Drum Media Sydney Issue #989 by TheMusic.com.au

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MANLY

FISHO’S WWW.MANLYFISHOS.COM.AU

THE MANLY FISHO’S & ATOMIC DROP ENTERTAINMENT WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL THE BANDS THAT PLAYED AT THE FISHO’S --- FROM THE BIG NAME TOURING ACTS THAT PLAYED SOLD OUT SHOWS TO THE LOCAL BANDS THAT KEEP THE VENUE KICKING ALONG --- IN 2009 AND LOOK FORWARD TO MANY FINE SHOWS IN 2010. WE ARE ALSO LOOKING FOR MORE LOCAL NORTHERN BEACHES BANDS TO COME AND GRACE OUR STAGE SO PLEASE GET IN TOUCH WITH US AT: FISHOS@ATOMICDROP.COM.AU AND LET US KNOW THAT YOU’RE READY TO PLAY. fishos@atomicdrop.com.au

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GA1 GA1 GA 1 73 735 383 83

NEW YEARS EVE HOUSE PARTY

18+

THE GRATES + THE BOXER REBELLION (UK) + PHILADELPHIA GRAND JURY + PONYTAIL (USA) + BADDIES (UK) + SHAZAM (BANG GANG 12”)

THU

DEC 8PM

+ BENI (KITSUNE) + ASTRONOMY CLASS + RED RIDERS + FRANKI CHAN (IHEARTCOMIX) + DEEP SEA ARCADE + PHDJ + PURPLE SNEAKERS DJ’S (M.I.T, BEN LUCID, NICK FINDLAY) + DZ + SURECUT KIDS + CHAINGANG + YOUNG HERETICS + THE TRIVS + STRANGEWAYS

THU

JAN 8PM 18+

THE MACBETH

SUN

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JAN 7PM

EVERYTIME I DIE (USA) + 50 LIONS + TRAP THEM (USA) + MARY JANE KELLY

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SKREAM & BENGA ( UK ) + HARMONIC 313

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THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009 • 19 •

Contents Issue No. 989 Tuesday 22 December 2009 All entries must be sent to giveaways@drummedia.com.au and include your full name, address and a contact number. Please note – prizes that are to be collected from the office must be done within four weeks of notification of winning. SYDNEY’S LARGEST CIRCULATING FREE MUSIC PUBLICATION • READERSHIP 125,000

DRUM MEDIA Giveaways – Look to your left for free stuff, silly!

Mailbag – your say on what floats your boat or makes the red mist descend.

The News – just like it says, with opinions, tours, releases, Backlash, Frontlash and Jay Farrar gets close to Jack Kerouac.

In the lead up to the Peats Ridge Festival we find Liam Finn hates spiders and Sarah Blasko may set herself on fire.

Cat Power is on her own again and is at peace.

King Khan hopes soul and R&B fans won’t mind watching him get fatter and crazier.

Heading along to Peats Ridge Festival? You’d best use the map and times contained within. Or for an even flashier version, head to summerfestivalguide.com.au.

The Books play with absurdity.

With sword and car in attendance, Neko Case gets to act like a ten-yearold boy. 38

1/20 HUTCHINSON ST SURRY HILLS • PO BOX 957 DARLINGHURST 1300 • TELEPHONE 9331 7077 • FAX 9331 2633 • INFO@DRUMMEDIA.COM.AU

DESIGN OUR COVER AND WIN BIG! Don’t forget our Big Day Art competition is back. All you have to do is send us your impression of an artist on the current Big Day Out schedule and upload your entry at summerfestivalguide.com (go to the Big Day Art section). Entries close Thursday 7 January. The prize? Not only will your entry appear on the front cover of The Drum Media, but the lucky winner will also win a pass to the now sold out Big Day Out, CDs by Big Day Out artists, a three-month graphic design internship at Street Press Australia and CS4 software (supplied by CATC).

MORE… Okay, so Christmas is upon us but more importantly, so is the Peats Ridge Festival and there’s everything you need to know about the whys and wherefores of the event to help you get the very most out of it in this bumper issue. Just as a little bonus, we have two signed Peats Ridge posters to give away, signed by The Drum’s cover stars this week Liam Finn and Sarah Blasko, so email us with Peats Ridge poster giveaway in the subject line by 5pm Tuesday 5 January. As you’ll all know by now, there’s a new Wolfmother lineup and a new Wolfmother album, Cosmic Egg, and the boys have been out there ripping it up wherever they’ve been invited. Just by way of thanks for all your support, they’ve passed over three copies of Cosmic Egg for us to give away, a sort of Christmas bonus if you like, so, email us with Wolfmother giveaway in the subject line by 5pm Tuesday 5 January. You saw him up there “in the round” on Australian music’s night of night, the 2009 ARIA Awards, and you know there’s a new album and imminent tour. Virgin/EMI Australia have given us one Robbie Williams pack containing a copy of the new album, Reality Killed The Video Star, a Robbie t-shirt, a pack of four Robbie buttons and a poster, to give away. Email us with We’ve Been Robbie’d giveaway in the subject line by 5pm Tuesday 5 January.

Brett Sparks from The Handsome Family may be a little elitist when it comes to folk music.

The Boxer Rebellion chase that carrot dangling in front of them.

Fuck freak folk says Castanets, an apparent proponent of the so called genre.

Tobias Sammet from Edguy now gets the concept of a strip club.

The Inspector Cluzo take up the challenge of playing funk without a bass. 42 Charlie Parr toys with recording an album in this new fangled stereo sound.

Kelley Stoltz programs his own imaginary radio station.

Brett Dennen wants to have a positive effect on the world.

Mountain Mocha Kiliminjaro get the same feeling live as they do on CD.

On The Record reviews new release albums and singles from Adrian Deutsch, Katatonia, John Mayer and more.

Andrew Haug fills us in on the metal world as he makes The Racket.

Stu Harvey delivers a Short Fast Report on punk and hardcore.

Scott Fitzsimons gets Young & Restless with all ages goings on.

Adam Curley muses on new releases to keep you occupied on Xmas Day in The Breakdown. 49 Shane O’Donohue features the world of blues and roots with Roots Down. 50 Michael Smith delivers some Blow with jazz and world music news.

You’ve all heard and enjoyed the covers segment, Like A Version, brought to you every week by triple j. Well, the fifth instalment of the highly successful series of compilation CDs is out now and this time Like A Version Volume 5 includes not only a CD but also a DVD of some of the very best performances. It included The Kooks covering MGMT’s Kids, Urthboy covering The Clash’s London Calling, Lisa Mitchell covering Dire Straits’ Romeo & Juliet and Ben Harper & Relentless 7 covering Queen and Bowie’s Under Pressure. We have five copies to give away, so email us with Like A Version CD giveaway in the subject line by 5pm Tuesday 5 January.

Go south as you enter Pedro Manoy’s Swamp Shack. 50

You’ll read all about the life and music of babyfaced American singer songwriter Brett Dennen, who’s heading our way once more to join the John Butler Trio on their January tour, as well as doing a headline show Monday 11 January at the Basement, Circular Quay. We have three copies of his latest album, Hope For The Hopeless, to give away, so email us with Brett Dennen CD giveaway in the subject line by 5pm Tuesday 5 January.

Jamelle Wells keeps you up to date on the arts scene in Cultural Cringe. 52

Within these pages is the tale of Japanese soul/funk combo Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro, who are heading over here to help the Sydney Festival kick things off in style as well as put in a few of their own shows. Obviously it’s unlikely the majority of readers will know much about this hyperactive sextet, so we’ve got five copies of their self-titled debut album to give away. Email us with Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro CD giveaway in the subject line by 5pm Tuesday 5 January to win. Featuring the cut, Percussion Gun, described by the NME as “a genrehopping, ear pleasing masterpiece,” It’s Frightening is the latest album from Brooklyn six-piece White Rabbits. We have five copies to give away, so email us with White Rabbits CD giveaway in the subject line by 5pm Tuesday 5 January. The inimitable Lily Allen is bringing her sassy London wit and pop sensibility to Australia once more, heading into the Hordern Pavilion Thursday 21 January. To celebrate, EMI have reissued her latest album, It’s Not Me, It’s You, is a special CD/DVD edition, and we have four copies to give away, so email us with Lily Allen CD/DVD giveaway in the subject line by 5pm Tuesday 5 January. And, have a very merry and safe Christmas and prosperous New Year. • 20 • THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009

If it’s Thursday, it must be Austria for The Temper Trap. Or maybe even Australia. So hectic is their schedule they’re not quite sure themselves.

INTERVAL Who would have thought you could have a laugh about serial killers. Apparently just that happened on the set of Dexter when John Lithgow joined Michael C Hall and the cast of Dexter. 51

All the news that’s fit to print – take your seat in the Front Row.

The best performances in town, reviewed by our crack team of culture vultures.

Priscella Engall rounds up this week’s movies.

Happy As Larry explores personality types through dance. 54 Peter Helliar goes back to where it all began – stand up.

Shakespeare meets a post 9/11 world in Tempest: Without A Body. 54

LIVE It’s all here: gig reviews, tour guide, what’s happening this week, charts, gig guide, random shit and more.

Finish Line hits hard with industry fact and conjecture.

Backstage and BTL – your guide to studios, recording, courses and more. 65 The Classies – need a singer/bassist/ drummer/any other service/product you can think of? Your answer is here. And on iflog.com.au. 68

YOUR SAY same lines – that is, an application and dedication to a particular musical style, performed with real love and verve.

LETTERS@DRUMMEDIA.COM.AU

All letters must have author’s correct phone number, name and address to verify identity – not for publication (NFP)

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT Dear Drum, I’m writing with regard to the rather over-egged review recently given the Kitty, Daisy & Lewis show at the Manning Bar (Drum #988). I was first struck by the large number of very young rockers in attendance (looking decades younger than the venerable ol’ rockers I’m used to seeing around the inner west), immaculate in their best ‘50s finery, with great attention to hair and shoes. I made conversation with two young women so dressed and they seemed rather surprised when I told them that it’s possible to see the same kind of music that Kitty, Daisy & Lewis create being played right here in Sydney every weekend. Before I start sounding like I’ve been hitting the sour grapes, Kitty, Daisy & Lewis are all very competent on the large number of instruments that appeared onstage. I saw this trio perform once before, at the Golden Lion in Camden, London, about five or six years ago and on that occasion (when they would have all been under the age of 15!), they played a brief but dazzling set of old country and rock’n’roll tunes. I found them just as brilliant then. It’s always thrilling to see someone under the age of 40 pick up a banjo or piano accordion. But to claim that they’ve ‘mastered’ all of these instruments is just plain wrong. The very term ‘mastery’ when applied to an

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instrument implies a great deal of technical knowledge as well as years spent playing all kinds of styles and learning what a particular instrument can do. It’s hard enough to do it on one instrument alone – there’s no way on earth musicians still in their late teens can have mastered that many instruments. What my ears told me (after 25 years of playing guitar, pedal steel, lap steel and a bunch of other instruments, none of which I would claim to have ‘mastered’) was that these fabulously talented young musicians possess a true enthusiasm for the music they play – country, hillbilly, rock’n’roll, blues, folk, pop, skiffle, Hawaiian and bluebeat – which is more than enough to allow them to be totally entertaining without needing to be technically gifted. Moreover, the group’s undeniable talent, charm, obvious modesty and good looks carries the whole shebang well over the line. To suggest that Kitty, Daisy & Lewis are in some way ‘virtuosic’ is really a denial of the kind of music they play. The joy of that era’s music is that it was always about young people, both those who played it and those who listened to it. Because this trio (backed by their mum and dad, bless ‘em) is much younger than their audience, the music that they play is raw, real and true, brimming with the kind of teenage energy that authentic-sounding ‘50s rock’n’roll (and all the other styles) requires. They played like enthused teenagers/ young adults – which means that if you ever saw the early Beatles or young blues enthusiasts The Rolling Stones, you would have seen something along the

Brown, Elizabeth Bentley, Fiona Cameron, Giselle Nguyen, Jamelle Wells, James D’Apice, James Dawson, Joey Lightbulb, Katie Benson, Kris Swales, Lee Bemrose, Liz Giuffre, Luke Monks, Mar Garvey, Mark Hebblewhite, Martin Jones, Matt O’Neill, Matthew Cheetham, Melissa Davey, Paul Smith, Paz, Pedro Manoy, Priscella Engall, Rob Townsend, Ross

Clelland, Rod Hunt, Rod Yates, Sal Caulfield, Sam Fell, Sasha Perera, Sebastian Skeet, Sevana Ohandjanian, Steve Bell, Stu Harvey, Tim Groenendyk, Tom Hawking

PHOTOGRAPHERS Carine Thevenau, Cybele Malinowski, Jamie Williams, Justin Malinowski, Kane Hibberd, Linda Heller-Salvador, Rod Hunt, Tony Mott

But Rob Townsend’s review was, I felt, very misleading about the music itself; he states that ‘superlatives have yet to be invented for how great this was’. Really, Rob? I thought it was a top night of entertainment but I really didn’t think it ever approached the levels he talks about in his review. They honestly didn’t play even remotely like instrumentalists who have totally mastered their craft – there were a few dropped beats and the occasional bum note, but so what? They sounded like they meant what they played, they entertained and thrilled their audience and more to the point, they rocked. That was what made me dance like an idiot all night out on the deck. Yours truly, Jason Annandale Kids today, hey? In my day we used to have to get out of the lake at six o’clock in the morning, clean the lake, eat a handful of ‘ot gravel, work a twenty hour day at mill for tuppence a month, come home and dad would thrash us to sleep with a broken bottle, if we were lucky… And you try and tell the young people of today that, they won’t believe you. – Ed

would have all been worth it to witness the historic moment in human history. And what a moment it was. It’s the moment when we really, right royally, fucked up. The amount of planning and getting everyone together was a huge effort and to come away from it with nothing (again) is huge. It’s bigger than if had solved all the problems because when we look back at this moment we’ll always remember the opportunity we had but failed to take. I hope someone was filming it because apparently the look on Obama’s face after he walked out on a meeting with the Chinese was priceless. Especially seeing as America were about to bend over backwards for everyone. Tell you what, if not an epic three-hour political thriller, it’ll make a great concept album. Steve A long way from Denmark I’m sure others have pointed out the irony of all these world leaders and interested parties flying over to Copenhagen for the summit and the carbon footprint that would have entailed. I bet even the people based in Denmark even drove to the conference. – Ed

CONFERENCE FOOTPRINTS Dear Drum, I really wish I had gone to Copenhagen for the environmental summit just now. All the costs involved with flying over there, finding accommodation, etc.

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THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009 • 21 •

THE RETURN OF JAPAN’S COMEDY MASTERS!

PLEASE LAUGH, WE’RE RISKING OUR LIVES

. s u o e g a r t u O . “Fabulous us” Hilario

ENMORE THEATRE SAT MARCH 6

Bookings 9550 3666 & Ticketek.com.au 132 849 ALSO CAMPBELLTOWN RSL MAR 11, PENRITH PANTHERS MAR 12 & REVESBY WORKERS MAR 13

• 22 • THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009

ON DE SA C LE 23

THE TIMES, LONDON

THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009 • 23 •

NEWS@DRUMMEDIA.COM.AU Another couple of Bluesfest 2010 acts have announced Sydney sideshows. French flamenco crew The Gipsy Kings are heading into the Enmore Theatre Sunday 4 April, while Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club precede them into the Enmore, performing Sunday 28 March. Swedish superstar DJ Axwell is the mystery guest who is to perform at Pacha at Ivy New Year’s Eve, joining fellow Swedish House dudes Sebastian Ingrosso, Goodwill and Carl Kennedy, alongside America’s Kenny Dope and Claude Vonstroke, Dutchman Sidney Samson, the UK’s Streetlife DJs and Grum and a huge local roster working the turntables across two buildings and five rooms. Welsh three-piece Future Of The Left will be playing in Sydney Thursday 7 January at The Annandale Hotel and to celebrate, Rice Is Nice is releasing a limited edition Australian tour 7”, Stand By Your Manatee, from their latest album, Travels With Myself And Another. Minnesota bluesman Charlie Parr is heading back down under and when he plays the Heritage in Bulli Thursday 7 January he’ll be supported by Canadian singer songwriter Dan Mangan, who’ll also be on hand at the Basement Circular Quay Friday 8, the Clarendon in Katoomba Saturday 9 and the Brass Monkey Tuesday 12. Parr will also be doing an instore 12.30pm Friday 8 at Mojo Music in Sydney. This New Year’s Eve is truly a “once in a blue moon event”. A blue moon occurs when two full moons happen in the one calendar month, this is very rare and spiritually offers three fold the power of a normal full moon (said to be good for new beginnings). So what better time to start fresh than New Year’s Eve at SFX. This event is made all the more special by Cog resurfacing for this one off exclusive showcase event with alternative party DJs over both rooms and more bands.

BERTIE BLACKMAN

WHAT YOUR COUNTRY CAN DO FOR YOU Just as we’re gearing up for two of the biggest party dates on the calendar, Australia Day is just around the corner and The Rocks will once again be a centre for entertainment and live music in 2010. With more than 70 homegrown singers and songwriters set to perform for free over ten hours of entertainment, there’ll be something on every corner from 11am till 9pm. The details and full list of acts haven’t been released yet, but the headliners are Bertie Blackman, Dappled Cities, Ash Grunwald, Jeff Lang, Paul Capsis and Shellie Morris. The lawn will host the blues, the harbour rock, classics are on the cobblestones, the waterfront acoustic and singalongs will be the go in the lanes. Naturally, it’s all happening Tuesday 26 January.

UK songbird Laura Marling’s three Famous Spiegeltent shows, Monday 25, Wednesday 27 and Thursday 28 January as part of the Sydney Festival, have all sold out. Already signed up to perform at Good Vibrations in Centennial Park Saturday 13 February, Gossip and very special guests Friendly Fires are adding a sideshow performance and heading into the Enmore Theatre Tuesday 16, while Salt’n’Pepa are doing a sideshow in the Metro Theatre Wednesday 17 with KillaQueenz and Hoops.

THEY’RE SHOW NOW

Melbourne three-piece Calling All Cars have scored the plum support spot of all time, opening for AC/ DC on their first Australian tour since January 2001, playing The Prodigy, who will be in town for the Future Music Festival 2010 and their own sideshow with Does It Offend You Yeah? in the Hordern Pavilion Wednesday 3 March, have donated a smashed electric guitar from their Brisbane performance earlier this year to The Buttery, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre in northern NSW, to auction off on eBay to raise funds.

HERMITUDE

WE’RE NEVER GOING HOME The Sydney Festival just keeps getting bigger and bigger, with the announcement of the free Late Night Gigs that will be taking place at the Beck’s Festival Bar and The Famous Spiegeltent through the festival and following the booked entertainment. They all taking place from 11.30pm, so at Beck’s you can catch Limpin’ Jimmy & The Swingin’ Kitten Sunday 10 January, Anna Lunoe Monday 11, PhDJ Wednesday 13, Stephen Mallinder Thursday 14, Russ Dewbury Friday 15, Mashy P & Dubchaman Saturday 16, Jack Shit Wednesday 20, Jinx and Paul Gough Thursday 21, Bentley Wednesday 27, Ro Sham Bo DJs Thursday 28 and Mad Racket DJs, Ken Cloud, Simon Caldwell, Jimmi James and Zootie. At the Spiegeltent it’s Mojo Juju & The Snake Oil Merchants from Tuesday 12 to Thursday 14 whilst King Tide have control from Friday 15 to Saturday 16. Juke Baritone is available from Tuesday 19 to Thursday 21, Hermitude from Friday 22 to Saturday 23, Cuthbert and The Nightwalkers Monday 25, Wednesday 27 and Thursday 28 and The Suitcase Royale Friday 29 and Saturday 30.

DO THE ROBOT HORRORSHOW

CALLING ALL CARS

MIA DYSON

As Australian hip hop goes from strength to strength and many are looking to the scores of up and coming artists for the next big thing, enjoying a fanbase that arises from not only their scene but the indie crowds and beyond, Horrorshow are making a strong case for themselves. Part of the Elefant Traks label, their latest album, Inside Story, was a triple j album of the week and enjoyed a sold-out joint launch show with Urthboy. Now embarking on their first ever national headline tour, the band will be playing the Factory Theatre Friday 26 February. The show is all ages with tickets available through the band’s website.

Starting off his career around the same New York City traps as the likes of James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem) and Luke Jenner (The Rapture), for Shit Robot it would have been a hell of a time to be clubbing. From hosting the Plant and Shit Robots party through the ‘90s and early ‘00s, he then moved onto Stuttgart while continuing to produce varies titbits on the taste-generating DFA label. With an album scheduled for release early next year and remixes for the likes of Kaos and Simian Mobile Disco in the works, the news that he’s heading downunder in early January is exciting to say the least. Tearing the GoodGod Small Club a new door on Saturday 23 January, support comes from Softwar, tha Fizz, Cassette and more.

TRAVELLER’S ACCENT After packing up and heading to Boston earlier this year in search of the sound and feel of the great American songwriters her parents had so wisely raised her on, Mia Dyson has been busily travelling North America and Canada. With a brand new solo show, the Victorian blues and roots singer/songwriter has performed alongside Gillian Welch and M. Ward, but will be travelling back home for a brief visit and run of shows. You can catch her at Lizotte’s Kincumber, Wednesday 27 January, The Clarendon Katoomba Thursday 28, The Vanguard Friday 29 and Saturday 30 as well as Lizotte’s Newcastle Sunday 31.

FOLK UKE

THEY’RE JUST FOLKIN’ AROUND There are famous names and then there are famous names. Cathy Guthrie and Amy Nelson can both boast famous names. Guthrie is the daughter of Arlo Guthrie and therefore the granddaughter of legendary folkie Woody Guthrie, while Nelson is the daughter of Willie Nelson. Together they are Folk Uke and under that guise they’ll be touring Australia for the very first time next year. Comprising the obvious discourse on tradition folk harmonies that you’d expect from the offspring, Folk Uke throw in a generous serve of quirky humour for good measure. Releasing their self-titled debut album to coincide with the visit, they’ll be performing at the Brass Monkey Wednesday 13 January, Notes Live Thursday 14, The Clarendon Katoomba Monday 18 and Lizotte’s Newcastle Tuesday 19.

When Calexico hit the Metro Theatre Wednesday 3 March, they’ll be joined there by Melbourne’s Wagons and our very own The Fumes. Lady Gaga’s forthcoming visit has been moved from the Hordern Pavilion to the Sydney Entertainment Centre, but the gigs dates remain exactly the same, Wednesday 17 and Thursday 18 March. Replacement tickets for the new venue will be allocated in the same order those for the Hordern were booked. She’ll also be performing at the AIS Arena in Canberra Monday 22. Currently based in the US, brother Mark and Jay O’Shea, who gig as O’Shea and have been collaborating with the likes of Shawn Colvin, John Bettis and Steve Cropper, are bringing it back to Australia for one night only, at the Sandringham Hotel Wednesday 30 December. In their first east coast tour of Australia, The Rhythm Hunters bring the physicality of Japanese Taiko drumming delivering the music of Islamic Indonesia to the Basement, Circular Quay. Back after nine months performing in Europe and recording a new album, Inga Liljestrom performs one night only Saturday 9 January at the Vanguard. Veteran Australian surf guitar band The Atlantics launch their Live At Freshwater DVD at the Basement Tuesday 19 January. • 24• THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009

BRANFORD MARSALIS

HOLD ONTO YOUR JAZZ HATS The Sydney Opera House is set to capture hearts and minds once again as it plays host to the inaugural Full Swing jazz festival from Wednesday 3 March through to Monday 3 May. Bringing together international and Australian acts to showcase the diversity that is contemporary jazz, the event kicks off with Sing The Truth, a tribute to the late great Nina Simone as performed by fellow American divas Dianne Reeves, Lizz Wright, Simone and Patti Austin. Sunday 7 will witness ninetime Grammy Award-winner Wayne Shorter and his quintet break the ice while the Branford Marsalis Quartet arrives on Friday 19. With heaps more to be announced in the interim, the event closes Monday 3 May with Ahmad Jamal’s post-bop piano.

DIESEL

EXPERIENCING DIFFERENT STATES Raising money for autism awareness, Altered State is not a night about auctions, or raffles of lucky door prizes, but instead a night of top-class entertainment from some of Australia’s finest musicians and comedians. Taking place at the State Theatre Wednesday 3 February, John Paul Young, Mental As Anything, Diesel, Andrew O’Keefe, Mikey Robbins, Michael Caton, James Valentine, Tommy Dean, Heath Franklin (as Chopper), Geraldine Quinn, Tom Gleisner, Vince Sorrenti and Jono & Dano will be making you dance, sing and laugh all in the name of a great cause. Tickets are available now.

DOUGIE MACLEAN

ADDING TO THE LIST Scottish singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Dougie MacLean will be flying back into Australia in 2010, following up on his 2008 sold-out jaunt. Perhaps inspired by the picturesque landscape of his Butterstone hometown (who wouldn’t be?), MacLean has enjoyed a career that has allowed him performances at New York’s Carnegie Hall, Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall and London’s Festival Theatre – all usually reserved for artists of the utmost calibre. A member of the Scottish Music Hall of Fame, his double-disc compilation, The Essential Dougie MacLean, is out now and he’ll be adding the Sydney Opera House’s Utzon Room to his list of venues played Thursday 4 March. He then returns for the Blue Mountain Music Festival Saturday 13 and Sunday 14.

THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009 • 25 •

• 6 • THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009

NEWS@DRUMMEDIA.COM.AU

BLACKCHORDS

THREE PATHS AROUND By now we’ve all heard the stories of how their European adventures were a raging success and those who got along to Blackchords’ last visit will have got their own taste of things. Still haven’t got on board with the alt rockers? You’ve got another chance early next year when the Victorian quartet team up with Brisbane’s Grand Atlantic and Sydney’s own Sierra Fin for an east coast tour. All three bands have been carving unique paths into the music public’s ear and this’ll most probably be the last time you’ll see them together on the one bill. All three artists have new material to support when they shake up The Wall Thursday 28 January, the Northern Star Friday 29 and the Oxford Tavern Saturday 30.

THE DEVILS’ NEXT JOKE

No doubt, there were high hopes for The Kill Devil Hills’ latest record Man, You Should Explode, and rightly so. Their previous two albums have showcased huge potential without, perhaps, nailing the formula yet. …Explode, however, blew away most people’s expectations. Currently a five-piece, the Perth based country-blues outfit generated rave reviews across the board – more so than any other Australian band this year. Hitting the road once again in support of their latest single, Another Joke, Another Ransom, the band will be playing at the Annandale Hotel Friday 12 February, the Heritage Hotel Saturday 13 and the Clarendon in Katoomba Sunday 14.

LOOK OUT, IT’S DECK-ZILLA! After you’ve had your full quota of amazing acts from the Sydney Festival First Night, Grahm Zilla of Thunderheist will be kicking on at QBar’s Look Right party night. Thunderheist have been generating “next big thing” calls internationally since their blog-explosion last year, Zilla will be bringing all the hype to Sydney on Saturday 9 January. Joined by Mashy P, Ology, Shantan W. Ichiban, the Fizz, Cassette, Kiss Kiss, Bridge and a heap more, entry will be $10 before 11pm with a Method Man/Redman show stamp, otherwise it’s $15.

JOOLS HOLLAND VAMPILLA

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?

PEACHES

Are you familiar with Vampillia? If not, you’d best get your act together because when they arrive in Sydney on their very first Australian tour you’re not going to know what hit you. With three vocalists, a body-painted dancer, a man with a saw, a drag queen “noise violinist” and a string section at the back, they’re the most chaotic and eccentric ten-piece orchestra you’ve never seen. If you remember their recording drummer Toyohito Toshikawa from Boredoms, then things start to make sense. Bringing their new EP Sppears over to show off, they’ll be at the Excelsior in Surry Hills, Friday 8 January with Shanghai and The Single Men’s Drinking Club.

LIVE… WITH HOLLAND A founding member of Squeeze, Jools Holland has gone on to carve a career that has left him perhaps more renowned for his collaborative efforts later in life. His BBC2 TV show Later… with Jools Holland has seen him rise to the forefront of music broadcasting in the UK and with his 20-piece band the Rhythms & Blues Orchestra, he’ll be heading to Australia for next year’s Bluesfest festival. Joined by Ruby Turner and Louise Marshall, who featured on his latest album, The Informer, the collective will also be performing at the Enmore Theatre Thursday 3 April. Tickets are available now and you can expect a mix of classic covers, British soul, swing and heaps more.

A PIRATE’S LIFE FOR WE

THE PRESETS

ROADTRIP ANYONE? Oh jeez, is it that time of the year already? Trust us, you’re not alone in thinking, “Shit, I really should plan something to do over the holiday period.” Well, with your options beginning to run thin, perhaps a trip to Melbourne is in order – maybe it’s worth taking in the Hot BBQ festival, which is happening Saturday 16 January at Point Nepean in Portsea and has just announced that Jet have joined the lineup, joining among other The Presets, Sneaky Sound System, Grandmaster Flash, Bertie Blackman, Scribe, Lost Valentinos, Scientists of Modern Music, Miami Horror (live), Phrase, True Live, John Course, Kas James, Grant Smillie, Canyons, Knightlife, Ajax, Bang Gang DJs, Dangerous Dan, Acid Jacks, Andee Frost and Nick Foley. There are more local and international acts to be announced shortly, so join them this January. • 26 • THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009

The Sydney Festival has announced further artists that will be joining in the Rogue’s Gallery showcase, a concert based on the CD release of the same name that pays homage to the pirate songs and sea chanteys of old. As a one-off event taking place Thursday 28 January at the Sydney Opera House Forecourt, Peaches, Todd Rundgren, Liam Finn, Camille O’Sullivan, Kami Thompson and Marry Waterson will be sharing tales of the deep blue. They join the previously announced Marianne Faithfull, Tim Robbins, David Johansen, Gavin Friday, Baby Gramps, David Thomas, Norma Waterson, Sarah Blasko, Katy Steele and Glenn Richards. Originally inspired by the Pirates Of The Caribbean films, tickets are available through the venue.

KING-DONE-COME The Oxford Art Factory is launching a new series of dance parties in the near future called King OAF. They’re going to be irregular events, but judging by the lineup of the first instalment they’re going to be a hell of a lot of fun. Kicking off Friday 8 January, it’ll feature etcetc’s Grum, Kitsune’s Beni and Streetlife DJs as well as a DJ set from Lost Valentinos. All four deck-spinners have made names in their own right, excelling in a corner of the electro sphere, and together they’re bound to give this night one hell of a ‘welcome to existence’. Tickets are available now.

SAW DOCTORS

FORMIDABLE IRISHMEN Until last year and their cover of About You Now, it had been 17 years since one of Ireland’s most successful bands The Saw Doctors were at #1 on their home charts. Seemingly pleased with how that felt, they’re breaking another drought next year by returning to Australia for the fist time in 16 years. Still fronted by the original songwriters and founders Leo Moran and Davy Carton, the band have enjoyed nearly 20 years in the industry, peaking with the 1990 single, I Useta Lover, which, in spending nine weeks at the top of the charts, became their nation’s best-selling single of all time. Arriving in March, you can catch them at the Mean Fiddler Hotel on Tuesday 16 and The Metro Theatre Wednesday 17. Tickets on sale now through the venues.

DEAD PREZ

TELLING IT LIKE IT IS Don’t think that hip hop duo Dead Prez are going to be rapping about chicks, money and mansions when they hit our shores for the Big Day Out tour. Hailing from Florida, the outfit are outspoken in their critique of American – and for that matter Western – society, via their lyrics. Rising to prominence after their appearance at Dave Chapelle’s Block Party, they’ve just announced a run of sideshows to accompany their imminent visit and will be laying down the beats and telling y’all what’s what Thursday 21 January at the Gaelic Theatre. Tickets are on sale now.

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JOOLS HOLLAND & HIS RHYTHM & BLUES ORCHESTRA

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www.enmoretheatre.com.au THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009 • 27 •

MAYA JUPITER

THE NEW BROTHERS OF FOLK

They went under the radar a little bit in the Bluesfest announcements (understandable considering the sheer size and depth that were proclaimed), but there’s plenty of anticipation surrounding the arrival of The Avett Brothers. The bluegrass rockers are gearing up to release their sixth album – and first on a major label, I And Love And You (19 February) – and along with their festival appearance will be coming to the Factory Theatre Monday 5 April. With the San Francisco Chronicle claiming they have the “Heavy sadness of Townes Van Zandt, the light pop concision of Buddy Holly, the tuneful jangle of the Beatles, the raw energy of the Ramones,” it’s an odds on bet they’ll leave with a far bigger profile than the one they enter the country with.

LILY JUMPING Ever a favourite venue in the Big Day Out arena, Lilyworld is back again next year and will be taking a walk along the Mexican side of partying. The Mexican Fiasco Hour will include a human piñata, cuisine battles, salsa fights and heaps more while sonically you can expect Blowfly, DJ Chucuchu, Poirier feat. MC Zulu, Maya Jupiter, Clairy Baby Browne And The Bangin Rackettes, The Goons Of Doom and Bangs! at the Sydney dates. Also set for a local appearance at the soldout events are BigPhallica and MC Gaffe. And if you needed any more reason to head towards the weird and wonderful centre of the Sydney Showgrounds Friday 22 and Saturday 23 January, you’ll also be able to re-charge your phone – via pedal (petal?) power…

1 ST & 2 ND RELEAS E SO

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MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK Produced by Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus, Motion City Soundtrack, who of course will be visiting our shores as part of Soundwave 2010, release their major label debut album, My Dinosaur Life, Friday 15 January. Digitally released at their website just in time for Christmas is the first single, The High Road, from James Mercer and Brian Burton aka Danger Mouse in their new band configuration Broken Bells, lifted from their forthcoming self-titled debut album, out in March. Now available digitally from iTunes is the first official compilation from one of Australia’s favourite indie labels, Illusive & Friends Volume 1 – Best Of 2009, with cuts from Lowrider, Downsyde, True Live, Paris Wells and more.

THE GRATES

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• 28 • THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009

Catch Jet performing on Kia Soul Live At The Chapel 10am Sunday 10 January on the Seven Network. Brisbane composer, drummer and Big Band leader Tim Davies has been nominated for a Best Instrumental Composition Grammy Award for Counting To Infinity, a track from his second album, Dialmentia. Featuring six-foot Japanese Taiko drums, a 13-piece brass and woodwind ensemble, sub-heavy beats, prepared piano and a children’s choir, the UK’s These New Puritans release their latest album, Hidden, Friday 15 January. Joining Bluesfest 2010 in Byron Bay in April, North Carolina-based rockers The Avett Brothers will be releasing their Rick Rubinproduced album debut, I And Love And You, Friday 19 February. Another note for the diary! Last week the date, this week, the venue – Surry Hills Festival on Saturday 10 April, will take place in and around Shannon Reserve, Crown Street, Ward Park, Devonshire Street and other green spaces throughout Surry Hills. Before that of course there’s Days Like This! Sunday 10 January, where a huge international and national line-up of acts will take over four indoor and outdoor stages with ten bars operating, alongside a diverse collection of gourmet food offerings, market stalls and onsite parking.

THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009 • 29 •

FRONTLASH

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

A fan driven campaign has resurrected their vitriolic Killing In The Name, originally released in 1992, to get to number one in the UK over Xmas, beating the previous favourite from X Factor winner Joe McElderry. And they’re going to play a free gig in the UK to celebrate. Maybe if that’s what it takes bands to tour, maybe we should orchestrate a campaign to get someone to number one, then get them to celebrate with a free gig here.

MOVIE GOODNESS While Boxing Day and the summer holidays normally bring about a few big films, we’ve been excited by the trailers we’ve seen for Alice In Wonderland and Iron Man 2. Yum.

XMAS HOLIDAYS They’re so close we can almost smell them. Only just though over the alcohol and smoke lingering on our clothes from the Xmas party.

OFF THE ROAD THE WORKS OF JACK KEROUAC HAVE ACTED AS MUSE FOR MANY A MUSICIAN OVER THE YEARS, BUT FEW HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK DIRECTLY WITH HIS WRITING. JAY FARRAR TELLS STEVE BELL ABOUT WORKING WITH THE PROSE OF HIS IDOL.

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

BACKLASH

RHCP

John Frusciante has departed the band, with a post coming online last week despite his supposedly leaving about a year ago. This doesn’t mean the end of the band unfortunately. Maybe they’ll go back to making music like they did when he first left the band, like, um, One Hot Minute…

THE BIG FOUR Normally we wouldn’t dream of putting a bill featuring Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth all on the one line-up in Backlash, but this historic occasion, where the big four thrash bands will share the same stage for the first time ever in 25 years, will take place in… Prague and Warsaw, dangit. Message to local promoters – get this bill!

ON FIELD CONDUCT Australia won the third and deciding test in the cricket, but it was darkened by some unseemly behaviour.

fter the runaway success of his classic 1957 novel, On The Road, legendary Beat Generation author Jack Kerouac was basically living the life of a rock star, feted by all and sundry and expected by most to live up to the Herculean hedonism and wanderlust that he so succinctly summarised in that groundbreaking memoir. As is so often the case with such meteoric rises to fame, this adulation came at a price, which Kerouac later deftly documented in his 1961 novel, Big Sur. That book follows an alcoholic Kerouac’s journey from the Beat haunts of San Francisco and New York City to California where he sought to detox and find peace, holing up in a cabin in the Big Sur woods. While Big Sur never won Kerouac the acclaim afforded On The Road (or many of his other novels for that matter), it has long held a place dear to the hearts of many Kerouac tragics and it recently became the subject of the documentary, One Fast Move Or I’m Gone: Kerouac’s Big Sur, which recounts the details both of the book’s narrative arc and this fascinating chapter in the life of the author himself. To augment the documentary the filmmakers sought the assistance of two of contemporary music’s best songwriters – Jay Farrar (Son Volt, Uncle Tupelo) and Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie) – who concocted a soundtrack album featuring a dozen new songs, with lyrics both using and based on the prose of the novel itself. “I was asked by [executive producer] Jim Sampas to contribute a couple of songs to be part of the score or soundtrack to the documentary about the novel Big

Sur and I just kind of got caught up in the spirit of working with the lines and words of Jack Kerouac,” Farrar recalls. “I’ve been interested in his work for years since I was a teenager and first read On The Road. I’ve always identified with both his method of writing – just getting your first thoughts out there and not worrying about form or structure too much – and I’ve also always identified with his methods; just going out on the road and meeting people and getting life experience to write about.” Those unfamiliar with Big Sur may be surprised at the tone and content, which is far less glamorous than the material for which Kerouac is widely renowned. “It is,” Farrar agrees. “It’s interesting because I guess On The Road kind of represents the beginning of Kerouac and Big Sur sort of represents the beginning of the end, where he’s struggling with alcoholism and also beginning to question his own ethos and the whole idea that he sort of created with On The Road – the idea that there’s always one more thrill around the corner, but that at some point you have to kind of slow down. I think for anyone who creates, when you become more of the observed than the observer, I think it starts to detract from the ability to create. I think Kerouac found that, because he was certainly a household name at that point.” Kerouac’s famous stream-of-consciousness writing style and metre lends itself to being put to song, so was it difficult I wondered to select passages to turn into lyrics for the album? “I started out with the poem at the end of the book called Sea – that was actually Jim Sampas’ suggestion – and I wrote quite a few songs from that. There’s a lot of free association and stream-ofconsciousness going on with that, but the meter of it is still similar to lyrics for a song. Then I realised, once again going back to the idea that I was immersed in the book and caught up in the spirit of the project, that I just wanted to keep going, so I got into the text of the novel itself and started coming up with songs based on themes from the novel itself.” Farrar was teamed up with Gibbard to record the fruits of his labour – the pair only meeting the night

Make it a safe night. Don’t bring glass, know your limits and look after each other. Plan your night ahead at sydneynewyearseve.com Get into the spirit and come dressed in a touch of blue!

• 30 • THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009

before initial recording began – and while the two musicians may come from slightly different worlds, Farrar contends that the collaboration was a breeze from the outset. “It did go well. I think it just speaks volumes about the pervasive influence of Jack Kerouac. Both Ben and I read him at a pretty young age – I know a lot of people probably think that perhaps we’re an unlikely pair, but I think that maybe there’s too much attention paid to the fact that our recordings get put in different sections of the record stores. I think people tend to forget that musicians basically speak the same language, and Ben and I definitely have a shared sensibility in that respect.” WHO Jay Farrar and Ben Gibbard WHAT One Fast Move Or I’m Gone: Music From Kerouac’s Big Sur (Atlantic/Warner)

THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009 • 31 •

WHOLE NEW WORLD

IN THE RUN UP TO THE PEATS RIDGE FESTIVAL, THE DRUM M GRAB GRABS TWO OF ITS LEADING LIGHTS, SARAH BLASKO AND LIAM FINN, TO TALK ALL THINGS FESTIVALS, CAMPING, NEW YEAR’S EVE… AND DEAD SPIDERS AND DANCING WITH LAMPS. STORY BY MARK NEILSEN. COVER AND FEATURE PIC SPID BY JOHN RINTOUL.

he Peats Ridge Festival features three days of laid back festivalgoing, bringing together music, arts, culture, sustainability and camping leading into the New Year. So with Peats Ridge being a camping festival, would Sarah Blasko or Liam Finn be campers at all? “I don’t mind camping,” says Blasko. “The last time I camped at a festival was… this tiny one in New Zealand that is seriously about four or five hundred people and it’s like a school camp,” Finn states. Blasko: “Is that Camp A Low Hum?” Finn: “Yeah.” Blasko: “I’ve heard of that.” Finn: “It’s just like a big party for three days and everyone ends up knowing each other by face and there’s no backstage; everyone’s just there. And I’ve been fortunate enough to perform, so I’ve stayed in the cabins which are marginally better than camping – bunk beds with crusty pillows – and it’s fine because you don’t really sleep much. But I slept the last night in a tent and woke up the next morning to roll up the air mattress to find about three hundred dead spiders underneath it. During the night I could feel something on me and I was like, ‘Don’t think about it, it’s not a spider, we’re in New Zealand, it’s not going to be bad” and just turned myself off and then woke up in the morning and I was so grossed out. I hate spiders as well. And I sorta thought maybe I’m not cut out for camping. I’m going back to my cabin – at least it has a door and maybe the worst thing would be mosquitoes.” Do you prefer the festivals that have a secluded location or do you like the ones where you can catch a bus home at the end? Blasko: “It’s pretty when you can get out somewhere.” Finn: “Where it’s beautiful.” Blasko: “Where you wouldn’t ordinarily visit.” Finn: “Surrounding is really important I reckon. That’s what can make it for the bands as well as the audience. I’m sure being a fan it’s nicer to be amongst trees and stuff, but when you’re a band and you’re playing at Big Day Out and it’s just a big concrete box it’s like, ‘Oh okay, festival’. But when you’re in the midst of trees and they’ve lit it up it can be quite psychedelic and make it really memorable.”

• 32 • THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009

Blasko: “The most beautiful one I think was probably… Darwin festivals are really beautiful. Have you ever played one of them?” Finn: “No.” Blasko: “Because it’s in the Botanical Gardens and there’s all these lanterns and the times that I’ve played it, I think they’re on in July when it’s winter and you go up there and it’s 30 degrees it’s really beautiful. It’s a really sweet festival.” Finn: “Is it really beautiful up at Peats Ridge?” It’s explained to Finn that it’s quite picturesque at Glenworth Valley, the site of the Festival. “I’m excited about it. I’m even excited that it’s the first night, I feel like there’ll be excitement in the air and people will have just arrived,” he states. Sarah Blasko is at the opposite end of the spectrum in that she’ll be performing towards the end and playing on New Year’s Eve, something she feels good about. “I hope there’s fireworks,” she jokes. “The last three years I actually didn’t specifically want to play New Year’s festivals even though they pay well – which is awesome – and they are a really good time,” Finn says. “But I did a few in a row with Betchadupa which made me kinda go, ‘You know, I’m just gonna have New Year’s off and not have any expectation’. Sometimes if you kinda expect that it’s gonna be this crazy night at this festival, you end up going to bed by one or something. So I stayed in Auckland for the last few years or at the beach where I grew up and had a really amazing New Year’s because there was no expectation. But now I’m just itching to do a festival again. I felt like having another no plan New Year’s was sort of a bit been there done that. So I’m excited to be part of the festival thing. It feels like most people are like super bummed they’re not making it to the certain festival near them. I’ve got lots of friends in Melbourne that are like, ‘I can’t go to that’ and it feels like the happening place to be. At least in Australia it feels like there’s a huge culture for New Year’s festivals.” What’s you’re preferred New Year’s Eve? Blasko: “I’m sort of similar in that I feel like whenever I make big plans I feel like it’s never quite... I like a good house party. Like last year I was out at a property and that was really wonderful. We were playing all kind of ridiculous running games. We all turned into

12-year-olds close to midnight. I was dancing with a lamp at one point.” Finn: “I had a party last year that I organised the day before, because no one had organised anything and I thought, ‘Oh this is kinda good, everyone I know is not doing anything’. So I thought, ‘Alright, fuck it, I’ll have a party’ and I don’t have a house, so I was like, ‘Mum and dad, can I have a party?’ And so on New Year’s Eve I got some big speakers and put them in the basement of my house and did like a total teenage party and told my friend, who’s the total socialite of Auckland, to find heaps of good looking girls and he did, but also lots of friends and stuff like that and the good looking girls were friends. I had that classic thing of like at nine o’clock at night when nobody’s there going, ‘Why did I put myself in this position?’ And then no one turned up until 11.36 and then all of a sudden our gate opened, about eight cars came down, one with a sun roof with three girls standing up. It was like a total frat party all of a sudden. Not really. But it made me feel like that. Just in time for New Year’s.” So what can we imagine Blasko’s show will be like at the festival? Extra crazy because it’s New Year’s Eve or more akin to a regular gig? “I don’t know. I actually don’t even know what time I’m playing. I’m not even sure if I’ll stay up there or not,” she begins. “Nah, It’s going to be crazy! I’m gonna dance and set myself on fire!” Finn: “It’d be cool to have a stage show for once. You’re like me; I don’t really have a stage show. But one New Year’s to have a full on, you know, Flaming Lips-esque cannons and…” Blasko: “That’s funny you should say that – my last show was quite a stage show but you haven’t researched, have you!” What is your preferred slot at a festival? Blasko: “I like it better at night. I think I generally feel less strange playing at night. It just seems like the right... I feel like I take half the day to kind of wake up.” Finn: “It’s nice to sing after being awake for a while I think. And also you get that nervous anticipation which can be quite good. Like over a day. Especially if you do see other bands that like get the fire up you and you think, ‘Shit, I better be good’.” Blasko: “I find that as well.”

Finn: “And it’s a wonderful atmosphere when the sun goes down at a festival, because there’s like an added excitement because everyone’s been there for the day, but all of a sudden there’s this whole new world opened up and it’s dark.” Blasko: “And they’re all pretty loose as well.” Finn: “Yeah, they’re all pashing, acid’s kicking in...” Blasko: “Bizarre things happening. It’s conducive to a good performance.” WHO Sarah Blasko, Liam Finn and more WHEN & WHERE Tuesday 29 December – Friday 1 January, Peats Ridge Festival

FESTIVALS – THE GLOBAL SNAPSHOT Liam Finn is in a unique position in that even though still relatively young, he’s already taken part in festivals the world over, including The Great Escape in the UK, Coachella in the US, as well as festivals in New Zealand and Australia. How do they compare? “I think they’re unique to their country,” Finn says. “There’s definitely a...I think it’s got a lot to do with your surroundings and the type of people that are there and stuff. I think Australian festivals have a real excitement in that the daytime, it’s always hot and maybe that’s what it is that gives it it’s atmosphere. And then sometimes the UK festivals are a lot more grim. Maybe it’s because of the rainy days and stuff like that. They do seem quite unique to their country or something. But ultimately they are all the same because there’s a way they have to be run to work. I really like the smaller boutique festivals. When you do those you feel like it’s a little bit more catered to the audience and the giant ones are almost like hell on earth really. Hundreds of thousands of people and not enough toilets and everyone… it’s kinda cool that everyone goes a bit feral, but you don’t need to.”

FULL CIRCLE

CHAN MARSHALL – BETTER KNOWN TO THE WORLD AS CAT POWER – RECALLS THE TIME SHE SPENT IN MELBOURNE BACK IN 1997 TO RECORD MOON PIX AND TELLS ANTHONY CAREW THAT HER NEW RECORD HARKS BACK TO THE SOUND OF THOSE SUMMER DAYS.

to just corrode. There were many years where it was definitely like that. And then there was all the drinking.” Bottoming out soon after the release of The Greatest (interrupting a string of Australian interviews to fly to Mexico, where she disappeared for weeks), Marshall found sobriety in 2006. Assembling the Dirty Delta Blues Band allowed her to re-establish a “healthier relationship” with touring. And performing. Marshall had struggled for years with crippling stage fright; with, she once told this writer, “the psychological torment of being the lead singer”. Her shows routinely found her falling apart, faltering under the stage lights. Sometimes she could barely finish a song. Now, out front of a full backing band, Marshall has reinvented herself as singer, an entertainer on the mic.

t was almost 12 years ago exactly that Cat Power came to Australia for the first time. Chan Marshall was 25, a veteran of three dark and tortured albums and someone so spooked by performing that she hadn’t played a show for six months. After a near-nervous-breakdown on stage in New York, Marshall fled to the small town of Prosperity, South Carolina – whose name Marshall saw as fated – with then-boyfriend Bill ‘Smog’ Callahan. Yet, when Callahan set up his first Australian tour late in 1997, Marshall’s retirement came to an abrupt end. “I wanted to go to Australia,” Marshall remembers. “I kind of manipulated that I could go to Australia if I recorded an album, my record label [Matador Records] would send me there, pay for the recordings.” Marshall was, she admits, “running from South Carolina”; from a relationship that was faltering, a place that’d gone from country paradise to isolated prison. She didn’t really want to make another album, but did have a suite of songs that’d come to her – come through her – one stormy, tortured night in a single outpouring. So, Marshall checked into the Tolarno Hotel in St Kilda and headed off daily to Sing Sing Studios in Richmond. Sometimes, Mick Turner and Jim White of Dirty Three would join her at recordings. Most of the time, she was by herself, trying to turn a handful of haunted hymnals into an album. “I came up with these song ideas while I was in the studio, in the same way that I would if I was in a room by myself with a tape recorder.” These songs would become 1998’s Moon Pix, the record that put Marshall on the map. A dozen years on and Marshall has toured Australia countless times, released

four more albums, appeared in fashion shoots and films and become a commercial success (her latest LP, 2008’s covers set, Jukebox, even cracked the US Top 20). But, recently, whilst making her ninth album, she’s been reminded a lot of that summer in Melbourne. “I feel like it’s this Moon Pix-yish kinda thing. That was like a similar situation to this. I was just scrambling, getting into the studio to just put some ideas down… I’m just in the studio with an assistant engineer basically and it reminds me of Moon Pix when I just went to the Sing Sing. It’s just me and a dude that I don’t know, just making stuff up.” After recording 2006’s The Greatest with a host of slick Memphis soul musicians, Marshall assembled the Dirty Delta Blues Band, which includes members of Dirty Three, the Delta 72 and the Blues Explosion - hence the half-joking name - and worked with them on Jukebox. As I’ve mentioned, heading into the studio by herself for the first time in a long time, Marshall was just intending to document “some songwriting ideas... My goal was, ‘I just need to get these ideas down, these new ones and then record the record later’. But, when I was there, I didn’t work on any of the ones I intended to. It just turned into a whole bunch of new songs. Unexpectedly a different thing.” An exciting different? “It’s an exciting different,”

Marshall beams. “I don’t know if age means anything, life experience or not having any, or if I’m just in a different place now. With The Greatest, I was just in an awful place personally and Lived In Bars was just recorded in a jumbling mess of going into different studios over a number of years. But with this I feel so refreshed or something. I feel alone. I feel back to being alone again. I’ve been with this band for a few years and before that I had the Greatest band and [2003 LP] You Are Free [was made] with Dave Grohl and an engineer I was working with. Now it just feels so great to be on my own. It feels more peaceful.” Her life, Marshall says, is more peaceful in general. Since moving to Los Angeles with her boyfriend in 2008, she’s toured only intermittently, preferring to stay home and tend to her two French bulldogs. This stands in contrast to the years that Marshall lived life on the road, no home to call her own and bottle in hand. It was, she sighs, “one unending blur... I think when that Covers Record came out [in 200] and I did that tour with [Carl Dreyer’s 1928 silent-film masterwork Le Passion de Jeanne d’Arc], I never stopped until The Greatest, basically. And then I slammed on the brakes and had the carpet come out from under me.” Marshall’s life had been filled with tours “carving through the world for three years”; journeys that found her “leaving everything behind, leaving friendships

MUSIC ABOUT LOVE

KING KHAN, TOGETHER WITH HIS BAND THE SHRINES, OFFERS YOU THE CHANCE TO LET GO, GET LOOSE AND FREAK OUT. GUIDO FARNELL TOOK HIM UP ON THAT OFFER BUT STILL MANAGED TO GET HIS COPY IN ON TIME.

With her album close to completion, Marshall suspects her latest Australian tour will be her last with the Dirty Delta Blues Band. “I feel guilty, like I need to play guitar again.” So, soon Cat Power will go back to performing the way she did when she first landed on these shores, 12 years ago. “Being just me.” WHO Cat Power WHEN & WHERE Friday 8 January, Waves; Saturday 9, Newcastle Panthers; Sunday 10, Days Like This

this angst, but in a really good way. Punk is about angst but it can also be about desperation too. I find that I am drawn to music that has some level of desperation to it. I can dig it if you can hear the desperation in people’s voices and I particularly like it when their screams are blood-curdling,” laughs Khan. Despite all the wild stories you may hear about Khan, he seems to be in a very happy place and isn’t about to match the crazy excesses of other punk rockers like GG Allin. “It was a different kind of shock that Allin offered. I like and duly respect his work, but I don’t really aspire to be like him in that sense of the word ‘punk’. I like how he was able to whip people into a frenzy, but he was only ever about shocking people. I want the people who come to our shows to lose control but in more of a gospel kind of way. After all, music is my religion. Nothing makes me feel as spiritual as certain types of music. I find Alice Coltrane and Silver Apples’ music deeply religious and that deep feeling of spirituality is something I only experience when I hear these sounds as opposed to just reading a story in a book or having the life preached out of me.

leep deprived or bored with the line of questioning, the illustrious King Khan can’t stop yawning whilst talking on the phone from Memphis. The man with the reputation for being one of the wildest in rock‘n’roll sounds remarkably subdued. It’s not what you’d expect from the mad genius frontman who has the chutzpah to urinate on merchandise stalls, incite his audiences to burn money and attempt whacky Tina Turner impersonations. Since moving to Germany and starting a family, Khan is slowly settling down and has confessed that since quitting hard drugs is less inclined to perform naked. The Drum spoke to him hours before it emerged on the ‘net that he had allegedly been arrested on route to St. Louis for the possession of controlled substances. Although gigs promoting his latest collaboration with BBQ Show Invisible Girl were cancelled, Khan was not charged. Excited to be touring Australia this year with his funk and soul big band The Shrines, Khan promises that his shows in Australia will be the wildest of them all. While the merchants of neo-soul deal in painfully tasteful retro grooves, Khan, who grew up punk in Toronto, spits in the face of Amy Winehousing-around and deals an exuberantly rough garage take on psychedelic funk, soul, gospel, blues and rock‘n’roll that’s reminiscent of the loveable Detroit Cobras. “I do like Little Richard, James Brown and all of that,” Khan perks up a little. “I am also fascinated by stories of the occult too. Sun Ra was one of the biggest influences on me when I started to put The Shrines together. I discovered Sun Ra when I was 21 years old and his music really blew my mind. It is crazy because we have actually had a few Sun Ra players play with us in Toronto a few years ago. Since then I have actually been able to visit the house of Sun Ra in Philadelphia and got to wear his turban. We have

Marshall never seemed more of a reborn performer than when, in 2007, she made her acting debut in Wong Kar-wai’s first English-language feature, My Blueberry Nights, which also found the first acting performance of Norah Jones. “It was amazing and weird and hilarious at the same time,” Marshall laughs. “It felt like a once in a lifetime thing. How rare is it that someone who’s not even an actor gets asked by Wong Kar-wai, such a cool person, to be in his movie? It was like someone asking me, ‘Do you want to run in the Olympics?’ Like, ‘Sure! That sounds fun!’ You know you won’t win the gold or whatever, but to be around that calibre of athlete is amazing. To see the make-up and hair people go to work, putting the fake hair on Jude Law to cover up that receding hairline, to see behind the mask – that was really exciting.”

become pretty good friends with some of the Arkestra members, which is pretty amazing. I think on that level we are following the right path to be connected and working with these people. The Arkestra is still around and touring. Marshall Allen the leader actually lives in Sun Ra’s room. I don’t know how often they play but I have seen them a few times and it was pretty awesome. “I had always dreamed of putting together a soul or psychedelic R&B band but played with The Spaceshits, which were a punk band for a long time. When we went to tour Europe for the first time, the place just inspired me to try and do something new. I kept meeting the most amazing players who were perfect for the kind of band I had in mind. When I got them all together it all really worked out. I also fell in love

and started a family in Germany. I guess that was one of the big reasons why I wanted to get away from doing just punk music and do something that was more about love. I also think I was drawn to soul and R&B because it is the kind of music that you can keep playing as you get older. You see punk bands that reunite after 20 years or something and the results are quite embarrassing. I think people who dig soul and R&B are loyal to that sound and won’t mind watching me get fatter and crazier.” Nonetheless Khan cannot completely escape his punk roots. “I still do a lot of punk stuff with BBQ and this other band I have called The Black Jaspers, which is about to release a new album. All of that is punk. I guess when I was younger punk allowed me to get rid of all

“It’s easy for me to say that I want audiences to go into fits of ecstasy but they first have to believe that it is possible. There is a lot of cynicism around these days and some people are just too cynical for their own good. The experience I offer is about letting go, getting loose and freaking out. I am just glad that we have this opportunity to bring this joyful music to people. In this miserable world in which we live, it is reassuring when people tell me that they were smiling for a month after seeing one of our shows. Touring around the States, it is shocking to see how decrepit some of these places have become and when we arrive it is almost feels like visiting people in prison. I am just glad that we give them the chance to dance, feel good and get funked up.” WHO King Khan & The Shrines WHAT The Supreme Genius Of King Khan & The Shrines (Vice) WHEN & WHERE Wednesday 6 January, Oxford Art Factory THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009 • 33 •

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• 36 • THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009

THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009 • 37 •

IN THE MIDDLE

NEKO CASE PRESENTS MIDDLE CYCLONE, HER LUSHEST NUMBER WE’VE HEARD TO DATE. SHE SPEAKS TO BROOKE SALISBURY ABOUT AN APTLY-TITLED RECORD THAT SENT HER LIFE INTO A VERITABLE WHIRLWIND.

In summing up 2009, Case admits that she’s seldom stopped for air. Between releasing Middle Cyclone, recording the latest New Pornographers album (due out next year) and touring endlessly, she’s also involved herself in numerous charities, a first for the band and a major soft spot for her personally. “There are several charities we’re involved with. The main one I’m working on now is the 826 National Charity – it’s a charity started by Dave Eggers who’s quite a famous writer and it basically helps kids become better writers and champions them to have big brains and to be openly creative. We set up drop-in centres for kids to get help with their homework and do writing projects, where they can learn that writing is a cool and tangible thing that will get them far in their lives. I think it had such a special place for me because I never graduated from high school and I could have really used help in grade school. I grew up in such a poor area and we had such bad schools and I just think about how I got lucky, but kids shouldn’t have to worry about getting lucky. They should have their scope widened, which is what this project tries to do.”

eko Case is seems to be one busy woman. She has four dogs, three cats, likes chopping wood and riding horses. She also fronts her own indie rock band and is a member of Canadian supergroup The New Pornographers, both of whom write, record and tour solidly. “I’m pretty busy,” she concedes, “but I’m not complaining. Having a job is nice. Having two is nice also.” Case speaks to Drum from her Vermont farmhouse where she’s catching her breath after a whirlwind of a year. Her latest effort Middle Cyclone has seen her nominated at the 2010 Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary Folk Album, with a bonus nomination for Best Recording Package for its album cover – an unusual and awesome depiction of Case as she wields a giant sword at the bonnet of a muscle car. “Making the album cover was actually fun to do, which photography is generally not, when it comes to having yourself photographed. I was trying to topple the issue that I just don’t like having my own photo taken, so I chose a photographer who I knew, my friend Jason [Creps] who I’m really close to and I thought we could approach it differently. If I was a ten-year-old boy and I had a band, what would I want to see on the record cover? And I thought, well, I’d want to have a sword and a car, so that’s what I should do.” Her music itself is difficult to peg. A softened take on the gutsier strains of The New Pornographers, she favours the energised acoustics of Americana hung equally on her weighty lyrics. Often literal, Case does not shy from personal subjects, though never appears vulnerable or confused. There is a lightness and a confidence to Case’s sound that is grounded, projective and equally darkened. “I feel like this record is more experimental. It was more intentional to have more choruses on there. I wanted to

do more singing, because right before I made it I was on tour with The New Pornographers for a long time and that whole gang-singing thing is just so fun. I thought, ‘This is an excellent excuse to have more singing’ because I really didn’t want to let that go after the tour.” Recording the record was both lengthy and intricate. Across 12 months and numerous studios, Case worked with artists including M.Ward, Calexico, Garth Hudson and perhaps most interestingly, The New Pornographers. Covering Harry Nilsson’s Don’t Forget Me, Case began answering advertisements on US website Craigslist for free pianos and after gathering half a dozen in her empty barnyard, she invited the band over to re-imagine the classic as her rag-tag orchestra of keys, which was, as she puts it, “lovely, considering the usual geographic isolation.” During the writing and production of records, the members of The New Pornographers scarcely meet – a combination of stubbornness and convenience of their own schedules. When they last toured Australia in 2008,

Case’s absence was duly noted as fans speculated on her future involvement with the longtime project. “I just didn’t finish my own record in time to make the tour, so it was a bit of a double whammy. I didn’t get to tour and I didn’t have my record finished. There was a time when we did all of our recording in Vancouver and it was a lot more immediate. My solo band and The New Pornographers have been around for the exact same amount of time, so to me they’re symbiotic and I couldn’t imagine one without the other. And you know, I just think that it’s a nice testament to everyone’s friendship that even though we do live a long way apart, we still go to great lengths to record together and the touring together is actually when we get to spend that time.” When asked to imagine life without the band, her response is immediate. “I couldn’t. I think about all of the roadblocks that have come up doing New Pornographers and all of the creative solutions we had to come up with to make it work and I’m so happy it did. It feels very triumphant in its way.”

MUSIC TO REREAD

THEY MAY NOT BE GIVING AWAY ANY PLANNED RELEASE DATES FOR THEIR LONG-AWAITED NEXT ALBUM, BUT THE BOOKS’ PAUL DE JONG AND NICK ZAMMUTO AT LEAST DETAIL SOME TASTY CHAPTERS OF WHAT’S BEEN GOING ON THEIR LIVES TO AAROM WILSON.

“There are two things,” begins cellist Paul de Jong’s excuse for the wait between LPs. “It’s after a period of making two albums and touring. Then there’s a period of burn out I think. And now we’re focusing on where we can go next and what makes sense. We both started families, which changed our personal life – it’s a huge commitment. It makes you look at what you’re doing and how you think about your time and how you spend your time.” The Books’ brand of writing isn’t simple; it’s time consuming. Usually comprised of infinitely detailed layers, samples and organic noodlings, their music might be closest described as folktronica. It also embodies a degree of artfulness that both perplexes and delights. “I think that we play around with absurdity at all times,” describes guitarist/vocalist Nick Zammuto of their writing process. “It starts down a path making some sort of sense and at some point it breaks down. And that’s purposeful to a degree and also exalts what we do. We’re interested in creating a constellation and really having the listener’s mind, fill it in with whatever • 38 • THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009

When she tours Sydney in January, fans can expect a healthy dose of old and new material, with the backing of her full band. “We’ll be doing a lot of stuff off Middle Cyclone, Fox Confessor Brings The Flood and pretty much all of my other records – a nice mix of everything.” As for a new record, don’t even ask, Case finishes. “I’m not even thinking about it at all. My tiny brain is too tired to think about that as yet, but we’ll see what happens. I’m still dating Middle Cyclone so I gotta pay it some attention before I move onto the next.” WHO Neko Case WHAT Middle Cyclone (Anti/Shock) WHEN & WHERE Sunday 10 January, Clarendon; Monday 11 and Tuesday 12, City Recital Hall

sampling will be an accompanying visual smorgasbord, created with tender loving care by The Books themselves. “I think people who tend to come to our show repeatedly, they need to see it more than once because there’s so much information between the image and the sounds and you can’t contain it all at once,” warns Zammuto. In fact, image has played an increasing part in The Books’ music to the point it’s almost difficult to distinguish which one’s leading which. Zammuto addresses this thought, “At first we were interested in videos for the music. Now that we’re building visual and audio libraries simultaneously, we’re able to find those relationships from early on and really build them from that. It’s kind of the chicken and egg thing; when you watch it you have no idea what came first so they become totally integrated.”

t’s been a damn long time between reads but fans of The Books can rejoice; there’s a new chapter almost written. Although there’s been a myriad of smaller side projects to whet the appetites of their rather obsessive fanbase, the wait for the New York and Vermont-based experimental outfit’s forthcoming album has been a long one indeed. Sure, five years is no AC/DC-like wait between albums, but when you’re the kind of act that creates music so dissimilar to anything else out there, time drags on more than a publicly attributable Hank Moody second novel.

And after just four days at home, it’s back on the road again for Case. “It’s part of being in the circus that you have to pick up stakes and head to the next town. I miss my place when I’m away, my dogs and cats and my bed. But you know, I’m with my band who are my family so it never feels lonely.”

they have to really meet people half way. So we want to give people as much room for their own interpretation as possible.”

So the [French] Ministry Of Culture invited us to submit music for their elevator. They wanted three or four one minute tracks so that’s what we came up with.”

With their unique sounding 2002 debut album entitled Thought For Food, it should come as no surprise The Books place great importance on creating music to make people think. They followed this up with The Lemon Of Pink in 2003 and in 2005 they released Lost And Safe. Although continuing to remain an act unbeknownst to many, The Books are considered the darlings of thoughtful music by many an indie obsessive. Since 2005, such Books worms have had more than a few good reads to keep their eyes from popping out of their heads. These include Scott Herren’s Prefuse 73 Reads The Books EP reinterpretation of material from The Books’ back catalogue and a collaboration with José González to cover Nick Drake’s Cello Song, released on the impressive Dark Was The Night fundraising compilation earlier this year. Then there was the mini CD release Music For A French Elevator And Other Short Format Oddities By The Books. “We seem to attract unusual things like this,” laughs Zammuto while explaining how the …Elevator… project came about. “It’s part of a project called the One Percent Initiative where one percent of the cost of building, or renovating the building in this case, goes into art for the building.

Interestingly, the music produced for the project rates as some of The Books’ most abstract and must certainly come as a surprise to those being elevated. Have they personally taken the upwards trip to laugh at the responses? “No, we haven’t. We’re going to have to try that thought. We got a chance to play their radio shack there a while ago. That was fun, but no, I haven’t been to the Ministry Of Culture before. It’s probably the kind of thing where I’d need a passkey to get into anyway,” smiles Zammuto, appreciating the irony. The last five year’s productive oddities don’t end there either. “We ended up working on a documentary film, scoring that as well. I think that’s going to be released this year at some point. It’s about the Biosphere Project, which is this crazy kind of utopian plan to live on Mars someday,” laughs Zammuto. The engineers of music considered by many as imaginative utopian ear orgasms, The Books’ tour to Australia has widened many an eye in anticipation. Keep those eyes open wide too; bringing to life de Jong’s cello and bass guitar and Zammuto’s bass, acoustic guitar, singing and

Another reason their upcoming album has taken so long to be completed is because they’ve been working on building their libraries of not only sound samples, but also visual cues. With “probably a couple of thousand GBs” now at their disposal, the new album will focus mainly on their more recent obsession with self help tapes and videos. “We had a lot of meditation LPs and things like that, but for the most part it was stuff from the ‘80s that we were finding. Their tone of voice is very unique to this style of production where you’re trying to systematically relax your body and they’re taking you through this journey with your body but it’s very calm and relaxing – wonderfully innocent kinds of voices that are so mellow – and that feeling kind of carries through with whatever you’re doing with that work. But the great thing is that they speak so slowly and clearly that you can cut and rearrange what they’re saying… You come up with crazy stuff.” Expect such hypnotherapeutic sessions to take over your mind, body and soul when The Books perform here. As to how much you’ll have to use your brain to enjoy the experience, de Jong says of their creations, “It’s not something to make an intellectual statement, in the sense that it’s got to do more than one thing I think. There’s an intellectual side to it, a musical side to it – it’s an organic way of working with what’s out there.” Food for thought. WHO The Books WHEN & WHERE Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 January, The Famous Spiegeltent

Tuesday 22nd December..................

JAMES MORRISON’S & EMMA PASK’S Cool Jazz Yule

Shows with James Morrison and Emma Pask are always guaranteed gifts, but this evening Jazz’s Mr and Mrs Claus are loading up the sleigh to deliver all the good girls and boys a big night of the coolest of Yuletide Jazz. With some special guest elves set to make an appearance, come Friday you’ll be thinking it’s Christmas every day for some – of you.

Wednesday 23rd December..............

ACOUSTIC LADYLAND Xmas Party Feat. Amy Rose Buckle, Lucy Mason, Jack Diaz, Justine Martin & Rachel Mcalif

A tutti frutti of the most delicious Christmas treats from the gals of Acoustic Ladyland bringing you their finest tunes and favourite Christmas songs in flavours of Rock, Pop and Folk. These nights have always been a joy throughout the year, and now Acoustic Ladyland says Merry Christmas to their fans and supporters.

Thursday 24th December.................

CLOSED

Friday 25th December......................

CLOSED

Saturday 26th December.................

SONS OF SOUL

Feat. NOBLE (CAN) + Mike Champion + Cheyenne Performing over two hours of R&B Soul classics from Craig David’s Born To Do It, NE-YO’s Because of You and In My Words, and Brian McKnight’s Back at One and Anytime albums, this is a divine salute by three of our local Sons of Soul to the sweetest sounds of the time. Limited Dinner and Show packages available.

Sunday 27th & Monday 28th December............................................

TIM FREEDMAN

+ LUCIE THORNE (Sun) + PERRY KEYES (Solo) (Mon) Fresh from 3 big nights with the band at the Opera House earlier this month, Whitlams main man is back centre stage for two glorious nights of pure Tim Freedman brilliance. As on previous solo outings here you’re ensured plenty of chat from stage, as well as the rendering of the finest of toons from the songbooks of Tim Freedman and The Whitlams. This is the ideal way to get over - and out from underneath - the tinsel. BOOK EARLY.

Tuesday 29th & Wednesday 30th December............................................

RENÈE GEYER’s RENÈESSANCE

Untreated and unaccompanied, Renée Geyer's full-throttle entry into the Reggae classic, Dedicated To The One I Love, serves notice of an album (Renéessance) easy on amps but as highly charged as her most soulful work. So full and commanding is the voice at the heart of these recordings – from the playful Cuban pop of Say I Love You to the explosive emotion of It's A Man's, Man's, Man’s World –it takes a few spins to realise it's accompanied only by the spare keys of Bruce Haymes and Jeff Burstin's acoustic guitar. She may have "already done these songs," but Renéessance finds Renee singing as if she's feeling every one of them for the very first time.

Coming Soon Book Now 9251 2797 Thu 31st PARTY LIKE A ROCKSTAR with BROWN SUGAR + DJ TREY Mon 4th SONGSALIVE! Feat. GILLI MOON (USA) + MIRIAM MOCHKO (GER) + MONICA AND THE EXPLOSION (SWE) + HADASSEH (NED) + MAI ANH (VIE) + ELISSA SHAND (AUS) *8.30PM START* Tue 5th THE RHYTHM HUNTERS Wed 6th GAIL PAGE Thu 7th FERNANDO & TOCA JORGE Fri 8th CHARLIE PARR (USA) + DAN MANGAN (CAN) Sat 9th BACK ON THE BLOCK – Celebrating the music of Quincy Jones & Michael Jackson Mon 11th BRETT DENNEN (USA) Tue 12th THE IDEA OF NORTH Wed 13th VINCE JONES

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THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009 • 39 •

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS

THE GRANDIOSE ATMOSPHERIC ROCK OF THE TEMPER TRAP HAS BEEN AUSTRALIA’S SOUNDTRACK TO 2009. WHILE WE DEVOURED THEIR RECORD CONDITIONS, THE BAND’S BEEN KEEPING BUSY ELSEWHERE, BASSIST JOHNNY AHERNE AND LEAD GUITARIST LORENZO SILLITTO TELL BROOKE SALISBURY.

speaks to our fans now and at the same time it’s about challenging ourselves musically – we’ve been playing the record for what feels like and is quite seriously a long time now – and when we wrote the songs they were challenging, but now it’s about taking the next step and removing ourselves a little from the sounds we’re used to reaching for,” says Sillitto. “But we have a pretty defined idea of who we are as a band,” offers Aherne. “We’re never going to move too far from that big, atmospheric sound. It’s about finding ways to work it differently.” At this stage, it’s worth noting how completely relaxed the guys are sounding. Unwound, happy and laughing, each response is warm and positive and nothing is an obstacle or hindrance to the band. “It’s all the time on the road I think; you just learn to chill. There’s a lot of time to kill, so you unwind and you slow down a bit,” says Aherne. “Even now in Sydney, we’re getting a little taste for being back. This place is like a second home for us, we’ve made so many friends up here and even coming back and talking to people about the record and what we’ve been doing makes us miss Australia… And we’re still here,” he laughs.

or reasons logistical and logical, 2009 saw The Temper Trap detaching from their Melbourne roots to make their mark on foreign soil. Armed with debut long player Conditions, the boys set off for London with designs on Europe and the USA. On last calculations, Drum recalls a chilled out frontman Dougie Mandagi musing over his breakfast in Hamburg, a day behind a Prague performance; one day ahead of Germany. Between countless gigs – radio, live and televised, one literally endless tour and the appearance of their tunes in a string of overseas commercials, suffice to say that The Temper Trap has invested its time wisely this annum. Yet for all of their successes, the band has never been more down to earth. While in town as nominees and performers at the recent ARIA Awards, the enormity of their Aussie success finally hit home and the band was feeling floored and humbled. “Being here as [ARIA] nominees is a really strange feeling and probably not something we’d imagined happening any time soon,” begins lead guitarist Lorenzo Sillitto. “Well you imagine it of course, but four nominations is massive and because we’ve been away so long we’re really distanced from the Australian reaction to the record. It feels like we’ve been around the world twice since then. Actually, I think we really have been around the world twice,” laughs bassist Johnny Aherne. “Hungary, Hamburg, Austria…” counts Sillitto. “Have we been to Austria?” asks Aherne with a giggle. “I don’t even remember. If you’re doing a festival you’re out of there as quick as you arrive sometimes. Some of us do the

travelling thing better than others and it’s so easy to just get lost in your schedule and before you know it you’ve done a lap of Europe.” That’s not to say the boys aren’t enjoying the freewheeling lifestyle. In the years leading up to the release of their debut longplayer, much frustration surrounded the band’s future – would they travel, would they have success with the overseas market, could they command the same electricity on record as their fine tuned live routine? “Getting the album out there was this massive release of pressure between us as a band. When you’re in Melbourne it can feel like a long way away from Europe and America and you do wonder if it’s possible to even cross that radar from such a distance. On top of that, making a record is just intense. You want to do an amazing job, there’s a lot of attention and focus on you,” says Sillitto. “I think that we’re officially a family now,” offers Aherne playfully. “We share a house in London. We travel together fulltime. We’re consistently playing a few shows

every week. We’re seeing the world together. We couldn‘t imagine having not made the move,” he says. “I mean, the hard part is when you’ve been on the road for a few days doing shows and driving everywhere and you’re exhausted and you have to go and do live radio, or a photo shoot in the same clothes you’ve been wearing for a few days,” explains Sillitto. “Not to sound ungrateful, just hygienic.” But, they continue, “It’s hard to really miss home when you’re constantly seeing and doing new things, and playing to different audiences every other night is stimulating in its own way.” Uplifting and atmospheric yet polished and commercial, Conditions caught equal attention from the indie crowd and the commercial realm. Both accessible and emotional, each song tuned into a personal, relatable space while the band’s anthemic riffs were lush and familiar. And while the record set a definite tone for the band, Aherne and Sillitto are reluctant to commit to the sonic palette. “We’re jamming ideas for the new record, but nothing is concrete. We want to make something that

THE WAY IT IS

BRETT SPARKS OF THE HANDSOME FAMILY GOES THROUGH THE CYCLE OF COUNTRY MUSIC AND DEEP VOICES WITH DOUG WALLEN.

Given his natural baritone and the band’s reputation for forlorn subject matter, one wonders whether Sparks’ voice can make lyrics sound darker than they’re meant to be. “Maybe,” he decides. “I never really think about that.” In jest, he exclaims, “Now I won’t be able to get that out of my head!” He continues, “Deeper voices do have that an archetypical dark, evil quality, like all those characters in operas. Either that or they’re buffoons. But Johnny Cash, Nick Cave and Jim Morrison all had deep voices.” In the end, he acknowledges that it’s simply the voice he was born with. “There would be some effort required [to sing differently],” he says, “although I do sing in different • 40 • THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009

WHO The Temper Trap WHEN & WHERE Friday 8 January, Enmore Theatre; Friday 22 and Saturday 23 January, Big Day Out

Thinking back to The Handsome Family’s own early days, Sparks recounts, “When we first started playing in Chicago, we played in punk clubs. We’d show up with Telecasters and distortion pedals and say we play country. Nobody played country or fucking listened to country. But then over time… I actually think the heyday of Americana or country music peaked with people like Wilco, the Jayhawks, Lucinda Williams and Steve Earle. All those people are still playing, but there was a time when that stuff was really blossoming and almost bubbling up to the surface of commerciality. Now it’s bubbled back down and I think it’s going to stay there for a while.”

usband and wife Brett and Rennie Sparks have a unique arrangement for their long-running US band, The Handsome Family. She writes most of the lyrics, he writes most of the music, he sings most of the lyrics and they both play the music. Formed in Chicago and now based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the pair sometimes employ extra musicians – or even just a drum machine – but more often perform and record as a two-piece. That lends a stark quality to their haunting albums, which have long inhabited the soul of old bluegrass tunes, murder ballads and country crooners. Visiting our shores for the third time, The Handsome Family is touring behind Honey Moon, a record that’s lighter and more romantic than much of the band’s 14-year back catalogue. “I don’t think it’s that different, really,” counters Brett Sparks, speaking in the same low, sooty voice that lends his singing such grave weight. “Initially we wanted to do this love songs thing for our own reasons that are difficult to explain. Suffice it to say, it’s [inspired by] 19th century German romanticism. But it ended up sounding like us. I wanted to introduce a little more musical variety [within] this overarching theme; I tried to shake it up. But I tend to do that on every record. I’ll sit down with the intent of making a bluegrass or a countrypolitan record. I guess that’s just the way it is.”

Although they didn’t scoop the awards pool at this year’s ARIAs, the brief trip home was but a warm up for the band’s string of summer tour dates and festivals. For the first time since Conditions’ release, the band will be playing the record to Australian crowds and indulging in an Aussie Christmas. “I was looking over the tour schedule a few weeks ago and I saw this giant run in Australia and I got really excited for a moment. Then I realised I’d read it wrong and it actually said Austria, followed by Australia and that it wasn’t for so long at all. So that was mildly disappointing,” laughs Sillitto. “Not long and we’ll be back for Big Day Out and a couple of album shows and summer in Australia, which is really just as exciting. Catching up with friends and family and chilling out and finally being able to play the songs in the places they were written. Home is just… home.”

Sparks also considers the implications of the worldwide economic downturn, which may have helped turn young musicians towards smaller ensembles and cheaper, more portable instrumentation. It’s also possible that the flood of young folkies is a reaction to the mainstream obsession with lightning leaps in technology and other manifestations of constant newness. When everyone else is obsessing over the present and future, it becomes downright rebellious to go back and scour through records released decades ago. Still, it’s a matter of whether today’s new acts are truly getting it right or simply going through the motions, which isn’t easy to make a decision on one way or the other. octaves. Where my voice naturally lies is lower than your average singer. But I think Rennie has my voice in her head when she’s writing lyrics, because the lion’s share of lyrics will sung by me. That’s part of the process.” Sparks’ singing is capable of palpable emotion, which on Honey Moon translates to expressions of smouldering love or wistful affection. With Rennie behind the lyrics, he finds much wonder and metaphor in the natural world, from petrified forests and corn mazes to junebugs and white moths. Even a flaming asteroid at one point. On the lap-steel-kissed Little Sparrows, he lingers on a herd of antelope, schools of fish, and a sea of redwood trees, but also on car parks in winter and paper cups rolling in the wind. He finds an especially lovely metaphor in The Loneliness Of Magnets, and A Thousand Diamond Rings was inspired by light reflected off broken glass in the street. It’s another stunning, carefully detailed album from a band that’s unfortunately always been something of a cult commodity. At least they’ve been influential; Andrew Bird covered The Giant Of Illinois on the charity

compilation Dark Was The Night and Sally Timms of The Mekons has sung three of their songs. It’s tempting to think that the current explosion of young acts discovering and channelling older music – from Jordie Lane in Australia to Laura Marling and Mumford & Sons in England – The Handsome Family might finally receive the massive respect owed to them. As Sparks explains, though, a surface yen for outmoded folk and country doesn’t necessarily mean that today’s banjowielding fops have captured the spirit of the music they’re aping. “There’s this new generation of basically coffee-house singers who call themselves folk musicians,” he observes. “I don’t know how cognisant those folks are of the Harry Smith anthology and the real shit from the British Isles.” Hesitating, he adds, “I’m being snobbish. That’s a very elitist attitude. I guess it doesn’t matter. What the hell is folk music? Just music. Maybe they have done their homework. Maybe I’m wrong. I’d be curious to know. If it sounds good and it works and it has integrity, at the end of the day who gives a shit?”

“Are they just indicating or really immersing themselves in it?” Sparks asks rhetorically. “For me, I was floundering for a long time. I mean, I’m 45 years old. After punk rock and new wave dissolved and there wasn’t anything to listen to in the late ’80s and early ’90s, I discovered Hank Williams and Robert Johnson. It blew my mind. It set me on fire and drove me crazy. After getting immersed in it for a few years, elements of that started making its way into my songs. But it wasn’t the other way around. It wasn’t like, ‘I gonna be a folk and go learn how to play claw-hammer banjo.’ The music kind of forced me to do what I do.” Laughing in that knotty croak of his, though, he adds, “There’s always more to learn.” WHO The Handsome Family WHAT Honey Moon (Spunk/EMI) WHEN & WHERE Thursday 14 and Friday 15 January, The Famous Spiegeltent

THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009 • 41 •

FROM ZERO TO HERO

MULTINATIONAL INDIE-ROCK OUTFIT THE BOXER REBELLION SPENT FOUR YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS OF INDEPENDENCE AND ANONYMITY BEFORE TAKING THE WORLD BY STORM EARLIER THIS YEAR. MATT O’NEILL SPOKE TO AUSTRALIAN GUITARIST TODD HOWE ABOUT THE BAND’S CIRCUITOUS EXPEDITION INTO RECOGNITION.

he traditional dream of rock stardom is largely dead at the moment. The youth of today has seen too much of the music world and its various casualties to have any faith in dated fantasies of guitarassisted global acclaim. The few bands that still manage to reach such lofty heights with anything resembling immediacy are largely considered without integrity, while those sterling musicians that achieve notoriety on their own merits are largely where they are on the basis of years of thankless drudgery. British-based ensemble The Boxer Rebellion are as close as one is likely to get to the Capra-esque mythology that once catapulted young and exciting bands like Nirvana into the spotlight. A year ago, The Boxer Rebellion were little more than four desperate friends attempting to scrape together the money to release their second album, Union. Today they are arguably the most successful unsigned band of the decade. “We pretty much, up until about twelve months ago, had absolutely nothing going on,” guitarist Todd Howe admits. “This time twelve months ago was an absolute downer for us. Most of the album was finished and we just didn’t have anything and then, last October, we all of a sudden got a call from a guy from iTunes who had been a fan of ours for ages and he wanted to do this promotion and that kickstarted everything.” That promotion was iTunes’ now standard ‘Single of the Week’, wherein the online store selects a song to offer their customers as a free download for a week. The Boxer Rebellion were the first ever band to be chosen for the global incarnation of the exercise, with Union lead single, Evacuate, selected earlier in the year, and the promotion eventually saw the band sell 10,000 copies of their second album within a week of its digital release and reach #82 on the US Billboard charts, the album

recently getting a physical re-release. “It was brilliant. In the UK, there’s this whole industry blockade there where you have to fit in somewhere or your music won’t be accepted, so it’s very hard to get your music out there and this was a way where it was just put in front of people and if they liked it, they could download it or buy the album and, fortunately, they bought the album.” The Boxer Rebellion’s success should not, however, be taken at face value. While the band’s recent ascendancy is indeed fantastic, one shouldn’t glibly gloss over the hardships endured in the lead up to their breakthrough. The band were signed to a subsidiary of Universal Music in 2003 before being abruptly dropped following the release of their 2005 debut, Exits, effectively spending the next four years in limbo, refusing to sign to another label but refusing to surrender, though there was always the possibility of splitting up. “We were probably just avoiding that. If you’d said to us in 2005 that in three years’ time, we’d be sitting on our arse with a record and nothing going on, we would have quit. It always crossed our minds, we were just stupid enough to keep going. There was always this carrot dangling in front of us. I mean, at the end of the day, it is the music. We love writing songs together and we love playing together. We knew our music hadn’t really had a proper chance to be heard. This year has just been so great for us.” WHO The Boxer Rebellion WHAT Union (Cross Section/Inertia) WHEN & WHERE Thursday 31 December, Manning House

GOOD TIME FOLK

WANT TO MAKE CASTANETS BRISTLE LIKE A MOTHERFUCKER? JUST DROP THE TERM FREAK FOLK IN HIS DIRECTION, AS DANIEL JOHNSON DISCOVERS.

espite sounding for all intents and purposes like a band name, Castanets essentially consists of US indie folk troubadour Raymond Raposa and whoever happens to be accompanying him at the time. “It kind of depends on the tour, it depends who’s available for each tour and it depends how long the tour is and how much I’m going to be able to pay whoever I’m bringing out and how much I even want to hang out with anyone for that length of time,” Raposa says of his approach to Castanets. “Some months feel more like private months than other months. I just got off like a seven week tour in Europe with a five-piece for the prospect of three weeks in Australia and New Zealand solo. That sounds really appealing to me right now. Some of it’s practicality and some of it’s just what feels right at the time,” he says. Raposa says being able to deal with Castanets in such a manner keeps it fresh and spontaneous and he admits it’s liberating to be able to call all the shots. “Yeah, I wouldn’t be able to approach a band in any other way, you know? That sort of freedom is a large part of the appeal for me, but at the same time I wouldn’t be out doing solo shows if I didn’t think that those were equally valid. I very much enjoy playing solo. “I love playing rock music loud with a lot of people, but I can sometimes find just as much doing it by myself. It’s the freedom to choose that ensures the longevity for me, otherwise I don’t think I could pursue a band in the way that bands as a unit have to sort of exist over that span of time.” Raposa says he is immensely looking forward to his Australian sojourn and one cannot help but feel it has almost as much to do with Australia’s beaches than the shows he’s booked to play. “I used to do contests and stuff in San Diego and I was a little sponsored photoshoot kid and shit. I’m way past my prime right now, but I’m still going to try to find some boards when I’m down there,” he says. • 42 • THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009

ENJOY YOURSELF

GERMANY’S EDGUY HAVE SEAMLESSLY EVOLVED FROM A PIONEERING POWER METAL BAND TO A HARD ROCKING JUGGERNAUT. VOCALIST TOBIAS SAMMET TELLS BRENDAN CRABB OF THE JOYS OF BEING AN ARENA BAND THAT DOESN’T PLAY ARENAS THAT OFTEN.

f you’ve seen their recent Fucking With Fire DVD (filmed in front of a rabid Sao Paolo crowd), you’ll be aware that Edguy are far from five po-faced metal musicians. Instead, they delve into the often lost art of having fun, with their larger-than-life vibe and wisecracking antics an engaging throwback to ‘80s arena rock shows. “I think when you look at the ‘80s and you look at those hard rock bands, I think the big difference between them and most heavy metal bands… when you look at a classic rock show of the ‘80s, you have the feeling that they are enjoying themselves, [that] they are happy on stage,” Tobias Sammet says in his typically cheery manner, speaking between band rehearsals and writing material for his rock/metal opera project Avantasia. “Many heavy metal bands – not all – you look at them on stage and they’re people who seem to want to be mean, but it seems to be more miserable. Everything is dark and mystic and big gestures. “When I look at those ‘80s bands, those hard rock bands, I think it’s much more entertainment and I think rock‘n’roll and heavy metal has to be entertainment. We’ve always been different on stage, even in our early days when we were 16- or 17-year-old kids. You could sense that this band goes on stage and enjoys themselves. I was telling jokes when I was 17 already and everybody liked it back then,” he laughs. “Everybody said, ‘This is weird, he talks way too much on stage’… I think there’s no rule in a heavy metal band that you have to do this or that or look like this, then go to the show and say, ‘You guys are the best fucking audience we’ve ever had!’ That’s a bit boring. Why not tell a funny joke? People will know that they are the best fans in the whole world, but I tell the best fucking joke in the world and everyone says, ‘He told that joke to me. That was pretty cool; he must really love us here.’”

Despite criticism from certain fans for allegedly straying too far from their power metal roots, the frontman insists their stylistic approach hasn’t altered much. “We’ve always had fast songs, we’ve always had ballads. In fact, I think in the earlier days we had more ballads than today. You cannot really say where you have to draw the line between hard rock and heavy metal. Why is Dio heavy metal and AC/DC is hard rock? I love them both, but I think AC/DC has got heavier guitars than Dio. Then some people consider AC/DC blues rock; I think you can’t really draw the line. I just think people sense when you do something honest. That’s what people appreciate and that’s what our fans love about our music. You never can predict it, but it’s honest and it sounds more or less like Edguy every time.” The fun-loving Germans were one of the first acts of their ilk to be embraced by Australian metal fans and this is not lost on Sammet. “There’s this one club in Melbourne, I don’t know what it was called but it was a strip club,” he explains. “The promoter took us there [during their first Australian tour in 2002]. We were playing pool and all of a sudden there was this chick undressing on the pool table and ruining the whole game. Everybody seemed to be happy, but I just wanted to finish the pool game,” he laughs. “I’m not gay, just for the record. It was just I didn’t understand the concept of a strip club. But I was so innocent and young back then.” WHO Edguy WHEN & WHERE Friday 1 January, Screamfest

BASSLESS FUNK

FRESH OUT OF PARIS COMES ANOTHER DRUMS AND GUITAR DUO, THE INSPECTOR CLUZO, WHO, RATHER TRYING TO REDEFINE/REINVENT SCUZZY BLUES, HAVE TAKEN UP THE FORMIDABLE CHALLENGE OF PLAYING FUNK/SOUL WITHOUT A BASS. BY MICHAEL SMITH.

“W

“I grew up in San Diego watching surf videos and stuff so like Kirra and Bells and all that stuff, that’s like fucking Mecca to me – I’m fucking stoked.” Castanets’ left of centre folk sound is definitely not straightforward and while Raposa readily admits it’s hard to pigeonhole, he is also quick to declare his disdain for the term “freak folk”, a label which has been thrown in his direction in the past. “My go to answer for this every time is I’m thankful I’m in a position where I never, ever have to describe it. Not that it’s ineffable or anything, but it’s just not my job to do that and it’s also a cop out,” he laughs. “But I will say for sure that I bristle like a motherfucker at the term freak folk. I think it’s the worst thing that could have happened to myself or any of my friends to have ever been sidled with that. I mean, urgh.” You can almost see his face wincing on the other end of the phone as he says it. “It’s pretty damn insulting, but it’s insulting and it also doesn’t mean anything. The company that I would supposedly be keeping in that genre is certainly not my company in life. For as well travelled as I consider myself and how jaded of a motherfucker I am, this is all super fresh new territory for me and I’m just really stoked. It’s good time rock’n’roll and fuck freak folk.” WHO Castanets WHAT Texas Rose, The Beasts And The Thaw (Asthmatic Kitty/Inertia) WHEN & WHERE Tuesday 22 December, The Harp Wollongong; Wednesday 23, Akemi; Saturday 26, Croatian Club Newcastle; Sunday 27, The Excelsior Surry Hills; Tuesday 29, Peats Ridge Festival

e were funk addicts and all types of music addicts generally,” drummer Mathieu “Phil” Jourdain admits on the line from France. Together with singer and guitarist Laurent Lacrouts he makes up The Inspector Cluzo. “That’s why we chose to combine the groove of the funk with other types of music. It’s exactly because so much funk is bass-driven that we chose not to add bass. Usually in the funk, you need the bass, you hear the bass grooving with the drums and that’s why we wanted to go in that direction, because it was a challenge to play this kind of music without the bass. “Laurent and I were actually at the university together and we formed a band 20 years ago, then not long ago the lead singer quit, so we thought, ‘Why not go on and form another band?’ but thought okay, let’s do it as a two-piece, it’s easier – you obviously know about band problems, right? So we thought, okay, keep it simple, let’s try and form a band as a two-piece. It will allow us to travel all around the world and we’ll see what we can do. Obviously we adapted our playing because there is no bass, so Laurent has to hit the low strings harder and my playing has adapted too, to take care of the low frequencies and try to fill the space a bit.” It’s obviously paid off because over the past two years they’ve been plying their trade as The Inspector Cluzo. Within weeks of forming they managed to score support slots on European tours by Suicidal Tendencies and Infectious Grooves and have gone on to perform at a number of international festival including the East Coast Blues & Roots Festival in Byron Bay earlier this year. “We’re in a very good booking agency and label, which is Ter A Terre, which is run by Laurent and me. We are booking and making tours of a lot of bands in Europe such as Fishbone or Suicidal Tendencies, so we built something very big, so it was easy for us to try and introduce ourselves. We were connected to other

booking agencies in the world and luckily the audience liked the music and that gave us the opportunity to build things quickly.” They released their self-titled debut album here in July and as it happens, it does include one track, the first single off the defiantly titled album Fuck The Bass Player, featuring the aforementioned Fishbone’s bass player Norwood Fisher, while Fishbone frontman Angelo Moore adds some vocals here and there. “Fishbone are our biggest influence and those guys are amazing live. They taught us how it is to be on stage and how to funk. We also had the horn section from The Sunshiners on our record, because they are friends of ours we met two years ago at the Bluesfest. They’re a cover band playing reggae versions of hits from the ‘80s and sound really great. They add a touch of colour in our music and we’ve done the same on the second album that we are currently mixing. Angelo isn’t singing on the new album, but we’ve got him to just say a few words just after a song called The French Bastards – and we are the French bastards!” French they certainly are, but they’ve opted to sing in English. “English is the best language to sing, because of the accent and the way you can sing it. We want to make our music international so everybody can understand, with our damned French accents as well.” WHO The Inspector Cluzo WHEN & WHERE Wednesday 6 January, Beach Road Hotel; Thursday 7, Excelsior Hotel Surry Hills

TOKYO ROAD

NO FALSE PRODUCTION

FROM DEEP WITHIN THE MOST UNKNOWN PREFECTURE IN JAPAN ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF TOKYO COME SIX SELFDESCRIBED ‘NASTY GROOVE-MAKING CATS’ BRINGING THEIR PASSION FOR OLD SCHOOL FUNK TO THE PEOPLE. FOR REASONS ONLY KNOWN TO THEM, THEY CALL THEMSELVES MOUNTAIN MOCHA KILIMANJARO. MICHAEL SMITH GOT THE INSIDE STORY.

ountain Mocha Kilimanjaro is signed to the prestigious P-Vine label in Japan. Their label manager Shin Fukuzumi, who also happens to feature as an additional percussionist with the band when they perform and will be joining them on their Australian tour, but more importantly is fluent in English, is doing the talking on their behalf. “They used to be a more rock-oriented band and it was formed kind of loosely around 2004/5, doing more sort of funk/rock covers by the likes of the Chilli Peppers and stuff like that,” Fukuzumi says. Drummer Satoshi ‘Tiger’ Okano and guitarist Naokazu ‘Bobson’ Kobayashi have been friends since their early teens and early on the band was playing small hip hop, funk and dance clubs and events. By 2006 they had recruited a new bassplayer – Yusuke ‘Ginger’ Kondo, along with a trumpeter, Naohito ‘Temjim’ Yomoda, joining the existing line-up that also had keyboards (Yuki ‘Mzo’ Mizoguchi) and sax (Kunimitsu ‘Carlos’ Ohashi) – and started writing their own original hard funk tunes. By 2008 they were playing Fuji Rock and a few other prestigious festivals around the planet. “From their initial love of Zeppelin and the Chili Peppers, they got into listening to the roots of those bands, particularly the Peppers and started covering a lot of Sly & The Family Stone, The Meters, James Brown and stuff like that. Listening to that old school soul and funk, they fell in love with it and realised that was the kind of music that they wanted to play. At first they were trying to copy what they heard and then tried to express it by themselves through original songs. They keep telling me it was really bad at first, but they kept on doing it and kept on writing and they say we’ve got at least a little better.” Writing collectively, building songs around grooves in the tried and true old school jam method of composition, the snappily-dressed boho cool Mountain

CHARLIE PARR MAY NOT BE ABLE TO FIND HIS WAY AROUND A BAG OF MICROWAVE POPCORN, BUT HE CERTAINLY KNOWS HOW TO PRODUCE FOLK MUSIC. BY SAM FELL.

A Mocha Kilimanjaro opted to keep it all instrumental. “The main reason is that the band doesn’t have any singers around them that they want to work with, but they do work as the backing band for a couple of female singers, recording tracks for a couple of compilations released over here [in Japan],” Fukuzumi says. Set up in 1975, P-Vine is a label that specialises in jazz, Latin, soul and funk records and has been the Japanese distributors of live and recordings by Parliament/ Funkadelic among others. They signed Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro just over a year ago, releasing their self-titled debut album last year. In order to get that old school sound they recorded on analogue open-reel tapes and pretty much live in the studio, with one take and no overdubs. “They try in a good sense to imitate those records and that’s why they have those [two] little interludes [each simply titled interlude] on the CD between, to try to connect the whole thing together and make it an album instead of just a collection of songs. “It’s the same with the live gig as well. We don’t stop the sound, we continue to play and whenever the MC speaks to introduce a song we still keep playing, just turning the volume down a little bit and turn it up again once the song starts. So the band wanted to put something of that and the live energy of the live show into the album as well.” WHO Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro WHEN & WHERE Wednesday 30 December, Peats Ridge Festival; Saturday 9 January, Martin Place; Sunday 10, Brass Monkey; Thursday 14, Heritage Hotel; Friday 15, The Basement, Circular Quay

FEELING CHUFFED

KELLEY STOLTZ HAS TWO OR THREE HITS ON THE RADIO STATION OF MY MIND. DOUG WALLEN TUNES IN.

his holiday season, San Francisco pop guru Kelley Stoltz will find himself in Australia, but it’s not the first Christmas and New Year’s he has experienced on our shores. In fact, it’s his fourth time here. Ever since visiting at the end of 2003 to promote his second album, Antique Glow, Stoltz has been a regular – and welcome – guest. It’s become almost a year-end tradition for him, not just touring here but using our country as a testing ground for his latest material. Steph Hughes (Dick Diver) and Julian Wu (Melbourne Music Identity). It’s something of a reunion with Young and Nelson, who backed Stoltz on his first Australian tour as well as on subsequent visits.

One thing is different about this trip, however. Stoltz’s new album isn’t quite finished. When he scored cheap airfare earlier this year, he figured it would be wrapped in time for his Aussie tour, but it didn’t work out that way. Now he’s hoping to have it done by March and out on his American label, Sub Pop, during the northern summer. At the moment, the record is somewhat in purgatory since Stoltz had it mixed in a studio but wasn’t satisfied with the results.

Compared as often to vintage psych acts as British Invasion icons, Stoltz has always been more interesting than your average guitar-slinging songwriter. After 1999’s The Past Was Faster and 2001’s Antique Glow, he signed to Sub Pop, who released 2006’s Below The Branches and 2008’s Circular Sounds. He even tracked and offset his electricity use while making Below The Branches – before that kind of thing was hip – and inspired Sub Pop to “green” their whole office.

Now he’s trying to mix it himself, salvaging the good bits while ditching the bad. “I’m re-appraising. I’m in that terrible position of fixing it in the mix, which is never a good situation. I thought I was done, but I’m not really. I just need to get it done.”

Besides writing and recording songs in his apartment, Stoltz recently turned to producing fellow San Francisco acts including Bart Davenport, The Moore Brothers and the solo project of Comets On Fire drummer Utrillo Belcher. He also started a small label called Chuffed (“It’s my favourite word in the English language,” he says.) to release records by Thee Oh Sees and The Fresh & Onlys. His own latest single, which he’s bringing along on tour, is coming out any day now on Chuffed.

Despite the incomplete album, Stoltz is planning to play his new songs on this tour and, as always, see what works. He’s doing five gigs in Melbourne and one in Sydney, split between solo performances and full band ones. His backing band resembles an Aussie indie supergroup, featuring as it does Mikey Young (Eddy Current Suppression Ring), Mark Nelson (The Stabs),

The chubby guitarist then tripped and fell onto the dog in an attempt to escape the smoke-filled kitchen. Emily Parr could not be reached for comment as to whether she actually got a bag of microwave popcorn or not.” “Well, you know, I try to make the best of my time at home,” Parr laughs heartily. “You’ve gotta get the work done and there are times where I don’t have the best homemaking skills that I probably should have honed, but I do my best… that kitchen still reeks of popcorn though. The microwave is still brown.” Luckily for everyone then, predominantly his long suffering wife, Parr spends a fair bit of time on the road these days, particularly around the States and more recently, here in Australia too, where he appeared for the first time in April and May this year supporting Paul Kelly and where we’ll see him again in January. “Yeah, that’s right and my wife and children can’t come along on this one, so I told my booker that I wanted to play more often, ‘cause if I have days off I’ll get lonely,” he laughs about a run that packs 14 shows into just under three weeks. “So I’ve got plenty of shows, no time to get lonely. And then I’m coming back to Australian in March for the Port Fairy Festival… it’s a lot of airplane time, but that’s life.” A busy man indeed is Charlie Parr – and the reason for not staying through February? “Yeah, I’m heading home in February to begin recording a new record,” he says with no small amount of enthusiasm. “I might even record this one in stereo too!” Before we get to that however, we should backtrack a few months to the

Australian release of Parr’s seventh record, Roustabout, a record he released in the US a year ago, but which has only just come out here – recorded in monophonic, it plays as a modern day field recording. “Yeah, it does. We used a Nagra field recorder, the same model that [folklorist and ethnomusicologist] Alan Lomax used in the ‘50s,” Parr explains. “So we used a single mic and recorded at four or five locations around the state and did it over the course of a couple of months. So it’s true, unaltered mono and the mastering process was kept to a minimum… I’ve gotten a lot of flack for it actually, but those are the recordings I listen to at home all the time, so I’m comfortable with it. It’s certainly not a false production of what I do, this is what I do.” The music itself on Roustabout is as steeped in history and poise as the way it was recorded – vintage Parr, leaving you waiting almost breathlessly to see what this ‘caught in a time warp’ musician will come up with next. “Yeah, it’ll be almost entirely solo and the songs’ll follow in the same theme,” Parr explains of the record he’s looking to make in February. “I get into some dark spots as well, but I always do… I’m pretty happy with this stuff; I’m able to get it lined up a lot more quickly than I used to be.” If only he was this competent at microwaving popcorn. WHO Charlie Parr WHAT Roustabout (Level Two/Shock) WHEN & WHERE Tuesday 5 January, Front Gallery; Thursday 7, Heritage Hotel; Friday 8 The Basement Circular Quay; Saturday 9, The Clarendon Guesthouse; Tuesday 12, Brass Monkey; Wednesday 13, The Junkyard

GENTLY DOES IT

RAISED IN OAKDALE, CALIFORNIA, UNASSUMING SINGER/SONGWRITER BRETT DENNEN HAS TAKEN HIS TIME ABOUT BUILDING HIS CAREER, YET HE’S FOUND HIMSELF WITH AN INTERNATIONAL CAREER ANYWAY, AS MICHAEL SMITH DISCOVERS.

“I

“It seems like the time I get recharged and refocused on a record,” he suggests. “It’s the beginning of the touring [cycle for each album]. I go down there and bash away and try things out and then keep going.”

That’s not to cast the album as some misbegotten failure. Hearing him describe it, it actually sounds quite promising. “It’s a little more rockin’. It’s got more guitars. Maybe more strange chords, like Rubber Soul chords and Nick Lowe chords. People say it reminds them of Nick Lowe-style ’70s pop. I think it’s good. I think I’ve got two or three hits, at least in the radio station of my mind.”

recent exert from the news section on Duluth, Minnesota, folk/bluesman, Charlie Parr’s website stated, “Misguided folk singer Charlie Parr has apparently set the kitchen on fire in a fruitless attempt to prepare a bag of microwave popcorn for his wife, Emily. According to residents of Parr’s Duluth neighbourhood, smoke began pouring out of the kitchen windows of his house around 2pm on Saturday. Parr was heard screaming and yelling for the children to ‘run for it’ as he fumbled with the latch on the microwave door and threw the flaming bag of ‘Kettle Corn’ into the sink and dumped the contents of a saucepan filled with Spaghetti-o’s on it.

“The world [doesn’t need] another small, independent record label making 45s, but why not? That end of things took off a bit, just helping friends of mine who liked the way my records sounded or vice versa. We just wanted to do some stuff together, so I helped out a couple of people around here.” WHO Kelley Stoltz WHEN & WHERE Saturday 9 January, Sandringham Hotel

just did everything myself,” Dennen, who released his self-titled debut album independently in 2004, “and then waited for the labels to come to me. I was never knocking on labels’ doors or anything like that. I was oblivious to that scene. I was just playing shows, writing songs, releasing my own record independently and selling it at my shows and started building a following to the point where I think what happened was labels – and booking agents too – and other facets of the music industry started saying, ‘Have you heard of this guy named Brett Dennen?’ And so people would start coming out to see me. It wasn’t like I was driven to get discovered – I was just playing for my own crowd. “I spent a lot of time just thinking about music instead of playing it. I spend a lot of time thinking about writing a song instead of writing. The process of writing a song is slow and it’s my own process, figuring out what it is I want say and how I want to say it, that takes me a long time and have to really be able to focus and I need to be alone.” Once the ball started rolling however, things did start to speed up, with Dennen releasing his second album, So Much More, in 2006 and his latest, Hope For The Hopeless, last year. He finally returns to Australia to tour off this album, primarily supporting the John Butler Trio, but managing his own show along the way too. As for that latest album, there’s a more obvious optimism in Dennen’s writing this time around. “Yeah, that’s part of why I chose those songs and especially why I named the album Hope For The Hopeless. I wrote about 40 songs over the course of about six months and I didn’t exactly know what I wanted the album to be and they were kind of all over the place. There were songs that were really, really folk acoustic and some that were more rocking, so I kind of went with my gut and let the songs that I felt like they were the ones that needed to be released sort of come together.

“That optimism was the theme I felt that was sort of running continually throughout the whole record. No matter what the song was about there was always the theme of hope in there. On one hand I think that comes naturally in the way that I try to write, but on the other hand, I’ll also write really depressing songs,” Dennen chuckles, “or songs that appear negative, but I have to sit and convince myself that this is my contribution to the world, this is the effect I’m going to have on the world and at the end of it all I want to have a positive effect, so if I want to have a song that’s depressing, I want to make sure that there are some lines about hope in there.” That’s also why for every love song or whatever Dennen writes, there are songs like Ain’t No Reason, or World Keeps Turning and Heaven on the new album, addressing the bigger issues. “In terms of the wider picture, that’s just what’s on my mind a lot, that’s what I think about, that’s what I talk about, that’s what I’m interested when I’m sitting around, unwinding. As a songwriter I just really love music and I especially love the great songwriters. I hope that one day I’ll write a song that makes me feel as good as I feel listening to a Paul Simon or Van Morrison song.” WHO Brett Dennen WHAT Hope For The Hopeless (Downtown/Inertia) WHEN & WHERE Monday 11 January, The Basement, Circular Quay THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009 • 43 •

WITH ROSS CLELLAND

THE HIVES AND CYNDI LAUPER A Christmas Duel Dew Process Being firmly of the ‘bah and humbug’ school of yuletide celebration, Rolf Harris’ seasonal offering was duly avoided. But this inspired and perfectly meanspirited collision of Sweden’s finest with the wailing Lauper goes all right. With a throwing of insults in the Fairytale Of New York manner and production phoned in from the cell Phil Spector is sharing with his new husband Bubba, there’s much to celebrate. Current favourite lyric: “Yeah, and I went down on your mother”. And it’s Lauper who delivers that little bon mot.

THE XX Basic Space Young Turks/Remote Control Not at all what was expected from the name or the look. The XXs present songs of a quite stunning delicacy and strength. It is pop music that unwinds before you, as the boy/girl interchange goes on, thinking as they go. Due to its minimalist nature, the no-less-than nine remixes are not simple dead horse flogging, as various degrees of electronica and beats somehow keep the song’s basic integrity and space. It washes over you most agreeably, while not being as fragile as you might think it is. Quite lovely.

OUR MONK Dear Dear/Bleak Week Independent With the once-guest brass section now fully integrated, they offer two angles of their personable styles. Dear… softshoe shuffles in, has a little wander round your lounge room, stopping to check what Kinks albums you’ve got, before raiding your fridge. Bleak… also has a touch of the music hall about it, but thankfully doesn’t end up being Ben Folds. There is a good-natured feeling that they are really quite enjoying themselves in both these tunes, which in these careerist days is really rather charming. Quaint, even.

BON JOVI

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH

FUN.

Universal

Spinefarm/Universal

Nettwerk/Shock

The Circle

The Circle opens with Jon Bon Jovi screeching, “This one goes out to the man who mines for miracles…” Now where have we heard an opening line like that before? If you’re experiencing déjà vu, you aren’t the only one. This record isn’t necessarily bad, but it definitely lives in middle-of-the-road rock territory. There was a time when these men were making bonafide hits. Hits that definitely didn’t include Bon Jovi shouting ‘guitar!’ before Ritchie Sambora ‘shredded’ like his guitar was being plucked by the unclipped claws of a feral cat. Every song sees any shred of credibility this band was clinging to fall to the wayside. We Weren’t Born To Follow is a pastiche of all of Bon Jovi’s previous uplifting songs and follower When We Were Beautiful opens like a 3 Doors Down song. Work For The Working Man sounds almost exactly like the opening beats of Livin’ On A Prayer. You’re expecting Bon Jovi to start singing about Johnny on the docks, but instead he’s trying to connect with the everyday Joe. Jon Bon Jovi is attempting to say, ‘Hey folks I’m just like you, except Oprah is one of my best friends and I bleach my teeth weekly in between getting my hair professionally straightened.’ Fast Cars doesn’t even try for metaphor; “We are fast cars on the inside,” beams Bon Jovi, as if he’s auditioning for an in-house band gig on Top Gear. Get in your car and drive far away from a recording studio and save us from another soft rock record.

War Is The Answer

Five Finger Death Punch were touted as metal’s “next big thing” before their 2007 debut The Way Of The Fist was even released. While that type of marketing is casually thrown around all too often, such predictions proved to be correct as the band came out, erm, swinging, selling albums by the truckload and becoming a rock radio staple overseas. Their blend of metalcore-ish vocals, nu metal angst, slick modern rock overtones and lighter-waving sensibilities – not far removed from mid-period Metallica or Slipknot’s All Hope is Gone – has snared them plenty of mainstream rock fans, while the mosh parts and groove-laden riffage has made them an enticing proposition for metalheads. However, War Is The Answer is too calculated to be entirely convincing. For a band to be this adept at crafting memorable, radiofriendly hooks is not to be dismissed lightly, as the likes of No One Gets Left Behind and Hard To See exhibit. There will be too many over-wrought ballads for some metallers though and their formulaic songwriting lacks imagination. They also don’t seem able to decide if they want to be pissed off males who would slit your throat for looking at them the wrong way or quiet, unassuming dudes who just want to be loved. Much of their more sensitive sentiments and melodies come across as contrived in light of their pandering to wannabe tough guys via moronic, clichéd posturing on songs like the Pantera-esque title track.

Aim And Ignite Nate Ruess wasted no time after his former band, The Format, split up, getting together with Andrew Dost (formerly of Anathallo) and Jack Antonoff (Steel Train), under the simple moniker fun. to craft an album that continues The Format’s legacy, whilst also expanding it. Ruess has learned quite a few tricks about writing a mean melody over the years and this album bursts with inspiration and imagination, from the stringladen cabaret pop of Be Calm to the radio-friendly first single, All The Pretty Girls. The thick harmonies have drawn comparisons ranging from Beach Boys to Queen to Panic At The Disco and to an extent all those comparisons are accurate – fun. manages to inject a healthy dose of intellect into solid and accessible pop music that has the compositional value of all the greats. Unlike The Format though, the music on this album is quite a lot thicker and incorporates more elements, with a heavy focus on strings and brass throughout and a venture into keys for the showtune-esque I Wanna Be The One. The album also features female guest vocals from Antonoff’s sister Rachel, which adds another layer of interest to the already luscious blend. From upbeat pop songs to the Randy Newman-esque Light A Roman Candle With Me, there’s nothing overly complicated about Aim And Ignite, but all it intends to do is to provide smart songs that also sound great, which it does perfectly. If you never got over the demise of The Format, pick this up and it’ll do the same for you.

This record ticks all the right boxes to ensure their popularity continues unabated. It’s just a pity it only provides a glancing body blow instead of a fully-fledged knockout. Sevana Ohandjanian

Brendan Crabb

Giselle Nguyen

GIRLS

JOHN MAYER

KATATONIA

Pod/Inertia

Columbia/Sony Music

Peaceville/Stomp

METALS Drop Your Guard Aloha So, the producer often known as Digital Primate links with the hip hop singer who hooked up the Public Enemy camp and record some stuff over there. Now, those interlinking facts didn’t give me much to be inspired by, thinking the result would be the usual fairly lame attempt some sort of Australian-flavoured Americanisms. Oddly, the lead song is somewhat more poppy than that – more akin to The Ting Tings after a long day and a couple of cocktails. Let’s see what else they’ve got before passing judgement.

PABLO LIBIDO & THE WILD ROBOTS Tonic Unpopular Music The artist here known as Pablo is the very likeable Johnno Lattin, formerly of the very likeable Sydney arty primitives La Huva, who moved to Adelaide and now makes music that stumbles around across a range of genres, but all with a nice woody edge that wanders around rather amenably. Much like the man himself. Stand Around is the nicely observed conversation of a man who has watched too many audiences do just that. It comes with a bossa nova beat, allowing you to watch others dance to it.

KIDS AT RISK Sugar Independent Another where the participants have some history that may or may not be what they’re about here. They want to call this ‘neo-grunge’ and mention The Pixies. Let’s correct that slightly, as there is a more a touch of Francis The Black, as the music and voices laps and layers on itself with both a melody and a hard edge. An indie band by definition, they don’t sound or even necessarily want to be one. And that’s not meant in a ‘seeking the main chance’ way. They make music for the mainstream of the alternative. And are good at it.

Album

San Francisco has never sounded this good; Girls, aka Christopher Owens and (Chet) JR White, have made the ultimate slacker soundtrack. The image instantaneously conjured upon listening is of driving down a highway in middle America with the summer sun beating down on an open-top convertible. An interesting bit of background info, wordsmith and vocalist Owens was raised in the Children Of God cult and with this in mind, Album is brisk, unrelenting music with a heartwrenching reality dose in every tune. Owens rips out his heart and leaves the words hanging in the air with wistful, childlike hope. Lust For Life is a list of wishful thinking that bares all in its opening line, “Oh I wish I had a boyfriend/ I wish I had a special man in my life.” Big Bad Mean Motherfucker sounds like a Grease offcut if it wasn’t for its title and lines like “I got a gold guitar and a bag of marijuana, man” delivered with the drawl of a San Fran kid with time to kill. Girls’ production may appear carefree, but there is no doubt that they know exactly what they’re doing. Musically the band is DIY authentic, but carries lofty aspirations to sound like The Beach Boys, Elvis Costello and a host of Phil Spector-produced bands. Deep drums, tambourine and simple guitars carry tunes like Lauren Marie. Owens’ voice is lazy but never hollow in Laura, carrying that emotion sitting between indifference and devil-may-care. It’s infectious, cathartic music for the very core of your being – the modern hippie freak’s expulsion of demons old and new.

Sevana Ohandjanian • 44 • THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009

Battle Studies

John Mayer comes in two forms - the flirtatious tabloid rock prince and the truly talented soulful guitarist that has somehow transformed into a love poet on his fourth album, Battle Studies. If you look past the fact that every single one of these 11 songs is some tormented cry out for saving from a broken heart however, you’ll notice that, musically, this album is actually one of his most diverse and adventurous yet. When he brings out his relaxed, feet in the air rhythm that is utterly stripped of extravagance, you can almost forget that this hunk of pie has been playing the Hollywood scene like a flute, but not quite. For example he’s been pretty open with the fact that Heartbreak Warfare is a tribute to his relationship with Jennifer Aniston, but try to rather focus on the U2-style guitar work, steady percussion and beautifully strained metaphors on this single instead. A definite attention grabber is Who Says, where he brings out his old school delicate acoustic twangs and catchy blues beats to give an ode to women, weed and on-the-road freedom: “Who says I can’t get stoned”. Well, for starters, the government. But the album also sees the innocent and youthful side of Mayer when he brings out a smooth Southern pop melody in Half Of My Heart with Taylor Swift joining him in a really pleasant and cute duet. As clichéd as it sounds, this album really does have something for everyone. If you don’t feel like appreciating a broken man baring his soul, you can always just groove along to his cheeky blues and Californian rock and try to guess which song is written about who. Caroline Savransky

Night Is The New Day ‘Death doom band goes alt gloom rock’. News at 11. No, as every reviewer and their dog has noted, they don’t have the metal cred they once boasted, but Katatonia remain an intriguing proposition in the world of heavy music. Night Is The New Day is leaps and bounds ahead of the band’s last LP, the slightly disappointing and unfocused The Great Cold Distance. The meandering approach that marred that release has been replaced this time around with focused songwriting and a thematic approach. This means Night Is The New Day is more an actual ‘album’ than just a random collection of songs. From its opener, Forsaker, right through to cathartic closer, Departer, Night… flows like an epic tale on wax, rising and falling with a changing plotline. Nods to the ‘old’ Katatonia, in the form of some heavy duty riffing, are cleverly combined, on the likes of Forsaker, The Promise Of Deceit, Nephilim and Day And Then The Shade, with serene alt rock flourishes to create a compelling and unique sound. Jonas Renkse delivers a magical performance proving once and for all that he is not only a top-shelf metal vocalist, but also blows most of the feted alt rock frontmen out of the water. He’s Chris Martin or Thom Yorke, but with balls. Night Is The New Day is final vindication of Katatonia’s decision to take a very different stylistic path from many of their former contemporaries. Without doubt the finest album of their career and one that will undoubtedly stand the test of time.

Mark Hebblewhite

THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009 • 45 •

SLAUGHTERHOUSE

SUMMER CATS

THE ANTLERS

ADRIAN DEUTSCH

E1 Music

High Spot/Fuse

Frenchkiss/Inertia

Independent

Slaughterhouse

So Joe Budden, Crooked I, Joell Ortiz and Royce Da 5’9” have formed a supergroup. Fun. After only a couple of listens, this reviewer’s head was abuzz with who performed best, with who exceeded expectations, with whom the beats suited. There was chin-rubbing, there was note-taking and there was a lot of pausing and rewinding. It serves as a pretty good microcosm for this album, actually. Slaughterhouse lacks soul, but is brimming with experience and expertise. It’ll never be your favourite album and is probably best enjoyed as an intellectual exercise. Sound Off, the album’s opener, seems designed to ram this point home. Each of these four highly talented and accomplished emcees uses the exact same flow pattern in their verses. As the beat picks up, so does the speed. It comes off as flexing though, an exercise – not songwriting. I mean, I’ve never heard Ortiz rap that fast and, God willing, I never will again. It’s interesting to know that he can, but in the end it just didn’t sound very good. In the time spent reflecting on this album, the problem was maybe the gap between a mixtape and album. A mixtape can afford to be a throwaway, a few verses cut together while – rightly or wrongly – an album requires a unifying theme or aesthetic. That’s absent here. A group of four great rappers are always going to send out some great raps and classic quotables, but Slaughterhouse comes off a little rudderless.

James d’Apice

SEASONAL CD REVIEWS WITH SCOTT FITZSIMONS

• 46 • THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009

Songs For Tuesdays The super-shiny, power pop songs heard in Songs For Tuesday make you feel like you’re in a ‘60s teen flick boogieing down on a Californian beach, yet there is a nice layer of grit and jangle to satisfy the modern ear. The garage punk/pop sound has been produced perfectly by Nick Batterham. The songs never sound cluttered or messy and the harmonies between Scott Stevens and co-vocalist Irene Drossinos flow easily creating a nice variation from track to track. These Melburnians have managed to cram 14 songs into 35 minutes and not over-stimulate us (in the bad way). It’s one infectious beat after another, beginning with the bracing rush of Let’s Go! where we’re greeted with robust keys and slapping tambourines. Hey You keeps up the rocking vibe and has been a killer on ‘youth’ and community radio stations with Stephens – former frontman of The Earthmen – ploughing into a chorus with wavering innocence about his burning desire to “mess around”. We’re also offered variation with Fulton Girls letting us sample the voice of bassist/guitarist Hugh Owens, and also a bit of comedy with lyrics like, “Fell in love with the Fulton Girls/ It’s not hard to do/ They’re a lot taller and better looking than you”.

Hospice

Hospice is a heartbreaking, voyeuristic journey into the mind of a man attempting to exorcise his demons. Peter Silberman’s melancholic rendering of the pain felt watching his partner, afflicted with cancer, deteriorating physically and the effect it had on their crumbling passive-aggressive relationship is torturously haunting. The songs are inevitably heavy with emotional resonance. An atmospheric ache weaves itself into the calm waters of Atrophy as Silberman’s voice barely rises above a whisper to sing of taking away the faceless person’s pain. Taut strings and reverberating noises give weight to the tension that is alluded to in Two, where the emotionally abusive co-dependency of the couple culminates in Silberman wailing “No one’s gonna fix it for us/ No one can” before juxtaposing it with “There’s no other witnesses/ Just us two”.

It’s not difficult to believe that this album has reached the top 50 in the College Music Journal. What is difficult to understand is why it bears the title Songs For Tuesdays when it’s really perfect for every day. This sassy grunge/pop/indie combination will you make you feel like you’re on school summer holidays long after the nostalgia kicks in.

Bear is an anomaly, its ambiguous lyrics of a cub kicking inside one’s body insinuating everything from a terminated pregnancy to a spreading illness. Regardless of the meaning, the song is striking with simple piano keys echoing in time with sandpaper-sounding shakers as Silberman cries out with unexpected abandon. Wake fittingly ends the story with Silberman’s falsetto shaking in quivering notes as exhaled gasping breaths become the defining sound. It’s the aftermath, the sound of a man picking up the pieces of a life after death and the frailty is astoundingly astute, if not tear-inducing in its lyrically intimate detail. Hospice is an album to listen to repeatedly, swelling and growing with each listen. This is one man’s catharsis and once we’ve taken the journey with him, we are emotionally spent but aurally arrested.

Caroline Savransky

Sevana Ohandjanian

Help You!

Sometimes an artist is able to capture a number of their influences on one album and make it sound all their own. This album sees Adrian Deutsch making sport of influences that include the grooves of Curtis Mayfield and the pop sensibility of Nick Lowe or Elvis Costello, who is known to overcomplicate things in a good way. Deutsch nearly pulls it off, even though his vision is a little too bold. At times it’s the production and lack of editing that keep the album from reaching its potentially heady heights. Fans of his previous incarnation Red Riders will no doubt be happy to hear this solo album sounds more like a band project than an acoustic outing, as he employs some great musicians and has a full studio production. The pop sensibility is apparent from the opening track, Help You, which is heavy with riffs. One of the highlights is Easy Life, which captures a deeper and more thoughtful Deutsch. Elsewhere the joy of the band jamming in the studio keeps the whole affair uplifting. What stands out the most on this album is the lavish amount of hooks and clever orchestration, even though the ideas sometimes seem to conflict with each other. It’s the fact that the ideas are so abundant that make you think that this guy has a big future and there is no doubt that Help You is a precursor for some great work ahead. Even if the album is a little undercooked at times, it’s still is a masterful deebut release. Sebastian Skeet

presents... pres pre pr eessents ents.. ntt ... nts

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THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009 â&#x20AC;¢ 47 â&#x20AC;¢

METAL WITH ANDREW HAUG

SPAWN OF POSSESSION

UNITED NATIONS OF METAL This New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day will see the summoning of the inaugural Screamfest event, finally a proper alternative for fans of heavier music. With top calibre metal acts making the trek, we caught up with Sweden’s Spawn Of Possession, and in particular their Aussie vocalist Matt Chalk to talk about the event.

How will Screamfest compare to international festivals? I think if all goes as planned, it should measure up quite well. Just Say Rock is a professional company and I know they are doing their best to make sure all bases are covered so everything runs smoothly. In terms of direct comparisons in relation to spectrum of bands, turnout, etc… well, they’re hard to give. Because there are simply SO many international festivals, I am unsure of which to comment on to draw that comparison from. In comparison to medium-smaller size international stuff, fuck yeah this will shape up well. Nine really solid, quality international bands, a fuckload of well followed local acts and two days of nearly non-stop metal during the ultimate party season period of the year – how could it not? Not to mention, many of the bands have never been to Australia, so it is gonna be pretty fresh too. Especially Cynic. That shit is going to rule.

How is it going to feel in front of a Swedish band? I have considered this. It would be kind of weird, saying in an Aussie accent “Hey guys, we’re Spawn of Possession… from Sweden”… I won’t be saying that of course, but I have been working on alternatives that make sense. I will probably get some of the overseas band mates to speak into a mic too, during the show. Just for proof, of course heh. The thing is, the recording lineup for the new album features dudes from four countries, two guys from Sweden, one from Norway, one from Germany and of course myself, here in Australia. So, that factor will be another helping reduce the weirdness of it.

TUE 5TH JAN 2010: Lizottes – Newcastle (NSW)

Ph: (02) 4956 2066 – Tickets: www.newcastle.lizottes.com.au

WED 6TH JAN 2010: Brass Monkey – Cronulla (NSW)

Tickets: Ph (02) 9544 3844 or www.brassmonkey.com.au or www.oztix.com.au

THURS 7TH JAN 2010: Clarendon – Katoomba (NSW)

Tickets: Ph (02) 4782 1322 or www.clarendonguesthouse.com.au or www.oztix.com.au

For More Information:

www.poltz.com

• 48 • THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009

WOW! Read this! Metallica’s official website has been updated with the following message: “You’ve been posting and chatting about it for months and we’re here now to confirm it… Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax will all share the same stage for the first time EVER! Look for the four of us at the Sonisphere shows in Warsaw, Poland and Prague, Czech Republic on June 16 and 19, 2010, with a few more of the festival dates still in the works. You can be sure these shows won’t be the only ones.” In the release Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich says, “Who would have thought that more than 25 years after its inception, thrash metal’s ‘big four’ would not only still be around and more popular than ever, but will now play together for the first time… what a mindfuck! Bring it on!” Austin, Texas’ The Sword has issued the following update on the band’s MySpace: “We’re nearing completion of the writing process for our upcoming third album. Recording is planned for early 2010, to be preceded by a short regional tour showcasing the new songs.” The news has arrived that Gamma Ray, a power metal act out of Germany will release their new album, To The Metal, on 29 January. Recorded at their own studio in Hamburg, the band recorded a total of 12 songs during the northern autumn. Alaskan metal heavyweights 36 Crazyfists have entered Garden Studios in Anchorage with guitarist Steven Holt at the helm to begin writing their new album for a tentative summer 2010 release. Vocalist Brock Lindow reports on the band’s MySpace, “I won’t ramble on too much and tell you guys that this is our heaviest or moodiest record yet, but I will say it’s pretty f’n cool so far and we are very stoked.” Gearing up for a return to Australia in February as part of the Soundwave Festival are death metallers Whitechapel. The band will enter Audiohammer studios in Florida end of the month with acclaimed producer Jason Suecof (Trivium) to begin recording their third album for a late spring/early summer release via Metal Blade Records. In a release to media sources, guitarist and founding member Alex Wade says, “We’re really excited to announce that we will be hitting the studio in January with a producer who needs no introduction, Jason Suecof. Suecof has produced some of the most brutal metal albums to date and we are excited for him to get his hands on our new material to make it the heaviest music we’ve created thus far.”

FRI 8TH JAN 2010: Heritage Hotel – Bulli (NSW)

Tickets: Ph (02) 4284 5884 or www.heritagehotel.com.au or www.oztix.com.au

SAT 9TH JAN 2010: Notes – Newtown (NSW)

Ph: (02) 9557 5111 - Tickets: www.noteslive.net.au or www.oztix.com.au

SUN 10TH JAN 2010: Lizottes – Central Coast (NSW)

Ph: (02) 4368 2017 – Tickets: www.lizottes.com.au

www.bushwalla.net

www.extremetouring.com

www.utopia.com.au

Brink (vocals) and I have been bashing our heads together non-stop trying to come up with the best possible songs and the best combination of melody and aggression as we want the new album to be even bigger and better than anything else we’ve done before. We want all the melody and depth of The Dream along with some of the darkness and aggression of Beautiful Tragedy. We feel really good about what we have demoed so far and will be working non-stop through the holidays.”

WHITECHAPEL British thrashers Evile have revealed the identity of their new bassist, who joins the band following the tragic and untimely death of the late Mike Alexander, who sadly passed away on October 5, 2009 while the band was on tour in Sweden. According to the press release, “This has been one of the most bizarre and surreal tasks we’ve ever had to undertake. It isn’t like Mike has decided to leave the band and we’re simply finding a new bass player. He was taken from us, and we were forced to replace him. In effect, we had to look for a new Mike, but that would never happen. He was one of a kind, and we’ll never forget him. We had hundreds upon hundreds of emails from bass players from around the world (though we can only realistically have a bassist from the UK), and we want to thank everyone for taking the time out to contact us, and the people who came to jam with us. Our new bass player goes by the name Joel Graham. He’s an excellent, experienced bass player, and a really nice guy. We’d all appreciate it if you gave him a warm welcome to the band, as this must be a bizarre situation for him to be in also.” Bay Area thrash legends Exodus have named their ninth studio album, Exhibit B: The Human Condition. The band is currently recording in northern California with acclaimed British producer Andy Sneap (Megadeth) for a spring 2010 Nuclear Blast Records release. L.A’s female-fronted rock act In This Moment are preparing to enter the studio to begin recording the follow-up to last year’s The Dream. Guitarist Chris Howorth states via an official release, “We have been working on new music since Warped Tour ended. Maria

Reformed hardcore/metallers Biohazard’s bassist/ vocalist Evan Seinfeld has made this recent announcement to media sources regarding their upcoming album. “Biohazard and our four diverse, yet equal and integral parts converge upon our LA Underground Sound studio and resurrect our patented ‘meat grinder’ writing process. Each guy brings something – riffs, lyrics, concepts, songs, melodies, chants – and we get in a room and hammer it out. I have personally missed this process over the last years, but having Bobby back in the band has brought back some extra fire that has helped remind all of us what the Brooklyn style is all about. The process is exhausting, humbling, magical and empowering all at the same time. One of the songs we wrote in our first round of this battle, Vengeance Is Mine, we just played in all of Europe, London, and Moscow and went over so well live that I am sure we are on the right track.”

LOCAL GIG GUIDE Platinum Brunette, Upside Down Miss Jane, Vertical Smirk, Psychic Date – Sandringham Hotel

TOURS TOURS TOURS Soil, Dope – Saturday 19 December, Manning Bar Brutal Truth – Monday 21 December, Manning Bar Fear Factory – Monday 18 January, Manning Bar Paradise Lost – Saturday 6 February, Metro Ace Frehley – Sunday 7 February, Enmore Theatre Wednesday 13 – Thursday 11 February, Metro Theatre Devin Townsend Project – Saturday 13 March, Enmore Theatre Decapitated, Psycroptic – Saturday 3 April, Gaelic Theatre Behemoth, Job For A Cowboy, Goatwhore – Friday 16 April, Metro Theatre Andrew Haug hosts triple j’s The Racket every Tuesday from 10pm. triplej.abc.net.au/racket. theracket@drummedia.com.au.

PUNK AND HARDCORE WITH STU HARVEY After weeks of speculation The Number Twelve Looks Like You have confirmed that they are splitting up. The band’s singer Jesse ‘Jase’ Korman released an official press staement saying, “I don’t want to give you a sob story of why we are closing the book. I want this to end on more of a happy note like the end of the movie Big Fish. Those of you who’ve been with us these past nine years know how amazing you are, and know how much we have unconditionally appreciated your love and support. With that said, it’s time to go out with some integrity, dignity and good memories. I can guarantee you that this won’t be the last you hear from all of us, as we will be doing our own music projects beyond #12. But let’s keep the #12 legacy living on forever and ever, like it’s got an Energizer battery in it, it’ll just keep going and going and going and going…” In the nine years The Number Twelve Looks Like You were together they released four studio albums. The Artery Foundation is a name you will get used to seeing in 2010. It is the name of a management company that has helped bands like The Devil Wears Prada, Attack Attack and A Day To Remember get to where they are over the years and now they’ve announced that they are branching out and starting their own label. Eric Rushing, who started Artery, said in a press release, “We believe in developing a band from the ground up, just like we have with all of the bands we manage. What more of a perfect situation than if we can put out records as well and have a platform for the new bands that we discover. We will concentrate on a small amount of releases per year and keep one of our goals to be a very artist-friendly label.” The new label will be something of co-op between Artery and New York’s Razor & Tie Records. The new label has already signed three bands - A Bullet For Pretty Boy (wow, a late contender for worst band name of 2009?), Bury Tomorrow and Chelsea Grin - so look for releases from the bands early next year and more announcements soon. Four Year Strong have a new track available on Amazon.com called It Must Really Suck To Be Four Year Strong Right Now. Speculation is the new song will appear on the band’s third album, Enemy of the World, that is expected early in the new year on Decaydance. In “all I wanted was a Pepsi” news, Suicidal Tendencies will be releasing their very first DVD late January. Live At The Olympic Auditorium is the Suicidals playing one of their first LA shows in many, many years. Mike Muir explained in a press release, “The band started getting

A DAY TO REMEMBER emails from some crazy guy that always said, ‘I know you’ll probably think I’m crazy, but I’m not. I’m wanna (sic) book ST for a show and I got this idea…’. Well, one by one we shot down the ‘unique’ ideas until one time he emailed and said the Olympic Auditorium was being bought by a Korean Church. Shouldn’t it be sent off with a special last gig? The band agreed and then the work began. The promoter – Evel Dick Donato, who went on to win Big Brother – tells a bit about the show, making of etc. on the intro. Lots of drama, none more than the day before the show when I woke up and couldn’t walk. But the show must go on and the back surgery would have to wait till afterwards. Suicidal recorded live at the Olympic Auditorium in front of 4000 Cycos… but now you can enjoy it in the safety of your living room.” The approximately 80-minute DVD features 16 tracks including ST classics Institutionalized, War Inside My Head and Possessed To Skate. Every year on my radio show Short Fast Loud we run a listener poll to decide what the most popular punk and hardcore releases of the year are. Without a doubt this year’s poll has the most votes and I thank everyone who took the time to work out and email their top 10. So in place of the Top 5 this week… here’s the;

SHORT.FAST.LOUD. LISTENER’S TOP 40 OF 2009 1 A Day To Remember Homesick 2 Break Even The Bright Side 3 Propagandhi Supporting Caste 4 Alexisonfire Old Crows/Young Cardinals

5 Every Time I Die New Junk Aesthetic 6 Polar Bear Club Chasing Hamburg 7 Set Your Goals This Will Be The Death Of Us 8 Gallows Grey Britain 9 NOFX Coaster 10 Confession Cancer 11 New Found Glory Not Without A Fight 12 A Death In The Family Small Town Stories 13 Thursday Common Existence 14 Converge Axe To Fall 15 Brand New Daisy 16 Strike Anywhere Iron Front 17 Silverstein A Shipwreck In The Sand 18 The Devil Wears Prada With Roots Above And Branches Below 19 AFI Crash Love 20 Hopeless Dear World 21 Rancid Let The Dominoes Fall 22 Thrice Beggars 23 Evergreen Terrace Almost Home 24 Raised Fist Veil Of Ignorance 25 Taking Back Sunday New Again 26 Architects Hollow Crown 27 Trapped Under Ice Secrets Of The World 28 Fireworks All I Have To Offer Is My Own Confusion 29 A Wilhelm Scream A Wilhelm Scream 30 50 Lions Where Life Expires 31 All Time Low Nothing Personal 32 August Burns Red Constellations 33 Strung Out Agents Of The Underground 34 Four Year Strong Explains It All 35 Say Anything Say Anything 36 Frank Turner Poetry Of The Deed 37 In Trenches Relive And Regret 38 I Exist Three Nails And A Book Of Flaws 39 Title Fight The Last Thing You Forget 40 Pour Habit Suiticide

LOCAL GIG GUIDE

THURSDAY

Fifty Six, Mr Vengeance, Seven Steady – Hot Damn, Spectrum Jimmy Swouse & The Angry Darts, Anklepants, Serious Beak, Joel Brocherie – Lansdowne Hotel Stu is on a holiday break, but Short.Fast.Loud. will be back 13 January and every Wednesday night from 10pm on triple j. Contact Stu at shortfast@ drummedia.com.au.

POP CULTURE THERAPY WITH ADAM CURLEY There always comes the point on Christmas Day when I have to find something to keep myself occupied with for a couple hours. It’s the time straight after the lunch binge of cocktail olives and cocktail cherries, when my family’s motivation for anything other than sitting and staring is severely lacking. My father drags his seafoodstuffed belly over to the couch to watch some of whatever schmaltzy crap from 1991 they put on telly at Christmas. (Although All I Want For Christmas is actually amazing. What happened to Ethan Embry anyway? Anyone who can retain enough brain cells to remember their lines when Jennifer Love Hewitt is in the room deserves an award.) My mother decides she’s going to neatly fold up any untorn wrapping paper for further use next year, even if it’s already been recycled for the last three years and any sign of festive print has long since faded away. My sisters, these days, are preoccupied with pretending to watch their children try to kill each other as they absorb sun and champagne in equal measures and my brother, if the doctor is in that year, is usually so tired from working 87-hour shifts that he falls asleep in his gravy over lunch and we just leave him there. As a kid, this time of the day used to frustrate the hell out of me. I was never any good at relaxing into Christmas Day. My excitement levels were so high that I’d usually end up tied up by my brother behind the couch so I couldn’t bug him any more. These days, I handle it a little better. A little. Though spending the day at my parents’ house, two thousand kilometres away, isn’t exactly conducive to grabbing those CDs I’ve been meaning to listen to or… whatever else people do at home, I’ve started my own tradition of using the I’mso-stuffed-with-trifle-that-the-only-answer-is-to-inducevomiting-and-start-again time by catching up on music downloads. And, this year, there’s been some very decent stuff released over the past couple of months to dig into. Sydney’s Simo Soo is a bratty elec-punk kid who has remixed The Death Set, Hawnay Troof and Emergency! Emergency! in the past and will be heading to the West Coast of the US in January to play a string of shows with the likes of Captain Ahab (at notable downtown LA DIY spot The Smell’s 11th birthday bash, no less) and San Francisco minimal soundscapist Jonas Reinhardt. Simo’s stuff is far more crunchy and infectious; a bit Ratatat crossed with early Hawnay Troof. And he has just put a free EP download called Bike City up on his

SIMO SOO Bandcamp site (something I was also only recently made aware of and recommend for any musicians to check out as an alternative online place to share music). He’s also releasing his debut album in 2010. Yes, this kid is motivated. American label Paper Garden Records have just released the self-titled EP from Brooklyn’s Emanuel & The Fear, who make cardigan piano pop in a heartfelt (and good) way. The EP is up for download at Paper Garden’s site. I mentioned it last week, but the new Summertime EP from Sydney’s Richard In Your Mind is extremely worthwhile downloading from Rice Is Nice Records. The label usually offers a couple free downloads on the site as well. The Speak N Spell Records website is another one to hit if you haven’t been paying attention to their digital output in recent months. There, you can pick up the new EP from incredible Sydney percussive gospel pop act Danimals (including, aptly, the track Christmas Worms Quest For Fresh Apples), as well as releases from LA desert dreamscapists Warpaint, magnificent goth new wavers Castratii and NYC’s ribbon-guitared, echo-loving Zaza. Special mention should also go to Melbourne label Sensory Projects – if you order any of their releases online right now, you score a free sampler featuring Mum Smokes, Love Connection, new stuff from The Ancients and Children Of The Wave and a stack more. That’s a pretty good excuse to fork out for releases from any of those bands, as well the recent, gorgeous Panoptique Electrical album. If nothing else, it might save you (or me) from ending up tied up behind the couch this Christmas. Unless you like that sort of thing. breakdown@drummedia.com.au

TITLE TRACKS

TOO EASY The debut album from Title Tracks, It Was Easy, is due for release on 9 February. The band is the new project of John Davis, the former frontman of the now-defunct Washington hardcore band Q and Not U, who split in 2005. It Was Easy features Camera Obscura singer Tracyanne Campbell on two tracks, and also includes covers of The Byrds’ She Don’t Care About Time and Bruce Springsteen’s Tougher Than The Rest. For a sneak preview of some songs before the album drops, head to the band’s MySpace page at myspace.com/titletracksdc.

THE JULIANA THEORY

JULIANA IS NOT DEAD Pittsburgh’s emo kings of yesteryear The Juliana Theory have announced that they’ll be back mid next year for a two-date tour to celebrate the tenth anniversary of their album, Emotion is Dead. Though the locations and dates of the shows have yet to be determined, what’s certain at the moment is that the band, which disbanded in 2006, will be performing Emotion is Dead in full, as well as a second set of fan favourites spanning across their entire catalogue.

ALL AGES WITH SCOTT FITZSIMONS Here’s a friendly reminder that if you’re of the film persuasion. The Tropfest Jr deadlines are quickly approaching. The short film festival’s youth category deadline is Thursday 7 January, with all submissions needing to be no longer than seven minutes. This year’s Tropfest signature item (which needs to be incorporated in one way or another) is dot. All entries will be viewed before being whittled down to a selection of up to 16 finalists, which will be screened at the festival on Sunday 21 February with the winner also set to be announced then. There’s a $3,000 prize (along with unbeatable exposure) for the winner, so get onto tropjr.com for the full details.

OUT AND ABOUT We’re covering a long period of time in this week’s column and a lot of the regular venues are closing down for the season, so it’s a bit of a mish mash of events this issue. There’s not much going on in the CBD this New Year’s Eve for the all ages folk, but the Darling Harbour Aquashell will be hosting a retro soul and funk event that you’re all welcome to attend. Kicking off at 7pm, entry is free and entertainment will be from The Super Supremes, Andy Jones & Funky Monkey and Gotham City Horns as well as a Michael Jackson tribute. And if you’re heading into the city for the fireworks, make sure you plan ahead because otherwise your night is going to be a confusing mess. The best way to do it is to jump on the City of Sydney website and find out exactly where the good viewing points are and the accompanying regulations. Also, make sure you’ve got a way home. Nothing worse than being stuck with thousands of people in the city ‘til sunrise – trust me. The one and only Moby will be performing at the Opera House on Monday 4 January, which is great news, especially considering the soundscapes of his latest record, Wait For Me. Also exciting is the prospect of the support act from Western Australia, Tim & Jean. They’re only young, but have been turning heads with their upbeat synth pop and are being touted for big things. Back in Australia following a successful stride around Europe, The Temper Trap will be playing tracks from their album Conditions on Friday 8 at the Enmore

YEAH YEAH YEAHS Theatre. You’re probably familiar with their track, Sweet Disposition, their performance of which was a highlight of the otherwise bland ARIA Awards. With Bridezilla joining them, you’ll be in great company. One of the ‘coolest’ bands in the world, NYC’s Yeah Yeah Yeahs, is coming out for festival dates and will be letting loose at the Hordern Pavilion on Friday 8 January. It’ll be interesting to see how their indie rock classics like Gold Lion stack up against the nu-wave synth tracks like Zero.

FESTIVAL TIPS As you’ll remember from previous Y&R columns, the folks at Save A Mate will be providing assistance to festivalgoers throughout the season. Their next confirmed festival isn’t until Good Vibrations in February, but the tips that we got from the volunteers still ring true for any party environment. What are the biggest dangers of a festival? “Sometimes people get carried away in the fun and excitement of the day and overdo it, or don’t look after themselves and their friends. As well as potential overdoses, people often forget to drink water, eat, take breaks and check on their friends.” What should people do to be prepared? “Wear suitable clothing, go in a group, wear closed shoes, make sure they have phone credit (so they don’t get lost!), have a meeting point in case you do get separated and if they are going to use alcohol or other drugs, know what your friends are taking and be prepared to stay with them during the day.” Enjoy the holidays allages@drummedia.com.au THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009 • 49 •

SWEET DANCIN’ Isn’t the Sydney Festival’s First Night going to be huge? The free event, taking place on Saturday 9 January, has got so many amazing artists booked in, that it’s easy to forget how deep the talent goes. Playing the festival’s opening at the Martin Place precinct as well as the Beck’s Festival Bar on Sunday 10, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears will be providing a youthful take on soul and classic rock’n’roll. With the seven-piece Big Bad Voodoo Daddy also playing, we asked Lewis what it’s going to be like with them. Plus, with the eight-piece ‘Bears there’s going to be plenty of people around – how does that bode for the party atmosphere? “We’re excited about these shows in Sydney. It’s pretty exciting coming to Australia for the first time, we’ve gotten to go to a lot of cool places this year but I never expected us to get to go to Australia. Isn’t Al Green playing that festival too? Never seen him before, but there’s a rumour that we didn’t get to go on tour with him because of [our track] Bitch, I Love You. We used to cover one of his songs. I’ve never seen Big Bad Voodoo Daddy before, but I remember hearing some of their songs a while back. It’ll be cool playing with another band with a horn section too, I’m sure they’ll have an exciting live show that will get the crowd dancing. We don’t always get to play with bands like that so we’ll see how it goes. This should be a massive dance party, hopefully the crowd will get into it. You never really know when you go to a new country, like in England no one dances but in Spain everyone is crazy. One of our friends said there are a lot of drinkers and partiers down under too, so we’ll see if we can hang with em.”

BLUES AND ROOTS WITH SHANE O’DONOHUE Welcome to the last Roots Down for the year. There’s stacks of great stuff happening over the next couple of weeks – here’s a small selection. Have a bluesy Christmas and a rootsy new year, see you in 2010.

Guesthouse on Saturday 9, the Brass Monkey on Tuesday 12 and the Junkyard on Wednesday 13.

NEW YEAR’S EVE

TUESDAY

Ray Beadle was only in his early teens when he was drafted into blues institution The Foreday Riders (they clocked up 42 years together this year), and has since played residencies at B.B. King’s Club in Memphis and Buddy Guy’s Blues Club in Chicago. The electric blues guitarist’s third album, Loaded, released in September, is likely to get a good work out at his new year knees-up at the Brass Monkey. The Don Hopkins Trio’s rollicking, piano-driven rhythm and blues will bring a touch of New Orleans to Katoomba when they play the Clarendon Guesthouse. Canadian rockers The Tea Party were one of those acts, like Ben Harper, Jeff Buckley and the infernal Black Eyed Peas, who always seemed more popular in Australia than their native lands. Former frontman Jeff Martin lives in Perth these days and has a new band, The Armada, who share The Tea Party’s Middle-Eastern influences and epic sound. Martin is ditching the band this New Year’s, however, for a special, one-off show with Australian blues virtuoso Jeff Lang. Lang has had a busy ’09, releasing the excellent Chimeradour record and recently touring with Mamadou Diabate and Bobby Singh in world music outfit Djan Djan. Martin and Lang will see in a stomping ’10 at Notes with support from Canadian troubadour Dan Mangan and Jason Lowe.

ROOTS MANOEUVRES

Mister & Sunbird, The Vanguard

SUNDAY RAY BEADLE

GRAND PARR Seasick Steve was a little-known bluesman and well into his 60s when a live appearance on a 2006 British television programme sent his popularity skyrocketing. Next week Steve hits Australia for the third time in two-and-a-half years; he plays the Metro on Monday 4 January. Soon to touch down for his second tour in nine months, 40-year-old Minnesotan bluesman Charlie Parr’s path to Australia is just as unlikely as Steve’s. The song 1922, from his 2002 album of the same name, was featured in a Vodafone commercial. 1922 (the album) was re-released in Australia, and Paul Kelly enlisted him on a tour earlier this year. Parr’s previous albums are available from charlieparr.com, and represent excellent value at $15 each (including shipping). He plays Canberra’s Front Café on Tuesday 5 January, Tomerong Hall on Wednesday 6, the Heritage Hotel on Thursday 7, the Basement, Circular Quay, on Friday 8, the Clarendon

Clayton Doley’s Donor Organs, Golden Sheaf Hotel Muddy Feet, Beaches Hotel

FRIDAY 1 JANUARY Mississippi Shakedown, Towradgi Beach Hotel

SUNDAY 3 JANUARY Ginhouse Bluesband, Towradgi Beach Hotel

TUESDAY 5 JANUARY Kaki King, Notes

WEDNESDAY 6 JANUARY Gail Page, The Basement, Circular Quay

THURSDAY 7 JANUARY Fernando, The Basement, Circular Quay

FRIDAY 8 JANUARY Borich x Borich, The Vanguard

SATURDAY 9 JANUARY Steve Poltz, Notes Email relevant info to roots@drummedia.com.au

GENE’S JAZZY NIGHT As a follow-up to last year’s Live in London, Resonance Records will release Another Night In London on 12 January. Focused on the talents of the late American jazz pianist Gene Harris, the album is a recording of his performance at Pizza Express in May 1996 accompanied by an all-British rhythm section. Both these recordings are the only ones in existence which feature Harris’ European quartet. Another Night In London includes performances of standards such as Georgia On My Mind and Lady Be Good. Gene Harris, who led legendary jazz trio The Three Sounds, passed away in 2000.

MILES TO GO Jazz nerds celebrate – the highly anticipated The Complete Miles Davis Columbia Album Collection is now available exclusively through Amazon. The bumper collection includes 70 CDs, each packaged in a mini-LP CD jacket. Rumours have been flying around for years about this box set, and the end result is something that is not as elaborate as rumoured (no trumpetshaped box case, sadly) but nonetheless should please Davis lovers. The collection also includes a 250 page colour booklet and previously unreleased DVD (Live in Europe ’67), audio and performance footage. As you’d expect, at USD$300 this doesn’t come cheap.

KIND OF AWESOME And speaking Davis, the late great jazzman has achieved a great honour in history as US politicians voted unanimously to hail his 1959 album Kind of Blue as a national treasure for its commercial success and artistic contributions. The resolution had the support of all 409 members in the House of Representatives.

JAZZ/WORLD WITH MICHAEL SMITH TUESDAY

her latest and acoustic album, Renéessance, to the Basement, Circular Quay, tonight and tomorrow night.

Multi-instrumentalist James Morrison and singer Emma Pask front the big band for a night Christmas jazz at the Basement, Circular Quay.

WEDNESDAY 30 Sydney’s “It Girl”, Sally Street will be performing at the Opera Bar in duo mode.

WA five-piece Mister And Sunbird bring their take on 1930s swing, bluegrass, Latin and, just for good measure, a little ska, to the Vanguard, launching their double album, Spirit Fingers, with “local gypsies” Doc Jones And His Lechery Orchestra opening proceedings. Yuki Kumagai takes the trio into Hernandez Café in Darlinghurst tonight but it’ll be the quintet that takes the Leichhardt Bowling Club stage to deliver the jazz New Year’s Eve. Then it’s back to the trio for Sunday 3 January from high noon at Nepean Rowing Club Penrith. Tuesday 8, you’ll find them at Lane Cove Plaza from 5pm. J Bear and the Sydney Homotones join forces tonight to deliver some swing classics as well as a little Christmas cheer at Slide in Darlinghurst.

WEDNESDAY The keyboards-led six-piece Darryl Beaton Band returns to the Civic Underground to deliver the groove once more, free, tonight and next Wednesday 30, and Wednesdays through January.

THURSDAY The Unity Hall Jazz Band does the business tonight and Sunday afternoon down at the Unity Hall Hotel

SUNDAY 10 SALLY STREET Balmain. They’re back Thursday 31 and then it’s business as usual Sundays and Fridays in January.

BROOKS HAS DUNN IT AGAIN Despite announcing that they will be parting ways in 2010, country heavyweights Brooks & Dunn still have a stranglehold on the industry, so much so that they’ll be the first ever recipients of a new award to be presented next year. The T.J. Martell Foundation will present the duo with the Tony Martell Lifetime Achievement Award, named after the renowned music executive, during a gala event in Nashville on 22 March. The event will also honour the work of Michael Bolton, Tennessee governor Phil Bredesen, former US senator Bill Frist and philanthropist Susan Simons.

The Basement, Circular Quay, hosts another evening with one of Australia’s brightest cultural treasures, the a cappella quartet The Idea Of North.

SATURDAY

IN OTHER NEWS

Jeff Duff returns to the Opera Bar for a post-Christmas mix of original tunes and his fave Sinatra/Rat Pack swing covers.

SUNDAY The Acca Daiquiris deliver their jazzified take on some very familiar pop and rock songs at the Opera Bar from 2pm. The Leanne Paris Band delivers the grooves free from 5pm down at Pyrmont Bridge Hotel.

TUESDAY 29 Australia’s own sultry soul diva Renée Geyer brings

SAX & THE CITY... WANTED - 300 SAXOPHONES Ever wanted to blow your horn from the rooftops of the city? Here’s your chance. Sydney Festival First Night is celebrating the saxophone with Sydney saxophonist Sandy Evans leading a massed ensemble in a series of performances around Sydney Saturday 9 January. Saxophonists must be available for Rehearsal 1.30-6pm Thursday 7 at Abraham Mott Hall 17 Argyle Place, Millers Point, with the event itself happening 5.30-10pm, the meeting point in the Sydney CBD to be advised. Send all jazz/world related news to blow@drummedia.com.au by midday Thursday

ROCKABILLY/PSYCHOBILLY/ALT.COUNTRY WITH PEDRO MANOY TUESDAY

from 7pm. The Steve Edmonds Band move to the Kent Hotel from 8pm.

Where else can you enjoy a great cheese and salami sandwich and soak up some rootsy music as well – at the Funky Deli Café in Newtown with Continental Robert & The Clayton Doley Trio from 7pm to 11pm. Extended Family welcome all and sundry to their gig at the Steyne Hotel in Manly whilst Peter Head is an institution at the Harbour View Hotel from 8pm.

NEW YEAR’S EVE

WEDNESDAY The Musos Club Jam celebrates Christmas with a special Xmas Blues Jam at the Bald Faced Stag with regulars Jim Finn, Adam Pringle and Al Britton. Lab 64 partakes in his monthly residency downstairs at the Sandringham Hotel with special guests each month twisting all manner of tunes into acoustic darkness. Upstairs you’ll find Mark & Jay O’Shea who claim not only two Tamworth Golden Guitars to their credit, but have played with the likes of Shawn Colvin, John Bettis and Steve Cropper.

THURSDAY Ray Beadle & The King Brothers have a great festive season gig happening at the Pyrmont Bridge Hotel.

FRIDAY Christmas Day and Feliz Navidad (Happy Christmas) to all Swamp Shacklers from Pedro.

SATURDAY It’s boxing day and Dave Tice and Mark Evans play their regular sunset show at the Sandringham whilst • 50 • THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009

MONDAY 11

A cappella group Blues Point invite you to join them by the Christmas tree at Darling Harbour to enjoy a few songs free from 7pm.

SPACE WOLF’S LAST HOWL Chris “Space Wolf” Feinstein, the fellow responsible for those thumping basslines that shook the tunes of Ryan Adams’ former alt-country band The Cardinals, has died at the age of 42. Details of Space Wolf’s passing have not been released but he is believed to have passed away at his home in Manhattan early last Monday morning. He joined Ryan Adams and the Cardinals in 2006 as Catherine Popper’s replacement, playing on three of their records – Easy Tiger, Follow The Light and last year’s Cardinology. He also, prior to joining The Cardinals, recorded with Jack Ingram and Albert Hammond Jr., as well as writing songs and playing for Santigold and contributing to and producing the I Am Sam soundtrack.

America’s Big Bad Voodoo Daddy bring their fusion of classic American jazz, swing, Dixieland and Big Band music to Beck’s Festival Bar along with fellow Americans Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears.

CLAYTON DOLEY Finn promise to cure that Christmas hangover at the Bald Rock Hotel from 8pm. The Steve Edmonds Band travel to the Woy Woy Leagues Club and Terry Batu goes solo at the Bidwill Hotel in Mt Druitt.

SUNDAY The Charlie Harper Band entertain the holiday crowd at the Towradgi Beach Hotel, whilst Jan Preston tees off at the Kiama Golf Club for eighteen holes of pumping piano boogie, both shows from 2pm. It’s hard to tell whether it’s a Christmas recovery or a New Year’s Eve warm up but whatever the occasion Dwayne Exlix & The Engineers have a big afternoon scheduled at the Marrickville Bowlo from 4pm onwards. Also from 4pm you’ll find the provocatively named Whopping Big Naughty digging up the classics downstairs at the Sandringham from 4pm. Leanne Paris and her combo get down and soulful at the Pyrmont Bridge Hotel from 5pm whilst Clayton Doley’s Organ Donors hit the groove at the Golden Sheaf Hotel

As always there’s a swag of great New Year’s eve gigs including Jeff Martin and Jeff Lang at Notes, Dave Tice & Mark Evans along with Ward’s Express at Vault 146 Restaurant & Wine Bar, DV8 at the Edgeworth Bowling Club, the Ray Beadle Band at the Brass Monkey, The Steve Edmonds Band at Dicey Rileys and for those who really want to escape the urban madness, Terry Batu at the Snowgoose Motel. At the Annandale Hotel the Sounds Of Seduction invites you to their celebrity zombie party, the idea being you come dressed as your favourite dead or ‘living dead’ celebrity. The Sounds at the Annandale is an annual event with Miss Death, Jay Katz and a host of guest DJs plus lots of special surprises, one of the best being the very reasonable door price of only $20 in advance.

COMIN’ ROUND THE MOUNTAIN Look out for a great show in early 2010 when Kevin Bennett from The Flood plays a special holiday show in the historic and charming Avoca Beach Picture Theatre on Monday 4 January. Kevin will play in the intimate mode with the very talented Glen Hannah in what promises an outstanding night of modern country sounds. Email relevant info to swampshack@drummedia.com.au

THIS YEAR IN 22 DECEMBER 2009

ARTS

QUOTES OF THE YEAR PT. 1 “My understanding is that he is leaving show business to pursue a career as a thermometer.” Playwright David Mamet got the claws out when Entourage star Jeremy Piven left the Broadway production of his play Speed-ThePlow due to exhaustion suffered as a result of elevated levels of mercury in his blood. “All of us who worked with Heath on The Dark Knight accept this with an awful mixture of sadness but incredible pride… For any of us lucky enough to have worked with him, I think for any of us lucky enough to have enjoyed his performances, he will be eternally missed, but he will never be forgotten.” The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan speaks to guests at the Beverly Hilton hotel, after picking up the Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe on behalf of the late Heath Ledger. He’s saying what we were all thinking... and surely the world will topple off its axis if a posthumous Oscar is not also forthcoming for the actor. “They could never make a James Bond movie like any of the Bourne films, because Bond is an imperialist, misogynist sociopath who goes around bedding women and swilling martinis and killing people. He’s repulsive.” Matt Damon, the actor who brought Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne to the big screen, does his best to start a proper Bourne-Bond beef when speaking to the Miami Herald this week. Next week, expect Daniel Craig to rejoinder with “I know I am… but what are you?”. A fourth Bourne flick is apparently scheduled for 2010 release.

“I’m gonna fuckin’ kick your fuckin’ ass if you don’t shut up for a second, okay? You want me to go trash your lights? Do you want me to fuckin’ trash ‘em? They why are you trashin’ my scene? You do it one more fuckin’ time and I’m not walkin’ on this set if you’re still hired.” Christian Bale has a red-hot go at “fucking amateur” director of photography Shane Hurlbut in front of several hundred people on the Kirtland Air Force, NM set of Terminator: Salvation. Moral of the story: before you spit the dummy, get clear of the boom mic. “What can you tell us about your days with the Unabomber?” David Letterman mercilessly taunts a wigged-out and near-catatonic Joaquin Phoenix – concealed behind sunglasses and, yes, a terrorist’s beard – on his show last week. Was the whole thing just Joaquin Punking us? The jury’s out. “We can’t give in to violence, just like we don’t cancel the cricket because a bunch of louts throw beer cans.” Australian Film Syndicate rep Allanah Zitserman bemoans the brief pulling of The Combination from several Sydney Greater Union cinemas after it incited brawling in Parramatta. Didn’t anyone pay any attention to the film’s anti-racism, anti-violence message? “9.53am, Mar 7: Microwaved a breakfast burrito but dumbly wrapped it in a paper towel which has now stuck like glue to the tortilla. Tip: don’t do that.” ‘Tweeting’ on Twitter seems to have become the new way for celebrities to express themselves. Now horny geekboys can obsessively follow the personal life of actress, filmmaker, gamer, comic fan and nerdcore hottie Felicia Day. Is this a good thing? Probably. Until the first stalker shows up at her door after recognising her house from her Flickr posts.

DEARLY DEVOTED… DAD? HE FIRST RST SHOT TO FAME AS DAVID FISHER IN THE HBO SERIES SIX FEET UNDER, BUT IT HAS BEEN IN THE TITULAR ROLE OF SHOWTIME’S HOWTIME’S DEXTER THAT MICHAEL C. HALL HAS BECOME A HOUSEHOLD NAME. AS THE TV SERIES KICKS INTO ITS FOURTH RTH SEASON IN AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA GUY DAVIS SITS DOWN WITH THE AMERICAN ACTOR TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR FAVOURITE DARK PASSENGER – NOW ENTERING FATHERHOOD. There are many responsibilities in the life of a family man. And as the fourth season of Dexter kicks off, Dexter Morgan appears to have embraced them all. He has a new wife. A new baby boy. New stepchildren. And a new house in the suburbs. With all of this on his plate, will Dexter ever get a moment to himself to indulge his favourite hobby? You know, the one where he murders people? Fear not Dexter fans, your favourite serial killer – who only preys on other killers, which makes everything OK, right? – does find a way to balance his work life, his home life, and his gruesome extracurricular activities in the new season of the show. After all, says Michael C. Hall, who plays the title character, Dexter wouldn’t be Dexter if he didn’t get his hands bloody now and then. “I think Dexter is as much of a killer as he’s always been. I do think he is exhibiting more human characteristics or is living a life that’s more demonstrably human. And yet there remains in him this appetite to kill that doesn’t go away. So I think part of my challenge is to walk that fine line.” For Dexter, marrying his long-time girlfriend Rita (Julie Benz) and becoming a stepfather to her daughter and son, as well as being a father to newborn Harrison, seems like a giant step away from the homicidal impulses that have lurked inside him since childhood. “Once he has, in the form of his son, this flesh-andblood evidence that he is in fact a human being, no matter what he might claim to the contrary, it does something to Dexter in a way that maybe he can’t articulate yet. At the same time, he seems to have completely ruled out the possibility of rehabilitation. “So he’s able to experience what might be described as genuine care in regard to his family and he also has a genuine and undeniable compulsion to kill. And somehow those things co-mingle in him in a way that is pretty crazy.” Let’s not deny it, a serial killer, even one who has channelled his murderous ways into a moral code that sees him only bump off bad guys, is indeed pretty crazy.

But Dexter comes off as relatively sane when stacked up against the serial killer known only as Trinity. Played by John Lithgow, Trinity has been plying his gruesome trade for three decades, murdering three people at a time before moving onto a new city and starting the cycle all over again. Now that he’s in Dexter’s hometown of Miami, the stage is set for a showdown...or perhaps a meeting of the minds. “I can’t really say enough about what a thrill it’s been to work with John this season,” Hall admits. “He brings such a wealth of talent and intelligence to the table. Along with that, he has such genuine enthusiasm, and such a genuine sense of play, that it’s really infectious. We would just burst into laughter when the director would say ‘Cut’ because of the glee we felt at how unique a relationship we were sort of creating.” There was another new relationship on the set of Dexter this season – well, sort of – with Hall and co-star Jennifer Carpenter (who plays Dexter’s sister Deborah) tying the knot earlier in the year. “It’s great,” Hall says of working alongside his wife. “She was a colleague before anything else, and we have a tremendous amount of respect for one another and trust in one another. And those are the things you look for in an acting partner, so from that standpoint it’s wonderful.” As Dexter begins its fourth year on the air, it’s becoming increasingly evident that each season of the show sees its central character learning more and more about himself, developing beyond the concept of the cold-blooded killer posing as an everyday citizen. And while Hall explains that “it’s difficult to distil each season down to one nugget”, he is readily able to give a rundown of Dexter Morgan’s growth over the course of the series. “I guess the first season was Dexter’s preoccupation with the question ‘Who am I?’ You know, ‘What happened to me?’ In the second season, I think he’s perhaps preoccupied with ‘Am I good or evil?’ The third season, he entertains the idea of whether or not true friendship is a possibility for him. And in the fourth, he poses the question in the first episode to his first victim – he says, ‘Can I have it all? Can I re-

ally do this?’ That’s Dexter wondering about making what for most people would be kind of conventional choices: being a family man, having a wife and kids, et cetera, et cetera. “For Dexter to do that is actually exercising an impulse towards rebellion. He’s been told by Harry, his foster father, who is also this internalised voice within him, that such choices are really dangerous, if not an impossibility, for him. “So it’s kind of an act of defiance for him to both continue to indulge his ‘dark passenger’ [Dexter’s term for his murderous impulses] and to move forward with these huge life choices. He’s in uncharted waters in a way, and he’s wondering if he can really pull this off. So I think ‘Can I have it all?’ is maybe the overarching question of this season.” With the character of Dexter having been successfully committing his crimes for four seasons now, one has to wonder how long he can go on. “I think we’ll probably do 25 seasons,” Hall says with a laugh. “No, I don’t know. It can’t go on forever, you know? On the one hand, it can’t go on forever. And on the other hand, if Dexter finds himself in a situation where he’s imprisoned or on trial or something like that, I don’t know that people will really want to watch it.” He does confirm that a fifth season the show is a certainty but beyond that Dexter’s future is uncertain. “Things have to come to a head at some point. I’ve been amazed at the degree to which our writers have maintained the level of interest and intrigue and freshness that they have. And I feel like the stage will be set at the end of the fourth season for that intrigue and interest to remain. But I don’t know...it can’t last forever.” WHAT: Dexter WHERE & WHEN: Screening on Showcase (Foxtel/ Austar) Thursdays at 8:30pm THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009 • 51 •

CULTURAL CRINGE

WITH JAMELLE WELLS

FRONT ROW

INTERVAL@DRUMMEDIA.COM.AU

The year kicked off with Fergus Linehan’s last Sydney Festival, after four years in the job and increasing crowd numbers. The Irishman was our most affable artistic director yet and ramped up the free entertainment including the opening night street party. His final festival also included the Nick Cavecurated All Tomorrow’s Parties at Cockatoo Island. Linehan’s successor Lindy Hume has big shoes to fill next month but already has an extra $1.75 million from the state government for the opening night party alone.

Strangely, it was the title that first appealed. As soon as I read it I had to find out what the play was about. Running at the Old Fitzroy in Woolloomooloo, And At That Moment Everything Changed follows the arc of the relationship between Darla and Dave. They are a couple of best mates who almost, against their better judgment, decide to cross the line to the dark side and become lovers. They discuss old chestnuts such as whether girls and boys can in fact be close friends without sexual tension before taking the plunge, and we see the evolution of their coupledom over a big chunk of time against the backdrop of four Olympic Games.

Sydney Theatre Company got rave reviews for its A Streetcar Named Desire, directed by Liv Ullmann and starring Cate Blanchett as Blanche. Following the Sydney season, the show toured to New York and Washington. The STC also revived David Williamson’s classic, The Removalists, and staged a great production of Tommy Murphy’s Saturn’s Return.

It’s not a new scenario and Darla and Dave are not the most original characters, and at least to this bum on a seat it seemed pretty obvious that while they might be good mates, the character differences were great enough that they were probably doomed as a couple.

Formed in 1979 by ex-NIDA students, The Griffin Theatre Company celebrated its 30th birthday. The company continues to nurture new Australian writers and launched a book of scripts of 14 short plays titled Short Circuit it’s presented over the last three years.

And yet something about it all clicked. Sophie Cleary as Darla and Yure Covich as Dave breathed life into what could easily have become caricatures – she of a nervy, histrionic and insecure woman and he of a sport-obsessed bloke who loves few things more than beer, gaming and wanking.

The Seymour Centre hosted a range of innovative low budget seasons including BITE (Best of Independent Theatre) and Short+Sweet – the largest ten-minute theatre festival in the world, showcasing over 350 productions. We also saw Short+Sweet Song and Short+Sweet Dance seasons.

There were plenty of cases of Sydney actors misbehaving. Matthew Newton was accused of trashing a motel room. Steve Bisley was charged with assaulting his ex-wife Sally Burleigh. Home and Away star Jodi Gordon was dumped by her high profile boyfriend (and Channel Seven heir) Ryan Stokes after being found by police in Mark Judge’s eastern suburbs home. To end the year another Home and Away star Todd Lasance was charged with possessing cocaine. The 24-year-old won this year’s Silver Logie for Most Popular Actor but finished shooting his final scenes before the drug allegations and is rumoured to be heading to Hollywood. The big television loser in this year’s Federal Budget was SBS, after asking for more than $70 million but receiving just $20 million. The ABC got an extra $136.4 million over three years, annoying the commercial sector whose attacks were similar to those on the BBC in Britain. The Chaser team got kicked off air for two weeks after their controversial Make a Realistic Wish Foundation sketch. On commerical television there was outrage over a Packed To The Rafters masturbation scene and the Hey Hey reunion blackface sketch got negative publicity around the world. Reality TV continued its ugly rise (putting more actors out of work) with new seasons of So You Think You Can Dance, Idol, and MasterChef Australia (apparently the highest-rating non-sport program since 2001). Five new free to air TV channels were also launched. Digital radio was launched with an elaborate bash in Martin Place. Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O will return to 2Day FM next year despite getting into big trouble for quizzing a 14-year-old about her sex life. Tributes were held across Sydney when Michael Jackson died. The Powerhouse Museum opened a condolence book and put on a display of memorabilia in his honour. Television personality Don Lane also passed away along with actor Bud Tingwell, travel presenter Mike Leyland, and entertainer Sue Cruickshank, while art curator Nick Waterlow and his daughter Chloe were found stabbed to death inside their Randwick home. • 52 • THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009

REVIEWS REVIEWS AND AT THAT MOMENT EVERYTHING CHANGED

After 15 years as artistic director of Company B at Belvoir St Theatre, Neil Armfield announced he’s moving on. Designer Ralph Myers will replace him at the end of 2010. Armfield had to defend criticism the company hasn’t created enough work for women. That criticism blew up when one of the two winners of this year’s Philip Parsons Young Playwright’s Award, Caleb Lewis, withdrew his entry, stating in an open letter that the competition is so political he no longer has faith in the judging panel’s ability to give awards without bias.

Despite a tough time following Graeme Murphy’s departure, the Sydney Dance Company settled into 2009 under the leadership of self-described ‘movement junkie’ Rafael Bonachela. His production 360 Degrees was an exhilarating treat.

your guide to what's on in arts

FIFTH SEASON OF THE WIRE FINALLY GETS OZ RELEASE And the clouds opened up and sunlight shone down on Australia. It was a beautiful day, that Wednesday 3 February 2010 when The Wire: The Complete Fifth Season was FINALLY released on region 4 DVD (Australia). While most fans have either purchased it online, or found ‘other’ means to catch it, the general Australian populous have had to wage war with their remote controls in a

AUSTRALIAN FILM FESTIVAL LAUNCHES IN 2010 March sees Sydney play host to the inaugural Australian Film Festival, which will focus solely on works past, present and future made by Australians for Australians. What appears to be one unique factor of the Festival is its eclectic programme of events that extend beyond the traditional focus of film festivals. To that end the AFF will also host seminars and lectures as well as education classes for filmmakers, and boasts a short film competition (it’s great that this artform is really starting to get the attention it deserves), as well as an eclectic lineup of films from our own country. The Ritz Cinema, Randwick will become festival central from Monday 1 March to Sunday 7. In order to have your feature and/or short film shown at the festival, you must register and deliver it by Friday 15 January. More information can be found at www. australianfilmfestival.com.au.

SEMI-PERMANENT 2010 WEBSITE GOES LIVE The website for Semi-Permanent has now gone live, so you can get a closer look at some of the names already confirmed for next year’s design exhibition, hitting Sydney 19 and 20 March, Brisbane 4 June, Melbourne 17 and 18 September, and Perth (date TBA). Head to semipermanent.com for info on the event, links to their Twitter and Facebook profiles, and to subscribe to their podcast.

B SHARP KICK NEW YEAR OFF WITH COMEDY & CABARET B Sharp aren’t wasting any time over the New Year period, with their Comedy & Cabaret season promptly kicking off Tuesday 5 January. Opening night is The Fabulous Frances Faye In Australia, starring Nick Christo and featuring the cabaret and show tunes of the late, great Frances Faye. This show has proven popular in Manhatten, where it

bid to find it on pay TV (let alone free-to-air). And in additional awesome news, not only is the fifth season – again, finally – hitting shelves that day, but so to is The Wire: The Complete Box Set, which has been the juicy, ripe apple of our eyes since it popped up on HBO’s online store many moons ago. Go without coffee for a month, forego a couple of rounds of post-work drinks, ditch that second date – this is where you money should be spent come February. OK, the word has been spread.

spent a season at the Don’t Tell Mama club, before hitting this past year’s Adelaide Cabaret Festival. B Sharp also gets the Sydney premiere of Monster Of The Deep 3D, with Claudia O’Doherty starring as the last remaining member of an underwater community. Finally, Paul ‘Flacco’ Livingstone and Marty Murphy team up for Double Exposure, with Murphy performing 25 characters in Happy And Clean, while Flacco deconstructs modern society in Beyond The Pale. B Sharp’s Comedy & Cabaret season runs Tuesday 5 January to Sunday 14 February. Head to belvoir.com.au for more info.

GET YOUR FIVE MINUTES OF FUNNY Want the chance to win $1,000 and support an A-Listing Touring act? (Their roster includes the likes of Carl Barron, Jimeoin, the Umbilical Brothers, Arj Barker and Ross Noble, so it could be a pretty big event.) Over eight nights in January – every Monday at the Old Manly Boatshed and every Wednesday at Oatley Hotel – local amateur comedians will be given five minutes to win over the crowd, who’ll vote each night as to who gets to go through to the finals. To register for 5 Minutes of Funny email comedyclubs@ alist.com.au.

SENSORY FEAST OF PHOTOGRAPHY AT ACP Using the full potential of digital technology, photographers Denis Montalbetti and Gay Campbell bring their love of Baroque imagery to the modern era. Visually complex, dark and a feast for the senses, an exhibition of their works spanning commercial and editorial photography and fine art, titled Montalbetti & Campbell: The Sensualists, is currently showing at the Australian Centre for Photography, running until Saturday 23 January. Head to acp.org.au for more info.

That they created characters we cared about was due to some down-to-Earth acting and some understated but assured writing by Sarah Doyle that handled humour as well as it handled pathos. Genuine laughs here, and some moving moments. And most of us will recognise the awkwardness that comes from the struggle to retain individuality within the confines of coupledom. LEE BEMROSE

CATTLE CALL they want YOU!!

FIREWORKS AREN’T JUST FOR THE HARBOUR You don’t have to try and join the scramble down to Sydney Harbour to enjoy a night of fabulous fireworks this New Year’s Eve. Between 6 and 9pm, Manly Council is inviting everybody down to the popular seaside precinct to enjoy ta community celebration that includes a spectacular fireworks display, presented from Eat and West Esplanade Reserves adjacent to Manly Ferry Wharf, complete with roving performers. Percussion group Drum Beats will be presenting an exciting range of interactive performances including African, Arabic and worl percussion and drumming, and the whole event is, of course, totally free and family-friendly.

GET DEEP WITH THE SCOPE AT SYDFEST One of the Sydney Festival events we’re all particularly looking forward to is The Scope, a series of conversations about our city and contemporary life in Australia between audience and artists, academics and thinkers, dreamers and leaders. Comprising four parts, including the Fifth Pacific Thought Symposium: Bringing Forth the Ancestors; Sydney Festival Keynote: Hope 2010 – Crisis, Cartharsis, Renewal; Are We Happy Yet?; and Microscope: Festival artists in conversation with Caroline Baum, The Scope will run from Sunday 10 to Tuesday 26 January. Specific details relating to each event can be found at sydneyfestival.org.au.

FILM reviews

with PRISCELLA ENGALL

Lovely Bones

THE LOVELY BONES Alice Sebold is a writer who turned a brutal rape in her first semester at uni into a confronting memoir titled, rather ironically, Lucky. From that life-changing event – a “lucky” escape from a perp whose last victim was filleted – she spent many years attempting to recover from the trauma and pursuing a writing career, thanks in large part to a writing program taught by the great writer Raymond Carver. When she was eventually able to move onto other story material, the looming spectre of death inevitably became a recurring image. Obviously she was never destined to explore anything less than the “big” themes after that one tragic night of violation in a tunnel. Her first fiction novel, The Lovely Bones, however became a literary phenomenon and Sebold was suddenly a writer to watch. It’s the story of Suzie Salmon, a 14-year-old girl in Pennsylvania of 1973, raped and murdered before the first page even draws to a close, a brave move for any writer to undertake. Narrated from heaven, Suzie becomes an overseer who comments on everything in the aftermath of her violent death, from this omnipresent position of heaven. Suzie (played in this film adaptation by Atonement’s Saoirse Ronan) tells us by scene two how an innocent sidetrip through a cornfield led her right into the path of local serial killer George (Stanley Tucci). We then see Suzie’s parents’ slide into the

horrible oblivion of loss that cripples the families of murder victims. Jack (Mark Wahlberg) becomes increasingly suspicious of neighbour George but is unable to substantiate his paranoia, while his wife Abigail (Rachel Weisz) lays her emotional baggage on the shoulders of lead investigator Detective Fenerman (Michael Imperioli). In the meantime, we also track how their neighbour George goes about his business unnoticed except by the girl he has murdered. Peter Jackson won the rights to adapt this unique story and first impressions are that the creative universes aligned and his specialities were in symmetry with the book’s themes. He has explored the strange concoction of death and youth before, and of course the fantasy elements of other worlds. This time however he finds himself in a bit of bind, caught between producing a sort of PG-rated film that means skipping scenes Suzie’s murder, and spending too much time adrift in his sci-fi-affected “heaven” without grounding the story of this family unit torn apart by providing enough screentime with the parents. Instead we spend more time with George. Though Tucci delivers a truly sinister turn as the suburban sadist, it does feel disjointed in the segue-ways between storylines. Overall The Lovely Bones remains a fascinating story broaching a pretty taboo subject that offers a more sophisticated view of beyond the grave than most writers ever dare to imagine out loud. WHEN: Screening from 26 December

Bright Star

BRIGHT STAR Jane Campion created powerfully evocative films early on, like An Angel At My Table and The Piano. She became a darling at all the film festivals, so when a few years slip by, it is sometimes hard for an artist to taste equal success again. With Bright Star, Campion’s ode to the great poet of the Romantic period, John Keats, however she has somehow managed to rediscover that wonderful ability she has to tell a story visually. Campion has a natural gift to paint emotions onto the cinema screen, through the connection she finds between her characters. Bright Star is ostensibly about the final period in John Keat’s (Ben Whishaw) all too brief life before he died in 1821 at just 25 years of age. Keats rose to prominence alongside those other great Romantic poets Byron and Shelley. His artistic roots were just starting to take shape when his brother fell ill and died from tuberculosis, and this cataclysmic event saw Keats escape to Hamstead to live with his American friend Charles Brown (Paul Schneider). And this is where the film’s story takes off as Campion cleverly tells us so much about Keats and his work through his interactions with a woman who lives next door, Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish). Brawne is only 18-yearsold but already an accomplished and strong-willed woman with her heart set on pursuing dressmaking as a career. The pair soon fall head over heels in love.

Through Brawne, we see and hear the majesty of Keat’s lyricism and the pair seduce each other through recitation of his couplets. Keats, his friend Brown and the artists’ circle of the time are seen as rank outsiders in the world in which they live. Brawne has the soul of a poet and sees her interest in textiles as a seamstress as purely another form of artistic expression. Even her bedroom houses a menagerie of butterflies, which appear to be almost an incarnation of one of her lover’s poems. Campion charts this love story beautifully. Even if you don’t know of Keat’s work, the film is so accessible on a number of levels. It even serves as an interesting social document in that it highlights the limited roles open to women back in the early 1800s, and how poetry was able to lubricate the whole courtship procedure when private time together was limited. In 2007 Whishaw was seen in Todd Hayne’s I’m Not There playing another romantic figure, and these roles suit him. Here he nicely captures the soulfulness of this tragic poet who died way too young. And Abbie Cornish again brings an intelligence to the role of Fanny Brawne, who ultimately is seen as a much more substantial figure than merely serving as a muse for her famous partner. WHEN: Screening from 26 December

THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009 • 53 •

PEOPLE MOVES

BODY BEAT

SHAUN PARKER IS DANCING TO THE BEAT OF A FAMILIAR DRUM - THE BEAT OF EVERYDAY LIFE. HE TALKS TO DANIELLE O’DONOHUE ABOUT HAPPY AS LARRY.

SAMOAN CHOREOGRAPHER LEMI PONIFASIO WANTS TO GET ONE THING STRAIGHT: HIS SYDNEY FESTIVAL WORK TEMPEST: WITHOUT A BODY IS NOT A REHASH OF SHAKESPEARE’S PLAY, AS HE EXPLAINS TO JAMELLE WELLES.

In the last couple of years, choreographer and performer Shaun Parker has seen a new kind of audience coming to see contemporary dance. Thanks to shows like So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With The Stars, live dance is no longer the domain merely of the cultural elite. While some contemporary dance pieces can trade in concepts a little too dance-centric for a crowd used to seeing their dance in four-minute TV-friendly clips, Parker creates work that he wants to resonate with everyone watching, whether they’re first-timers or have a long history with the art form. “Every choreographer and director has their own creative focus,” Parker explains. “Everyone’s different. My creative focus, when I’m making the works, I just want to make works that connect with people. I never think about what’s the trendy thing to do for dance and I never think about dancers or physical theatre performers. I’m not inspired at all by other dancers or other choreographers and what they think will be good. “When I’m sitting there in my chair and I’m working with my performers I really am drawn to things that move me. Things that make me laugh, things that make me think and I want to connect with people, like anyone off the street. I’d prefer some guy you’d just pull off the street would see my show and understand it. I’m much more interested in that than trying to be too clever with a dance crowd.” Parker’s latest show, Happy As Larry, is part of the Sydney Festival and delivers on Parker’s promise to explore everyday ideas through dance; in this case, the idea of happiness. His nine performers onstage will adopt the nine basic personality traits (the challenger, the loyalist, the enthusiast, the peacemaker, etc.) to ponder the question, what makes us happy? Which itself begs the question, which personality trait is Parker? “I’m type three, The Performer – so basically the type three child. They were given love and affection and approval for achieving things when they were grow-

ing up so that framed their personality for the rest of their life. It was all about achievement and success. Their whole sense of being is based on the external environment and winning things and achieving things and success and that’s how they feel worth. “What’s interesting is that it’s not a box. Each personality type has wings and they also have other personality types that you move towards if you’re under stress or feeling security. It’s a malleable system based on human psychology. It’s not boxing you. I’m not fond of categories. As humans we’re complicated beings.” While Parker didn’t choose his performers for their personality types he says that several are more selfaware now than when rehearsals began. “Some of them I know what types they are. But I said to them, ‘You don’t have to reveal what type you are. You can keep it a secret.’ It’s about the observation of human behaviour on a larger scale. That made it more fun in a way. Sometimes keeping things secret they can channel that into the work. So I totally left it up to them. People discovered things as they went along. “I know one individual in particular is a lot easier to work with because I could see him realising, ‘Wow, I really am a bit of a type six’. So he started realising his mind was getting in the way and he’d be finding an intellectual basis for making excuses but he realised it was just because he was scared of being able to do it.” WHAT: Happy As Larry WHERE & WHEN: Seymour Centre Wednesday 27 January to Saturday 30

Part ceremonial dance, part theatre, part oratory, it’s a powerful response to what he calls the ‘sinister escalation’ of post-September 11 state powers. It’s a deeply-felt personal statement about the struggle of hope and humanity against the backdrop of the War on Terror and a reinforcement of the philosophies of the Pacific peoples. The show interweaves Shakespeare’s story of institutional injustice with the ideas of Italian political philosopher Giorgio Agamben to question how we readily accept practices that have been previously considered inhuman. So why the title? “I used it because in Shakespeare’s play the characters all have their lives suspended, which is what’s happened to the world since 9/11,” the Samoan cultural warrior explains. “The piece speaks of detention centres, conflicts, terrorism and the need for us all to find dignity and respect. Working with a landscape of blood and destruction, angels, animals, immigrants, ancestors, and refugees, my role is to create truth and beauty on stage. For me choreography is not about putting pretty steps together, but about activating a space to encourage people to look at things around them for themselves. We have to work out our own responses to our environment because in the end we are on our own.” Ponifasio, who has been described as one of the most original choreographers in the world, uses video imagery and political content as part of his work. Tempest features an extraordinary appearance by Maori activist Tame Iti. In 2007, Iti was arrested along with 16 other activists during an anti-terrorist raid in New Zealand and is currently on bail. This show gives him a ceremonial platform to present his case for social change and his vision for his own tribe, the Tuhoe iwi. The tribe gained notoriety in the 1990s and 2000s for controversial protests, including pitching a Maori tent embassy outside the New Zealand parliament.

Born in Samoa, Ponifasio retains the title of ‘Sala’ – a High Chief. He insists he is not in a position of power, but that he does have a responsibility to keep his people connected with their culture. He moved to New Zealand to study political science, philosophy, ballet and contemporary dance before touring with the Takitimu Kapa Haka group to residencies in Canadian Indian reservations. Having then lived in Japan and Europe, since 1995 he’s been based in Auckland where he formed MAU, a community of artists, scholars, and intellectuals. Ponifasio named MAU after a Samoan non-violent independence movement of the early 20th Century. Mau, meaning both ‘revolution’ and ‘vision’, identified as a non-violent resistance to German and New Zealand colonialism. It wasn’t an attack on German and New Zealand colonialism, but a stand on what it is to be Samoan. The performance company’s website promotes art, ideas and activism. They were previously in Australia for the 2002 Adelaide Festival with Bone Flute. Tempest: without a body is the last of a trilogy of work that includes Paradise (2003) and Requiem (2006), premiering at the New Crowned Hope Festival in Vienna. After the Sydney Festival, Tempest tours to European theatres including Theatre de la Ville in Paris and De Singel in Antwerp. WHAT: Tempest: without a body WHERE & WHEN: Everest Theatre, Seymour Centre Sunday 10 January

DREAMS AFLOAT TV AND RADIOMAN PETER HELLIAR IS HEADING TO THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE WITH HIS NEW SHOW, THE DREAMBOAT TOUR. DESPITE SOME GRATUITOUS REFERENCES TO THE LOVE BOAT, IT PROMISES TO BE A VERY FINE SHOW INDEED. HE CHATS TO LIZ GIUFFRE. “Launching a show at the Opera House is pretty amazing, so I’m just talking that up at the moment. I think in Melbourne, or at least out of Sydney, people tend to think when you ‘play the Opera House’ that it’s just one huge room, so I think they think I’ve just got the Opera House all to myself, and I’ll let them believe that,” Helliar admits with a chuckle down the phone from Melbourne, having just finished a production meeting for a film project. Very fancy indeed. While his radio, writing and TV work has kept him busy for the last couple of years (think Petespace, think Strawnie), getting out to do live comedy again has been a creeping desire for Helliar for a while, and it’s been two years since he’s been able to get out on the road properly. As happens in the business of show, one of his regular gigs has just come to an end (with Rove McManus calling it quits), and now seems a particularly good time for Helliar to get out on his own again. “We planned this a while ago, to tour in 2010, and I guess with Rove finishing up as well it comes at a perfect time for me to really focus on it and really have fun with it. Sometimes when you’re doing other things you do it but you can’t enjoy it, but I’m really looking forward to bringing the family up to Sydney and really enjoying it.” As sometimes happens with comedians who take up with that broadcasting stuff, audiences might be used to thinking of Helliar as a media man rather than someone who can work a mic and a room. Having started stand-up in 1996 with a few gigs here and there, he’d racked up more time working in a bottleshop than treading the boards when he hit the jackpot with regular TV work on Rove, but live stand-up remains Helliar’s first love. “As opposed to someone like Dave Hughes, who people got to know by doing stand-up spots on TV, • 54• THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009

I think people probably see me less as a stand-up and more as a television comic. So I do like showing people that this is where I did start out, because I still think of myself as a stand-up comedian first and foremost, but it’s weird when people say, ‘I didn’t know you did stand-up’. I look forward to showing people this is who I am.” Writing for himself and other people has meant Helliar has never had too much downtime, something that has kept him a very happy (if slightly strungout at times) funny person. “Writing my own shows are really different to writing for television, radio and film projects, and when I move from one to the other you have to switch your brain over, and sometimes you have to just put other stuff on hold – like at the moment I’ve just had to focus on the stand-up; have to get that right. I’ll go back to the other stuff later, but it’s the fun part writing, too. It’s nerve-racking kind of starting from scratch, but really exciting. I tried a routine last night that I’d only written during the day, and it’s probably my favourite routine that I’ve done in a while, and at the moment I’ll probably end the show with it, I’m really having fun with it. And I’m really enjoying hanging out with other comedians and comedians I haven’t seen. “I feel like I’m starting again in a weird way.” WHAT: Peter Helliar’s Dreamboat Tour WHERE & WHEN: Sydney Opera House Playhouse Tuesday 5 January to Sunday 17

live@drummedia.com.au

FEATURE TOUR

GREEN DAY JET

Acer Arena 11/12/09

It’s a testament to either their longevity or their reach that more than a few punters at the Green Day show brought their teenagers with them. And what a show it was for these nascent gig-goers to cut their teeth on. Jet fired things up with a tightly-packed set featuring the best of their back catalogue and a beefed-up reworking of the new tunes off their third album. The punters soon loosened up and the clapalongs kicked in shortly thereafter. Much fun was had with shredding guitars, lusty singalongs and the odd jump from the kickdrum. The heart-stopping bangs that sounded at odd intervals during the set were soon explained by frontman Nic Cester, stating, “Ladies and gentlemen – Tre Cool on pyrotechnics.” It might be better known as the 21st Century Breakdown tour, but it’s best summed up as the Green Day Interactive Punk Pantomime Extravaganza. Costumes, satire, call and response, fireworks, impressive visuals and the odd musical medley (Highway To Hell, Suspicious Minds, Hey Jude) were just some of the delights on offer. A few lucky fans got more up close and personal than they had bargained on during the show as several audience members were invited on stage to share vocal duties. Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong ventured up the stadium stairs to play guitar over the shoulder of one astonished – and deeply envied – punter before returning to the stage to channel his inner Reverend Al Sharpton. Young Cody from Newcastle was treated to a genuine laying on of hands complete with pyros when he answered the call “to be saved”, before corruption set in: “Hey Cody, how’d you like to try your first beer?” joked Armstrong. There was all this and music too in a career-spanning set that ran over two and a half hours. Highlights included Holiday, Welcome To Paradise, Longview, Brain Stew/Jaded, Minority and the five-song encore, which finished with Armstrong appearing solo on acoustic guitar for Wake Me Up When September Ends and Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life). Throw in some supersoakers and hoses to spray down the audience, air cannons to shoot t-shirts, a leaf blower/toilet paper dispenser and a shower of confetti and there it is. Nothing left to do but raid the merch stand and catch the last train home. Fiona Cameron

SANTA CLAUS

FRIDAY, VARIOUS CHIMNEYS

NATIONAL THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT: Dec 29 Shellharbour Workers THE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS: Jan 6 Entrance Leagues Club THE TEMPER TRAP: Jan 8 Enmore Theatre THE JOHN BUTLER TRIO: Jan 9 Canberra Theatre, Jan 13 Enmore Theatre, Jan 14 Newcastle Panthers ASH GRUNWALD: Jan 13 Lizotte’s Newcastle; Jan 26 Overseas Passenger Terminal BLUEJUICE: Jan 13 Entrance Leagues Club, Jan 14 Cambridge Hotel IN HEARTS WAKE, THE BRIDE: Jan 13 Cambridge Hotel, Jan 14 Spectrum, Jan 15 The Fitz DESTROYER 666: Jan 15 The Metro M CRAFT: Jan 15 Oxford Art Factory ROSS WILSON: Jan 22 Penrith RSL, Jan 23 Harbord Diggers, Jan 25 Mingara Rec Club, Jan 28 Brass Monkey, Jan 30 Campbelltown Cube AUSTRALIAN ROCK SYMPHONY feat. CHRISSY AMPHLETT, DIESEL, BABY ANIMALS: Jan 25 State Theatre DIRTY THREE, LAUGHING CLOWNS: Jan 26 Enmore Theatre MIA DYSON*: Jan 27 Lizotte’s Kincumber, Jan 28 Clarendon, Jan 29 & 30 The Vanguard, Jan 31 Lizotte’s Newcastle PARKWAY DRIVE: Jan 28 Bateau Bay PCYC, Jan 29 Sutherland Entertainment Centre, Jan 30 Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre, Jan 31 Penrith Panthers BLACKCHORDS, SIERRA FIN, GRAND ATLANTIC*: Jan 28 The Wall, Jan 29 Northern Star, Jan 30 Oxford Tavern THE KILL DEVIL HILLS*: Feb 12 Annandale Hotel, Feb 13 Heritage Hotel, Feb 14 Clarendon GUY SEBASTIAN: Feb 14 State Theatre AC/DC: Feb 18, 20, 22 ANZ Stadium THE NECKS: Feb 19 The Metro JOSH PYKE: Feb 26 Lizotte’s Newcastle, Feb 27 Lizotte’s Kincumber HORRORSHOW*: Feb 26 The Factory Theatre

INTERNATIONAL

GREEN DAY @ ACER ARENA. PIC: LINDA HELLER-SALVADOR

CASTANETS: Dec 22 The Harp Wollongong, Dec 23 Akemi, Dec 26 Croatian Club Newcastle, Dec 27 Excelsior Hotel Surry Hills SHORE THING feat. CARL COX, DANNY TENAGLIA, ROGER SANCHEZ: Dec 31 Bondi Park SLOPFRENZY feat. TELEPATHE, MICACHU & THE SHAPES: Jan 2 Civic Theatre Sydney DATAROCK: Jan 2 The Metro

You can have as many tours as you want all year round. You can have huge international stars, blindingly good local ones, the unforgettable and the irreplaceable. But really, you have to wait until the end of each year for the most anticipated and extravagant tour the world has ever seen. Making the trek from his secret North Pole base, the jolly red-suited fat man will be making a very exclusive one-night-only stop at an every age venue very near you. In fact, so prolific is this artist and his arctic beats that he will be visiting every household at an as-yetunannounced time, providing goodies for the morn’. Wouldn’t bother trying to stay up to catch a glimpse of the always-welcome intruder though - no one’s managed it yet. KILIMANJARO: Jan 10 RISE AGAINST: Jan 19 EMBER SWIFT: Jan 2 Brass Monkey, Jan 14 Enmore Theatre The Clarendon, Jan 6 Heritage Hotel, Jan 15 SECKOU KEITA Front Gallery, Jan 13 The Basement Circular QUINTET: Jan 19 – 21 Lizotte’s Kincumber, Jan Quay Famous Spiegeltent, Jan 14 Lizotte’s Newcastle, BIG BAD VOODOO 22 Q Theatre, Jan 23 Jan 15 Notes, Jan 17 Brass DADDY, BLACK Sutherland Entertainment Monkey JOE LEWIS & THE Centre ANDREW BIRD: Jan HONEYBEARS: Jan 10 THE HORRORS: Jan 20 3 Sydney Opera House Beck’s Bar Oxford Art Factory Concert Hall PATRICK WATSON: DENT MAY: Jan 20 JAMIE T & THE Jan 10, 12, 13 Famous Spectrum PACEMAKERS: Jan 3 Spiegeltent KASABIAN: Jan 20 Gaelic Theatre NEKO CASE: Jan 10 Enmore Theatre RODRIGO Y GABRIELA: The Clarendon, Jan 11 RONAN KEATING: Jan 3 Enmore Theatre & 12 City Recital Hall Jan 20 & 21 Sydney KAKI KING: Jan 3 AMANDA BLANK, Entertainment Centre, Jan Annandale Hotel, Jan 5 DEVLIN & DARKO: 23 Bimbadgen Estate Notes Jan 11 Beck’s Bar THE MARS VOLTA: Jan 20 MOBY: Jan 4 Sydney BRETT DENNEN: Hordern Pavilion Opera House Jan 11 The Basement PASSION PIT: Jan 20 The SEASICK STEVE: Jan 4 Circular Quay Metro Theatre The Metro AL GREEN: Jan 11 & CAMERA OBSCURA, EMILIANA TORRINI: Jan 12 State Theatre THE SLOW CLUB: Jan 21 5 Enmore Theatre GRIZZLY BEAR: Jan Beck’s Bar WHITE RABBITS: Jan 5 11, 12 & 14 City Recital LILY ALLEN: Jan 21 Oxford Art Factory Hall, Jan 13 Beck’s Bar Hordern Pavilion THE VIEW: Jan 5 The FOLK UKE*: Jan 13 CALVIN HARRIS: Jan 21 Metro Brass Monkey, Jan The Metro CHARLIE PARR: Jan 5 14 Notes, Jan 18 The MASTODON: Jan 21 Front Cafe, Jan 7 Heritage Clarendon, Jan 19 UNSW Roundhouse Hotel, Jan 8 The Basement Lizotte’s Newcastle DEAD PREZ*: Jan 21 Circular Quay, Jan 9 The DZ, HOWL: Jan 14 Kit Gaelic Theatre Clarendon, Jan 12 Brass & Kaboodle POLAR BEAR CLUB: Jan Monkey, Jan 13 The THE HANDSOME 22 Cambridge Hotel, Jan Junkyard FAMILY: Jan 14 23 & 24 Annandale Hotel STEVE POLTZ, & 15 The Famous TREVOR JACKSON: Jan BUSHWALLA: Jan 5 Spiegeltent 22 Beck’s Bar Lizotte’s Newcastle, Jan 6 BRIGHTBLACK FINK: Jan 22 – 24 Famous Brass Monkey, Jan 7 The MORNING LIGHT, Spiegeltent Clarendon, Jan 8 Heritage RIO EN MEDIO: Jan DIOTIMA STRING Hotel, Jan 9 Notes, Jan 10 14 Oxford Art Factory QUARTET: Jan 23 & 24 Lizotte’s Kincumber VIEUX FARKA TOURE: City Recital Hall KING KHAN & THE Jan 15 Beck’s Bar GRANDMASTER FLASH: SHRINES: Jan 6 Oxford TOUMANI DIABATE: Jan 23 Beck’s Bar Art Factory Jan 15 Riverside SHIT ROBOT*: Jan 23 EDITORS: Jan 6 The Theatre, Jan 17 State Good God Small Club Metro Theatre PEACHES: Jan 24 Home THE INSPECTOR BOYS OF SUMMER DIZZEE RASCAL, CLUZO: Jan 6 Beach Road feat. EVERY TIME I SCRIBE: Jan 24 Enmore Hotel, Jan 7 Excelsior DIE: Jan 15 Cambridge Theatre Hotel Surry Hills Hotel, Jan 16 Oasis DEVENDRA BANHART: CHAIRLIFT, THE Youth Centre, Jan 17 Jan 24 The Metro PHENOMENAL Manning Bar, Jan 19 GROOVE ARMADA, HANDCLAP BAND: Jan 7 Tuggeranong Youth SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO Manning Bar Centre DJS: Jan 25 Hordern FUTURE OF THE LEFT: JOHN CALE: Jan 16 Pavilion Jan 7 Annandale Hotel Enmore Theatre LAURA MARLING: Jan 25, DIPLO, AMANDA BLANK: THE BOOKS: Jan 16 & 27, 28 Famous Spiegeltent Jan 8 The Metro 17 Famous Spiegeltent GIRL TALK: Jan 25 CAT POWER: Jan 8 POIRIER feat. MC Enmore Theatre Waves, Jan 9 Newcastle ZULU: Jan 16 Beck’s THEM CROOKED Panthers Bar VULTURES: Jan 26 & 27 YEAH YEAH YEAHS: Jan CHIMAIRA: Jan 18 The Hordern Pavilion 8 Hordern Pavilion Metro FLORENCE & THE VAMPILLA*: Jan 8 FEAR FACTORY: Jan MACHINE: Jan 26 & 27 Excelsior Hotel Surry Hills 18 Manning Bar The Metro KELLEY STOLTZ: Jan 9 JOANNA NEWSOM: ECHO & THE Sandringham Hotel Jan 18 Sydney BUNNYMEN: Jan 27 METHOD MAN & Opera House, Jan 21 Enmore Theatre REDMAN: Jan 9 The Playhouse Theatre; Jan DJ YODA: Jan 27 Beck’s Forum 23 Anita’s Theatre Bar GRAHM ZILLA*: Jan 9 THE DECEMBERISTS: MARCIN WASILEWSKI QBar Jan 19 The Metro, Jan MOUNTAIN MOCHA continued pg.56 20 Beck’s Bar THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009 • 55 •

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JET

THE SCARE

The Metro Theatre 18/12/09 TRIO: Jan 27 City Recital Hall MEDESKI MARTIN & WOOD: Jan 27 City Recital Hall, Jan 28 Famous Spiegeltent SHARON SHANNON BAND: Jan 27 Riverside Theatre, Jan 29 – 31 Famous Spiegeltent THE VERY BEST, RADIO CLIT: Jan 28 Beck’s Bar HOCKEY: Jan 28 The Metro ROGUE’S GALLERY feat. MARIANNE FAITHFULL, DAVID JOHANSEN, TIM ROBBINS and more: Jan 28 Opera House Forecourt BREAKESTRA: Jan 29 Beck’s Bar TIESTO: Jan 29 & 30 Hordern Pavilion WILD BEASTS: Feb 1 Oxford Art Factory MARIANNE FAITHFULL: Feb 3 Concert Hall Sydney Opera House DANIEL JOHNSTON: Feb 4 The Metro TAYLOR SWIFT: Feb 6 & 7 Acer Arena, Feb 8 Newcastle Entertainment Centre PORCUPINE TREE: Feb 6 Enmore Theatre PARADISE LOST, SIRENIA: Feb 6 The Metro ACE FREHLEY: Feb 7 Enmore Theatre BLACK LIPS: Feb 8 Manning Bar A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS: Feb 11 Oxford Art Factory FRIDA HYVONEN: Feb 11 Paddington Uniting Church KORA: Feb 11 Gaelic Theatre GRANT HART: Feb 11 Annandale Hotel WEDNESDAY 13: Feb 11 The Metro THE DODOS: Feb 13 Oxford Art Factory ROB THOMAS: Feb 12 & 13 Hope Estate Winery, Feb 14 Centennial Vineyards, Feb 17 Acer Arena, Feb 19 Canberra Theatre RZA: Feb 14 The Metro GOSSIP, FRIENDLY FIRES: Feb 16 Enmore Theatre SALT-N-PEPA: Feb 17 The Metro YO LA TENGO: Feb 17 The Basement Circular Quay, Feb 18 The Metro Z-TRIP, SPINDERELLA: Feb 19 The Forum THE CRIBS: Feb 19 Manning Bar BRITISH SEA POWER: Feb 20 Manning Bar CLIFF RICHARD & THE SHADOWS: Feb 20 Hope Estate Winery, Feb 21 Sydney Entertainment Centre THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART: Feb 21 Oxford Art Factory LUPE FIASCO: Feb 21 Enmore Theatre ALEXISONFIRE, COMEBACK KID, ANTIFLAG: Feb 22 The Forum FAITH NO MORE: Feb 22 Hordern Pavilion A DAY TO REMEMBER, SET YOUR GOALS, FOUR YEAR STRONG,

Not surprisingly, Are You Gonna Be My Girl? was the moment in the set when the crowd responded with the most noise. But it would be naive to think that these days that song is the only reason this band packs out gigs around the world. Danielle O’Donohue

Not even a Sydney bus strike and the traditional Friday before Christmas lack of cabs could stop a fired-up Sydney crowd descending on The Metro to see Aussie rockers Jet play their first headline show since the release of new album Shaka Rock earlier this year. The Scare may have the aloof, uber-cool rock look downpat, but on this occasion, they didn’t have a live show to match the attitude. Singer Kiss Reid clearly learnt his stagecraft from artists like Nick Cave and Tex Perkins, but his voice just wasn’t strong enough to drive the songs.

FUTURE OF THE LEFT

DRUM PRESENTS PEATS RIDGE: Dec 29 – Jan 1 Glenworth Valley DATAROCK: Jan 2 The Metro WHITE RABBITS: Jan 5 Oxford Art Factory THE VIEW: Jan 5 The Metro KING KHAN & THE SHRINES: Jan 6 Oxford Art Factory EDITORS: Jan 6 The Metro FUTURE OF THE LEFT: Jan 7 Annandale Hotel CAT POWER: Jan 8 Waves, Jan 9 Newcastle Panthers BOYS OF SUMMER feat. EVERY TIME I DIE, 50 LIONS, TRAP THEM, MARY JANE KELLY: Jan 15 Cambridge Hotel, Jan 16 Oasis Youth Centre, Jan 17 Manning Bar, Jan 19 Tuggeranong Youth Centre CHIMAIRA: Jan 18 The Metro BLACK LIPS: Feb 8 Manning Bar THE DODOS: Feb 13 Oxford Art Factory YO LA TENGO: Feb 17 The Basement Circular Quay, Feb 18 The Metro THE CRIBS: Feb 19 Manning Bar BRITISH SEA POWER: Feb 20 Manning Bar THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART: Feb 21 Oxford Art Factory BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE: Feb 28 The Metro THE PRODIGY, DOES IT OFFEND YOU YEAH?: Mar 3 Hordern Pavilion, Mar 10 Newcastle Entertainment Centre PAVEMENT: Mar 4 & 5 Enmore Theatre FRANZ FERDINAND: Mar 4 Big Top THE BIG PINK: Mar 7 The Metro DIRTY PROJECTORS: Mar 10 The Metro BLUESFEST: Apr 1 – 5 Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm

THIS IS HELL: Feb 22 UNSW Roundhouse MICHAEL MCDONALD, BOZ SCAGGS: Feb 23 Royal Theatre Canberra, Feb 25 Harbour Theatre Sydney Entertainment Centre, Feb 26 WIN entertainment Centre THE WEAKERTHANS: Feb 23 The Annandale Hotel ISIS: Feb 23 Manning Bar JANE’S ADDICTION, ROLO TOMASSI: Feb 23 Enmore Theatre AFI: Feb 23 Luna Park Big Top HIM: Feb 23 The Forum SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE, MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK, GLASSJAW, RX BANDITS: Feb 23 UNSW Roundhouse REEL BIG FISH, THE AQUABATS, THE CREEPSHOW: Feb 24 Manning Bar PARAMORE: Feb 24 Luna Park Big Top PLACEBO: Feb 24 Enmore Theatre CLUTCH: Feb 24 The Gaelic Theatre ESCAPE THE FATE, EMAROSA, ARCHITECTS*: Feb 24 The Metro MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE: Feb 25 Big Top Luna Park HEALTH: Feb 26 Oxford Art Factory GEORGE MICHAEL: Feb 26 Sydney Football Stadium TOM JONES: Feb 27 Bimbadgen Estate, Mar 3 Sydney Entertainment Centre, Mar 4 WIN Entertainment Centre BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE: Feb 28 The Metro RUFUS WAINWRIGHT:

• 56 • THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009

Mar 1 & 3 Verbrugghen Hall PHOENIX: Mar 2 Hordern Pavilion CALEXICO: Mar 3 The Metro THE PRODIGY, DOES IT OFFEND YOU YEAH?: Mar 3 Hordern Pavilion, Mar 10 Newcastle Entertainment Centre DOUGIE MACLEAN*: Mar 4 Utzon Room FRANZ FERDINAND: Mar 4 Big Top PAVEMENT: Mar 4 & 5 Enmore Theatre BURT BACHARACH: Mar 4 – 6 Sydney Opera House DIANA KRALL, MADELINE PEYROUX, MELODY GARDOT: Mar 4 Sydney Entertainment Centre, Mar 6 A Day On The Green Bimbadgen Estate SPINNERETTE: Mar 5 The Factory WAYNE SHORTER QUARTET*: Mar 7 Concert Hall Sydney Opera House THE BIG PINK: Mar 7 The Metro LOS AMIGOS INVISIBLES: Mar 9 The Basement Circular Quay, Mar 13 Stage 88 AL DI MEOLA: Mar 9 City Recital Hell, Mar 12 & 13 Enmore Theatre, Mar 27 Royal Theatre, Mar 29 Civic Theatre Newcastle STATUS QUO: Mar 10 Hordern Pavilion EILEN JEWELL: Mar 10 Clarendon, Mar 11 Notes DIRTY PROJECTORS: Mar 10 The Metro BACKSTREET BOYS: Mar 10 Sydney Entertainment Centre

FESTIVALS PEATS RIDGE: Dec 29 – Jan 1 Glenworth Valley SCREAMFEST: Dec 31 & Jan 1 Enmore Theatre SUMMANIGHTS: Dec 31 Home PURPLE SNEAKERS NYE: Dec 31 Manning House FIELD DAY: Jan 1 The Domain DAYS LIKE THIS: Jan 10 Moore Park JAZZGROOVE FUTURES FESTIVAL: Jan 15 – 17 Excelsior Surry Hills, Raval, Macquarie Hotel BIG DAY OUT: Jan 22 & 23 Sydney Showground LANEWAY: Jan 31 Sydney College Of The Arts GOOD VIBRATIONS: Feb 13 Centennial Park PLAYGROUND WEEKENDER: Feb 18 – 21 Del Rio Riverside Resort SOUNDWAVE: Feb 21 Eastern Creek Raceway FUTURE MUSIC: Mar 6 Royal Randwick Racecourse PLATFORM 3 HIP HOP FESTIVAL: Mar 19 & 20 Carriageworks BLUESFEST: Apr 1 – 5 Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm SURRY HILLS FESTIVAL*: Apr 10 Shannon Reserve, Ward Park and more GROOVIN’ THE MOO: May 8 Maitland Showground, May 9 University Of Canberra * indicates new or amended listing this week Check with agencies for booking fees.

One thing Jet has never had to worry about is the strength of lead singer Nic Cester’s voice. Cester has a great rock’n’roll howl that was in full force as the band played a set heavy with new material. The raw energy of songs like Times Like These, Start The Show and She’s A Genius (featuring a guest appearance by Craig Nichols of The Vines) have already turned them into highlights in the band’s set. The band lost momentum a couple of times when Nic Cester stepped away from the mic to give brother Chris the floor, or when extended jams became a bit too extended, but for most of the show this was the full-tilt rock that these boys have been doing for a while. It doesn’t hurt that those slower ballad-esque moments can be countered by the sonic assault of a song like Take It Or Leave It. Jet may not have spent any time this year touring their homeland, but they looked and sounded match fit and seemed very glad to be playing back in Australia. A singalong version of Cold Hard Bitch closed the set proper and a very energetic Get Me Outta Here ended the encore, but there comes a moment in every Jet show where Nic Cester shakes his tambourine just so and Mark Wilson drops that bass line and everyone in the room knows what’s coming.

JET @ METRO THEATRE. PIC: JAMIE WILLIAMS

THE CHURCH

some killer songs, as two vocalists shared lead duties. Outstanding stuff.

The Factory Theatre 12/12/09

It’s been a quiet year for Laura Imbruglia gigwise, as she has been busy putting together her second album, The Lighter Side Of…, which is due for release in February. In fact, this was her only headline outing of 2009, so she made the most of it by inviting a host of special guests to join her in showcasing plenty of new material.

BELLES WILL RING THE KICKS

The Kicks started things off with their take on rock’n’roll, mixing big intros with elements of country, hints of the ‘50s and some scuzzy, feedback-laden guitars for good measure. It may be bias, but there’s a certain something about seeing women front rock bands that’s even more pronounced when there are two of them. This of course in no way should suggest the two boys in the band were in any way lacking. There’s promise in the material featured in the set and some attention to lyrical detail and a bit more polish should pay dividends. Belles Will Ring have been getting about for a while now and boast a tight, well-rehearsed set with a lot going on. Think expansive soundscapes and a nod to the early ‘80s, augmented by a flautist and some brass later in the show. There was a definite whiff of The Jesus & Mary Chain to the material, which wasn’t necessarily a good thing when the sinister undertones were missing and material lacked inventiveness. Still, the punters seemed to like it. The faithful were treated to a lengthy sermon on Saturday night when they came to receive the latest revelations from the church. The set leaned heavily on the material from their latest album, lightly sprinkled with oldies and rarities. Immense pretty well sums it all up, with everything bigger, stormier, more bombastic and apparently on steroids. The rockier, crunchier sound of yore, i.e. the ‘80s, was jettisoned and instead the band got their prog on. Highlights included Myrrh, A Month Of Sundays, Reptile and of course “that song”, Under The Milky Way. It is well they have such a back catalogue to draw from, as nothing short of three encores would induce the congregation to disperse. Fiona Cameron

LAURA IMBRUGLIA

THE LAURELS WIFEY

Spectrum 19/12/09

Sporting a high beard ratio, Wifey opened things up with grown-up yet still perky indie-pop that included bits of melodica, the occasional trumpet and some pleasingly dour between-song banter. The Laurels rarely fail to impress and tonight’s show offered a typically awesome barrage of psychedelic/shoegazey noise. From a stage littered with pedals, the sound really was massive and – importantly – within the all-out sonic attack were

Backed by a band featuring Ben James from Talons on drums and long-time bass player Stiff, and herself alternating between electric and acoustic guitar, she opened with new song Pauly before Surly was followed by another newie, the country-tinged and wonderfullytitled You’re A Parasitic Germ. Joined by Sarah Kelly from theredsunband, she showed a new dimension to her songwriting with the delicate Don’t, a stripped-back number with just one guitar and two, soft female vocals. The special guests continued to punctuate the set; Rosa Agostino, aka Red Ghost, strapped on a guitar for a jaunty version of Loretta Lynn’s Fist City, which was dedicated to Tiger Woods’ wife, Youth Group’s Cameron Emerson-Elliott played guitar on current single When It All Falls Apart (And It Will) and the rest of Talons turned up for a mental and utterly brilliant cover of Salt N Pepa’s Shoop. As well as her increasingly diverse sound – she is equally happy rocking the hell out as she is in country/indie territory – the really appealing thing about Imbruglia is her ability to tell a story. Far from being a series of cheap gags, the delightfully comic lines she delivers work so well because they are contextualised within honest tales that are often desperately sad and self-deprecating. Tonight proved she is an absolute gem of a songwriter, and, judging by the depth and quality of her new songs, the forthcoming album is something to really look forward to. Rob Townsend

MODULAR XMAS PARTY

Beach Road Hotel 12/12/09

Modular’s annual Christmas party was all about the music, appealing more to those with a penchant for vinyl but also featuring a select bunch of live bands too. Canyons DJs cut it early on, with Ladyhawke, Van She and the Bang Gang DJs supplying tunes in the latter part of the evening, a mix of mostly party beats and different genres of house music. Pop/folk maestro Jonathan Boulet and band would have possibly been a tad disappointed with his early slot, however those present indicated that his set, which included the summer hit A Community Service Announcement, was tight and savvy and on par with a delicious Tequila

live@drummedia.com.au

SLAUGHTERFEST III

Sandringham Hotel 19/12/09

Even on a bill primarily meshing grindcore with doom metal, Buzzard’s ‘70s-influenced rock with some progressive tendencies was still a neat fit and they played a brief set that had many heads politely nodding in approval, without necessarily igniting too much enthusiasm. Residing on a different end of the heavy music spectrum, Sydney’s Summonus had a few sound gremlins interfering at first, but after a few minutes their crushing, Sabbath-esque sludgy doom came through much clearer. Airing songs from their recent self-titled EP as well as freshly written material, their extreme blend of abrasive vocals, Iommi riffs, droning bass lines and down-tempo feel may not have been to everyone’s liking, but marked them as one of the more promising outfits of their ilk in this country. While Summonus fought a few technical issues, in the smaller room Brazen Bull appeared to relish literally battling with the audience members, as band and audience became one and the Brisbane crew spent much time fending off moshing punters. With vocalist Fox O’Neil’s distinctive, sure-to-divide-listeners screams showing the way, their chaotic, spazzy tech-metal-infused grindcore was an appealing appetiser for the grind fans. Cuntscrape played 30 minutes of family-friendly brutality, with the Perthbased nutters’ porn-obsessed, piss-taking grind/ death metal/rock hybrid keeping those in the small room entertained. They aired material from latest disc Papsmear Campaign and the likes of The Veiny Shaft Of Justice and soon to be singalong-anthem I Wanna Do It With A Midget were also included.

Kicking off proceedings with the monstrous groove of Filling The Void from 2001’s minor classic Doom Saloon album, Canberra quintet Pod People’s bridging of doom and stoner rock (a fusion now jokingly wishing to be referred to as “stoom”, according to guitarist Josh “JJ LaWhore” Nixon) was again well-received by a Sydney audience. Also working in material from latest disc, Mons Animae Mortuorum, there was little that was flashy about their set – besides Nixon’s animated, tongue-in-cheek stage moves – as they used every minute of their allotted stage time efficiently. The Australian grindcore scene is held in high stead in many European countries, with arguably more appreciation afforded acts such as Melbourne’s Captain Cleanoff abroad than in their own backyard. Which is a shame because the band are one of the nation’s finest exponents of the style and their onstage ruthlessness, tightness and intensity were an appropriate closer to nearly 12 hours of varying types of extremity. Brendan Crabb

In the main room, Sydney trio Mother Mars’ gigantic, fuzzed-out riffs towered over the audience like a colossus. Also built around lengthy instrumental passages, their stoner rock/doom made an immediate and long-lasting impression, despite also only having just 30 minutes to show off their wares. While no one will ever mistake them for Rush in the musical dexterity stakes, Sydney grindcore quartet Ebolie have become a more complex and tighter band in recent times. While frontman Bubsy is still fond of a joke and a wiggling of his beer gut, not to mention putting hecklers in their place, the comedy has been toned down. This adapted approach works too, because the songs themselves (Death By A Thousand Dusters, Smackdonalds) are still funny anyway. It’s baffling that while Canberra’s Looking Glass are a burgeoning underground sensation throughout many sections of the country, they have yet to crack

Sunrise. An extended break with DJ sets in between (which never really departed from house music) saw Tame Impala take to the stage a couple of hours late, just as sunburnt latecomers made their way to the bar. A couple of months’ recording has rubbed off well on the jam rockers, who appeared eager to play despite delivering the type of set rather more suited to an indoor gig than the outdoor festivals they prefer. Their most recent track Sundown Syndrome got a run early on and even featured the mouth horn during the breakdown bits, giving the song a unique feeling in the psychedelic. Staple tracks such as Skeleton Tiger and Half Full Glass Of Wine pumped through what felt like an aged 1970s sound system, showing the lads are able to produce that lo-fi sound live as well as in the studio, with the drums playing a pivotal role in nailing it. The extended jams just keep getting better too and feel like a more welloiled machine than previous gigs – can’t wait for the new album sometime in 2010. More DJs splattered the stages between bands, fading out as The Swiss geared up to unleash their brand of live disco on a patchy audience that grew towards the end. Featuring a very enthusiastic drummer, the night was a repeating theme with the skins getting a serious thumping while the synth and bass collided in a Phenomenal Handclap Band sort of three-way squeeze. There were a few guests dropping by to lend a hand on stage, including Kim Moyes from The Presets and that MC guy from Sneaky Sound System. It still wasn’t enough to sustain the length of their set, with later tracks guilty of sounding like a longer version of the previous one, but overall the playing was tight and those present looked to be loving it.

l Jackson Y…in 2003, Michae ON CHRISTMAS DA child interview since his recorded his first the CBS-TV s. He explained to molestation charge before he hurt s” ist “slit his wr network that he’d ndled “very imed being manha a child. He also cla roughly” by police.

the general public’s consciousness. Guitarist/vocalist Marcus De Pasquale’s chops were jaw-dropping as the three-piece powered through an energetic display of psychedelic ‘70s blues/stoner rock that drew possibly the biggest crowd of the day up to that point. With new material due early next year, this was the band’s last show for a while, but when they hit the road again, don’t miss them. Following recent support slots with the likes of Pig Destroyer, Melbourne crew The Kill played their first Sydney show in some time. They tore into a set of caustic, blast beat-laden and suitably aggressive material that went down a treat with the extreme music enthusiasts in attendance. It was 35 minutes of unapologetically violent and frenetic fare for the purists.

SOUL AND SOAR

MISTER & SUNBIRD

SWING THIS WAY Providing their own take on the tried and true swing, bluegrass, Latin and ska of the ‘30s, Mister & Sunbird will be making their way to The Vanguard this Thursday. The West Australian quintet – complete with horns, percussion and banjos – will be launching their double album, Spirit Fingers, on the night, with the intriguing Doc Jones & The Lechery Orchestra supporting.

RUB YOUR EYES Who said that funk rock is dead? Kingbayer return home this week to prove otherwise when they play the Vanguard in support of their latest EP, Bleary Eyed Girls and Boys, in a Christmas extravaganza. Taking place this Wednesday, Pleasantville and DJ Maccy D will also be on hand.

CHEAP CELEBRATIONS

POD PEOPLE @ SLAUGHTERFEST III. PIC: ROD HUNT

blur though and got the wondering minds of all the artistic folk right onto their surf rock, Hawaiian-infused music. The first thing you will notice about this threepiece ensemble is their matching white sports outfits. The second thing you will notice is your feet becoming separate entities and tapping away to the irresistible upbeat poppiness of their innocent tunes. Headphones particularly stood out as it took a Death Cab For Cutie approach to heartbreak and teenage angst, painting a picture of a solemn boy “listening to headphones built into his head”. It almost almost sounds sad but comes out as pleasantly soft instead. Stare Into The Eyes Of A Wolf was an entirely different sound, the vintage feel of a ‘70’s surf film and showed off with windy guitar work. Joysticks continued the popping rock but they took to the stage in a more festive spirit, with all four members sporting Christmas decorations around them. By this time in the evening there was no space to move on the dancefloor, so people showed their appreciation with gentle sways and random approving yells. Space limitations were overlooked when they played Purple Berries, which had a bit of The Shins sound but with a sinister edge. From above you could see the crowd moving up and down like a wave, which was almost as mesmerising as the band’s performance. It was also difficult to look past perky Your House and sweet Bushfire and Radiation. The night definitely tired out your feet, but your soul would have been left glowing with energetic live music. Caroline Savransky

SANTA’S LETTING GO Following his biggest day of the year, Santa Klaus will be letting loose come Boxing Day, and he’ll be doing it at World Bar. Come Saturday he’ll be joined by James Taylor, Ben Morris, Trent Rackus, Johnny Rad, Discopunx, Matt Nukewood, Reno and a bunch more from 8pm.

TUESDAY NIGHT’S ALRIGHT Tuesday Night Live is at the Beach Road Hotel once again this week, the next crop of local artists on show including Wormholes Exist, David Hylton Band, Handasyd Williams and Brothers Primitive. Entry, like always, is free. Launching their new album, the headliners will also be at the Sandringham Hotel Wednesday.

ber, 2003, Jack that on 24 Decem DID YOU KNOW… e blues rock duo Th White, one half of troit police to ed himself into De rn tu , es rip St e hit W allegedly sault charges. He face aggravated as Von Bondies. ollsteimer of The attacked Jason St frontrunner Urthboy, Bang Gang’s Doom & Hoodrat, Elmo Is Dead, Kas_Cid, Astrix and a heap more will be providing the night’s entertainment.

Chris Fabri (aka The P!nk Show) will be channelling one of Australia’s favourite pop imports come Saturday at the Manly-Warringah Leagues Club. Performing all her classics, there’ll no be no lip-synching here, that’s for sure.

WELCOME HOLIDAYS As a longtime venue sponsor, Jager celebrates the wind down of 2009 with The Holidays, Guineafowl, Papermoon, The Upskirts and Four Chords at the Annandale Hotel. Taking place Wednesday night, the locally-focused lineup will be kicking things off at 7.30pm

BOX ON Finally, Boxing Day in Australia has a meaning. The Annandale Hotel will be hosting a night of music and drink with performances from local favourites The Fumes, The Maladies, Raise The Crazy, Dune Buggy Attack Squadron, The Money Smokers and The Ivy this Saturday. In true boozy-lunch fashion, it all kicks off at 4pm with the headliners booked in for 9pm.

NAME DROPPING

Oxford Art Factory 19/12/09

KING OF BLUES

STEP PANTHERS

TRASH @ RT HOTEL AGINCOU

KID SAM

THINK PINK

JOYSTICKS

Adam Wilding

The Step Panthers managed to find stability in this

KICKIN’ EVE Just because it’s Christmas doesn’t mean that World Bar is slowing down any and this Thursday they’ll be celebrating Christmas Eve with Teenage Kicks. Faux Nun, Johnny Darko, El Mariachi, M.I.T., Nic Yorke and more performing. It’s free from 9pm.

Making sure that you’ve got enough cash to survive the rest of the holiday season, the Mona Vale Hotel will be hosting a Christmas’ Eve party this Thursday that won’t cost you a cent to get in and has plenty of drink specials on offer. Performing live will be skip-hop

Ever pushing the boundaries of soul, the classicallytrained and jazz-practised Darryl Beaton has worked with names as diverse as Kanye West and Katie Noonan. Now bringing his world soul seduction local, he’ll be at Civic Underground this Wednesday. Entry is free.

The hauntingly dark room with a wall dedicated to screening post-modern and cult movies and couches in the oddest of places turned the entire experience of this night into some sort of exquisite blur.

Sydney-based singer/songwriter Leanne Paris and her nine-piece band will be making their way to the Pyrmont Bridge Hotel this Sunday. Kicking off at 5pm with free entry, it’s a great way to relax with some groove and jazz at the end of the Christmas weekend.

Established Sydney-based blues musicians, Ray Beadle & The King Brothers continue to make their mark locally and, we’re told, are beginning to do the same beyond our shores. This Thursday from 8.30pm, they’ll be welcoming the jolly fat man at the Pyrmont Bridge Hotel.

KIDS & DAUGHTERS Two of the Australian local indie scene’s brightest hopes, Kid Sam and Sherlock’s Daughter will be making their way to the Annandale Hotel this Sunday, where Emma Russack will be joining the bands, the night kicking off at 5pm.

ARIA ALBUM CHART 1. I Dreamed A Dream SUSAN BOYLE 2. Crazy Love MICHAEL BUBLE 3. Introducing STAN WALKER 4. The E.N.D THE BLACK EYED PEAS 5. Greatest Hits FOO FIGHTERS 6. The Fame Monster LADY GAGA 7. Fearless TAYLOR SWIFT 8. Glee: The Music – Season One – Vol 2 SOUNDTRACK 9. Reality Killed The Video Star ROBBIE WILLIAMS POWDERFINGER 10. Golden Rule

FBI’S FAVOURITE NEW AUSSIE SONGS FOR THIS WEEK Best Crisis Ever Hounds Success Saturday Night Tokyo Getaway Wasps Telescope Too Easy Hurt Me We’re All Gonna Die

APSCI CABINS AFXJIM MATT VAN SCHIE POLYGON PALACE ZEAL GOLD TANGO ROYALCHORD THE JEZABELS THE MODEL SCHOOL

THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009 • 57 •

live@drummedia.com.au

FIVE OF THE BEST

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hey’re going to call it a day after their upcoming New Year’s Eve Blink/SFX event at Space Nightclub, so we at Drum got a hold of Ash Phoenix and asked them what their favourite memories were from their time as a band. Playing the Come Together Festival Sydney 2008. Getting to discover parts of Australia on a budget of about $20.

KIDNEY THEIVES Your music is… Designed to make you have an awesome time, and possibly lose your pants. Which acts inspired you to produce your own music and why? Frank Zappa, Mr Bungle, Stevie Wonder, Estradasphere, early Incubus, Textures, Dillinger Escape Plan, and Kora. What’s your wildest ambition for your music? To be on the soundtrack for a teen comedy romp starring David Hasselhoff, with Renee Zellweger as the best friend. Why should we come and see you? Because we’re driving all the way down from Brisbane, battling New Year’s Eve traffic, to see you. How do you find the local live scene? It’s awesome, every time we’ve travelled to Sydney we’ve had the best time and had a great reception. It’s great to see people appreciating live original music! What’s your greatest rock’n’roll moment? We’ll tell you on the 1st January 2010. For more info see: myspace.com/thekidneythieves

Next available at: Thursday 31 December, Space Bar

Driving to Melbourne in a van with no radio, or aircon in the middle of summer. Playing our last show ever on New Year’s Eve 2009 in our hometown Sydney.

the ‘first Y…in 1989, coined ON CHRISTMAS DA scue and se au Ce ia, Nicolae couple’ of Roman rin by fi g squad mmarily executed wife Elena were su them guilty ary tribunal found after a secret milit aths ended the state. Their de of crimes against munist m co as dictatorship Nicolae’s 24-year party leader.

TWO OF A KIND `SOUND GRAFFITI World Bar’s The Wall will be having plenty to dance about when they throw their Christmas party this Wednesday. Led by Sleater Brockman you’ll also be able to catch Spruce Lee, Moriarty, Anna Lunoe, Magic Happens, Wax Motif, Discopunx, 16 Tacos, Cassette and a heap more deck action.

DIRTY SOUNDS

ELECTRIC MIND TREATMENT Saturday at the Beach Road Hotel will see The Electric Blankets performing live while DJ Brianscan fills in the sonic gaps.

MCCHRSITMAS Tim McArtney will be hosting the show this Wednesday at Raval, featuring himself, mcArtney, Rosie Henshaw, Luke Morton and Danny Carmichael. Make sure you’ve got your feel-good flowing strong and your bells a-ringin’.

LAUNCH PAD

PSYCH-OUT

Platform 31 at The Steyne Hotel will this Tuesday feature Extended Family as they continue to provide a stage for upcoming new talent. Come Tuesday 29 it’ll be mcArtney and Renny Field’s turn.

The Gaelic Theatre’s got a big night of music on this Saturday when the UK’s psytrance purveyors Eat Static take to the stage. Providing the evening’s support you can find Kaya Project, Atomic Pulse, Echotek, Strike Twice and Natasha Taylor.

SPA

BIG DAY ART

COMPETITION SPONSORED BY CATC DESIGN SCHOOL

• 58 • THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009

WHO Ash Phoenix WHEN AND WHERE Thursday 31, Space Nightclub

STAY INN WITH US The Hornsby Inn is hosting the Big Day Inn this Thursday, with Griever, Lovers Jump Creek, Sexy Like A Chocolate Strawberry, Until Inspiration Strikes, The Aldrins, Helter Skelter, 5 Shakes, Antimadas, Aver, Dan Allars, Andrew Ellis and Taya all set to perform. With the bands kicking off at 4pm, there’ll also be a free sausage sizzle on offer.

GOT THERAPY? Those heading along to the Macquarie Hotel this Thursday Christmas Eve will be treated to the sights and sounds of G-Money & The Therapists.

The Filth’s weekly residency at the Beach Road Hotel continues this week with Infusion and Kids At Risk taking to the stage. The headliners have a few classics up their sleeves which, if you’ve been paying attention over the last five years, you’ll know.

EXTENDED FAMILY

ON THE DRUM STEREO

Travelling to Ballarat to play with Grinspoon.

ber, 1964, The that on 26 Decem DID YOU KNOW… th ced an ad in e Rolling Stones pla press, wishing id New Musical Ex British music tablo ilies a happy ers and their fam starving hairdress birthday.

New Wave AGAINST ME! Soundwave 2010 VARIOUS Now Xmas VARIOUS My Christmas ANDREA BOCELLI Who Killed Sgt. Pepper BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE Abbey Road THE BEATLES Boys And Girls In America THE HOLD STEADY Addicted DEVIN TOWNSEND Conditions THE TEMPER TRAP My Dusty Road WOODY GUTHRIE

ARIA ALBUM CHART Merry Christmas MARIAH CAREY Pet Shop Boys Christmas PET SHOP BOYS Christmas In The Heart BOB DYLAN Noël JOSH GROBAN My Christmas ANDREA BOCELLI A Twisted Christmas TWISTED SISTER A Christmas Gift To You From Phil Spector VARIOUS White Christmas BING CROSBY Salvation Is Created BIFROST ARTS If On A Winter’s Night… STING

HOW BIG? HEAPS BIG! Gathering for the appropriately-named A Heaps Big Party!, a range of DJs, dance music industry people and surprise international guests will be teaming up to support less fortunate and indigenous youth. The confirmed acts include Kid Kenobi, Act Yo Age, Sampology, Alison Wonderland, Cassette, Tha Fizz, Two Fresh, Ro Sham Bo with more to be announced. It’s happening Sunday at SOHO and entry is a compulsory note donation.

ROCK AT THE TOWNY Gary J. will be bringing his pop-rock tunes to the Town Hall Hotel in Balmain this Thursday so come down from 9pm if you feel like a rockin’ Christmas Eve.

DROPPING XMAS BEATS To add a touch of soul-jazz class to your Christmas Eve, head to the Astral Bar at Star City this Thursday to catch the Eon Beats Project in action from 7:30pm. And as a happy Christmas present to you, it won’t cost you anything to get through the doors.

FIFTY SIXX

DAMNING EVE The punk/hardcore/party night that is Hot Damn is back again this Christmas Eve Thursday, celebrating the occasion in the only way they know how. Dropping into Spectrum for the live bands, you can catch Fifty Sixx, Mr Vengeance, Seven Steady before you move onto QBar and 34B and the range of genre-abiding DJs.

Design a front cover for Drum Media and be in the running to WIN passes to the Big Day Out 2010, CD prize packs of BDO artists, an internship at the magazine and more! Simply go to summerfestivalguide.com.au and click on Big Day Art competition to upload your depiction of an artist on the current Big Day Out schedule. Aside from an awesome prize pack the winner will have their art on the front cover of Drum Media.

HAVE YOUR SAY. Vote on twitter at twitter.com/DrumMedia to make sure your favourite cover art wins the People’s Choice Award. Check out entries at summerfestivalguide.com and let us know who you think should win a free double pass to the BDO as voted by you. Maybe they’ll take you along!

ENTRY OPENS THURSDAY DECEMBER 10 VOTING COMMENCES THURSDAY DECEMBER 10 COMPETITION CLOSES JANUARY 7

live@drummedia.com.au AIR INDEPENENT ALBUMS CHART 1. Some People Have Real Problems SIA 2. Gurrumul GEOFFREY GURRUMUL YUNUPINGU 3. Get Out While You Can DAN SULTAN 4. Secrets And Lies BERTIE BLACKMAN 5. Hope Is For Hopers PHILADELPHIA GRAND JURY 6. Hell Of A Ride ADAM BRAND 7. Grand National JOHN BUTLER TRIO 8. Jungle Blues C.W. STONEKING 9. Inside Story HORRORSHOW 10. Spitshine URTHBOY

UK SINGLES CHART ASTRONOMY CLASS

LOOK TO THE STARS It really is a fitting way to sign off the International Year of Astronomy, as Astronomy Class make their way into the Annandale Hotel for a Christmas Eve bash this Thursday. Earlier this year the hip hop collective released their second album, Pursuit Of Happiness, off which they’ll be sharing tracks of on the night. Empire Rising has scored the supporting slot.

ber, 1999, celthat on 26 Decem DID YOU KNOW… funk singer Curtis ebrated soul and er nearly a e early morning, aft th in d die eld yfi Ma h. decade of bad healt

1. Killing In The Name RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE 2. The Climb JOE MCELDERRY 3. Bad Romance LADY GAGA 4. BBC Children In Need Melody

5. Starstrukk 6. You Know Me 7. 3 Words 8. Russian Roulette 9. Don’t Stop Believin’ 10. Meet Me Halfway

PETER KAY’S ANIMATED ALL STAR

3OH!3 ft. KATY PERRY ROBBIE WILLIAMS CHERYL COLE RIHANNA JOURNEY BLACK EYED PEAS

Ratbag DJs. This one is strictly for those under 18 and kicks off at 4pm on Boxing Day, and it’ll cost you $15 a pop.

UNDERAGE PARTY TIMES Merry Christmas, young ‘uns! Head down to the Mona Vale Hotel this Saturday for a big afternoon of electro, House and indie fun featuring the record collections of Ajax, Matt, Ted & Francis, The Spirits, Red Brigades, Convaire, The Lockwoods, Panache Chants and

UP AND PERSONAL Not afraid to get in your face and throw their weight around a bit, Jimmy Swouse & The Angry Darts bring their punk rock discourse to the Lansdowne Hotel this Thursday. Joining them for the romp are Anklepants, Serious Beak and Joel Brocherie.

HOW LONG?

Come along to The Basement, Circular Quay, Saturday night for an evening of soul. ‘Sons of Soul’ will feature the talents of Adrian Petievanny, Jarrol Renaud, Ross Ferraro, Fenix Martinez and the Beau Golden Quartet.

ABBASOLUTE FUN

With four clubs over four rooms in one venue on one big day, the Exchange Hotel is going all out this Boxing Day Saturday. PASH will be housed in Spectrum, SoSueMe at QBar, Look Right makes its mark on 34B and Friend/s will be at Vegas Bar. Which one will you choose?

Head along to the Lansdowne Hotel this Sunday and you’ll catch the sights and sounds of Extension Chord with Sawmill Stiffies, Captain Kickarse & The Awesomes, Astral Screw Bolt and more all taking to the wellworn stage. As usual, entry is free and the evening kicks off at 6pm.

DJ Johnny Gleeson is wishing you a merry festive season and inviting you to come spend the night with him on the big day. He’ll be playing at Star City’s Astral Bar on Friday, with proceedings beginning 7pm, so come along to the free show if you want a very dancey end to your Christmas day.

If you feel like getting a bit of ‘70s magic into you on Boxing Day, head to the Canterbury-Hurlstone Park RSL to catch Abbalanche in action. They’ll kick their bright show off at 8:30pm and be asking you to throw in $10 at the door so you can sing and dance along to all your favourite ABBA hits as you wind down from the big day before.

HOUSE OF FUN

COUNTRY CRUISE

SOUL BROTHERS

Disco boy Rob Somatik will be tearing up the dance floor at Sean’s Kitchen from 8pm this Friday night in a show that is free for anyone who wants to come and party.

MERRY XMAS

No matter what you do on Christmas day, whether you have a big family gathering, ditch the family and celebrate with friends, maybe have an “orphan’s” Christmas with people who can’t get together with family because of long distances or, hell, even if you don’t celebrate Christmas at all and just chill out, we here at The Drum Media hope you enjoy your Christmas Day whatever it entails.

Why not hop on the Rhythmboat for a Boxing Day harbour cruise while you listen to the fine country tunes of Ronni Rae Rivers, Tall Timbre, Breyn Williams, Georgie White and Kiara Taylor? The boat departs from Pyrmont Bay Wharf at 11am and will take you around our picturesque harbour as you kick back and relax for $70.

GET GLEEFUL

COOKING UP A DANCE STORM

GIG OF THE WEEK

BREAK IN THE RHYTHM The Excelsior Glebe is taking a three-day break this week following their open mic night on Wednesday. The live music then returns on Sunday with Kent Parkstreet, Scenes From A Train and Brett Islaub all taking to the stage.

BOOGIE AT THE OPERA This Tuesday night the Opera Bar will host Boogie Tech, featuring the songs of Cam Douglas, funkster Michael Wheatley and Christo Alexander. Head along from 8:30pm to join the fun free.

XMAS IN SPACE The jam-packed weekly event YourSpace Muso Showcase at the Town Hall Hotel is throwing its seasonal party Wednesday. Joining in the celebrations are MK Numen, Ungus Ungus Ungus, Baba O’Riley, Protect The Innocent, Matt Reilly, Sally Hackett, Max Farrell, Alice Terry, Ben Bredis, Justin Holt, Dan McReed, The Estate and Machete Confete, free from 7pm.

FREEDMAN SUNDAYS

PETER’S XMAS ITINERARY

Whitlams mainman Tim Freedman is popping down to The Basement, Circular Quay, Sunday and be playing from 9:30pm with support from the lovely Ms Lucie Thorne. Tickets at the door are $40.

istmas Truce’ Y… in 1914, a ‘Chr ON CHRISTMAS DA e WWI’s of various points th took effect. Across to sing carols an soldiers began combat lines, Germ d calling cross no-man’s lan and then began to . With their as’ to their enemies out ‘Merry Christm ted ee gr , Allied soldiers suspicions quelled ge presents, ake hands, exchan the Germans to sh ge in a friendly in one case, indul hold funerals and, one of the last dly it proved to be Sa er. cc so of e m ga wartime chivalry. examples of true

Chaplin, a Y… in 1977, Charlie ON CHRISTMAS DA – medy filmmaking legend of early co erland. itz Sw in died in his sleep especially silent – because e, ac pe rest wasn’t in Unfortunately his se corp in an robbers stole his in March ’78 grave ily. It failed, money from the fam attempt to extort d under concrete. and he’s now burie

PLATINUM BRUNETTE

TRANNIES, TESTES AND TINSEL Just when you were beginning to think Christmas was going to be all Jesus-loving and religious, along comes XXXmas Eve at the Sandringham Hotel on Thursday. Led by the boys in dresses Platinum Brunette, the night also features Upside Down Miss Jane, Vertical Smirk and Psychic Date, for one big balls-out Christmas.

Sydney based guitarist Peter Northcote is keeping busy over the Christmas period, starting with his appearance with the Darryl Beaton Band at the Civic Hotel on Wednesday. Following on from that, he’ll be back at the Sunday residency at the Bride Hotel to compare Christmas presents. Joined by his band Drive, guest vocalist Barry Leef will be on hand. As per usual there’s a BBQ in the beer garden and kids are more than welcome. It’s a great opportunity to get them out of the house and away from the new shoot-‘em-up computer game that Santa brought them.

GET YOUR SHIT IN ATTN: Local bands! If you have a gig or release in the pipeline that you want to promote, send the details, blurb (no longer than 100 words) and pic (no bigger than 1MB, NO SMALLER THAN 200 DPI and in .JPG or .PDF format) to live@drummedia.com.au. Get in quick, it’s fuckin’ FREE!

THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009 • 59 •

gigs@drummedia.com.au

22 - 28 DECEMBER 2009

TUE 22 ANDY MAMMERS: Arden Lounge, Coogee ANDY MAMMERS, 40/40: Coogee Bay Htl BNO ROCK SHOW: Scruffy Murphys BOOGIE TECH, CAM DOUGLAS, MICHAEL WHEATLEY, CHRISTO ALEXANDER: Opera Bar IAN BLAKENEY: Dee Why RSL JAMES MORRISON, EMMA PASK: The Basement JON STEVENS, ROBERTSON BROS: Blue Tongue Stadium Gosford MISTER & SUNBIRD, DOC JONES & THE LECHERY ORCHESTRA: The Vanguard PETER HEAD: Harbourview Htl RICHARD CLAPTON: Lizottes ROB HENRY: Observer Htl SAM & JAMIE SHOW: Maloney’s Hotel STEVE TONGE: O’Malleys Kings X SUMMER SERIES: Sydney Opera House TALL TIMBRE: Penrith RSL WORMHOLES EXIST, DAVID HYLTON, HANDASYD WILLIAMS & THE BROTHERS PRIMITAVE: Beach Rd Htl Bondi WORMHOLES EXIST, DAVID HYLTON, HANDASYD WILLIAMS, BROTHERS PRIMITIVE: Bondi Beach YUKI KUMAGAI, JOHN MACKIE, TONY BURKYS: Hernandez Cafe Darlinghurst

WED 23 AMY ROSE BUCKLE, LUCY MASON, JACK DIAZ, JUSTINE MARTINE, RACHEL MICALIF: The Basement ANDY MAMMERS: Ettamogah Htl CATCH 22: 3 Wise Monkeys CELL BLOCK 69: Oxford Art Factory DARRYL BEATON: CIVIC UNDERGROUND FENTON WILDE: Hale Rd Tavern

GIN WIGMORE: Sydney Opera House GIRAFFES CASINO: Bizzos - Caringbah HIT SEEKERS: Scruffy Murphys INFUSION, KIDS AT RISK: Bondi Beach JP: O’Malleys Kings X KINGBAYLER, PLEASANTVILLE, MACCY D: The Vanguard LUCY SASSOON: Dee Why RSL LUKE DIXON, DAVE WHITE: Crows Nest Htl MATT NUKEWOOD, U-GO-BE, CASSIAN, OAKES & LENNOX, HERE’S TROUBLE, EKO, KAVI R, MISTAH CEE: Eastern Hotel, Bondi Junction MIKE BENNETT: Observer Htl MJ NUMEN, UNGUS UNGUS UNGUS, BABA O’RILEY, PROTECT THE INNOCENT, MATT REILLY, SALLY HACKETT, MAX FARRELL, ALICE TERRY, BEN BRIEDIS: Town Hall Htl Balmain MUSOS CLUB JAM NIGHT: Bald Faced Stag OPEN MIC: Excelsior Glebe PETER HEAD: Harbourview Htl PLATINUM BRUNETTE, FAMILIA, WORMHOLES EXIST, POST JONES, ROSE OF YORK, LITTLE FURY: Sandringham Htl RICHARD CLAPTON: Lizottes RONNIE ROCKER, EL MARIACHI: Q Bar Darlinghurst SUPERHEAVYWEIGHTS: Macquarie Htl Surry Hills SUSAN GAI DOWLING DUO: Melody Markets, Chatswood Mall THE FALLS, XMAS PARTY: Hollywood Htl Surry Hills THE FAVOURITES: Opera Bar THE HOLIDAYS, GUINEAFOWL, PAPERMOON, UPSKIRTS, SPECTACLES, FOUR CHORDS: Annandale Htl THE WALL, SLEATER BROCKMAN, SPRUCE LEE, MORIARTY, ANNA LUNOE, MAGIC HAPPENS, WAX MOTIF, DISCOPUNX, 16 TACOS: World Bar Kings X

• 60 • THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009

SISTER JANE: FRIDAY 25, WORLD BAR

THE FALLS: WEDNESDAY 23, HOLLYWOOD HTL THEY CALL ME BRUCE: Coogee Bay Htl TRIVIA NIGHT: Vineyard Htl TWO TONE BLUE: Jazushi Restaurant Surry Hills UNI NIGHT: Lansdowne Htl WILDCATZ: Blacktown RSL

THU 24 AAMAZING ENTERTAINMENT KARAOKE: Penrith Htl AM 2 PM: Coogee Bay Htl ANDY MAMMERS DUO: Penrith Panthers, Fluid Bar ASTRONOMY CLASS, LOOSE CHANGE, EMPIRE RISING: Annandale Htl BLISS BOMBS: Rocksia Hotel, Arncliffe BLONDE 182: Jewells Tavern Newcastle BONDI HOUSE DJ’S, PACTMAN: Eastern Hotel, Bondi Junction CARD ANGELS + CHRISTINA BYRNE: Ettamogah Htl CAROLS BY THE TREE, BLUES POINT: Darling Harbour

EBONY & IVORY: Oasis on Beamish ELEVATION-U2 SHOW: Scruffy Murphys

JANE, VERTICAL SMIRK, PSYCHIC DATE: Sandringham Htl

ENDLESS SUMMER BEACH: Waves Htl Wollongong

REBECCA JOHNSON BAND: Brighton RSL

ENDLESS SUMMER BEACH PARTY: Towradgi Beach Htl

SINGLED OUT: Marlborough Htl

FIFTY SIXX, MR VENGEANCE, STEVEN STEADY, HOT DAMN! DJ’S: Spectrum FLAMIN’ BEAUTIES: Mortdale Htl FML VS LAZER KATZ, DOKATRONIQUE, BLOODY DISCO, ELMO IS DEAD, SMS, DOWN N DIRTY, TEEZ, KAS_CID, BLOGWARS: Candys Apartment GARY J: Town Hall Htl Balmain G-MONEY & THE THERAPISTS: Macquarie Htl Surry Hills HAPPY HIPPIES: Jannali Inn HELLO CLEVELAND, MARK DA COSTA AND THE BLACK LIST: Crows Nest Htl JIMMY BEAR: PJ Gallaghers Drummoyne LIONEL ROBINSON: Dee Why RSL LIVE SESSION: Kinselas LOCAL ALL STARS: Bondi Beach

CHART BUSTERS: Heathcote Hotel

MANDI JARRY: Sir Joseph Banks Hotel

CHRISTMAS KISSES: Penrith RSL

MARTYS PLACE: Cronulla RSL

CONTINENTAL BLUES PARTY: Funky Cafe, Newtown

MATT JONES DUO, BEN FINN DUO: Castle Hill Tavern

DAVID AGIUS: PJ Gallaghers Parramatta

MILLENIUM BUG: 3 Wise Monkeys

DJ EXPRESS: Criterion Htl Weston DJ SHYRUN, DJ BEE ROCK, DJ PAPPU: Oxford Art Factory, Live Art Space

PAUL GREENE: The Point Bowling Club PETER HEAD: Harbourview Htl PLATINUM BRUNETTE, UPSIDE DOWN MISS

SOUL TATTOO: Winmalee Tavern SOUNDS LIKE TWO: Bull & Bush TEENAGE KICKS, FAUX NUN, JOHNNY DARKO, EL MARIACHI, NIC YORKE: World Bar Kings X THE AUSTRALIAN PINK SHOW: Bradbury Inn

XMAS DAY: Bondi Beach ZOLTAN: Cabravale Diggers

SAT 26 2 OF HEARTS: Lithgow Workers 2 WAY SPLIT: Peachtree Htl Penrith 2DAYS HITS: R.G.McGees, Richmond 3RD TIME LUCKY: The Crest Kings X AAMAZING ENTERTAINMENT KARAOKE: Penrith Htl ABBALANCHE: Canterbury Hurlstone Park RSL

DJ, GARY J: Mounties Club Mt Pritchard DOUBLE TROUBLE: Coogee Legions DZ: Neverland Bar EAT STATIC, KAYA PROJECT, ATOMIC PULSE, ECHOTEK, STRIKE, NATASHA TAYLOR: Gaelic Club ELECTRIC BLANKETS, DJ BRAINSCAN: Bondi Beach ENDLESS SUMMER BEACH PARTY: Sharkies FUNKTION: 3 Wise Monkeys

UNITY HALL JAZZ BAND: Unity Hall Htl

ADRIAN PETLEVANNY, JARROL RENAUD, ROSS FERRARO, FENIX MARTINEZ, BEAU GOLDEN QUARTET: The Basement

URTHBOY: Mona Vale Hotel

AM 2 PM: PJ Gallaghers Parramatta

GOT IT COVERED: Cronulla RSL

WHITE BROS: Quakers Inn

ANDY MAMMERS: Ivanhoe Manly

GTS: Richmond Club

WILDCATZ: Northies Cronulla HtlSport Bar

AS LONG AS IT GROOVES: Wentworthville Leagues

HAPPY HIPPIES, SOUNDS LIKE TWO: Bull & Bush

ZOLTAN: The Mill

BLUE MOON QUARTET: Fairfield RSL, Supper Club

HEATH BURDELL: Clovelly Htl

FRI 25

CALIFORNICATIONRHCP SHOW: Steyne Htl Manly

HOORAY FOR EVERYTHING: Balmain Leagues

CATCH 22: Scruffy Murphys

HUE WILLIAMS: Five Dock RSL

CHAMBERS, AJAX, TED & FRANCIS, THE SPIRITS, CONVAIRE, THE LOCK WOODS, PANACHE CHANTS, RED BRIDGADES, RATBAG DJ’S: Mona Vale Htl

JEFF DUFF TRIO, BOOGALOO ALLSTARS, BETH YEN, MS MAZ: Opera Bar

TWO MINDS: Peachtree Htl Penrith

2 OF HEARTS: Canterbury Hurlstone Park RSL AM 2 PM: Western Suburbs Leagues Club CHRISTMAS KISSES: Revesby Workers, Whitlam Theatre SISTER JANE, WE SAY BAMBOULEE, THOD, DJ NUDE, DJ BANSHEE, DJ COSMIC EXPLORER, WALKIE TALKIE, BEARHUG, LOVE CONNECTION: Mum @ The World Bar WARPED: Watershed Htl Darling Harbour

CM4: Marlborough Htl COVER CATS: Brighton RSL DEAN HAITANI, JAMES PARRINO: Dee Why RSL DES GIBSON: Lansvale Htl

GIORGOS MAZONAKIS, SARBEL, KELLY KALTSI: Enmore Theatre

KEEP THE FAITH BON JOVI SHOW: Blacktown Workers LAURIE BENNETT JAZZ BAND, CHART BUSTERS: Penrith RSL LUKE DIXON: Moorebank Sports Club MANDI JARRY: Castle Hill RSL

MASTERPIECE: Crows Nest Htl MATT NUKEWOOD, TEKKENMAN, STEVE FRANK, CBU, MISTAH CEE: Eastern Hotel, Bondi Junction MILLENNIUM BUG: Mean Fiddler Htl MISS BLYTHE, PHDJ, M.I.T, ERECTRO, KILL THE LANDLORD, THE LOST BOYS: Purple Sneaker -Abercrombie Htl NICK NORTON TRIO: The Belvedere Htl NOVA TONE: Taren Point Bowling Club PANORAMA, TANDEM: Paddy Maguires Haymarket PARTY CENTRAL: Eastern Suburbs Leagues PARTY VIBE: Campbelltown Catholic Club PAUL GREENE: Matraville Htl REBECCA JOHNSON BAND: Maloney’s Hotel RECKLESS: Northies Cronulla HtlSport Bar RITUAL, MATT NUKEWOOD, NORTHIE, TEEZ, SLIPPERYWHENWET, JOE LE FRO, + MORE DJs: Candys Apartment ROB HENRY, MATT JONES: Observer Htl SANTA KLAUS, JAMES TAYLOR, BEN MORRIS, TRENT RACKUS, JOHNNY RAD, DISCOPUNX, MATT NUKEWOOD, RENO, MONEY SHOT: World Bar Kings X SIMON NEAL, DANNY PRESTI: Cruise Bar, The Rocks SINGLED OUT: Orient Htl

THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009 • 61 •

gigs@drummedia.com.au

22 - 28 DECEMBER 2009 SKY BAR: Watershed Htl Darling Harbour

TONY WILLIAMS: PJ Gallaghers Drummoyne

SOAP OPERA: Riverwood Legions

TWO MINDS: Italian Forum Leichhardt

SOUL TATTOO: Kemps Crk Bowling Club

WILDCATZ: Blacktown RSL

SOUNDS LIKE TWO: Coogee Bay Htl STEVE EDMONDS BAND: Woy Woy Leagues STUPID GIRLZ-PINK SHOW: Manly Warringah Leagues Club TERRY BATU: Bidwill Htl THE ANTHILL MOBB: Panthers TC’s THE CRAIC: Penrith Gaels THE FUMES, THE MALADIES, RAISE THE CRAZY, DUNE BUGGY ATTACK SQUADRON, THE IVYS, THE MALADIES, MONKEY SMOKERS: Annandale Htl THE ROBBIE WILLIAMS SHOW: South Hurstville RSL

ZOLTAN: Hurlstone Park RSL

SUN 27 AAMAZING ENTERTAINMENT KARAOKE: Penrith Htl ACCA DACQUIRIS, LAST RESORT: Opera Bar ALMOST FAMOUS: Teagardens Htl AM 2 PM: The Belvedere Htl ANDY MAMMERS: Hillside Htl Castle Hill BLISS BOMBS: Scruffy Murphys BONDI CIGARS: Laurieton Hotel CAMBO, ROB HENRY: Observer Htl CHARLIE HARPER BAND: Towradgi Beach Htl

THE WAVES: Harbord Beach Htl

CHARLIE HARPER BAND: Waves Htl Wollongong

THEY CALL ME BRUCE: Town Hall Htl Balmain

CHRIS & MARTY: Northies Cronulla HtlSport Bar

• 62 • THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009

THE FUMES: SATURDAY 26, THE ANNANDALE HTL CHRIS AND MARTY DUO, DAVE WHITE DUO: Northies Cronulla Htl

GREG LINES: Hurstville RSL Club

DAVE AGIUS DUO: Ettamogah Htl

HEATH BURDELL: Coogee Bay Htl

MANDI JARRY: Penrith Panthers, Fluid Bar

DJ MISS GABBY: Watershed Htl Darling Harbour

HOORAY FOR EVERYTHING: Italian Forum Leichhardt

MATT JONES: Castle Hill RSL

DWAYNE ELIX & THE ENGINEERS: Marrickville Bowling Club ENDLESS SUMMER BEACH PARTY: Peachtree Htl Penrith FUMO BLUE: Hunters Hill Hotel

HAPPY HIPPIES: Bull & Bush

HUNGRY KIDS OF HUNGARY: Woodford Folk Festival JIMMY BEAR: Town Hall Htl Balmain KENT PARKSTREET, SCENES FROM A TRAIN, BRETT ISLAUB: Excelsior Glebe

KID SAM, SHERLOCKS DAUGHTER, EMMA RUSSACK: Annandale Htl

MATT VAUGHAN: Phoenix Bar, Exchange Htl

TIM FREEDMAN: MONDAY 28, THE BASEMENT West End Htl, Balmain STEVE EDMONDS BAND: Kent Htl Hamilton TIM FREEDMAN, LUCIE THORNE: The Basement

Observer Htl PETER HEAD: Harbourview Htl

ZOLTAN: Harbord Beach Htl

MON 28

SONGWRITER SESSIONS: Excelsior Surry Hills

TOM TRELAWNY: O’Malleys Kings X

3 WAY SPLIT: Scruffy Murphys

SUMMER SERIES, DAN

TONY SLAVICH: Dee Why RSL

BONDI CIGARS: Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga

AWESOME 80’S:

HAPPY HIPPIES: Orient Htl

THE JAM THING:

PIXIE JENKINS: Penrith RSL

UNITY HALL JAZZ BAND: Unity Hall Htl

REBECCA JOHNSON BAND: St George Motor Boat Club

VERSIONARIES: Bondi Beach

SHANE FLEW:

WHOPPING BIG NAUGHTY: Sandringham Htl

WHITE BROS: PJ Gallaghers Drummoyne

LIONEL ROBINSON: Dee Why RSL MIKE BENNETT, BERNIE:

SPILLANE, TOTALLY Coogee Bay Htl

Gasworks Nightclub, Albion Htl TIM FREEDMAN, PERRY KEYES: The Basement

THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009 • 63 •

finish

LINE

Industry news with Bryget Chrisfield Got news? Announcements? Gossip? Unsubstantiated but hilarious rumours? Send them all to finishline@streetpress.com.au

RAGE AGAINST X FACTOR

Since we last met, MusicNSW has appointed a new Corporate Director following Jane’s move to SurfAid. We are delighted to announce that Greg Carey has been appointed as our new Director Corporate, commencing in January 2010. Greg’s experience as a music business entrepreneur, his work on all levels of the industry and his excellent knowledge of MusicNSW’s mission and operations made him the ideal candidate in a strong field of applicants. Indent, the youth project of MusicNSW, provides funding, resources, advice and support for young people between 12 and 25 years to develop their local all ages’ music scene. Greg is the current ranking Indent Project Manager and his move to Corporate Director in the new year, will mean a brand new line-up for the successful all ages project. 2010 will also mark the tenth year Indent has actively supported young people to develop their skills in event management whilst promoting safety, community support, sustainability and emerging talent. Next time we meet Indent will have some exciting news about amassing a number of ‘birthday parties’ throughout NSW.

BREAKTHROUGH TO CONTINUE The Breakthrough; Emerging Indigenous Contemporary Musicians Initiative, that piloted in 2009 will continue in 2010, supporting three emerging Indigenous musicians/groups by providing them with funding up to $25,000 to produce a high quality recording CD, with the aim achieving a more sustainable future through greater public awareness, appreciation and value of Indigenous Performing Arts. The Cultural Ministers Council (CMC) – that’s where Peter Garrett hangs now – is behind this initiative.

MERLIN JOINS MYSPACE Cast your memory back a few issues and you should remember MySpace Music launching to scathing reviews of their lack of independent content. Well a right has been wronged and MySpace Music has recently announced quite a lucrative partnership for global independent music licensing agency Merlin. Merlin is a not for profit licensing agency that was established in 2007 to assist its members; indie labels and their trade associations, develop new revenue streams and negotiate new media deals. In Australia that association is AIR. MySpace Music offers the opportunity to purchase music as well as promoting the music they like to others. With Merlin’s repertoire representing 10 percent of the global music market, the MySpace Music catalogue will form one of the largest online independent music sources. MusicNSW will close up from 23 December and will re open fresh and spritely on 4 January. We would like to wish you all a happy, safe and musical holiday.

• 64 • THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009

What started as an Essex couple’s protest against the predictable nature of the UK’s Christmas number one in recent years has resulted in a massive win. Jon and Tracy Morter attempted to get Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up to the top of the festive chart last year and used this experience to great effect securing the festive single crown for Rage Against The Machine’s expletive-heavy song Killing In The Name. The couple started a Facebook group on 13 December, putting forward RATM’s 17-year-old song as a contender to block X Factor winner Joe McElderry from the top spot. McElderry’s winner’s single is a cover of Miley Cyrus’s The Climb, which she released in March this year, and his success would have meant five consecutive Christmas number ones for X Factor winners. The 18-yearold singer from Newcastle admitted he had never heard the Rage Against The Machine track that was originally released when he was one year old. Once he had listened to the song he branded it “dreadful” before adding, “I hate it!”

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

Camp Rage included comedian Peter Serafinowicz (who urged his 268,000-plus Twitter followers to purchase Killing In The Name) and Paul McCartney, who appeared on the X Factor finale and told Sky News he thought it would be “funny” if the US band beat McElderry to the top spot “because it would prove a point”. RATM accepted an invitation to be interviewed on BBC 5live Breakfast and also agreed not to swear when they performed the song live from Los Angeles on 17 December. The band didn’t stay true to their word and after a barrage of “fuck”s, the song was faded out and the station issued an official apology. Killing In The Name won the race on the basis of downloads alone and sold approximately 500,000 copies in the pre-Christmas week (50,000 more than McElderry). Upon hearing this news, RATM frontman Zack De La Rocha told Radio 1’s Scott Mills the victory was “more about the spontaneous action taken by young people in the UK to topple this very sterile pop monopoly. When young people decide to take action they can make what’s seemingly impossible, possible.” Part of the proceeds from sales of the single will be donated to the homeless charity, Shelter – £64,726.00 at the time of writing. De La Rocha also said his band would make good on their promise of playing a free concert in the UK next year. Despite the anti-X Factor sentiment, both records have links to Simon Cowell – the Rage track was released by Sony and McElderry’s by Cowell’s Syco label (a Sony subsidiary).

MORRISSEY DIES BY THE SWORD

POP AND ROLL HALL OF FAME

Within a commentary on recent events, Morrissey posted an apology on his webzine, True To You: “I am sorry that Swords was such a meek disaster. It was proposed and accepted as a budget-priced CD, yet emerged everywhere as the most expensive CD in the racks. It was poorly distributed and didn’t stand a chance, and ranks as the lowest chart position I’ve ever encountered. I remain steadfastly proud of Years Of Refusal, which along with You Are The Quarry and Ringleader Of The Tormentors are my life’s peaks. These three will allow me to die in peace. I am no longer in the thrall of anything that preceded them; the past is not me.” Morrissey stressed his “parting with Universal is not a negative” and expressed general disappointment in the music industry, describing it as “purely marketdriven – not even youth-driven anymore”. Morrissey also took the opportunity to thank staff at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon following his onstage collapse in October – “I had no idea such kindness existed”. With flu epidemics at every turn, Morrisey explained that “I could not listen to medical advice that cautioned me to stand back from the audience and not to shake anyone’s hand.” Unfortunately Australian and New Zealand fans won’t have the opportunity to cop a feel. “Hopes of concerts in New Zealand and Australia collapsed under a mound of doubts.” So what does 2010 hold for the pope of mope? “Record label interest is zero, but the sun will creep back into the room one way or another. It always does.”

The artists to be inducted into the 2010 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame span a broad range of genres and performers. Inductees comprise ABBA, The Stooges, Genesis, Jimmy Cliff and The Hollies. The Stooges have waited several years for their moment and sadly guitarist Ron Asheton didn’t live to see the day. A slew of non-performers will also be inducted as recipients of the Ahmet Ertegun Award: music mogul David Geffen, two dream songwriting teams from the Brill Building – Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, Elle Greenwich & Jeff Barry, and songwriters Jesse Stone, Mort Shuman and Otis Blackwell. Greenwich also passed on earlier this year. Inductees are eligible for inclusion when it’s been 25 years since the release of their first recording and unsuccessful shortlisted acts waiting until next year to be reconsidered include Kiss, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Donna Summer and LL Cool J. The 25th annual induction ceremony will be held at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City Monday 15 March and will air live on Fuse, Madison Square Garden’s national music television network. Presenters and performers at the induction ceremony will be announced later but we’re hoping ABBA will perform Dancing Queen with Iggy Pop on background vocals.

COURTS DENY COURT The guardianship of 17-year-old Frances Bean Cobain has been temporarily awarded to her

grandmother Wendy O’Connor and aunt Kimberly Dawn Cobain. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled against Courtney Love who has again lost legal control of her daughter with late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. Love previously lost custody in 2003 after being arrested trying to break into an ex-boyfriend’s home. She regained custody two years later after proving to the court that she’d kicked her drug habit. Keith Fink, Love’s friend and lawyer, told US gossip website TMZ.com that this time, “Courtney’s been clean for years and is perfectly fine. This is simply about Frances preferring to live with her grandmother at this time.” The court papers, filed by the Superior Court of California Friday 11 December, were published on TMZ.com. O’Connor and Kimberley Dawn Cobain don’t have power over the trust fund established for Frances Bean Cobain after her father’s death in 1994. “Courtney wants to say she loves her daughter and she’s the most important thing in her life,” Fink said, stressing that Love’s daughter is “a strong-willed child, and this is a decision she made on her own.” A hearing on the matter is set for 10 February. Love’s upcoming album is due for release next year and holds the unfortunate title Nobody’s Daughter.

HOLD THE CHILI PEPPER John Frusciante has confirmed his departure from Red Hot Chili Peppers on his blog JohnFrusciante. com. “When I quit the band, over a year ago, we were on an indefinite hiatus. There was no drama or anger involved, and the other guys were very understanding. They are supportive of my doing whatever makes me happy and that goes both ways. To put it simply, my musical interests have led me in a different direction.” This is the second time Frusciante has quit the Peppers, the first in 1992 in order to recover from drug addiction following the release of Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik. Session guitarist Josh Klinghoffer has toured with the band for the last couple of years and is rumoured to be Frusciante’s replacement.

WALKER: CHART RANGER As expected, Idol winner Stan Walker can’t lance the Boyle off the top spot of the ARIA Albums Chart this week, nor can he burst the Bublé at number two, settling for a debut at three with his Introducing set. Another local making hay on Christmas pressie CD sales is Kate Ceberano, the proudly Scientologist singer lagging behind out-Christian, Walker, but nonetheless seeing her Merry Christmas release bullet from 26 to 17. Walker also sits at three in the Singles Chart with Black Box (so far having peaked at two). Local tweemo faves Short Stack scored the week’s highest debut as their Sweet December single swooped in at eight. Interestingly, Kate MillerHeidke sits at 34 and 35 with Caught In The Crowd (climbing) and The Last Day On Earth (dropping) respectively. In the US, expat Orianthi continues to climb up their Hot 100 with her single According To You jumping from 67 to 55.

WINNERS ARE GRINNERS Winners of the Jäger Uprising quarter final are The Cadres. They will compete against northern beaches outfit Static Silhouettes and three other bands determined in the final rounds of the competition through the first half of 2010. The grand final will be held as part of the Annandale Hotel’s tenth birthday celebrations. Bands interested in competing should via email to kristie@annandalehotel.com (include a link to your MySpace).

BEHIND THE LINES WITH MICHAEL SMITH

UTS SCORES PRO TOOLS EXPERT One of the audio industry’s most respected Pro Tools trainers, Brent Heber, has joined the UTS Sydney: Pro School instructor team. Heber brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience that includes seven years working as Avid Digidesign’s local Product Specialist and Pro Audio Applications Engineer. He is one of the few people in the world to have completed all 300 level Expert qualifications (ICON mixer, Post-Production and Music) from Avid Digidesign. Heber will be teaching the Digidesign Pro School courseware and accreditation programs, from 101 to “Expert” levels. The next round of UTS: Pro School short courses will run in February, so for details, course booking and enrolment information, go to the website at utsproschool.uts.edu.au.

WELCOME JOHN HUDSON Former owner and engineer of Mayfair Studios in London, John Hudson has joined resident engineer Anthony The and the hardworking staff at Level 7 Studios in Sydney. Hudson obviously bring with him a wealth of experience that includes working with an enormous number of artists including Pink Floyd, David Bowie and The Who, contributing to more than 160 top ten chart entries since 1975 winning two Grammy Awards for his work with Tina Turner. Mayfair studios itself was one of the leading studios in London for almost 30 years. For all Level 7 Studio and its associated Benchmark Mastering enquires, call (02) 9211 3017 or email info@benchmarkmastering.com.

CMI SCORE QUESTED MONITORS CMI Music and Audio have been awarded the Australian distribution for Quested Monitoring Systems (Quested), one of the world’s most highly respected reference speaker manufacturers. This coincides with the news of Roger Quested’s reacquisition of the Quested company from the Soundmix Group with the assistance of new co-owner Guy Lewis. Quested originally developed his soft-dome monitoring system in the early ‘80s following an illustrious career as an engineer and studio manager for Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd among others. The system vastly improved sound

THE RADIATORS monitoring accuracy, previously only available in a few selected ultra high-end hi-fi speakers. Requests for these systems among engineers, producers, studios, driver manufacturers became so numerous it was obvious a company had to be set up – Quested Monitoring Systems. For more information on Quested products, contact Jason Hearn at CMI on (03) 9315 2244.

RADIATORS OPEN SURVIVAL SCHOOL In what has to be something of a world first, ‘80s pub rock legends The Radiators are using their wealth of experience to help aspiring young musicians and songwriters by opening The Radiators’ Survival School in Sydney. Already built, the fully equipped campus features a film studio, recording studio, computer labs and classrooms in the Julius Events College facility at Rydalmere and offers accredited technical production and management Advanced Diploma courses presented by seasoned industry professionals including the former manager of Studio 301 Steve Defina, producer/engineers Peter Blyton and Rob Zimola, theatre producer Simone Parrott and audio/visual technologists Julius Grafton, Andy Mackenzie, James Den-Ouden and Mick Quinn. And of course The Radiators and their extensive network of music industry friends. For details check into The Radiators website. Email relevant info to btl@drummedia.com.au

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CLASSIFIED BOOKINGS, PRINT AND ONLINE:

MUSICIANS WANTED BASS PLAYER Bass player wanted for rock band, phone: 0414 863 833 iFlogID: 1574

Guitarist required. National airplay

professional original alternative rock

Singer needed for original rock

No time wasters only dream chas-

on MMM. Mature minded, commit-

band to get signed to a major label.

band.

Drum Tuition with a Billy Hyde

ers, got to live and brethe it, think

ted and willingness to learn. Have

Must be ambitious, self-motivated,

Guitar ability a bonus but not essi-

trained teacher.Dip Drums, Dip Ed.

Rage against the machine, early

producer ready to record single.

committed, reliable and have a lot of

ential.Some covers.Age 25-35.

disturbed, System of a down. For

Influences U2, Pearl Jam, Chili

drive. No metal. Sound: Muse meets

Influences: Bon Jovi, KISS, Motley

more information please contact

Peppers etc. Contact Manuel on

The Killers. Phone 0403 576 156.

Crue,etc.

Regular gigs & highly anticipated EP

Prefer BV’s, Minimum rehearsal, pro

Drummer wanted to form 3 piece

release. www.myspace.com/stray-

attitude and gear, metro gigs $150.

rock band.Check out demos at

Call 0419 437 794.

www.myspace.com/cableworld

official 0402022973

iFlogID: 1728

iFlogID: 1581

GET SIGNED TO MAJOR LABEL! Drummer is forming a fast paced professional original alternative rock band to get signed to a major label. Must be ambitious, self-motivated, committed, reliable and have a lot of drive. No metal. Sound: Muse meets The Killers. Phone 0403 576 156. iFlogID: 1692

BASSIST NEEDED FOR ROCK BAND

com

needed. Working 2-3 nights a week,

Skilled bass player wanted for alter-

0433892027

we need a reliable and enthusiastic

native rock band. Good technique

David

a Down, Primus, Mr Bungle. Debut album being released and European

com/mynameforyourname. -

mynameforyourname@hotmail.

com. Call Davey 0410 963 972

Drummer is forming a fast paced professional original alternative rock band to get signed to a major label.

DRUMMER

iFlogID: 1575

Early twenties for established original Alt/Rock band based on the Central Coast. You must be willing to rehearse, play gigs and want to succeed. If you just want to be in a band this ain’t for you. Call Luke 0423369024 iFlogID: 1726

PRO BASSIST FOR ROCK COVERS

Must be ambitious, self-motivated,

DRUMMER WANTED FOR PROG BAND

311 360

iFlogID: 1702

love and finally get paid what you’re

looking for an experienced singer

Days,3 islands and professional

worth.

to complement our heavy style. An

DJ training.Includes all meals, your

Go to: http://remedy.pmgnorthstar.

awesome scream is a must, but

room,entertainment,DJ course plus

com/promusos. html

you need to be well rounded. Good

lots more.Go to www.djbootcamp.

iFlogID: 1778

lyrics, rhythm and song writing.

Powderfinger, Chisel (not Khe Sahn) anything good. Experienced and relaxed players to start gig-

com to book.Sails sept 2010.

VOCALIST WANTED

au and we can send you out some

Centred Self seeks frontman! Solid

stuff or get you in for a jam.

gigging and recording schedule

SINGING LESSONS THAT ROCK

planned for 2010. Contact Symon

Your voice has the ability to sing

Male singers wanted to join Pop

0409 919 508 www.myspace.com/

R&B Vocal Dance Group between

centredself iFlogID: 1768

the ages of 16-30 with manage-

SERVICES

ment also available for an audition:

OTHER

on 0414725035 or email detials to Vocalist wanted for heavy rock

vocalgroup2000@yahoo.com iFlogID: 1737

band. Must have strong dynamic

learn to sin the right technique the first time, career counseling

Rehearse in Sutherland Shire. approx 25-40 y/o. 0405 414 592,

who is comfy playing styles from

good gear and transport are essen-

speed metal to ambient lounge.

tial. Gigs already lined up. Influ-

Email riley_perry@hotmail.com

ences Pixies, The Cure, Bowie, The

MUSICIANS WANTED

Cars, The Beatles. Call 0415 828

Sydney based Singer Song writer

SINGER WNTED FOR SYD ROCK BAND

843. www.myspace.com/alterego-

seeks a Lead guitarist, Bassist and

Sydney rock band AlienOrphans

3 piece band looking for 80’s sleaze

reduce the level of sound without

mania

drummer between ages 22-30 to

are looking for a singer/songwriter.

metal influenced singer. 18 and 19

adversely affecting the frequency

form an original acoustic rock band.

Check out instrumentals on www.

year old guys need singer to help

response of the music. Choose

Must be dedicated, motivated and

myspace.com/alienorphans. Look-

write and sing lyrics for original

between 10,15 and 25dB attenua-

iFlogID: 1629

TIMEKEEPER WANTED Opportunity for drummer to join a

iFlogID: 1697

new, established, original Sydney

iFlogID: 1542

trical work. Pro full time Luthier in

Cain, COG etc. To hear demo songs

for Sydney covers/party band. EXP

North West Sydney. Call Timo 9484

go to: www.myspace.com/girlson-

ESSENTIAL. Weddings, Private &

4374 www.tolvanenguitars.com

drugs2. Contact 0424 561 141

Corporate functions. Gigs booked.

iFlogID: 308

Send demos and information to:

EARPLUGS FOR MUSICIANS

iFlogID: 1488

info@smoketheband.com.au iFlogID: 1748

Protect your hearing with custom moulded earplugs designed to

rock band. Due to the unexpected

GUITARIST WANTED

flight of a founding member, we

Established metal band seek new

have good gear. Contact Paul via

ing for age 25+. Professionalism

guitarist. Go to www.myspace.com/

material. Influences Faster Pussy-

tion. Fitted by professional audiolo-

now seek someone with strength,

email at paulmarcmusic@gmail.

is a must!

stodowa. Nick 0419 218 726

cat, Motley, Gunners, Poison. Con-

gist, by appointment only. Ph 9387

professionalism and commitment.

com

Call Shane on 0432683258.

tact Mark, phone 0405975888 mail

3599

Label interest with record deal imminent. 25-35. Call Jamie, 0411 660 231 iFlogID: 1634

iFlogID: 1770

GROOVE GUITARIST WANTED Well established heavy groove

iFlogID: 1597

MUSICIANS WANTED

iFlogID: 1582

Lead Singer 42, reforming Stone

GET SIGNED TO A MAJOR LABEL!

Cry. Drummer, Bass Player, Lead

Drummer is forming a fast paced

LOOKING FOR A KICK ASS SINGER!

how to start a band 0405-044-513 iFlogID: 1618

SHARE ACCOMMODATION AVAILABLE FANTASTIC SURRY HILLS OFFICE Perfect small office in central Surry Hills with views to city. Cabled, some furnishings available. Off street parking; close to cafés. Only

iFlogID: 1561

hamoltian@hotmail.com iFlogID: 1765

Radiohead/ Aretha/

P.J.Harvey

TRIC, BASS, setups, refrets, elec-

Experienced,

tednash@tpg.com.au

Audioslave/

with extending your vocal range

com) seeks open minded drummer

FEMALE SINGER WANTED

at the

GUITAR REPAIRS ACOUSTIC, ELEC-

pop band (www.mechanicalblack.

voice. Influences Helmet, Mark Of

iFlogID: 1554

level because of Design. Starting off

Ring Aleks on 0449621090 or Devon

Rock/Pop Sydney based outfit. own

Cruise.8

Established hard rock/metal band

Lead guitarist wanted to join Indie/ professional,

Email theatticarebellion@live.com.

Experimental progressive power

ging ASAP. Harmonies prefered.

professional

SINGER

BASS PLAYER & GUITAR/ KEYS side project). INXS, John Butler,

Be a part of History! Australia’s first

OTHER

The Killers. Phone 0403 576 156.

SEEKING FRONTMAN!

HEAVY VOCALIST WANTED

iFlogID: 1706

drive. No metal. Sound: Muse meets

LEAD GUITARIST WANTED

Contact Brendon 0404 007 058.

We are an est. Sydney band. We are

iFlogID: 1514

Wanted for Aussie covers (then

iFlogID: 1246

DJ BOOTCAMPS P&O DJ CRUISE

path that will let you do what you

for

committed, reliable and have a lot of

iFlogID: 1693

iFlogID: 1711

BASS GUITARIST REQUIRED

GET SIGNED TO A MAJOR LABEL!

come. Call Lee: 0403307796

your dream. Discover the career

songlist and info. Call Rob on 0412

Fox- 0408 739 583 iFlogID: 1730

and transport. Check out endlesssummerbeachparty.com.au

GUITARIST

tour planned for next year. Contact

a Bassist. Influences include Jimmy

Check it out at www.myspace.

iFlogID: 1736

Influences include Tool, System of

phone: 0414 863 833

sion, Good Gear, Skill, Experience.

18 to 35 year old with good gear

and slap bass proficiency essential.

Drummer wanted for rock band,

Vocal Ability, Commitment, Pas-

KEYBOARD PLAYER WANTED Keyboard player with vocal ability

Rock band from Sydney looking for

require someone with Car, License,

Give the boss the flick and follow

Email:thescarletpimpanel@hotmail.

TECHNICAL BASS PLAYER NEEDED

My Name 4 Your Name is an Original

Eat World, Paramore, Kisschasy. We

KEYBOARD

ages and all styles.Beginners Wel-

iFlogID: 1766

Singer wanted for 70’s Rock band.

BE A FULL TIME MUSICIAN!

10 years teaching experience. All

ph: 0400 197317 Chris

iFlogID: 1632

iFlogID: 1771

Original urban/pop/electro band.

iFlogID: 1694

0414969254.

0422305791 or 0410172167

BASS PLAYER WANTED

STANMORE

band seeks groove guitarist asap.

TUITION DRUM LESSONS IN

$327/week. 1 January til 30 June + option on subsequent 2 year lease. Level 2, 105 Reservoir St iFlogID: 1630

THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009 • 69 •

• 70 • THE DRUM MEDIA 22 DECEMBER 2009

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