinger revealed the album is ready. “It’s coming out in May, we’re excited to get it out. We’ve recorded it, we’ve mastered it, it’s ready to go!” And what sort of identity does the album hold for MS MR? “I think what people will be surprised to find is that, again, with this collage aesthetic, each song has this different personality. I don’t think there is one song that is wholly representative of who we are.” “There is a song on the album that is a bit more experimental, there’s one that feels more R&B, there’s one that feels more indie, there’s one that feels more like pure pop music and there’s one that has a bit of a country edge.” WHO: MS MR WHAT: Candy Bar Creep Show (Creep City/Sony) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 2 February, Laneway Festival, Sydney College of the Arts; Monday 4, Oxford Art Factory
A REAL GEM Ramona Gonzalez talks to Anthony Carew about overanalysing song meanings and how being surrounded by talented friends led to the creation of Nite Jewel. n many ways, the passage of Nite Jewel’s music has mirrored the arc of the synthesiser rise in indie music. When Ramona Gonzalez arose, as Nite Jewel, in 2008 – a self-pressed CD-R called, sweetly, My CD, doing the blogospheric rounds – her music was wobbly and lo-fi, taking place in a hazy, smeary soundworld whose claggy eight-track tape hiss made it play like a form of pop-cultural time travel. After her first proper LP, Good Evening, a run of EPs and 12” – 2009’s Want You Back and What Did He Say? (the latter pressed up by Johnny Jewel’s Italians Do It Better), 2010’s Am I Real?, 2011 singles She’s Always Watching You and It Goes Through Your Head – grew progressively higher in fidelity; the synth sounds cleaner and more digital, the songs starker, slicker, funkier.
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Talking to Gonzalez about Nite Jewel’s beginnings, or evolution – or, indeed, about the synth-centric sound of her project – yields interesting results. The 27-year-old is a philosophical conversationist and thinker – she, indeed, holds a degree in philosophy – but that doesn’t extend to how she conceives, and speaks, of her own music. “I’m not really a super-conceptual creative worker,” Gonzalez says, almost halfway as apology. “I’m very conceptual when it comes to thinking about the world, about philosophy and politics and life, but when it comes to art I go more on feeling. Nite Jewel was just something I started doing because I had a facility to do so on my own. I had never had a home recording set-up, on my own, before that. It was a very exciting thing to suddenly have. It was like I was able to record my own thoughts. The Nite Jewel ‘sound’, that was just the sound that came naturally; what I sounded like when I recorded by myself. It just happened. That’s the weird thing.”
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Gonzalez grew up in Oakland, encouraged towards creativity. “My mum was a dancer, but she was moreso a hippy,” Gonzalez recalls, “we did a lot of these worldmusic, camping, hippy culture weekends out in Northern California; a lot of singing, a lot of music.” She was also fond of writing her own songs. After her pre-adolescent
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yen for songwriting faded, she was inspired to begin writing again when in college at NYU, when she met her future collaborateur, future husband, and future Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti member, Cole Marsden Greif-Neill. The couple were hitched in 2006, and relocated to Los Angeles. There, Gonzalez would eventually begin Nite Jewel, instilled by the spirit of the scene that surrounded her. “I was definitely inspired by my friends who were making similar sort of moves, musically,” Gonzalez recalls. “Not harmonically or compositionally, songwise, just process. Hanging out with people like Ariel Pink, Gary War, Julia Holter – who I didn’t know super-well, but well enough – and Geneva Jacuzzi, we were all just at home, in our bedrooms, doing pretty much the same thing: making these really random, really individual songs. And then we’d come together and we’d record together. When you’re around people that much, and you’re really deep in it, you can’t help but be a part of some organism.” Not long after posting her first songs to MySpace – this was, after all, 2008 – Gonzalez found an eager audience and had her stumbled-into-home-recording project perceived and interpreted by others. “I was sort of surprised with the fact that the world took to it,” Gonzalez says. “That was pretty cool to me. I wasn’t too concerned with how they took to it; with any artist, the world almost invariably has a vast misunderstanding, always. There’s a few people who really understand you, but for the most part what the world sees is not how you see yourself. Everyone wants to see some grand intention, and when there isn’t really one, it’s not as exciting. “So, I think people put a lot of intention into my music that wasn’t really there; like they ascribed these often quite complex thought processes behind certain songs or certain sounds that wasn’t really there. They heard it, and interpreted it in a way that, essentially, tried to create this polemical content that wasn’t really actually there. There’s a polemical element in my lyrics, I know, but that’s just for me; I’m just trying to say something to myself. I’m not trying to say something about music; I’m not trying to say anything about music. People seemed to think I was taking this very meta-approach, like there were layers of commentary in my songs. But it wasn’t that difficult. It wasn’t so complex. It was really simple!”
Though peers like John Maus have discussed the use of synthesisers on that meta and philosophical level – with their rise throwing challenging the long-held orthodoxy of the electric guitar as centre of the rock’n’roll world – Gonzalez makes music from, she considers, an insular position; she, effectively, an eternal bedroom act, retreating into the same sort of dreamworlds she did as a child. “It’s a strength and a weakness that I have to always write for my own very insular perspective of what I want to hear,” Gonzalez says. “I think that really talented artists are able to merge that over time with the public perception; and I don’t think I’m anywhere nearly there yet. I don’t necessarily think that I need to do that. There’s a lot of musicians that I really admire that do do that: Prince or Neil Young or whatever; the greats. But I’m nowhere near that.” In that way, One Second Of Love – the hi-fi counter to Good Evening’s lo-fi beginnings – was a work neither hoping for audience accessibility, nor a work of considered change. “At the time I was making One Second Of Love,” Gonzalez says, “I was listening to a lot of instrumental electronic music and new-age music; not popular newage music, but more underground, synth-soundscape stuff. The thing that was the overarching ‘theme’ of this music – what it had in common, and perhaps what was interesting me in it – was that it was all electronic
music that had been recorded in high fidelity. Or, at least in higher fidelity than I’d ever recorded in, in the past. It was about getting the most out of these really simple synth sounds. Going with that, and sort of mulling over really simple instrumental things. I was really inspired by Another Green World, by Brian Eno, and I was reading his biography about when that was made. Initially, One Second Of Love was going to be this instrumental record, and I went to record it at a friend’s studio in Berkeley, and wanted to record just a bunch of instrumental jams on two-inch tape. We filled about an hour of tape in about a week, and those turned out to be the basic tracks of the recording. Again, it had really nothing to do with anything, except for my musical interests at the time, and my flights of fancy. It wasn’t a considered attempt to do or say anything; it’s just what I was thinking, what I was feeling, and where that took me.” WHO: Nite Jewel WHAT: One Second Of Love (Secretly Canadian/Inertia) WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 31 January, Goodgod; Saturday 2 February, Laneway Festival, Sydney College Of The Arts
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ODD BAND OUT Despite their long list of accomplishments in a short two years, Sydney rock outfit Strangers still feel like guests in their own home. Vocalist Ben Britton makes fast friends with Brendan Crabb. ersona Non Grata, the title of the debut record from Sydney-based rockers Strangers wasn’t merely drawn out of a hat, or chosen due to any potential marketability. The name roughly translates to “an unwelcome stranger”, and it’s the band’s collective sense of isolation and disconnection from their surroundings which they channelled into the album itself. “Where we live in Cronulla, ‘The Shire’, as bad as the reputation as it has,” vocalist Ben Britton begins. “There are no fucking rock bands down here. There’s no scene, no rock scene. I mean, for Sydney at the moment that’s the toughest thing in general anyway, there’s not much of a rock scene going on. And Persona Non Grata kinda means an unwelcome guest. So in our home town, that was how we were feeling. When it came to writing music, kinda felt like a fish out of water here.”
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As it turns out, perhaps there’s a semblance of reality (that term is used rather loosely in this instance) to the cringe-inducing TV program depicting their home base. “That’s not to say we don’t have lots of friends that live around here or we weren’t fitting in socially,” the singer continues. “It was just more the musical sense of… Everybody else was into taking pills, going to fucking Stereosonic and putting fake tan on themselves. We were into smoking bongs and writing Sabbath riffs at the time,” he laughs. “So that’s how it felt; we felt like a fish out of water. [We] just wanted to get out of here; not that it isn’t a lovely place and it is home, will always be home, and we love it here. But we just wanted to get out, start touring and playing music. Just wanted to shed the weight, shed the fucking not-fitting-in vibes and just play everywhere.”
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Since forming just two years ago, Strangers haven’t been half-hearted in their efforts to do just that. The year 2012 was a landmark one for the quintet: receiving major triple j support, whirlwind Sydney/Melbourne residencies, showcases at the BIGSOUND music conference and a recently announced spot on the illustrious SXSW conference in Austin, Texas. They also
opened for the likes of The Darkness, Good Charlotte and Calling All Cars. To cap things off there was the release of their aforementioned debut LP, produced by Shihad’s Tom Larkin (The Getaway Plan, King Cannons). It’s suggested that if a band is going to fuse enormous, heavy guitars with an even larger pop sensibility, who better to school you during the recording process? “He’s great,” Britton gushes. “Shihad are a great band, from a heavy rock perspective; a fantastic, amazing band. They’ve done so much, they’ve had so much experience, so we couldn’t be in better hands. He brought a lot to the table; really experienced, wise and had that same passion and push for the band which we did. The relationship grew and grew in the studio; the songwriting, we got along with each other. He’s a total workhorse. His work ethic is through the roof and we have to have the same level of work ethic to even match his expectations. He pushed us and it was exactly what we needed, so it was really good. “There’s a couple of tracks on the record that have a real blues-y influence,” he says of the writing aspect. “But we were smoking a lot of weed and just playing a lot, jamming lots in the band room that we’ve got down here. We just wanted to be heavy and real desert-y in some parts. We get a lot of prog stuff, like people comparing us to like Karnivool and bands like that; they assume we’re into prog. We’re not really big prog fans to be honest,” he chuckles. “Karnivool are fantastic, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t know. We just kinda did our own thing and put it all together. We’re a pop band, essentially. We discovered tones, a lot of fuzz, and we’re not shy of a guitar solo either. We had fuzz tones and we were writing pop songs, you know?” Britton laughs. “Loving the big choruses, some spaced-out verses and things like that. Growing up as a kid we’ve always loved that, the desert rock stuff and big, massive fuzz; big fuzz bass and massive drums. We are a pop band, structurally. We’re verse-chorus-versechorus, that’s what we love to write essentially. But maybe the second record we might go a bit left-field. We’re jamming out a fair bit at the moment, and there’s some different stuff coming along. We just worked really hard on songwriting and it had a real
psychotic push from my end, I guess,” he adds with a laugh. “I stop at nothing to get the band to a point where it’s operating, keeping busy and touring.” Before they begin thinking too seriously about album number two, the band will indeed be keeping suitably occupied as they hit the road for a series of dates throughout Australia. Given their wealth of touring experience in spite of their relative newcomer status, including the aforementioned spate of recent high-profile support slots, the 27-year-old frontman believes they’ll approach playing live with a more worldly perspective. “That’s the biggest thing, you play with these big bands like The Darkness for example,” he says. “Permission To Land – I smashed that record, it was amazing at the time. We went on tour with them and what they taught us, the showmanship of those guys is just incredible. You take a little bit of those things that they do and learn from what they’re doing. Touring with bands like Unwritten Law and Grinspoon; great frontmen, they work the crowd. It’s a different way of approaching those shows to like playing the Cherry Bar every week in Melbourne. It’s like, making it build up to a point in the set where it’s like, yelling into the microphone instead of going, ‘Hey, what’s up guys?’ You really have
to learn how to play to bigger crowds. That was the eye-opener for us after playing with all these bands, and they’re so good at doing it. Justin Hawkins just controls a crowd, he has them in the palm of his hand. That’s an art-form in itself. So we took a lot away from that. “We did a residency at the Cherry Bar for eight weeks straight. Every Wednesday we went down to Melbourne to play there. I reckon those [shows] taught us about playing to three, four hundred capacity rooms. You want people to go in there and feel like they’ve just watched their best friend, even if they don’t know you. You want to make them feel like they’ve just come in and seen one of their mates play. Break down those barriers. That’s what we’re all about, just having a good time and treating it like a house party every show, just really breaking down the walls.” WHO: Strangers WHAT: Persona Non Grata (Permanent/Shock) WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 31 January, The Great Northern, Newcastle; Friday 1 February, Annandale Hotel; Saturday 2, The Patch, Wollongong
THE DANCING DEAD “I know you can’t understand me,” Lisa Gerrard admits to Guido Farnell as she does her best to describe the “rare and innate magic” she touches on with her Dead Can Dance composing partner Brendan Perry. ast year Dead Can Dance surprised many by releasing Anastasis, which reveals that the duo, with their origins in Melbourne, have become stronger composers over the years and are more than capable of producing some of the most exquisite music imaginable. Armed with beautiful and powerful visions of what their music should sound like, Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard experiment with traditional music from the Middle East, Greece and the Balkans and bring these diverse influences into uniquely modern contexts to thrilling effect. It is simply a delight to be able to talk to Lisa Gerrard who is one of those often overlooked, iconic vocalists who has emerged from Australia in the ‘80s. Those who follow Gerrard’s career as an accomplished recording and soundtrack artist would know that over the course of her 30-years-andcounting career her voice has lost none of its power, multi-octave range and capacity to astound listeners.
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On the phone from her home in country Victoria, Gerrard is intense and passionate but also business-like when she talks about her work. We start by talking about life on the road with Dead Can Dance and it turns out Gerrard prefers performing live to recording in the studio. “Some of the baroque pieces, like Host Of The Seraphim, are so much more interesting live. They have the kind of magnitude of sounding like they are being played in a cathedral. You never can completely achieve that kind of sound on record. I find that exciting… The live shows give the work a weight, width, depth and a sort of dimension that I don’t think you can achieve on an album.
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“I really don’t feel that the albums capture my best moments. I always feel like they are my worst moments. I have never been happy with any of the recordings I have done – I hate them! I always feel so much happier playing live. It is an extraordinary opportunity to work with the energy of live musicians. Then there is that wonderful energy in the room that is created uniquely by every audience. There are so many factors involved that bring light, excitement and electricity to
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a live performance. Even if the tuning isn’t fabulous or whatever, it is so much more exciting. Recording in a studio is very sequenced and static. You keep doing performances over and over again that strive to be accurate and perfect in a sense, but sometimes I think [recording] lacks the magic of a live performance.” The question on everyone’s lips, however, is how Gerrard and Perry got around to working on a new Dead Can Dance album after all these years. “It was almost like an unfinished puzzle. I often think of music as a problem that you solve. You have a series of chaotic things that you put together to try to solve a kind of mathematical equation that leads you to a place with a wonderful bond of sympathy with soulful tissue, you know. So the thing is I met Brendan when I was seventeen, and when we started to think about music it was clear that we had such an incredible vision for what we wanted to do with the music. What drove us is that we formed this bond of sympathy for the work and that we have a very similar kind of excitement and passion for the music. We both were passionate about wanting to explore new ideas and music. Brendan had come from a post-punk world of Joy Division and all of that sort of thing. At that age I was more interested in quite dark things really, avant-garde music and even classical Japanese, Chinese and Turkish music, probably because I had grown up in Prahran. Brendan was interested in those things too but he was interested in finding a way of expressing himself by more traditional methods at that point. When we did actually write a piece together it was something called Frontier. It was recorded at Ron Rude’s house in Belgrave. It was the first time we worked together and [neither of us really didn’t knew] what would happen. It was recorded with some old kerosene cans, Yang Sh’in and some voices. It turned out to be a really magical piece and we realised that when we work together that something just happens and we are able to create something unique. It was the beginning and we wanted to explore this further and ended up going on to London. “I have done lots of wonderful things with lots of other composers. I have worked with many, many people from Morricone to Hans Zimmer but there is a rare and innate magic that Brendan and I touch on that we have never been able to explain,” Gerrard says, sounding
emotional. “I know you can’t understand me. This is what draws me back because being separated from the pieces you have written together, well you grieve those. You know the potential of what you can create together has not been completely fulfilled. You also feel, as an artist, that you have to overcome those things that ego brings. That between us – through neuroses or anxiety about wanting to create perfection, which is completely impossible – you strive for this ideal, but there has been friction. You reach a point in life where you want to leave a legacy of work that is not haunted by the memory of the problems you had because of your artistic vision. It should be haunted by the legacy of the wonderful work and how you overcame those problems.” As Gerrard talks it seems that the pair’s passion for music simultaneously draws them together but also has the capacity to drive them apart. Consequently it is hard not to wonder about their collaborative relationship and how the intricate and beautiful sounds of Anastasis were forged There are so many variables when we work together. There are times when we work separately and times when we bring things together. Brendan had a very clear vision on this album in terms of the exotic dimension of what he wanted to create, that it is of the Mediterranean and there were scales and rhythms that he wanted to explore for the album. This was exciting
for me because when you have to write something against those it really pushes the envelope because you go outside the boundaries of 4/4 or even 5/4. There are pieces on the album that are 9/4. It forces you to completely rethink the narrative you want to create. There was that side of it but Brendan also has a very strong sense of ballad. He always has a very literary and literal desire to communicate with pearls or kernels of wisdom from his own life experiences. He is not being imposing by doing that, he is being poetic. I think the wonderful thing about the combination of the two of us being together is that we both want to do the same things. I do it with abstract vocal expression. It makes the concerts that much more exciting because of various areas we have explored individually and together the palette becomes very broad and exciting. One piece leads to a completely different medium of work but ultimately or quintessentially they are linked because of the same desire to open up the pathway to the heart.” WHO: Dead Can Dance WHAT: Anastasis (Liberator) WHEN & WHERE: Sunday 3 and Monday 4 February, Sydney Opera House Concert Hall
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GOOD LIVIN’ Justin Townes Earle is like a walking encyclopaedia of authentic American music, and he’s a dab hand at concocting it too. He talks with Steve Bell about rich musical surrounds and discovering new disciplines. t seemed incongruous back in 2007 when young singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle moved to the bustling metropolis of Manhattan, the New York City epicentre seemingly miles removed from both the authentic country music he was peddling and America’s Deep South, the land where he grew up and with which his music was so synonymous. For a while the urban locale seemed a good fit for Earle – it certainly inspired his award-winning third album, Harlem City Blues, in more than just name – but now events have transpired to return him to the city of his childhood, and all seems right in his world again.
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“I moved back to Nashville – I can afford a much larger living space here than I could in New York,” he smiles. “I just discovered that my mum is at a point in her life where she needs my help a bit, and it’s a lot more feasible for me to help her living here in Nashville for a lot of reasons. “So far I haven’t spent a lot of time here [since I moved back] – we’ve been touring so much recently – but I’m enjoying it for the most part. It’s definitely a little ‘closed in’ feeling compared to New York. Unfortunately the New York Times keeps writing articles about how cool Nashville is, so it’s probably not going to be too cool for too much longer.” Of course, this relocation also places Earle back within a short drive of another Tennessee music mecca, Memphis, the city whose rich soul history so inspired 2012’s brilliant fourth record, Nothing’s Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now. The album was awash with beautiful horn flourishes reminiscent of the Stax Records sound which sprang up and thrived in Memphis from the late-‘50s through to the early-‘70s. “I grew up aware of that music, very much so,” Earle continues. “I grew up in a mixed but mostly black neighbourhood in Nashville, so when I’d go to my friends’ houses for dinner and stuff like that, their parents would be listening to Al Green and Chas & Dave and that sorta thing. I heard a lot of real pure, deep soul growing up. “Memphis has an amazing music history, and it’s a music history that’s very much ‘of the people’ – a very working-class music history; guys who got their gig out of sheer talent, not because they knew anybody
– all that mattered back then was sheer talent. It’s amazing that so many talented people managed to congregate in the same place at the same time.” Stax was also important for its policy of nonsegregation, not something common in Memphis, especially during the volatile late ‘60s following the assassination there of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. “It definitely was,” Earle agrees. “People weren’t ready for Booker T & The MGs when they came out – they weren’t ready for an integrated band. But they were just undeniable, that’s the thing – they were just undeniably one of the most talented bands anybody had ever seen.” Of course musical segregation wasn’t restricted to Memphis; it had existed for decades in blues music and the seemingly arbitrary racial distinction between ‘race records’ and ‘hillbilly records’ as country music developed. “It kind of started with Hank Williams – if you listen to his music you can obviously hear some things that he didn’t learn from no white boy, especially the 12-bar blues,” Earle laughs. “Hank Williams didn’t come up with that. Hank Williams had a very little documented opiate problem – he was a morphine addict – and he would go to the juke joints in the black neighbourhoods to score his dope, and that’s where a lot of people say that he picked up the 12-bar blues.” Justin Townes Earle was schooled in such rich country music traditions from a very young age – obviously growing up in Nashville the son of Steve Earle it was going to be hard to avoid – and this passion and knowledge came to the fore last year when he was invited to help curate the celebration of Woody Guthrie’s centennial year. “He’s very responsible for me being a lot of what I am as an artist,” Earle marvels of Guthrie’s influence. “I love the simplicity of his approach, and I like the way he talked – it’s more like the way I talk. I like pretty much everything about him; he’s definitely a very big influence. “It was a lot of fun, and I was glad that I was able to do it and was trusted to do it. I was asked by [Woody’s daughter] Nora Guthrie to put those shows on – she said, ‘I have these dates booked for a
Woody show’ and basically I was told, ‘Do a Woody Guthrie tribute, but don’t just get up and play a bunch of Woody Guthrie songs.’ It was kind of shocking at first, but you don’t turn that offer down, and I think it turned out pretty well – I think everybody walked away happy which is all I can ask for. “I brought some different people in for it – I had Joe Pug, and John McCauley from Deer Tick, and The Low Anthem – and I got them all to show where the bodies were buried; how Woody Guthrie influenced them. And I also had Joe Klein, who wrote the Woody Guthrie biography, A Life – he’s a very trusted political correspondent, and quite famous too – and he took time out of his schedule to come and do it. So I had a little bit of hope that I was going to do something good right from the start just because I got Joe Klein to agree to it.” Earle has earned a reputation as being something of a chameleon amidst the boundaries of authentic Americana, each album having a distinct tone different to its predecessor, and he divulges that his next collection of songs is again expected to take an exciting new route.
“I’m writing a new record right now – I’ve written about three or four songs – and these songs are going to take a little more time because I’m having three background singers, so I have to write my parts and then I have to write the background singers’ parts too. It’s going to be interesting, I’m going to approach it with basically a good idea of what the sound I’m going for is – something like Ray Charles’ Hit The Road Jack kinda stuff, and things like that. “It’s fun to write that way, but it can be frustrating too – I find myself with this [new] style of songwriting not using my usual method of just carrying a note pad around, I do have to actually sit down and look at a piece of paper, which is something that I’m not used to but I’m getting used to.” WHO: Justin Townes Earle WHEN & WHERE: Tuesday 5 February, The Basement Circular Quay; Wednesday 6, Coogee Diggers; Friday 8, Heritage Hotel, Bulli; Sunday 10, Annandale Hotel; Wednesday 13, Lizotte’s, Newcastle
ELEMENTAL P Cyclone talks with entrepeneur/rapper EL-P (Laneway’s first ever MC) about his iconoclaustic Cancer4Cure, collaborations with Killer Mike and the secret love affair between rap and rock. ce Cube had a hit single with It Was A Good Day in the early ‘90s – and MC/producer El-P (aka Jaime Meline) might consider the title It Was A Good Year. He enjoyed a bountiful 2012, indeed. The Company Flow stalwart not only received acclaim for his boldly eclectic production on Atlanta MC Killer Mike’s RAP Music, but also for his allegorical solo endeavour, Cancer4Cure.
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C4C was among two hip hop albums selected for the prestigious Q mag’s list ‘The 50 Best Albums Of 2012’ (“it was one of the underground’s old hands who made the year’s best hip hop record”). Not that the Brooklynite obsessively tracks such things. “I’m aware here and there,” Meline laughs, speaking from a domestic setting with kids in the background. “It’s always nice.” He may yet be happier that the hip hop heads dug it. “Honestly, it’s been an amazing response. For some reason, this record seemed to strike a note with a lot of people. Who knows why? I don’t know why. Maybe it was just the right record for the right time. You never really know what’s gonna happen. You put your heart and soul into these things and then you put it out there and all you can do is just hope that people wanna hear what you wanna say. I just feel lucky that that’s the case. I certainly don’t take it for granted. I mean, I’ve seen both sides of the coin critically. So it’s been really cool pretty much across the board. I felt like this record has maybe even been my best received record that I’ve ever done. For a guy who’s been making full-length records since 1997, it’s nice to not feel like I’m on a downwards slope, you know?” While Meline has done talk programs previously, in 2012 he performed on Late Show With David Letterman, shaking the host’s hand, and Conan. “It does seem a little strange, doesn’t it?,” he says laconically. “It seems a little odd that they’d let me do that, especially because I’m not exactly saying the most general population-friendly stuff.” This summer Meline is returning to Australia, heading Laneway alongside another alt/urban act in Jessie Ware. He’s the festival’s first-ever MC. “I’m really excited about it.” Meline is still to study the line-up, he’s been so busy. The thirtysomething is a godfather of the backpack hip hop movement. A jazz pianist’s son, he came to the fore with Company Flow in the early ‘90s. The trio released the influential album
30 • For more interviews go to themusic.com.au/interviews
Funcrusher Plus on Rawkus Records. They split in 2001. Meline presented his solo debut, Fantastic Damage, the next year, I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead following in 2007. (There was an electro-jazz side-project, High Water, between.) But he devoted much of his time to building up the indie Definitive Jux after rough experiences with Rawkus. Meline has now pulled back, the label on ice, to concentrate on his music. C4C, issued through the traditionally blues-based Fat Possum, was his first album in five years – although he did circulate mixtapes. Meline is already planning to cut more music with the longtime OutKast affiliate Killer Mike, now a member of T.I.’s Grand Hustle clique. “We’re talking about doing a collaborative record, actually, with both of us rhyming,” he says. “He’s a huge, huge, huge part of my life now. Our friendship and the collaboration was great – and we really wanna make a lot of new music together. I’ve got a bunch of plans, but I haven’t figured out exactly what I’m gonna approach first. I’m kinda taking my time and trying to figure it out. I’m getting some cool opportunities, but I’m just enjoying not knowing what the hell is gonna happen.” Company Flow have reunited for gigs as recently as 2011 (“People kinda kept asking,” Meline has said). But Meline is unsure about their recording a comeback album. “I don’t know. There’s always a chance. Certainly, it’s not something that I’m opposed to – in theory. The Company Flow thing is a very special thing for us involved and I think that the circumstances have to just kind of align. But us doing those reunion shows, doing a bunch of festivals and things, definitely paved the way for that possibility. I wouldn’t be surprised if something happened but, at the same time, I’ve also been on my own path for the last decade or so – and that’s the main game that I’m following. So we’ll see what happens. I’m not opposed to it, though.” Meline isn’t adverse to rock music (he remixed Nine Inch Nails’ Only). His homie Paul Banks, Interpol’s frontman, sings on C4C’s Works Every Time. “We had a mutual respect for each other’s music and we became friends,” Meline reveals. “I’m a huge rock fan, actually. I think you could probably tell when you listen to my records that I’m definitely a rock fan. I listen to everything, though. I’m just a music fan. You know, when you’re
a hip hop producer, the first thing you start doing is collecting records, and you collect records from every genre, and those records affect you. It’s very rare to find a hip hop producer who’s not aware of, and even knowledgeable in, multiple different genres of music. I think that’s important. You find that in rock, too. All these rock guys are huge hip hop fans. To some degree, everybody wishes they were the other thing. A lot of rock guys secretly wish that they were rappers, and a lot of rappers and rap producers secretly wish that they had a rock band (laughs). So it’s cool to see people come together. For a long time, every time some rock and rap shit got together, it was just the worst possible combination of ideas ever. But I think there’s a bit of sophistication that’s come along in the past 15 years or so, especially in the past ten years, where people really know about each other’s music in a real way and so there’s some tasteful collaborations that are happening. For a long time it was just like, Oh, no – not another Limp Bizkit!” New MCs Kendrick Lamar and A$AP Rocky have generated heat. Meline rates those who feature on his record, like Killer Mike. However, he also admires buddies Das Racist, Albanian-American MC Action Bronson, and Flipmode Squad graduate Roc Marciano. “There’s just a whole helluva lot of great rap out right
now – honestly. I think it’s one of the best times for hip hop music in general. Maybe there were a few years where it was a little stale, but I just think that there’s so many new cool voices out right now. As a hip hop fan, it’s been very inspiring.” Meline intends to convert more fans with his live slot at Laneway. “Honestly, we just have a pummelling, savage, relentless set (laughs) – but we put our asses to these shows, we put ourselves into it really hard. Even if you don’t know who we are, I think that you’ll walk away from seeing us feeling like you saw a real performance. It’s something that we really take seriously. I love it. There’s only two things that I love about the music industry, if you don’t count the occasional cheque, which are making music and performing music – and I take both of those things equally serious. So we just go out there and put our heart out there and try to put as much of our energy out there as possible.” WHO: El-P WHAT: Cancer4Cure (Shock) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 2 February, Laneway Festival, Sydney College of the Arts; Thursday 7, Oxford Art Factory
RIGHT ROYAL HARMONIES Kings Of Convenience’s Eirik Glambek Bøe tells Paul Smith the band may not be creating melodies in the studio at the moment but they certainly are on the road. ’m kind of surprised this hasn’t been done more; it’s such an obvious way to make music. You have a singer and then another person sings with them and it just sounds so good when the voices blend well together. It seems strange that it’s considered a unique thing that’s only been done by a few bands.” Eirik Glambek Bøe, one half of the Norwegian acoustic duo Kings Of Convenience, is the first to admit that the music he makes with cohort Erlend Øye really is just about as straightforward and uncomplicated as you can get. It may just be two guys with two guitars, but the hypnotic melodies their combined vocals create really is something very special. While constant comparisons to Simon and Garfunkel are inevitable, and justified, Bøe insists that the ‘60s legends actually had no direct influence on his music whatsoever. “Yes, there is the similarity of two guys singing together in harmonies so the comparison is obvious. But at the same time I do find it kind of strange because I have not been listening to Simon and Garfunkel, it was not a part of my musical upbringing at all, so it really wasn’t a reference point for me in my musical taste.”
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Bøe insists that the whole question of musical style was in fact something they both never even consciously considered but simply found themselves naturally falling into. Friends from school, they were initially in ‘conventional’ bands together before realising they could actually do without everyone else. “When we started playing together it was more just discovering things,” Bøe recalls. “We had this rock band with bass, guitar and drums, but the two of us started to play with just acoustic guitars and it was a surprise for us how much of the band is actually still there when the drummer has gone home and the bass is not there anymore. You can use the guitar as a percussion instrument and with your thumb on your acoustic guitar you can get a pretty good bass line. If you just learn how to break the synchronicity with your fingers you can actually play a bass line and the guitar chords at the same time. So for us it really was accidental how we ended up in this style but it was also a very joyful discovery that you don’t need a full band. The sound of our voices together is unique I guess, but that was never our choice. I can’t help why my voice sounds the way it does and why Erlend’s voice does. But in all that we discovered that hey, we have a sound.”
It’s a sound that also perfectly reflects the image of peaceful beauty that most people have of Norway. “I think with our music the most special thing about it is all the silence and tranquillity, and there certainly is a lot of that here,” agrees Bøe. “I just have to leave my house and walk for five minutes and I’m in the middle of the woods and at night there is no sound there and it’s pitch black. I’ve no doubt that I would probably not have been doing this music if I had grown up somewhere else.” So he could have been a bad-arse rapper had he been born in the Bronx? Bøe laughs: “I’m trying to picture myself as that and I have all these images going through my head now! There are ladies dancing whilst not wearing clothes, but I’m wearing a lot of gold!” Bøe then goes on to explain he firmly believes that location goes well beyond just influencing the style of music that is made but is actually at the very core of an ability to be inspired to make it: “I talk to a lot of young people and they are always talking about moving somewhere else. It seems to be the worldwide trend now, going where the fun is, saying things like I live in Paris and I’m moving to New York next week or I’m here in Berlin for a few months but then I’m going to Tokyo. It seems to me that everyone has this idea that the fun is somewhere else or if they want to develop or want their creativity to blossom they need to go somewhere else. What strikes me though is that usually the music I like comes from places where the band doesn’t actually have much fun. It’s an important thing to realise; don’t just follow the fun. You should work where your creativity will start blossoming and that could be in your boring post-industrial hometown suburb. The reason is creativity has a lot to do with not really feeling satisfied. That’s a really important element in creativity.” Evidence suggests that Bøe doesn’t believe that creativity should necessarily result in a huge mass of recordings, though. As they both also have other projects on the go (he with his Kommode band and Øye with The Whitest Boy Alive) they have only released three studio albums in some 14 years as Kings Of Convenience. And Bøe even refuses to confirm that any more will be forthcoming: “We are thinking about new material but it’s not being recorded at the moment. I really don’t think there is a need for a new album, there
are so many bands and there’s so much music out there. If you go on Spotify and start listening to all the great music which has been recorded you could be sitting there for years and years. I’m always asking myself why do we want to add even more music into this huge pool of quality which is already out there. We’re really picky and if we release something we really feel that it has to be something which deserves to be released and deserves attention.” The duo do spend a good amount of time travelling all over the world playing live – a factor which together with the infrequent releases Bøe thinks often leads people to think Kings Of Convenience have split up and the side projects have taken over: “It is definitely a full-time band, though. There have never actually really been long gaps. It probably seems like there have been though because we play in South America, Asia, America and Europe. So when we go to, say, Peru, people there say why haven’t you been here in ten years and then when we go to Indonesia people are going you haven’t been here in four years, were you considering breaking up the band? The thing
is, we have actually been active in the band. Our side projects are just that, they just evolved when you collaborate with someone creatively. Besides, I think both me and Erlend would drive each other crazy if this was the only platform for expression!” The constant globetrotting is now bringing them to Australia for the first time. Bøe states that it is the only part of the world they haven’t been to and the question had been there to make it happen for a while. After that things get really crazy on the touring front as Bøe exclaims: “We’re playing in London, then we’re going to Seoul, then we’re going to Moscow and then we’re going to Istanbul and Ankara. And that’s for a week! It’s like touring in the trails of Marco Polo.” There’s not much convenience in that! WHO: Kings Of Convenience WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 2 February, Laneway Festival, Sydney College of the Arts; Thursday 7, Sydney Opera House Concert Hall
For more interviews go to themusic.com.au/interviews • 31
A LOVIN’ SPOONFUL Back in 2007, Britt Daniel met Daniel Boeckner at a Handsome Furs show in Portland. They had a few beers, a chat and thought nothing of it. Six years later, they’re about to hit Australian stages together as part of their new project Divine Fits. Chris Hayden asked Daniel how it all happened. ritt Daniel is a no bullshit kind of guy. If it wasn’t already painfully obvious through his jagged style of singing, his super economical way around a song or the way he can turn the phrase “when you believe they call it rock and roll” without sounding remotely idiotic, it becomes so when you hear what he has to say about his latest endeavour – the “don’t call it a side project” songsmithery of Divine Fits. Formed in 2011 as an aside from the near faultless output of his day job in Spoon, the project began when Daniel teamed up with another of America’s great musical economists: Dan Boeckner of Handsome Furs and Wolf Parade fame. As so often happens when two similar creative minds get together, sparks flew immediately. The result was last year’s poll-topping debut, A Thing Called Divine Fits; a record remarkable in its consistency, especially when you consider the fact that it was born of such ad-hoc circumstances. Such are the chops of these two songwriters (complemented musically by Sam Brown of American punk band New Bomb Turks) and their shared vision, that they’ve managed to transcend their respective discographies to create something that Daniel refers to as “a good effort”. As we said: no bullshit.
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“We started from scratch,” the Austin native explains when pressed about the Divine Fits writing process. “I had a head start on Dan because once we decided that we’d be starting the band, he had about five or six months of Handsome Furs touring to do. Meanwhile, I had lots of time on my hands, so it was all new stuff, it wasn’t just leftovers from Spoon. We did some sending back and forth when he was on tour and then after that we’d sometimes work in the same house or in the same room. Definitely once he got off tour things started kicking off.” Boeckner, himself an experienced collaborator, is central to the success of A Thing Called Divine Fits. Tracks like opener, My Love Is Real, and Baby Gets Worse are said to be loosely based on his recent divorce from Furs partner Alexei Perry, so it’s interesting to discover that Daniel – whose distinctive writing style also permeates the record – had no qualms or reservations about giving up some of his musical economy to his new friend. “It’s really fun – I like the process of collaboration,” he says. “I
think you can come up with more good ideas when you have two like-minded individuals who are aiming for the same goal. You come up with ideas you could never have come up with if you’re on your own. It’s a good process.” “He’s very open minded,” Daniel continues of Boeckner. “We’ve both been doing this kind of thing for a long, long time and also… we’re adults, so I actually like it when someone says ‘that idea isn’t working’. People always ask me was it hard to collaborate and give up so much economy and I say ‘no, it’s easy’. It’s one thing if everyone is saying ‘I love it I love it’ but not everything you do is great so it was nice to get some real feedback from Dan.” As the songs built up and the band was brought up to speed, Daniel and Boeckner’s thoughts turned to the recording process. Both experienced in the field (Daniel has co-produced Spoon’s last five records), the duo took some advice from a pretty well-known friend before enlisting the help of English producer Nick Launay – best known in this neck of the woods for his work with Nick Cave, Silverchair and The Living End. “Win from Arcade Fire is friends with Dan; I mean, we’re friends too but he’s better friends with Dan. Anyway, he mentioned that we should look into this guy Nick Launay so I researched his resume and the list of records he’s made in the last thirty years and was very impressed by him. I didn’t know him at all and I personally thought he might be too expensive or busy or whatever, but he was really excited to do it so we lucked out. The way you make a record is for everybody to have a say and Nick was hands-on for sure, but at the same time he recognised that this was our band and that we’ve all made a lot of records without him. It wasn’t difficult to manoeuvre that. It wasn’t difficult working with Nick.” One thing that is often stressed by musicians in this age of digital music and recording techniques is the importance of keeping things simple and capturing the essence and sound of a band. For such a seasoned group of players, you’d think that Divine Fits would have been comfortable recording to tape and leaving nothing to chance when it came to nailing a performance. It’s interesting to discover then that the
album was actually made digitally – not due to the band’s desire to manipulate the sound, but entirely due to the time constraints involved in the analogue process. It seems that, despite Daniel’s assurance that Launay was the man for the job, this may have been a slight schism in the making of the record. “I actually prefer not to look at a digital representation of the audio,” he carefully explains. “It takes my mind to a different place. It was Nick’s preferred way of working for this process because he thought it would help us to get it done quicker. I mean, look, there are certainly a lot of things that you can do digitally that you can’t on analogue – some of them good, some of them bad. I think that there’s a tendency when you’re working in the digital realm to do a lot of cutting and pasting, which is supposed to be a shorter way of getting to where you want to go, but I think that in the long run it takes a lot of life out of things. When I’m in the studio and you can see a graphical representation of the audio, I end up looking at it and my mind doesn’t react to things the way that it would if I was just sitting in front of the stereo.” With the band in the country for the Laneway festival this year, there is also a fascinating Australian connection to A Thing Called Divine Fits. Towards the end of the
record, the band cover the track Shivers, which was written at the age of 16 by our very own, dearly departed Rowland S Howard (himself the subject of the recent documentary, Autoluminescent), originally performed by Nick Cave’s Boys Next Door and covered by everyone from Marie Hoy to The Screaming Jets. For Daniel the song was a fresh discovery, and it wasn’t so much the genesis of the song that caught his ear, but its relative obscurity Stateside. “Last time I was in Sydney, a friend played it for me because I’d never heard it before,” he admits. “I always thought that Nice Cave’s first band was The Birthday Party; I’d never heard of this Boys Next Door. I loved the song and it seemed like one that wasn’t too well known, especially in the States, and that we also could put our own spin on it. It’s really an amazing song.” WHO: Divine Fits WHAT: A Thing Called Divine Fits (EMI) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 2 February, Laneway Festival, Sydney College of the Arts; Wednesday 6, Manning Bar
PISSING OFF TO GET AHEAD With the intention of attacking the memory once shared by those familiar with Cloud Nothings, frontman Dylan Baldi admits to Celline Narinli that he’s not a fan of their older material, but has discovered the new album is actually ‘offensive’ to some. thought / I would / be more / than this…” are the desperate screams of Dylan Baldi in the nine-minute epic Wasted Days, a song that defines the sharp new direction taken by Cleveland, Ohio band Cloud Nothings in their third record, Attack On Memory. Initially the moniker of Baldi’s oneman lo-fi pop project of 2009, Cloud Nothings later evolved into a four-piece band. After releasing two records under that brand – Turning On (2010) and the self-titled Cloud Nothings (2011) – Baldi realised that what they were doing just wasn’t working.
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And so he approached the 2012 release with the intention of attacking the memory of what Cloud Nothings used to be – to be sliced up and forgotten – replacing it with their reincarnated sounds that edge closer towards the aggressive, early ‘90s, punk rock aesthetic, fuelled by the hatred of their so-called ‘failures’ and lost time. “People didn’t really like the old songs and looking back on them now, I’m not even sure I really like them,” laughs the 21-year-old. “So I just kind of wanted a fresh start but without really changing the band name or anything, or changing much. I just wanted people to be aware that we are doing something a little different than we were before.” The heavy themes Attack On Memory taps into come from Baldi’s experiences with the aforementioned change. Addressing the fragility of time, life’s purpose and the feeling of uselessness – topics that may at times carry the stigma of teenage-angst, but in this case, have been maturely crafted – the record runs high on emotional adrenalin. “A lot of Attack On Memory is pretty much about things I was going through, yeah. The band wasn’t necessarily doing too great you know for the first two years that we were around just because – well, whatever reason, yeah.” Baldi dropped out of university in 2009, three months into his saxophone performance major, to pursue the Cloud Nothings’ dream. After convincing his parents it was the right thing to do via a seven-page email, he only later realised the difficulty of ‘breaking’ as an artist and knew he needed to change his game plan in order to make that sacrifice worthwhile.
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“I was kind of upset… it’s just, what I was really trying to do, it wasn’t necessarily working out the way I thought it would. And I wasn’t sure what I would end up doing, you know? Because the plans didn’t work out. So for a little while I just looked back at how, yeah, it would be really shitty if things continued the way they were – we were just sort of not doing well,” he laughs. Stepping out on tour with their new material has, however, displeased some. In particular, the audience during one of their support slots, an experience which Baldi found rather amusing as he mentioned via Twitter (sic), “Playing in front of large groups of people who genuinely hate you is actually really fun”. The explanation? “Yeah, well we just did a tour with this band, and a lot of their fans I think were almost like offended by us,” he chuckles at the memory. “Because we’re not cool, we don’t like dress nice, we just kind of make loud music and yell. And I think that really upset a lot of people. And it was fun to just look out to the audience and see you know, 100 people just having the worst time of their lives, it was fun to think ‘Oh, I can do that! I made these people have a terrible hour’. That was exciting to me, that I had that power.” Their live show was also at the back of their minds when working on the Albini-produced record – creating flexible song structures to easily jump in an out of while on stage. “I wanted to change it up every time… to keep myself from being bored,” explains the laid-back singer. “The songs are pretty much the same, but there are little parts here and there that are just different every time we play them, to keep things interesting. But otherwise, you know, we got super burned out [last time we toured] and it came to the point where it wasn’t even fun. So, it’s the reason why we do it to keep things alive and actually exciting.” Working with producer Steve Albini (Nirvana, PJ Harvey) – notorious for his outlandish opinions and unique way of working in the studio – Baldi was impressed with his contributions.
“It was fun, I like Steve. He stays out of the way, you know? It was basically like recording at home. But, he was an amazing help with just all the most amazing equipment in the world basically. So he made the record sound great. It was really easy. If I ran a studio or something I’d probably do something a lot similar to what he does, where like I don’t want to try and impose myself on a band, and he doesn’t either. The fact that he doesn’t want to impose himself on a band is really cool.” And the result – a hook-heavy, well-produced beast of an album, featuring the aforementioned Wasted Days – with a sweltering instrumental part that will no doubt blow your face off. “I never sat down thinking of [that], he chuckles. “But I knew I wanted to make something long because I’ve never done that before, and I figured to make it long would be to sort of just jam (laughs),” explains Baldi of the nine-minute track. “So I wrote the basic song and then thought about what we could do in this small part. And we just worked it out as a band and it ended up being like a four, five-minute thing, you know, what it is now. And it just sounded really
good, so we kept it. Yeah, it was sort of by accident but it worked out really good.” And so with the dramatic change from album number two to three, what’s in store for the fourth instalment? “We have a bunch of new songs written already – it’s not quite as dramatic of a change but it’s definitely not the same record. There are some new [things] going on.” So, the 21-year-old songwriter who once made the risky choice to drop out of university back in ’09 has now invited worldwide buzz and achieved the status of ‘making it’ as an artist. He must be chuffed, no? “It’s pretty weird, you know. I try not to read anything about us or anything like that, but I’m aware of it. I don’t really think about it so much. I’m sure in like 20 years I’ll look back on it and be like, ‘That was weird’.” WHO: Cloud Nothings WHAT: Attack On Memory (Stop Start/EMI) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 2 February, Laneway Festival, Sydney College of the Arts; Wednesday 6, Annandale Hotel
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COME INSIDE After trimming the band down from three members to one, the sole Sleep ∞ Over survivor, Stefanie Franciotti, went about translating the sounds of the world around her into cohesive and immersive music. The Texan opens up ever so slightly to Anthony Carew about her personal history and her explorations with sound. n Forever, the 2011 debut LP for Sleep ∞ Over, Stefanie Franciotti opens the album with a song called Behind Closed Doors. It’s an overture of drone and ambience, rolling back the curtain on an album insular, intimate, and dreamy; where echo-strewn, synthy slow-jams rise up from a perpetual mist. “With Behind Closed Doors, [we] wanted it to invite listeners into my room, which is where I make my music,” says Franciotti. “So I recorded the sounds of my room, with the windows open; so you can hear the animals outside, the air conditioner, all these little things.”
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Of course, defining Sleep ∞ Over as a bedroom act doesn’t accurately represent the music: “I wanted the arrangements to be vast and layered,” she says, of her debut LP. “It was important for me to have a blend of hi-fidelity and degraded tape sounds. We took sounds recorded direct to the desk and transferred them to tape. I recorded layers of field recordings; we took speakers into specific locations – like in an overpass tunnel – played sounds that I’d recorded, and then rerecorded them. I think that instrumentation in a direct way sounds like crap. You need a blend of an ambient sound versus a pure sine-wave; those are actually quite displeasing to the human ear. We’re used to hearing layers upon layers upon layers of ambient sound during our daily lives, and a lot of people forget them when they record.” Franciotti first came at music singing in choirs. “I was raised a Jesuit Catholic,” she offers, “and, I’m an ex-Catholic now, obviously, but I still feel very connected to those modes of singing.” Her first rock band was a high school riot-grrrl combo, and in college she played in various drone and noise bands, eventually forming freak-folk outfit Silver
ACCIDENTALLY KELLIE ANNE Though they’ve been preparing for their forthcoming debut album for a while, WA’s Ruby Boots lucked out with their latest single, Kellie Anne, as Michael Smith discovers from vocalist Bex Chilcott.
Pines, whose other members all played in Pure X (née Pure Ecstasy). When they got busy with their own band, Franicotti founded Sleep ∞ Over with ex-members Christa Palazzolo and Sarah Brown. She declines to talk about why they eventually split (“it’s sensitive!” Franciotti says), but, notably, Palazzolo and Brown formed Boy Friend, and described their first EP as a ‘breakup record’ from their former band. Since the release of Forever, Franciotti has had to work out how to transform the densely-layered, patientlyassembled, swirling atmospheres into a portable tour version. When playing in the US, she’s been able to assemble a band; but, in Europe – and for her maiden Australian tour – she’s by herself, wrangling all manner of gear. “I’ve had some technical meltdowns where I just wished the floor would open up and take me down to hell,” Franciotti laughs. “But I’m a gearhead, and I’ve been slowly piecing together a set-up where I feel that, if I lose control of my set-up right now I’m a total fucking idiot. I have it on lock, I’m ready to go, I’m in control of the spaceship, and nothing’s gonna bring me down.” Franciotti will arrive in Australia midst work on new Sleep ∞ Over records. “I’m already knee deep in the process,” she says. “I’ve been working on a more arty record for about a year. It’s more outside the box, non-traditional song structure. Wading through that has been more difficult than working on this other album I’m making simultaneously, where I’m writing more direct, hard-hitting songs. I’m still figuring out whether it’s going to be one record, or whether it’s going to be two records… We shall see.” WHO: Sleep ∞ Over WHEN & WHERE: Tuesday 5 February, The Square
THIS IS IT
ver the past year, singer, songwriter and frontwoman for WA alt.country combo Ruby Boots, Bex Chilcott, has taken the odd opportunity to take herself off to the US to soak up firsthand some of the places that have been instrumental in the creation of the music she loves: Memphis, New Orleans, Nashville… and Utah?
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“Yeah, I’m going back to Utah at the end of this tour actually,” she explains. “Utah’s kind of a special aspect of the States. [Fellow former Sandgroper] Vicki [Thorne] from The Waifs lives on a ranch over there and I slept my jetlag off there last time, and we started doing a little songwriting. We write together pretty well, so we’re just going to give it another go, spend a bit longer there… It’ll be colder,” she laughs. “It’s gonna be really good weather to bunker down.”
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Originally coming together in 2010, the six-piece Ruby Boots have put out two EPs – a self-titled release and 2012’s At Last – picking up WA’s equivalent of the ARIAs for Best Country Act along the way. Next on the list is the debut album, for which Chilcott has already written a stack of material that Ruby Boots will be recording in May with Australian producer Tony Buchen (Tim Finn, John Butler Trio, Blue King Brown). But first, a new single, Kellie Anne, was unexpectedly recorded in Nashville, which wasn’t part of the plan. “I’d probably been thinking about going to the States for about nine months, as a holiday, and then Ashwin [Subramaniam, drums] had just been, so I was like, ‘I’m going’,” she laughs. “I kind of really wanted to do the South and just walk through that history. I’d applied for a grant for a three-month residency in Nashville, which I didn’t get, but through that it opened up a bunch of opportunities that I wanted to explore. So a bit of both – bit of work, bit of holiday.”
Turns out 2012 was quite a year for Shawn Colvin – she released an album, an autobiography and performed in honour of Chuck Berry’s lyric skills. Michael Smith investigates.
hen he’s not busy running his indie label, RIP Society, or working at Repressed Records, Nic Warnock sings songs he writes and plays guitar in Sydney DIY four-piece Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys, alongside his younger brother Ben, bass player Joe Sukit – who also plays in RIP Society labelmates Royal Headache – and self-styled “makeshift drummer” Doug Gibson, who joined the band after they’d released a debut 7”, Nobody Else, which they followed with a second vinyl EP, Best Band In Sydney/Worst Band In Sydney. Now comes the debut album, Ready For Boredom, recorded live in the studio in two days.
hat’s an output I guess,” chuckles Colvin as she ponders the ‘twin peaks’ of her creative output in 2012, her eighth album, All Fall Down, and her memoir, Diamond In The Rough, on the line from Detroit, Michigan. The processes involved in the making of the two couldn’t have been further apart as it turns out though, making one feed into the other. The “happier” experience was making the album with an old friend, musician and producer Buddy Miller, whom she first met back in 1975 when the South Dakotan was trying to get a break working in Austin, Texas. Miller convinced her to try her luck in New York and sing in his band.
Those reference points for Ready For Boredom, produced by Melbourne musician Tom Hardisty from labelmates Woollen Kits, were as diverse as, on the one hand, Brian Eno’s 1974 album, Here Come The Warm Jets, and, on the other, legendary Oz punks X’s 1979 album, X-Aspirations, but of course it sounds like neither.
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“Robin was great, a really lovely guy and I’m still in contact with him all the time. We got together and wrote two songs in two days, and that’s how Kellie Anne came about. He had a bit of a melody, I had a great chorus, we started writing verses and it was really strange – he didn’t know what the chorus was about but we were still writing the same song. It was kind of magical, you know.” All of a sudden they were in the studio, the songs totally fresh, and Ruby Boots had a new single. Even then there was the odd surprise: “I was sitting on my laptop on my bed at home about midnight, and I get this email from Robin saying, ‘Hey, what do you think of the steel?’” she laughs again, unaware that Eaton had called in an old friend, Paul Neihaus from Calexico, to drop some pedal steel on the track. WHO: Ruby Boots WHAT: Kellie Anne (MGM) WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 31 January, Transit Bar, Canberra; Friday 1 February, FBi Social, Kings Cross Hotel; Saturday 2, Clarendon Guesthouse, Katoomba; Sunday 3, Lizotte’s, Newcastle
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“I guess we have a plan in terms of how we want our band to sound at the time and the type of songs, blah blah blah. We don’t have that typical careerist trajectory that I guess a lot of bands that do something like go on an album launch tour probably have. I feel the record and the songs we’ve written are very considered, equal parts considered as it is organic and kind of intuitive. We all spent a lot of time thinking about rock’n’roll and the process of recording and guitar sounds, and how we thought it would be appropriate for the record to sound, and we threw around so many reference points in the whole mixing process.”
“I’d wanted to start co-writing to just learn how other people write – I have my own set ways and it’s kind of dangerous getting stuck in ways – you don’t learn anything – and so I wanted to go and write with people that do it all the time, just see what they had to offer my brain, what lock they can unlock.
SONGS TO REMEMBER
It’s perhaps not the wisest choice for a band name, but for Sydney’s Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys, it’s get over it and hear the music. Singer/guitarist Nic Warnock talks to Michael Smith.
“There’s never really been any plan with this band,” Warnock admits. “We never really thought much about the future, I guess. I mean, I remember we used to talk about, like, wouldn’t it be awesome to do a demo cassette, and one day we should do a seven-inch, and that would be the dream. And I remember we said one time – this is before Doug joined – I reckon this band has got one awesome LP in it and then that’s it; we’ve got one good record in us. But I already know we’ve got another really good one in us.
Meanwhile, the band’s manager had a couple of contacts in the States, including Mike Dixon, who manages Ron Sexsmith, and through him, Chilcott was put in touch with Nashville-based songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Robin Eaton, who’s probably best known here for co-writing Jill Sobule’s 1995 hit, I Kissed A Girl.
“The initial idea that I had of the band,” Warnock continues, “was a lot more maybe subversive and tough and kind of like ‘fuck you’, so initially, when writing some of the riffs and stuff” – while the songs are credited collectively, the general rule for Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys is whoever sings the song is the initial writer – “they had a little more of that aggressive mentality in mind; something a bit more angsty. But then when we all started playing them together in a room – this is a year, year-and-a-half ago for a lot of them – I just realised that wasn’t appropriate; I had a lot more to say. It was important to say something a bit more personal and revealing… I guess these more intimate observations rather than the outward frustrations with individuals or society, ‘cause I have no problem venting my frustrations with society in everyday life. I guess it’s more those introspective things that I need this band to kind of help make sense of.” For Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys, it’s about what they’re saying in their music, not their look, their ‘pose’ or their name. “I think we’re kind of inherently uncool in a way, like an un-ironic rock’n’roll band. I feel like everyone’s really trying to convince everyone that they’re really clever and special and unique, and in essence, we’re kind of saying we’re not.” WHO: Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys WHAT: Ready For Boredom (RIP Society/Fuse) WHEN & WHERE: Friday 1 February, The Square; Sunday 3, White’s Records, Newcastle
“It was very relaxed,” Colvin says of the recording. “He’s a sweet man, he knows exactly what he’s doing, so great combination there. We recorded at his home, very relaxed: clock isn’t running, instruments everywhere, you know, cats, people dropping by. And Nashville is a wonderful place to make a record; speaking of people dropping by, we had Emmylou Harris come by, Alison Krauss came by; I mean it was a drop-in kind of revolving door policy going there and it was a joy.” These days more people would know Miller for his association with Robert Plant and his 2010 Band Of Joy album, but he’s of course primarily a country artist, singer and guitarist, and has toured with Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle and Linda Ronstadt as well as Colvin and many others. In fact, he’s in an occasional band with Harris, Colvin and Patty Griffin called Three Girls & Their Buddy. Writing a book is, of course, a far more solitary exercise, and Colvin admits it was challenging, but “during the last year of working on the book I was also working on songs,” she says. “So I would take a week or two here and work on the book and then I would take a week or two there and work on the songs – it was a back and forth kind of process. I asked Buddy, after he told me who the band was gonna be – he picked out the band – if any of them had any music to give me, ‘cause I do like writing lyrics when somebody else has done all the work,” she giggles.
The band included the guitarist Bill Frisell and drummer Brian Blade, along with bass player Victor Krauss. Colvin ended up co-writing with Frisell, Krauss and Jakob Dylan, who added a few lines to Seven Times The Charm, which she co-wrote with John Leventhal. “There were some older songs on the record that I was put back in touch with because I was writing the book,” she says. “One of them is one I learned when I first knew Buddy Miller, and he reminded me of it, a song called On My Own. One is called Knowing What I Know Now, which I wrote with John Leventhal a long, long time ago in New York City, and American Jerusalem is another one – that’s a cover song by Rod MacDonald that I learned in 1981 or ’82. So especially writing about those days in New York reminded me of songs that I knew.” In February last year, Colvin was invited to perform Leonard Cohen’s Come Healing at the inaugural PEN Awards For Songwriting Excellence, at which Cohen and Chuck Berry were recipients. “It was great,” she remembers. “Paul Simon, being this great lyricist, somebody asked him once what were his favourite lyrics and he said Be-Bop-ALula!” Simon inducted Berry on the night. WHO: Shawn Colvin WHAT: All Fall Down (Nonesuch/Warner) WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 28 and Friday 29 March, Bluesfest, Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm; Sunday 31, The Basement
FUNKY COLD MEDINA
THE WRATH OF SANITY
Living up to all the clichés one may bestow on him, Craig Charles is in a playful mood as he chats to Stuart Evans about his funking good times behind the wheels of steel. meg off,” says British comedian Craig Charles in his familiar Liverpudlian tone. His comment wasn’t improvised but promoted. “I’m in the onset of a hangover. I’m on set and want the day to end,” he laughs. Stereotypes ring true – a scouse that had too many is suffering from a hangover and doesn’t want to work. Still, he soldiers on and records his lines on the set of Coronation Street, his other ‘job’.
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Charles is best known as Dave Lister, the curry munching slob from cult BBC sitcom Red Dwarf whose ‘smeg’ catchphrase has become part of the UK dictum (among die-hard Dwarf fans anyway). For over 30 years, Charles has been a permanent fixture in British entertainment. From appearing in cult TV shows to England’s longest-running soap, he’s a busy lad. He’s also a stand-up comedian, poet and voiceover artist. Yet nowadays it’s musical nous that’s the talking point. “My dad arrived in England in the late ‘50s with a bag of records and I remember mum and dad dancing round the room to Marvin Gaye and Nat King Cole. I’ve grown up with that kind of music,” explains Charles. The TV star has carved out a successful career as a DJ thanks to his Craig Charles Funk & Soul radio show. And as you may’ve guessed, his music of choice is in the title: “I play all varieties of funk and soul. I play classics from the golden era of black American music and the European response to it. It’s party music man,” he says. Charles grew-up in the working class city of Liverpool, which has a decent pedigree of producing musicians. Aside from The Beatles; OMD, Frankie Goes To Hollywood and Teardrop Explodes all called Liverpool home. When Charles was a youngster, funk and soul was sparse in Liverpool, a city then dominated by alternative music. “The punk thing – never my boogie. I always danced to a different groove. Everyone was into punk back in the day while I was in the black clubs dancing to George Clinton and The Real Thing,” he tells.
His true connection with music started in the early ‘90s when he presented the breakfast show on Kiss FM. He says, “I wanted to play soul and funk, stuff like Ray Charles and Funkadelic, you know, classics. After Kiss went from a pirate to a regulated station, they wanted me to play techno. Who the fuck wants to hear techno at 6am?” he laughs. Once the Kiss FM stint ended, Charles continued with his now successful acting career. It would be another ten years until he got the opportunity to present on radio. “BBC Radio 6 actually came to me and asked if I had any ideas for a show. My idea was for a niche show with a bunch of guys who played rhythm‘n’blues. I wanted to speak with people who really knew about the music,” he says. That niche aspect didn’t quite turn out as planned as Craig Charles Funk & Soul developed market share and a loyal following. “It is the longest running show (on Radio 6) and has had the highest audience share of any network program.” He’s also taken his funk and soul jamboree on the road. “I’m dead lucky to have careers in music and acting. My mates are all musicians, not actors. Music always came first but I never wanted to be a DJ. Can you imagine saying to the careers teacher at school that I wanted to be a DJ? They’d laugh and tell me to fuck off,” he says. His reputation in England may be built behind music and acting, but what about his reputation down under? He laughs, “I’m sure Aussies will ask themselves what the fuck is Lister doing playing funk and soul? But the music speaks for itself. It’s brilliant music and tunes will travel.” WHO: Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 2 February, The Basement
Militant straight-edge bigots or pioneering musicians who flew the flag for important social and political causes and brought metal and hardcore closer together? One thing’s for sure, where Earth Crisis go, controversy follows. Mark Hebblewhite chats with founding guitarist Scott Crouse to sort fact from fiction. t’s not so much the causes that Earth Crisis espouse that make them so beloved and so hated all at the same time. It’s the militancy with which the group presents their beliefs. Whether it’s penning tunes about burning down meth labs to combat drug dealers or sanctioning the direct (and some would argue criminal) action undertaken by the Animal Liberation Front, Earth Crisis don’t do things by half.
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“I think people need to remember that we make music; we’re not running around doing these things ourselves,” says a friendly and softly-spoken Crouse, who is at pains to point out that the band members themselves don’t have extreme or militant personalities. “Sure we support militant action and write songs about groups who are out there fighting for causes we believe in. But we’ve found that because of this a lot of myths have grown up around the band. We aren’t out there slapping beers out of people’s hands or giving people who eat chicken legs a hard time,” he laughs.
“Look it’s interesting,” ponders Crouse. “When I first found out about things like veganism and animal rights I did want to go out and tell everyone about it. I wanted to scream to the world that, ‘What you’re doing is wrong!’ But as I’ve got older I think I’ve realised that you can only get so far berating or criticising people. Now I find the best way is to live by example. Our beliefs are as strong as ever, and we still take a militant view in our songs, but we’ve all got older and realised that there are smarter ways to go about bringing change.” This year finds Earth Crisis in a good place. They’ve just signed with a new label, Candlelight, and are writing a follow-up to 2011’s Neutralize The Threat. Crouse updates on the state of play. “It’s still early days but we have nine new songs for the new record. We hope to write about twenty and then pick the best ones to record. Lyrically we’re dedicating this album to animal rights – so that theme will run through the whole thing. The songs are coming out really heavy; if you liked Breed The Killers, you’ll like this album.”
So what’s more important to Earth Crisis – the message or the music? “I think it’s a fifty-fifty proposition,” he answers. “Our singer Karl [Buechner] definitely sees his lyrics as a way to spread an agenda. But at the same time we are proud of the music we make and we want people to enjoy listening to the band. Besides, you can’t get your message out there if your music is crappy: a lot of bands have found this out the hard way.”
And what can we expect on the upcoming tour?
When Earth Crisis began their career in the early ‘90s they, like many of the causes they supported, were young and full of passion. Now, vegetarianism has gone mainstream, your grandparents are worried about polluting multi-national corporations, and organisations like Sea Shepherd are lionised around the world. So does the band still feel the need to maintain the rage and preach to the unconverted or are they, like the cause they champion, reaching a comfortable middle age?
“Well we’ve been looking forward to coming back ever since we last left,” laughs Crouse. “This time around we’ll be obviously playing the older material, like Firestorm, that people want to hear, but we’ll also be playing a fair bit of the last two records, because for us they’re the most fun to play.” WHO: Earth Crisis WHEN & WHERE: Friday 1 February, Hermann’s Bar
THUR 31ST JANUARY WED 30TH January
GNOME
LUNCH BREAK
THE ZEBS +SKYWAYS ARE HIGHWAYS +THE CADRES +TRAIN ROBBERS 8PM // $10 AT THE DOOR
1PM // FREE // BROADCAST ON FBi 94.5
VOLTAIRE TWINS +SWIMWEAR +SHINING BIRD
8PM // $10 AT THE DOOR
FRI 1ST FEBRUARY PRESENTED BY ALBERTS
SAT 26TH FEBRUARY
RUBY BOOTS +LEROY LEE +THE MOUNTAINS
HANDS UP!
“ZIP-LOCK FRESH TUNES!” DJ’S STAGGMAN & CLOCKWERK 11:30PM // FREE
8PM // $12+BF OR $15 AT THE DOOR level 2, kings cross hotel For more interviews go to themusic.com.au/interviews • 35
SINGLES/EPS WITH ROSS CLELLAND
ON THE RECORD
Alabama Shakes
This month, Cat Power apparently hates the press. She’s been saying so in press interviews all over the place. Adding irony to insult the song to go with her upcoming tour is titled Silent Machine (Matador/Remote Control). It’s martial Marshall, as the marching drums are underpinned with an almost bluesy swing, while she intones over it all. She will, as ever, be appreciated by a disaffected constituency who see her fragility as some sort of justification. As ever, she is capable of intriguing a listener, but is one of those artists who seems to be pushing them away at the same time. The currently much-lauded Alt-J – look, I don’t know how to get that triangle thingy on my keyboard – apparently can stick various elements of music together that somehow coalesce into a singularity. Fitzpleasure (Infectious/Liberation) was apparently built in this topsy manner, but it manages to end up a little exotic and mystical whole, and perhaps why so many think them so clever – for it is.
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NOW, NOW
Liberator/Infectious
Trans/The Planet Company
Atlantic/Warner
With their 2010 debut, Gorilla Manor, Local Natives arrived on the scene with a stunning level of clarity and sophistication. The indie world was starving for three-part harmonies during the hiatus between Fleet Foxes records, and Local Natives not only filled the gap, but their casually brilliant knack of hitting the sweet spots during storms of blustery tension and pulsing Afro rhythms caught folks off guard. It was an exceptionally strong first release, and the anticipation for a follow-up has been growing since. Hummingbird comes after a period of unrest for the Californian band. Uprooting from the west coast, they recorded different aspects in Montreal and Brooklyn – two very different (very cold) cities – and under different circumstances. Relationships were strained and personal problems took their toll, making this new album a lot more bruised than Gorilla Manor. Sombre tones and dense cinematic passages dominate the record, with trademark harmonies often stripped away, leaving Taylor Rice in a vulnerable position out front doing the heavy lifting on some beautifully poignant moments. There’s restraint here, a heavy inward reflection that curtails the giddy abandon they previously exhibited. Complex rhythms are sacrificed for grace and poise during emotional highs that are stretched out and maintained through discipline and calm. This doesn’t mean it’s a quiet album. There are moments on Hummingbird where the songs build to crescendos the first only dreamed of (Black Spot really swings for the fence). There’s resonance and pathos in their songwriting that fills up the crevices in your head and heart, and weighs you down with a sweet sort of lead in your belly that feels both rare and important somehow. This is a fantastic second effort.
From the get-go, Now, Now’s second release (and first on Chris Walla of Death Cab For Cutie’s new label Trans Records), Threads, is captivating and emotionally charged. The opening track, The Pull, uses reverbdrenched vocals and misty soundscapes in order to entrance the listener; an effective introduction that appropriately sets the mood for the tracks that will follow, and flows seamlessly into the more upbeat but not any less heartfelt second track, Prehistoric.
After the hugely successful Doo-Wops & Hooligans, it’s safe to say that Mars delivers on the notoriously LIVE difficult second album. Not only is the album strong and endearing, he skips and jumps through genres with complete ease. Defying record company ideas of homogeneity, Mars crosses boundaries from hip hop to reggae successfully.
Matt MacMaster
BRUNO MARS
Threads
Unorthodox Jukebox
The singles jump out immediately on the enigmatic Unorthodox Jukebox, following his usual themes of Dalager’s sugary vocals are almost in complete falling in love and chasing young women around town. D V The hit single, Locked Out Of Heaven, is pure pop with contrast with the wall of sound created by fuzzy, jangly guitars and an encompassing drum kit, but a great Sting and The Police reference. The song is this only seems to increase the delicacy of her voice. clever, using hip hop production to bring out the hooks Separate Rooms sees all the elements of the track and melody. Young Girls is a pop anthem that will no melt together to create a gorgeously rich camaraderie doubt stay at the top of the charts for a fair time. As between Dalager’s vocals and the repetitive syncopated with his debut album, Mars gets all wizard-like behind screech of the guitar in between each verse. the mixing desk on tracks like Gorilla and Natalie, which shine in their odd subject matter and interesting The lyrics to the opening track – “Find a thread to pull/ production techniques. Moonshine embraces the and we can watch it unravel” – are sung back to the ‘80s and is also one of the outstanding tracks here. listener in Thread, but this time they are sung with more gusto and backed by an accompaniment of powerful Interestingly, Mars has enlisted different producers instrumentation that gets progressively larger, eventually to record his album, having produced the first swallowing the vocals entirely. The vulnerability of album himself. It’s a brave move but it pays off. Dalager’s vocals reinforce the illustration of a failing Having not stereotyped himself in the pop market relationship and the desperate desire to prevent its by taking the easy path, Mars keeps himself alive in failing. School Friends innocently captures this theme the fickle world of R&B. Like a modern-day Michael that is prevalent throughout the album. Growing apart Jackson, Mars is a talent that won’t go away. and the tumultuous nature of young love couldn’t be Sebastian Skeet more accurately portrayed as it is in this album.
D
Hummingbird
VD
It’s their recent live Big Day Outings that have solidified the reputation and legend to be of Alabama Shakes. Rise To The Sun (Rough Trade/Remote Control) is the latest track lifted from Boys & Girls to raise their profile and/or cash in on the good reviews. If you haven’t been knocked sideways by Brittany Howard’s voice yet, the collision of it with splashes of cymbals here may well make you take notice. She is just a phenomenal instrument. The kids may just be all right. Maux Faux list Weezer and Super Furry Animals among their influences, as well as The Dandy Warhols. Oh well, close. Alright With You (Independent) brightly slaps you across the face with a fish, and appears to be enjoying itself even when it says ‘fuck’. Some of their other work heads in a more fuzzy bluesy direction, but this one wears an idiot grin, and some nice organ squiggles. Goes alright with me. And then there’s the Neighbourhood Youth. Softer-end indie, possibly with some English accents and some spaces they realise don’t have to be filled across their Holiday EP (Independent). The drums don’t quite get to the tropical tribal currently (maybe too) fashionable, but the title track suggests they know where the mainstream of the alternative is located. Already on the community radios of their Victorian home, and the sort of stuff likely to achieve the same result nationwide. Very capable, without seeming contrived. Note to young players – please don’t call youself a ‘collective’. Crap word to start with, now further X-Factor devalued.
LOCAL NATIVES
D
You know, I’m not that concerned about the discussion of this being an EP, ‘mini-album’ or whatever. It’s more the discussion as to whether New Order are just trying to wring a few bucks out of some self-admitted leftover material, and the ongoing trashing of their once-proud history and legacy. Lost Sirens (Rhino/Warner) is, as the name suggests, some warmed-over songs from the Sirens Call sessions – an album not real spectacular in the first place. You’re not likely to hear any of this when they next bring the equine out for a flogging in their now Hook-less form; they’ll be too busy trotting out Joy Division covers for happy pub singalongs. It’s all a bit sad. Unlikely to be hurting their now towering status – although you’d reckon some sort of backlash is probably due, just because – The Drones’ first event in four years, How To See Through Fog (ATP Recordings), allows use of default words for said band such as ‘jagged’, ‘atmospheric’, ‘visceral’ and ‘just freakin’ good’. Album promises some changes, and perhaps some new depths and angles to them. It appears they will still open up and bleed, which is all you can ask for starters. Then there are those bands that never quite reached the towering status they probably deserved. I retain an odd geeky enthusiasm for the odd geeky enthusiasm of Philadelphia Grand Jury. The Berkfinger half of that combo has transmogrified into Feelings, with Intercourse (Select Music/Inertia) certainly having some of the previous combo’s frayed charm. However, potential listeners are advised to exercise some caution when Googling ‘Feelings’, ‘Intercourse’ and ‘Berkfinger’. Then there are those where the enthusiasm isn’t quite matched by the product. The Friends EP (Firestarter) is fairly neat lo-fi jangle and harmony garage pop from Rainy Day Women. Good, sure – but lots of folk have Beach Boys and Big Star records in their bedroom. The live experience may well be the proof of their worth. As may their next recordings. Also somewhere within those parameters, but causing real polarising among the audience, The xx. Sunset (Young Turks/Remote Control) is part of the marketing push for their April tour, and it amply displays some of the extremes. The near-icy synth bass and backing cradling Romy’s detached affections, which sound like her vocal tone has come straight off an Everything But The Girl record. Odd. Still can’t decide whether it works or not.
Despite comparisons to Paramore, after hearing Threads, it’s hard to liken their intelligent brand of pop punk to the likes of more trendy, indie acts. Justine Keating
DELPHIC
JIM JAMES
HIGH HIGHS
Chimeric/Cooperative
Spunk/Co-Operative
Fine Time/Sony
Manchester’s electro-loving three-piece, Delphic, are back three years after their debut album, Acolyte, with new release, Collections. Delphic fans beware however, this is probably not what you’re expecting (this reviewer actually thought she had the wrong CD in the player!). That’s not to say that there aren’t some defining Delphic moments here, but the band have taken a decidedly different direction. The use of samples, synths and electronic beats are still there, but have been taken over by more pop-driven music with a hint of R&B.
It’s always hard for a popular frontman to spread his wings and attempt a career adjunct, but My Morning Jacket’s Jim James has made an exemplary fist of his debut solo outing (not counting 2009’s Yim Yames covers EP), Regions Of Light And Sound Of God. A definite labour of love, it fittingly sounds miles removed from the cosmic country of MMJ, with James recording it over two years and playing nearly every instrument himself as he takes us on a beautifully otherworldly journey.
Open Season, the debut LP from Sydney-bred, Brooklyn-based duo High Highs is a very beautiful album to listen to. The dreamy, ethereal quality of their songs – from the pretty, piano opener, Dey, to the stripped-back, acoustic closer, Pines – forms a stunning and carefree album as a whole. The songs seamlessly move from one to another, creating cohesiveness that is impressive for a debut release.
Opener, Of The Young, has the trademark Delphic sound in the intro, then lifts into a catchy little number in the chorus. Baiya, the standout hit track on the album, is something of a cross between Yeasayer and the Backstreet Boys (yes, really) with some seriously perky pop influences, but it works and before you know it you’re singing the lyrics in your head… over… and over. Freedom Found, Atlas and The Sun Also Rises are strong numbers with some trademark synths and electronic beats layered with emotive vocals that encapsulate the band’s whole new sound.
The record’s dreamlike fugue seems ambitious without being overcrowded, James building complex moods with simple albeit eclectic instrumentation and recurring motifs; all piano, bass and building strings with plenty of strange noises existing in the margins to add a slightly surreal ambience. His vocals seem intimate throughout, whether hushed or pushed, and add to the considerable intrigue. Opener, State Of The Art, starts as a simple piano riff before a gradual build drags it into spacey realms, setting the tone for what’s to follow. The sound collages underpinning Know Til Now burst into a jazzy coda, while the gorgeous A New Life rides on a minimal bed of shuffling instrumentation before morphing into a jaunty rocker. It’s implicitly spiritual at times – harking back to the album’s title – especially on the grandiose Of The Mother Again and the luxurious closer, God’s Love To Deliver.
Collections
Tears Before Bedtime is a beautifully paredback James Blake-esque song that opens with a crackled phone conversation before James Cook lays down some soothing vocals and a sax adds some sultry depth. Don’t Let The Dreamers Take You Away is downright cheesy, but closing track, Exotic, brings things back with some nice beats and samples. It’s Delphic, but not as you know it. Helen Lear
Regions Of Light And Sound Of God
Open Season
Having mastered the sound of wistful synths, pulsing keyboards and controlled, echoing vocals on Flowers Bloom, the lads also prove they are capable of catchier songs with the upbeat and absolutely lovely Open Season. Similarly, the harmony on new single, In A Dream, is an absolute kicker, with that catchy chorus saving a song that otherwise was neither here nor there. Listening to Open Season, with its heavenly harmonies and dreamy instrumentals, you can’t deny the beauty of the album; however, it’s almost just as easy to forget as it is to listen to. While lovely music, there aren’t enough moments on Open Season that resonate strongly enough to leave a solid, lasting impression. When tracks like White Water, are watered-down (pun intended) to slow chords and languid vocals, it doesn’t make for a memorable tune, and unfortunately for High Highs, there are quite a few of these white-washed instances.
It’s a strange proposition to grasp at first because it’s such a different beast to James’ past work, but once you let the music envelop you and relax into its myriad charms it all feels perfectly formed and realised. An ultimately uplifting and invigorating experience.
High Highs obviously started on Open Season with a particular sound in mind, and they have really nailed it on the head. The cohesiveness of this album is fantastic, and there are some truly bliss-worthy moments to be had. Unfortunately, as a whole the album failed to conjure any strong emotional response, and ended up being a pretty but somewhat forgettable listening experience.
Steve Bell
Cate Summers
PETRA HADEN
Petra Goes To The Movies Anti-/Warner Petra Haden is perhaps best known for her violin mastery, having shown off such talent with Beck, the Foo Fighters, etc. But oddly enough, it’s her voice that is her real talent. Following on from previous efforts like the a cappella cover version of The Who Sell Out, Haden presents us here with 16 of her favourite tunes from the movies, nearly entirely stripped bare, all parts recorded and dubbed by Haden herself. You can say nothing if not praise for her daring. The songs here vary between films and cinematic styles. It’s easy to imagine that these tracks are simply songs that Haden herself loved growing up. Assumptions like that are possible on a record such as this, where the distant and disconnected are imbued with the personal. The key here is Haden’s warm touch; she rarely tries to replicate the exact sound of the instruments with her voice, opting for the classier approach by trying (and often succeeding) to replicate the feeling of them, especially on key tracks Cool Hand Luke and The Social Network’s Hand Covers Bruise. Her astonishing range is her greatest gift. Despite her technical prowess and beautiful/fun arrangements (Hitchcock’s Psycho Prelude is a blast), the album on the whole fails somewhat to hit home. Any cover album is at immediate risk due to comparison and the odds of many a cappella devotees being so familiar with the songs from Cinema Paradiso or 8½ that they need to hear vocal interpretations of the songs is slim. This is a good album that occasionally escapes its novelty-heavy nature, but never enough to move like the films it loves. Andrew McDonald
SPENCER P. JONES & THE NOTHING BUTTS Spencer P. Jones & The Nothing Butts Shock Spencer P. Jones has a knack for surrounding himself with superb collaborators, whether it be in The Beasts of Bourbon, The Johnnys or with the likes of Paul Kelly, Chris Bailey and Kim Salmon. Now he has teamed up with fellow Bourbon James Baker (The Scientists/ Hoodoo Gurus) and Gareth Liddiard and Fiona Kitschin from The Drones and recorded a fantastic collection of visceral rock songs as The Nothing Butts. Jones’ guitar is given both a solid backbone and space to breathe by the other musicians and they show they are just as adept at ripping out a primitive Stooges-sounding slab of rock like the opener Only A Matter of Time as they are at dialling back all the bluster on the gorgeous haze of (She Walks) Between The Raindrops, a song that possesses a measured aching beauty. Jones’ songs sound, as they should, like mature dispatches from a man who has been playing for decades. Mature in the sense of knowing exactly what they require sonically and in their construction. There are strains of classic songwriters like Cohen, Young and Dylan echoing across the album but Jones’ scorched earth guitar tones and battered voice ground the songs in a raw and earthy place that works to strip them of any scholarly pretension. Jones must surely be a big musical influence on Gareth Liddiard, which makes it hard to pick where the contribution of The Drones is most felt. There is a stylistic overlap and blurring of musical personalities, yet that’s what makes the album such a harmonious collaboration, proving that unfettered and glorious rock’n’roll from a well-worn template can still sound real and enlivening.
THE TOWNHOUSES Diaspora Yes Please The Townhouses, aka Melbourne solo artist Leigh Hannah, is one of many Australian musicians currently riding the ambient sound train. On Diaspora he creates soundscapes with a cornucopia of synths, reverberating guitar lines and his own mutterings, with relaxed results. Hannah claims that Diaspora is a musical discussion of Australia’s current immigration policy, a pretty bold statement considering the music sounds more like a lazy springtime jaunt through the fields. How the listener is supposed to deduce his political meanings is a mystery, though one can respect his determination to give deeper meaning in songs like Geography, on which his falsetto is prominent, melodious with tinkling bells in the background. The record features a wealth of local talent making appearances, including the always intriguing Guerre on the title track, a haunting tune that carries hints of African and tropical sounds, made overpoweringly heartbreaking by the repeated vocals of “Do you miss your land? Do you miss your love?” Diaspora is pleasant, and that tends to be the problem. It doesn’t surprise but neither does it disappoint. It coasts along in its world of collected sounds, brushing up against emotional evocation before sliding back to safety. Moments like Schoenberg, featuring another local talent in the form of Rainbow Chan, stand out all the more for it. There’s tinkering and percussion aplenty, but it doesn’t ebb and flow; there’s no sense of a climax and, without that, Diaspora is simply an inoffensive collage of sound. Sevana Ohandjanian
Chris Familton
UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA II
Jagjaguwar/Inertia Unknown Mortal Orchestra, the brainchild of ex-Mint Chicks member Ruban Neilson, have released a follow-up to their 2011 debut. II is a more conservative voyage into the psychedelic world than the previous release, the album reflecting a more reserved and measured approach to the genre and the thematic exploration of the idea of loneliness. Opener, From the Sun, introduces us quickly to both the musical and thematic inspirations that are entwined throughout the tracks on II. The stark chorus of “Isolation can put a gun in your hand” is balanced out with a much lighter composition of delicate guitar and fuzzy vocals. Similarly, single, Swim And Sleep (Like A Shark), weighs out shadier lyrics (“I wish that I could swim and sleep like a shark does/I’d fall to the bottom and I’d hide till the end of time”) with a catchy folk-funk melody and Neilson’s warm vocals. Neilson has a great ability to bring in different elements from a variety of genres, whether they be soul, hip hop or rock, and infuse them with this vintage, lo-fi, psychedelic sound that the band became recognised for in 2011. One at a Time shows off some great 1970s wah-wah-inspired chord progressions before moving seamlessly into The Opposite Of Afternoon, a more reserved, Beatles-inspired song. The energetic apex of the album, Faded In The Morning, wouldn’t have been out of place on the band’s debut, and it’s great to hear something a little more upbeat and catchy thrown in on the album, too. While II may lack a few of the catchy hooks we saw on Unkown Mortal Orchestra’s first offering, it’s still a very interesting album that’s consistent in their old-school sound. Cate Summers
ADRIAN BOHM BY ARRANGEMENT WITH LISA THOMAS MANAGEMENT PRESENTS
ADRIAN BOHM PRESENTS
“Has the audience simultaneously weeping with laughter and nodding in agreement.”
★★★★ – HERALD SUN
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THIS WEEK IN
ARTS
sell out the Sydney Opera House and I got to read a story. That for me is as cool as it will ever get.”
CONTINUAL ORBIT
Rust and Bone
TUESDAY 29
FRIDAY 1
The Perks Of Being A Wallflower – based on the best-selling novel and directed by its author, Stephen Chbosky, this film captures the dizzying highs and crushing lows of growing up. Bondi Openair Cinemas, 8.15pm. Raw Comedy Heat Three – Australia’s biggest open-mic comedy competition; past winners and finalists include Chris Lilley, Josh Thomas, Hannah Gadsby, Peter Helliar and Tim Minchin. Comedy Store, doors at 8pm.
Peter Pan – an adaptation of J. M. Barrie’s original play about the Lost Boys, Tinkerbell, Captain Hook, Wendy and, of course, Peter Pan. A play for everyone that enables you to remember the power of childhood and magic. Directed by Ralph Myers. Belvoir, 8pm; to Sunday 10 February.
WEDNESDAY 30 Masterclass Series: Erth – the company that brought us Sydney Festival show, Murder, are sharing the processes developed by Compagnie Philippe Genty. This includes the inner workings of the manipulation of puppets, objects and materials, and the creation of movement and choreography. Expression of interest forms to participate need to be sent to info@erth.com.au Carriageworks; running to Saturday 2 February.
THURSDAY 31 Bhutto – a screening of this documentary directed by Duane Baughman and Johnny O’Hara about Benazir Bhutto, the 11th Prime Minister of Pakistan assassinated in November 1996. Part of the Taboo Film Series, MCA: Veolia Lecture Theatre. 7pm. History Is Made At Night – a new exhibition from Indigenous artist Daniel Boyd, the large-scale work within the exhibition pays homage to the legacy of dot painting. Opening night, Artspace, 6pm; to Sunday 3 March.
SATURDAY 2 Forbidden Fruit: White Propriety, Dark Society – a talk facilitated by Namila Benson that will see the sparks fly as barrister Julian Burnside, hip hop comic Candy Bowers and one half of comedy duo Fear Of A Brown Planet Aamer Rahman traverse taboo issues such as xenophobia and racism. Part of the Taboo Talk Series, MCA: Veolia Lecture Theatre. 2pm. Rust And Bone – a play adapted by Caleb Lewis from Craig Davidson’s short stories, directed by Corey McMahon. Griffin Theatre, 7pm.
“When I was a kid I wanted to be a writer, but being a writer seemed about as likely as being an astronaut.” Considering his early doubt, Neil Gaiman probably feels like he’s now walking on the moon. The author chats with Rhys J Anderson about his affinity for Australia and The Good Doctor. As the final strums of Jherek Bischoff’s bass ebb to furious applause, Neil Gaiman walks off a stage he had just shared with the likes of David Byrne (Talking Heads), Brian Ritchie (Violent Femmes) and Annie Clark (St Vincent). MONA FOMA’s Bushfire Appeal fundraiser on Monday 21 January saw a collection of top rate artists venture to Hobart to volunteer their time and abilities to raise money for the Red Cross. Having played the night previous to a full theatre audience, Gaiman spent this Monday morning visiting the remains of a
fire-ravaged Tasmanian primary school in Dunalley, donating a collection of his books. “They’ve now got all my books that are fit for kids; I’m going to get other authors to donate as well. You’ve got to rebuild, you’ve got a primary school starting from scratch so let’s at least give them some books,” he says. Gaiman explains what people can expect from his upcoming shows in Melbourne and Sydney. “A lot of stuff about [forthcoming book] The Ocean At The End Of The Lane.” There will also be a Q&A session with the audience, and a string
SUNDAY 3 Double Take – the final day of this third anniversary show at White Rabbit Gallery, it centres on imitation and the often narrow line between appearance and reality. With works from Ai Weiwei, Liao Chien-Chung and Wang Gongxin. White Rabbit Gallery, 10am to 6pm.
MONDAY 4 Life Of Pi – based on Yann Martel’s wonderful Booker Prize-winning novel and directed by Ang Lee, this is a story about Pi, who becomes marooned on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger his only companion. St. George OpenAir Cinema, 8.30pm.
ART NOT? OR
SPOTTED: Broadway, Chippendale To continue the discussion head to @frontrowSPA and tweet us
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BRING ON THE BABES
Kate ate O’Grady, creator nd producer of Burlesque and Babes, chats to Liza Dezfouli about leaving the expected behind.
You don’t usually get a ‘professional sideshow freak’ with a bed of nails act as part of a burlesque revue, but Burlesque Babes, by Sydney’s Black Rose Productions, departs from the traditional by including
quartet may be getting involved, as well as a special gift from Gaiman. The author and his partner, (musician Amanda Palmer) spend a lot of time in Australia. Why do they keep making the journey? “A combination of things: one, I love Australia; [and] two, I love my wife, and my wife loves Australia even more than I do. I love Australia like you like a friend that you see a few times a year, and you’re really pleased to see him. My wife loves Australia like somebody she wants to drag into a darkened backroom for half an hour and bang until they’re senseless. She would move here, she just loves it. “So really it’s been a combination of these two things. Australia is somewhere I find it very hard to say no to,” he continues. “When I was first asked to play the Sydney Opera House, well, you don’t say no when you get asked to play the Sydney Opera House... I got to Dangerboy, familiar to TV audiences from Australia’s Got Talent. Katie O’Grady, the show’s choreographer and creator describes her show, involving three performers and Dangerboy, as otherwise “classical burlesque with a modern touch”. O’Grady has enjoyed a successful career as a burlesque performer for eight years and last year the time came to pull all that experience together to produce a night of ‘intrigue, entertainment and comedy’. “I’ve been doing burlesque for ages by myself and I’ve always wanted to put a show together,” O’Grady explains. So she devised Burlesque Babes, handpicking her co-performers for their respective stage presences and including Dangerboy for the variety in his act and his ‘burlesque flair’. It was a good move: 2012 saw Black Rose perform over 30 shows. Does O’Grady treasure any highlights from her first production? “An embarrassing moment was when we lost our gold bathtubs,” she replies. “They flew off the roof of the car when we were going along the freeway at 110 km. Of course, we had nowhere to get any more before our show that night and had to do our bath routine with buckets!” The choreography is all O’Grady’s plus she makes the costumes, paints the stage props and even makes the ostrich feather fans herself. “I’ve been a very busy girl.” Where does she get her performance ideas from? “I have a dance background. Most of it’s inspired by the stuff I’ve done already, snippets and additions to shows I’ve done over the years. I wanted to have a bit more fun
Talking about the script that Gaiman wrote for Doctor Who (The Doctor’s Wife) the author professes his fandom begun at age three. He recalls hiding behind the sofa at his grandparent’s house during The Web Planet (1965). Neil laughs describing it as “my first televisual terror”. But as for a favourite Doctor, Gaiman is undecided? “I think it’s really hard,” he ponders. It used to be Patrick Troughton, because he was my doctor, the one I grew up with. Yet, Matt Smith is amazing, and it’s writing for him that gives me an increased awareness of how amazing [he is]. He is technically one of England’s finest actors. Matt for me is the only Doctor who really feels a thousand years old and a kid – he really is this ancient space alien.” When talking about upcoming work Gaiman mentions a new Doctor Who script. “I’ve written [one] that broadcasts in May. It guest stars Warwick Davis, Tamzin Outhwaite and Jason Watkins. The episode is called The Last Cyberman.” Pushed for more information, Gaiman responds, “It’s about identity, it’s about responsibility and it’s about porridge.” Fans can also look forward to a book called Chu’s Day (about a baby panda who sneezes), a winter release of The Ocean At The End Of The Lane, and an anniversary follow up to The Sandman. WHAT: Neil Gaiman WHEN & WHERE: Tuesday will be released Thursday 14 February with it. We open the show with a ‘welcome to burlesque’ with music from the film, Burlesque, with the tiny top hats and diamante corsets. After the girls do their individual performances we have a Vegas Showgirl set when we’re all on together in our big cossies.” What else can audiences expect? “We’ve got Sparky, who sings and Belinda who is an acrobat. I do fire eating and fire twirling. It’s a quirky sort of show.” Burlesque Babes isn’t a show that takes itself too seriously given that it includes an act called ‘Granny Gram’. “We get someone who’s been on the burlesque circuit for a long time,” explains O’Grady. “So she gets to be Miss Burlesque 1946!” O’Grady’s favourite part of the show is when they get an audience member up to take part in an amateur strip competition. “We put them in costume and give them some fun moves.” O’Grady plans to keep evolving Burlesque Babes to include performances by aerial artists, comics and vocalists, and she eventually wants to tour the country. O’Grady herself is a certified babe: she was a finalist in the Miss Nude showgirl competition in 2005, one of the highlights of her career. And she’s not alone: one of the other performers, artiste Sparky, was a Miss Nude Sydney and won Miss Burlesque Melbourne in 2012. So, talent and hotness. Who’s complaining? WHAT: Burlesque Babes WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 14 February, Bald Faced Stag
To check out the mags online go to themusic.com.au/mags • 39
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REVIEWS DJANGO UNCHAINED FILM Quentin Tarantino displays his own brand of social consciousness with Django Unchained, his violent and passionate tale of a slave looking to liberate his wife and take revenge on his tormentors in the American South of the 19th century. When Django (Jamie Foxx) is freed from a pair of slave traders by the cultured German bounty hunter Dr King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), it’s the beginning of an unlikely partnership – one that goes from business arrangement (Django knows the faces of three outlaws Schultz is tracking), to a mentor-protege relationship as Schultz teaches Django the finer points of bounty hunting (Django proves a quick study
MACHINE HEAD: INSIDE THE MACHINE BOOK McIver has a knack of uncovering artists whose stories have not been fully told, co-writing Glenn Hughes’ autobiography and Max Cavalera’s upcoming life story among them. You can include this biography of US metallers Machine Head, whose 20 years of startling highs and devastating lows has not been documented to this extent. McIver admits little is known about founder Robb Flynn’s pre-teen life. However, interviews about formative years in Bay Area thrashers Vio-Lence and Forbidden, including the entrepreneurial axeman’s selling speed to make rent, is invaluable for diehards. His unwavering determination – born from raw, unbridled anger – is readily
Commenting on the task of adaptation, playwright Caleb Lewis says that when he took on Craig Davidson’s short stories he imagined a symphony. Its movements share dark, private thoughts that, rather than reverberating off Michael Hankin’s set design – an appropriately no-frills concrete pit – instead fill it, landing heavy like a punch from Sam Smith’s boxing Eddie; or an opponent of James’ (Renato Musolino) dog falling exhausted to its side in the ring; or Ben’s (Wade Briggs) artificial leg, despised as it is by the man that puppeteers it. Lewis’ adaptation is taut and Corey McMahon’s direction ensures this arrangement remains legato throughout as stunning points of
It culminates in a quest to find and free Django’s beloved wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) from the clutches of the loathsome Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), a plantation owner with a penchant for ‘mandingo’ bouts where slaves fight to the death. The filmmaker’s tangible outrage at the degradation and inhumanity of slavery is depicted in a no-holdsbarred manner. But while Django Unchained is a fiery, fierce rebel yell of a movie, it’s also a sparkling piece of entertainment – to borrow a line from his Kill Bill movies, it’s a “roaring rampage of revenge,” albeit one that’s also surprisingly moving and hilariously funny. Guy Davis In cinemas
apparent. The frontman’s inner turmoil is referenced, but there’s little digging for dirt. Perhaps a Flynn autobiography down the line ought to be mandatory? Comprehensive in scope and strikingly easy to read, creation of albums like classic debut, Burn My Eyes, and 2007’s acclaimed The Blackening, are extensively dissected. Refreshingly, McIver doesn’t merely toe the line regarding much-maligned nu-metal flirtations; his viewpoints will incite debate. Drugs, booze, sacrifices and Flynn’s feuds – Slayer’s Kerry King, former bandmates and bassist Adam Duce - and stunning creative revival are all covered. Machine Head are on the cusp of being one of the world’s biggest metal bands. There are numerous chapters still to be written, but this does a fine job of detailing their story up to now.
THE RAPE OF LUCRECE MUSIC In an ideal world The Rape Of Lucrece would be a museum piece, a long-ago written relic occasionally brought to the stage to highlight the beauty of The Bard’s poem. But as fearless Irish/French cabaret artist Camille O’Sullivan stalked the almost bare stage of the Seymour Centre’s York Theatre, this brutal and passionate piece took on a relevance that is almost frightening considering it’s now 2013 and the play was written in 1594. O’Sullivan, accompanied only by Feargal Murray on piano, played alternately Tarquin, the rapist, and then after the act, the victim Lucrece. And with words such as “chaste”, “pure”, “sin” and “shame” flying around it was easy to make the connect between the tragedy
Brendan Crabb
MASI THEATRE
performance as the vakatara (chant soloist) brings a ghostly physicality to the enchanting music.
You may have heard the expression ‘Fiji time’. It suggests that in Fiji your watch is useless; the island and its inhabitants operate on their own time, or without time. Masi, coming to Sydney Festival from New Zealand/Fiji theatre company The Conch, tells the tale of the meeting of director Nina Nawalowalo’s parents, a Fijian high chief and the daughter of Cambridge-educated public schoolmasters, over a game of chess at Wellington Chess Club.
The grand, slow, deliberate gestures are powerful (the Kabu ni Vanua Dance Group brilliant) and allow for Paul Kieve’s illusion design to mask the work in an even more enchanting fog, but much of the production’s nuance and subtlety – so crucial to this wordless story – seem lost in the venue, or worse still, incidentally revealed depending on seating.
Masi operates on Fiji time; a dreamlike collection of imagery and performance that examines love, longing and a charming clashing of cultures. Gareth Farr’s compositions are beautiful and Peni Jeffrey Lala’s vocal
RUST AND BONE THEATRE
when it comes to quick-draw gunfighting), to genuine friendship.
interception arise in these three stories – a ‘Hello girl’ delivered to a dog soon rings a similarly flirtatious tone between two stoned amputees – and actors effortlessly take on new roles to populate one another’s stories on the bare stage as crises careen together. In each of these stories there are issues of pride, of retribution and of stern self-assessment – and the cast hold nothing back, appropriately physical in their battles to save face, or a child, or a marriage. Lewis’ symphony of Davidson’s short stories is dark, somehow nearly staccato throughout with its blow after blow, but is incredibly beautiful. Dave Drayton SBW Stables until Saturday 2 February
40 • For more reviews go to themusic.com.au/reviews
While visually stunning, Masi lacks a coherent enough narrative to retain the kind of attention needed to completely follow this dialogue-less 70-minute piece of physical theatre. Dave Drayton Sydney Festival, Everest Theatre, Seymour Centre
of the poem and the modern day. As a performer O’Sullivan has never been afraid to inhabit the darker side of human nature and she certainly wasn’t afraid here to really explore the justifications Tarquin is able to convince himself of to commit this crime. Restricted in her songwriting to the lyrics Shakespeare provided her with, O’Sullivan for the most part pushed the story along through the music, but the piece’s most striking accessories were the lighting design and backdrop, both showing that sometimes the simplest of ideas can prove the most effective. All the accoutrements, however, existed in service to O’Sullivan. This was her show and her performance was captivating. Danielle O’Donohue Sydney Festival, Seymour Centre
ART S TA R T E R
Five minutes with
KEVIN KHACHAN What film do you wish you had made? Wow, that’s a good question and one not easily answered. I guess you are kind of asking me what is my favourite film? I have so many films that I love but when it comes to a film I wish I had made, the answer is Jaws. Without a doubt that would be the film that has from a child inspired me to become a filmmaker and if it were possible I wish I could have made it. The film stands the test of time and even now brings a sense of fear to beachgoers all over the world. I have said this before and I stand by my statement: Jaws would work as a silent film and would have the same impact if not more than it does now. Yeah, I wish I was the creator of that fear. What film do you wish had never been made? Ha ha that’s easy – Cool As Ice. What film is your guilty pleasure? Again an easy question to answer – Spies Like Us. What was the most valuable thing you took away from studying at SAE? The most valuable thing I took from SAE was to keep an open mind and do what you want anyway.
What’s the biggest challenge about being an associate producer? Well, the challenge of being an associate producer is being an associate producer, wanting to help but being limited by either skill or time to do more than what you are. Also for me being an associate producer in this film means that I am able to work closely with an amazing director (Dean Francis), on a very important film of our time. Where do you see cinema going in the future? Cinema is heading for a bleak future; with the advent of more and more affordable cameras and equipment, films are looking better then ever. It’s more affordable to make a film now more than ever. Yes they look great but they are lacking substance; story is suffering and I think that needs to be addressed or cinema will be the internet’s ugly cousin. WHAT: Drown WHEN & WHERE: In production
FRONTROW@DRUMMEDIA.COM.AU
C U LT U R A L
CRINGE
WITH JAMELLE WELLS The Sydney Opera House has signed a three-year sponsorship agreement with Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways. The airline sponsors several other Australian cultural and sporting venues including Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium and the Islamic Museum of Australia. The Opera House will receive financial support as well as airfares for performers. Big Day Out fans who recently braved Sydney’s hottest day on record at Olympic Park deserve a medal. More than 55,000 were at the music festival held this year during extreme weather conditions, with the peak temperature recorded at more than 45 degrees. Police say they arrested just three people for robbery, drug supply and assault, but 145 rail infringements were issued by officers who patrolled 84 trains during the event. Just when we thought dance schools in Sydney were bitchy, spare a thought for the head of Russia’s Bolshoi ballet, who has severe burns after someone in a mask threw acid at him. In the job since 2011, Sergei Filin suffered injuries to the face, head and eyes. Police and his colleagues believe he was targeted because of his professional work in the Bolshoi. They say his website and email have previously been hacked, and someone punctured his car tyres. Former Channel Seven head of make-up Rachael Dalsanto – who’s now passing her expertise on to students at the Australasian College – was spotted seeing The Hobbit movie several times last week.
TRAILER
She tells us she’s been studying the make-up designed by Aussie Rick Findlater, who is nominated for both British and American Academy Awards for the movie. Findlater has also worked on King Kong and Avatar and will work on another two Hobbit movies in May. Model Lara Bingle, shock jock Kyle Sandilands and Kings Cross identity John Ibrahim were among the mourners at St Mary’s Cathedral last week for the funeral of celebrity bar entrepreneur James Miller. The 38-year-old was found dead in his Sydney unit from what’s thought to be an accidental overdose. His death is not being treated as suspicious. Through his Drink ‘n’ Dine company he was known by patrons at his Carrington, Norfolk, Abercrombie and Santa Barbara hotels. He had also co-founded the Sumo Salad chain. Aussie actor John Jarrett will reprise his role as serial killer Mick Taylor in Wolf Creek 2, the sequel to the 2005 Australian horror movie. The second tale is again written and directed by Greg McLean. Australian theatre producer John Frost and London theatre impresario David Ian are reviving the musical Grease on Australian stages later this year. Auditions will soon be held for the new multi-million dollar production, with tour details to be confirmed. The producers say they knew it was the right time to bring the show back when the television series Glee celebrated the music of Grease on an episode last year and when Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta reunited for a charity Christmas album in December.
TRASH
WITH GUY DAVIS The great writer William Goldman once coined a maxim about Hollywood that has become famous: “Nobody knows anything”. But that doesn’t stop executives, producers and everyone else toting around a spec screenplay and a dream from trying to determine the Next Big Thing. And even though there’s been a bit of discussion about the demise of the movie star, it still seems that frontloading your project with a posse of A-listers is a surefire way of getting at least a few punters through the door. So why is a movie featuring big names like Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Naomi Watts, Richard Gere, Emma Stone and Gerard Butler – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg – already being touted as an epic fail on an epic scale? (Well, maybe Gerard Butler has something to do with it. That guy can’t catch a trick lately. Check out the trailer for his upcoming action movie, Olympus Has Fallen, in which terrorists take over the White House, as evidence. Woof.) No one knows why. But bad buzz strikes with the unrelenting force and venom of a swarm of bees or wasps or something else that buzzes, and the latest recipient of such negative publicity is Movie 43, a comedy anthology in the vein of Kentucky Fried Movie. So-called red-band trailers – y’know, the ones containing all the swears and cool stuff – have been circulating for a little while now, and some of the sketches they present seem not-unfunny (I know I’m partial to Watts and Liev Schreiber as a couple so committed to giving their home-schooled teenage son the complete high school experience they personally incorporate bullying into the curriculum). But some just seem odd or off in some way,
directed Elise Hearst’s Dirtyland as part of New Theatre’s The Spare Room season in 2011, and brought another new Hearst play to life, The Sea Project, on the Stables stage for Griffin last year. When it came to finding a director for the latest instalment of Australian Theatre for Young People’s Voices Project – which brings together the best of new monologue writing from the Fresh Ink emerging playwrights program – Rattray was a natural choice.
and the marketing’s insistence that Movie 43 is totally out there, outrageous and majorly wrong, dude, just reeks of desperation.
PICK OF THE BUNCH Paige Rattray talks to Dave Drayton about getting first dibs on our best new writers.
Ask director Paige Rattray what kind of theatre excites her and the answer is immediate – new Australian work. Her resume certainly suggests as much: she
“I’ve got a bit of a history with ATYP. I’ve taught their ensemble there and a few workshops and different things and I’ve talked to Fraser (Corfield, ATYP artistic director) about a lot of projects,” explains Rattray. “I work predominantly in new Australian work so I think when he was looking for a director he thought of me and I jumped at the chance, really, because I get to meet ten amazing writers, which is really exciting, so I can scope out all the new talent before it hits the streets.” The Voices Project first launched in early 2011 with a show made up of a series of monologues exploring first love, Tell It Like It Isn’t. Since then it’s branched out and offered up short films and another collection of monologues in last year’s The One Sure Thing. The 2013 instalment, Out Of Place, is concerned with themes of belonging, identity and place, and presents Rattray with the opportunity to work with those ten fresh Australian playwrights and a cast of ten actors to bring these monologues to the stage
Under The Wharf. For now, though, they’re in the midst of rehearsal in an expansive and bare warehouse space in Lilyfield. “It’s been really amazing because we feel like we’ve got so much space, and in all of the pieces as well there’s some quite epic landscapes that are described – a graveyard, mangroves, a museum, a quarry – so it suits us really well!” Rattray says, before joking about how perfect the isolated patch of suburbia is for the themes at hand. “There isn’t anywhere we can even buy lunch out here, or a coffee! So when we have a break we’re just hanging around the table together – we really are out of place.” Combining ten monologues into a coherent production is no small task, though Rattray has risen to the challenge, and is enjoying the unique insight the monologue form offers. “It’s been really wonderful. I think because the actors are so into everyone’s work, they’ve been really generous with each other so we’ve all worked on each piece together and then the individual actor will take it from there. We’ve built it together. “With these monologues you have ten deeply personal experiences; whether that character is imagined or comes from the writer’s experience you get an insight into someone’s brain rather than a collective of thinking, which is, I think, the really special thing.” WHAT: Out Of Place WHERE & WHEN: Wednesday 30 January to Saturday 16 February, Australian Theatre For Young People
THREE’S A CHARM
And the more info that sneaks out about what’s gone on behind the scenes, the more the project seems, well, tainted. A recent story in the New York Post revealed that George Clooney’s response to a proposed sketch in which he’d play himself as hopeless at picking up women was a concise “No fucking way”, that Colin Farrell backed out of a sketch in which he’d play a leprechaun and that the South Park team of Trey Parker and Matt Stone were initially attached to direct a segment but then nixed it. Producer Peter Farrelly (of There’s Something About Mary fame) went on the record to do a little damage control, talking up the project’s bargain-basement cost (six million bucks) and high-end star power while stating that he was certain Movie 43 would find its niche. “Kids, teenagers, fifty-somethings who still smoke pot — they’re all going to find something here,” he told the Post. He also talked about the film’s unconventional shooting schedule, which ran over four years or so, and the efforts by certain actors to perhaps bow out gracefully. “They clearly wanted out!” said Farrelly. “But we wouldn’t let them.” He employed a simple strategy, according to the story: “Wait for them. Shoot when they want to shoot. Guilt them to death.” Was it worth it? Will Movie 43 provide impressionable youngsters and stoned older types with many a giggle? Or will it sink like Gerard Butler’s career? (Okay, now I’m just picking on the guy.) Find out for yourself – if you dare! – when Movie 43 opens in cinemas on February 7. Or, you know, go see Zero Dark Thirty – that’s really fucking good.
Set to take to the Darlinghurst Theatre stage in her second consecutive Mardi Gras production, Belinda Wollaston talks to Dave Drayton about festival time, clarinets and theatre with a message. Recently seen on stages alongside Anthony Warlow in Dr Zhivago and as the lead, Lucy Harris, in the Australian international tour of Jekyll & Hyde, Belinda Wollaston is now preparing to walk back onto the same stage she owned this time last year in a Mardi Gras revival of Elegies For Angels, Punks And Raging Queens. Currently in the midst of rehearsals, Wollaston is dusting off her clarinet and preparing for her role as the torch singer (she also moonlights as Laurel) in Harvey Fierstein’s semi-autobiographical collection of three plays, Torch Song Trilogy, which, like Elegies…, will enjoy a season at Darlinghurst Theatre as part of Sydney’s Mardi Gras festival.
“It’s a wonderful time of the year for the gay community, and for the theatre community as well,” says Wollaston. “And interesting work gets put on at the Mardi Gras festival, things that are generally taboo or wouldn’t be on a main stage like the STC or something like that, you can count on that during the Mardi Gras festival. And they are so supportive of new and old work, you know, Torch Song is coming into its thirtieth anniversary from the last time it was here – it holds a lot of significance.” The back-to-back festival shows are the mark of coming full circle in Wollaston’s career so far; her first professional job as a performer was
in Campio Decent’s Three Winters Green at the Stables Theatre. Like other productions she has worked on, Decent’s script featured strong social commentary in its examination on the effects of AIDS.
on stage, it has been some time since Wollaston has performed her clarinet for an audience, but the charming production of Torch Song Trilogy has given her reason to pull it out from the attic.
“Any show that has a real story and a real message, it’s why we do it, it’s why we act, and I think people come to theatre to not see us, but to see themselves. So if we can play these stories and bring these characters to life – that are real characters – and these issues are still relevant today; equality, now more than ever we are fighting for equality, and Torch Songs is really about that. It’s about equality, not being a second-rate citizen, really being allowed to be gay and feel like it doesn’t affect your life. You should be able to adopt, you should be able to get married.”
“More than half the cast provide all the music for the show playing our own instruments, there’s no band hidden anywhere or conductor, it’s just us on stage and providing the underscoring. I started playing clarinet when I was six years old and I used to play in orchestras when I was younger and that sort of stuff in high school. But I haven’t played for a while, so it’s been quite nice to bring it out and just go, ‘Oh yeah, it’s just like getting on a bicycle.’”
While her CV reveals she is clearly no stranger to singing
WHAT: Torch Song Trilogy WHERE & WHEN: Friday 1 February to Sunday 3 March, Darlinghurst Theatre
To check out the mags online go to themusic.com.au/mags • 41
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FEATURE TOUR
YEASAYER Celebrating the release of their new album, Fragrant World, Brooklyn’s psychedelic experimentalists Yeasayer are returning to Australia. They have a headlining performance at The Metro on Thursday 31 January, which is before their appearance at Laneway over the weekend.
FRONTLASH THE BRONX
Have mentioned they’re bringing out a vinyl box set of their albums. Y’all know our address for where to send us late Xmas presents, right?
REAL TO REEL Oh lordy, have you seen some of the names who teamed up for Dave Grohl’s Sound City doco soundtrack? Admittedly a supergroup does not a good track make, but with members from The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Cheap Trick, Rage Against The Machine and more teaming up with Grohl and known associates, you know it’s gonna be a good ‘un.
LOCALS ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE The past week saw The Rubens and Thy Art Is Murder pick up international deals with well-known labels, so kudos to them. Let’s show the world what the west and south-west of Sydney can do, hey lads?
BACKLASH PEATS RIDGE FESTIVAL
‘Tis a shame that the festival is no more. Hopefully discussions about its future bear fruit and it can live to see another day.
THE MARS VOLTA The leaving of The Mars Volta vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala might signal the “hiatus” for the group is something more permanent, but really, admit it, they jumped the shark ages ago.
BBC While we obviously don’t condone racism, but why cut a line in Fawlty Towers because it may be deemed racist in today’s climate? If they do that to a bona-fide classic, what’s to stop them going all George Lucas and revising everything that, although maybe accepted at the time, could be deemed offensive now?
Band Of Horses @ Enmore Theatre. Pic by Angela Padovan.
Are Alcoholics has the swing of a walk home from the Townie. And the final Down Like JFK hammers in. Band Of Horses @ Enmore Theatre. Pic by Angela Padovan.
BAND OF HORSES MIKE NOGA & THE GENTLEMEN OF FORTUNE
ENMORE THEATRE: 22/01/13 Thing with Band Of Horses is – besides being a fearsomely well-wound live band – they know the history of the American music from which they draw. They are variously The Band, The Byrds, a bit of Lynyrd Skynyrd, some Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers and even some Eagles harmonies here and there if you look too close.
Band Of Horses @ Enmore Theatre. Pic by Angela Padovan.
Meantime Mike Noga conjures a bit of Dylan and some Springsteen – but maybe that’s his sports coat – coming in full Gentlemen Of Fortune band mode, who are paid the compliment of use of the headliners’ full set-up, notably Stevie Hesketh rippling along the Horses’ piano and organ array. Noga’s quieter songs like Cold Year gain depth, while the truth-in-titled All My Friends
Acts who’ve been on the festival circuit sometimes have to adjust from the half-hour set limitations to letting themselves run free. Thus, Band Of Horses eased into their work, hitting their straps with the monumental Laredo about fourth song in. Like so many of the best groups, they’re playing for themselves as much as the audience – and loving doing so. Notably Ryan Monroe, who, when freed from behind the keyboards, attacked his guitar, bouncing around with the grin and manic energy of an alt. country Tarantino. Of course it’s Ben Bridwell pointing them round the park. He ached through Older, to the Appalachian keen of Come Undone and then the towering Is There A Ghost. They carried you with them. Dumpster World added some Crosby, Stills & Nash harmonies to that list up there, before it went off at loud tangents in the middle. A wired Knock Knock skidded through, while The Funeral’s drama was the ideal end to the set proper. The encore allowed Bridwell and Tyler Ramsey to duel beards through a plaintive No One’s Gonna Love You, before the band finished it, us and themselves via The General Specific’s huge syncopated clatter. You all stood around a bit stunned, everyone confirming it was as outstanding as you thought it was. Ross Clelland
For more reviews go to themusic.com.au/reviews • 43
Ending on a buoyant Two Steps, Twice, it served as an astonishing reminder of how far they’ve come, and the exhilarating direction they’re heading in next.
The Waterboys @ State Theatre Pic by Jamie Williams
Sevana Ohandjanian
YEAH YEAH YEAHS, KIRIN J CALLINAN METRO THEATRE: 22/01/13 Kirin J Callinan’s opening set was fascinating, with the innovative musician staring fair down the barrel of the incoming audience, eyes wide. His bizarre stage manner and unnervingly deep voice was taken awkwardly by those in attendance and, despite being extremely desirable to many, his tunes that verge too far from a recognisable rhythm fall a bit flat. Tonight, there’s a pretty obvious divide between those who love his work and those who struggle to understand it. Similarly, New York City’s Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an acquired taste, guitarist Nick Zinner, drummer Brian Chase and frontwoman Karen O delivering their excellent live post punk, indie rock and dance collaboration to a sold-out Metro Theatre who can’t get enough. Karen O’s beautifully uncouth stage manner is a mix between improvised grinding and energetic leaping; rawly bearing herself to the ever-hungry YYYs army, ready to feast. Spitting water fountains around the stage, O joyfully rocked out a variety of tunes weighted heavily in the band’s first two records, Fever To Tell and Show Your Bones, Rich exploding the trio (also joined by keyboardist David Pajo) into the Sydney sideshow.
THE WATERBOYS STATE THEATRE: 23/01/13 The sound of a stormy sea crashing on the beach welcomed The Waterboys onstage for their first ever show in Sydney. Formed in 1983, their trademark rich, Celtic folk-rock tradition was augmented this time around with the lyricism of great Irish poet WB Yeats. Favouring material from their new album, An Appointment With Mr Yeats, frontman Mike Scott and his band – including the wonderful fiddle player Steve Wickham and vocalist and Brisbane native Sarah Calderwood – created a dark and delightfully whimsical mood. Unfortunately the band looked dwarfed on the expansive State Theatre stage and would’ve benefited from a much more intimate setting, but there were plenty of moments where the passionate clamour of the music more than made up for the emptiness of the stage. The thin, scraggly Scott played the role of storyteller wonderfully well and was happy to involve the crowd, at one point asking if we Australians enjoyed nursery rhymes and rewarding a brave fan who started singing Jake The Peg with a cry of, “That’s genius – and I mean that,” before the band played A Full Moon In March. There was the mystical Song Of Wandering Aengus, but also the staunchly political September 1913. And though it may seem obvious, it was surprising to see just how suitable Yeats’ poetry was to the musical arrangements The Waterboys were building around them. The Lake Isle Of Innisfree was this wonderfully bluesy, Dylan-esque rocker, while White Birds wooed as a delicate love song. While some songs seemed to barely start before the band were putting down their instruments and moving on, other numbers blossomed into anarchic instrumentals and, at one point, masks were even donned in an attempt to draw the crowd even further into the mysteries of Yeats’ world. Though few outside of Waterboys and/or Yeats fans would have really enjoyed this show, it was a great way to reinvigorate Yeats’ valuable canon. Danielle O’Donohue
NICOLAS JAAR, CHARLES MURDOCH SYDNEY TOWN HALL: 23/01/13 A vast polished wooden floor was dotted with awkward early birds, milling aimlessly and flirting self-consciously. The Town Hall had a distinctly school disco feel, with the swirling lights and blaring sound bouncing off the caverns and lack of soft bodies. Charles Murdoch did an excellent job of reeling the crowd inside from the plastic hedges and astro turf of the Paradiso Terrace Bar. His cruisy beats were at walking pace with a crafty mix of samples just long enough to keep your ears pricked. As the room filled, the set slowly and steadily progressed in pace and intensity, leaving the room packed, anticipation high and that intoxicating urge
44 • For more reviews go to themusic.com.au/reviews
to dance just tingling into limbs. It was a perfect opening for the young and talented headline act. Silhouetted against pulsing LED screens, Nicolas Jaar set the mood with a deliciously atmospheric introduction, complete with soaring sax, wind chimes and samples of waves crashing. Naked light globes and scrap metal chandeliers heightened the gothic visuals as the lights rippled beautifully over the curves of the pipe organ on the back wall. A hint of a beat was enough to spur the crowd into movement as Jaar proceeded to toy with the audience for the next hour. Weaving through material from his EP and debut album, Space Is Only Noise, he built up only to ebb away every time until the audience was aching for a beat to be dropped. The live instrumentation made the wait worthwhile, but it was not until the sax and guitar players had left the stage that the blessed beat was shared. It felt though as if Jaar had been gearing his whole set for the encore. For just a few delicious songs, the rhythm reigned. It was just a shame that the intricacies of the mix were not crisper; sadly the bass and treble overpowered the detail, which was a flaw of the venue not the artist. Alex Hardy
FOALS, MITZI OXFORD ART FACTORY: 22/01/13 Mitzi were a well-suited opener for the evening’s proceedings, with bass-heavy electronic music that made for easy dancing and a cool atmosphere. Very much in the vein of Cut Copy and similar acts, the four-piece warmed up the night befittingly. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that at the core of Foals is a party band. They revel in inciting chaos and frontman Yannis Philippakis basks in the sweat and spit of a claustrophobic room pounding with a baying audience’s energy, if his numerous crowdsurfing exploits on the night were any indication. With the heat rising quickly, the Oxfordian five-piece showed no mercy, bounding from newbie, Prelude, straight into Total Life Forever. By the time Antidotes’ faves like Olympic Airways and Balloons had been performed with speed and intensity, it started to feel like the crowd had bonded into one heaving room of hands raised high and feet lifting off the ground. Despite the band barely speaking between songs, we were entranced as they wove their way through Spanish Sahara, a song totally transformed when performed live, wherein it became a collective singalong crashing into its climax with force. Newer songs were just as well received, My Number fitting perfectly into their discography with its jaunty guitar riff, many already knowing the words and crying out loudly over Philippakis. Elsewhere, Providence was taken in by curious ears and stilled feet that quickly became pandemonium once the frontman threw himself into the crowd, guitar in hand, without missing a beat. The encore kicked off with Inhaler, perhaps the biggest anomaly in their work so far, and an absolute beast live when that all important key change hits.
Fans lapped up typically popular tunes Gold Lion, Heads Will Roll and Zero, but it was the reflective nature and dance beat of Phenomenon and garage intensity of Date With The Night that got the faithful sharing a singalong with the band’s figurehead, who spent a portion of time sucking on her mic while screaming the shit out of it. O just didn’t stop, taking a brief breather for Skeletons before the band’s usual introverted performance of Maps was replaced with a speedy rendition, maintaining the set’s fast pace. Probably the most exciting take-home were the three awesome new tracks shared with the Aussie crowd, a shredding shortcut into forthcoming fulllength Mosquito. What one would assume is the title track was played early on, and rightfully met with a huge response; the upbeat and catchy lyrics had fans wailing along after short exposure to the chorus. The band played the sneak peeks with such infectious joy, the sound fitting firmly into the rhythm of their first and second records. It just proves that some things will never really change: Yeah Yeah Yeahs will keep packing out Australian venues, they will continue to release rocking new albums and Karen O will forever smash her mic into smithereens to conclude the night. Mat Lee
DIRTY PROJECTORS, YMUSIC, THE UNNATURAL CONGRESS OF STILL BEATING HEARTS SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE CONCERT HALL: 21/01/13 It’s not surprising that experimental rockers Dirty Projectors were joined by stunning classical musicianship in the two support slots. Aussie duo The Unnatural Congress Of Still Beating Hearts unassumingly kicked off proceedings with some keys, a subtle airy voice and an absolutely amazing bass clarinettist who completely stole their set. They were closely followed by New York sextet yMusic, who kept the slowly growing attendance in awe with tight compositions beautifully shared by two violins, a cello and three brass – making it clear why they are one of the most sought after instrumental ensembles for guest recordings in the USA. After the two 20-minute support sets, Dirty Projectors frontman David Longstreth entered the now packed Concert Hall, delivering the solo title track from latest record Swing Lo Magellan. The remainder of the band slowly filtered their way to the stage throughout the course of the first few songs; yMusic also returning to bring the much-needed depth to Dance To You. The band’s female contingent were the real triumph of the night, as not only do they actually have fucking fun (unlike serious Longstreth, who struggles to smile) but their three-part harmonies are so killer that it has everyone in the place under their spell. Finches’ Song At Oceanic Parking Lot saw Amber Coffman (on guitar), Haley Dekle (on percussion) and Olga Bell (on keys) tear apart the room with a hymn-like mixture of voices that totally exceeded any sound the band produced before or after. The night’s mixing was horrible, with Longstreth rightfully gesturing for his mic to be turned down more than once. His voice and guitar totally overpowered
every other instrument or voice on stage and it’s such a shame because the women’s pivotal contributions were reduced to mere background sounds. Singles Stillness Is The Move and 2012 release Gun Has No Trigger were both awkwardly stumbled through, the musicians trying to be heard while Longstreth strained to hit the high notes near the end of the set. Despite the obvious tech issues, Dirty Projectors produced their stunningly artistic repertoire, made all the more enjoyable by songs like The Socialites, which saw Coffman instead take lead and belt her sweet voice through the hall. Mat Lee
ESG, NO ZU, TERRIBLE TRUTHS OXFORD ART FACTORY: 18/01/13 Economy of style is often welcome. In the case of Terrible Truths, they proved simple bass hooks, rudimentary drums, some clashed vocals and a sparse, bass-bolstering guitar line or shimmering, stabbed chords are all they need. Locked into their hypnotic groove, this familiar but still enthralling sound dragged the few attendees’ attention directly onto the three figures on stage. The fierce chiming on Diamond was a highlight, but the whole set stripped down to its skeleton and danced like a tentative rebel. Superb. No Zu walk several lines crossing disco, funk, psychedelic, all the while merging each of them into an amorphous, mutating mass. With percussion and vocals leading it all, the rapidly expanding crowd built like the layers of their songs, from sparse to bursting with colour, fervour and rhythm. They seemed to splice eras as well, bringing potentially dated musical motifs squealing into the 21st century. ESG, humble as anything, can crush bands half their age. Starting with the stark slinky lines of You’re No Good, their primitive post-punk disco is still startling. They could’ve improvised upon the wireframe punkfunk, but refused. They kept everything as energetic, soulful and simple as possible, leaving us to fill in the blanks with our bodies and appreciative voices. From the eerie instrumental of UFO to the femme-thrash threat of Erase You, we could’ve wanted nothing more from them. The set was short, but the amount of effort put into every vocal and beat intertwined and sustained for two to three minutes maximised their hour. What’s more is that this vital, extraordinary primal, sensual and passionate music has not dated and will never be irrelevant. People can dance to it, relate to it and memorise its every pattern. Every attendee was left beaming, sweaty, energised to the point of refreshment. Less is more. Here, it’s almost everything. Brad Barrett
ANIMAL COLLECTIVE, AFRICA HITECH ENMORE THEATRE: 17/01/13 Africa Hitech – aka duo Mark Pritchard and Steve Spacek – consumed the voluminous Enmore Theatre with photon bass, barely absorbed by the sparse, earlybird audience of static bodies. Their set was stitched together like a DJ playlist, with no glimpse of seams, and mutated as if alive and leaping gene pools. Pole vaulting from bass-heavy to skittery drum’n’bass and 2-step-inspired electronica, it really did sound like they’d brought the alleyway clubs of Fulham to Sydney; so much so that this audience was at a loss for what to do. London audiences reach for the skies and pound the ground with both feet, while the lost kids of Sydney swayed uncertainly to an alien wash of sound. Not the reaction these two scintillating scientists deserved, though they were accepted and appreciated by the end. Animal Collective decided to draw heavily from last year’s Centipede Hz, which is a calamitous descent into hyperactive clatter pop with the usual frayed sonic edges. So, while the energy of Panda Bear’s distinctive flow was consistently impressive, the spacious, offkilter music dragged rather than inspired. Compared to the full-on rave blitz that the Deacon-less trio pulled off a few years back, it fell flat. Yet it was Deacon’s lead number from that record, Wide Eyed, which pulled away from meandering scattershot songs to something of weight and spirit, anchored by stuttering percussive sounds and brooding melodies. A momentary dip into 2009 left Lion In A Coma sounding like a mere feathery dusting of spring-loaded bongos. Brief redemption arrived upon the excellent squeals of Monkey Riches, whose rippling synthesised bleats recalled AC at their very best. Brother Sport and My Girls soared as expected, as much for the crowd reaction as the performance. The set was intricately played, but encouraged minimum movement. It’s a tough thing to greet invention with disappointment, but while selfindulgence can be admired, it can’t always be danced to and frankly that’s what some of us had come to do. Brad Barrett
FILLING THE VOID
PERFECT POP
Having just released their new album, Go Easy, Daniel Spencer and Luke Walsh from Brisbane psychedelic rockers Blank Realm talk to Steve Bell about changing their processes without diluting the approach that makes them so special.
Everything you ever loved about pop – swoony melodies, stacked harmonies, great guitar hooks – is all there on the new EP from The Demon Parade. But it took a lot of work, as Michael Smith discovers from Michael Badger.
them and everything – so we really played them a lot before these recorded versions came about.”
stuff out, ‘cause I think we were really trying to focus on what direction we were going to go and just keep writing a lot of songs. Which is quite a contrast to where we’re at now, ‘cause we’re just about to put out another release because the tour’s going to be lasting quite a while and we want to get something out while we’re still on the road – a couple of singles.”
This approach may have changed the feel of the individual songs over time, but it didn’t affect the collaborative nature of the Blank Realm writing process.
ecently, things have been going from strength to strength for burgeoning Brisbane psychedelic outfit Blank Realm. They’ve built a solid reputation both at home and abroad for their intoxicating shows and a string of increasingly excellent recordings, culminating in the recent release of their third album proper, Go Easy. By far the most accomplished and accessible foray yet for the four-piece, Go Easy is the result of a whole new studio approach for the band, one which has paid handsome dividends.
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“This record was the first one we’ve done where it wasn’t completely improvised,” drummer/vocalist Daniel Spencer explains. “Most records before this were just cut from improvised sessions and then we’d put things on top of them – overdubs and that kind of thing – but this is the first time we actually wrote songs and kept them for a while. We probably played them for close to two years before we recorded them – we went over to America with
“No, the four of us always contribute fairly equally to every song,” guitarist/engineer Luke Walsh continues. “Someone might have an idea for a riff or a melody, but even if that’s the case we bring it into the group and it’s totally changed by everyone else’s input. I think some of our best material seems to come out of a group effort where we’re just playing for a few hours – usually something just comes out of the ether from that.” Without doubt Go Easy is their best attempt yet at capturing Blank Realm’s live power in the studio. “Yeah, I don’t think any of our other albums have captured that in the past,” Spencer agrees. “We record all of our own stuff, and Luke’s getting better at recording – he’s recorded a heap of other bands now as well like Per Purpose and Martyr Privates – so that process has gotten a bit better. I feel like this is probably the first one that captures what we sound like live, where maybe before the sound was a bit thin.”
Meanwhile, back at the Chameleon EP, another factor that forced the recording process to stretch out as long as it did, despite much of the work, apart for drum tracks on four songs, being done at Badger’s own studio, were some line-up changes, guitarist O Koppes and drummer Troy Ramaekers stepping up to the mark. Then there was the decision to invite American producer Tony Lash to mix four tracks. hat’s probably my favourite part, the harmonies,” Melbourne four-piece The Demon Parade’s frontman, guitarist and songwriter Michael Badger admits, talking about the band’s new EP, their second, Chameleon. “It’s just like sprinkling icing sugar on the tracks in the end. This time, [the EP] feels like it was a ‘best of’ over the last eighteen months or so, ‘cause it took a little while to get together.
“T
“We did it in bits and pieces over about a period of a year or so, and each time we went in we’d have six songs in mind and we’d probably finish two of them when we came out, which was quite a longer process, more thought out, and you can hear it on the record. We weren’t feeling too rushed to get
WHO: Blank Realm WHAT: Go Easy (Bedroom Suck) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 2 February, GoodGod Small Club
I nternode
“He’s my favourite producer,” Badger admits. “He’s done a couple of Dandy Warhols records and done some great work, and I just love the way he can structure and layer things and still make everything clear and punchy. The number one thing, though, was I’ve always recorded and mixed everything and I really needed an objective opinion ‘cause your so immersed in your own music sometimes you don’t hear obvious things.” WHO: The Demon Parade WHAT: Chameleon (Independent) WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 31 January, Brighton Up Bar; Friday 1 February, Old Manly Boatshed
ARTISTS
PRESENTS
INCLUDE
val i t s e f s ’ d l r o WOM A D - the w
TalLest Man on Earth (SWEDEN) * Antibalas (USA) * Moriarty(FRANCE) * The Herbaliser DJs (UK) * Zoe Keating (USA) * Hugh Masekela (SOUTH AFRICA) * Souad MasSi (ALGERIA/FRANCE) * Tim Rogers & The Bamboos (AUSTRALIA) * Christine Salem (REUNION) * The Cat Empire (AUSTRALIA) * Clairy Browne & The Bangin RacketTes (AUSTRALIA)
SEE WEBSITE FOR FULL LINE UP!
GREAT SAVINGS For
Group on alL tics 6+ ket types!
Presenting Partner
The Hills Cider Company.
To check out the mags online go to themusic.com.au/mags • 45
ROOTS DOWN
THE HEAVY SHIT
BLUES ‘N’ ROOTS WITH DAN CONDON ROOTS@DRUMMEDIA.COM.AU
METAL AND HARD ROCK WITH CHRIS MARIC
Opeth Dr Burt Authenticity is a big issue in the blues world, no matter where you are. What truly is blues? Who can justify the kind of blues that they play, and how? It can all get a bit silly and almost everyone has a different point of view, but I’d hope that no one dare deny that the music uncovered by the team at the Music Maker Relief Foundation is more often than not blues in its purest form. If you’re not familiar with their work, they essentially find blues artists around the United States who are struggling with their bills, their health or just to have their music recognised by anyone. “Music Maker Relief Foundation preserves and promotes the musical traditions of the American South. Since 1994 we have partnered with traditional artists over 55 years old who survive on a yearly income of less than $18,000, sustaining their day-to-day needs while building their careers. Through Music Maker, our rich heritage of folk music will not be lost with the passing of time,” their Mission Statement reads. They have just been announced as returning to Bluesfest at Easter this year and they’ve put together a great list of acts for their show in 2013. Ironing Board Sam has been playing for over 50 years now, and released a few records back in the ‘60s, but after going through an extended down period in his career he hooked up with the Music Maker Foundation who have scored him a heap of shows. He’s a keyboardist who plays electric blues and he’s sure to get the people of Bluesfest jiving.
Everyone’s favourite Kylie lovers, Lord have set the release date of their next album Digital Lies, for Friday 22 February via those good people at Riot Entertainment (who still have all those thousands of CDs going cheap on their FB page). Lord Tim released a statement regarding the LP and he is pretty chuffed with the results. It’s not any kind of major departure from the Lord you know and love, it’s another new Lord album! There is a bit of a theme around dark technology which explains the album title concept and you can check the video out for Betrayal Blind on the ‘Tube now. As usual, the hours after I file my column for the coming week something big is announced and it’s too late to add it in. Therefore, you probably already know that Opeth are coming back through town again. They will be at the Enmore for an all ages on Friday, 15 March. Tix are already on sale and they sell out every time so get in quick! One of my favourite albums of last year just appeared with no real fanfare at all but blew me away. Sentenced To Life by Black Breath sounded like Discharge, Entombed and Schizophrenia-era Sepultura having a brawl. It’s awesome, dirty, violent thrash and it’s coming here! Hermann’s Bar will probably need a few fixtures repaired after the guys and their special guests I Exist attempt to destroy it on Saturday 6 April. If it survives, then The Basement in Canberra have nothing to fear when the tour rocks up there the next day. If you like your metal with a bit of groove, hardcore, ‘90s style and the odd black metal breakaway, and
There’s definitely a real love of zydeco amongst a small but very passionate segment of the Bluesfest community and the inclusion of Major Handy on the Music Maker bill is going to make them very happy indeed. His latest record Zydeco Feeling sees him teamed up with Buckwheat Zydeco and it is seriously very good; his rich voice and supreme musical talent shouldn’t be missed.
Also on the most recent Bluesfest announcement was the news that Charlie Musselwhite, perhaps the greatest living blues harmonica player, will be joining Ben Harper for his Thursday show, country jam band Zac Brown Band will be performing as a part of the big Monday show and Manu Chao La Ventura will be performing a second show, up and coming soul singer Allen Stone has been given a slot on the bill and Australian acts Leonardo’s Bride, Nicky Bomba’s Bustamento, Skipping Girl Vinegar, Kim Churchill, Shaun Kirk, Genevieve Chadwick and Brotherfox have all been added to the stupidly enormous Easter festival. I can’t imagine there are too many tickets left so I’d be thinking about getting one soon. And finally, the Bluesfest team are looking for legendary Aussie rock’n’roll pianist Jimmy Taylor, who played with the likes of Jonny Devlin, Billy Thorpe, Warren Williams and Ray Hoff back in the day. Please do get in touch if you happen to know where he is or what he’s up to at the moment.
46 • For more opinion go to themusic.com.au/blog
with a 90-minute set of nothing but Hetfield/Ulrich penned numbers and maybe one last caress…
I mentioned last week that the guys at Welkin Entertainment are busy putting together SIX brand new promo compilations that will be handed out at strategic locations on upcoming big tours and will be available as a free download too. With six options, there is one to fit every band so if you want to appear on either the Rock, Heavy Rock, Metal, Hardcore/ Metal, Punk/Hardcore or the Acoustic one then contact the guys now via their FB page. The final deadline is the first week of February so snap to it!
SATURDAY
Nekrofeist are set to release a new 7” single in March. Side A is Australian Made and Side B has an extended version of Cesium-137. It also features alternative versions of Without Reserve Or Regret that will only appear on the vinyl release. The artwork was done by Seldon Hunt who has also drawn pretty pictures for Corrosion Of Conformity, Isis and The Melvins. The ‘Feist will be at the Stag next week too. Stu Tyrrell has announced that he is leaving Hazmat after three years to spend time with his young family. He has two more shows left with the band; next Saturday at The Stag and then on Friday 22 February at The Valve Bar. No replacement for Stu has been announced at this time.
FRIDAY Feel like an evening of ‘Tallica action? The Valve Bar in Tempe is hosting a Metallica Tribute night with Risen Dred drawing the shortest straw and opening the night at 7.00pm. Dead-Life jump in the fire next followed by the gods that failed, Upside Down Miss Jane. Then SteelSwarm hit the lights around 9.30pm. Each of those bands will play one Lars Inc song (not necessarily the ones I’ve added naffly here). Damage Inc fade the evening to black
If you find yourself in the Shire and feel like nothing more than a dose of total Aussie pub rock then head to the Brass Monkey where The Radiators and RJ Chops will make you feel like it’s 1987 all over again. Not necessarily a bad thing.
The Valve Bar backs up their Metallica night with an evening of sickly sweet hard rock that they want to spill over your pretty faces (um, not my words!) The debauchery kicks off at 7.30pm and the following bands will be strutting around: Dirty Dezire, Sylvain, Hot Angel, The Bitter Sweethearts and A Gentlemen’s Agreement. Since you need to spend all your cash on hairspray and mascara, the gig is free.
SUNDAY It’s that time again! The Sydney Rock’n’Roll & Alternative Markets are holding their first market of the year once again at The Manning Bar. If you’ve been before, then you know what to expect. If you haven’t then you definitely need to check it out. Starting at 10.30am, the ultimate subculture market caters for anyone into the rock lifestyle. There are plenty of stalls selling great rock, alternative and vintage clothing, jewellery and accessories, books, art and collectables. There’s plenty of stuff for the kids to do, classic cars on display and an awesome range of food. They have a massive line-up of live action booked too. Adelaide rockabilly greats, The Satellites, Canberra’s punk/rock/ska heroes Los Capitanes, Melbourne Paddy rockers The Ramshackle Army and Sydney’s own Big Blind Ray Trio, who’s blues rock/ gospel blues blend is a great Sunday soundtrack. I’ll be back selling a stack of quality metal CDs, DVDs and LPs, and also for all of you with tattoos you have to come and check out the healing balm – it does wonders! Entry to the market is by gold coin donation. heavy@drummedia.com.au
WAKE THE DEAD PUNK AND HARDCORE WITH SARAH PETCHELL ticketing packages available, but note that last year the tickets sold out in a week, then when upgraded to a bigger venue sold out again after only three weeks. Get in quick because at the time of writing threequarters of the weekend tickets had already sold out.
She’s already been spoken of as one of the best female electric blues guitarists on the planet and now Australia gets a chance to see Pat Wilder perform in the flesh; after listening to some of her material and checking her out on YouTube, I get the feeling she is going to melt more than a few faces at Bluesfest 2013. Her style is something of a hybrid of blues, r’n’b and rock, and focuses on the trials and tribulations of real life people. Finally, Music Maker will be bringing Dr Burt back out to Australia. He was a bit of a latecomer to the world of blues music, buying a 12-string guitar after being inspired by a Lead Belly documentary he saw following an argument with his wife. The almost seven-foot tall gentle giant has an incredible voice and plays like no one else (seriously, he uses his own made up tuning style) and will be a sure-fire highlight of the set.
you’re either a bass player or singer or both and want to be in band that ticks all the above boxes and can get over to a rehearsal space located somewhere between Manly and the Bridge, then give Jake a buzz on 0402 539 280. He says that the yet unnamed band is hard to explain but sounds like Hatebreed, White Zombie, The Haunted and Seps with a bit of Satyricon thown in. I’d see that.
Norma Jean While the first thing that I want to mention this week is a fest happening in Melbourne, its relevant to all you Sydneysiders for two reasons. Firstly, if you want to travel, then start booking your tickets, flights and accommodation now because this is a line-up you do not want to miss. Secondly, it should give you a nice idea of the bands that you should start saving your pennies to see around the time that this festival will be running, as touring for at least the internationals will be inevitable. So what am I talking about? Just that Break The Ice is returning for its second year and in my opinion, the 2013 line-up blows last year’s out of the water. The fest has expanded to a two-day event at a bigger venue. Sharing the headline duties will be the legendary Bane and Cold World, as well as LA up-and-comers Rotting Out. While Bane are legendary and Cold World changed the face of hardcore with their inclusion of hip hop elements, Rotting Out and their fantastic debut album Street Prowl represent a new era. You can also add to the list Hopeless, Relentless, Iron Mind, Sydney’s Phantoms doing a reunion tour (in spite of having broken up about five minutes ago), Survival, The Weight, Outright, Endless Heights, Thorns, Civil War and that’s just the tip of the iceberg, with plenty more yet to be announced. The fest is happening on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 April 2013 at Lilydale Showgrounds, with tickets on sale now. There are single day and both days
Resist have announced that they are bringing out one of the most talked about bands of 2012, Black Breath. This Seattle band released Sentenced To Life, an album which cemented their sound as a combination of punk and metal with doses of garage rock. Now, in April, Black Breath will be heading to Australia for the very first time and touring the country with them will be Canberra’s I Exist. While I really do enjoy I Exist, I’m really hoping that this tour will see them playing at least a couple of new tunes. Only April will tell when the duo of bands hit Hermann’s Bar in Sydney on Saturday 6 April and then The Basement in Canberra on Sunday 7. Both shows are 18+ with tickets available only on the doors for all shows. Last week I saw a snippet that suggested this, but now that it has been officially announced, I’m truly excited for this tour. The mighty Norma Jean are returning to Australia for the first time in over five years (I’m pretty sure the last time was Come Together 2006 or 2007?). Since then, they’ve released two new albums, including Meridional, a record that truly saw the band return to the form they had on Redeemer and O God, The Aftermath, but in the meantime the band have been preparing for the release of album number six for some time later this year. Coming along with Norma Jean will be Boston’s Vanna and Newcastle’s Safe Hands. Safe Hands will be the band to watch on this tour, especially as they are currently preparing to record their debut full-length, the follow up to their 2011 EP Oh, The Humanity and last year’s split with Perth’s Vanity. Tickets are on sale now for the licensed/ all ages show at The Hi-Fi in Sydney on Friday 3 May. Details are starting to emerge regarding the release of Paramore’s forthcoming self-titled album, with the first track from the record released last week. The track is called Now and is streaming through their
website or download it from iTunes. You can expect to see the album drop on Friday 5 April, or check them out at Soundwave in February. Perhaps then there will be more of a tantalising taste for fans of what they can expect from the record. This is the band’s first release following the departure of Josh and Zac Farro back in December 2010. Hardcore heavyweights Terror have announced that they have signed to Victory Records for the release of their sixth album Live By The Code in April (the US and Canadian release dates have been announced for April, so it would stand to reason that the Australian release date would be around the same time). Vocalist Scott Vogel said of the signing, “When I was in high school, I would go to Home Of The Hits Records in Buffalo, NY and every week I would check for new Victory releases. Growing up, Victory Records always had the best hardcore bands, period. They had this awesome packaging and vibe that I loved.” To bring the news back a bit closer to home, Chopdog have announced the return of the covers cruise, this time on St Patricks Day, Sunday 17 March. Called the ‘Schooner or Later’ Sydney Harbour Cruise, the three-hour journey around the harbour will be complete with food and a well-stocked bar, with plenty of tunes to keep the party atmosphere alive. The Isaac Graham Band will be playing Blink 182’s Dude Ranch, Fake Effects (which features members of Bagster and Ebolagoldfish) will take on NOFX’s So Long And Thanks For The Shoes, while Newcastle Rad Beligion (members of Conation and Wiseheimer) will play a best of Bad Religion (no surprise there). But it’s Melbourne’s Some Band To Write Home About who will have the set of the night, with their tribute to the late Tony Sly by performing tracks from No Use For A Name’s Live In A Dive. Early bird tickets are available now with no booking fees, but note there is limited capacity (because it’s a boat, der!) so get in quickly so you don’t miss out. wakethedead@drummedia.com.au
BLOW
OG FLAVAS
DANCE MOVES
JAZZ/WORLD WITH MICHAEL SMITH
URBAN AND R&B NEWS BY CYCLONE
NEW CURRENTS WITH TIM FINNEY
2013, will supposedly issue Broke With Expensive Taste next month, Miss Amor the lead single.
Solange
Baby Et Lulu SIMA launches its new year at the Sound Lounge with the German/Swiss recorder and sax-led Andreas Böhlen Band, presented in conjunction with the Goethe Institute, Friday 1 February. Then 2-5pm Saturday 2 in the Seymour Centre Theatre Courtyard, The Swinging Blades, featuring Elana Stone and Warwick Adler, play a free concert, while the Virna Sanzone Band take to the Sound Lounge that night, after another free event, Jazz Voices, Australian Musicians In Dialogue, 5-6:15pm. The following Friday 8, enjoy the Jeremy Rose Quartet, while Saturday 9, it’s Roil. The following day, Sunday 10, Abraham reunites with bass player Lloyd Swanton and drummer/percussionist Tony Buck aka The Necks to play Lizotte’s Newcastle, followed by Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14 at the Basement. Majkowski and Waples, meanwhile, join Melbourne vibraphonist Dale Gorfinkel at Colbourne Ave in Glebe Thursday 31 January. Likened to Michael Nyman and Max Richter, pianist and composer Sophie Hutchings showcases her most recent album, Night Sky (Preservation), at Camelot Lounge Thursday 31 January accompanied by violinist Jeremy Kong and cellist Peter Hollo. Opening the evening is fellow pianist and composer Adrian Klumpes. Also playing Camelot over the next couple of weeks are Kim Sanders & Friends with special guest, Iranian Kurdish percussionist Mustafa Karami, Friday 1 February; harpist and singer Victor Valdez and his 12-piece Real Mexico Mariachi Band Saturday 2; Lola Lovina fuses tango, Balkan, Gypsy swing and more with The Margaret Street Project, supported by a similarly-minded On The Stoop Friday 8. Victor Valdez also guests with the James Valentine Quartet at the Golden Sheaf in Double Bay Tuesday 5, while Tuesday 12, Emma Pask is their guest. Double bassist, composer and arranger Cameron Undy is joined by pianist Greg Coffin, saxophonist Matt Keegan and drummer Jamie Cameron aka The Abstract Brotherhood Wednesday 30 January at 505 in Surry Hills, while Thursday 31 it’s Cancion Protesta!, a night in tribute to the revolutionary songs of Latin America performed by Oscar Jimenez & The Marin Brothers. Jimenez also kicks off a residency of three Thursdays back-toback-to-back at Yots Café Bar, Australian National Maritime Museum, with his trio Thursday 31. At 505 Friday 1 February, it’s the Great American Songbook with the Todd Hardy Big Band, featuring Monica Trapaga on vocals, while Saturday 2 heads to the Middle East with the Joseph Tawadros Trio. Wednesday 6 sees Sydney singer and composer Leigh Carriage launch her new album, Mandarin Skyline (Vitamin). Thursday 8 505 features Nogara Afro-Beat, Friday 9 the Urban Gypsies, Saturday 9 Lily Dior & Edoardo Santoni, and Monday 11 it’s Katie Wighton with Elana Stone. American musical royalty comes to Eastern Lounge, Friday 8 February with pianist and composer Lionel Cole, son of jazz vocalist Freddy and nephew of Nat ‘King’ Cole, supported by Canadian artist Faye Blais and local duo February Dream. Otherwise known as Abby Dobson and Lara Goodridge, Baby et Lulu bring the velvet sounds of their favourites from the French chanteuse book of songs and a six-piece band to The Vanguard Friday 8 February, Lizotte’s Newcastle Thursday 14 and Lizotte’s Kincumber Friday 15. Lizotte’s Dee Why hosts Brian’s Famous Jazz & Chilli Crab Night Friday 1 February, the music courtesy the Rob Campbell Trio, while it’s Lizotte’s Kincumber’s turn Saturday 9, with the Luke Gallen Trio. At The Basement, Circular Quay, Saturday night, it’s El Orqueston, and The Subterraneans are back at the Town Hall Hotel in Newtown Sundays through February with, Sunday 10, special guest drummers Evan Mannell and Gordon Rytmeister. blow@drummedia.com.au
There’s much music awaiting urban fans in 2013, with artists making big comebacks or dropping greatly anticipated debuts. Industry pundits are predicting a rock (or indie) resurgence, with folk singer/songwriter Tom Odell winning the BRITs Critics’ Choice Award, and Californian rock sisters Haim the BBC Sound Of 2013 poll. But there is quality urban fare in the influential BBC list. A standout artist for OG Flavas is Birmingham soulstress Laura Mvula, who has a background in both gospel and classical musicianship. Mvula’s debut Sing To The Moon, which follows 2012’s auspicious She EP, is due March through Sony. It should have an orchestral yet experimental bent – think Lianne la Havas at her most avant. The Native American femcee (and Azealia Banks’ nemesis) Angel Haze, signed to Universal, is blowing up massively. The internet phenom, who smashed through with the minimal New York, has cut a raw mixtape version of Eminem’s Cleanin’ Out My Closet. An album is on the way. One artist inexplicably omitted from 2013 media previews is London’s Jess Mills. In the same vein as her Island label-mate Jessie Ware, Mills is meant to release Twist Of Fate on the back of the single For My Sins early this year. And the number of post-dubstep soulstresses is growing. No wonder Katy B is busy prepping her second album. She lately offered the EP Danger (containing a Ware collab, and the Diplo production Light As A Feather) for free download. A few of 2012’s hyped acts have held over albums. A$AP Rocky’s Long.Live.A$AP has just surfaced – and, besides those tripped-out hustle raps, it epitomises the innovative music missing from Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city. Another Harlemite, Ms Azealia Banks, who’s headlining Future Music Festival
However, the most buzzworthy urban act right now has been active for years, only to radically reinvent herself. Solange Knowles could be Aaliyah’s successor, although she has Kelis’ rebellious streak. Solange recently collaborated with hipster fave Dev Hynes (aka Lightspeed Champion and Blood Orange) to craft the retro avant R&B ‘minialbum’ True, entailing the popular Losing You. Solange’s sister Beyoncé is returning to the spotlight this year with another blockbuster album. The new mum is determined to regain momentum after the muted reception to 4, and has even produced – and directed – a candid documentary, Life Is But A Dream, for HBO. She’s also joined Destiny’s Child to record their first track in eight years. Nuclear, a vintage ‘90s jam courtesy of Pharrell. It’s a decade since that neo-gangsta 50 Cent unleashed Get Rich Or Die Tryin’. Stymied by Interscope, he’s finally airing his fifth album, Street King Immortal – home to the single My Life, featuring Eminem and Maroon 5’s Adam Levine plus beats from Symbolyc One (Kanye West). Meanwhile, the copious Snoop Dogg – oops Snoop Lion – has teamed with Diplo’s Major Lazer for the reggae LP Reincarnated. Hopefully, this year similarly brings gamechanging projects from Eminem, Jay-Z, Kanye and Drake. Oh, and look out for Tinie Tempah’s EDM Demonstration. Some of urban’s more secretive identities are unveiling fresh material. New Orleans MC/producer Jay Electronica is tipped to give us that Roc Nation album. In late 2012 Missy Elliott proffered the double single 9th Inning/Triple Threat with old cohort Timbaland – will we soon have her significantly overdue Block Party? Following 2006’s FutureSex/LoveSounds, Justin Timberlake caught the acting bug – and became an entrepreneur. But the newlywed is opening 2013 with the decent Miguel-era single Suit & Tie, featuring Jay-Z, from his forthcoming opus The 20/20 Experience. JT is attached to Beyoncé’s album, too. Comeback – or SexyBack?
THE BREAKDOWN POP CULTURE THERAPY WITH ADAM CURLEY be, with our money no less. This kind of push and pull is also how music cultures change, or don’t.
Boomgates A sticky reverence for the triple j Hottest 100 was all over the faces of the music news media last week. When the website warmest100.com. au claimed to have come up with an algorithm that could calculate the Hottest 100 list ahead of the Australia Day countdown, disclaimers slipped easily from the tongues reporting it. The site itself stated that its creators did not want to “spoil your Australia Day”. The Vine updated its story to ask readers not to discuss “supposed winners in the comments section” so as not to ruin the surprise for others. Facebook and Twitter users posted “spoiler alerts” when mentioning the site and related stories, with many tying the countdown to the experience of our national holiday. Considering the reach of triple j, as well as the fact that a generation of radio listeners – specifically the station’s target demographic – has grown up with the annual Hottest 100 poll, and considering the station’s hard marketing of the countdown as a program to be heard at barbies with mates on Oz Day, the mental link is perhaps obvious. Australia Day means sitting around the backyard with triple j blaring, betting on the top ten, trying to call in to get your party mentioned by The Doctor. For those who don’t listen, this image can be as problematic as major supermarkets filling their shelves with Australian flag merchandise. The problem with the Hottest 100 has always had to do with the limited reach of the list, which is a reflection of the music championed by the station in its most popular hours; the decisions made about what is likely to appeal to its broadest audience. It’s a conversation that is worthwhile due to just how representative (as a broad sweep) of Australian music culture the Hottest 100 has been built up to
This year the gap between the Hottest 100 and an increasingly popular, parallel view of new Australian music was massive. Look to other channels and labels such as RIP Society and Chapter Records are nurturing large fan bases; Total Control gets a rave review on Pitchfork; Lower Plenty are named for producing the best album of 2012. Where were these in the Hottest 100? On our national day, our national ‘youth broadcaster’ did not represent a significant sector (to use the word flippantly) of music that seeks to represent the Australian experience. It’s a generalising statement, I know. But it can’t be denied that in acts such as Boomgates or Twerps or Kirin J Callinan or Bitch Prefect or Straight Arrows or (outside popular media) Terrible Truths or Peak Twins or The UV Race or Holy Balm or its offshoot Raw Prawn or Scott & Charlene’s Wedding are looking to uncover new truths about Australian music and Australian culture. A lot of it feels class-based, particularly the audio aesthetic and visual imagery many of these acts employ. It’s telling that many of these acts, despite drawing on older Australian sounds and incorporating past fashions, are rarely accused of nostalgia or that great non-crime, irony. Because there’s something else happening in the current of their work: a need to lay claim to ideas that have been perceived as undesirable or outside the mainstream Australian experience for so long. A tea towel embroidered with a koala becomes ‘cool’ not merely because it’s ugly but because of the social attitudes that have for so long seen it as representative of the poor, the lowbrow and therefore the uneducated; of naivety, which so often is used to mean open-mindedness and uncertainty, one of the largest social crimes of our time. If you want to spoil my day, you can make it a celebration of a government that uses my money to publicise an event that wants to represent my country’s popular culture and then overlooks a huge segment of that culture which seeks to reflect my beliefs.
Andres So according to the current dance music organs of note (Resident Advisor, FACT), 2012’s tune of the year was Andres’ New For U. If you haven’t heard it, New For U is a rough and ready discofied house tune with this fluttering string line that is simultaneously pretty and unsettling. In feel, New For U always puts me in mind of Metro Area’s enduring teletubby disco anthem Miura, and maybe there’s a similar dynamic at work in people’s enjoyment and veneration, the sense of a tune that could have been larger and more gregarious but instead opts for a sly restraint that allows it to be deployed by every DJ in the world and avoid seeming ‘overexposed’; like Miura, New For U sounds better the fiftieth time you heard it than it did the first, and if you went out dancing at classy but middlebrow clubs in 2012 you probably heard it more than fifty times. Far be it from me to resent people getting their classy but middlebrow vibes on, but – despite liking the tune a great deal – I found something slightly disheartening about New For U’s near cross-the-board success in the dance polling sweepstakes. If ever there was a tune that felt like it was the eighth best tune of the year, it was this; reliably likeable rather than world-changing, presenting very familiar charms with memorable flair. But then it should hardly surprise that the dance music critic world fell en masse, as “classy but middlebrow” largely sums up the aesthetic preferences of a broad swathe of people who define themselves as the dance music (or, really, ‘house and techno’) cognoscenti right now. Reading through mountains of year end lists, I’m struck by how considered so much hyped dance music seemed in 2012. What set off all the smart people last year? Underneath New For U there was: the return of no-frills ‘proper’ techno (particularly any tracks released by Shed under pseudonyms, though I preferred the slightly more widescreen efforts on his album The Killer); legions of postdubstep producers, now bored of syncopation, making house that often sounded like the German stuff they were studiously not listening to back in 2007 (see Joy Orbison, Blawan, Pearson Sound, etc.); people still trying to make juke crossover happen; people lacing their sets with (more) Baltimore and ballroom beats in a last gasp attempt at novelty (though who could hate KW Griff’s Bring In The Katz or anything B.Ames touched last year); people ‘suddenly’ discovering skipping mid-‘90s US garage (in truth I liked this trend a lot – see Disclosure, Huxley, Julio Bashmore); people still thinking that Burial repeating the same trick over and over again is like peaking into the mind of God. There were of course other trends in dance music, but these are the ones you’d know about reading the most widely-recognised sources of dance music journalism at the moment. And if that’s all you followed, you’d have heard a lot of great music in 2012. But it’s hard to think of a time when dance music discourse felt more careful, more considered and reverent towards history, more the product of a generation of listeners who have already seen and heard (and possibly popped) too much to feel genuinely excited for the present, let alone the future. The listener who thinks New For U was the best track of the year seems to me to be a listener for whom real surprise no longer seems possible. I write this hypocritically, as a thirty-year-old who might in fact be older than the average age of dance music critics, but in truth I’d prefer to see dance music criticism populated by new jacks whose minds were blown by Skrillex, who don’t really know much about venerated label imprints, whose naïve assumptions that everything happening is happening for the first time is as touching as it is silly, who populate their year end lists with graceless wall-to-wall bangers. Even if only so I could rail against them for being so comically lowbrow and classless. dancemoves@drummedia.com.au
For more opinion go to themusic.com.au/blog • 47
GET IT TOGETHER
YOUNG & RESTLESS
HIP HOP WITH VIKTOR KRUM
ALL AGES WITH DAVE DRAYTON
Beyonce Breaking news, team. Remember that you heard it here first, and nowhere else. Okayâ&#x20AC;Ś ready? Beyonce might have lip-synced her performance of the American national anthem at the inauguration of President Obama. It looks likely that she prerecorded the song and then mouthed along on the day. The Times, a generally reliable UK paper, got a grab from a Marine Corp Band spokeswoman. It seems (we say it seems because Murdoch keeps The Times behind a pay wall and we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t conduct any further research without reaching into our own pockets. Thanks again, Rupe!) that the Marine Corps Band might have resolved that the pre-recorded Beyonce was preferable to live Beyonce because of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;riskâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; associated with a live performance at the Capitol. Scandal! Or... maybe not. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interesting that we â&#x20AC;&#x201C; consumers of music that has gone through scores of processes to be edited, vetted, refined and fiddled with â&#x20AC;&#x201C; should be scandalised by the idea that any performer who wants to give their best performance would prerecord. We ought to remember, too, that an artist pre-recording their own performance and then playing along with the recording in order to give his or her audience maximum value is light years away from MF DOOM (or Milli Vanilli) style silliness. In our view: there is respecting your audience enough to give them the best youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got, and there is deception. Beyonce is firmly in the former camp. Move along. Or not. Perhaps the reason we seek (and often pay serious money for) a live performance is
to see it live. We are watching for the magical moments that will never be repeated. Taking this view Beyonceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (and other lip-syncersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;) audience is being denied a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;trueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; performance; being denied the rough edges, passionate moments, minor mistakes and slight improvisations that make live music special. That view is wrong, of course. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always better to get the more refined, more perfected version, minus the mess. (Or is it?) Apathy and Celph Titled are touring. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re bringing out their clique The Demigodz. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exciting news. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also a little odd. Apathy and Celph define teenage boy rap. Lots of presence. A bit of charisma. Some technique. Lots of misogyny. Complex rhyme schemes. A lack of mainstream success. You could not design a more perfect teenage boy rap crew; but that was near enough a decade ago. The teenage boys for whom The Demigodz defined teenage-hood are now addicted to Masterchef: The Professionals and fretting about their mortgage. So hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your job: if you know an ex-teenage boy who needs to go to a rap show, take them out to the Factory Theatre on Wednesday 27 March. Kerserâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new video They Will Never Understand is aptly, if unintentionally ironically, named. Shot in Kersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; home suburb of Campbelltown, we see a rundown house with Kers inside it, rapping about his feelings. And it works. Brilliantly. As Kerser digs beneath his own â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ladâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; persona so too do we see an example of the tough times our host had growing up. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s likely to have big dollop of fiction plopped in for effect, but the clip is gripping. The new Spit Syndicate track, Folly, is good. Plus, if you were wondering whether Jimmy and Nick were fans of Urthboyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2012 single NaĂŻve Bravado now you know â&#x20AC;&#x201C; they liked it. A lot. Sunday Gentlemen, the third Double S album, due out Friday 22 February. getittogether@drummedia.com.au
about the world we live in and the adversities we have faced. Playing in your face, no bullshit hardcore.
Restless Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got your entire week covered, which is exciting to say the least. Tonight, Wollongong people should get down Yours & Owls from 7pm to catch Expire (out from the States), Iron Mind, Break A Leg, and Cartographer. Local instrumental mad dogs Fâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;tang (imagine if elevator music was an amazing genre and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re kinda close) are launching their second EP Pinkish Hue at Blackwire on Thursday night with a whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s who of local bands: Yes Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m Leaving, Making, and a debut live performance from Top People. Things get real weird (and rather awesome) on Friday, with ABBA tribute band Bjorn Again playing from 5pm at â&#x20AC;&#x201C; wait for it â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Taronga Zoo! Do not miss this bizarrely fantastic gig! Or alternatively, head down to the Courtyard Sessions at Seymour Centre, where The Canary Fairies are playing a free gig. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll skip to Sunday now (and come back for Saturday) and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll let you know that Nick Van Breda is launching a new 7â&#x20AC;? alongside heartbreakers Jen Buxton and Mara Threat from 2pm at Blackwire Records. On Saturday Sydney hardcore band Relentless play a huge all ages show from 5pm at Alpha Park Hall, Blacktown, alongside The Weight, Thorns, Final Frontier, and Death Toll. 1We caught up with frontman Trent for a few questions before the show. For the uninitiated amongst us, what you can you tell us about Relentless? We are five-piece hardcore band from Sydney who lay everything out on the table and speak the truth
What do you think of the all ages scene in Australia at the moment? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not too bad; it is always up and down. It goes through its cycles, right now itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on the up with so many new bands breaking through, more labels and booking agents booking more shows helping more bands. Building the scene back up again. How could it be improved? People leave their attitudes at home behind their keyboards. If they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have positive attitudes towards helping and building the scene they do not deserve to be at a hardcore show. Once people stop worrying about being judged numbers will grown again. Hardcore seems synonymous with a commitment to inclusive shows; why do you think it is important to play all ages shows? I am adamant about playing AA shows, cause I know I was once under age with nowhere to go. If we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have shows or something to vent and fulfil that emptiness and void god only knows what paths in life we will choose to walk. The floor is yours; sell us Saturdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s show at Alpha Park Hallâ&#x20AC;Ś If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re having trouble finding your place, a place to call your own, come out to the show and meet your new family â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sydney hardcore. No one is looked down upon â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;cause of how they dress or act; where no one questions your beliefs. A place where you will feel accepted and will meet new friends. A place for good times, stage dives and singalongs! Any tips for young musos? Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been doing this for nearly ten years and four records later and we are only starting to slightly see the hard work paying off, and let me tell you the feeling is unexplainable and unmatchable. allages@drummedia.com.au
Fri 25th Jan
CHRIS RAICOVICH Sat 26th Jan - Australia Day
JJJ HOTTEST 100 COUNTDOWN EVENT.... Family friendly day featuring a BBQ and salad bar buffet and most importantly get in to our f£äĂ&#x160;Â?Ă&#x2022;}Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160;Â&#x153;vĂ&#x160;Â?Â&#x153;V>Â?Ă&#x160;LiiĂ&#x20AC;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x2022;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2C6;Â?Ă&#x160;xÂŤÂ&#x201C;ttĂ&#x160;UĂ&#x160; Â&#x153;>`Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160;Â&#x153;vĂ&#x160;ÂŤĂ&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6;âiĂ&#x192;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;Ă&#x160;LiĂ&#x160;Ă&#x153;Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x160;Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;iĂ&#x160;`>Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;VÂ?Ă&#x2022;`Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;}Ă&#x160; iĂ&#x192;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x160;`Ă&#x20AC;iĂ&#x192;Ă&#x192;i`Ă&#x160; >Â&#x2DC;`Ă&#x160;LiĂ&#x192;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x160; Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x192;Â&#x2C6;iĂ&#x160;Â&#x2026;>Ă&#x152;tĂ&#x160;7iĂ&#x160;Ă&#x153;>Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x192;iiĂ&#x160;Ă&#x17E;Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x160; Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x192;Â&#x2C6;iĂ&#x160;Ă&#x192;ÂŤÂ&#x2C6;Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x192;Â&#x2026;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;ittĂ&#x160;UĂ&#x160;*Â?iÂ&#x2DC;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;Ă&#x160;`Â&#x153;Ă&#x160;vÂ&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;iĂ&#x160;Â&#x17D;Â&#x2C6;`Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;VÂ?Ă&#x2022;`Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;}Ă&#x160; Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x192;Â&#x2C6;iĂ&#x160;LĂ&#x2022;Ă&#x192;Â&#x17D;iĂ&#x20AC;Ă&#x192;]Ă&#x160;v>ViĂ&#x160;ÂŤ>Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;}]Ă&#x160;Â&#x17D;Â&#x2C6;``Â&#x2C6;iĂ&#x160;v>Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x201C;Ă&#x160;>Â&#x2DC;`Ă&#x160;`Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;½Ă&#x152;Ă&#x160;vÂ&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;}iĂ&#x152;Ă&#x160;Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x160;,Ă&#x2022;LĂ&#x17E;Ă&#x160;Â&#x17D;Â&#x2C6;`Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160;ÂŤÂ?>Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;>Ă&#x20AC;i>ttĂ&#x160;
Â&#x153;Â&#x201C;iĂ&#x160;>Â&#x2DC;`Ă&#x160;Ă&#x192;ÂŤiÂ&#x2DC;`Ă&#x160;Ă&#x17E;Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x160; Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x20AC;>Â?Â&#x2C6;>Ă&#x160;`>Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x153;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;Ă&#x160;,Ă&#x2022;LĂ&#x17E;Ă&#x160;>Â&#x2DC;`Ă&#x160;/Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6;ÂŤÂ?iĂ&#x160; tĂ&#x160;
HARVEY Â,Â&#x153;>Â&#x201C;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;}Ă&#x160; Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x20AC;>Â?Ă&#x160;vÂ&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x201C;>Ă&#x152;ÂŽ
Sun 27th Jan
MARTY STEWART Thu 31st Jan
BERNIE HAYES
iĂ&#x20AC;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2C6;iĂ&#x160; >Ă&#x17E;iĂ&#x192;Ă&#x160;`Â&#x153;iĂ&#x192;Â&#x2DC;½Ă&#x152;Ă&#x160;Â&#x201C;>Â&#x17D;iĂ&#x160;>Â?LĂ&#x2022;Â&#x201C;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160;>Â?Â?Ă&#x160;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;>Ă&#x152;Ă&#x160;Â&#x153;vĂ&#x152;iÂ&#x2DC;°Ă&#x160; Ă&#x152;½Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x153;Â&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;iĂ&#x160;Ă&#x153;>Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;]Ă&#x160;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022;}Â&#x2026;°
Fri 1st Feb
YELLOW CANVAS Sat 2nd Feb
All ment rtain Â&#x2DC;` e t e en , ÂťĂ&#x160;> Ă&#x160;L>Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x160; Âş Ă&#x160; Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192; Ă&#x160;ÂŤĂ&#x2022;LÂ?Â&#x2C6;V i Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026; >Ă&#x20AC;i>°°°°
ILUKA COMING SOON:
HARVEY (DUO), OLIVER GOSS, MARK EVANS
Sun Fri - LĂ&#x17E; Ă&#x2022; , Ă&#x160;Â&#x201C;iÂ&#x2DC;Ă&#x2022; Â&#x17D;iÂ&#x2DC;` sion i i 7 ay Ses n u S d *Â&#x2C6;ââ>½Ă&#x192;
MONDAY MADNESS Ă&#x203A;iĂ&#x20AC;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;Â&#x2026;Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x160;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160; >ÂŤÂŤĂ&#x17E;Ă&#x160; Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x160;Â&#x2021;Ă&#x160; Â?Â?Ă&#x160; `>Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;EĂ&#x160; Â?Â?Ă&#x160;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;i°°°° TUESDAY - FRIDAY Happy Hour 4pm - 6pm
48 â&#x20AC;˘ For more opinion go to themusic.com.au/blog
TUESDAY TRIVIA Ă&#x20AC;i>Ă&#x152;Ă&#x160;vĂ&#x2022;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x160;Â?Â&#x153;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x192;>Ă&#x160;*Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6;âiĂ&#x192; WEDNESDAY Âş-Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;}Ă&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;iĂ&#x20AC;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160; Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x152;iĂ&#x192;Ă&#x152;½Ă&#x160;VÂ&#x153;Â&#x201C;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;}Ă&#x160; Ă&#x192;Â&#x153;Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x160;ÂiÂ&#x2DC;`Ă&#x160; >Ă&#x20AC;VÂ&#x2026;ÂŽĂ&#x160;Â?Â&#x153;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160;Â&#x153;vĂ&#x160; Â&#x201C;>Â?Â&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x160;ÂŤĂ&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6;âiĂ&#x192;
Â&#x153;
$ £ä Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x160;Â&#x2021;Ă&#x160; Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6; & $1 Ă&#x160; Â&#x153;V>Â?Ă&#x160; Ă&#x2022; 7Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;i 0 bottles }Ă&#x192; Ă&#x160;Ă&#x153; of ÂŤĂ&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;V Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;Ă&#x160;Â&#x201C;i>Â?Ă&#x160; Â&#x2026;>Ă&#x192;i
THURSDAY ,Â&#x2C6;LĂ&#x192;Ă&#x160; Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;iĂ&#x160;Â&#x2021;Ă&#x160; iĂ&#x20AC;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2C6;iĂ&#x160; >Ă&#x17E;iĂ&#x192;Ă&#x160; Â,iĂ&#x192;Â&#x2C6;`iÂ&#x2DC;VĂ&#x17E;ÂŽ FRIDAY Solo/Duo
 Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6; Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x160;Â&#x2021;Ă&#x160; Ă&#x20AC; 10 mĂ&#x160;Â?Ă&#x2022;Â&#x2DC;VÂ&#x2026;Ă&#x160;Â&#x153; Â&#x2C6; Â&#x2DC; ÂłĂ&#x160;,Ă&#x2022; eal spe Â?Ă&#x17E;ÂŽĂ&#x160; LĂ&#x17E;½Ă&#x192; cials Ă&#x160; & D Ă&#x2022;Â&#x2DC;VÂ&#x2026; meninner us $
SATURDAY Solo/Duo SUNDAY -Ă&#x2022;Â&#x2DC;`>Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;-iĂ&#x192;Ă&#x192;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x160;fĂ&#x17D;äĂ&#x160; Â&#x153;VÂ&#x17D;Ă&#x152;>Â&#x2C6;Â?Ă&#x160; Ă&#x2022;}Ă&#x192;]Ă&#x160;fĂ&#x201C;xĂ&#x160; Â&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;>Ă&#x160; Ă&#x2022;VÂ&#x17D;iĂ&#x152;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160;EĂ&#x160; fĂ&#x201C;äĂ&#x160; iVÂ&#x17D;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160; Ă&#x2022;VÂ&#x17D;iĂ&#x152;Ă&#x192;
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49
GETTIN’ COMFY
SHADY LANE
GOODGOD, GOOD CAUSE
DEWBURY RETURNS
This Friday, a huge line-up of local and international talent will be performing at GoodGod and performing a good deed. All of the proceeds will be going towards Beyond Blue, The National Depression Initiative, with the entry fee being a donation of the attendee’s choice. Headlining the evening is Mark Pritchard, who will be joined by Tuff Sherm, Cliques, Preacha & Ben Fester, Templar Soundsystem and Compound DJs.
Russ Dewbury brings his legendary Jazz Rooms night back to the Basement this Saturday with a one-off funk and soul extravaganza courtesy DJ Craig Charles, better known as Dave Lister in Red Dwarf, along with Dojo Cuts featuring Roxie Ray, The Liberators and Jorge Montell.
ROOTS AT YOTS
Get up close and personal with Diana Rouvas and Carmen Smith – two of the stars of The Voice – at Blue Beat this Friday evening. Diana and Carmen will be performing both separately and together for the first time in this intimate setting.
The Australian National Maritime Museum’s harbour front café bar Yots is kicking into swing this summer with free evening performances by Latin roots outfit the Oscar Jimenez Trio. You can catch the first performance of the mini-residency from 4pm on Thursday.
Any special guests going to make an appearance during your tenure? I’ve been overwhelmed with how strong the supports are: The Mountains, Bearhug, Guerre, Through The Forest Door (Luke from The Laurels), The Ocean Party (Melbourne), Raindrop, Little Lovers, Twin Lakes (Eddie from the Seabellies’ side project). And the finale with Naughty Rappers Collective will be perhaps the most special of all. I think we may have to pull out a hip hip number to suit the theme. Cause I can rap… I hope. Favourite position at the venue when you’re not on stage? Normally next to the sound desk. But for OAF gallery front and centre When are you in residence? Friday 1 February, with Through the Forest Door, The Ocean Party (Melbourne); Friday 8 with Twin Lakes, Little Lovers, Bear Hug; Thursday 14 (Valentine’s Day) with Guerre and Disgusting People; Friday 22 with The Mountains, Raindrop and Naughty Rappers Collective.
SKY HIGH The Zebs will be joined by Melbournian sunshine punk band, Skyways Are Highways, who make their first trip to Sydney off the back of their debut EP, Let Them Run Wild. Supporting them is the raucous and impressive The Cadres and topping off the evening will be local heroes Train Robbers. You can catch this all at FBi Social this Thursday.
SAY TA TA FOR NOW
GOOD NITE
The Subterraneans, winners of the 2011 Australian Jazz Bell Awards for Best Jazz Blend Album, have re-secured a residency at The Town Hall Hotel in Newtown, which means you can catch the first of many great funkdriven jazz performances this Sunday from 7pm.
MUSICA SALSA If you’ve ever had an inclination to learn how to salsa dance, Thursday night at the Petersham Bowling Club is your chance. From 8:30, Musica Linda will be playing some vibey Cuban music, and if you rock up an hour earlier, you can get a free lesson in salsa dancing.
SINISTER SULTANA Sydney blues act Frank Sultana & The Sinister Kids will be playing at The Vanguard in Newtown on Saturday supporting Melbourne’s debauched bluesmen Brothers Grim and the Blue Murders. Brothers Grim, who have been known to cause quite a ruckus, will be ringing in the release of the new single from their upcoming EP.
CLASSIC ROCK Legendary classic Aussie Pub Rock comes to Revesby Workers Saturday night as the venue plays host to Spy vs Spy and The Radiators, a guaranteed hitfest of a night from two sets of Australia’s real rock’n’roll troopers. The Radiators also play the Brass Monkey in Cronulla Friday night, supported by The Childs and RJ Chops.
FISH TANK Fishing will be emerging from the Blue Mountains to join textural glitch-pop artist Oliver Tank on stage at The Metro Theatre this Thursday. The pair have just been announced as the supports for Yeasayer’s Laneway Festival sideshow, and couldn’t be more fitting acts for the slot.
GET URBAN
SNOTTY BED WETTERS On the cusp of releasing their first full-length album, Ready For Boredom, lo-fi power punk trio Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys will be marking the occasion by playing a bunch of shows launching the record. Camperdown & Out and Legendary Hearts & Snotty Babies will be sharing the stage Friday night at The Square. Sunday, the Bad Boys head into White’s Records in Newcastle.
WHO? STRANGERS! Proudly toting their Tom Larkin-produced debut album, Persona Non Grata, Sydney blue-collar five-piece Strangers kick off a national launch tour at the Great Northern in Newcastle Thursday night, before taking over the Annandale Friday and the Patch Saturday, accompanied throughout by special guests The Dead Love and Born Lion.
50 • For more news/announcements go to themusic.com.au/news
For All Eternity and Storm The Sky will be doing the honours Saturday night, warming up the Annandale stage for American visitors Oh Sleeper.
KIM GOES BOWLING Country blues and roots artist Kim MacKenzie takes to the Petersham Bowling Club stage Sunday from 5pm, accompanied by Kevin Bennett & The Flood and showcasing her latest album, Two White Horses.
THE ALT-TAMWORTH
DAZ IS BACK You all loved him before he did The Voice, whether as Darren Percival or looping maestro Mr Percival, so you know you want to catch up with at Lizotte’s in Dee Why Thursday night, Lizotte’s Newcastle Friday and twice at Lizotte’s Kincumber, Saturday and then Sunday lunch.
BEN ALONE
Let’s not forget that when he’s not on the telly helping aspiring artists achieve their dreams, Keith Urban is one hell of a gun guitarist, singer and songwriter with a few notches under his country-rock belt, all of which will be on show at Allphones Arena Wednesday night.
Still travelling on his much loved solo debut album, The Cat, Queensland-bred, Melbourne-based troubadour Ben Salter, best known for his work in The Gin Club and The Wilson Pickers, heads into the Brass Monkey Wednesday night, supported by Richie Cuthbert and Annaliesse Monaro.
CHASE THE RIFF
BEACH BASH
ACOUSTIC SISTERS It’s all short, sharp and monosyllabic, at least band name-wise down at Oxford Art Factory Monday 4 February, with YesYou, in four-piece mode, the special guests of chillwave Laneway artists Ms Mr.
A‘DALE AWAKES
The irrepressible Gervais Koffi brings his African Diaspora to the Basement Friday night to get you up and dancing to some of the most vibrant music you’ll hear anywhere in this cosmopolitan town. Also on the bill are Mauritian singer Jamino, and the pocket rocket Yannick Koffi, guaranteed to give his dad’s band a run for its money.
Rock-blues riff shredders Chase The Sun have been quietly busy working up new material for the next album, but you can’t keep this touring beast cooped up for long. They hit the road hard once more Thursday night at the Wickham Park Hotel in Newcastle, then head south to Beaches in Thirroul Saturday.
YES – YOU!
Getting in the zone for the recording of their first album, alt.country-inspired Ruby Boots will be performing at FBi Social this Saturday alongside Leroy Lee and The Mountains.
AFRICAN BASEMENT
Emma Swift will be supporting the sweet US country singer Elizabeth Cook during her first ever visit to Australia. Originally intended for The Notes, the show has been moved to The Basement and will take place this Thursday. The two will also be playing a show on the previous day at Lizotte’s in Newcastle.
SUBTERRANEAN HOMESICK JAZZ
RUBY BLUES
Friday night The Vanguard hosts an evening dubbed Country Roads, and since it’s fresh off the back of this year’s Tamworth Country Music Festival, you might say it’s an alt-country city fest, featuring Bellyache Ben & The Steamgrass Boys, The River And The Road, The Green Mohair Suits and All Our Ex’s Live In Texas.
A SWIFT COOK
Perth’s Voltaire Twins are heading into FBi Social this Saturday to spread their indie dance melodies, playing alongside Swimwear (Tim from Dappled Cities) and Shining Bird. Later in the evening, Staggman hosts as Hands up! DJs and Clockwerk serve up some old-school hip hop and dance tunes.
Sydney lo-fi punk legends Royal Headache (who are renowned for their on-stage shenanigans and DIY attitude) will be joined by labelmates Raw Prawn to support visiting Americans The Men on their Laneway Festival sideshow this Wednesday at GoodGod Small Club.
Award-winning singer-songwriter Yolanda has scored herself a Green Card and will be relocating to LA, but not before she takes The Stolen Boys into the Bridge Hotel Saturday night for a combined second EP launch and going away party. Helping out on the night are BayLou and Chris E Thomas, with actor Lindsay Moss MCing and prize-giving.
Joining LA four-piece Nite Jewel when they head into GoodGod Small Club Thursday night for their Laneway sideshow are Holy Balm, Buzz Kull and Astral.
TWINNIES
DIY LO-FI
IN THE HOUSE Adam Sussman and Rory Brown, who are known for their sonic experimentalism, have been handpicked by Mani Neumeir (arguably the “first European Free Jazz Drummer”) to support him at his show at Lamps Studio in Hibernian House. Also on the bill for the show this Friday evening are xNoBBQx and Prophets.
What is it about the venue that makes you want to a run of shows there? The Oxford Art Factory gallery is an interesting loud and out of control room at times. But hey, it has a party vibe, so as long as we play to that I think it’s going to be a hoot. I’ve been overseas for two months so I think the room will allow as to get away with some looseness to start off with. Very much looking forward to playing to some stranger walk-in kinds too. Same set every week or mixing it up? Not sure yet. We’ll aim to mix it up, though. With one show falling on Valentine’s Day it will demand a song or two in that vein, love or hate. Nickelback comes to mind.
VOICES
Fresh from another conquering Tamworth Festival, the ARIA Award-winning McClymonts are heading into the clubs for their Acoustic Harmony Tour, starting off this week playing Belmont 16s Friday night and then The Cube in Campbelltown Saturday.
Star 104.5 will be hosting its “Biggest Ever Beach Party” over the weekend in Memorial Park, The Entrance, featuring some of the biggest names in Australian music. A range of the Coast’s best local talents including The Lazys, The Orkys, Chris Byrne and Daxton Monaghan will be supporting such big names as Evermore, Amy Meredith and Wes Carr.
DOUBLE TROUBLE Mental Giants and Newcastle’s Excitebike have teamed up to travel the east coast together for a whole run of dates. They kick off proceedings on Friday night at the Cambridge Side Bar, then Saturday they’ll be performing at the Roxbury.
BAT FOR KIRIN Enigmatic Sydneysider Kirin J Callinan, who recently wowed them at the international CMJ fest in New York City, has been invited to open for Bat For Lashes on her Sydney Laneway sideshow this Wednesday night at the Enmore Theatre.
WHAT ON EARTH? Fans should know by now that US hardcore legends Earth Crisis have moved their Sydney show from the Manning Bar to the nearby Hermann’s Bar, still part of Sydney Uni, but they may not know that joining them are guests Civil War, Aftermath, Legions and Arteries.
AH HARRR ME HEARTIES Not sure if it’s Pirate Night at The Vanguard Thursday but the artwork for the gig featuring Chris Duke & The Royals, Ebolagoldfish and Isaac Graham seems to suggest it.
HIGH, DOWN For their Laneway Festival sideshow, Brooklynbased Sydney duo High Highs will be playing an intimate set at the Oxford Art Factory supported by Melbourne’s gritty up-and-comers City Calm Down.
WHAT CRISIS?
SINGLE FOCUS
Adelaide’s Crisis Alert, that’s who. They put together a debut ten-song 7” late last year and are now taking it everywhere they can to introduce themselves in person, with tour buddies Shackles from Byron Bay and Black Coffee from Canberra, which city hosts the first show, an all-ager at Commonwealth Park Friday, followed by another Saturday at Black Wire Records, and another Sunday at Yours & Owls in Wollongong, which will also be the Relentless LP launch.
ROYAL RETURN
BROTHERS GRIM & THE BLUE MURDERS Song title: Been A While What’s the song about? At its core I’d say it’s a big fun middle finger to everything that attempts to persuade you from following what you love – which in our case is dirty venues full of dirty people with dirty habits. Is this track from a forthcoming/ existing release? It’s the first single from a seven track EP Roll It In set for release in April.
Since their return from the US, Royal Chant have been keeping a low profile, but with the release of their latest single, Did You Pay Cash For That Panic Attack?, blasting across Sydney airwaves, they are putting in a couple of shows to celebrate moving to #2 in the AirIt Now Charts. They’ll kick it off on Thursday with their debut at The Standard in Surry Hills, headlining a stellar line-up that includes The Darkened Seas, The Black Lakes and All My Alien Sex Friends. Then, on Friday, they’ll be continuing the celebrations at World Bar, with Tin Sparrow, The Guppies, The Knits and Iluka.
BLANK EYES Brisbane’s Blank Realm have just released their third album, and to celebrate they’ll be launching it at GoodGod Small Club this Saturday. Joining the affair are The Garbage & The Flowers and Four Door, along with Superstar and Angel Eyes – both of whom will be launching records of their own.
How long did it take to write/record? We recorded the majority over a weekend out in a winery in Nagambie then bits and pieces here and there. The idea was to get in, slam the song and end up with a sparkly garage album that curls up around your ear drums while kneeing you in the balls. What was inspiring you during the making? Betrayal, heartache, hypothetical parenthood and all the wonderful things that happen around 2am after lubricating a tarnished soul. What’s your favourite part of the song? The two singalong anthem parts and the line “I get a little high, you get a little low...” Do you play it differently live? When we play it live the whole audience sings along during the anthem parts while flipping the bird. It’s a very enjoyable part of the set, kind of Wiggles meets Minor Threat! Will you be launching it? Friday 1 February, Coogee Diggers; Saturday 2, The Vanguard; Thursday 7, Transit Bar, Canberra; Friday 8, Great Northern, Newcastle; Saturday 9, The Patch, Wollongong For more info see: www. BrothersGrimMusic.com; Facebook – Brothers Grim and the Blue Murders
THE SATELLITES Answered by: Steve Mitchell – double bass The best record I stole from my folks’ collection was… I think it was a Chuck Berry album. That was about the coolest vinyl they owned. Was the only thing worth stealing.
GO FOR GOLD Sydney five-piece Panama will be embarking on a national tour this February to celebrate the recording of their debut EP, It’s Not Over, and the success of the previous year. As part of that, they will be taking their brand of nostalgic pop the Beach Road Hotel with Gold Fields this Wednesday.
CAKE & PROPAGANDA Once again this week, The World Bar hosts two of your favourite club nights, with Propaganda delivering the goods Thursday with special guest DJ Dan from the UK joining Gillex, Dan Bombings, Becci Hearts and Pop-Agenda, while Saturday it’s Cakes with Dan Farley, Kato, Pablo Calamari, Acid Jacks, Brown Bear, Taylor Wolf, Thomas Lissé, Oh Glam, Hannah Gibbs, the Bounce Crew DJs and Dan Wheeler. Delicious times indeed. Tickets can be picked up on the door.
FAIR AND SQUARE
TASTE TEST
The first record I bought with my own money was… It was a Beach Boys double vinyl album. The record I put on when I’m really miserable is… C.W. Stoneking’s Jungle Blues. The record I put on when I bring someone home is… Well, this week it’s been J D Mc Pherson’s album Signs and Signifiers – it’s fantastic. The most surprising record in my collection is… Probably a little 45rpm EP – Pac Man Fever. Got that when Pac Man came out. Love that game! The last thing I bought/downloaded was… Again, it would be JD McPherson’s Signs and Signifiers. Upcoming shows: Sunday 3 February, Sydney Rock‘n’Roll & Alternative Market, Manning Bar Website/contacts: www.facebook/ satellitesaustralia.com
It’s a big month for Melbourne’s Harmony. They’ve just released their 7”, Do Me A Favour, have signed with Borden Management, and now, this Saturday, the band will be playing at The Square as part of a string of East Coast shows. With them at The Square will be Spod and No Art.
ALL THAT JAZZ If you’re looking for a wholesome way to spend your Thursday evening that will do no damage on your wallet (save for the odd beverage or two), The Sly Fox will be hosting jazz vocalist Christina Williams this and the following two Thursdays in February in a bebop jazz mode, smashing out various selections from, among others, Monk, Miles, Evans and, well, Sting. On piano will be the legendary Bob Gebert.
ALL THE WORLD
STEP BACK IN TIME
Wednesday night, The Wall returns to The World Bar for another night of Art & Dubstep, with The Mane Thing, Redial, Clockwerk, Bocue, Chenzo, Nanna Does Smack, Whatis? and Pablo Calamari, along with E-Cats, while Friday it’s Mum at World, with Tin Sparrow, The Guppies, Royal Chant, The Knits, Iluka and Riley & Donna delivering the live music component.
Sydney’s only 1920s and ‘30s-style singer, Greg Poppleton, takes his Bakelite Broadcasters down to the Justice & Police Museum in Phillip Street down Circular Quay way for the Historic Houses Dress To Kill Ball Friday night, then heads up to Leura to join in the Blue Mountains village’s Roaring ‘20s day Saturday, providing the soundtrack to the Charleston Challenge in Leura Mall.
ROCK AND/OR ROLL BACK IN BLACK This Friday from 8pm, four up-and-coming Sydney rock bands will hit the Sydney Livehouse stage at the Lewisham Hotel. One EP, one album and one hiatus later, The Multiplier Effect are back on the scene and will be sharing the stage with 46 Clicks, glam metal act Hot Angel and Sydney-based singer/ songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Tiffany Britchford.
The Sydney Rock‘n’Roll & Alternative Market returns this Sunday at Manning Bar and Manning House, University of Sydney, featuring Adelaide Rockabilly greats The Satellites, Canberra’s punk/rock/ska/ reggae outfit Los Capitanes, Melbourne Paddy Rockers The Ramshackle Army and Sydney’s own Big Blind Ray Trio, complete with their blend of Blues, Southern rock, gospel and soul. Joining them are DJs Brian, Rod Almighty, The Crimplenes and MCs Wolfman Dan & The Rockabilly Rhino.
& For more news/announcements go to themusic.com.au/news • 51
TOUR GUIDE CAT POWER: Mar 1 Newcastle Panthers; 2 Enmore Theatre
NATIONAL PANAMA: Jan 30 Beach Road Hotel KEITH URBAN: Jan 30 & 31 Allphones Arena HIGH HIGHS: Jan 31 Oxford Art Factory RUBY BOOTS: Jan 31 Transit Bar Canberra; Feb 1 FBi Social; 2 Clarendon Guesthouse; 3 Lizotte’s Newcastle CHASE THE SUN: Jan 31 Wickham Park Hotel; Feb 1 Club Sapphire; 2 Beaches; 7 Peachtree Hotel; 8 Rock Lily THE DEMON PARADE: Jan 31 Brighton Up Bar; Feb 1 Old Manly Boatshed STRANGERS: Jan 31 Great Northern Newcastle; Feb 1 Annandale Hotel; 2 The Patch KERSER: Jan 31 Entrance Leagues Club; Feb 2 The Hi-Fi CRISIS ALERT: Feb 1 Commonwealth Park Canberra; 2 Black Wire Records; 3 Yours & Owls SHE CAN DJ REMIXED TOUR: Feb 1 Home; 9 Kit & Kaboodle; 23 Soho; 27 World Bar; Mar 3 Home BROTHERS GRIM & THE BLUE MURDERS: Feb 1 Coogee Diggers; 2 Vanguard; 7 Transit Bar; 8 Great Northern; 9 The Patch BED WETTIN’ BAD BOYS: Feb 1 The Square MENTAL GIANTS: Feb 1 Cambridge Hotel; 2 The Roxbury Hotel; 8 The Pot Belly ELEPHANT: Feb 1 Hamilton Station Hotel; 2 Gladstone Hotel; 8 The Patch; 9 North Street Cafe & Bar Bateman’s Bay THE MCCLYMONTS: Feb 1 Belmont 16s; 2 The Cube; 8 Club Central; 9 North Sydney Leagues; 22 South Sydney Juniors; 23 Castle Hill RSL; Mar 2 Rooty Hill RSL; 22 Bankstown Sports; May 3 Dee Why RSL; 4 Wenty Leagues; 17 Wests Leagues; 18 Hornsby RSL BLANK REALM: Feb 2 Goodgod Small Club DEAD CAN DANCE: Feb 3 & 4 Sydney Opera House Concert Hall THE PERCH CREEK FAMILY JUGBAND: Feb 6 The Basement Circular Quay; 8 Wollongong Diggers; 9 The Vanguard PAUL GREENE & THE OTHER COLOURS: Feb 7 Front Gallery; 16 The Heritage Hotel; 17 Lizotte’s Newcastle; 21 Camelot Lounge; 22 Kelt’s Bar Leonay; 23 Beachcomber Toukley; 24 Brass Monkey FORCES: Feb 8 Club 77 BACKSLIDERS: Feb 8 Lizotte’s Kincumber; 9 Lizotte’s Dee Why FEELINGS: Feb 8 Beresford; 9 Transit Bar Canberra SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM: Feb 8 Sydney Cricket Ground SHANNON NOLL: Feb 8 Lizotte’s Dee Why; 15 Lizotte’s Newcastle; 16 Asquith Leagues Club BABY ET LULU: Feb 8 Vanguard; 14 Lizotte’s Newcastle; 15 Lizotte’s Kincumber; Apr 6 Camelot Lounge BARRY GIBB: Feb 8 & 27 Sydney Entertainment Centre ELECTRIC ELEMENTS: Feb 9 Brighton Up Bar THE SUNNY COWGIRLS: Feb 9 Rooty Hill RSL Club; 10 Lizotte’s Kincumber HERMITUDE: Feb 9, 10 Oxford Art Factory THE NECKS: Feb 10 Lizotte’s Newcastle; 13, 14 The Basement; Mar 23 Street Theatre Canberra THE PRESETS: Feb 10 Panthers; 11, 12 Enmore Theatre BENNY WALKER: Feb 14 King St Brewhouse THE TOWNHOUSES: Feb 14 FI Social JULIA STONE: Feb 14 St Stephen’s Uniting Church VAN SHE: Feb 14 Upstairs Beresford; 23 Mona Vale Hotel
CLUBFEET: Feb 14 Transit Bar Canberra; 16 Oxford Art Factory PAPER ARMS: Feb 14 The Basement (Canberra); 15 The Roxbury Hotel JORDAN MILLAR: Feb 15 Upstairs Beresford THE ANGELS (100%): Feb 15 Penrith Panthers; 16 Entrance Leagues; Mar 22 Southern Cross Club THE SMITH STREET BAND: Feb 15 Annandale Hotel; 16 Great Northern Newcastle; 17 Phoenix Canberra SARAH BLASKO: Feb 17 & 18 Sydney Opera House Concert Hall ANGE TAKATS: Feb 20 The Basement CRIME & THE CITY SOLUTION: Feb 21 Hi-Fi Bar SOMETHING WITH NUMBERS: Feb 22 Annandale Hotel BONJAH: Feb 22 Great Northern Newcastle; 23 Annandale Hotel; 24 The Junkyard JULIA & THE DEEP SEA SIRENS: Feb 22 Newsgency; April 5 Yours & Owls; 7 Lass O’Gowrie THE ANGELS (FT DAVE GLEESON): Feb 22 Rooty Hill RSL; 23 The Cube; Mar 8 Vikings Erindale; 21, 22, 23 Annandale Hotel; Apr 12 Bankstown Sports; 13 Taren Point Hotel; 20 Dee Why RSL COLIN HAY: Feb 22 Concourse Theatre; 23 Canberra Theatre; 24 Evan Theatre; 26 Illawarra Performing Arts; Mar 4 Sydney Opera House Drama Theatre BLACKCHORDS: Feb 23 Oxford Art Factory ELI WOLFE: Feb 24 Clarendon Guesthouse; May 1 FBi Social TINA ARENA: Feb 26, 27 State Theatre NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS: Feb 26, 27, 28 Sydney Opera House Concert Hall; Mar 9 Enmore Theatre CATHERINE TRAICOS: Feb 28 The Green Room Lounge GUNG HO: Mar 1 FBi Social; 2 Yours & Owls THE CAT EMPIRE: Mar 1, 2, 3 Metro Theatre LINES: Mar 2 Spectrum PAUL KELLY & NEIL FINN: Mar 10, 11, 12, 17 & 18 Sydney Opera House Concert Hall GRINSPOON: Mar 16 Metro Theatre; Apr 11 Waves; 13 ANU Bar; 17 Entrance Leagues; 18 Panthers Newcastle THE MARK OF CAIN: Mar 23 Metro Theatre THE RESIGNATORS: Apr 4 Transit Bar Canberra; 5 Barcode Wollongong; 6 The Wall; 7 Hamilton Station Hotel
INTERNATIONAL EXPIRE: Jan 29 Yours & Owls OF MONSTERS & MEN: Jan 29 Metro Theatre THE MEN: Jan 30 Goodgod BAT FOR LASHES: Jan 30 Enmore Theatre ELVIS COSTELLO: Jan 30 State Theatre; Feb 2 Bimbadgen Winery ELIZABETH COOK: Jan 30 Lizotte’s Newcastle; 31 The Basement NITE JEWEL: Jan 31 Goodgod YEASAYER: Jan 31 Metro Theatre CELTIC THUNDER: Feb 1 Newcastle Entertainment Centre; 2 Allphones Arena; 3 WIN Entertainment Centre; 5 Royal Theatre Canberra EARTH CRISIS: Feb 1 Hermanns Bar R3HAB: Feb 1 The Academy Canberra DJ CRAIG CHARLES: Feb 2 The Basement SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA: Feb 2 Sydney Showground NATHAN FAKE: Feb 2 Chinese Laundry DJ YODA: Feb 2 Oxford Art Factory OH, SLEEPER: Feb 2 Annandale Hotel; 3 The Wall MS MR: Feb 4 Oxford Art Factory POLICA: Feb 5 Oxford Art Factory SLEEP ∞ OVER: Feb 5 The Square JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE: Feb 5 The Basement; 6 Coogee Diggers; 8 The Heritage Hotel; 10 Annandale Hotel; 13 Lizotte’s Newcastle CLIFF RICHARD: Feb 5 Newcastle Entertainment Centre; 8, 9 State Theatre; 11, 12 Sydney Opera House CLOUD NOTHINGS: Feb 6 Annandale Hotel HOLY OTHER: Feb 6 Goodgod JESSIE WARE: Feb 6 Beresford DIVINE FITS: Feb 6 Manning Bar DESCENDENTS: Feb 7 Big Top Luna Park
52 • To check out the mags online go to themusic.com.au/mags
PRESENTS STRANGERS: Jan 31 Great Northern Newcastle; Feb 1 Annandale Hotel; 2 The Patch NITE JEWEL: Jan 31 Goodgod YEASAYER: Jan 31 Metro Theatre RUBY BOOTS: Jan 31 Transit Bar Canberra; Feb 1 FBi Social; 2 Clarendon Guesthouse; 3 Lizotte’s Newcastle MS MR: Feb 4 Oxford Art Factory GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR: Feb 14 Enmore Theatre SARAH BLASKO: Feb 17 & 18 Sydney Opera House Concert Hall FATHER JOHN MISTY: Feb 19 Metro Theatre EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN: Feb 22 Enmore Theatre CAT POWER: Mar 1 Newcastle Panthers; 2 Enmore Theatre THE STONE ROSES: Mar 6 Hordern Pavilion FUN: Mar 7 Enmore Theatre FUTURE MUSIC: Mar 9 Randwick Racecourse JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION: Mar 9 The Hi-Fi NEIL FINN & PAUL KELLY: Mar 10, 11, 12, 17 & 18 Sydney Opera House Concert Hall BLOC PARTY: Mar 13 Hordern Pavilion DINOSAUR JR: Mar 16 The Hi-Fi GRINSPOON: Mar 16 Metro Theatre; Apr 11 Waves; 13 ANU Bar; 17 Entrance Leagues; 18 Panthers Newcastle SETH LAKEMAN: Mar 20 Notes; 21 Lizotte’s Dee Why; 22 Lizotte’s Kincumber; 23 Lizotte’s Newcastle; 24 Brass Monkey THE MARK OF CAIN: Mar 23 Metro Theatre WANDA JACKSON: Mar 23 Factory Theatre; 25 Lizotte’s Newcastle JOAN ARMATRADING: Mar 24 Enmore Theatre; 25 Penrith Panthers RODRIGUEZ: Mar 25 Enmore Theatre THE LUMINEERS: Mar 27 Metro Theatre JIMMY CLIFF: Mar 28 Metro Theatre BLUESFEST: Mar 28 – Apr 1 Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm THIS WILL DESTROY YOU: Mar 30 Annandale Hotel TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND, TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE: Mar 31 Enmore Theatre SHAWN COLVIN: Mar 31 The Basement JAKE SHIMABUKURO: Mar 31 Lizotte’s Newcastle; Apr 1 Lizotte’s Central Coast; 3 Lizotte’s Dee Why; 4 The Basement BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA, SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK: Apr 1 Enmore Theatre TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE: Apr 1 Lizotte’s Newcastle BEN HOWARD: Apr 2 & 3 Metro Theatre BONNIE RAITT & MAVIS STAPLES: Apr 3 Enmore Theatre ROGER HODGSON: Apr 3 & 4 State Theatre BEN CAPLAN: Apr 3 Notes JON ANDERSON: Apr 3 Lizotte’s Newcastle; 6 Factory Theatre THE RESIGNATORS: Apr 4 Transit Bar Canberra; 5 Barcode Wollongong; 6 The Wall; 7 Hamilton Station Hotel BETTYE LAVETTE: Apr 5 Factory Theatre SOJA: Apr 5 Metro Theatre THE GUM BALL: Apr 25 – 28 Dashville Hunter Valley THE HAPPY MONDAYS: May 4 UNSW Roundhouse STAN RIDGWAY: May 16 The Basement; 17 Factory Theatre
TUE 29 CHAMPAGNE JAM: Dundas Sports Club - Dundas DAVE POWER: Mercantile Hotel - The Rocks EXPIRE, IRON MIND, BREAK A LEG, CARTOGRAPHER: Yours and Owls - Wollongong GANG OF BROTHERS, SPECIAL GUESTS, NATALIE CONWAY: Rock Lily, The Star - Pyrmont
GHOST NOTES, CRACKED ACTOR: The Front - Canberra, ACT MANDI JARRY DUO: Maloneys Hotel - Sydney MARK MYERS: Café Lounge - Surry Hills OF MONSTERS AND MEN, VANCE JOY: Metro Theatre - Sydney OLD SCHOOL FUNK & GROOVE Night: 505 - Surry Hills SARAH PATON: Observer Hotel - The Rocks
THE LONELY BOYS: Scruffy Murphys - Sydney
WED 30 ABSTRACT BROTHERHOOD: 505 - Surry Hills ANDREW COUSINS, SARAH LANSER, BRYCE SANITY: Lizottes, Central Coast - Kincumber ANDY MAMMERS DUO: Maloneys Hotel - Sydney BAT FOR LASHES, + GUESTS: Enmore Theatre - Enmore BEN SALTER, RICHIE CUTHBERT, ANNALIESSE MONARO: Brass Monkey - Cronulla CICADA, KARMIC DIRT, CHRISTINA THEIRS, THE VICIOUS DICKENS, BLACK DIAMOND: Valve Bar & Venue - Tempe DAVE POWER: Mercantile Hotel - The Rocks ELIZABETH COOK: Lizottes, Newcastle - New Lambton ELVIS COSTELLO: State Theatre - Sydney GEMMA: Observer Hotel - The Rocks GOLD FIELDS, PANAMA, F.R.I.E.N.D.S DJs: Beach Road Hotel, Rex Room - Bondi JASMINE BETH, JUSTINE MARTIN, NICK LATTA, MEN WITH DAY JOBS: Lizottes, Sydney - Dee Why JESS DUNBAR: Summer Hill Hotel - Summer Hill JOSH MCIVOR: Mean Fiddler Hotel - Rouse Hill MUSOS CLUB JAM NIGHT: Bald Faced Stag - Leichhardt
THU 31 2 WAY SPLIT: Orient Hotel - The Rocks CAMBO: Observer Hotel - The Rocks CHASE THE SUN: Wickham Park Hotel - Newcastle CHRIS DUKE & THE ROYALS, EBOLAGOLDFISH, ISAAC GRAHAM: The Vanguard - Newtown CITY CALM DOWN: Oxford Art Factory - Darlinghurst DAN SPILLANE: Dee Why Hotel - Dee Why DARREN PERCIVAL: Lizottes, Sydney - Dee Why DAVE POWER: Mercantile Hotel - The Rocks DAVE WHITE DUO: Maloneys Hotel - Sydney DR GOODVIBE: Lizottes, Central Coast - Kincumber ELIZABETH COOK, EMMA SWIFT: The Basement Circular Quay GOODNIGHT DYNAMITE: O’Malleys Hotel - Kings Cross GRIMSKUNK: Brass Monkey - Cronulla JORDAN C THOMAS, MISS PIA & HER LONESOME PLAYBOYS, DJ BRIAN: Rock Lily, The Star - Pyrmont KERSER, FORTAY AT LARGE, POETIC TRANSITION, + MORE: Entrance Leagues - Bateau Bay MARCELO D’AVILA: Artichoke Gallery Café - Manly MICHAEL MCGLYNN: Greengate Hotel - Killara MUSICA LINDA: Petersham Bowling Club - Petersham
HIGH HIGHS: Jan 31 Oxford Art Factory
OLIVER GOSS, PHOEBE EVE CARDEN, BEN OSMO, JOSH OVERETT: The Vanguard - Newtown RECKLESS: Scruffy Murphys - Sydney ROSS BAILEY: Bar Petite - Newcastle STEVE TONGE DUO: O’Malleys Hotel - Kings Cross THE MEN, ROYAL HEADACHE: GoodGod Small Club - Sydney THE SMITH: Artichoke Gallery Café - Manly VERTIGO DJs, SHERLOCK BONES, SMS: Candy’s Apartment - Potts Point
MUSOS CLUB JAM NIGHT: Carousel Inn - Rooty Hill NICKY KURTA: Harbord Beach Hotel - Harbord OLIVER KOLETZKI, FRAN, THE PHIL STACK TRIO: The Spice Cellar - Sydney OSCAR JIMENEZ: 505 - Surry Hills OSCAR JIMENEZ: Yots Café/Bar Maritime Museum (Afternoon) Darling Harbour RENAE STONE: Sir Joseph Banks Hotel - Botany
RIOT NINE, KARL MARX, FESKIT, THE CRUNTBURGERS: Valve Bar & Venue - Tempe ROBUST, BRIZZ: Candy’s Apartment - Potts Point ROCK GODZ: Penrith Hotel - Penrith SONGS ON STAGE: King Street Brewhouse - City SOPHIE HUTCHINGS, ADRIAN KLUMPES: Camelot Lounge - Marrickville STEPHANIE JANSEN: Campbelltown Catholic Club - Campbelltown THE BREWSTER BROS: Lizottes, Newcastle - New Lambton THE DARKENED SEAS, ROYAL CHANT, ALL MY ALIEN SEX FRIENDS, BLACK LAKES: The Standard - Darlinghurst THE DEMON PARADE: Brighton Up Bar - Darlinghurst THE MEN, ROYAL HEADACHE: Beaches Hotel - Thirroul WILDCATZ: Scruffy Murphys - Sydney YEASAYER, OLIVER TANK, FISHING: Metro Theatre - Sydney
FRI 01 1929INDIAN, THE KHANZ, PROFESSOR, + MORE: The Standard - Darlinghurst 4 LETTER WORD: Orana Hotel - Blacksmiths AARON LYON: Artichoke Gallery Café - Manly ACID MOUTH, HOMESLICE, NIGHTRIOT: Candy’s Apartment - Potts Point AFTER PARTY BAND: Towradgi Beach Hotel, Sports Bar - Towradgi ALEYCE SYMONDS: Bar Petite - Newcastle ANDREAS BOHLEN BAND: Sound Lounge, Seymour Centre - Chippendale ANDY MAMMERS DUO: Town Hall Hotel - Balmain ANGUS & MALCOLM: Matraville Hotel - Matraville BED WETTIN BAD BOYS, CAMPERDOWN & OUT, LEGENDARY HEARTS, SNOTTY BABIES: The Square - Haymarket BELLACHE BEN & THE STEAMGRASS BOY, THE RIVER & THE ROAD, THE GREEN MOHAIR SUITS, ALL OUR EX’S LIVE IN TEXAS: The Vanguard - Newtown BLACK ROSE: Overlander Hotel Cambridge Park BOBBY C: The Mark Hotel - Newcastle BRENDAN DEEHAN: Grand Hotel - Rockdale BROTHERS GRIMM & BLUE MURDERS: Coogee Diggers - Coogee CARNA FOLIA 2013: Metro Theatre - Sydney CELEBRATION MIX: Scruffy Murphys - Sydney DAMAGE INC, DEAD LIFE, STEEL SWARM, RISEN DRED: Valve Bar & Venue - Tempe DARREN PERCIVAL: Lizottes, Newcastle - New Lambton DAVE WHITE TRIO: Kirribilli Hotel - Kirribilli
DAVID AGIUS DUO: Sydney Rowers Club - Abbotsford DR ZOOM DUO: Hotel Jesmond - Jesmond EARTH CRISIS, CIVIL WAR, AFTERMATH, LEGIONS, ARTERIES: Hermann’s Bar - Darlington ELEPHANT: Hamilton Station Hotel - Newcastle EXCITE BIKE, MENTAL GIANTS: The Side Bar, Cambridge Hotel - Newcastle FINN: Pendle Inn - Pendle Hill FREE FALLIN’: Windsor Castle Hotel - Newcastle GEMMA, ALEX CANNINGS: Observer Hotel - The Rocks GEOFF RANA: O’Malleys Hotel - Kings Cross GERVAIS KOFFI & THE AFRICAN DIASPORA, JAMINO, YANNICK KOFFI: The Basement - Circular Quay GREG AGAR: Customs House Bar - Circular Quay GREG POPPLETON’S BAKELITE BROADCASTERS: Justice & Police Museum - Sydney HARMONY, MERE WOMEN, EASY TIGER, JUN BUXTON: Terrace Bar - Newcastle HUE WILLIAMS: Avalon Beach RSL - Avalon IGUANA: Charlestown Bowling Club Charlestown I’M WITH STUPID: Hillside Hotel Castle Hill INTIMATE LOUNGE MUSIC: Fairfield RSL, Supper Club - Fairfield JACK KENNEDY: Cherry, The Star - Pyrmont JAMES CHATBURN: The Stag & Hunter Hotel - Mayfield JED ZARB: Red Cow Hotel - Penrith JOE ECHO: Northies, Beach Bar - Cronulla JOHN FIELD DUO: Castle Hill Tavern - Castle Hill JUST JACE: Beauford Hotel - Mayfield KING TIDE, DJ CLOCKWERK: Beach Road Hotel, Rex Room - Bondi KRISTY LEE: Oasis on Beamish Hotel - Campsie LA BASTARD, THE NICE FOLK, SIX SHOOTER: Barcode - Wollongong LETS GROOVE TONIGHT: Campbelltown Catholic Club, Club Lounge LUKE AUSTEN: Duke of Wellington Hotel - New Lambton MACKA: Crown Hotel - Sydney MANI NEUMEIER, ADAM SUSSMANN, RORY BROWN, xNOBBQx, PROPHETS: Hibernian House - Surry Hills MARK TRAVERS: Castle Hill RSL - Castle Hill MICHAEL MCGLYNN: Crows Nest Hotel (early) - Crows Nest ONE HIT WONDERS: O’Donoghues Emu Plains
ONE WILD NIGHT, HEATH BURDELL: Dee Why Hotel - Dee Why ROB CAMPBELL TRIO: Lizottes, Sydney - Dee Why ROB HENRY: Northies, Sports Bar - Cronulla RYAN DALEY: Belmont 16’s - Belmont SAFIA, LAVERS, DAHRNOIR, SAMMY SOUNDSLIKE, + MORE: Zierholz @ UC - Canberra ACT SOUL TATTOO: Quakers Inn - Quakers Hill STEPHANIE JANSEN: Revesby Works, Skylight Lounge - Revesby STRANGERS, THE DEAD LOVE, BORN LION: Annandale Hotel - Annandale THE BREWSTER BROS: Lizottes, Central Coast - Kincumber THE CAPULETS: Exchange Hotel - Newcastle THE DEVICES: Crows Nest Hotel (late) - Crows Nest THE MCCLYMONTS: Belmont 16’s, Star Lounge - Belmont
CHICKENSTONES, JAN STARKS SOULSVILLE: Harbord Bowling Club - Harbord COSY VELOUR: Windsor Castle Hotel - Newcastle DAN BEAZLEY: The Mark Hotel - Newcastle DARREN PERCIVAL: Lizottes, Central Coast - Kincumber DAVE WHITE EXPERIENCE: Crows Nest Hotel (late) - Crows Nest DENNIS DEMELLO: Overlander Hotel Cambridge Park DREAM TAMBOURINE: Duke of Wellington Hotel - New Lambton EBONY & IVORY: Crown Hotel - Sydney ELEPHANT: Gladstone Hotel - Chippendale ELVIS COSTELLO, SUNNYBOYS, JO JO ZEP & THE FALCONS, TEX PERKINS & THE DARK HORSES, STEPHEN CUMMINGS: Bimbadgen Estate Winery - Pokolbin
ELIZABETH COOK: Jan 30 Lizotte’s Newcastle; 31 The Basement
THE RADIATORS, THE CHILDS, R.J.CHOPS: Brass Monkey - Cronulla TODD HARDY BIG AND, MONICA TRAPAGA: 505 - Surry Hills TONY WILLIAMS: Mona Vale Hotel - Mona Vale TWO GOOD REASONS: Cessnock Supporters Club - Cessnock TWO STOMP: Club Singleton - Singleton ZOLTAN: Cronulla RSL - Cronulla
SAT 02 AGENT 69: Campbelltown Catholic Club - Campbelltown AMBAH DUO: Northies, Beach Bar (afternoon) - Cronulla BACK TO THE 80’S: Bayview Tavern - Gladesville BLANK REALM: GoodGod Small Club - Sydney BLUE MOON QUARTET: Fairfield RSL, Supper Club - Fairfield BOUNCE: Scruffy Murphys - Sydney BRENDEN DEEHAN: Observer Hotel - The Rocks BROTHERS GRIMM & BLUE MURDERS: The Vanguard - Newtown CHAIKA: The Rhythm Hut - Gosford CHASE THE SUN: Beaches Hotel - Thirroul
EVERMORE, AMY MEREDITH, WES CARR, THE ORKYS, THE LAZYS, + MORE: Memorial Park - The Entrance EXCITE BIKE, MENTAL GIANTS: The Roxbury Hotel - Glebe FBI SOCIAL feat. VOLTAIRE TWINS: Kings Cross Hotel - Kings Cross GEN-R-8: Cessnock Supporters Club - Cessnock GHOST TRAIN, THREE WISE MEN: Katoomba RSL - Katoomba GOODNIGHT DYNAMITE: O’Malleys Hotel - Kings Cross GRAND THEFT AUDIO: Exchange Hotel - Newcastle GREG AGAR DUO: Customs House Bar - Circular Quay GREG POPPLETON’S BAKELITE BROADCASTERS: Leura Mall - Leura GRIMSKUNK: Fitzroy Hotel - Windsor HARMONY, S.P.O.D., NO ART, DEVOTIONAL: The Square - Haymarket HEATH BURDELL: Clovelly Hotel - Clovelly HITS AND PIECES: Tracks, Epping Hotel - Epping HOT ANGEL, DIRTY DEZIRE, SYLVAIN, A GENTLEMAN’S AGREEMENT, THE BITTER SWEETHEARTS: Valve Bar & Venue - Tempe
TOUR GUIDE THE HOLLIES: Feb 7 State Theatre CAROLE KING: Feb 7 Royal Theatre; 14 Sydney Entertainment Centre; 16 Hope Estate Winery EL-P: Feb 7 Oxford Art Factory KINGS OF CONVENIENCE: Feb 7 Sydney Opera House JULIA HOLTER: Feb 7 York Street Church DEER TICK: Feb 8 Annandale Hotel CIVIL CIVIC: Feb 8 Brighton Up Bar TJR: Feb 8 OneFiveOne Wollongong; 9 Pacha STARS: Feb 9 Factory Theatre BUTCH: Feb 9 Abercrombie EDU IMBERNON: Feb 9 Chinese Laundry REEF THE LOST CAUZE, THE SNOWGOONS: Feb 9 Metro Theatre THEE OH SEES: Feb 10 Factory Theatre, 11 Transit Bar Canberra DIRTY BEACHES: Feb 11 FBi Social MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS: Feb 11 & 12 Metro Theatre, 15 Enmore Theatre SWANS: Feb 13 Manning Bar RINGO STARR: Feb 13 Hordern Pavilion GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR: Feb 14 Enmore Theatre JENS LEKMAN: Feb 14 Oxford Art Factory JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR: Feb 14 Wickham Park Hotel; 20 Brass Monkey; 22 The Basement; 23 Emu Plains Sports Club; 24 Towradgi Beach Hotel NORAH JONES: Feb 15, 16, 17 State Theatre I AM GIANT: Feb 15 Goodgood Small Club DAVID HASSELHOFF: Feb 15 The Hi-Fi; 19 Lizotte’s Newcastle; 20 Lizotte’s Dee Why CONVERGE: Feb 16 Manning Bar MARCELL DETTMAN, BLAWAN: Feb 16 Chinese Laundry MY BLOODY VALENTINE: Feb 18 Enmore Theatre FATHER JOHN MISTY: Feb 19 Metro Theatre MAC MILLER: Feb 20 Enmore Theatre BLINK 182: Feb 20 Allphones Arena PARAMORE: Feb 21 Enmore Theatre EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN: Feb 22 Enmore Theatre DONAVON FRANKENREITER: Feb 22 Coogee Bay Hotel; 23 The Bucket List Bondi and Newport Arms Hotel; 24 Cronulla Hotel and Towradgi Beach Hotel; Mar 1 Bateau Bay Hotel SLAUGHTERHOUSE: Feb 23 Enmore Theatre JOSE JAMES: Feb 23 The Standard HOW TO DRESS WELL: Feb 23 Oxford Art Factory SLAYER: Feb 25 Luna Park Big Top CYPRESS HILL: Feb 25 UNSW Roundhouse GARBAGE: Feb 25 Metro Theatre DUFF MCKAGAN: Feb 25 Manning Bar THE WONDER YEARS: Feb 25 Annandale Hotel SLEEPING WITH SIRENS: Feb 25 The Hi-Fi BRING ME THE HORIZON: Feb 26 The Hi-Fi DJ SASHA: Feb 26 Metro Theatre BLOOD ON THE DANCE FLOOR: Feb 26 The Wall LINKIN PARK: Feb 26 Sydney Entertainment Centre PUSCIFER: Feb 26 Enmore Theatre SUM 41, BILLY TALENT: Feb 26 UNSW Roundhouse TOMAHAWK: Feb 26 Metro Theatre MADBALL, SICK OF IT ALL: Feb 26 Factory Theatre SIX FEET UNDER, SYLOSIS: Feb 27 Annandale Hotel KYUSS LIVES: Feb 27 Metro Theatre OF MICE & MEN: Feb 27 Factory Theatre BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE: Feb 27 The Hi-Fi THE WEDDING PRESENT: Feb 27, 28 Oxford Art Factory PHRONESIS: Feb 27 Blue Beat MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE: Feb 28 Hi-Fi PERIPHERY: Feb 28 Annandale Hotel ED SHEERAN: Feb 28 WIN Entertainment Centre; Mar 1 Sydney Entertainment Centre ARLO GUTHRIE: Feb 28 Southern Cross Club; Mar 1 Seymour Centre MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK: Feb 28 Factory Theatre CAT POWER: Mar 1 Newcastle Panthers; 2 Enmore Theatre THE STONE ROSES: Mar 6 Hordern Pavilion FUN: Mar 7 Enmore Theatre TORO Y MOI: Mar 7 The Standard THE OFFSPRING: Mar 8 Enmore Theatre
THE STONE ROSES: Mar 6 Hordern Pavilion
JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION: Mar 9 The Hi-Fi NEIL FINN & PAUL KELLY: Mar 10, 11, 12, 17 & 18 Sydney Opera House Concert Hall BLOC PARTY: Mar 13 Hordern Pavilion OPETH: Mar 15 Enmore Theatre DINOSAUR JR: Mar 16 The Hi-Fi SETH LAKEMAN: Mar 20 Notes; 21 Lizotte’s Dee Why; 22 Lizotte’s Kincumber; 23 Lizotte’s Newcastle; 24 Brass Monkey WANDA JACKSON: Mar 23 Factory Theatre; 25 Lizotte’s Newcastle ROBERT CRAY, TAJ MAHAL, SHUGGIE OTIS: Mar 23 Enmore Theatre JOAN ARMATRADING: Mar 24 Enmore Theatre; 25 Penrith Panthers RODRIGUEZ: Mar 25 Enmore Theatre THE LUMINEERS: Mar 27 Metro Theatre ROBERT PLANT: Mar 28 Sydney Entertainment Centre JIMMY CLIFF: Mar 28 Metro Theatre THE MUSIC MAKER BLUES REVUE: Mar 28 Blue Beat THIS WILL DESTROY YOU: Mar 30 Annandale Hotel EMILIE AUTUMN: Mar 30 Factory Theatre ALLEN STONE: Mar 30 Blue Beat Live PAUL SIMON, RUFUS WAINWRIGHT: Mar 30 Hope Estate Winery Hunter Valley; Apr 2 Sydney Entertainment Centre TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND: Mar 31 Enmore Theatre SHAWN COLVIN: Mar 31 The Basement JAKE SHIMABUKURO: Mar 31 Lizotte’s Newcastle; Apr 1 Lizotte’s Central Coast; 3 Lizotte’s Dee Why; 4 The Basement BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA, SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK: Apr 1 Enmore Theatre PLAYING FOR CHANGE: Apr 1 Factory Theatre TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE: Apr 1 Lizotte’s Newcastle BEN HOWARD: Apr 2 & 3 Metro Theatre BONNIE RAITT & MAVIS STAPLES: Apr 3 Enmore Theatre ROGER HODGSON: Apr 3 & 4 State Theatre BEN CAPLAN: Apr 3 Notes JON ANDERSON: Apr 3 Lizotte’s Newcastle; 6 Factory Theatre BETTYE LAVETTE: Apr 5 Factory Theatre SOJA: Apr 5 Metro Theatre COHEED & CAMBRIA: Apr 20 Metro Theatre THE HAPPY MONDAYS: May 4 UNSW Roundhouse THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM: May 12 Enmore Theatre DEFTONES: May 15 UNSW Roundhouse STAN RIDGWAY: May 16 The Basement; 17 Factory Theatre
FESTIVALS BOURBON ST MARDI GRAS: Feb 15-21 Cockatoo Island BACK TO THE FUTURE O-FEST: Feb 22 UTS SOUNDWAVE: Feb 24 Sydney Olympic Park FUTURE MUSIC: Mar 9 Randwick Racecourse GOOD LIFE: Mar 10 Randwick Racecourse BLUE MOUNTAINS MUSIC FESTIVAL: Mar 15 – 17 Katoomba CMC ROCKS THE HUNTER: Mar 15 – 17 Hope Estate HITS & PITS: Mar 23 UNSW Roundhouse; 27 ANU Bar BLUESFEST: Mar 28 – Apr 1 Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm DENI BLUES & ROOTS FESTIVAL: Mar 30, 31 Deniliquin THE GUM BALL: Apr 25 – 28 Dashville Hunter Valley GROOVIN’ THE MOO: Apr 27 Maitland Showground; 29 University of Canberra
To check out the mags online go to themusic.com.au/mags • 53
IRONBARK ROCK: Penrith Hotel - Penrith JAMES MORRISON FUNK & SOUL BAND, ROXANNE LEBRASSE: Lizottes, Newcastle - New Lambton JESS DUNBAR: Brewhouse - Marayong JOHN FIELD DUO: Mean Fiddler Hotel - Rouse Hill KEITH ARMITAGE: Sir Joseph Banks Hotel - Botany KERSER, FORTAY AT LARGE, POETIC TRANSITION, + MORE: The Hi Fi, Entertainment Quarter - Moore Park LA BASTARD, SPACE PARTY, KING HITS: The Phoenix Pub Canberra, ACT LIANNA PRITCHARD: The Stag & Hunter Hotel - Mayfield LUKE ESCOMBE: Artichoke Gallery Café - Manly MATT JONES: Northies, Sports Bar - Cronulla MATT PRICE DUO: Revesby Works, Skylight Lounge - Revesby MICHAEL MCGLYNN: Kirribilli Hotel - Kirribilli NANCY KERR, JAMES FAGAN: Cat & Fiddle Hotel - Balmain NICK RASCHKE DUO: Seven Seas Hotel - Carrington NIGHT ATH THE JAZZ ROOMS: The Basement - Circular Quay
OH SLEEPER, FOR ALL ETERNITY, STORM THE SKY: Annandale Hotel - Annandale PARTY ANTHEMS: Paragon Hotel Circular Quay RADIATORS, SPY V SPY: Revesby Workers, Whitlam Theatre - Revesby RATTLE & HUM-U2 SHOW: Cardiff Panthers - Cardiff REPLIKA: Moorebank Sports Club Moorebank RETRO NIGHT OUT: Bull & Bush - Baulkham Hills ROB HENRY: Observer Hotel (afternoon) - The Rocks SHERLOCK BONES, RAT SANDWICH, SMS, + MORE: Candy’s Apartment - Potts Point SONS OF MERCURY: Macarthur Tavern - Campbelltown STEVE EDMONDS HENDRIX TRIBUTE: Brass Monkey - Cronulla STRANGE TENANTS: Factory Theatre - Marrickville SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA: Sydney Showgrounds Homebush SWING SHIFT - COLD CHISEL SHOW: Oatley Hotel - Oatley
GIG OF THE WEEK
Bat For Lashes
ST JEROME’S LANEWAY FESTIVAL The 2013 St. Jeromes’s Laneway Festival is finally here at the Sydney College of the Arts on Saturday 2 February. Acts include Alpine, Alt-J, Bat For Lashes (pictured), Chet Faker, Cloud Nothings, Divine Fits, El-P, Flume, Henry Wagons & The Unwelcome Company, High Highs, Holy Other, Japandroids, Jessie Ware, Julia Holter, Kings Of Convenience, The Men, MS MR, The Neighbourhood, Nicolas Jaar, Nite Jewel, Of Monsters & Men, Perfume Genius, Polica, Pond, Real Estate, The Rubens, Shlohmo, Snakadaktal, Twerps and Yeasayer.
SWINGING BLADES: Sound Lounge, Seymour Centre (Afternoon) - Chippendale THE BREWSTER BROS: Lizottes, Sydney - Dee Why THE CAPULETS: Belmont 16’s - Belmont THE HITMIX: Mounties - Mt Pritchard THE MCCLYMONTS: The Cube Campbelltown
THE POD BROTHERS: The Belvedere Hotel - Sydney TIALI: Bar Petite - Newcastle TROY: Beauford Hotel - Mayfield TYLER TOUCHE, STONEY ROADS DJs, HOBOPHONICS: Beach Road Hotel, Rex Room - Bondi VIRNA SANZONE: Sound Lounge, Seymour Centre - Chippendale
FREE POOL 6.00 - 10.00
SUN 3 FEB
JOHNNY G & THE E-TYPES ALL LIVE SPORT ON THE BIG SCREEN
DARLEY ST BISTRO OPEN DAILY 12.00 - 9.30PM SUNNY COURTYARD - WEEKLY SPECIALS - CHILDREN WELCOME BOOKINGS: PHONE 9517 1133 54 • To check out the mags online go to themusic.com.au/mags
WYSPER, SPACE ACE: Orana Hotel - Blacksmiths YOLANDA & THE STOLEN BOYS, BAYLOU, CHRIS E THOMAS, VIXEN, CHERRY: Bridge Hotel - Rozelle YUKI KUMAGAI, JOHN MACKIE: Wellco Café & Wine Bar - Leichhardt ZOLTAN: Town Hall Hotel - Balmain
SUN 03 3 WISE MEN: Observer Hotel (afternoon) - The Rocks BOBBY C: Duke of Wellington Hotel - New Lambton DAVE SEASIDE: Artichoke Gallery Café - Manly DUAN KAKA: Harbord Beach Hotel - Harbord ELEVATION - U2 ACOUSTIC: Orient Hotel - The Rocks
EXPOSURE, UNTIL DARKNESS FALLS, BREAK THE SILENCE, WINTERWOLVES, ROSE FROM RUINS: Valve Bar & Venue (afternoon) - Tempe GNOME: Bondi Beach - Bondi JOE ECHO: Mean Fiddler Hotel (afternoon) - Rouse Hill LAZY SUNDAY LUNCH with, DARREN PERCIVAL: Lizottes, Central Coast - Kincumber MACKA: Overlander Hotel - Cambridge Park PETER NORTHCOTE, DANNY MARX YOUNG: Bridge Hotel - Rozelle POP FICTION: Northies, Beach Bar (afternoon) - Cronulla PROFESSOR GROOVE & THE BOOTY AFFAIR: Brass Monkey - Cronulla RECKLESS: Northies, Sports Bar - Cronulla RICK FENSOM: Oatley Hotel (afternoon) - Oatley ROB HENRY: Observer Hotel - The Rocks ROCK N ROLL/ ALTERNATIVE MARKET feat: Manning Bar, Sydney Uni - Camperdown RUBY BOOTS: Lizottes, Newcastle - New Lambton SALTA, PERSIANLOVECAKE, EIRWEN SKYE: The Vanguard - Newtown
SATELLITE V: Marrickville Bowling Club - Marrickville SIGNIFICANT OTHERS: Cat & Fiddle Hotel - Balmain THE ANDY SHOW: Town Hall Hotel - Waratah THE AUSTRALIAN CLOWNS, + GUESTS: Annandale Hotel - Annandale THE DREAMCATCHERS: Bar Petite - Newcastle THE PREDICTORS: Town & Country Hotel (afternoon) - St Peters THE SNOWDROPPERS, GAY PARIS: The Junkyard - Maitland THE SUBTERRANEANS: Town Hall Hotel - Newtown TIM PRINGLE: The Mill Hotel - Milperra WEEKEND DETENTION: George IV Hotel - Picton
MON 04 MISS LITTLE: 505 - Surry Hills MS MR, YESYOU: Oxford Art Factory - Darlinghurst STEVE TONGE: Observer Hotel - The Rocks
BTL - BEHIND THE LINES
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EMPLOYMENT ADMINISTRATION Dedicated/Versatile Singer & Guitarist (19yrs) available for any genre - from soul to alternative rock! Drummer 18-26yrs preferred. Also seeking Bassist and Keyboardist. Northern Beaches. Ph:0432872290 - Ziggy.
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FILM, EDITING, WEBSITES
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iFlogID: 20832 Experienced original rock band looking to play with other established gigging bands. Will return favour with dates in Sydney venues such as The Wall, Valve Bar, Town & Country. RemmosK@gmail.com
iFlogID: 20664 Experienced singer/songwriter/guitarist has created a new original project and has many Sydney gigs booked. Currently looking for other original acoustic duo’s/bands with a following to do shows together. RemmosK@gmail.com
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PA HIRE PA hire for DJ’s / small bands. Top quality equipment Hire includes, delivery, set up & operator. Prices start from $150 per night Call Stan for further information 0414 364 257
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PRODUCTION Quality showreels compiled and produced for actors at affordable rates by Melbourne based production company. Call Aaron 0451 208 675 http://cardboardemporium.net
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FOR SALE AMPS
3 CHANNEL DUAL RECTIFIER STACK
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iFlogID: 20670 RemmosK returns to “The Wall” in full throttle electric mode with special guests @ The Wall, The Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt, Fri 25-01-13
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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
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OTHER
Moody amplifer GA 40 in mint condition.Has been serviced. You wont find a better one in this condition.
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EDUCATION & TRAINING GUITAR TEACHER URGENTLY REQUIRED FOR IMMEDIATE START AT BUSY SUBERBAN MUSIC STUDIO PLEASE CONTACT 9585-0037
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BUSINESSES RECORDING STUDIO FOR SALE One of Sydney’s longest running independent Studios is for sale. Hit the ground running with a fully operational recording studio. Classic desk and mics, 4 separate recording spaces, high visibility website. We don’t advertise, the work comes in from Website and reputation. Will provide income immediately. Low rent, long lease, parking, easily operated as a cooperative. 20 mins from the CBD. $73K Call 0423 681 978
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DRUMS DRUM KIT WANTED, anything considered. Also looking for vintage drum kit ludwig/ Gretsch etc , snare drums or cymbals, ph 0419760940
iFlogID: 18332 FOR SALE! 6 Piece Tama Starclassic Birch Drum Kit with Star Cast mounting system with Tama hardware. 10”,12”,14”,16”,18” toms 22” kick $3000
iFlogID: 20741
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: 18951
>>3m²<< DEMO RECORDING STUDIO Sound engineer/producer included. Disappointed with your home recordings. Then use our 1hr weakly Recording workshop Ideal for Vocalists Guitarist Rap-Artists or Instrumentalists. $40PH Composer/Guitarist and session-musicians available rehearsals $15PH with PA CALL Brian 0405-044-513
iFlogID: 20433 Complete Album & Demo Recording, Production, Instrumentation,CD Mastering. I’m committed to achieving for you the highest quality in a creative, friendly environment. ph 02 9654 8143, mob 0400 323 982, johnertler@gmail.com
PA HIRE
UNBEATABLE PRICE FOR A POWERFUL, PROFESSIONAL PA SYSTEM 2 x JBL 515XT 625w speakers, 12 channel Soundcraft M12 mixer, Shure wireless microphone, all stands and cables - $249 for setup and packdown. Perfect for bands, parties, weddings, corporate events, product launches etc. Additional equipment and operator available upon request. Call Alex - 0478611094 sydneysoundhire.com
iFlogID: 19183 Engineer available, full production, mixing, MIDI, live recording, reamping. ProToolsHD, from $30/hour. Mesa/Marshall/Ashdown engineering gear for hire! Info@niflheimmusic.com
iFlogID: 20624 Have you got a song in your head? Music Producer available to turn your imagination into reality. Professional results and affordable rates.
Transfer your old master AUDIO DAT or MINI DV tapes to media files. Full quality, no compression. Call Aaron 0451 208 675 http://cardboardemporium.net
iFlogID: 20891
American-based concert photographer available for shoots in and around the Sydney metro area at a highly discounted rate until February 2nd, 2013. Major label clients, fast and professional service. Make your band standout from the crowd, and do it for half off! www.russellstafford.net russellstafford@mac.com
iFlogID: 20897 Image is everything! If you have a band wanting to get ahead let me capture the next gig. High quality pictures say everything. http://roybarnesphotography.com/ 0414 243 811
iFlogID: 18648
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WENDY MCDOUGALL
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 High Definition YouTube video demonstrations of cymbals. ZILDJIAN, SABIAN, PAISTE, UFIP, MEINL, WUHAN, STAGG, PEARL... www.youtube.com/user/sydneypollak
iFlogID: 19834 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
PA / AUDIO / ENGINEERING Experienced, energetic and proactive live audio engineer for $300/event + equipment hire (passed on directly from Lots of Watts). Free preproduction - call Helmut on 0433946982 to discuss your event.
STUDIO HIRE Gold Coast ParallelHarmonyStudioRobina. 30 square metre live room, large vocal booth. Handsome range of range of topoftheline Neumann, Rode and Shure microphones. Call 0755808883 for details. www.parallelharmony.com.au
iFlogID: 18640
Music-Production/Mixing/Mastering package only $150 per track. 5 Tracks for $550 (1-month period). 10 Tracks for $1000( 2.-months period). Check link and listen: http://www.youtube.com/user/Studio9Mru/ videos?view=0&flow=grid
iFlogID: 20825
TRANSPORT
iFlogID: 19850
TUITION AAA EXPERT TUITION All levels and most styles including: Fingerstyle guitar, open tunings, slide guitar, flat picking, improvisation, rock, country, blues guitar (acoustic and electric), folk, celtic styles, music theory, arranging, ear training, singing, bluegrass and folk style banjo and mandolin. www.acousticfingerpicking.com PHONE JOHN: 0431953178
iFlogID: 20840
ANYONE CAN PLAY GUITAR! A few lesson slots available with Chris Turner. ‘One on One’ guitar lessons. Lilyfield phone now 9552 6663 www.big-rock.com.au Starters to Pro.
iFlogID: 19929
BANJO LESSONS In North Rocks, Marsfield, St Leonards. Fivestring banjo in the three-finger/Scruggs style, exploring all facets including advanced techniques a la Béla Fleck. Dave Carr 0407 376 939. www.myspace.com/dcarrmusic
Up-Picking (Pete Seeger Style) and 3 Finger Picking (Scruggs Style). tel. John 0431953178
iFlogID: 20842
BENNETTS GUITAR TUITION
Experienced Engineer / Producer with great studio setup. Many previous credits. Live mixing and recording also available Very experienced in all audio work. I can make you sound great. If required I can supply musicians and instruments. Call 0412621330
iFlogID: 20811
RECORDING STUDIO $30ph
iFlogID: 17084 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
iFlogID: 15160
Its only rock n roll but I like it. I have 30 years experience shooting: The Angels, INXS, The Church, Noiseworks & Diesel to The Khanz, Electric Elements and Lila Goldie. Concept images are my speciality. wendyphotograph@dodo.com.au www.wendymcdougall.com.au
iFlogID: 20834
POSTERS FULL COLOUR BAND GIG POSTERS @ AMAZING PRICES ** 100 A4 full colour on Gloss = $40 ** 100 A3 full colour on Plain = $50 ** 100 A3 full colour on Gloss = $80 ** 100 SRA3 colour on Gloss = $80 ** WWW.BLACKSTAR.COM.AU
Recording Studio,Picton, $25hr available for singles and album. Relaxing environment. I have many years of experience with quality gear. Ph: 0425 246 253, Alex Email: alexander12345@bigpond.com
iFlogID: 20693 Recording, Mixing and Mastering services Inner West, Sydney Digital Editing, Analogue Tape Recording, Full range of microphones and equipment. Contact Peter Holz: 0437 712 927 www.phmelectronic.com
iFlogID: 20286 You’ll never regret recording your songs... but we garuntee you’ll ALWAYS regret not doing it! ***Every song Produced, Mixed & Mastered to Radio Release Quality*** studio@musicentourage.com www.musicentourage.com
iFlogID: 17747
iFlogID: 20700 GOLD COAST BYRON BAY NORTHERN NSW Poster distribution for touring artists & bands. Fast, efficient & reliable service at a competitive price www.thatposterguy.com.au
iFlogID: 17120
>>3m² REHEARSAL STUDIO<< Ideal for vocal/groups-guitarist-keyboardshorn Duos-Trios. Room too small for full drum kit. 2hr blocks Minimum. $15PH with PA. Guitar keyboard amps available. NEWTOWN
Petersham/ Sydney. Real guitar for committed students in a fully equipped music studio. Learn Jazz, Rock, Blues, Contemporary , Funk, Latin , Gypsy, Folk, Country 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. Comprehensive digital recording available. Ask about special introductory offer and gift vouchers. Contact Craig Corcoran: 0430344334 creative-guitar@hotmail. com www.creativeguitar.com.au
iFlogID: 20039
DRUM TUITION IN STANMORE Drum Tuition in Stanmore with a Billy Hyde trained Teacher. Dip Ed, Dip Drums. All levels and all styles taught. Beginners Welcome!. Call Lee 0403307796. www.lee-carey.com
iFlogID: 19984 DRUMMER AND DRUM LESSONS Drum Lessons avaliable in Gladesville Teach all Levels, ages .17 years experience. I studied at The Billy Hydes Drumcraft Academy and Obtained a Diploma in Drumming. Mob:0402663469 Michael
iFlogID: 20676
Music Lessons at Beat Industry Tuggerah. Guitar, Drums, Vocals, Keyboard, Bass. Certificate courses and AMEB available. Free introductory lesson. www.beatindustry.com Ph: (02)4353 4749
iFlogID: 19038 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: 15154 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 Offering cheap guitar lessons across a broad range of genres aswell as theory, chords, scales, ear training. For beginners and intermediates only Contact 0431220154
iFlogID: 20681 Pro Tools, Logic Pro & Studio One Training. Advice on Home & Professional Studio Recording. Learn from a pro with over 30 years experience. Contact John Ertler 9654 8143, 0400 323 982, johnertler@gmail.com
iFlogID: 19185 Eastern Suburbs guitar/ukulele/bass/slide lessons with APRA award winning composer. Highly experienced, great references, unique individually designed lessons from Vaucluse studio. Learn to play exactly what YOU want to play! www.matttoms.com
iFlogID: 16690
SINGING LESSONS
GUITAR LESSONS! In North Rocks, Marsfield, St Leonards. All styles and ability levels. Flatpicking, fingerstyle, extended techniques, acoustic and electric. Contact Dave Carr 0407 376 939. See www.myspace.com/dcarrmusic for more info.
GUITAR TUITION BY MAL EASTICK Experienced and professional teacher based in Croydon, Sydney. -Tuition of Electric, Acoustic, Bass and Theory -Individual or Group Lessons -All ages and skill levels very welcome -Most styles covered -Accurate and clear scores and transcriptions provided aimed to suit the students musical goals *One Free Introductory Lesson for Anyone Interested!!* Please contact Michael @ 0420 371 624 mbennetts_@hotmail.com
CENTRAL COAST GUITAR LESSONS Beginner to advanced all ages, tailored lessons to suit you, most styles catered for, everything from basic open chords to scales and theory. Call Fred on 0400 347 955
One on one tuition, customized to the standard, style & goals of the individual. Rock & blues my specialties. Categories avail: hands-on playing, style & technique, theory, improvising, ear training, equipment, tone, songwriting, band arrangements, career guidance. Family member of younger students welcome to sit in. All levels avail through personal experience, from beginner, to playing just for fun, to paid gigs, through to professional performer & recording artist. Enquiries: M: 0407 461 093 E: mal@bluefishrecords.com
iFlogID: 20926 GUITAR TUITION IN PADDINGTON $99 Special Promo 5 week course Beginners Welcome Children & Adults *Friendly mentoring approach *Great Results Guaranteed Enquire Now Paddington Ph: 0416960673 E: nikolaidis@live.ie
iFlogID: 19683
iFlogID: 20689
CENTRAL COAST GUITAR LESSONS Beginner to advanced all ages, tailored lessons to suit you, most styles catered for, everything from basic open chords to scales and theory. Call Fred on 0400 347 955
iFlogID: 20691
DRUM LESSONS School Holiday Special!!!! PROFESSIONAL DRUM TEACHER WITH DRUMMING AND EDUCATION DEGREE. All styles and levels welcome Tips to make it in the industry provided. School Holiday Bargain Prices 10 percent off 5 lesson block 15 percent off 10 lesson block Drum Studio in Roselands & Mobile Service
iFlogID: 19814
REHEARSAL ROOMS
The best kept secret among musicians is that they move for a living (and for fun). Learn to move well to take the pressure off your body and improve performance. Helps reduce pain, increase flexibility and free the musician within! Monday evening class, Tuesday voice class, Private lessons at St Leonards now. SydneyAlexanderTechnique.com 0408 257 174
iFlogID: 20050
iFlogID: 20875 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.
MOVE, SING, PLAY BETTER
iFlogID: 20226
iFlogID: 20052
BANJO TUITION
RECORDING AND LIVE ENGINEER
CREATIVE GUITAR TUITION
BUS HIRE SERVICE (with driver); 19-seater coaster-bus with wheelchair access available for airport-transit, festivals, functions and party-hire. Drive home safely with an experienced driver at the wheel. Please call Ray for a quote on 0414 355 763.
iFlogID: 18131
iFlogID: 18953
iFlogID: 18269
iFlogID: 20941
RECORDING STUDIO FOR SALE
iFlogID: 18949
RECORDING STUDIOS
email: vangelis2133@yahoo.com
iFlogID: 20729 Fender Jazz Bass 5 String, Sunburst colour. as new, 5 yrs old with case. Cost new $2250. Will sell for $1450 for quick sale. Ph (02) 97590970
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.
PHOTOGRAPHY MASTERING
iFlogID: 20672
iFlogID: 19091
iFlogID: 20855
iFlogID: 20780
iFlogID: 14468
Bass Rig, Peavey amplifier head $300, good condition. Plus EVTL Speaker Box with 350 watt EV Speaker, good condition, $650 for both will separate. Ph (02) 97590970
P.A - SOUND SYSTEM FOR HIRE 2000W FRONT OF HOUSE, 650W FOLD BACK, $350 WITH ENGINEER SET UP & DELIVERED, PARTIES/DJ’S/SMALL BANDS CALL STEVE 0400606650 steveshifter@hotmail.com
Speaker re-cones (most models), hand built base-bins, guitar cabs, P.A. cabs and monitors, using all top quality components. Can also do custom road cases to suit any type of audio equipment. 0414355763.
iFlogID: 20734
BASS
iFlogID: 20499
iFlogID: 20004
iFlogID: 20555
++ play more chinese music - love, tenzenmen ++ www.tenzenmen.com
Rock crew internships offer. Full training provided by muso/prod w/ 30 yrs + ind exp in all facets of music prod. Must b keen, honest, reliable & have car. RemmosK@gmail.com
PRINTING Premium CD packaging & CD replication, Australia wide. 70% recycled card at no extra cost.
iFlogID: 20560
JCM900 Marshall combo for sale. 1990 model. 100w high gain, dual reverb with clean/ gain channels. New valves. Rarely used in past 15 years. Very good condition. $800 ono. Call Craig 0400 954 147.
iFlogID: 20674
LIVE RECORDING. Available to gigs in Sydney/ Metro area. Multitrack audio up to 24trk, Isolated signal splitters, Dedicated HD plus DAW backup, Focusrite preamps. Raw tracks for mixdown, $250 www.livelinegroup.com 0411342989
HIRE SERVICES
CARSLBRO SHERWOOD ACOUSTIC AMP
iFlogID: 18316 RemmosK returns to “The Wall” in full throttle electric mode with special guests @ The Wall, The Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt, Fri 25-01-13
High Definition YouTube video demonstrations of cymbals. ZILDJIAN, SABIAN, PAISTE, UFIP, MEINL, WUHAN, STAGG, PEARL... www.youtube.com/user/sydneypollak
LEARN GUITAR $99 Special Promo 5 week course Beginners Welcome Children & Adults *Friendly mentoring approach *Great Results Guaranteed Enquire Now Paddington Ph: 0416960673 E: nikolaidis@live.ie
Singing lessons in a positive environment with a highly experienced and professional singer/songwriter. Lessons tailored to suit individual needs. Also beginners guitar. www.realvoice.net.au for more details. Inner West, Rosanna 0431 157 622.
iFlogID: 20593
SLIDE GUITAR TUITION
All styles both acoustic and electric from Blind Willie Johnson and Son House to Eric Clapton and Duane Allman. tel. John 0431953178
iFlogID: 20846
TEACHER TO THE STARS!
iFlogID: 19765
LEARN HOW TO SING Are you interested in learning how to sing? Becoming the next x factor winner, or just singing for the pure love of it? Well its now your time to shine. How do I do this you may ask? Just pick up the phone and book your lesson with me... I am Hayley Milano, I have been performing professionally and teaching for over 10 years. I have toured Australia and have a lot of contacts in the industry from people to gigs to inside the studio. I enjoy nothing more then sharing my love and passion for singing with others. I’m looking for dedicate hard working students who are committed to reaching there goals and want to grow in the music industry. I have students ranging from 8 years old to 65 years. Its is very important for me to have a connection with my student so I can unlock the performer within.. 0422 963 373
iFlogID: 20745
CALL Brian 0405-044-513
iFlogID: 20435
iFlogID: 18062
Free online and print classifieds Book now, visit iflog.com.au
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: 20385
TRIAL MUSIC LESSON
A1 TOP PRO DRUMMER AVAILABLE FOR SESSION FREELANCE WORK, TOURS ETC. EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE, TOP GEAR, GREAT GROOVE AND TIME.SYDNEY BASED, WILL TRAVEL. PH 0419760940. WEBSITE www.mikehague.com
iFlogID: 18334 EXPERIENCE MALE DRUMMER Seeks Covers band/ fill in work A passion for gigs looking for easy going people with a positive outlook. Age group 35 plus NO DRUGS ph Mark 0422 173 728
iFlogID: 20367
Drummer and Bass Player wanted for alternative rock band. Music influenced by Something for Kate, Muse, Jeff Buckley, Radiohead. The previous incarnation played at venues such as The Hopetoun, The Gaelic Club, the UNSW Roundhouse and the Lansdowne and Sandringham. The music is pop-infused, alternative rock with indie flavours and some heavier riffs. Give it a listen at www.myspace. com/markmcintyremusic or www.starnow. com/markmcintyre and let me know if you’re interested. Email: markmcintyre81@gmail.com Phone: 0414 528 954.
iFlogID: 20419 Drummer wanted .Styles range from pop, blues, jazz. We rehearse in Marrickville . Influences include Nick Cave, Joy division, The Cramps, Tom Waits. tom 0411 874 673
iFlogID: 20922 Have a trial lesson on us. Fully qualifed teachers we have over 300 weekly students we mentor. Beginer through to advanced welcome. Lessons are available everyday of the week including Sundays. Our music mentors teach drums, guitar, bass guitar, theory & percussion. Mention this add for a free trial lesson Call Anthony on 02 9712 5403 or 0413 363 116
iFlogID: 20952
Experienced Soul Reggae R’N’B Blues Funk drummer (36yo) available for work preferably in Northern Beaches. Call Michael 0402 549423 email siczex@ yahoo.com.au See me playing drums: www.youtube.com/user/sydneypollak
DRUMMER WANTED for Originals 5 piece band. Must be reliable, easy going & enjoy playing different styles as our music is varied from funk/indi pop/rock/ska. Email Veneita at Insideoutband@bigpond.com.
iFlogID: 20075
iFlogID: 17324 PROFESSIONAL DRUMMER AVAILABLE! Sydney based, ready for session work, touring etc. - lots of experience at 24 years of age, will travel. ardieworsleymusic@gmail.com
Drummer Wanted: Sydney based old school rock boogie covers band. Influences: Stones, Chuck Berry, ZZ Top, George Thorogood, Cream. Gigging band seeking commited capable drummer.
iFlogID: 20678
iFlogID: 20865
VOCAL TUITION Do you have pitch problems? Are you experiencing damage due to incorrect support, placement and breathing? Phone John for some quick and easy remedial attention tel. 0431953178
Professional drummer/percussionist/vibraphonist available for performances/recording. Toured with international acts such as Dianna Krall, David Campbell and Patrizio Buanne. Have huge range of instruments including vibraphone. More info at www.davekemp.info
iFlogID: 20844
iFlogID: 17317
VocalHub - Sing like no one is listening! Singing lessons for vocal technique and care, audition tips and repertoire in a encouraging and supportive environment. Visit: http://www.vocalhub.com.au
iFlogID: 17102 Want to play Guitar... but don’t know where to start? Tailored Tuition at your Pace... with Guitarist for Sydney Band ROCKMONSTER Rock & Blues PH: 0422 868 959
SINGER Metal vocalist. Clean and dirty, cute but crazy, female ready to rock! Looking for band with intention to gig. No collab crap unless you’re awesome industrial wanting to gig. marikogray@destroyermariko.com
iFlogID: 20143 Quirky singer, keyboard player, musician available. Lots of experience. Paid situations only please. Call Stephanie ph: 0403 250 560.
Learn to play the kaleidoscope way unique colour coded method made simple download your books and stickers and you will learn in no time www.kaleidoscopetuition.com.au have heaps of fun as well.
iFlogID: 20358
VIDEO / PRODUCTION CHECK OUT finncut’s channel on Utube Music Videos produced by Matti
SINGER SEEKING A GRADE BAND THAT HAS THEIR S**T TOGETHER. PRETTY OPEN IN REGARDS TO GENRE BUT PREFERABLEY ROCK. FOR VOCAL REFERENCE VISIT www.facebook. com/delsantomusic BASED IN SYD Please contact: steveshifter@hotmail.com
iFlogID: 20863 SINGER SEEKING A GRADE BAND THAT HAS THEIR S**T TOGETHER. PRETTY OPEN IN REGARDS TO GENRE BUT PREFERABLY ROCK. FOR VOCAL REFERENCE VISIT www.facebook. com/delsantomusic Based in Sydney. Please contact: steveshifter@hotmail.com
iFlogID: 20857
finncut@gmail.com
iFlogID: 19971 LIVE RECORDING.. Pro shot single cam video plus multitrack audio up to 24track. Mastered to DVD, HD youtube files, perfect for showreel, online promotion. $350 www.livelinegroup.com or 0411342989
iFlogID: 19797 QUALITY MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION Immersion Imagery strives to offer quality & creative music videos to suit your style & budget. Portfolio of over 30 artists. www. immersionimagery.com immimagery@gmail. com facebook.com/immersion.imagery
iFlogID: 18477
we are a rock covers band that is looking for an experienced drummer with a proffesional attitude .we are very experienced musicians that like to have fun . you will need to be a quick learner for upcomming gigs ,so weekly rearsals are required to get up to scratch ,you will require your own transportation ,you will be paid from $150/$200 per gig depending on the situation we play a vast range of covers so you will need to be versatile, sometimes we play 2 gigs a month and sometime 4 gigs a month .please no time wasters
iFlogID: 20657 DRUMMERS/BASSISTS/GUITARISTS needed for garage punk rock ‘n’ roll band. check out soundcloud.com/the-new-orleans for demos. gigging asap after finding the right people. m/f. pref under 30. contact Tanner on 0403508102.
iFlogID: 20334
iFlogID: 19884
iFlogID: 19650
WWW. KALEIDOSCOPETUITION. COM.AU
DRUMMER WANTED
ENGINE AND PULSE WANTED Original progressive rock band requires a Drummer and Bassplayer to add there creativeness and integrity to our collective / community call Dallas 0409830216 or Wendy 0431737927
iFlogID: 20867
GUITARIST REQUIRED ASAP Original Sydney band 30three requires experienced guitarist. Must be dedicated and professional. Gigs waiting for early 2013 also view to record debut album. Influences range from Pearl Jam, Live and U2. Contact Zarz on 0449710697 or Matt 0433859723.
iFlogID: 20620
iFlogID: 20662 Songwriter available. Many genre, mainly ballads/folk and country. Ring me for a link to my current repertoire. All works are copyright and registered with APRA. Call Speiros 0434 760 833.
iFlogID: 20705
iFlogID: 20613 A bass player required for an all originals pop/ rock band to play in venues around Sydney area. I am a singer/guitarist who writes music. Contact Paul: promacca@gmail.com
iFlogID: 20789
BASS PLAYER FOR ORIGINALS BAND
Original singer/guitarist looking for reliable bass player preferably in the sydney to south area. 17-21y.o. with own transport preferred. We have lots of original songs and are gigging so you must be willing to learn them, and your input will be welcomed aswell. Search youtube : We Are The Children Buring Palms for an example. Call Braydon on 0400 967 835 braydon@denmeade.com
iFlogID: 20899
BASS PLAYER WANTED Bass player needed for established central coast band. Ep just released to ITunes and the leading digital stores world wide. Press campaign ready to start. Must be reliable and committed. Ages 18-30 email Kurt at newregulars@live.com or call 0403915430.
iFlogID: 20939 Established Sydney Indie/Pop/Rock band need Bass Player, hopefully with multi instrumental talent. Maybe Keys & Backing Vox. Current JJJ Play, EP for January. Contact/SMS Sash 0409579688 and he will email music
iFlogID: 20722 guitarist/singer needs a guitarist, bass player & drummer to start a piss poor sydney rock band. louddirtyrocknrollbased musak with a touch of twang. 0403508102
iFlogID: 19654 HARDCORE Guitarist searching for other members to form premier sydney hardcore band infl by Deez Nuts, The Ghost Inside & Terror
Looking for a reggae bass player for a Northern Beaches based band. Call Michael on 0402 549 423 or email siczex@yahoo.com.au.
iFlogID: 19193 Mature bassplayer wanted with professional attitude to complete covers/originals band. Reliable equipment a must . Were Campbelltown based. PHONE: 0419 614 313
iFlogID: 20828 thrash/punk.Bassist.wanted.for.sydney.band.. songs.waiting.&.ready.to.go.have.played. many.shows.over.the years.toured.previously. please.dont.contact.us.if.you.have.never played.thrash.before.as.we.really.need.true. power.and.speed.like.none.other!.Jams.in.the. inner.west.think.suicidal.municipalwaste. poisonidea.slayer.d.r.i.happy to send through some previous recordings...0431526986 play fast or fuck off - thrash!
Wollongong rock band searching for Bass Player. Currently writing original music to record and perform live and looking for Bass Player (age 20-30) to join the band. Contact: jonathanrkennedy82@gmail.com or 0419978835
iFlogID: 20332
DRUMMER CAN YOU HIT STUFF GOOD?! Indie rock duo from Campbelltown looking for a dedicated drummer. Between 18 - 25, own gear and transport is required. Contact Anton: 0426822750
iFlogID: 18719
ph. 0422 380 219
DRUMMER WANTED
To complete original 4 piece. Indie noise rock with atmospheric influences. 90s sound. Must; be able to practice once a week, have own gear & transport.
iFlogID: 20765
DRUMMER DRUMMER wanted for Angels tribute band. Experienced, professional attitude, own transport and kit. Weekly rehearsals - inner west. Age doesn’t matter. 0468 737 697
You want music video produced? Visit finncut’s channel on Utube Contact Matti finncut@gmail.com
iFlogID: 20211
MUSICIANS AVAILABLE BASS PLAYER Electric & upright bass. Good gear. Comfortable in most styles. Experience performing live and in the studio. Check out my website if you wanna hear more. http://www.wix.com/ steelechabau/steelechabau
iFlogID: 16159
DJ Dj available Dubstep to Drum&bass willing & able to adapt to your event. Low hourly rates. Everything negotiable. Easygoing, flexible entertainment. Call for a quote today. KN!VZ Entertainment Group Ph:0415680575
iFlogID: 16661
DRUMMER Drummer available for paid work Influences funk jazz drum n bass prog rock. Rex_matthews@hotmail.com 0401237147
iFlogID: 19880 Drummer available for paid work Influences funk jazz drum n bass prog rock. Rex_matthews@hotmail.com 0401237147
iFlogID: 19882
MUSICIANS WANTED BANDS BANDS WANTED Sydney’s newest pop-up music festival – 24 – is looking for bands, duos and solo artists from all genres to play on a monthly event in Sydney CBD. Must be tight and willing to promote. Send interest with links to sean@redfirered.com
iFlogID: 20830
BASS PLAYER & DRUMMER WANTED Central Coast based hard rock covers band looking for a drummer & bass player to complete 5 piece line up, bands covered Whitesnake, Van Halen, Guns & Roses etc, must have professional equipment & attitude for more info call Fred on 0400 347 955.
iFlogID: 20698 Bass player and drummer wanted for Blues Rock Original Band. Alexandria. Call Stuart 02 45 72 1872 or Patty 0438383540
iFlogID: 20960 Driving under the sea on the moon with pals. The spirit of England, the 80s and the 90s will be with us. Johnny Marr will be there! 0432163354 - bluemountains
iFlogID: 20743 Drummer and Bass Player needed for original project, with guitarist/singer performing regularly in Inner West. Good players preferred although feel is most important! Broad range of styles. Ring Joe 0431233520.
iFlogID: 20783
iFlogID: 20626
MONSTER- LEAD SINGER WANTED Our current band line up ranges from 10 to 17 years of age looking for a NEW lead singer..with excellent vocal range , available to rehearse twice a week in the Eastern Suburbs. Love of Led Zep , The Who , ACDC and writing original songs , with HUGE opportunities this year but need the right person if your interested please send your interest/ resume to mark@lordpublican.com.au.
iFlogID: 20920 Seeking experienced lead & backing singers, bass, keyboard, sax & trumpet players for REGGAE band in Northern Beaches. Call Michael 0402 549 423 or email siczex@yahoo.com.au
iFlogID: 20785
DRUMMER WANTED
SING /PLAY JAZZ Singers / Musicians (especially wind players) wanted Style : Jazz Standards Director : David Millman Contact : by phone - 9807 8866 or email- oddsocksmusic62@yahoo.com.au
iFlogID: 20736
phone: 0423420029
iFlogID: 20595 Female drummer wanted to start original band. Alt/Rock/Heavy music. Must be serious. meeghankairus@hotmail.com
iFlogID: 20954
INDIE / GARAGE DRUMMER WANTED
Wanted - Drummer for original touring band with album and national radio airplay. Influences include Arctic Monkeys, The Rascals, The Libertines, The Clash. Aged 20-30, Sydney based, good work ethic and decent equipment preferred. Call Sean 0488 904181 for audition.
iFlogID: 20710
METAL DRUMMER NEEDED Sydney-based touring metal band seeking a dedicated drummer to nail songs. Must have a killer attitude and be willing to work as hard as it takes to make it. Influences: Dillinger Escape Plan, Meshuggah, Refused, Sikth, Pantera, SOAD We have several releases under our belt and have a management deal. The new drummer must be willing to tour around Australia and overseas. If interested send an email to metal.drummer. now@gmail.com
iFlogID: 20969
GUITARIST ACOUSTIC GUITARIST or ACOUSTIC GUITARIST/ VOCALIST required to team up with ACOUSTIC/ GUITARIST SINGER to play all original material. Think: MARK SEYMOUR / JAMES REYNE. Contact PAUL: promacca@gmail.com
SINGER /VOCALIST WANTED we are looking for a second vocalist for a covers band ,mainly rock ,must be experienced and fast learner ,must be versatile transport is required 0417044497
iFlogID: 20913
iFlogID: 20686
iFlogID: 20796 KEYBOARDIST WANTED TO COMPLETE DUB/ REGGAE/SOUL BAND Guitarist, bassist and drummer/singer seeks KEYBOARDIST. 18-40yo. Can rehearse once a week. Influences: Augustus Pablo, De Facto, Fat Freddy’s Drop, TrinityRoots, Meshell Ndegeocello. Contact: Tim 0402377911
iFlogID: 20983 Looking for an experienced reggae keyboard player for a Northern Beaches based band. Call Michael 0402 549 423 or email siczex@yahoo.com.au
iFlogID: 20798
SINGER TO RECORD ROCK ALBUM Rock album ready to go, 2013 release. Need session singer to record vocals. Will include payment for the right applicant. Heavy rock style, melodic - need versatile singer with character. Mix of heavy and lighter styles. Good musicians.
iFlogID: 20879
Wollongong rock band searching for Singer. Currently writing original music to record and perform live and looking for a singer (age 20-30) to join the band. Contact: jonathanrkennedy82@gmail.com or 0419978835
iFlogID: 20330
TROMBONE
iFlogID: 20937
SAXOPHONE Looking for an experienced sax player to form a horn section for a Northern Beaches based REGGAE band. Call Michael 0402 549 423 or email siczex@yahoo.com.au.
iFlogID: 19219
SINGER Fem Vox with stage presence req for established events band. Wide repertoire, occasional travel. 0481314891
iFlogID: 20738
FEMALE SINGER NEEDED Looking for a Female Singer for an established corporate events big band. Regular work. Great team of musicians based in Sydney. Repertoire includes Top 40, 80’s/90’s Soul and Party, Latin, Jazz an Swing. Looking for a dependable person willing to rehearse and perform as required with a great stage presence. Contact or email Ari on aripasax@gmail.com or on 0426220221.
Composer/Producer/Songwriter in need of an experienced (live/studio) Trombone (Bass/Normal) Player. Musician should be energetic, optimistic, hardworking and professional in attitude. Contact on nmur029 at gmail.com and/ or 0421 876 205.
iFlogID: 20915
TRUMPET Looking for an experienced trumpet player to form a horn section for a Northern Beaches based REGGAE band. Call Michael 0402 549 423 or email siczex@yahoo.com.au.
iFlogID: 19221
TRUMPET PLAYER NEEDED Composer/Producer/Songwriter from Newtown in need of an experienced (live/studio) Trumpet Player. Musician should be energetic, optimistic, hardworking and professional in attitude. Contact on nmur029 {at} gmail and 0421 876 205 and we will discuss further. Musician will be compensated for their work.
Rad Lead Guitarist Needed for Alternative Bluesy Grungey Stonery Band. You’ll need to submit a Bio to siamesealmeida@live. com. Subject heading ‘Guitarist Bio’. call nat 0406727076 for info. Inner Sydney Based. www.facebook.com/lovesiamesealmeida
iFlogID: 20965 Established Sydney band looking for Guitarist! Capable of singing/multi instrumentals is preferable. EP finalised, Triple J play, FBI rotation, touring 2013. SMS Sasha 0409579688 with details for links to music
iFlogID: 20348 Guitar player wanted, rehearse marrickville. Inf Nick Cave, Tom Waits Dresden Dolls, blues, Jazz, KItchen sink..tom 0411 874 673
iFlogID: 20948 Guitarist required, for Elvis cover band plus variety of songs including originals. Rehearsal once a week between Campbelltown and Blacktown. Must be able to come to rehearsals. Ph:0425 246 253 Alex.
EMAIL: fademanagement@live.com.au
for Stone Dogs, a popular Northern Beaches based covers band. Mainly Classic Oz rock. We are serious about our music but we all have day jobs and do this for fun. If you are experienced visit stonedogs.com.au or call 0414 413 989 to get a current set list and more info.
iFlogID: 20975 guitarist starting jazz/cafe quartet seeking female vocalist. Influences Peggy Lee, Mary Ford, Billy Holiday. Aiming cafes, clubs, weddings, wine bars. Plenty of covers and reimaginings with view for originals.
iFlogID: 17428
GRAPHIC DESIGN Get your Band or Business Online Cost effectively and PROFESSIONALLY from $299 including Hosting and email addresses! Contact info@bizwebsites.com.au or see www.bizwebsites.com.au
iFlogID: 15450
OTHER BUS HIRE SERVICE (with driver); 19-seater coaster-bus with wheelchair access available for airport-transit, festivals, functions and party-hire. Drive home safely with an experienced driver at the wheel. Please call Ray for a quote on 0414 355 763.
iFlogID: 19848 Get your Band or Business Online Cost effectively from $299 including Hosting, Shopping Cart and 5 email addresses! Contact info@bizwebsites.com.au or see www.bizwebsites.com.au.
iFlogID: 15454
iFlogID: 20724 Looking for female backing singers for a Northern Beaches based REGGAE band. Call Michael on 0402 549 423 or email siczex@yahoo.com.au
iFlogID: 19556 Seeking an experienced lead & backing reggae singers for Northern Beaches based band. Call Michael 0402 549 423 or email siczex@yahoo.com.au
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
SINGER TO JOIN BAND
iFlogID: 20715
We are a specialist drum and percussion team dedicated in guiding you through your musical path. We teach all levels Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced, our lessons cover all styles and you will gain all the skills to maximize your drumming potential. Certificate courses available for Basic, Intermediate and Advanced players. visit www.aaodap.com.au or call 0424 422 650
iFlogID: 20292
LIVE SOUND COURSE, 2 DAYS
A comprehensive 2 day course that covers basic audio principles, the progression of technology, common audio components, terninology, signal flow, soldering 101, microphone and speaker placement, EQing and more. Handty reference booklet supplied. Optional third days training at a live music venue available. www.zenstudios.com.au 02-9950-3977
iFlogID: 20182
SAXOPHONE AND CLARINET LESSONS
Experienced teacher. Email: larkin70@hotmail.com or phone: 0404 101 956.
iFlogID: 20803
TUITION BASS, GUITAR, DRUMS
iFlogID: 16217 Learn massage! Thai massage shop jobs available $40/hr no experience necessary Central location 0450 758 399
iFlogID: 18957
iFlogID: 19195
I am a female singer wanting to join a band, covers or originals and all genres of music okay for me, preferably funk, pop and rock with jazz and blues influences being the preferred touch.
AUST ACADEMY OF DRUMS & PERC
BEAUTY SERVICES Fully Qualified & 8yrs Experience, Thai Massage $49/hr or Sensual Balinese Aroma $69/hr. In/Out calls, Male/Female Welcome. www.takecaremassage.com.au - By Anson 0433646338
iFlogID: 20848
FRONTMAN WANTED. CLASSIC ROCK
iFlogID: 20244
SERVICES
EMAIL: fademanagement@live.com.au
BADASS ALT BLUES GUITARIST GO!
ph: 0418 172 506 JAC MUSIC SCHOOL EPPING
iFlogID: 20917
iFlogID: 20747
FEMALE SINGER WANTED * 18-28 years old * Rhythm guitar capabilities a bonus * Song writing capabilities a bonus * Willing to rehearse twice a week * Able to take direction from management
TUITION $25 PRIVATE MUSIC LESSONS singing guitar keyboard piano drums violin tuition music instruments sales service & repairs
TROMBONE PLAYER NEEDED
iFlogID: 19197 Pianist/Synth player wanted for sydney alt rock/pop band. Inf: Muse, Faith no more, Killers, Birds of tokyo. Songs written and have all members call Rob: 0421851708
iFlogID: 20763 Attention all rockers especially girls! ExSkulker drummer & I are looking for guitarist/ bass. Motely Crue, L7, Rose Tattoo and The Runaways influences. Must be good-looking, aged 23-35. Inner-west rehearsals. Call 0401017275.
GUITARIST WANTED * Aged between 18-28 years old * Must have own gear * Song writing capabilities a bonus * Backing vocals a bonus * Rehearsals 2xWeek * Willing to travel for gigs * Own transport. Drummer wanted for active Sydney rock band. Currently recording and gigging. Music video scheduled for early 2013. Prefer aged from 18 to 28. For info contact the band’s Manager, Mark, on 0427 244 466 or at markmontgomery@live.com.au. Listen to some of the band’s original demos at http://tinyurl. com/d6gj6ep
hi Piano/keyboard player wanted. We rehearse in Marrickville. Our music is alternative with jazz, blues and rock elements. Nick Cave, Kasabian, tv on the radio, Dresden dolls. Tom 0411874673
Keyboardist required for Elvis covers plus variety of songs including originals. Rehearsals Campbelltown to Blacktown. Must be able to rehearse once a week. Ph: 0425 246 253 Alex
iFlogID: 20695
iFlogID: 18612
KEYBOARD
established indie/punk outfit playing originals seeks drummer. infl. fauves, stone roses, replacements, cult, cure, the roots, goran bregovic. demo & air play. ready to play live. listen: https://soundcloud.com/neil-youngpony-club write: neilyoungponyclub@gmail.com
iFlogID: 20838 Drummer wanted for original guitarist/singer performing regularly in inner west. Good players preferred although subtlety and feel is most important. Broad styles, folk, rock and beyond. Ring Joe 0431233520.
iFlogID: 19401
iFlogID: 20924
email: tordollhouse@gmail.com CENTRAL COAST BLUES/ROCK COVERS/ORIGINALS BAND REQUIRE DRUMMER. EXPERIENCE TRANSPORT & 100% COMMITMENT ESSENTIAL. INFLUENCES, FREE, D/PURPLE G/MOORE, SRV, S/QUO, SANTANA, E/CLAPTON, B/CROWS, ZZ/TOP, HENDRIX. & SOME ORIGINALS. WORKING SOON, PLEASE PHONE 0449536661.
HORN Looking for an experienced sax & trumpet players for a horn section for a Northern Beaches based REGGAE band. Call Michael 0402 549 423 or email siczex@yahoo.com.au.
iFlogID: 20971
iFlogID: 20029
iFlogID: 20801 Guitarist starting jazz/cafe quartet/. Seeking female vocalist, drummer, bassist. Influences Peggy Lee, Les Paul & Mary Ford, Billy Holiday. Covers and maybe originals to play cafes, clubs, weddings, wine bars.
SONG WRITER SINGER/SONGWRITER/GUITARIST looking to collaborate with musicians/songwriters. Has recording gear. Based in Sutherland Shire. Mainly looking to write POP, ROCK or PUNK. Contact to hear previous work. Contact Hayden on 0403995832.
BASS PLAYER CENTRAL COAST BAND SEEK. BASS PLAYER FOR ROCK COVERS ORIGINALS TRIO, MUST HAVE GOOD GEAR, TRANSPORT,,& COMMITMENT. INF. SRV, CLAPTON, D/PURPLE ,FREE/ BAD CO,SANTANA, ZZ TOP. ph 0449536661
New Musicians Chat Site, available for artists who wish to discuss their music. Go to http:// express.paltalk.com/?refc=86001 and enjoy some conversations with other musicians. Open part time at present.
iFlogID: 20990 What happens when you start paying attention? When you become an active member and start participating in this elusive thing we call life. WWW.WHATISTHEHAPS.COM
iFlogID: 20850 Looking for an experienced reggae guitar player for a Northern Beaches based band. Call Michael on 0402 549 423 or email siczex@ yahoo.com.au
iFlogID: 19558
Singer Wanted for northern beaches based band. Looking for someone who can be creative and cover a wide range of different genres. mainly playing originals if keen call brad 0431971211
iFlogID: 20930
Free online and print classifieds Book now, visit iflog.com.au
iFlogID: 17980
The School of Rock offers tuition in singing, bass guitar, electric guitar, drums and song writing techniques. Our instructors have years of experience showing young musicians how to play and take that talent onto the stage. For more information visit our website at www.schoolofrockinnerwest.com.au or www.zenstudios.com.au. Ph: 9550 3977
iFlogID: 20184
WAVE OF PIXELATION
BEHIND THE LINES GROHL’S SOUND CITY The feature-length documentary, Sound City, directed by Dave Grohl will be screening for one night only, Thursday 31 January, at select cinemas. An elegiac tribute to the recording studio of that name that opened in 1969 deep in the sunburnt San Fernando Valley in California, Grohl lovingly explores the human element of music, the lost art of analogue recording and the history of America’s greatest unsung studio. In its day, Sound City was state-of-the-art; it quickly became the analogue studio in which to record, featuring as it did a one-of-a-kind Neve recording console, and arguably the best tracking room in America, and saw the recording of some of the seminal albums of the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s by, among many, many others: Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young, Tom Petty, Metallica and Nirvana. As digital technology advanced, like so many studios around the world, Sound City eventually was forced to close its doors, so through interviews with many of the legendary musicians and producers who’d worked there over the years, Grohl’s documentary tries to uncover and define the intangible magic within those wires and walls that was responsible for such an incredible history of music, while focusing on the real human experience and craft of analogue recording by capturing epic performances of historic, full-circle musical reunions. It’s also a personal story, since it was at Sound City that Grohl, then a penniless musician, joined a group that would change everything, Nirvana, to record, over 16 days, the Nevermind album. When the studio closed, he bought that legendary Neve console. Sound City screens at Village Cinemas Jam Factory, Southland and Knox in Victoria; Event Cinemas George Street and Macquarie in NSW; Event Cinemas Chermside and Pacific Fair in Queensland and Event Cinemas Innaloo in WA.
RECORDING DEVENDRA BANHART Mala, the now-NYC-based Devendra Banhart’s eighth studio album, was recorded in his then-home in Los Angeles, coproducing it with his longtime offsider, guitarist Noah Georgeson, the pair playing most of the instruments themselves. As he describes the recording process, the core revolved around an old Tascam recorder they’d found in a pawnshop. “A lot of early hip hop had been made on [the Tascam] and knowing my songs are not hip hop whatsoever, we thought it would be interesting to see how these kinds of songs would sound on equipment that was used to record our favorite rap. Let’s see how this technology would work for us.” This was a new approach for the pair, as Banhart goes on to admit that “In the past we were more like, ‘Let’s use the oldest equipment we could find.’” Of course, Tascam recorders predate hip hop by a couple of decades but we can forgive Banhart and Georgeson their youthful ignorance.
SOUND BYTES Deep Purple have a new as-yet untitled album due for release in April, which they recorded and mixed in Nashville with producer Bob Ezrin (Alice Cooper, Kiss, Pink Floyd), who’s based in that town these days. Recorded at the Great North Sound Society in Parsonsfield, Maine, the forthcoming new album, The Beast In Its Tracks, continues Josh Ritter’s long-time collaboration with producer and keyboards player Sam Kassirer. btl@drummedia.com.au
Top-shelf rock photographer Kane Hibberd releases his first book in February, a photographic love letter to the Soundwave music festival. Kane spoke to Muso’s Greg Phillips and advised on the factors that go into creating great rock photos. he more you can sort out going into it, the better it will be on the day,” photographer Kane Hibberd suggests. He could probably be referring to any life experience really but on this occasion he was discussing the importance of preparation for a band going into a photoshoot. Kane should know; he’s been shooting some of the world’s biggest acts for a long time and in 2010 was runner-up in the prestigious NME Music Photography Awards. In February he launches his first book, Kanye Lens Vs Soundwave, a high-quality 450-page ‘coffee-table’ book featuring over 600 images from a six-year stint as official photographer for the Soundwave festival.
“T
Preparation can be the difference between a good or a great photoshoot according to Hibberd. “It starts right from the beginning when you decide to get the photos taken. You need to decide why you are having photos taken in the first place. Everyone knows that bands have to have photos but at times you don’t really know why you need them or what you are going to do with them. If you are a young band starting off, obviously you’re going to need some photos so people know who you are. Those photos will primarily be used on social media, Facebook and things like that. As you progress you might get them in street press with your upcoming gigs but they’re going to be run small. You need to research your photographer and pick someone who is in your price rage; there’s no point in a full day’s shoot and getting twenty nice shots out of it and costing you $2000, when you are not going to get the value out of that. Spend the money but you don’t have to go top of the range. Make sure that people can see who you are. They are only going to be run small so make sure people can see your faces, you’re not too far away in the photo, keep them nice and tight. As you go on... if you are releasing your album, you’ll be hoping to get into the feature sections of magazines. That’s when you need to think more about photography and picking a photographer who has done the work rather than thinking of price point. A lot of times, if people are reading an article, particularly if it is online, or even in a magazine, the first thing they get is the image. The image has to be something special, shows the personality of the band, or it has to be eye-catching. There are so many images out there of so many bands. Do anything you can to help people take notice of your band and make them then hopefully go and buy some of your music.” For Kane, a great live rock photo needs to give you a sense of what it was like being at the show. Ideally, he likes to capture the pivotal point of a gig, the special moment that everyone remembers. However, as every photographer knows, that isn’t always possible when you’re restricted to the first three songs with no flash. “Rarely does that pivotal moment happen in the first three songs.”
The beauty of Kane’s new book is that his access all areas accreditation allowed his eye an exclusive view of the festival. With every mobile phone today containing a camera, it’s getting more difficult to find an angle someone else hasn’t covered. It’s a far cry from the heady days of the ‘60s and ‘70s when many exclusive classic rock shots were taken and remain as iconic images today. In particular, Kane is a fan of Jim Marshall’s shots of Jimi Hendrix setting fire to his guitar at the Monterey Pop Festival. “Back in those days there were only a couple of photographers running around doing their thing,” bemoans Hibberd. “He was the only one with that shot. Whereas now, if that happened on the main stage of the Big Day Out, there’d be thirty photographers in the pit who would capture that, plus the 20,000 people in the audience with their mobile phones.” As to Kane’s favourite band to shoot at Soundwave, he cites Canadian hard rockers Alexisonfire as one that consistently provided creative photographic opportunities. “They are always a very dynamic band on stage and very exciting to watch. They’ve done it twice, so the second time they came back I knew it was a band to shoot because I had seen what happened. Although, I try not to shoot a band because it is going to be easy. I try to approach everything from... I’m just going to try to get an interesting shot and sometimes it is easier than others.” Even though Kane is a huge music fan, interestingly, when in shooting mode, the musical moments of a gig are superfluous. “If I am really into it, I wouldn’t be able to tell you what song they are playing. You get in the zone and you don’t even notice, especially
with ear-plugs in. You might feel the music but in a sense of knowing what song they’re playing, you sometimes don’t even know. People will ask what a concert was like or how a band played and I would have no idea. I may have got some great shots but as far as performance or sound, I am worlds away.” So should a band play up to photographers at a gig? As far as Kane is concerned, if that’s in the band’s personality and they do it naturally, then by all means go for it! “If you like to play up to an audience, then you’re likely to play up to a photographer and you’ll get some great shots. A website or magazine is going to use the most exciting shots they can find.” However, Kane warns. “In the same sense, if you are not comfortable doing that, you don’t want to do it. People know when things are fake.” Kanye Lens Vs Soundwave is a book that all music fans could enjoy, irrespective of your musical tastes, but why does Kane think we should purchase his book? “I am hoping that people who have an emotional attachment to Soundwave will love it. It’s not about any one particular band, it’s about the whole experience that everyone has, from the bands, to the fans and crew. So if you like Soundwave, I think you should buy it because it will bring back memories. I’m hoping that people who just like documentary-style photography will be able to appreciate it. I chose the images, not based on the band or who was in the photo but based on strong images which were part of a bigger story.” Order your copy from www.kanyelens.com
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