Inpress Issue #1195 by TheMusic.com.au

VICTORIA’S HIGHEST CIRCUL ATING STREETPRESS

KIMYA DAWSON

JEFF LANG

THE DRONES

OKKERVIL RIVER

THE B AT S CONF E S S I O N COS M O J A R V I S TON I G H T A L I V E

W E D N E S D AY 12 O C T O B E R 2 0 11 ~ I S S U E 119 5 ~ F R E E

MELBOURNE - MORNINGTON PENINSULA - BALLARAT / BENDIGO - GEELONG / SURF COAST

33,253

themusic.com.au

XFEOFTEBZ!23UI!PDUPCFS

SBDIFM!UBZMPS!CFBMFT! ,!GMZ!TPVUI! %6 ,!TQFDJBM!HVFTUT! UIVSTEBZ!24UI!PDUPCFS

MFT!UIPNBT! 7qn NJDIBFM!NPPOFZ!)DBO*! ,!MVLF!WBTTFMMB! 9qn ,!KFTTJDB!QBJHF! GSJEBZ!25UI!PDUPCFS

UIF!MMPZE!XFJS! 6;41qn MBOHVBHF!PG!CJSET! 9;41!qn!%9 ,!DBOPT!,!MPLJ! TBUVSEBZ!26UI!PDUPCFS

BMFYJT!OJDPMF!'! UIF!NJTTJOH!QJFDFT!

6;41qn

TVOEBZ!27UI!PDUPCFS

KBTPO!MPXF!!

5;41qn

UVFTEBZ!29UI!PDUPCFS

Open...MON - THU...from 4pm ‘til late FRI...from 2pm ‘til late SAT - SUN...from 12pm ‘til late

PQFO!NJD!OJHIU

Live Music Bookings wesleyannebookings@gmail.com www.wesleyanne.com.au

NEW MENU

Spring Special Two for one meals on Mondays (excludes steak, fish and specials)

bookings: 9482 1333 themusic.com.au

themusic.com.au

FRI 28 OCT

FUNKOARS SAT 29 OCT

SOLD OUT!

THE JEZABELS WED 2 NOV

69 Yarra Street, Geelong Phone: (03) 5229 4477

FAKER

www.bendedelbow.com.au THURS 13 OCT

THURS 3 NOV SELLING FAST

THE GRATES THE PANICS SAT 15 OCT

SELLING FAST

FRI 4 NOV

BRITISH RUBIK’S INDIA CUBE TOUR W HUSKY & WED 23 NOV SELLING FAST GUESTS BOY & BEAR THURS 20 OCT 360 ALBUM FRI 25 NOV LAUNCH THE VASCO ERA + PAPA THURS 27 OCT VS PRETTY FLOATING ME

ROCK-IT F RID FREE ENTRY &AOYS

ARTISTS FROMR9IGPINAL M!

SPINNING HALF Venue Booking Agents Events & Live Sound Production Artist Management and Rehearsal Rooms PH: (03) 52221186 info@spinninghalf.com.au www.spinninghalf.com.au

themusic.com.au

THE

FRONTLINE

THE BREAKDOWN

POP CULTURE THERAPY WITH ADAM CURLEY

Is everyone sick of talking about Lana Del Rey already? I write ‘already’ because it has only been a couple of months since her single, Video Games, started getting attention on YouTube, which isn’t a long time in a life of any kind (real, media, artistic or otherwise). But there has been enough said and written of the New Yorker in those months to cause major exhaustion and/or boredom. However, the reverse is also true: there have been enough things said about Lana Del Rey to cause a fully-fledged media and artistic life. And that’s something to talk about. Since Video Games started racking up the view credits in August, there’s been a fairly natural, large-scale thought process about the musical project of 24-year-old singer Lizzy Grant. The first, for many, was “Wow”. No points for intrigue there, but it’s certainly worth noting that a decent number of people were really, actually, not-forced-to-be impressed by Grant’s song, her vocal and, sure, her appearance in the clip (which is no crime). The second was, “Who is she and where does she come from?” As the answers to that question were sought – spurred on in equal measure by curiosity and scepticism over her sudden manifestation – a third question was being pondered: what does she stand for and why do ‘we’ – the anonymous everyone – like her? That third question wasn’t troubling, but the answers proffered have been: Lana Del Rey is a 1950s housewife throwback; a glorification of the Hollywood starlet as victim; a sign of cosmetically enhanced vanity plaguing society. Valid or not, why is it that women singers are readily held accountable for popular culture’s problems while men are not? Why is it that they must be mirrors of our collective inner feelings? Amy Winehouse was our mass desire for self-destruction. Katy Perry is our mass fickleness. Lana Del Rey is our mass shallowness and misogyny. But let’s backtrack to the second question: who is she and where did she come from? What was discovered was surprising to some, irrelevant to others and scandalous to a vocal percentage. One of those was ‘Carles’ from the blog Hipster Runoff, who claimed to be “exposing” Lizzy Grant when he blogged about her former career as a pop singer under her own name, signed to a major label and unsuccessfully marketed prior to her name and image change (including – that tricky, conniving bitch – apparent collagen injections). As the story got out, more voices jumped on the ‘Lana as created product’ bandwagon. Her online marketing was portrayed as a sneaky scheme enacted by a major corporation vying for the dollars of those with innocent intentions. The act of pitching the Video Games clip to music blogs, the cut-and-paste aesthetic of the clip (apparently the owned aesthetic of the ‘credible’) – indeed, the act of uploading the thing onto YouTube at all was seen as a con. And all those little indie kids wanted was a hero to believe in. Of course, the bigger story wasn’t that ‘indie’ kids were getting scammed. It was that Grant was taking the back door to fame. She was being widely pegged as the ‘next big thing’ even by her detractors, but those in the know had the real scoop. She was a pretender. Watch out world, you’re about to be had – and you don’t know the truth! Well, the truth is that Lana Del Rey isn’t about to be given a career by the ‘mainstream media’, or whomever it is those online think is going to give her one. She already has a career. While an old stalwart of the print media like New York magazine might act like it’s their job to “break it down” about Lana Del Rey for their readers – i.e. let them in on whassabeen ahappenen on the web – the fact is that this shit already got broke down. Millions have seen the Video Game clip (or less have watched it multiple times) as well as the clip for the single’s B-side, Blue Jeans. Lana Del Rey’s first live shows in the States are being upgraded to bigger venues. News of those shows, and footage from them, is reaching a large audience – primarily online. The online media is no longer the realm of those ‘in the know’ or those whose job it is to lead things to the ‘mainstream’ – and to tell them when something isn’t right. It’s not just bloggers wanting their opinions validated by traditional media or cool kids shooting off. It’s the realm of everyone. And the sooner we realise that, the sooner we can start talking about something other than Lana Del Bloody Rey.

INDUSTRY NEWS BY DAN CONDON

Henry Wagons

ANGRY ANDERSON MOVES INTO POLITICS Angry Anderson – an icon of Aussie rock and the ex-frontman of Rose Tattoo – has announced he wants to move into politics after becoming a member of Australia’s conservative National Party. Angry – real name Gary Steven Anderson – has often been outspoken on political issues and recently led an anti-carbon tax protest outside Parliament House in Canberra. He wrote on the issue, “Do we really believe that this push for a Tax on Carbon pollution is about anything but raising more revenue for the government and the United Nations in league with the international banks using the ‘New World Order’ as a blueprint for the Globalisation of the New Free World?” Member of the Nationals Barnaby Joyce has not taken credit for enlisting Anderson into the party, while it’s believed opposition leader Tony Abbott suggested Anderson contest the seat of Page in Northern NSW.

The death of Apple Inc founder Steve Jobs last week at the age of 56 due to his battle with pancreatic cancer is a massive loss to the company, with Jobs’ vision and creativity having changed the world of technology and lifestyle immensely. The Apple founder had taken periods of leave due to his health for years, but things didn’t look positive when Jobs resigned as Apple CEO in August of this year. Bill Gates was one of the first to announce his sadness at the news, and tributes have been made by a variety of people including musicians – with Trent Reznor saying on Twitter, “Thanks for the tools, the inspiration, the possibilities… Miss you already Steve.” Does it Offend You, Yeah? tweeted, “RIP Steve Jobs. Our trusty Macbooks have never crashed whilst we were on stage!” Thanks to the invention of the iPod in 2001 and many developments since, the way music is consumed, and the portability of it, has changed dramatically.

MARK RONSON AND KATY B FIND THE SOUND OF THE OLYMPICS In a project sure to get the pair a whole lot more exposure, Mark Ronson and Katy B have been chosen to collaborate on a song for the Olympic Games. Coca-Cola are a part of the project, with their Olympic campaign Move To The Beat aimed at getting teens into the spirit of the sport, and they’re using music to achieve it. They have clearly carefully selected their musicians for the project: Ronson is one of the most renowned producers in the world of music today and Katy B a fast-rising star in electronic/dance music. The aim of the campaign is to get people to “move to the beat of London” and the making of the song will be covered in an hour-long documentary that shows Ronson travelling the world to gain inspiration for the track and recording young athletes’ sounds, which will provide the beat of the song.

ARIA AND AIR EVENTS CLASH Today (Wednesday) the ARIA Awards nominations ceremony is taking place, despite the Australian Independent Record Labels Association hosting their Independent Music Awards tonight. AIR is concerned that the ARIA ceremony will take away valuable media coverage for their event, and affect its future as an event. ARIA CEO Dan Rosen said that their decision to hold their event on the same day was not on purpose, stating to The Frontline: “ARIA has and always will be extremely supportive of AIR and the announcement of the ARIA Award nominations is in no way, shape or form, meant to take away from the Jagermeister Independent Music Awards… this date was unavoidable due to a number of factors. We see [today] as a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Australia’s current crop of amazing artists, with our event taking place early in the morning and the AIR Awards later that evening.” The AIR Awards will feature performances from Adalita, Seekae, Illy, Emma Louise and Calling All Cars.

TAME IMPALA MANAGEMENT STARTS LABEL Spinning Top Music is the name of a new record label being run by Tame Impala manager Jodie Regan. The label is currently home to Felicity Groom, Allbrook/Avery and Gum and has already been approached by other bands such as The Growl and Sydney’s The Laurels. The aim of the label is to try and keep the music-making/releasing process fun, and thanks to the success of Tame Impala it already has something of an inbuilt audience. Regan said, “We can only hope that it’s as fun as we think it’s gonna be. It’s really just about making sure everyone still has fun making records and releasing them and it not being such a drag on a lot of levels.” She also explained that the plan was to reduce the amount of fuss surrounding the release of material: “They don’t really want to be bothered with all the press and the lead up time and all that sort of thing, because they have to do that with these other projects which are bigger… It’s almost like an anti-release; people want to work on this stuff and make more of a deal out of it than the band do.”

WALL ST PROTESTS BRING RARE MUSICAL PERFORMANCE The reclusive Jeff Mangum of indie band Neutral Milk Hotel has made a rare appearance at the Occupy Wall St protests in New York last week, performing a set to support the cause. The musician brought his guitar and allowed requests, one website reported. Recently Mangum played his first shows in years at All Tomorrow’s Parties events after having only rarely performed since the split of his band in 1998.

MTV TRIES TO MAKE TV MORE ‘RELATABLE’ MTV has, in recent years, focused its airtime on reality TV with programs such as Jersey Shore, and is looking at changing up its strategy. In an attempt to capture more of the world’s youth, the ‘millennial generation’, the company is trying to find situations for TV that are more realistic to the average viewer (according to MTV this comes in the form of 16 & Pregnant and Teen Mom). General manager of music brands and comedy for MTV Australia/New Zealand, Rebecca Batties, explained to The Frontline, “With the economic problems the world is currently facing, it can be hard for the average viewer to relate to people spending tens of thousands of dollars on parties, as seen in a program like My Super Sweet 16, they’re more likely to relate to a program like 16 & Pregnant. Portraying excessively privileged people is a thing of the past for MTV,” Batties said. In terms of music, there will be a new local artist initiative called Local Produce for artists from Australia and New Zealand, which will provide artist airtime, video rotation, tour support and background content, with a “strong digital element to it”.

APPLE MOURNS DEATH OF STEVE JOBS

ANOTHER FESTIVAL BLUNDER

FACE THE MUSIC PROGRAM REVEALED The full program of this year’s Face The Music conference, taking over the Arts Centre on Friday 18 and Saturday 19 November, has been unveiled. The 2011 Face The Music keynote speakers, Brent Grulke (South By Southwest) and Dan Rosen (PPCA/ ARIA), both appear on the Friday program. Other day one highlights include Doing It The Indie Way, a discussion on artists taking control of their music themselves; and What’s Your Story? Tell It!, a media skills workshop featuring Inpress’ Jeff Jenkins and Shane O’Donohue and Triple J’s Dom Alessio. Sessions will also be held on topics including grantwriting, songwriting, touring internationally (featuring Henry Wagons) and copyright featuring Ian James (managing director, Mushroom Music). Day Two program highlights are the APRA Songwriting Sessions with Jarrad Brown (Eagle & The Worm) and Paul Mac. Ted Gardner will share his experiences promoting and managing bands such as Jane’s Addiction, Tool, Queens Of The Stone Age and The Verve, while ARIA-Award winning producers Paul McKercher (Sarah Blasko, You Am I) and Mark Opitz (INXS, Hoodoo Gurus) will discuss recording and production. In Live Performance, Mikey Cahill (Herald Sun) will lead a discussion on the importance for an artist to sell themselves from the live stage with a panel featuring Nick Findlay (Triple J), Neil Wedd (venue booker), Alicia Moreau (artist manager) and musicians Jon Toogood (Shihad) and Sophia Brous. In addition, sessions will be held on viral music marketing, writing contracts, regional touring, trade fairs, visual marketing and post-event networking. The Face The Music program and registrations are now available via facethemusic.org.au and 9380 1277.

TRIPLE J UNEARTHED RADIO LAUNCHES The anticipated digital radio station Triple J Unearthed launched last week, offering up interviews with previous Unearthed winners including Grinspoon’s Phil Jamieson and Megan Washington as well as relatively new bands Big Scary and Bleeding Knees Club. The new station will not, however, feature regular announcers as the launch did – it will rely on tracks being linked through artist intros and interviews, as well as some introductions to playlists by Triple J announcers. On day one the station played a wide variety of artists, including Kate Vigo, Dropframe, Brous, Teleprompter, Felicity Groom & The Black Black Smoke, Greenthief, Heroes For Hire, The Psyde Projects, We Say Bomboulee, Luca Brasi, Tijuana Cartel and The Jungle Giants.

FOLK LEGEND BERT JANSCH DIES Scottish folk legend Bert Jansch has died at age 67 after a battle with lung cancer. He was one of the figureheads of the British folk revival, and also founded Pentangle in 1967. That band’s 1969 album reached number five on the UK album charts. Jansch had a widespread influence on other artists including Donovan and Nick Drake as well as Fleet Foxes and Kurt Vile. Neil Young once said, “As much of a great guitar player as Jimi [Hendrix] was, Bert Jansch is the same thing for acoustic guitar… and my favourite”. Johnny Marr from The Smiths was also a fan, and said of Jansch, “He completely re-invented guitar playing and set a standard that is still unequalled today… without Bert Jansch, rock music as it developed in the ‘60s and ‘70s would have been very different.” Until recently Jansch was performing live to rave reviews, and had received a BBC Lifetime Achievement award as well as an Honorary Doctorate Of Music by Edinburgh Napier University.

themusic.com.au

The University Of Canberra’s Stonefest has suffered poor ticket sales, with festival organisers taking the decision to cut the rock music element of the event altogether. Many artists have been removed from the bill, including The Vines, Jebediah, The Grates, Josh Pyke, Jonathon Boulet, Stonefield, Owl Eyes, Lanie Lane, Hunting Grounds, Big Scary and 360. The event has been running since the early ‘70s and has featured international artists in the past including Groove Armada and The Dandy Warhols. The re-incarnation and smaller version of the festival has been dubbed the Stonefest ‘Rock On’ Party.

INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION Some of the world’s most respected performers make up this year’s judging panel for the International Songwriting Competition (ISC). Esteemed artists such as Tom Waits, Jeff Beck, Kelly Clarkson, Ozzy Osbourne and Lucinda Williams, to name a few, will be taking on judging responsibilities. They’ll listen to songs alongside industry luminaries such as David Massey (president, Mercury Records), Monte Lipman (CEO/ president, Universal Republic Records) and Trevor Jerideau (VP of A&R, J Records) to name a few. ISC founder and director Candace Avery says each year the ISC puts together a mixture of recording artist and professionals as part of their judging panel. “This mixture achieves a good balance between what artists and industry consider excellent songwriting, which can often be very different,” she says. “Selected judges represent the broad variety of genres that ISC accepts entries for. They are all respected songwriters and artists, and the industry pros are influential executives who make the decisions on artist signings, publishing, and licensing deals. The goal is to create a diverse panel of iconic judges within the music business.” Ms Avery says while there are lots of aspects to what judges are looking for, ultimately they all want to find great songs. “Now, of course that’s quite relative, as music is very subjective,” she says. “However, it is the overall consensus of the judges that determine the winners, not just one judge’s opinion. The judging panel includes experts in all ISC categories of music, so the judges are knowledgeable in their genres and know what to look for, be it rock or world music or jazz.” Previous years’ judges have all been highly impressed with the quality of material submitted to the competition. The Cure’s Robert Smith was one of these judges. “I was astounded at the quality and range of abilities on show – the originality, honesty, and depth of so many of the words, the charm, vivacity, and catchiness of the tunes, and the often staggering energy, skill, and intensity of the performances – the talent left me at times breathless! Judging ISC 2006 was a real pleasure,” he said. Darryl McDaniels of Run DMC was of the same thought process. “Judging ISC is a journey into the creative world of music possibilities,” he said. Judges are also in agreement that the ISC helps find the artists of the future. Wynonna said, “I so enjoy hearing what the next generation of songwriters is creating.” Record label executives are also interested in hearing the songs which are entered into the competition. Universal Republic Records CEO/president Monte Lipman said, “We’re always impressed with the talented songwriters who participate in the ISC. This is a great A&R source to find new artists.” Ms Avery acknowledges the impact having songs judged by such an esteemed panel can have on an artist, both emerging and well-known. “So many of the judges are greatly admired by ISC entrants and have been huge influences on their music and have provided inspiration to them,” she says. “The opportunity to have your music heard by an artist you admire and respect is rare, and ISC provides that opportunity. Plus, having your music heard by some of the most prestigious executives in the US and UK market is a rarity and can often be extremely beneficial.” The deadline for this year’s International Songwriting Competition has been extended. Entrants will be able to submit their entries online until Tuesday 1 November. To enter this year’s competition, visit songwritingcompetition.com. Shane Thompson Got news? Announcements? Gossip? Unsubstantiated but hilarious rumours? Send them all to frontline@streetpress.com.au.

THE

FRONTLINE

TAKING 1LOVE TO THE WORLD ROHAN MARLEY tells MICHAEL SMITH about taking his father Bob’s legacy beyond the music world with burgeoning global brands 1love and the House Of Marley. The sixth of 11 children Bob Marley gave to the world alongside his music and world vision, Rohan Marley initially saw his passion following a very different direction to either his father’s or the place in which he finds himself today as the founder of Marley Coffee, co-founder of the Tuff Gong clothing line and, through the House Of Marley, the 1love range of headphones.

outside of music and coffee, so we thought the first thing we should do was we should start out with music-related things that are necessities, and from that we created 1love, making the ideas a reality so we can more outreach the people.”

“When I was a young boy,” Marley laughs at the recollection, “I remember this man, who was the administrator of my father’s estate at the time, askin’ me, ‘So Rohan, what are goin’ to do when you grow up?’ I say, ‘I wanna be a football player,’ and he says, ‘You cannot be a football player! That’s not real – what do you wanna be?’ I say, ‘Alright, I wanna be a lawyer’. So obviously I chose my own way – I said that to make him happy!”

“The technical side, we brought on some people that worked at Klitch, but as far as the sound goes, Stephen [Marley] is the one that says yea or nay – he’s the real ear of the family, the producer. So he’s the one that says, ‘Yeah, I like that – gimme more bass – too much bass!’ That’s Stephen’s world. And we use all sustainable materials, aluminium and recycled plastic, organic cottons, fibres like hemp, things that relate to us, on the natural side.

Among those music-related necessities is a range of docks and speakers, earphones and headphones.

Eventually moving from Jamaica to the US, Marley opted to study sociology at the University Of Miami while pursuing his real passion, albeit in its American form, playing lineback in the university’s team. He went on to play soccer professionally with the Canadian team the Ottawa Rough Riders until one day he had something of an epiphany. “Anything I do is my passion – if I’m going to do something, I’m goin’ to be a hundred million per cent, I’m gonna give my all. But what happened, I was givin’ my all to a thing for which I had to create too much aggression, you know? I had to bring up this mind where I want to annihilate the opponent – my job was to really knock you out of the game. That’s what I thought ‘cause I was really small but that’s not what I really desire. I want love; I don’t want to inflict pain on people. So I had to revert and go into my own mind and so I said, ‘I can’t do this any more. It’s conflicting really with how I see life.’ I can take this energy and this strength to focus so much on doin’ this thing right, like, three hours before my game I’m sittin’ in front of my locker just silent and I’m rockin’ back and forth, I’m getting’ so crazy to play football. So I said, ‘You know what? Why don’t you take that and do something else with it? Why don’t you use that for a bigger purpose,

“But all these things are vehicles to build a better place, a better world, you know, tryin’ to bring change and we see business should be done to grow people and help people. What do ya want? You have a house, you have this, you have that, what more you want? Now you must create things that you can help your next man gain a house and this and that and be happy in life – that’s why you have business, to help people. And I think sustainability is the right way ‘cause you’re building for tomorrow.” a bigger mission?’ So I just took that same energy that I learned through that game to my own life and do what we’re doing today – I’m driving this love, man, ‘cause I or we won’t be denied – we’re comin’, you know? We’re comin’ with love.” What Marley in fact did was to return to Jamaica’s Blue Mountains region and buy 52 acres of land in one of the world’s most prized coffee-producing regions. By 2007, the concern was established enough for him to found the Marley Coffee brand which, more importantly, allowed the establishment of the House Of Marley and 1love; the products of which are essentially a vehicle through which to educate and spread the beliefs of the foundation and its

mission, to support worthy causes and help create a more peaceful, clean and hopeful future – essentially taking up his father’s message for the next generation. “I got into the organic farming and the whole sustainable movement in 1999 and then in 2007, I went to Ethiopia to learn about the culture behind coffee and what coffee represented to the people and in 2009 we launched the first Marley Coffee. So it’s been a nice long road. But as a family, we decided that we wanted to know that we can do other things that can help more people than we currently help, so we found some partners in Aaron Kaufmann and Paul Harrison, who is here in Australia, to further the movement, and we decided that we can create something

themusic.com.au

Among the organisations 1love partners is the United Nations Environment Programme, the non-profit Charity: Water Organisation, the African Leadership Academy, Invisible Children, the Playing For Change Foundation and, dear to his heart considering his own youth, Marley’s own Kicks For Cause Foundation, a youth soccer program that helps enrich and inspire the lives of underprivileged children. “I want to create some kind of proper academy in Jamaica where we teach the children the fundamentals of football, giving them nourishment, giving them the right type of things so they can then grow up and help their families, because that’s another way to help.”

XX17 17

FOREWORD LINE

NEWS FROM THE FRONT

SUPA DUPA

Kasabian

M A R L E Y FESTIVAL NEWS themusic.com.au/sfg/

PRESENTS

GROUP HUG California’s Grouplove are returning to Australia IN January. This year, their sunshine-laden hooks sparkled brightly at Splendour In The Grass and fans in Sydney and Melbourne were treated to intimate headline sideshows. Now back by popular demand, Grouplove are set to kick 2012 off with a bang, including performances at both Falls festivals before heading out on the road nationally. Outside of their festival slots, you’ll be able to catch Grouplove on Wednesday 4 January at the Corner Hotel. Tickets are on sale this Friday at 9am through the venue.

TICKETS FOR THE BIG DAY

Swedish House Mafia

FUTURE IS HERE

Big Day Out tickets for the Sunday 29 January event at Flemington Racecourse will go on sale this Friday. Acts playing this year’s fest include Kanye West, Soundgarden, Kasabian, My Chemical Romance, The Living End, Hilltop Hoods, Battles, Odd Future, Mariachi El Bronx, Girl Talk, Parkway Drive, Röyksopp, Foster The People, The Jezabels, Architecture In Helsinki, The Getaway Plan, Cage The Elephant, Frenzal Rhomb, Boy & Bear, Best Coast and Tony Hawk, with more to be announced. Gates on the day will be opening at 11am and we can only cross fingers the weather will be less oppressive than last year. Tickets are $165+BF and there will be a strict limit of four tickets per customer. They’ll be available from bigdayout.com and ticketmaster.com.au.

Melbourne’s original Brazilian bossa, jazz and samba band Tatu Rei announce the launch of new album Forte with two unique performances in their hometown. On Saturday 12 November at the Malthouse Theatre, Tatu Rei team up with members of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Victorian Chamber Orchestra to create an extravagant line-up of musical talent and background. On Friday 18 November, Tatu Rei will turn up the heat again, this time in the kitchen as part of the Big West Festival at Revolt. Headlining a stellar Brazilian-inspired line-up, the band will stage their one-of-a-kind interactive cooking-meetsBrazilian-jazz show called Taste The Flavour Of Brazil.. System Of A Down

With the turning of another month, the powers that be at Rainbow Serpent HQ have deemed it time to release another sizeable portion of the triple-layered shake-yourarse cake that is their 2012 line-up. Coming along are: James Harcourt, Behind Blue Eyes, Emok, Gabriel Ananada, Dub Fx, Space Tribe, Greg Coyle, Beckers, Sheff and A Balter. More international headliners will be announced at the Rainbow Serpent Urban Gathering (their Melbourne launch party) at the end of October, which in itself is shaping up to be a massive day at Ceres in Brunswick featuring Kasey Taylor (Vapour), Spoonbill and The Mollusk (Omelette) among others. Online earlybird tickets are still available with physical tickets likely to be in the shops by the middle of this month.

SCANDALOUS HONEYBEARS Formed in Austin, Texas in 2007, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears quickly built a formidable live reputation, which led to opening slots with all manner of acts from Spoon to The New York Dolls before releasing 2009 debut album Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is. A new album, Scandalous, was released early in 2011 and was followed by a much-talked-about series of performances at SXSW that led to an invitation to Splendour In The Grass. Now, they’re back in Australia again for an encore presentation performing at the request of Meredith Festival and for headline shows in Sydney and Melbourne. They’ll also be appearing on RockWiz this Saturday. Catch them at the Caravan Music Club (Oakleigh) on Sunday 11 December and the Prince Bandroom on Tuesday 13 December.

CLEAR AS MUDHONEY

In even further festival news (this is getting out of hand), Future Music have released their first offerings for their Sunday 11 March, Flemington Racecourse event. On the bill thus far are: Swedish House Mafia, Fatboy Slim, Tinie Tempah, Paul Van Dyk, The Wombats, Chase & Status, Skrillex, Jessie J, The Rapture, Aphex Twin, Die Antwoord, Gareth Emery, James Murphy & Pat Mahoney (LCD Soundsystem/DFA), The Naked & Famous, Hercules & Love Affair, Sven Vath, Alex Metric, Azari & III, Horse Meat Disco, The Juan Maclean and many more to come. Pre-sale tickets are available Monday with regular sales opening up Thursday 20 October at 9am via Ticketmaster.

FORTE AND FLAVOUR

RIDE THE SNAKE

The first artist announcement has been made for Supafest, one of the year’s biggest events for lovers of hip hop and R&B. At the fore of the 2012 event is iconic hip hop artist P Diddy, a name familiar all over the world for his hits and collaborations with plenty of the genre’s biggest names. Hustlin’ singer Rick Ross is also on the line-up, making his first trip to Australia, and NWA member Ice Cube – who’s now a hip hop superstar in his own right – is also on the bill. Grammy Award-winner and Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland and fast riser Lupe Fiasco are two other massive names to watch on the Supafest stage, and the smooth sexy sounds of Trey Songz will come back to Australia too. In Melbourne the event will happen on Saturday 21 April. All details and further artist announcements can be found at supafest.com.au.

RIDE THE WAVE The Soundwave festival is one of the biggest events on the calendar for fans of heavy music, pop/punk and more. This year’s line-up has been confirmed, with alt.metal band System Of A Down and metallers Slipknot heading up the charge, as well as nu-metal band Limp Bizkit and shock rocker Marilyn Manson. Some acts that were meant to appear at the cancelled Soundwave Revolution have also surfaced on the line-up, including Hole, The Used, Devin Townsend Project, Dashboard Confessional, Machine Head, Sisters Of Mercy and more. More metal will come from the likes of Trivium, Lamb Of God and the reformed Coal Chamber, while pop/punk fans will get a treat with A Day To Remember, Angels & Airwaves, Cobra Starship, Jack’s Mannequin and Saves The Day. There are plenty more acts on the massive bill – head to soundwavefestival.com to check it out in full.

RADIO ON THE SIDE Brooklyn-based experimental rockers TV On The Radio, who are coming to Australia to play at Harvest festival, have just announced that they’ll be doing a sideshow in Melbourne. This much-anticipated appearance will be the band’s first Australian show in almost three years. TV On The Radio are renowned as an exhilarating live act, melding post-punk, soul and elements of psychedelic free jazz to incredible effect. Don’t miss them when the play the Palace on Wednesday 16 November. Tickets go on sale from Ticketek on Friday at 9am.

Following the news that their Melbourne show has sold out, Mudhoney have announced an array of local supports for their December tour, including Kim Salmon’s Precious Jules and The Paul Kidney Experience at the Corner show on Thursday 8 December. It’s no question that Mudhoney were the band that made the ‘90s grunge rock movement possible. Their classic 1988 debut EP Superfuzz Bigmuff, featuring their breakthrough single Touch Me I’m Sick, was the first real success story for iconic record label Sub Pop. They paved the way for the movement that would make Seattle the new capital of the rock’n’roll universe, taking the sweat-soaked and beer-fuelled mixture of heavy metal muscle, punk attitude, and garage rock primitivism that would become known as “grunge” to a wider audience for the first time. Eight albums on, Mudhoney’s body of work has stood the test of time. Don’t miss the rock’n’roll legends as they tour Australia this December while out for the Meredith Festival. Feist

JIM JONES JAMS Loud and hard-driving The Jim Jones Revue bring their frenetic style of rock back to Australia with the announcement of headline shows around Falls and Southbound festivals. Self-described as “sonic brutality”, UK’s The Jim Jones Revue are a powerhouse of vintage ‘50s punk and soul, whipping crowds into a frenzy with their stripped down, piano-heavy, Jerry Lee Lewis flare. Their 2010 critically-acclaimed album Burning Your House Down captures the roar of an untamed band at the top of their game. With the microphone shredding wail of the incomparable Jim Jones at the helm, fearlessly spurred by Rupert Orton’s six-string maelstrom, Elliot Mortimer’s savaged ivories and the jackhammer rhythm section of drummer Nick Jones and bassist Gavin Jay, The Jim Jones Revue swing like a giant ball and chain. Catch them at the East Brunswick Club on Monday 2 January.

GET ON TO OFF! Fronted by legendary Black Flag and Circle Jerks vocalist Keith Morris, all-star Californian hardcore ensemble OFF! announce their first ever Australian tour. The individual roots established by Keith Morris (Black Flag, Circle Jerks), Dimitri Coats (Burning Brides), Steven McDonald (Red Kross) and Mario Rubalcaba (Earthless, Hot Snakes, Rocket From The Crypt) are uniquely woven throughout the rock music canon. Each has challenged society’s cyclical and complacent ideals in their own respective bands and three decades on, they’ve never strayed from their intentions. Now they come together as a four-piece and are as confrontational as ever, lunging inside the aesthetic of West Coast hardcore to push life’s most provocative issues to the forefront. If you won’t see them at Meredith, don’t miss OFF! when they play Corner Hotel on Friday 9 and the Fitzroy Bowls Club on Sunday 11 December.

LITTLE LANES, BIG LINE-UP The St Jerome’s Laneway Festival 2012 line-up has been announced and as per usual, it’s bloody enormous. Here we go in alphabetical order: Active Child, Anna Calvi, Austra, Bullion, Chairlift, Cults, Dz Deathrays, EMA, Feist, Geoffrey O’Connor, Girls, Givers, Glasser, Husky, John Talabot, Jonti, Laura Marling, M83, Oneman, Pajama Club, Portugal The Man, SBTRKT (live), Triple J Unearthed winners The Very West, The Drums, The Horrors, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, The Panics, Toro Y Moi, Total Control, Twin Shadow, Washed Out, Wu Lyf and Yuck. The Melbourne event takes place at Footscray Community Arts Centre on Saturday 4 February. For further info hit lanewayfestival.com.au.

NOW ON SALE AT MOSHTIX:

KITCHEN SPECIALS:

Lovers Electric 27th October

Brand New Spring Menu!

THURSDAY 13TH OCTOBER

TUESDAY 25TH OCTOBER

SYN Approved presents: Baptism Of Uzi, Pink Notes, Legendary Hearts, Towels DJs

Grolsch Grid Catherine Sietkiewicz, Nicolette Fort

DJ Slot: James Lake

FRIDAY 14TH OCTOBER

The Lifted Brow #14 Launch: Evelyn Ida Morris, Avant Gardeners, Bare Grillz DJ Slot: DJ Woody McDonald (RRR/Primary Colours)

SATURDAY 15TH OCTOBER Gostelaradio Single Launch Wolfy & The Bat Cubs, Machine

MONDAY 17TH OCTOBER Teenage Mothers October Residency Hollow Everdaze

FRIDAY 21ST OCTOBER

Secretive George Album Launch Animaux, Patinka Cha Cha, Scotdrakula Southpaw

THURSDAY 27TH OCTOBER Lovers Electric Very Special Guests

DJ Slot: DJ Whiteside

Simon Winkler + Lauren Taylor (RRR/Breaking & Entering)

DJ Slot: James Lake

TUESDAY 18TH OCTOBER

SATURDAY 22ND OCTOBER

FRIDAY 28TH OCTOBER

Grolsch Grid Joe Oppenheimer, Sunday Chair

Amaya Laucirica Album Launch Melodie Nelson (NSW), The Singing Skies

For Familia Fundraiser TANTRUMS, Lowtide, Many more!

DJ Slot: DJ LA Pocock

DJ Slot: Simon Winkler + Lauren Taylor & Rainbow Disconnection

DJ Slot: Rainbow Disconnection

SUNDAY 16TH OCTOBER

THURSDAY 20TH OCTOBER

MONDAY 24TH OCTOBER

SATURDAY 29TH OCTOBER

Michael Shaun Mckiernan Peter Ewing

Burn That Cat presents: The Euphoriacs, Lady Dreams

Teenage Mothers October Residency Machine

Laura Imbruglia Single Launch Love Migrate, Kieran Ryan

DJ Slot: James Lake

DJ Slot: DJ Whiteside

DJ Slot: Bachelor Kitchen DJs

CORNER BRUNSWICK AND GERTRUDE STREETS FITZROY / THEWORKERSCLUB.COM.AU / BOOKINGS: NICCI@GETNOTORIOUS.COM

themusic.com.au

THURS 13TH OCT

MINUTE 36 ( WA ) WITH PRIVATE LIFE AND BATTERY KIDS FRI 14TH OCT

STEP INTO MY OFFICE BABY ‘ LAST EVER SPECIAL’

FEAT. ANDY MCCLELLAND, NATHAN JONES AND MISS MODETT

SAT 15TH OCT

BETH KING AND THE HEMINGWAY COLLECTIVE ‘RECORD LAUNCH’

WITH CHARLES BABY AND PLEASING ANNA

THURS 20TH OCT

CADS OF YORE

WITH FALL OF THE UNION AND JAREK

FRI 21ST OCT

HUNTING FOXES ‘EP LAUNCH’ WITH THE GIVE AND LEAGUES SAT 22ND OCT

A LONELY CROWD WITH SEX ON TOAST, LAN PARTY AND KAREN HEATH

27.10.11 ALCEST ( FRANCE ) WITH HEIRS, FOR THE ‘LE SECRET’ TOUR 29.10.11 GREEN GREEN GREEN ‘EP LAUNCH’ WITH BODIES, AUBORON DANCE ACADEMY AND ALKEN ZEYBEK AND THE LESSERMEN 4.11.11 LIZ STRINGER WITH EARL PEPPER AND OH PEP 11.11.11 ROYAL HEADACHE ( NSW ) RECORD LAUNCH PLUS GUESTS 25.11.11 BOOM! BAP! POW! ( WA ) WITH KIRA PURU & THE BRUISE PLUS GUESTS

LATER ON...

PRIORY DOLLS ‘ FAREWELL SHOW WITH HUGE GUESTS THE QUIVERS WITH IMMIGRANT UNION AND THE OCEAN PARTY MONDAY CHILLI CON CARNE - $10 TUESDAY BEEF, CHICKEN OR VEG WRAP - $10/$8 WEDNESDAY PORTERHOUS STEAK - $12 THURSDAYS FREE POT WITH ANY MAIN MEAL! FRIDAY CHICKEN SNITZ, CHIPS & GRAVY - $10 SATURDAYS FISH N’ CHIPS - $8

themusic.com.au

FOREWORD LINE

NEWS FROM THE FRONT

KAOS THEORY The Retreat Hotel and PBS 106.7FM have joined forces for the second resurrection of the mighty Cup Day Kaos. This Melbourne Cup Day, Tuesday 1 November, catch a stellar line-up of Melbourne’s finest playing over two stages all day long at the Retreat and broadcast live on PBS. Get in early, donate a fiver and catch Shackleton, Mikelangelo & The Tin Star, Howl At The Moon, Ben Salter, The Bowers and Dirty York. You’ll be cajoled through the day by some friendly PBS announcers spinning tunes and MCing between bands, plus stick around for DJ Adalita on late, the famous Retreat BBQ and all of the other usual Cup Day Kaos shenanigans with all the proceeds going to PBS.

R WE CLEAR? Ru CL, AKA Rueben Campbell, is one of the most dynamic artists to emerge from the hip hop, dancehall and reggae scenes. A ‘Jahstralian’ (Jamaican/Australian) based in Melbourne, Ru CL is an explosive entertainer with international appeal. Ru CL returns with Brimstone & Fire, his recently released second album – a skillfilled, exciting, unique and lyrically clever album. Ru CL will launch Brimstone & Fire at Laundry Bar on Friday 21 October, supported by Ped Xing, DJ Perplex, DJ Shikung, Jesse Jahmal and Lady Banton.

HARVEY WALLBANGER Mona Foma is becoming one of the most anticipated events on the calendar for the inhabitants of Tasmania, kicking off the year in style. The headline act for next year’s festival has been announced and it’s none other than the legendary PJ Harvey, who is also visiting as part of Sydney Festival. Let England Shake is Harvey’s latest album, sure to be on display at the shows alongside material stretching back through her celebrated career. In addition to these performances she’s announced a Melbourne sideshow to be staged at the glorious Regent Theatre on Sunday 15 January.

PERFECT MASS Influential Aussie band The Church have announced that they’ll be hitting the road on a tour come December. The Future, Past, Perfect tour will be undertaken as part of the band’s celebration for their 30th anniversary. The performances will see the band play their three albums in their entirety from each decade of their existence – the critically acclaimed Untitled #23, Priest=Aura and Starfish. They hit Melbourne to play the Forum on Friday 30 December.

CHINESE CARS Chinese band Carsick Cars are back with a second studio album, You Can Listen, You Can Talk, which sees them hit Australian shores for the first time for a national tour over the next month. The new album was produced by Wharton Tiers (Sonic Youth, Helmet, Dinosaur Jr) and features a more complex Carsick Cars sound. Catch them live on Friday 28 October at KIPL and Sunday 30 October at the Toff In Town.

ANIMALS UNITE Let Music And Bodies Unite is the newest album from Rat Vs Possum, featuring eight new recordings, including new single Fat Monk. The band are, of course, heading out on the big, wide road to celebrate the launch of their second record, and here at home that’ll happen at the Corner on Friday 25 November, with guests The Parking Lot Experiments, Speed Painters, Forces, DJ LA Pocock and Poncho DJs.

FIVE TO ONE Laura are a band of five, not a singular lady, and the local group are finally about to unleash their third album, Twelve Hundred Times, which comes out this week. The album’s first two tracks (Mark The Day/This Grey Earth) were released as a double a-side 7” earlier in the year and received some pretty impressive reviews. In November, the band will launch the record at the Corner on Friday 11. Supports are yet to be announced.

CREEPING UP SLOWLY

RUNNING WITH SCISSORS Still flying high off the back of Oh She, the lead track taken from their current Scissors EP, Laneous & The Family Yah have announced that they will be taking the new look outfit on the road. To celebrate the voyage, a limited edition disc of Oh She will be circulated amongst friends and radio from this week. Said disc will contain the original version of the track, a radio edit and a remix. They’ll hit the Northcote Social Club on Saturday 26 November at the back end of their tour.

DEVIL MAY CARE With attitude delivered through a solid combination of rockabilly, psychobilly, punk, ‘50s rock’n’roll, country and surf, Germany’s very own Mad Sin will bring their live show to Australian shores in 2011 to celebrate the release of their thirteenth album Burn And Rise. Legendary frontman Koefte DeVille recently endured several encounters with the reaper where he was professionally advised to alter his hard living lifestyle after blood poisoning and life threatening illness took hold. Not content with staring illness and misery down the barrel, Mad Sin gave themselves the kiss of life, resulting in a return to form, Koefte DeVille losing 40 kilograms and ultimately their latest aptly titled studio release. You can see them on Friday 11 November at the Hi-Fi.

ONE NIGHT IN PARADISE Hailing from Tasmania in 1994, The Paradise Motel moved to Melbourne and quickly established themselves as one of the most distinctive and haunting bands of their generation. Notorious for their live shows that veered between the violence and the silence, they toured extensively for two years in Europe, UK and America, before taking an extended hiatus. Now, they’ve returned with a new album, titled I Still Hear Your Voice At Night. Recorded over 12 months, in four studios and three countries and spanning three births, a death and the loss and discovery of at least two friends, I Still Hear Your Voice At Night is an examination of tightly compressed grief and joy and the evidence of a bond that survived a ten year separation. The Paradise Motel launch I Still Hear Your Voice At Night on Friday 16 December at East Brunswick Club.

THREEPEAT DM3 (AKA The Dom Mariani Three) formed in 1992 as a vehicle for ex-Stems and Someloves frontman Dom Mariani to pursue his love of classic rock and powerpop influences. Over the course of three records, One Times Two Times Three Red Light (1993), Road To Rome (1996) and Rippled Soul (1998), DM3 were critically acclaimed as one of the finest purveyors of the powerpop genre. Their current tour sees the timely re-release of Dom Mariani’s career retrospective Popsided Guitar and DM3 performing their first shows on the East Coast since the late ‘90s. To celebrate, Mariani has put together a group including Ashley Naylor, Stu Loasby and original DM3 drummer Pascal Bartolone. You can catch them this weekend at the Caravan Music Club (Oakleigh) on Saturday and the Northcote Social Club on Sunday.

LESSONS IN STYLE How To Dress Well, AKA Brooklyn-via-Cologne’s Tom Krell, is soon to embark on his first ever Australian tour. How To Dress Well’s unique brand of reverbsoaked, ethereal, heart-on-sleeve glo-fi comes to Phoenix Public House on Saturday 3 December, with special guests Oscar & Martin and Wintercoats. Tickets are on sale now from Moshtix. How To Dress Well is provocative and compelling music. Krell’s disarmingly beautiful vocal lines are as angelic as they are harrowing; his voice seems to swell up out of nowhere, the multiple tracks colliding with each other to form stirring, otherworldly harmonies, overtones, and distortions. Krell’s compositions are abstract and yet unmistakably pop and R&B. In a live setting, How To Dress Well brings this intensity and emotional ambiguity to the foreground for what is sure to be a spellbinding show.

FLYING HIGH Madeleine Peyroux will be embarking on an Australian national tour in March 2012. Peyroux’s last trip to Australia was as the special guest of Diana Krall in March 2010. The success of these shows has prompted her to play a string of headline dates much to the excitement of her Australian fan base. Peyroux is touring in support of her fifth solo album Standing On The Rooftop, released in June this year. This album showcases a different direction for Peyroux and highlights her ability to successfully reinvent her music; her latest album has elements of American roots sounds as well as her signature jazz-inspired tone. She’ll play the Palais Theatre on Wednesday 14 March. Tickets on sale from 9am on Tuesday through Ticketmaster. Owl Eyes

T EN S E PR

New Zealand black metallers Creeping are set to tour Australia for the first time on the back of their new album, Order Of Snakes. The band, formed in Auckland in 2004, self-released the record for free through MySpace, and also released a split with French band Glorior Belli, Spiritual Death, this year. Catch them for the first time in this fine city at the Bendigo Hotel on Saturday 5 November with Tasmania’s Thrall.

BLACK FRIDAY Texan metallers Absu have been around as a band for more than two decades, but it’s only now that they’re setting their sights south for the first time. Since 1991, the band have released six critically-acclaimed albums, as well as a number of EPs. The seventh album, Abzu, is released this week through Candlelight Records. For the Australian tour, Absu will be joined by some of Australia’s finest metal bands in the form of Queensland’s Portal and Tasmania’s Ruins. They play the East Brunswick Club on Saturday 14 January.

THE DEVIL WENT DOWN Georgia Fair have announced two very special, intimate album launch shows to celebrate the release of their stunning debut album, All Through Winter. In Melbourne, fans will be able to catch the launch at the Toff on Wednesday 16 November. All Through Winter is an evocative, winsome debut album, recorded with Band Of Horses’ Bill Reynolds in the snow-covered mountains of Asheville, North Carolina. It is an album that immediately announces itself as one of 2011’s most impressive local offerings.

SISTER ACT Riding Side Saddle is launching at the Prince Bandroom Thursday 3 November and will be looking to be an annual event showcasing emerging female artists. The first show will feature the fabulous talents of Owl Eyes, Gossling, Private Life, Emily Ulman and Cookie Baker. The event will be held on the night of Oaks Day, traditionally known as Ladies Day. Tickets are available through Moshtix for what looks like an excellent bill and a ripper of a showcase.

themusic.com.au

FOREWORD LINE

NEWS FROM THE FRONT

ONE WOMAN BAND

Paul Dempsey

Becky Lee is one of the world’s few one-womanbands and plays guitar, kick drum, snare with a foot pedal and floor tom with her strum hand with such co-ordination you could swear it was a four-piece band by listening with your eyes shut. Becky Lee will play a special Monday night residency at the Espy front bar through November with super guests including Tom Lyngcoln (Harmony), Ross De Chene Hurricanes and Dirty Elvis among others. She will also whip her one-woman show out at the Old Bar with Puta Madre Brothers on Saturday 12 November and at the Tote with Digger & The Pussycats on Saturday 3 December.

BOXED OUT After lapping Australia twice in as many months, Melbourne three-piece Boy In A Box return to play a special free hometown show at the Espy on Friday 28 October. After rocking the recent Brisbane Big Sound conference while touring alongside Calling All Cars, Boy In A Box jumped straight onto the Birds Of Tokyo tour juggernaut. The Espy show will see the band perform brand new tracks, as well as anthems such as Moon Comes Up, The Warriors, Glitter, Gold, Ruin and latest single The Longest Road. Boy In A Box will be joined by Undercolours, with more guests soon to be announced.

FOWL PLAY Guineafowl won’t be lying about the fun they’ll have on tour when their friends Split Seconds, Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire!, Mosman Alder and Glass Towers join them on The Lie Is tour. Guineafowl return to the Australian summer after playing headline shows across the USA to celebrate Dangerbird Records releasing their debut EP, Hello Anxiety. Supporting them at their Melbourne show on Saturday 3 December at East Brunswick Club will be monolithic tech-pop group Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire!, whose avalanche of musical ideas and backgrounds were welcomed on their well-received debut LP, Sea Priest. New single, Panther Shrine, from their forthcoming second release is finding its feet on national radio. Opening on the night will be Private Life.

ESPY ROCKIN’ NYE If you haven’t yet visited the Espy for their New Year’s Eve celebrations, this year is as good a time as any. Hosting a bevy of homegrown artists over the passing of each year, previous acts to take part include The Drones, The Grates, Lisa Mitchell, Spiderbait, Mess Hall, Architecture In Helsinki, Magic Dirt, Children Collide, Wolf & Cub, Airbourne, You Am I, Wagons and many more. This year’s epic line-up promises not to disappoint. The Espy have announced Paul Dempsey, Big Scary, Stonefield, Barbarion, Violent Soho, Split Seconds and Fangs will be joining this year’s festivities, ringing in the new year in true rock’n’roll style. Stay tuned for a huge second announcement in coming weeks. Tickets are $59+BF and are available now through oztix.com.au, espy.com.au and all OzTix outlets.

HEAR THE MUSIQUE Emma Hamilton has been announced as the support act for the Tuck & Patti tour that will hit Australian shores next month. Hamilton has just released her new album La Musique, which features an intoxicating blend of jazzpop standards and hook-laden originals. Tuck & Patti, this unique vocal/guitar duo from the US, have cast their passionate musical spell worldwide, capturing respect of jazz, pop, rhythm’n’blues, gospel, folk, rock and Brazilian fans. Catch Emma Hamilton supporting Tuck & Patti on Saturday 5 November at the Palais (Hepburn Springs) and on Sunday 6 November at the Corner Hotel.

SECRET AGENT

GET LOWE Nick Lowe – critically praised and enduring musician, master songwriter, band-leader, solo-artist and producer – will embark on a national tour in March next year. Sixty-two-year-old Lowe last month released his first studio album in four years, titled The Old Magic. Over the past 40-odd years, Lowe’s evolving musical styles have forged a path through pub rock, roots, rhythm’n’blues and rock’n’roll, with works often echoing strong influences of American vintage country and roots music. Lowe will perform at the Forum on Thursday 22 March. Tickets go on sale this Monday at 9am from Ticketmaster.

The original Southern California punk/surf power trio Agent Orange have been around since, well, forever it seems. Now they’re coming to Australia and rewarding fans with the Orange Can ticket competition. Three cans of ‘Agent Orange’ have been hidden in each show location (that’s the Corner Hotel for Melbourne folk). Each can is equal to the value of one double pass to the Agent Orange show in the location the can is found, access backstage to meet the band and a free Agent Orange tour t-shirt. If you find it, take a picture of yourself with the can of Agent Orange and post it on the Killrockstar Facebook page to claim your booty. Agent Orange play at the Corner on Thursday 20 October.

THIS DISCO’S THE SHIT There ain’t no party like a Shitdisco party, and for the first time, Australia gets to experience a taste of DJ mayhem from UK lads Joe Reeves and Darren Cullen. Not ones to shirk a workload the gents are opening for themselves as newly formed dark-pop outfit Age Of Consent. Joining them on the rollercoaster ride are Brisbane’s noise-pop wonder children Felinedown and Sydney electronic wizards

Bitrok. Special guests Metals join the line-up in Melbourne for one last show before they hop over the pond to the UK for a spell and will also be releasing a new single on the night. Expect levels into red, killer beats, wicked hooks, and enough energy to turn the East Coast nuclear. The party happens this Friday at Revolver Upstairs.

GET DICKED New Start Again, the debut album by local foursome Dick Diver, combines widescreen Australian sweep, ‘70s New York edge with ‘90s indie-rock scratch, but transcends its influences to become something truly honest and exciting. Now the band, featuring members of Boomgates, Total Control and The UV Race, are taking off around the country to launch the record, starting off with a free all-ages instore at Polyester Records’ city store on the day of the album’s release this Friday at 6pm. They launch the record on Saturday 19 November at Phoenix Public House with support from Harpoons and White Woods.

A TASTE OF ITALIA Melbourne will host the Australian Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project on Saturday 12 November with a one-of-a kind Italian-themed event taking place at Peninsula, on the Harbour Esplanade at Docklands. Last month Smirnoff revealed that Australia will be swapping nightlife experiences with Italy as part of a unique global experience in which 50 countries celebrate the best of their local nightlife. The Australian edition of the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project is set to be a big night with more than 2,500 guests expected to attend. Junior Jack & Kid Créme and Alex Gaudino will headline and Anna Lunoe will play host on the night. You can secure your free tickets at facebook.com/SmirnoffAustralia.

BAD TO ME, GOOD TO YOU Fresh from the return of their hugely successful first headline tour, Loon Lake are showing no signs of slowing down with the recent release of their latest single Bad To Me. Dealing with love, loss and longing for what you know you shouldn’t, Bad To Me is a defiant anthem for all those of us who have experienced pear-shaped love and has the Melbourne fivepiece wearing their hearts on their sleeves. Loon Lake will be launching Bad To Me on Friday 2 December at Northcote Social Club, where they will be treating punters to an exclusive taste of new tracks from their forthcoming EP.

A BIT OF A MOUTHFUL Teeth & Tongue is the musical project of Jess Cornelius, together with long-time collaborator Marc RegueiroMckelvie (guitar) and Damian Sullivan (bass). Armed simply with an old 505 drum machine and an electric guitar, Jess Cornelius weaves her songs through paredback rhythms and hypnotic guitar lines, creating a diverse and layered sound with dark and mysterious undertones. Vaseline On The Lens is the new single taken from Teeth & Tongue’s latest album Tambourine, the follow-up to their acclaimed debut album Monobasic. Teeth & Tongue launch their new single at the Buffalo Club this Saturday, with support from Magic Silver White and Fox & Sui.

KOH & LEE LO-FI Lo-fi (co-written with Ben Lee) – a percussion-driven, electro-spliced slice of addictive indie pop – is the first taste of Sophie Koh’s forthcoming new album Oh My Garden. Koh has been working closely with producer Brad Wood (Liz Phair/Pete Yorn/Smashing Pumpkins) and over 18 months and four successive trips to Los Angeles, her forthcoming third album was born. She will be taking her band out on the road in celebration of the release of the first single and will hit Northcote Social Club on Thursday 3 November.

THEY’VE HAD DAYS The third in a seemingly never ending series of 7” singles from Melbourne’s Money For Rope is available now on Barely Legal through Fuse Music. I’ve Had Days/December once again features the amazing artwork of Lluis Fuzzhound and is on a lovely shade of orange vinyl. Recorded by the band at Newmarket Studios and then mixed by Callum John Barter, the single has come up an absolute treat and you’d be a loony not to get yourself a copy via their Bandcamp page, at the gigs or all decent record stores. Money For Rope launch their new slab of fantastic orange plastic at the Tote on Friday with friends and colleagues The Once Overs and The Velocettes. It’s a night not to be missed, nagdammit.

themusic.com.au

THIRD IS THE WORD

On a recent visit to Nashville, Lanie Lane paid a visit to Jack White’s Third Man studios – scene of record-making for The White Stripes, The Greenhornes, The Dead Weather, The Raconteurs and a whole lot more – to take part in an open invitation White issued to travelling musicians to drop by when in town and record a wee 7”. The Blue Series records are pressed as limited editions and covered with a photograph taken onsite. Further to the Blue, there’s also a Green Series, which allows talkers and poets the same opportunity. Here are a few of the participants thus far: Blues exponents (and 2010 Meredith partybringers) Jeff The Brotherhood are front and centre at the time of writing this, with their video for Whatever I Want fronting the Third Man website. And yeah, they kinda come from Nashville, so didn’t have to travel far, but man this is a sweet recording. Everyone’s favourite all-girl Japanese surfrock band The 5.6.7.8s make an appearance with their number Sho-Jo-Ji (The Hungry Raccoon) and B-side Charumera Sobaya (The Soba Song). Don’t think you’re above singing about furry animals and noodles until you’ve given this a shake. It’s so deeply infectious; I think I just bought the 7” online. Woops.

A SURE THING

Alabaman sweethearts The Secret Sisters were one of the surprise highlights of this year’s Byron Bay Bluesfest and have trodden a slightly heavier trail than their regular sugary country here, with an all-out blues explosion by the name of Big River. Up until now, I’d kind of thought of them as pure and virtuous. This number has added a whole new (saucier) aspect to these good ol’ Christian girls. Other Blue Series artists include Insane Clown Posse (?!?), Wanda Jackson, First Aid Kit, Seasick Steve, Drakkar Sauna (with number Leave That Hole Alone, whatever that may mean), Dungen, Black Milk and a whole bunch of others, so it’s well worth a gander. Samson McDougall

The realities of the solitary life of the touring musician don’t seem to overwhelm Lane, though she is enthused by the concept of touring the album with her band later in the year. Strangely, it’s not the trappings of social life per se that Lane longs for when touring. “I wish I could take a nice lamp or something,” she laughs, “or a nice picture, so I can have my nice little bedside shrine or whatever it is every night. As much as I’m a free spirit and I really like travel and I love being out there in the wild, I need a home base, it’s just my nature. If I’ve got the home base and I know it’s there then I’m free and I feel very secure, I’m just realising all this stuff about myself. Still, it’d be nice to be able to take a few more bits from home with me on the road.”

After a stellar year that saw LANIE LANE cut a single with Jack White in Nashville, tour with Justin Townes Earle and Clare Bowditch and record her debut album To The Horses, there seems little doubt the now-Melbourne-based singer is destined for super-stardom, writes SAMSON MCDOUGALL. Cover and feature photos by CYBELE MALINOWSKI.

p until six months ago Lanie Lane worked as a florist. i t Not N t a bad b d gig i in i theory, th surrounded d d by b temporal beauty and wafting aromas, but for Lane it was merely a means to keep food on the table. A musical fire was ignited in Lane from a young age and she’s spent the past four years pouring every ounce of energy she’s had into chipping out her place as a professional touring and recording musician. The music industry being the hostile – even cannibalistic – environment it is, it’s a brazen step to exit the relative security of the floral arts for a life on the road. But for Lane this is more than a dream, she’s grabbing hold of her prospective destiny and, more than that, she’s dictating the terms. Lane occupies the Mushroom boardroom – a large space – her presence is undeniable. She is strikingly beautiful and immaculately dressed, but there’s something else. Her coffee cup is stained with the bright red of her lips; she leans forward, completely at ease with this relatively new rotating interview train. She drips x-factor, that undefinable quality reserved for the greats or goingto-bes. A few moments in her presence and you know this is a woman very much in control of her situation. She exudes a soft confidence and is professional. The successes Lane has met in the past 12 months – multiple tours at home and overseas, recording with Jack White in Nashville and a debut album in the can – would rate for many as having taken their music as far as possible. Yet for Lane, this year merely marks the beginning. “Even just like the last year has been really like a whirlwind, but lots of great music,” she says. “I love it, I’m going back to the States for all together ten or 12 shows.” In fact, at the time of the interview, she was gearing up for a whistle-stop tour of the UK and USA. “I can’t keep up with everything anymore, lucky I’ve got a lovely bunch of people to help me out.

“The last four years, [music] wasn’ wasn’t a background thing, it th mostt iimportant t t thi was the thing iin my life just trying to make it work, plugging away and doing as many gigs and demos and recording sessions and getting as much experience touring and stuff.” But Lane’s musical roots are set even deeper than that. “My mum is from a big Irish family so there was always music in her life. My dad’s musical, my brother’s musical, everyone’s musical really. We moved [to New South Wales] from England when I was about two or three. My parents didn’t have family here so they had to make their own family and a lot of those people were musicians. When there were family parties, those people would always bring their guitars and there’d be like eight guys sitting around playing guitars y’know, I always loved that.” Having moved around the Central Coast and many Sydney suburbs, Lane has recently made the transition to Melbourne. Though unwilling to elaborate on the reasons for the move (“It doesn’t really matter where I’m living anymore, it’s just a personal choice”), Lane maintains that both Australian cities have a lot to offer the arts and music. “I was lucky to not have really been affected by the so-called ‘venue crisis’ in Sydney,” she continues. “I’ve never been short of a gig luckily. I suppose it does affect people, but I think you just have to find new places to play and be inventive with where you play, in places that don’t usually have music, or y’know, just come up with your own way of doing things. Music here in Melbourne is amazing and there are so many venues and so many bands and there’s always something great to go and watch, but I think the same thing for Sydney. I don’t like the competition that Melbourne and Sydney have, I think it’s pretty bullshit actually and I don’t really buy into it. I just think, ‘C’mon, guys we’re all in this together’.” Lane’s debut To The Horses reveals a vintage sound, steeped in Americana. Stylistically, it fits with her outward aesthetic but her voice somehow belies her age and physicality.

At times a gnarled nasal moan and at others as delicate as a blossom, the dynamics are suggestive of a much older, somehow larger and more experienced talent. Drawing from blues, jazz, rock’n’roll and country elements has allowed Lane the luxury of slotting in as support for a wide range of artists. As mentioned, the last year has seen her take to the road with some heavyweights of the local and international touring world. These have been experiences Lane does not take lightly and when queried over tour highlights thus far, she stalls in reflection. “The Clare Bowditch tour was really different for me because I’ve always been on tour with male artists and I hadn’t done a tour with a female artist,” she eventually offers. “I don’t even think I’d done a tour where there was a female and I’ve done so many tours now. I was looking back and going, ‘Oh my god, there wasn’t even a female tour manager or bass player or whatever, it was all men!’ So to finally go with Clare and me, and the tour manager a female, it was really different energy-wise – had a big female vibe happening. It was really cool. Clare’s just a beautiful, generous, loving, nurturing spirit and her humour… she’s such a funny woman. So that was a big highlight. “The Justin Townes Earle tour, just watching him play every night was just unbelievable; I’d never get sick of that. I could watch him play every night. I still haven’t listened to his records that much ‘cause I’ve just got this sound in my head of what he’s like solo with Josh [Hedley] playing the fiddle. Josh actually played on my B-side on My Man. He happens to live in Nashville and got called by Jack White that day to come and play and I was like, ‘JOSH!’ But touring with Justin – his guitar playing is just unbelievable, his voice, every single thing. I’d love to do another [tour] with him just to see him play every night. There’s been a lot of tours this year, I just love being on the road.”

themusic.com.au

Her latest overseas trip sees Lane play a string of shows in the US, though not in Nashville where she recorded the single Ain’t Hungry at Jack White’s Third Man Studios earlier this year. What Lane discovered in working with White was that she’d actually got the process pretty much right in recording her album in Australia. Though happy to talk about the experience on a technical level, Lane is mum on any interpersonal exchange, insisting the session was over in a flash. “It was music based,” she continues. “When you’re making music it’s personal ‘cause it’s personal experiences you’re singing about or playing or experimenting with so it’s not like people in suits. But at the same time, I think he’s a pretty private kind of guy and I’m not gonna ask him how his divorce went, it’s not my business. I just want to make music with him and it’s good. There’s not much to say really personally… plus we did it in six hours so there wasn’t a lot of time for chitchat.” Without pressing Lane on the personal content of her work (another line she very clearly marks out), is she concerned about exposing herself too greatly through her songs? Although she’s not yet quite clear of the answer, once again her self-awareness and belief shine through. “I haven’t experienced what any impact of that will be yet,” she says. “All I know is that I’ve been playing my songs to people for a few years now and it’s never had a negative impact on me and all the promo this week, no one’s really overstepped a boundary or asked me specifically what exactly was that about or would I go into detail. I don’t think I’d have to even if they did ask me, but I haven’t had the opportunity to know what the impact of that will be yet so I don’t know. Maybe in a year when the album’s been out and people have actually heard it, maybe I’ll know.”

WHO: Lanie Lane WHAT: To The Horses (out Friday through Ivy League) WHEN & WHERE: Wednesday 19 and Friday 21 October, Northcote Social Club; Friday 25 to Sunday 27 November, Queenscliff Music Festival; Wednesday 28 December to Sunday 1 January, Falls Festival, Lorne; Friday 17 to Sunday 19 February, Riverboats Music Festival, Echuca-Moama

themusic.com.au

EVERY FRIDAY OF THE PAST TWO MONTHS As WILL SHEFF packed a suitcase in early August, preparing to hit the road for two months, the OKKERVIL RIVER frontman began chronicling his Fridays for Inpress readers (apologies for that word count, Will). As his travels take in acting jobs, golfing injuries and a cameo from an ebullient Wayne Coyne, we can only wonder what Sheff gets up to on the other six days of the week.

who turns out to be one of the nicest musicians I’ve met. When I apologise for the thin crowd he says, “Look at this beautiful day! We’re all lucky to be fucking doing this!”

FRIDAY 26 AUGUST Portland, OR. Day three of a short run with The Decemberists. Their crowd doesn’t seem to dig us. We are playing a combination winery-and-golf-course. The venue offers us a free “round” – or whatever it’s called – of golf. Strolling with my white wine, I somehow manage to slip and fall and pull some kind of tendon in my leg. I can’t believe I injured myself golfing. I hit the stage limping, and by the time the show is done the tendon or whatever is all white-hot pain. I head back to the hotel. I had hoped to fly back to Brooklyn and be home for three days, but the TV news is dominated by stories of Hurricane Irene. They’re predicting madness and chaos. They’re saying both New York airports will be underwater. I decide not to go home, and spend the next three days holed up in a hotel by myself, except for one night when I go out for a drink and somehow end up at a stranger’s bachelor party.

FRIDAY 2 SEPTEMBER Madrid. Spent the day before in a panic because my computer died and half my pedalboard broke. We played a fast, fun show to an awesome audience and then went club-hopping through the late-night city. Things got progressively sillier. At 5am we ended up at some girl’s house, drinking terrible rum and jamming on a Casio. I’m up the next day with a wicked hangover. Our tour manager takes us to the airport late, and we barely make our flight to London, sprinting and sweating and panting. In London, they won’t let us in the country. No work permits.

FRIDAY 9 SEPTEMBER Ithaca, New York. After the flight getting cancelled and re-routed a few times, I land with a bunch of freshman about to move into their dorms. A last-minute show, and we play for almost no one. Ithaca’s almost a parody of a college town. I see whimsical street juggling. I avoid a guy with a comically oversized hat with four peacock feathers. I stand in line for a buffalo-chicken pizza with a bunch of guys calling each other “brah”.

FRIDAY 16 SEPTEMBER New Orleans. One of the best meals of my life. My soft-spoken Midwestern dude friend moved here recently, divorced his wife, came out of the closet. He loudly buys me shots and seems happier than I ever remembered him or anyone being.

FRIDAY 23 SEPTEMBER

FRIDAY 5 AUGUST Brooklyn. The end of the longest stretch of free time I’ll get this year, and I’ve spent most of it attempting to do nothing. Went to a friend’s birthday party. Visited my grandparents. Began the long process of packing a suitcase with all I’d need for the next two months.

FRIDAY 12 AUGUST Haldern, Germany. I’ve been in Europe for three days. On this particular trip I’m trying out a jet-lag coping technique that consists of not even attempting to cope with jet-lag and instead sticking stubbornly to a North American schedule. I wake up shortly before showtime, eat dinner for breakfast, play, hang out all night, then a midnight snack for lunch and bedtime with the sun coming up, after eating a sensible breakfast for dinner.

Pat gave me a funny look at the hotel restaurant the other morning when he saw me pouring the contents of a concealed Maker’s bottle into my apple juice. The Haldern Festival is set in the German countryside. Pissing rain all day. The grounds are muddy chaos. For some reason, I’ve chosen to wear a Don Johnsonesque white blazer. I spend most of my energy trying to keep it from getting muddy. I fail. Late-night, we pile in the bus for the Route Du Rock festival in the French countryside. There’s even more mud there.

FRIDAY 19 AUGUST Back in Brooklyn. Some months back I vaguely agreed to a friend I would “act” in his movie. I had assumed it would be an afternoon’s commitment, but when I landed at home I was greeted with an email requesting

my presence for each of the five days I’ll be here. The movie stars Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim from Tim & Eric: Awesome Show, Great Job!, although in slightly more dramatic roles. The night before saw a drunken shoot involving full-frontal male nudity, beer-spitting, and simulated sex. Tonight’s more sedate. It’s supposed to be a “boat party”, but there are rumors of a severe storm scheduled to plow through New York City. I sit in a tiny staging room with the cast and crew, sweating and bored and battered by screaming rain. When it clears, the boat party is transformed into a roof party and we shoot until 3am. At 5am I head to the airport to catch a red-eye to Minneapolis. Can’t sleep on the plane. I arrive in Minneapolis and am driven into Wisconsin to play a festival called SoundTown. The festival is a total bust, but I do get to meet Wayne Coyne from The Flaming Lips,

themusic.com.au

Over-The-Rhine in Cincinnati was recently described as “the most dangerous neighbourhood in the United States”. My fireman friend calls it “A good place to get shot in the head” and talks of searching burning buildings for missing kids while their parents score heroin down the block. Desolation all around, but people are nice to us. The bar Biff’s lets us drink for cheap. Owner says, “There’s a strip club upstairs. Well, not strippers, but they have a few drinks and take off their clothes.” I autograph someone’s ass. Sound is atrocious, but we have a tremendous time, hard-rocking the crumbled parking lot of what used to be a German restaurant.

FRIDAY 30 SEPTEMBER Back in Brooklyn. I’m sending this piece off. Okkervil River play the Forum as part of the Melbourne Festival this Friday. They also play the Meeniyan Town Hall this Saturday, and Will Sheff performs at the Toff In Town this Sunday.

BREAKING THE MOLD Kimya Dawson and Aesop Rock

Few artists are as diverse as KIMYA DAWSON. Recent releases from the former Moldy Peach include a ten-plus-minute song examining the fragility of life, a children’s album called Alphabutt and a collaboration with indie rapper Aesop Rock, writes DOUG WALLEN.

hat can’t Kimya Dawson do? First known as half of New York “anti-folk” duo The Moldy Peaches at the start of last decade, Dawson followed that band with a string of incredibly frank, funny and heartbreaking albums for labels such as Rough Trade and K. She’s also done an album each with the folk groups Antsy Pants and The Bundles, and her last solo release was a mischievous children’s album called Alphabutt. Three years later, her new LP Thunder Thighs incorporates some hip hop influence and foreshadows an entire album she’s making with indie rapper Aesop Rock. Now she’s touring Australia (for just the second time) with Aesop and his collaborators Rob Sonic and DJ Whiz from the project Hail Mary Mallon: all four of them will perform as part of the Melbourne Festival. Thunder Thighs, meanwhile, is a taking-stock album defined by the survivor’s anthem Walk Like Thunder, featuring guest spots from The Mountain

Goats’ John Darnielle and The Strokes bassist Nikolai Fraiture. Clocking in at more than ten minutes, Walk Like Thunder starts with Dawson recounting her own near-fatal drug overdose a decade ago. Then the focus shifts to friends and loved ones she has lost since, her shaky gravel voice finding empowerment in the face of tragedy. “The beginning is a brush with death I had, from drug and alcohol abuse,” she openly admits by phone. “And then swearing I would take care of myself. It’s about being really vigilant about taking care of yourself but then realising you can be taking care of yourself in some ways but overlooking other ways.” She’s referring to friends she lost far too young to cancer and heart attacks. In other words, even if you’re keeping sober and drug-free, you’re not safe from death and disease. “It felt like for years I was losing friends to drugs and suicide and alcohol-related accidents all the time,” she shares. “And then all of the sudden in a couple months I lost two people who were my age to natural disease. And that scared me. [It was like], ‘I’m sober, but that doesn’t mean I’m healthy.’ And just recognising all the ways we need to really take care of ourselves and pay attention to what we’re consuming and how we treat our bodies. It’s about just trying to be strong.” That song became the catalyst for Dawson working with Aesop Rock, who lends a stormy passage at the end. He first contacted her about contributing to his multimedia blog 900 Bats, and then she asked him to make a beat for her album. Once they got to talking, Aesop told her about his friend Camu Tao, a rapper/producer who died from lung cancer in 2008. Dawson invited him to add a section about his late friend to Walk Like Thunder, and from there a partnership was cemented. “Listening to what we had done with that, it was like, ‘What we do works together’,” she recalls. “We decided to make more songs together, and it ended up feeling so natural that it didn’t feel like a typical collaboration. It felt like we were actually a band.” And so they become one, working on a full album due out early next year. “We still don’t have a name,” Dawson reports, “but we’ve got all these songs. We just became really good friends. And through him I became friends with Rob Sonic and DJ Whiz. Instantly we just all felt like family. So it only made sense that we would tour together.” And so an oddball pairing of hard-bitten hip hop and quirky pop folk isn’t so odd after all. In fact, Dawson raps herself on the Thunder Thighs track The Library, written for the reopening of a library in her hometown of Olympia, Washington. A silly yet loving ode to libraries (“Where better to go with a two-year-old/ who gets cabin fever when it’s rainy and cold?”), it began as a folk song performed at a benefit for said library. When later trying to record it, though, “it just felt really dead,” she says. Working with her friend Johnny D, they joked that they should do a rap version as a B-side. “We were just clowning around in the middle of the night, falling on the floor laughing at ourselves,” she recounts. “We weren’t taking ourselves seriously. We did not fancy ourselves rappers at all. But then we finished and it was fun, and we added synthesiser. It just became a goofy, fun song instead of a straightforward folk song about loving the library.” Aesop Rock even shows up on the track to enquire about Judy Blume books, sparking a wealth of librarians’ young-adult suggestions. So yes, Thunder Thighs maintains Dawson’s trademark balancing of the silly and sad, exaggerated and true. It’s that very quality that blew so many uninitiated minds when the soundtrack for the movie Juno went mainstream and took Dawson’s many contributions with it. And it’s that quality that made Alphabutt the rare children’s album that’s catchy and written on a child’s level without being excruciatingly bad. Of course, Dawson has reason to write so well for children: she has a five-year-old daughter named Panda, who has sung with her and come along on tour in the past. “There’s a lot less time to write when you have a kid,” Dawson reflects, adding that Panda won’t be coming to Australia with her. “As she becomes more independent in the last year, I’m able to work on stuff more. But for a while there [it was] hard. After you give birth, your brain just melts.” Laughing, she continues, “It’s that natural, wild, animal thing where you’re supposed to only focus on your child. So it becomes hard to do anything else.” That’s why Thunder Thighs took her two solid years to make. To be fair, in the time since her last album she released one and toured with The Bundles, her quartet with folk genius Jeffrey Lewis, his brother Jack and Anders Griffen. When she comes to Australia, she’ll be doing a hefty range of material, from Thunder Thighs and earlier solo material to her not-yet-released songs with Aesop Rock. Aesop will also do a proper set of his own, plus a Hail Mary Mallon section with Rob Sonic and DJ Whiz. “We cover a really wide spectrum,” she observes. Taking in Thunder Thighs, which teems with dozens of guest players and even the Olympia Free Choir she helped organise, it’s easy to see Dawson as a tireless and contagious collaborator. Whether in goofy mode or reflective, she’s as much mother hen as smirking ringleader, uniting disparate voices into a bouncy, ragtag whole. The LP is a healing balm that’s also fun: a cartoonish exorcism of real-life anxieties. “There’s always going to be those times that kick you in the arse,” she concludes of Walk Like Thunder, “but it’s just that reminder that people we know are going to start getting sick. We’re getting older, and that stuff starts to become more important. It starts catching up. So it’s just remembering our friends and what it’s like to watch our friends go.” As casually inspiring as ever, she adds: “And to be strong and try to take of yourself.”

WHO: Kimya Dawson WHAT: Thunder Thighs (Burnside Distribution) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday, Melbourne Festival, Forum

themusic.com.au

LEARNING FROM THEIR MISTAKES THE DRONES are survivors. GARETH LIDDIARD tells DANIELLE O’DONOHUE why that makes him feel guilty.

areth Liddiard thinks it might be time to break up The Drones and start a new band. Featuring exactly the same members as his current band, he plans on calling this new outfit The Drones. Confused?

See, The Drones are about to release a DVD, A Thousand Mistakes, and Liddiard feels like now would be a good time to put a full stop on the first part of the band’s career. “Wipe the slate clean,” he says. “We’ve got a bunch of habits and mental things that we should fuck off and start fresh. A chapter is done. I feel like I’m done with my 20-year-old angry thing. Now it’s not that I want to go out and throttle someone, I’d rather go out and tell them in fine detail what I think.” The “20-year-old angry” phase of The Drones turned out pretty well. After a succession of band members the core group of Liddiard (guitar and vocals), Fiona Kitschin (bass and vocals), Mike Noga (drums) and Dan Luscombe (guitar and keys) were finally settled in 2006 and the band have five albums to their name (that includes 2005’s The Miller’s Daughter, a collection of odds and ends released after the success of Wait Long By The River And The Bodies Of Your Enemies Will Float By. Though they’re based in Melbourne, they’ve developed a considerable following in Europe and A Thousand Mistakes features live footage shot at gigs from Melbourne to France.

“And if I knew then what I know now I wouldn’t have tried to ‘make it’ in inverted commas. It’s a weird thing.” But like Liddiard says, music is made to be played in front of people and it’s something The Drones do very well. Now, with their live show on DVD for all to see, the evolution of The Drones has moved into a new phase. It will be interesting to see what comes next. Already this band have taken their place in the history of Australian music. So now onto The Drones, mark two.

WHO: The Drones WHAT: A Thousand Mistakes (Shock) WHEN & WHERE: WednesdayFriday, Corner Hotel

The DVD also features a very intimate performance from the band, filmed in a warehouse in Fairfield in Melbourne, of songs they don’t often get to play live. Though these songs have all been released in some form, Liddiard says music’s purpose is to be heard so it was time to give these rarities a run again. “I don’t believe in playing music for nobody. That’s like talking to yourself. I think the people who say, ‘I just do it for myself man’, they’re just trying to hide the fact that their feelings are hurt by people not paying any attention to them. You play it for other people. That’s what you fucking do. “Can you imagine an Aboriginal guy sitting there singing the traditional stuff in the middle of fucking nowhere by himself? What’s the point? They didn’t do that. You’ve got to get everyone together and do it for them.” But for a band that have built a reputation around their emphatic live performances it must have been strange performing in an almost empty room? “It gave it a certain edge to any kinds of nerves you would usually have simply because it’s a camera crew we pay and they have to fuck off at 8pm so we’ve got to get it done. But it was good in [the] sense that you can rehearse all you want and you’ll never get it as good as when you’re playing in front of a crowd. Something happens in front of a crowd, the adrenaline just ups your concentration, ups your physical stamina. You get better. “We were a bit worried that it would be a bit dull – us not playing in front of everyone. The cameras were actually a great stand-in for a live crowd. They brought the adrenaline, so that worked out. It wasn’t hugely different to playing live.” The Fairfield session even introduced the newest members of The Drones, Noga and Luscombe, to the aforementioned Miller’s Daughter. “I chose a song Stop Dreaming on there, which I like, which is weird because I don’t really like… country music is annoying and done to death now but I thought we’d have a crack at that and Mike and Dan had never heard it because they don’t play on those early albums and they’d never bothered to listen to that particular album. So that was interesting. They were like, ‘Wow, this is cool. This is something we’re not bored shitless of’.” “We’ve got to swap it up. We sort of got stuck… I wouldn’t say a rut. We got into a habit of playing a certain bunch of songs. We have about three or four different sets that we do, which is good, but we sort of got stuck on them so now it might bring in a new thing. And now there’s a whole other record that Mike and Dan have never fucking heard of that they might listen to. They’re musicians, that’s what happens. I’m the same.” It’s been an intense experience for Liddiard. To find more than four hours of footage for the DVD he’s clocked a lot of hours watching his band perform live, and then came all the DVD production, something the singer wasn’t familiar with. Though he’s happy with the finished product, the DVD-making experience hasn’t been as enjoyable as disappearing down to Tasmania to an old farmhouse to make an album. “We just wrapped it up a few weeks ago. It was a fucking nightmare. There’s a lot in it. A lot can go wrong and a lot did. So we kept having to go back and forth correcting all this, because it’s all digital shit. With that, there was such a mass of material. Four-and-ahalf hours of bits and sound and menus and all that garbage. It got old. And then just kept on keeping on. It was fucking horrible.” But it has given Liddiard a chance to look back on the first part of the band’s career and get a little philosophical about what The Drones mean. Over the years Liddiard says he can see how the band have evolved. “The main thing would be like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe we turned that into something anyone gives a shit about.’ We sort of succeeded and a lot of really great fucking bands…” But here Liddiard pauses. He wants to clarify what he means by ‘success’. “We haven’t succeeded. We make a living out of it. Some people think we’re rich and I want to beat the shit out of them. We’ve managed to make a living out of it and that to me is success. That’s what I had hoped for and I’m amazed we did it because a lot of other bands who are just as deserving have fallen by the wayside. It just hasn’t happened. No one’s paid any attention so I kind of feel like a survivor, like I’ve got survivor’s guilt.

themusic.com.au

ELECTRIC DREAMS JESSE HUGHES is luv’d-up. BRYGET CHRISFIELD also learns that his debut album under the BOOTS ELECTRIC moniker came about after he was “raped by miracles”.

t the time of our chat, Jesse Hughes (AKA Boots Electric) is sucking on an Otter Pop. Of course he is. “They’re tall and skinny and you freeze ‘em yourself and each one has its own character, like, Alexander The Grape, Sir Isaac Lime, Poncho Punch – just a delightful treat on a hot day,” he shares in his Southern drawl that manages to turn something as simple as enjoying a Popsicle into a scandalous act. It’s hard to imagine that Hughes could get any larger than life than the caped lothario persona he embodied fronting Eagles Of Death Metal, but he succeeds via this latest solo incarnation, Boots Electric. Check out the music video for Boots Electric Theme for all the evidence you need. “This album [Honkey Kong] – I never realised it, I guess I didn’t know I was on the tightrope so I wasn’t looking down and getting scared,” Hughes comments on the experience of dropping partner in musical crime Josh Homme’s coattails. “But it’s what happens when a hopeless, horny romantic is unfiltered.”

The dream interview subject admitted in a previous interview, “I’m a kittycat, I need to be petted. I can’t purr unless somebody pets me.” When told Honkey Kong puts the “Electric” in “Boots Electric”, Hughes giggles as if he’s being tickled, “Haha, thank you, baby… This is what happens when a certain chemical is not reacting with its typical chemical, you know what I mean? It’s kind of like being raped by miracles, that’s what it felt like.” Hughes certainly has a distinctive turn of phrase, which translates into his lyrical content – “raped by miracles” turning up on Trippy Blob. Recruiting Brody Dalle-Homme (Spinerette) to supply guest vocals on Boots Electric Theme is something Hughes admits the duo have “been talking about forever”. “I wrote that absolutely for her specifically to sing with me… she’s the closest thing I have to a sister in my whole life and I love her dearly,” he praises. “Juliette Lewis came into the studio and helped me with it ‘cause I wanted it to be perfect, and you don’t bring something to the table for Brody Dalle to check out unless it’s fucking the tits, you know what I’m saying? And so I thought it was a great irony to have a song that celebrates romance, not for the two people singing it but in their sort of ah, critique of how lame it is to be fake.” The song also explores how messy love can be, complete with references to bodily fluids. “Absolutely,” Hughes allows, “and how trippy and how fucking twisted people can be. But sometimes it’s a beautiful mess – it’s being raped by miracles, girl.” He loves that phrase. Here’s another corker: “Anybody can fuck off, but, you know, not everybody can fuck on. It’s a much better concept.” When we last spoke, before Hughes last graced our shores to play Cherry Rock in May, the moustacheod menace was spruiking an 11-track debut album. Did one of them not sit cohesively in the final tracklisting? “No, I’m just a greedy son of a bitch,” Hughes counters, “and I decided if I’m gettin’ paid the same amount, they’re only getting ten songs at the label. I’ll give the extra songs to the people themselves via the live performance. So because this is so much magic and I’m all into wizards and magicians, Abracadabra by Steve Miller’s been added into the set. It seems to make sense. I like to do covers that typically you wouldn’t expect someone to do.” Was Hughes particularly attracted to the line in Abracadabra that goes: “Black panties with an angel’s face”? “Oh yeah, oh my god. Are you kidding?” He may talk the Southern beau talk, but Hughes is spoken for these days. And what happens on tour can’t stay on tour either since his current squeeze/pornstar Tuesday Cross plays bass in his backing band. So how did they meet? “This is a god honest true story: I pulled up to a party to pick up some friends and she jumped in my car. And I was listening to Pentagram, which is an underground heavy metal band that no one really knows about, and she looked at me and she went, ‘Oh, Pentagram – cool. Cool car. All right,’ and I was like, ‘Woah, woah, woah! Who are you? What the fuck!?’ And she was like, ‘I’m Tuesday,’ and I was like, ‘Stay with me,’ and she stayed with me and we listened to music together every day for a month, no shit, and before we even began trying to touch one another. So that’s kind of a special thing, especially considering the worlds we come through: whenever you can actually trust someone for real, it’s special.” It sounds as if their union was built of mutual respect. “You have to do it that way,” the smitten frontman acknowledges, “and it’s not because I’m trying to be a good guy, it really isn’t. My mother, who is one of my heroes, raised me a certain way and I can’t fuckin’ help it! And when I met Tuesday, she fuckin’ rocked and she’s the real deal and anyone who can go through the rigorous, unholy, cannibalistic process of having to audition for a motherfucker like me and pass it, and make it into the band like she’s done, and tag me and bag me? Wow! And when I fell in love with her… this is true, though: we were at a party in Kansas and some dude was talking shit to me, and it wasn’t necessarily to me, it wasn’t dangerous, I was like, ‘Whatever’. But out of the corner of my eye I see Tuesday walking and she’s draining her beer, and as soon as her beer’s empty she flips it over her head and smashes it over this kid’s head, saying, ‘Don’t fuck with my man.’ That was badass! When a little Mexican girl unleashes that passion for you, oh lord.” Cross is in fine company considering Hughes has also recruited Pauly Castillo (Joey, drummer with Queens Of The Stone Age/Eagles Of Death Metal’s little brother) and Eden Galindo on guitar to round out the Boots Electric touring ensemble – “So I can come out from behind my guitar to show off the bits and pieces a little bit more,” Hughes teases. He flashes a lot of flesh in his new CD’s artwork. “That’s when I’m happiest, when I’m a naked Indian running around,” he admits. When complimented on his choice of tighty whities, Hughes responds, “Thank you, darlin’, those are American Apparel and I’m wearing Tuesday’s socks. Oh, wait, actually they’re Native American Apparel, ah Tuesday corrected me.” Before Cross jumped into his “cool car”, Hughes survived some dark times and, as always with the rocker, no topic is off limits. “In this rock’n’roll world, shit can get dark fast. Because nobody’s here in Hollywood because they’re trying to save whales, they’re here to get famous – that’s the worst fuckin’ reason in the world to do anything. And so when you have that as the primary motivating force, you’re not engaging in a world of nobility, you know. Drugs? Drugs were really the least of it in a way – it was the mindset. I mean, I lost my virginity to my ex-wife. I had never in a million years dreamed that I would be a part of something like this, let alone wanted to be, so the world really allowed for me to and… god’s honest truth if it weren’t for the love and friendship of people like Joshua Homme and Joey Castillo and Dave Grohl, I’d be dead and it wouldn’t necessarily have been from an overdose – it might have been from a gunfight with a jealous boyfriend, you know what I mean? Like, I was running with the devil and that’s a dark thing.” He always lavishes praise on Homme, or, as Hughes affectionately calls him, the “6’4” Viking monster”. “He’s my son’s godfather, he is the captain of our gang and I’m proud to be a part of it,” he continues. “For me that’s as much of an award as anything: getting to make a solo record in the manner in which I’m getting to make it because of my fellowship and association and work with him. A proud moment for me. And I think I would be an asshole to think of it any other way, you know?”

WHO: Boots Electric WHAT: Honkey Kong (Dangerbird/Co-Operative Music)

themusic.com.au

A CERTAIN POINT OF VIEW Australian blues maestro JEFF LANG continues to pump out quality records at an impressive rate almost two decades since he began working as a solo artist. He tells DAN CONDON about his latest album and just how good his band is.

eff Lang is pulled over on the side of the road in New Forest, somewhere near Southampton in the UK. It’s about 2am but the travelling troubadour is in good spirits, enjoying a quick jaunt around the UK and Europe before coming home to launch his latest studio solo album, Carried In Mind. “I had a bit of a vision of how it should come together, a bit of a plan as to how I’d like it to unfold but not tie down to the specifics of that too much,” he says of the record. “You know, you don’t tell the other musicians what to play, if they understand the direction and the mood you’re trying to create then they’ll bring an extra element to it and will actually exceed your expectations and surprise you as well as fulfilling [themselves].” But when it comes to the initial writing process, Lang is not the kind of artist who likes to plan too much. In fact, he finds he gets his best results when he just lets the lyrics flow. “With the writing itself I try to let that flow as best as possible and it seems to be the best way to do it, to not edit things; structuring an intention with the writing is sort of like editing it in a way, sort of pre-shaping it. It always ends up sort of disappointing when I try and do that, not as a rule, but in general,” he explains. “It doesn’t work as well as when I just let things come to me and then you can look at it later and see what it seems to be saying to you, if things need to be changed around. That’s the thing, you can always edit and it’s easier to edit after the fact. It seems to stem the flow somewhat if I try to edit it as I go.”

orchestrate it, but for someone to just instinctively and intuitively do it is really something else. “That’s the thing about recording the way I do, live performances with the whole band there, you get to hear that as you’re doing it, as you’re singing it, and you’re responding to that. You’re getting goosebumps as you’re singing it. You know the song, you’ve written it! But it’s being made fresh and new right in front of you by what people are adding to it. It’s just inspiring.”

WHO: Jeff Lang WHAT: Carried In Mind (ABC Music/Universal) WHEN & WHERE: Friday, Caravan Music Club (Oakleigh); Saturday, Corner Hotel; Sunday, Way Out West Blues Club (Williamstown)

Things are different for Jeff Lang in 2011 when it comes to plying his trade. While in the old days he had a sense

“

When I was just a single guy living in a van going from show to show and trying to make enough money to get to the next gig it was a lot easier.”

of freedom that allowed him to work when and where he wanted, a certain level of domesticity has changed that. “I’ve got a young family so it can be hard to find the time, whereas before when I was just a single guy living in a van going from show to show and trying to make enough money to get to the next gig it was a lot easier,” he admits. “You’re in the car all day and you can let your mind wander and bring things back; it feels like there’s more time to let your mind wander. Whereas now there’s no spare time, you actually have to make time to write.” His guitar proficiency has long been admired, but Carried In Mind once again shows Lang’s knack as a storyteller. He admits writing from the perspective of others is more interesting to him, but also resolves that a lot of himself creeps into anything he writes. “I guess I find it more compelling, singing from a character’s point of view. Having said that there are songs on this record that are fairly directly from my own life and even when you’re singing from the point of view of a character you’re still imagining it from your perspective, so ultimately it’s your point of view that the character is speaking from.” The rhythm section of Grant Cummerford (bass) and Danny McKenna (drums) is back on board for Carried In Mind and it’s obvious that the respect Lang has for them as musicians has only grown throughout the years. “I love playing with those guys, they’re just such song-oriented players and they just understand what makes music tick,” he says. “The versatility of their musicianship, to be able to go from playing something that’s really quite aggressive and polyrhythmic like Running By The Rock and then in the next breath going to something like I’m Barely There, which involves playing, you know, pretty much fuck all for the whole song and doing it with such conviction and restraint. They’re special players. I’m very lucky to have them in the team.” The new sonic element on this record is a familiar one, the pedal steel playing of Garrett Costigan. “I’ve been a fan of Garrett’s playing since I first heard him on the Sad But True album by Tex, Don & Charlie. I love that record and I love everything about that record. Whenever I hear him play with other people he has that otherworldly, kind of poetic quality to his playing. He doesn’t need to play all the time, but every time he starts playing the instrument it’s like the heavens have opened.” The record was once again recorded live in Lang’s own home studio, a method he’s becoming quite accustomed to. The environment must be a good one to draw the kinds of performances out of both himself and his band that he does. Even listening to him speak about the sessions is enough to make any fan excited. “On a song like Newbridge, that was the first take we did,” Lang recounts. “That was all live off the floor, all of us playing together. It’s a nine-minute song, it’s all verses, it’s just a long story and [Costigan] doesn’t play a note for like three minutes. How did he know? He didn’t have the lyrics in front of him. But where he chooses to enter is just where the story starts to take a dip down into the dark, and murkier, waters and that’s when he chooses to come in. To choose to come in then and to play what he plays… I dunno, you can talk about it and

themusic.com.au

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT With musicianship and songwriting smarts belying their tender years, it’s no wonder Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus was keen to guest on the debut album by Sydney pop punkers TONIGHT ALIVE, writes TONY MCMAHON.

ydney’s heavy-hitting pop punk outfit Tonight Alive have fittingly titled their debut album What Are You So Scared Of? Questions, obviously, suggest answers, and the answer here would appear to be that this promising young group aren’t afraid of anything. Of course, this is an invaluable asset for any band just starting out in the notoriously cutthroat music biz, let alone one as markedly destined for stardom and clearly passionate about their art as this one. One of the best things about this terrific album is that it operates on so many levels: it’s a little confronting, while at the same time being just way too much fun; the group are still young and enthusiastic, yet the musicianship is mature and assured. When Inpress meets up with frontwoman Jenna McDougall and guitarist Whakaio Taahi, affectionately known as Whak, the talk naturally turns to this delightful contradiction. “One thing we were really conscious of when we were making the album,” says Taahi, “was

that we wanted there to be music in there for musicians, but also… I hate to use this word, but the ‘mainstream’ as well. I don’t listen to the radio, I don’t listen to that crap. I’m classically trained on piano, as well, and I wanted to incorporate that into our sound. It took us a while to kind of blend that together, but when we found it, we felt like it just really worked for us.” Legend has it that the band dynamic, when Tonight Alive first came together, was instantly positive, almost as if the various members recognised their hopes and dreams personified in each other. It’s tough to put one’s finger on, but there’s something about the music on What Are You So Scared Of? that bears this out. Perhaps it’s fitting to say that this is music that could only be made by a group of people in true personal harmony. Taahi agrees, saying it ain’t nothing but a family thing. “We’re all so close. When we’re not on tour or not recording, we’re still hanging out at each other’s places. It’s really important for us because it doesn’t matter what success we get, we’ll always still have that backbone of being friends. It really feels like a family, it feels like we go through everything together. If someone’s pissed off with someone else, it lasts for a day and then you get on with it. We all love music so much, we all have the same goals, I think that definitely comes across with the record, and also when we play it. We just really love what we do.” The album was produced by Mark Trombino, who has worked with Blink-182, Jimmy Eat World and The Starting Line, amongst others. A lot of these records were the ones the band grew up listening to and when Trombino contacted them, wanting in, they were understandably stoked. McDougall is on record as saying that the recording process made her a better a singer, mainly, she says, due to the hard work and lack of editing tricks that Gambino put her through. “I felt like I’d never been pushed that way before, and I never sang so much before. It wasn’t just that I sang from nine to five, I actually sang a lot more than that. I’d never done that before. And he didn’t leave anything to editing, he didn’t put reverb on it and touch it up and make it sound nicer. It was like, ‘No, nail it.’ It was tough. It wasn’t the same way we went about the first two EPs, that’s for sure. He didn’t come up with any ideas, he made us come up with them. It was great, though, because everything on it is us.” “Yeah,” adds Taahi. “At the time, I was, like, ‘This sucks,’ I’d come home at night so exhausted. But now, I wouldn’t change a single thing. He pushed us to make the best record we could, and I’m really proud of it.” Talking of Blink-182, frontman Mark Hoppus stepped in on the record for a cameo with McDougall on Thank You & Goodnight. To say that the band were stoked is something of an understatement. “Whenever I listen to that track,” says McDougall, “it’s not like I forget, but I don’t expect to hear his voice and then it comes on – it’s that voice that you’ve been listening to since you were 13 and it’s like… ‘Yeah.’ He’s such a huge part of the reason why we play music, so to have him be a part of us and our band and our music – even in some small, little way – it was huge for us.” “It was more than just a dream come true,” adds Taahi. “I mean, that guy’s the reason I play guitar. I just couldn’t believe that something we had done had led us to a place where we were working with him.” Yet another terrific element of What Are You So Scared Of? is the level of the songwriting ability on display, both lyrically and musically, belying the band’s tender years. McDougall says it’s all about harmony, something that hasn’t always been easy to achieve. “I don’t think I could have written these songs if it wasn’t for the guitar work. We make sure that we don’t compete with each other. We had struggled with that with our EPs. We didn’t realise it at the time, of course, but I listen to those songs now and they’re a mess. There’s so many parts going on. We realised that we needed to break the songs down, that we needed to be able to play them acoustically and that they still needed to be good songs.” For Taahi, it’s been a learning process that’s stretched back a long way. “I always write the lead after Jenna writes her vocals so that it complements them rather than takes them over. I think we learned that from the guy we did our first two EPs with, he taught us that. He helped us to become Tonight Alive, I feel.” Was signing to a major label a no-brainer, even for such a young band? Taahi says that it was, but not perhaps for the reasons one might expect. His response, as well as McDougall’s, says a hell of a lot about the kind of band Tonight Alive are. “Sony came along and we met the A&R guy and he was just so passionate about it, he had so much faith in us. I mean, we didn’t have an album, we only had two EPs, but he really trusted in us. And it meant that we would get to go and record an album with Mark Gambino. For me, that just sold me. It wasn’t, ‘Oh, it’s Sony, let’s do it so we can become massive.’ It wasn’t like that at all. That’s not what we’re about.” “Actually, we’re really scared about that,” says McDougall. “We want to take the indie approach. We want to work for everything and take the little steps. And it has been like that. Sony want that for us. We wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t for that.”

WHO: Tonight Alive WHAT: What Are You So Scared Of? (Sony) WHEN & WHERE: Friday and Saturday midday (under-18), Hi-Fi

themusic.com.au

WORLD VISION “I think it is time for all of humanity to start seeing the world around them as a complicated set of mistakes that governments have made and the failures of our social systems.” THE NARCICYST (AKA Yassin Alsalman) shares his worldly views with TONY MCMAHON.

esop Rock has been called the poet-laureate of hip hop and is considered, rightly so, one of the world’s best lyricists. Kimya Dawson, of Moldy Peaches fame, recently contributed to the soundtrack of the film, Juno, as well as the leading the so-called anti-folk movement. These artists have joined forces to headline an upcoming Melbourne Festival show with a collaboration written specifically for the festival by Arab-American hip hoppers The Narcicyst and Omar Offendum, The Hobson Jobson Experience. The terrific opportunity this affords the average Melbourne punter to hear otherwise marginalised voices is, quite simply, without peer, and becomes increasingly important with each passing year as the homogenisation of culture increases. The Narcicyst (AKA Yassin Alsalman) – who raps in a combination of Arabic and English and has supported big-name acts such as Public Enemy, Busta Rhymes and DJ Vadim – is a graduate in political science and communications studies, has a master’s degree in media and was a big part – along with Omar Offendum, Ragtop and Eccentric – of the epoch-defining record Fear Of An Arab Planet. A super-excited Inpress thinks that a good place to start, when we catch up with The Narcicyst is to ask him to tell us a little about The Hobson Jobson Experience in his own words.

(another visitor to this year’s event) sinking beers with Arab-American hip hop artists in the Forum lounge, and the resulting records and concerts that might ensue, making the world a decidedly better, more Jello place. The Narcicyst says he’ll definitely be found amongst the audience, and is open to the idea of what could happen from there. “I look forward to building with artists in Australia, it is always amazing to encounter fellow artists that share the same feelings about earth and how we live in it. So I hope to catch a couple of shows while I’m out there and connect with the people.”

WHO: The Narcicyst WHEN & WHERE: Saturday, Melbourne Festival, Forum

“Hobson Jobson is an old colloquial colonial term. To answer it in short form is hard, but I would say it was the equivalent of ‘Hajjis’ now, where the invading force or occupying mentality, phonetically says something in the wrong way on purpose. Hobson Jobson was their reference to the Hassan and Hussein commemorations in India. A congregation if you will. Omar and I came up with the Hobson Jobson idea as a response to that aggressing force. Our party is a party. We have visual artists, singers, songwriters, rappers, beatmakers, filmmakers, photographers, actors – all who are strengthening our cultural essence; be it Arabness or any culture. The Hobson Jobson of Cultural Resistance.”

“

We don’t find the root cause of all the problems in the world, we throw money at them.”

Given that The Hobson Jobson Experience has been created for Australian audiences, does this mean that The Narcicyst will be addressing local issues specifically? The appalling and, as it turns out, illegal treatment of asylum seekers, for example? The reprehensible gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous life expectancy? Australia’s blind involvement in two wars? Things like that? It seems that, understandably so perhaps, Alsalman is wary of coming off too preachy. “Not really. I mean, we address the issues of growing up as Arab immigrants torn between two homes. We talk about growing up, family, culture; we talk about the issues that are prevalent in most of our societies. I think coming from Canada, we share common issues, racist policies and gazes towards the ‘other’ in society. The same ‘fears’ you could say, are pushed on society. We do share the same Mothership, so to speak. It’s really the first time Omar and I mix our records together as a complete show in Australia, we are hyped about it!” Although this comes off as kind of a dumb question – and it’s not as if the writer doesn’t have strong opinions on the matter himself – Inpress would still really like to hear The Narcicyst’s take on why it’s important for Australians to hear marginalised voices such as those of Arab-Americans on matters such as Israel, 9/11, Islamaphobia and Iraq. Interestingly, given the minefield nature of the topics under discussion, Alsalman’s response is more humanist that political. “I think it is time for all of humanity to start seeing the world around them as a complicated set of mistakes that governments have made and the failures of our social systems. We don’t fix the problem; we diagnose it and drug it. We don’t find the root cause of all the problems in the world, we throw money at them. I think the world needs to see the injustice in Palestine as a human cause, not just a Palestinian cause. The children of Palestine are not granted the same rights [that] a child in neighbouring Israel is. The death tolls from cancer in Iraq following the wars – in both American soldiers and, more violently, in Iraqi civilians – is a human problem. We have to realise the interconnectedness of these grandiose decisions of war declared on parts of the world.” Inpress imagines the North American Arab-American hip hop scene as an antagonistic place to ply one’s trade, if not downright dangerous, especially in the immediate years after 9/11. The Narcicyst doesn’t go into this, though, tellingly preferring to concentrate on what he obviously sees as its strengths, as well as a little history, talking, importantly, more about the things that unite cultures rather than what divides them. He also gets a plug in for his book, not that there’s anything wrong with that. “It’s very diverse, and from several generations deep in the industry and the culture. Arabs have been immigrating to North America for a very long time now, just like Australia. I think it’s a natural progression that that ‘voice’ will become more dominant in the cultural production of both North America and will be heard from the Middle East. I have been watching, and been a part of, a growing community of artists that are inspirational. My book The Diatribes Of A Dying Tribe really speaks on that common stream of social understanding that we all share.” A further example of Inpress’s imagination is that it sees the Melbourne Festival as an extraordinary opportunity not just for punters to see music they would never ordinarily get to, but for artists to collaborate as well. A slightly wistful, almost romantic picture forms of Jello Biafra

themusic.com.au

THE LO! ROAD

BIG CATS

Almost impossible to categorise, Sydney’s LO! are happy just to be called “heavy”, guitarist CARL WHITBREAD tells DOUG WALLEN.

Acts such as Sleigh Bells have proven there is an audience for industrial-laced pop, GLEN GATTENHOF from Brisbane’s FELINEDOWN tells NIC TOUPEE.

like ominous totems and Hued Tarantula and Seraphim represent the badass and the semi-mystical, respectively. It’s another florid touch for a band that know how well heavy music lends itself to baroque gloom and tell-tale evil. At the same time, singer Smith’s lyrics extend well beyond “end-of-the-world doom stuff,” argues Whitbread, and there’s no missing the flash of black humour in the title of album closer Fire At The Child Actors Guild. “We don’t want to take ourselves too seriously,” he observes.

oom metal? Sludge? Post-hardcore? All those terms apply to Lo! at various moments, but each only scratches the surface. The Sydney quartet’s debut LP Look & Behold is a scalding immersion that ranges from bullwhip riffing to oozing vocal menace to cavernous atmosphere and, on the six-minute Moira Kindle, slippery territory that’s part Tool and part Rage Against The Machine. That makes it hard to describe the band by genre, even for their own members. “I just say heavy,” laughs guitarist Carl Whitbread. “I don’t want to put ourselves in one specific category.” Taking inspiration from bands such as Sweden’s Breach and America’s Old Man Gloom, Lo! set out to diversify their sound from the start. While Whitebread’s prior act Omerata was more straightforward by comparison, he wanted this outfit – featuring bassist Adrian Shapiro, drummer Adrian Griffin and vocalist Jamie-Leigh Smith – to reflect his own broad tastes beyond metal. “We obviously still want to keep it quite heavy,” he says, “but also not restrict ourselves. It’s nice to bring elements of [other genres] in without it being a total style change. Bringing them in but making them heavier.” That means some electronic and post-rock influence can seep into the muscular onslaughts. As alluded to by the album title, Lo! take their name not from some mark of elevation but the venerable phrase “lo and behold”. “I was reading a lot of things like Lord Of The Rings and Edgar Allan Poe,” Whitbread admits. “It’s almost always used as an expression of interest, and even mid-sentence it’s always got the exclamation point. I liked that idea and thought it was something a bit different.” That interest in arcane and outmoded terminology carries into the album’s song titles, where Hath and Doth arise

Winning comparisons to crossover metal names such as Baroness and Mastodon, Lo! have already supported Russian Circles and landed a deal with German label Pelagic, run by Berlin-based Robin Staps of The Ocean. The deal came about soon after Staps heard Lo!’s first EP, and now the quartet are looking at mid-2012 for a debut European tour. A grant is being applied for and fingers getting hopefully crossed, considering the market for heavy music in Europe dwarfs our own. That said, sunny Sydney is not without kindred spirits for Lo!. Whitbread cites post-hardcore firebrands Totally Unicorn and says, “It’s pretty good at the moment. There’s a lot of good bands. A lot of venues have been shutting down, which is a bit of a shame, but there seem to be others that pop up in their place. There’s a nice little community of bands, and everyone supports each other.” In fact, frontman Jamie-Leigh Smith used to play keyboards in the Sydney act Switchkicker. Lo! originally had a mate of theirs singing, but he had to pull out due to other commitments. “We were a little stuck,” recalls Whitbread, since the band already had all their songs written and recorded. Then, out of the blue, Smith recorded some vocals at home over the backing tracks. Despite being a newcomer to the microphone – his first gig with Lo! was the first time he’d ever sung lead live – he was an instant match with the shape-shifting band. His vocals are as fluid as any part of Lo!, slipping from hardcore to metal to far beyond. “We were blown away,” beams Whitbread. “That was bit of a goldmine for us.”

journey was not one of predestination. Gattenhof believes industrial electronic sounds found them, rather than the other way around. Nevertheless, Felinedown managed to tame the machine, combining savage electronics with their canny pop capabilities – and found themselves match-fit to take on industrial dance acts worldwide. ”We didn’t set out to sound too industrial,” he admits, “but we seemed to fall comfortably into that. It’s weird how we have a very pop structure to our songs but the sound is industrial and noisy. We used a lot of fuzz on the guitars, synths and drums.”

ombining industrial aggression with female vocals and a bottle of charisma, Brisbane’s Felinedown are looking to assume the title of Australia’s answer to the Prodigy, with a dash of Def FX thrown in. (Haven’t heard of Def FX? A few moons ago they also were Australia’s answer to the Prodigy and had a bona fide witch for a singer. Look ‘em up.) Certainly, they have brought in some big guns to provide heavyweight assistance, in the form of producer Dan Sutherland, from recently split Sydney industrial metal band MM9 (otherwise known as Many Machines On 9), to give their new EP Trap Rebaited some added bombastic ammunition. Felinedown’s guitarist Glen Gattenhof explains how the band decided to turn their sound up to 11. “We recorded all the songs in Brisbane, and then sent the recorded songs to Daniel, who is the ex-frontman from MM9. I’ve known Dan for about four or five years, and we always said we should do an album together. We used the internet a lot to send songs back and forth, changing ideas and trying to come up with a finished product. It took about eight months to finish it.” Although Felinedown have a couple of years notched up as a band, with this LP they’ve explored a collaborative writing process, and Gattenhof believes this has also shaken up their sound. “This time, myself and Beau [Badinski, keyboards/ electronics] have been writing with Brody [Ann Wright, vocalist and songwriter]. Before this EP [the songs] were written by Brody and another fellow. So this new record will have a completely different flavour: still electro rock, but a lot louder and faster, and a lot more synths.”

WHO: Lo! WHAT: Look & Behold (Green/MGM) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday, Gasometer

While this is where the EP ended up, the start of the sonic

BACK IN THE AIR

One unexpected downside to championing a sound not currently in vogue is that Felinedown often are flummoxed when choosing bands to gig with, at least here in Australia. “We find it fairly difficult to find other bands to pair up with,” Gattenhof admits dolefully. “We often end up playing at rock, punk and indie gigs, because we have a lot of different genres in our sound.” While not their most important consideration, it has crossed Felinedown’s minds that the media might be similarly unable to easily pigeonhole the band. “We were a bit concerned through the writing process, whether bands like ourselves would get national airplay, but obviously the Prodigy do, and there’s an American band called Sleigh Bells, who toured here in January, who bring an industrial sound with great vocals into their sound, and were accepted by quite a large demographic. That gave us more inspiration to believe in our own sound… Maybe Australia is ready for its own industrial pop dance band.” Ann Wright has also extended her own vocal style on the new release. “Brody has tried a few [vocal] styles on the new record: very loud shouting-with-attitude vocals for some songs like Dirt and Warpaint, and (she likes to say) Californiaesque reverby wide melodic vocals over other songs like Little Poison. We like it that her vocals aren’t harsh and intimidating like some industrial German guy.” WHO: Felinedown WHAT: Trap Rebaited EP (Creative Vibes) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday, Revolver

CONFESSION SESSION

Recent tours of Australia have kickstarted Kiwi legends THE BATS into more regular work, ROBERT SCOTT tells DOUG WALLEN.

Is MICHAEL CRAFTER the most hated man in Australian heavy music? Perhaps, but the CONFESSION frontman doesn’t care, as BRENDAN CRABB discovers.

“A lot of the early stuff we got together live,” explains Scott, “and it probably was faster because of having more upbeat songs for tour. There was a lot of exploring done on this record. It was more a mood and feeling I was trying to get across.”

obert Scott is getting to be quite a frequent visitor to our shores. Between two tours with The Bats, one with The Clean and a solo jaunt, he’s about to come to Australia for his fifth time in three years. Not that anyone’s complaining: the New Zealander and longtime Flying Nun Records’ fixture is a quietly great songwriter who seems to be getting better all the time, even after three decades making music. Following on the heels of last year’s diverse solo debut Ends Run Together, the new Bats’ album Free All The Monsters also boasts the crystal-clear yet somehow spacey production of Kiwi engineer Dale Cotton. The quartet’s line-up remains the same as always – Scott on vocals and lead guitar, Kaye Woodward on guitar and vocals, Paul Kean on bass and guitar and Malcolm Grant on drums – yet there’s an evolution underway that positions the songs closer to the dusky glow of Ends Run Together.

There are definitely shared elements, agrees Scott. “Maybe how we approached the song structure and especially the way we were trying to get sounds,” he reckons. “It’s a different dynamic with a band because you’re dealing with four inputs. But a lot of songs on the new album were written beforehand and I got them down to pretty much how I wanted them. In some ways the band didn’t change it a lot.” Whereas the classic jangle-defined propulsion of early Bats’ albums – see 1987’s Daddy’s Highway and 1988’s The Law Of Things – is still present in the band’s live show, it’s not as pronounced on the current album. There may remain a droning insistence to most of the songs, but Spacejunk is a lighter standout and the lovely instrumental Canopy feels like it might have floated over from Scott’s solo outing. Also, Fingers Of Dawn slows those familiar layered guitars to a thickened calm.

To be fair, The Bats have showed their prowess for sleepier tunes since way back with 1995’s Couchmaster and some of the best moments of 2008’s The Guilty Office were in that vein. The Guilty Office introduced the band to many Australians for the first time, thanks to a release through Melbourne indie label Mistletone and the subsequent first Bats’ tour here in years. Then came another tour, the solo album and Scott’s visit with The Clean, another Kiwi band strongly associated with the pioneering label Flying Nun. All of which has amounted to real momentum. “Coming out to Australia has kickstarted us more,” observes Scott. “People are always enthusiastic and appreciative. It’s great being able to come across.” After The Bats’ latest visit, that band and The Clean will play shows in New Zealand to celebrate Flying Nun’s 30th anniversary. Fans are looking forward to waves of reissues promised by the rejuvenated label, since many of the old albums are long out of print. And with The Bats more prolific than ever, that might raise similar expectations for The Clean, whose 2009 LP Mister Pop was the trio’s first since 2001. “We did some recording earlier in the year,” reveals Scott. “Just an EP worth of stuff.” He acknowledges that it was a tough time, as his Clean bandmates David and Hamish Kilgour had to come to their mother’s aid following the Christchurch earthquakes early this year. “We did have a lot [of material] left over,” he adds, “so we’ll see what happens when [New York-based] Hamish comes over in November.” As for The Bats, the band with the distinguished back catalogue is ever looking forward. Scott confirms, “We feel like we’ve got a bit more we want to explore.”

WHO: The Bats WHAT: Free All The Monsters (out Friday through Mistletone) WHEN & WHERE: Friday, East Brunswick Club

ichael Crafter, vocalist for metal/hardcore act Confession and formerly of I Killed The Prom Queen, Carpathian and Bury Your Dead is arguably Australian heavy music’s most divisive figure. Loved by his army of fans and loathed by detractors, it seems he’s been equally worshipped while also copping considerable abuse during the past decade. Not that he cares about criticism. “I honestly don’t give a shit what people say,” he emphasises from his Gold Coast home. “I’ve got my own life, I do a band ‘cause I like doing a band. I love playing shows, I love going on tour with my mates. I’ve always said I go on tour ‘cause it’s fun. I’ve even written songs about this on the new album. Once that’s over and I’m not having fun, what’s the point? I probably will stop doing it then. “I don’t care what people say about me, because if they’ve met me and they’ve got an opinion, maybe I was an arsehole to ‘em for some reason. Maybe they were a fucking dickhead to me and I told them to fuck off. [Then] they’re going to say I’m the biggest stuck-up prick ever. Maybe you were a prick to me the first time, or maybe I was having a bad day. If people have met me and they’ve got that opinion, fair enough. But if they’ve never met me and they’re just going off what some other fucking person said about me, then whatever, you know? You’re always going to get that, people are always going to like you or hate you, no matter what you do. You have the good with the bad.”

It’s the Crafter devotees who will obviously embrace Confession’s new album The Long Way Home. Most of the writing and pre-production took place in the “Parkway house” in Byron Bay, the rehearsal space/ spiritual home of longtime friends Parkway Drive. Confession, whose members are littered throughout Australia, then trekked to Studio Fredman, Sweden to work with legendary metal producer Fredrik Nordström (In Flames, At the Gates, Dimmu Borgir, Arch Enemy).

themusic.com.au

“It’s just really relaxed and chilled,” Crafter says of the Parkway house. “It’s probably one of the least stressful places to go. That was the best thing for our album, we wanted a relaxed atmosphere; we wanted somewhere where we can be locked away. Ray [Gordon, father of Parkway Drive drummer Ben] even came in a bunch of times and was so stoked that we were writing the songs. Not many parents are going to want a band to come into their house, make noise all day and be stoked on it.” The ensuing trip to Sweden was based on the principle of helping the band create the “heaviest shit” possible. “When we wrote the album, we were like, ‘We just want this shit fast, heavy and catchy when it needs to be’,” Crafter says. “If there’s singing parts, you want them to be catchy so people remember it, but we want everything else to be angry, pissed off and as heavy as it can get. So much stuff coming out of America now sounds like it’s just fake, you know? It doesn’t sound real. It sounds like they just used a bunch of computers and [overdid] everything. We just wanted a heavy sound; we knew Fredrik would be able to pull that off. When we started recording, even when we were just tracking the drums, we were like, ‘Holy shit, this already sounds big, and nothing’s been done to it!’ Just because the room he has is just made for doing heavy shit and the guy’s just got a brain for it. He’s definitely one of those producers where you know at the end of it you’re just going to be stoked on your finished product.”

WHO: Confession WHAT: The Long Way Home (Resist Records) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 12.30pm (under-18s) and Sunday, Corner Hotel

STRANGE DAYS

BRUISING ENCOUNTER

He’s loved by Eno but hated by the NME – Australian audiences this week get their first live taste of gay pirate COSMO JARVIS. By TONY MCMAHON.

With singer KIRA PURU indisposed, THE BRUISE drummer CHAS JAGGER tells ALICE BODY the band’s gotten fiercer over the past few years.

artworks that have strong intentions behind the words or the images or whatever, mainly because they don’t really want to be. But music is such a great place to be able to be kind of subversive about these kinds of things, to maybe slip stuff in there that people aren’t used to hearing about. That’s what I like to do, and it kind of works against that whole preaching to the choir thing.”

(they have since disbanded, although Mojo Juju is holding forth in Melbourne these days) a freight train of a band, and one that similarly set themselves apart from the general scene by summoning music from a bygone era with bawdy and unapologetic irreverence. “Yeah, Mojo is a good friend of mine,” Jagger affirms. “The first serious run of shows we did was with Mojo Juju, which was fantastic for us early on.”

Being such huge Smiths fans at Inpress, we can’t move on from the subject of the album without asking Jarvis if he fashioned its title after the line from The Queen Is Dead, “has the world changed or have I changed?” Although we’re not the only ones, it seems we’re still barking up the wrong tree.

s it even possible not to adore an artist who comes up with song titles such as Gay Pirates and Sure As Hell Not Jesus? This writer is finding it difficult, to say the least. British singer/songwriter Cosmo Jarvis has more than a knack for pithy titles, though, as testimony from Brian Eno and Stephen Fry attests. (We’ll come to that). But there is an album to talk about first, the – you guessed it – wonderfully titled Is The World Strange Or Am I Strange?. Jarvis says that those of us who only know his self-directed YouTube clips for Pirates and Jesus might be in for something of a shock. “There’s a lot of really mellow and stripped back stuff on the album, you know, songs that wouldn’t necessarily make for good singles as such. There’s also sort of hardcore, bluegrassy stuff on there, which I really like. There’s one called My Day, and that’s kind of a punk rock kind of thing. Yeah, it’s something of a mix.” Having been accused of courting controversy – perhaps by having the word ‘gay’ in one of his song titles, Inpress isn’t quite sure – Jarvis, in fact, comes across rather as an artist who has something substantive to say about certain issues. Perhaps he isn’t frightened of creating a hullabaloo, that’s probably a fair enough statement, but he doesn’t seem to desire it for its own sake. Jarvis says it’s simply about getting his message out there.

“No man, the last guy asked me that, too. I’ve never heard much of The Smiths. What’s the name of the song again? Shit, man. That kind of sucks.” Obviously, great minds such as Morrissey and Jarvis think alike. This is actually a really good segue into asking him about Eno, who has described Jarvis as “a very interesting example to me of a new kind of artist”. Not surprisingly, Jarvis was pleasantly surprised by the praise, but it seems that not everyone is in corner. “I don’t know what to say. The fact that he liked it made me feel really good, I suppose. Especially since I’m getting so much shit from NME right now. I just fucking hate them so much.” Jarvis is in town this week on his first Australian tour, but getting out here hasn’t been easy. “It’s just such a big commitment, both logistically and financially,” he says. “It’s such a long way away. I’ve really got no idea how I’ll go down there. But I’ve met a couple of Australian artists over here that seem to suggest it would be a great place to visit. I just really like the way you guys go about things. Not just your music, either. I really like the way you guys make films, too.”

“I’m a consumer, I know how it is. It’s so easy to get involved in artwork that’s just… artwork, you know, and nothing else. I’m talking very generally, of course, but it’s not often mainstream consumers are exposed to

WHO: Cosmo Jarvis WHAT: Is The World Strange Or Am I Strange? (Creative Vibes/MGM) WHEN & WHERE: Thursday, East Brunswick Club

ira Puru is indisposed at the time of our arranged interview, something to do with the salmon she had for breakfast, according to the band’s publicist. Instead we find ourselves interviewing The Bruise drummer Chas Jagger, who has a slightly different story: “We might have pushed it a bit too far over the last few days,” he says. “So she’s decided to lock herself away and turn off all forms of communication.” A rock’n’roll excuse for the frontwoman’s absence somehow works for Kira Puru & The Bruise, in their current heavier incarnation anyway. As Puru’s powerhouse Amy Winehouse-esque vocals mix it up with the sounds of a blues and soul band that’s been hammered together with perhaps just a little metal, the words “bright-eyed and bushy-tailed” don’t really spring to mind anyway. “See how she holds that glass all the time?” Jagger says of the YouTube clips Inpress had a squiz at prior to the interview, “Well, she goes through about three or four of them, and that’s just during the gig. Some people like to have a guitar in front of them, some people like a drum kit, like me, and I think she just likes a glass of wine.” Evidently the words “shrinking violet” are well out of place when it comes to Kira Puru & The Bruise too.

Seeing that Newcastle is also home to the exponentially popular This Is Not Art festival, the place is evidently not your run of the mill country town. “Newcastle is going through a real transitionary phase at the moment,” Jagger explains. “Since BHP [Steelworks] closed down it’s still finding its feet. There’s a big creative and alternative arts scene up there and it’s helped nurture bands like us and Mojo Juju.” Inpress wonders whether living in Newcastle shaped Kira Puru & The Bruise’s idiosyncratic sound. Jagger is doubtful, which prompts the question: how did it evolve? “Collective frustration?” Jagger offers, laughing. “I dunno. It’s funny because initially the band was much more relaxed and a little more jazz. It’s really sort of lashed out in the last couple of years. I think it has a lot to do with the last release though, I don’t think the band will always have such a heavy element to the songs. I think it’s probably a phase.” Even if the band’s current storminess is due to pass, at the moment it doesn’t stop the players getting stuck into it on stage. “Jambo [Jamieson Shaw], the bass player, has played in a few heavy bands, so I think he’s quite influenced by that,” Jagger says. “He really likes to thrash out on his bass sometimes, there’s one song where he pulls out a drumstick and plays with it. It’s really fucking hectic, suddenly his instrument’s a weapon. Geordie [Malone] on the other hand just hurls his guitar around. He has a very unconventional technique. I don’t know anyone who plays guitar like Geordie, or Jambo actually. They have very unique approaches. We like to rock out, but we like to mellow out just as much I reckon.”

Hailing from Newcastle, the band are living in Melbourne for a month to perform a few shows around town, including a Sunday residency at the Old Bar. Kira Puru & The Bruise aren’t the first outfit to come stampeding out of Newcastle in recent years. Swampy cabaret carnies Mojo Juju & The Snake Oil Merchants were

WHO: Kira Puru & The Bruise WHEN & WHERE: Sundays in October, Old Bar; Saturday 22 October, Red Bennies

THURSDAY 13 OCTOBER

MONDAY 17 OCTOBER

WATUSSI CUMBIA COSMONAUTS

PRIVATE LIFE THE FOX PARTY

ALBUM LAUNCH BENJALU

ENTRY $15 DOOR, $12 PRESALE THRU MOSHTIX, 8.30PM

RESIDENCY

AINSLIE WILLS DJ IC-ORGAN FREE ENTRY, 8.30PM $10 JUGS!

FRIDAY 14 OCTOBER

SANS VOX

MUSHROOM GIANT ENNIS TOLA GEAMALA LUNAIRE

ENTRY $12 DOOR & PRESALE THRU MOSHTIX, 8.30PM

SATURDAY 15 OCTOBER

UNDER “THE KIDS”

JOHNNY & IDA!

NICOLETTE FORTE HIGH SOCIETY JOE OPPENHEIMER FREE ENTRY, 7.30PM

HIATUS KAIYOTE HARMLESS DJ CLEVER AUSTIN

ENTRY $10 FULL, $5 CONCESSION, 8PM $10 JUGS!

COMING UP - TIX AVAILABLE THRU MOSHTIX

CONTRABAN (SYD) BURLESQUE BY LENA MARLENE, COPPELIA JANE & BOTTOMS UP! ENTRY $20 DOOR & PRESALE THRU MOSHTIX, 8PM

SUNDAY 16 OCTOBER

THE EVELYN HOTEL

BERTIE PAGE CLINIC MY DYNAMITE

WEDNESDAY 12 OCTOBER

GROLSCH GRID NIGHTS

RESIDENCY

PRIVATE LIFE (MON IN OCT) HIATUS KAIYOTE (TUES IN OCT) GROLSCH NIGHTS (WED IN OCT) AUS YOUTH CLIMATE COALITION FUNDRAISER (27 OCT) SAN SALVADOR (28 OCT) THE BON SCOTTS – ALBUM LAUNCH (29 OCT) DIAFRIX (31 OCT) THE HARLOTS (WED IN NOV) GO-GO SAPIEN – ALBUM LAUNCH (4 NOV)

THE CANNON BALL – A ROCK’N’ROLL PIRATE MASQUE

20 YEARS OF THE EVELYN

TUESDAY 18 OCTOBER

STEELBIRDS SPECIAL GUESTS ENTRY $6, 8.30PM

themusic.com.au

351 BRUNSWICK STREET

FITZROY I MELBOURNE I 3065

TEL. 03 94195500

SINGLED OUT BY BRYGET CHRISFIELD

ON THE RECORD

LATEST CD REVIEWS

SINGLE OF THE WEEK

ADALITA FOOL AROUND Liberation Records The queue of people who wouldn’t half mind fooling around with Adalita would at least stretch the distance from Melbourne to Geelong and this sassy-withsubstance artist flashes a lot of flesh in the video. Fool Around builds slowly until it reaches tipping point, much like the narrator’s urge to get busy with her chosen romantic lead. By the time manic piano arpeggios, strings and BVs fatten up the arrangement, the urgency has shifted from basic desire and becomes an aching physical requirement – kinda like if blue balls wasn’t bullshit (“It’s a job I have to do”). Adalita’s smokin’ vocal isn’t devoid of vulnerability. She sizzles solo.

THE VISTA VIEWS SOUTHPAW Jazz Cigarettes The Vista Views is Andrew Stockton’s musical project and the presser tells us his mum is an “infamous spoon player”. Incorrect word usage, perchance? Anyways, Southpaw is a gently strummed ditty that suddenly increases and then decreases its tempo within the track – two moments that sound a tad clunky. The occasional handclapping works well, some ambitious lyrics such as, “We are almost ambidextrous when we are holding hands”? Not so much.

LOON LAKE BAD TO ME Independent

NEON INDIAN Era Extrana Static Tongues/Popfrenzy

WILLIAM ELLIOTT WHITMORE FIELD SONGS Anti/Epitaph

BIG SCARY VACATION Pieater/Inertia

So the genre formerly known as chillwave came and went in as long as it took to write “chillwave came and went” and then publish it to a relevant blog, but its life and death was not in vain. What we’re left with is a nice little niche for people who make music in their bedrooms on laptops with lots of effects on their voices getting to release legitimate records that heaps of people get to hear. Neon Indian was at the front of the pack, and although he has apparently spent the past year holed up in Scandinavia, he’s still released a record of low-tempo mellow moods of hazy summertime afternoon beats and fuzziness.

Like the album’s title would suggest, this is music from a different time. From the opening strums of his banjo, William Elliott Whitmore channels the field songs from the early 20th century and beyond on his eighth studio record, Field Songs. His soulful, desperate voice on opening tune Bury Your Burdens In The Ground creates a vision in the listener’s head of black slaves in America’s south, harvesting cotton or – as the album cover offers – pitching straw.

Even fans of the eclectic Big Scary probably don’t know quite what to expect from a debut long-player from the uber-talented local duo. For a young band, their body of work so far is not only incredibly varied sonically – be it short, sharp, fuzzed-out punk, neat pop songs or piano balladry – but also quite extensive: there’s the EPs for each season as well as the compilation that brings them together, another EP prior and a side-project called Dads.

Things are a little bit more polished and shiny, thanks no doubt to the involvement of Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev) lending his skills as a producer, but a lo-fi crunchiness is still the most prominent texture of the recording. Even the glitched-out synth spasticity splattering the foreground in Hex Girlfriend cannot detract from the pure pop songwriting on one of the album’s best moments. I Could Be A Shadow takes four-chord pop on again with success and sounds like it could have been a demo for the new M83 record.

Whitmore needs precious more than his voice and an instrument (whether banjo or acoustic guitar) to convey his point, but if he does, he has supplied his record with bird noises that drift through the aural background that add to the rural, olde worlde sound. Raw, poignant and ultimately inspiring, Field Songs will give its listeners a reason to head out to work in the field – and sing.

Alan Palomo’s Neon Indian have importantly proven that while blog-generated hype and instant genres come and go a great song is a great song. Era Extrana is loaded with them.

Dylan Stewart

Don’t be fooled by Jordie Lane’s effortlessly silken vocals, these glorious melodies exist to help him slide into your pants for a one nighter and then you’ll be branded a slut in song afterwards: “One night stands and drunken memories/I’m that guy in that band, she’s that girl in my dreams.” Oh, hang on, that’s actually quite sweet! My bad. Still reckon he’d do all right post-gig, though. James Blunt styleez.

ANTHONY CALLEA OH OH OH OH Independent It comes as no surprise to read that Anthony Callea co-wrote this dance-pop cut with DJ Poet (best known for his work with Black Eyed Peas). There’s funky guitar akin to Modjo’s Lady (Hear Me Tonight), but Callea’s proudly all about serenading the blokes – “You captivate my soul, boy.” In some behind-the-scenes footage shot on location during this song’s accompanying video clip, Callea jokes, “As you can see most of the chicks have got their shoes off. It’s ‘cause I’m a short-arse.” I was wondering about that casting call. Oh Oh Oh Oh is already on every chain store’s monthly, upbeat compilation designed to make losers feel good about themselves for a millisecond while they spend next week’s wages in one hit.

The opening track and latest single, Gladiator, is a superb festival anthem in the waiting, likable on every imaginable level with a call-and-response from the drummer Jo Syme and guitarist Tom Iansek, while Purple flexes some funkier muscle on the band’s sonic spectrum. The likes of Gladiator and the brooding Leaving Home and Got It, Lost It leaves plenty of room for Iansek to extend his impressive, sometimes Buckley-esque vocal while the dreamy Child In A Tree introduces somewhat of a lighter keyboard sound before slipping into the moody Bad Friends. We’ll undoubtedly have more recorded music from someone in the Big Scary camp in no time at all but, for now, Vacation is close to the perfect-listen – it oozes with indie-flavour and subtle performances that will creep into your senses and refuse to budge. Ben Preece

THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS BATMANIA Shock GEOFFREY O’CONNOR VANITY IS FOREVER Chapter I first heard a song from this album late at night on PBS. The DJ suggested it sounded like a solo album that never was from an ‘80s new romantic band. He went on to remark that the track he was about to play had this incredible faux pan pipe sound like those dinky South American bands that play at Preston Market. The track I heard that night, Proud, is the best song on the album. It’s straight from the pop music charts circa 1984; “I can’t tell if people flirt with me because I look miserable or loose/but I can always be proud/like we always said we would,” O’Connor gasps before the infamous faux pipes come in, and they sound like something Toto or Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark would wet themselves with joy over. Melbourne-based O’Connor may be better known for his work with popsters Crayon Fields or under his other solo moniker, Sly Hats. Vanity Is Forever took two years to record and does some really interesting things. It’s simultaneously kitsch yet reverential, earnest with its heart on its sleeve while joyfully tugging at the corpse of ‘80s pop. The album is lush and smooth despite its at times forced artificiality. O’Connor breathlessly murmurs close-mic’d, fragile, drawing upon the ghosts of the past but leading them into new directions, finding the darkness – or perhaps lovesick melancholia lurking beneath the big hair and fluro colours. He comes across like a gentler Bryan Ferry, more circumspect, yet with a dry wit that comes out occasionally on tracks such as Whatever Leads Me To You: “I’ve seen you with many/and imagine they bore you/the more they give, know, spoil, adore you”. There are little vague traces of everything from Chris Isaak to Dave Graney – hell, even Bowie if you listen hard enough. Yet the reality is that despite its quite obvious stylistic reference points it’s very much O’Connor – a very personal, at times raw, but also clever and unexpected album, that’s only 26 or so years too late.

Local blood-sucking quartet The Fearless Vampire Killers have at last released a debut album and it’s crammed full of songs that go beyond the heady days of pre-promiscuous sex and post-industrial revolution. It’s surprising the sudden amount of musos popping up all over the place who appear to have been listening to their grandparents’ Shadows and Surfaris records of the pre-1970s, and The Vampires are no exception. People may question the band’s reasons (cue the timeless line “all been done before”) but anyone that’s seen them live knows that the fearless foursome love what they do, and there’s no better evidence of that than on this record. Choosing to open with Tell Me What You’re Trying To Say was a smart way of introducing people unfamiliar with their sound, while its echoes of The Who’s Can’t Explain will keep fans happy, especially with their very own reincarnation of Keith Moon on the skins. The best ending to a song heard in a while is on Loaded Gun, where you get a real sense of the short time in which the band have grown. Lead single For You & Me, while not as instantly catchy as the opener, is a grower and one of the band’s best tunes so far. Production-wise, Batmania is a more polished sound than the band’s self-titled EP, and actually sounds better through laptop speakers (for those wanting to create a proper ’62 atmosphere) compared to a proper sound system. Either way, you can’t dislike an album than uses mariachi horns to close out as Batmania does on Precious Ground. Adam Wilding

Bob Baker Fish

But here we have Vacation, the debut album that achieves the seemingly impossible and pulls all their styles, sounds and rock moves together and ties them all neatly together in a perfectly cohesive package of brilliance. The album is a moodier affair and perhaps even more mature than their elements-inspired EPs and offers something solid to those who’ve watched and supported them for the last 18 months.

Chris Yates

LUNARS HEADLIGHT Independent

JORDIE LANE ANNABELLE MARIE Vitamin Records

Not only is his relevance in the folk genre clearly obvious, but he’s held in surprisingly high regard in punk circles, having toured extensively with high-brow trailblazers such as The Pogues, Frank Turner, City & Colour and Lucero.

Era Extrana certainly gets cheesy in places – Future Sick is a little futuristically sickening, and Arcade Blues is so retro-Atari chic, but even these moments are guilty pleasures. Even the more progressive tracks still contain some catchy hooks, such as the low rumble of Fallout, which could have been the end credits to any John Hughes’ movie.

Wow. I never thought the drum intro of a Loon Lake song would sound reminiscent of the sample used in Dizzee Rascal’s Fix Up, Look Sharp (Billy Squier’s The Big Beat)! But, man does it! “Honey bunch”, “hunch”, “fun”/“Fred Astaire”, “dare”, “care” – the rhyming dictionary may have dog-eared pages, but Sam Nolan’s unmistakable vocal makes them work. There’s a guitar solo right where you want it be and this local quintet have what it takes to go far.

Triple A-side? Sounds like a mutant battery. Of these three songs, ‘release single’ Headlight’s bassline made me hit up Is There Anybody In There? by Hunters & Collectors, which reminded me what a ridiculously talented band they are/were. Unfortunately, this activity then made Lunars suffer by comparison. But, then again, most bands would. Ukulele, glock, whistling – there’s a lot going on in Lunars’ land. This Melbourne trio compose brave music, but should definitely be avoided if you’re hungover – they make a shitload of noise for the amount of hands on deck.

Contrary to his sound (and lyrics – “Hand me that hammer/Hand me that saw/But don’t hand me down that walking cane/I don’t need it at all” – Don’t Need It), Whitmore is not an old black slave, instead is a 30-something-year-old white guy from Iowa, deep in America’s heartland. His bluesy, country-flecked sound is by no means unique, but he delivers it with such passion and reverence that one would imagine his past to be filled with pain, suffering and occasional moments of joy.

themusic.com.au

MACHINE HEAD UNTO THE LOCUST Roadrunner/Warner It’s impossible to discuss Machine Head’s latest album without making reference to The Blackening. There’s no denying the band’s sixth album completely transformed their career. For all the accolades and awards, however, The Blackening was not a perfect record. While impressive, it arguably forsook many of the band’s key strengths – songwriting, hooks, brevity, eclecticism – in favour of grandiose, single-minded ambition. Unto The Locust, the band’s eagerly anticipated seventh album, falls into a similar rut. Filled to bursting with amazing moments, the record is ultimately undone by the band’s decision to ignore many of the strengths which originally distinguished their work as exceptional back in the ‘90s. Much like The Blackening, Unto The Locust is defined through lengthy showcases of musicianship and unpredictable song structures. Much like The Blackening, Unto The Locust leans on lyrical clichés of strength and aggression and, much like The Blackening, Unto The Locust rapidly exhausts its audience. There’s no denying the fact that many listeners will be thrilled with the record. The dextrous guitar riffs, blitzkrieg rhythms and bellowed choruses of I Am Hell and Be Still & Know are gargantuan showcases of ambition, musicality and aggression. Similar showcases litter the record. Still, Machine Head’s strength was never their musicianship. It was frontman Robb Flynn’s brutally effective songwriting and the band’s collective willingness to navigate away from metal clichés. Unto The Locust, impressive as it is, is ultimately just a messy pile of modern metal clichés. One can’t help but feel the band are capable of much more. Matt O’Neill

ON THE RECORD

LATEST CD REVIEWS

FOLK UKE REINCARNATION Source/MGM Sometimes it seems that the cliché is right and that acorns really don’t fall far from the tree, in country circles at least. Acoustic folk duo Folk Uke are the offspring of country royalty – Cathy Guthrie is daughter of Arlo and granddaughter of Woody, Amy Nelson is daughter of Willie – and while they somewhat bizarrely met working at the same restaurant in San Diego rather than backstage at some all-star country jamboree, their music definitely owes a debt to that of their prestigious relatives. It’s not all played straight, however, and that’s where Folk Uke’s real strength lies. Their music is slightly irreverent and tongue-in-cheek (even down to the FU of their name) and they playfully subvert your typical country stereotypes for a bit of fun, but with such a clear respect for the form that even traditionalists will fall for their not-inconsiderable charms. Second album Reincarnation kicks off tepidly with the Harry Nilsson cover He Needs Me, but following track Blessed & Cursed plays to all of their strengths: clever wordplay (“Nothing could improve my situation/Because cigarettes taste better paired with coffee and frustration”) atop gently-plucked ukes and gorgeous harmonies. Nobody Blues dishes out Randy Newman-esque satire but dresses it in a pretty sundress and a cowboy hat, while Quattro Momento is another to flip the gender of the traditional country heartbreak lament to great effect. But without doubt the album’s highlight is the hilarious I Miss My Boyfriend, with Shooter Jennings playing the abusive douchebag as if born for the role, his distinctive spoken voice perfectly capturing the nonchalance of the protagonist and making a potentially taboo topic okay to tackle. Folk Uke are never going to achieve the kudos afforded their folks, but Reincarnation gives you the impression that they’re happy where they are and having a ball to boot.

DJ SHADOW THE LESS YOU KNOW, THE BETTER Island/ Universal Much like Nas and Mos Def’s classic first albums, the success of DJ Shadow’s 1996 debut Entroducing became both a gift and a curse. The album made the Bay Area crate-digger-cum-cut‘n’paste king a household name, yet he was doomed to have everything he subsequently produced compared to it. While that proved to be his last album’s downfall, it in some ways helps to shine a positive, slightly nostalgic light on his new album.

GRAND ATLANTIC CONSTELLATIONS Independent

THRICE MAJOR/MINOR Vagrant/Shock

Brisbane boys Grand Atlantic have already generated the sort of wide-reaching musical scope most independent bands can only dream of. US touring, soundtracking TV shows and positive reviews across the board have kept pushing the expectation bar higher for the band’s third record, Constellations. Oblivious to such pressures, however, the quartet have returned with a rich and consistent release full of the sort of anthemic rock that Oasis delivered before they buried themselves under piles of cocaine.

Sonically chameleon-like throughout their discography, Californian rock quartet Thrice provide yet another exit point for older fans, while offering an exciting on-ramp to new ears of the band. Certainly, Major/Minor is continuing down the redirected musical path that Beggars began paving them roughly two years ago. It’s a path that is smoother and more accessible. It’s also a path that has been enraging supporters of their aggressive earlier works such as The Illusion In Safety and The Artist In The Ambulance. The band, however, have been quite clear in their ideals not to continue with the same sound or the same formula. Major/Minor is further vindication of this ethos, the band treading as close to stadium rock as they have in their 13-year career. Just don’t consider that term a dirty word.

With Shadow’s hyphy flirtations on 2006’s The Outsider now as forgotten as the genre itself, he has returned to some of Endtroducing’s b-boy existentialism, mixed with a myriad of styles so broad it is sometimes hard to keep up with. Yet while bookends Back To Front and Front To Back reanimate Shadow’s turntablistic past and Stay The Course, featuring Talib Kweli and De La Soul’s Pos, flaunts a hip hop purity one wishes he would show more of, rock music has a greater hold on the set. Border Crossing, with it thrashing metal noise, is somewhat pointless while stomping first single I Gotta Rokk builds loops of dinosaur guitar into something that threatens to dust off the rotting corpse of big beat. Elsewhere Enemy Lines and Warning Call fare better, pushing an UNKLE-ish indie feel of greater substance. Examples of beautiful indie-folk-soul abound (I’ve Been Trying, Redeemed) while the frenetic, pummelling Run For Your Life is Chemical Brothers for windmilling pimps.

Recorded with Dale Cotton on New Zealand’s South Island, Constellations channels the same epic nature of the surrounding landscape, the album thick with dark lyrical undertones and heavy-handed drumming that never outmuscles the song it’s directing. It’s definitely not cockiness, but certainly an assured nature permeates from the record.

Though legal issues prevented earlier singles I’m Excited and Def Surrounds Us making the final cut, The Less You Know… remains equal parts entertaining, entrancing, perplexing, challenging and infuriating: quite possibly the boxes the shadowy one intended to tick.

With the momentum of the album building steadily throughout, the acoustic sign off of Queenie, although a departure from the rest of the record, adds a nice finite sense of closure. A development on their sound without alienating their past, Constellations sees Grand Atlantic taking yet another step in the right direction.

Major/Minor is the sound of a band revelling in their creative world, the 11 tracks bristling with positive energy stemming from comfort in their present identity. Certainly, there are flashes of sound that comparatively whimper against their back catalogue. But to think a progressive band will sound the same over a decade from their inception is both naive and dated.

Benny Doyle

Darren Collins

Central Station Blues has the sexed up gyrating grind of early Black Crowes while Carved From Stone has a sharp-edged attitude and real swagger that’s balanced by the crying guitar that follows every lurch of feedback through the speakers – the track more than demanding a call up as a future single. In fact, it’s this aforementioned guitar work that is very much the pivotal sound across Constellations. The trading riffs of frontman Phil Usher and Morgan Hann dance with each other, the tone of both six-string’s matching Usher’s husky voice in a unified coupling, the sort of tonal harmony sadly missing from a large chunk of guitar bands plying their trade these days.

You only have to listen to the subtle technicality within the drum rolls behind the chorus on Blinded, or the bold chords of distortion that control the power when introducing Treading Paper, to realise that this is far from FM fodder. The sound of Thrice has just been refined, the music maturing with the increasing years of the band members. Still maintained are Dustin Kensrue’s rich vocal lines and vivid imagery while the always expansive guitar and keys work of Teppei Teranishi colour the songs in real watershed moments, a rare commodity in the constantly grey of the post-hardcore world they developed from.

Steve Bell

themusic.com.au

GRAND VISIONS

ON THE MOVE

Recording in a former mental asylum saw GRAND ATLANTIC make contact with the other side, guitarist MORGAN HANN tells MICHAEL SMITH.

Whichever branch of dub it is he’s tackling, THE NOMAD does it with the same forward-thinking approach, writes CYCLONE. Dark. Schwalger met the Wellington rock chick through her engineer boyfriend David Wernham, both residing near him in Fitzroy. “She’s great! She’s back in NZ now, but she was living here for quite a while.” Also contributing to that track is the UK’s Urban Soul Orchestra, whose founder Stephen Hussey previously worked with Soul II Soul. The British Council sponsored their trip to NZ for WOMAD and Schwalger hooked up with them.

here’s a line in the gloriously jangly, symphonic Little Traps, on the third album from Brisbane’s Grand Atlantic, Constellations, that in some ways defines how they approached making it – “Destiny can’t see as it alters course”.

thinking without knowing it. He also came back to us with a plan to record it at the abandoned mental asylum 20 miles out of Seacliff. So he had some really clear ideas that were really in line with what we were thinking.

“After all the touring, Phil [Usher, vocalist/guitarist] only had one song for the next album,” lead guitarist Morgan Hann explains. “So he really locked himself down to writing as many songs as he could in the shortest possible time and really got into that headspace of busting out songs. He gave himself a target of 20 songs by October last year and he made it to 16 – that was a pretty good effort.”

“Being so remote – it was about 40 minutes’ drive out of Dunedin – it was just beautiful big rolling hills, just the old buildings and the history. There was a bit of a freaky kind of atmosphere about the place at times, so just being locked away there for 12 days all together and all we were doing was eating, sleeping, drinking and making music – it was a really creative process.”

That might not seem like much, but with the first two albums, This Is Grand Atlantic and 2009’s How We Survive, Usher had quietly worked up the songs over a considerable amount of time. He’d never set a deadline or worked so quickly before.

Setting up in what was once the old stable building, complete with hand-carved stonewalls, the band soon noticed the place was making its own contribution to the album.

“He used to bring fully completed demos to the band and we’d jam those demos out and they would change a little bit, but this time he came with just the outline of the song and we’d really nut it out ourselves. It was a much more collaborative process this time around. It was also a conscious decision by all of us to take it in a darker, more expansive direction. We really wanted to take risks with this one as well; we wanted to make it different to anything we’d done in the past. The album has a more jamming feel, much more out of control without it sounding messy.” The next step was finding the right producer, which they found in New Zealander Dale Cotton, who also presented them with the option of recording in a very different space. “He was one of quite a few producers we sent our demos to and Dale was the one that got back to us and pretty much said everything about the record that we were already

“We all experienced a few strange things,” Hann admits. “Mat [Von Diehm] heard his snare drum being played during the night one night and we saw a microphone stand move by itself – there was no one near it. There was a fireplace in the building we were recording in and one night we’d finished, split some wood and put the fire out and four hours later the fire went back up again. We were just having some dinner and were talking about the ghosts and how we wanted to respect the area and it was kind of like the ghosts giving us a little nod.” WHO: Grand Atlantic WHAT: Constellations (MGM) WHEN & WHERE: Friday 14 October, Yah Yah’s; Saturday 15 October, National Hotel (Geelong)

elbourne-based Kiwi Daimon Schwalger, AKA The Nomad, has always been ahead of his time, exploring the many permutations of dub. On his latest album, Perilous Times, he’s putting his own spin on dubstep – but without abandoning his beloved rootsy reggae. “When [dubstep] first came out quite a few years ago, I wasn’t actually that into it then, ‘cause it was a bit more on the electronic side – so it was really heavy basslines and massive PAs,” Schwalger reveals. “Over the last few years it’s developed into different genres, so the reggae dubstep’s there and then all the more vocally dubstep as well. It’s been really good experimenting with the dubstep sound, bringing a bit more ‘chorus/verses’ into it and traditional instruments – like keyboards and melodicas and stuff like that – but playing around with the big basslines. It reminds me of when jungle first came out. It had the certain sound and then it started developing and [it] started to get into some interesting sounds with LTJ Bukem and Goldie. All that sort of stuff brought it more into the vocal realm – and made it a bit more poppy, I guess. I really like that ‘cause I work with a lot of vocalists and session musicians, so I can play around with dubstep ideas but bring other elements into it.” Indeed, the DJ/producer has collaborated with an array of live musicians, including Mista Savona, in addition to vocalists. Fur Patrol’s Julia Deans elevates Devil In The

themusic.com.au

Schwalger, originally from Dunedin on NZ’s South Island, is quietly prolific. Already DJing, he began producing in the early ‘90s as samplers became more affordable. Schwalger moved to Christchurch and befriended Salmonella Dub. He’s now released six albums since his debut Movement. “I was one of the first ones in NZ to release a drum’n’bass album – that was 1998.” Listening to it today, Schwalger cringes, aware of how music technology has progressed. “But it was really good at the time,” he laughs. Tiki Taane would co-produce Movement and his next two LPs. Along the way, Schwalger has collaborated with everyone from Rockers Hi-Fi to Mad Professor to ex-Wham! singer Helen ‘Pepsi’ DeMacque. In 2008 Schwalger presented the comp Selected Works – the same year in which he settled in Australia, primarily to network. “The best-of was like half a new album and remixes and a few other tunes.” Schwalger continues to fly back and forth to NZ for work opps. The sound designer will be returning later in the year to complete another multimedia project with visual artist Michel Tuffery. Lately Schwalger has gigged solidly behind Perilous Times with a live band made up of vocalists Rayjah45 and Caroline Agostini, plus guitarist Oakley Grenell. (Schwalger is responsible for “the beats and effects and mashing everything up.”) “For this tour, it’s been pretty much 90% of the live show is the new album,” he says. “It flows really well… The Australian tour has been really tight ‘cause we’ve been touring NZ for the last two months. Everybody’s in a really good headspace as far as the album tracks all go and feeling comfortable and relaxed with them. It’s gonna be exciting to have Melbourne as the last show!”

WHO: The Nomad WHAT: Perilous Times (ForeignDub Records) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday, Miss Libertine

themusic.com.au

frontrow@inpress.com.au

THIS WEEK IN

ARTS

WEDNESDAY 12

SATURDAY 15

Double Think – Australian choreographer Byron Perry presents this series of movement-based conversations between one tall man and one short woman, which make imperfect sense. They shed some dark on a light subject in a complex world of simple objects and constantly manipulate the set to create a constantly evolving landscape. Part of Melbourne Festival. Opening night, 7.30pm. The Arts House until 15 October. Grease 2: Live In Concert – Grease is still the word. Get out the hair gel, dust off your leather jackets and pants, and get ready to laugh out loud to the sequel to one of the greatest musicals. Opening night, 8.30pm. Chapel Off Chapel until 22 October. The Magic Flute – directed and adapted by Mark Dornford-May infusing this joyous opera with the distinctive sound and beat of South African instrumentation, the world-famous Isango Ensemble have breathed new life into Mozart’s timeless opera. Part of Melbourne Festival. The Arts Centre until 16 October.

A Different Temporality – aspects of Australian feminist art practice 1975-1985, an exhibition and salute to the women who contributed to a groundbreaking decade in Australian art. Encompassing performance, photography, and film. Part of Melbourne Festival. Opening day, 3pm. Monash University Museum of Art. Foley – political agitator Gary Foley presents a swag of stories from a life lived in the spirit of resistance. From the frontlines of black activism to the halls of mainstream culture, he presents a colourful personal history and a dissident narrative of an Australian half-century. Part of Melbourne Festival. Closing day, 2pm and 7.45pm, The Arts Centre. Gorelesque 3 – Australia’s premier dark horror burlesque show, featuring Miss Nic, Vesper White, MC Renny Kodgers, Betty Grumble, Betty Blood, and Glitta Supernova. Halloween has come early. Red Bennies, 7pm. One Man Two Guvnors – part of the filmed National Theatre Live series, James Corden (Gavin & Stacy) play Francis Henshall, a comedy based on The Servant Of Two Masters about sex, food and money. Cinema Nova, 1pm.

THURSDAY 13 It’s A Jungle In Here – interactive installation artwork that inserts two people into a simulated environment and has them both create and respond to unsettling encounters. Part psychodrama, part multimedia marvel, a tour of the fragile rules that dictate our oh so public lives. Part of Melbourne Festival. Opening night, 6pm. Screen Space until 29 October. Whiteley’s Incredible Blue – directed by Julian Meyrick and written by Barry Dickins. A one-man hallucinatory exploration of artist Brett Whiteley’s life. A journey into the swirling imagination, of creeping addictions that eventually pushed Whiteley to the edges of artistic expression. Part of Melbourne Festival. Opening night, 8pm. Fortyfivedownstairs until 23 October.

FRIDAY 14 Cacophony: The Art of Conflict – public art at its most wondrous, Australian projection art pioneers The Electric Canvas (Vancouver Olympics, Northern Lights exhibit) have constructed a hypnotic and dazzling light show that transforms the arts centre, to create a riot of light, colour and movement as a centrepiece for the Melbourne Festival. The Arts Centre until 22 October. Political Mother – UK choreographer Hofesh Shechter’s first full-length work. Traditional Jewish folk dance mixed with a live soundtrack of military drums and electric guitars. Shechter’s dancers lurch through the authoritarian nightmares of recent human history. Fragmented snapshots of political tragedy play out alongside a score as indebted to hard rock as it is to the aesthetics of modern dance. Part of Melbourne Festival. The Arts Centre until 15 October. Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden? – Morgan Spurlock’s 2008 documentary film, a satirical look at the “War On Terror”. AFTRS, 7pm.

SUNDAY 16 Ballet Shoes – directed by Sandra Goldbache. Adapted from the muchloved novel by Noel Streatfeild, this ‘30s period drama tells the story of three young English orphans and the theatre that frees them. ACMI Cinemas, 1pm. Divine Trash – a documentary of trash film king John Waters closes a weekend at the Astor filled with Waters’ films. This documentary intercuts interviews and stock footage to celebrate and examine his incredible and controversial work. Astor Theatre, 8pm.

MONDAY 17 The Conduct Of Life – written by Maria Irene Fornes, directed by Gary Abrahams, this is a rehearsed reading of the play from this Cuban-American writer, an exploration of love and torture. A challenging contemporary work well worth witnessing. Part of Melbourne Festival. The Arts Centre, 7.45pm. Raging Bull – directed by Martin Scorsese, an extraordinary, compelling drama about boxer Jake La Motta (played by Robert De Niro). Astor Theatre, 8pm.

TUESDAY 18 De Stroyed – created by Suzanne Chaundy and Jillian Murray from the work of Simone de Beauvoir, a theatrical monologue about being a certain age and being inessential. La Mama Explorations Programme at La Mama Theatre, 7pm. The Rehearsal, Playing the Dane – Ireland’s Pan Pan Theatre’s audacious and irreverent riff on Hamlet does not so much update or deconstruct the play as explode it. This show is a surprising and unique testament to the endless possibilities of theatre and the presence of Shakespeare in our lives. Part of Melbourne Festival. Opening night, 7.30pm. Merlyn Theatre, Malthouse until 22 October.

ATTENBERG

SHINING THE SPOTLIGHT ON GREEK CINEMA THE 2011 GREEK FILM FESTIVAL STORMS INTO TOWN THIS THURSDAY. ANTHONY CAREW RUNS THROUGH SOME OF ITS HIGHLIGHTS. The Greek Film Industry was one of the few international brands that used to be able to make you feel good about Australian cinema; the local, annual Greek Film Festival existing only to play to the sizeable ex-pat audience, not because of any – and I mean any – artistic need. But that notion died the day – two years ago – when the GFF got to screen Yorgos Lanthimos’s Dogtooth, one of the truly great artworks of the 21st Century. In the absence of Lanthimos’s just-shownin-Venice-and-Toronto follow-up Alps, this year’s Greek Film Festival screens Attenberg. It comes from Lanthimos’ associate Athina Rachel Tsangari, and features Lanthimos himself acting as a pseudo-love-interest. It also shares that same sense of bizarre, self-contained logic; creating a strange cinematic world that demands the audience adhere to such strangeness; with a definite sense of shit-stirring and crowd-baiting in play. Tsangari’s oddball tale is effectively a ‘nature documentary’ on the homo sapiens, a species lost in a decaying society; man’s fall from a peak of hyper-capitalist prosperity symbolised by crumbling, weathered architecture. The idea of the dying capitalist metropolis is alive in global cinema’s documentaries, yet few features have been so alive to this as Attenberg, even if its study in such is seriously oblique. In its dying world, death is alive in the narrative, too, with our heroine’s father terminally ill, accepting his

mortality with eyes wide open, dismissing the fanciful comforts of religious storybook eternity and proceeding with a lack of ceremony, and a few bare scraps of dignity. Amongst all this death, said heroine – at turns awkward and transcendent, a 20-something dame somehow a virgin, a deep thinker who at times seems painfully simple – must find life; make sense of human existence; reconcile her animal nature with her intellectual sentience. Tsangari’s debut feature amounts to a provocative, odd, philosophically-weighty psycho-sexual comedy that will charm and annoy in equal measures. Elsewhere in the GFF: the lost-20something-girl-as-social-misfit gets a much more expected, proscriptive depiction in 45m2. Its heroine really isn’t that odd at all: she merely wants to not live with her mother, not work a shitty job, and not feel like a lost soul. The film’s title refers to the bedsit space that provides her liberation, and its narrative chases after the 600-euro generation; kids on minimumwage, shuffling between McJobs, living a treadmill existence where their only value is as consumers. It’s rich source material that could make for mighty drama, but watching Stratos Tzitzis’ film, none of these themes really seem in play, or like they really matter, narratively; instead, it feels like you’re just marking time until it’s artistically justified for the leading lady to take her clothes off. Shooting vs Shooting also pisses away

a brilliant subject: exploring the casualties of journalists and photo-journalists in the Iraq War; this once-protected species of respected observational neutrality now becoming a target, a symbol, for each side of the warring divide. It sounds great, until you get stuck watching this documentary’s televisual aesthetic, blunt editing, and utterly hysterical musical cues. The music is far better in another doc, My Sweet Canary, a piece of leisurely

sojourner cinema in which an Israeli, a Turk, and a Brit go touring through Anatolia, Macedonia, and Greece playing Rebetiko music for true believers in tiny bars; their traipse tracing the life path of Roza Eskenazi geographically, musically, and spiritually. WHAT: Greek Film Festival WHEN & WHERE: today to Sunday 30 October, Palace Cinema Como

THE BABEL PROJECT AT JEWISH MUSEUM After touring for six months around Melbourne and regional Victoria, The Babel Project reaches its final destination this month at the Jewish Museum of Australia, from Sunday 23 October. The Babel Project is a three-year venture inspired by the famous story of the unfinished Tower Of Babel, involving 36 participants from all over Melbourne.

MEDIUM AND MEANING AT MONASH Spanning art practice from 1950 to 2011, Black elastic, two umbrellas, a mint leaf and wheels demonstrates artists’ ongoing experiments in medium and meaning. Works by Elizabeth Gower, Paul Saint, and James Deutsher among others reflect historical and contemporary shifts towards the unmonumental in sculpture. These are exhibited in context with works demonstrating the persistence of abstraction in Australian art, including works by Paul Partos, Diena Georgetti, and Matt Hinkley. Open to the public at Monash University Museum of Art, Thursday to 17 December.

EXHIBITION LOOKS AT FAMILY AT WWII Michael Peck’s The Landing exhibition is themed upon the paradigm of both his grandfathers’ involvement in World War 2. The lack of personal understanding and knowledge of their experience has been quintessential in preserving the themes of isolation and displacement displayed through his previous work. The Landing displays at Metro Gallery, Armadale, 14 November to 3 December.

JKB FLETCHER, DANIEL SMITH, AND ELK AT METRO Things To Come features the work of JKB Fletcher, Daniel Smith, and Luke Cornish (ELK). From Smith’s picturesque realism to ELK’s intricate stencils and Fletcher’s fantastical female portraits, the exhibition promises to present diverse artistic techniques, subject matter, and palette. Metro Gallery, Armadale, until 22 October.

frontrow@inpress.com.au

C U LT U R A L

CRINGE

WITH REBECCA COOK Everyone’s diversifying these days. You can buy car insurance at the supermarket, vegetables at Hungry Jack’s, theatre troupe Red Stitch is selling coffee table books, and now we’re seeing orchestras having a crack at a new market. The Melbourne

THE

Symphony Orchestra have just opened the box office for the first of three big new productions next year designed to attract a broader, younger audience. Kicking off with the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular, which the MSO website promises will include “a host of live monsters including Daleks, Cybermen, and The Silence

invading the venue”. Inspired by the BBC’s Doctor Who Proms, the MSO is no doubt hoping that the Melbourne production will create the same level of excitement as its English counterpart where queues to get into the venue snaked around London streets and the audience arrived in a state akin to a geeky Beatlemania. The second production is even more out there – Video Games Unplugged will see the MSO performing the scores from games such as Final Fantasy, Assassin’s Creed 2, Uncharted 2, Bioshock 2, and Secret of Mana against the backdrop of game visuals and lighting effects. Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Wil Wheaton, who is also apparently a legend in the field of gaming voice-overs, will star at the event. Cringe will be keen to see if the MSO’s strategy works – will they be able to get notoriously agoraphobic gamers out of their darkened rooms with their custom controls and headsets into another type of darkened room sans joysticks and two-litre bottles of Coke? Perhaps they could offer door prizes involving a giant networked game on the big screen before the concert starts or play punters’ game highlights throughout. Alternatively, some sort of bulk soft drink deal with the ticket might do the trick. The third production I’m sure will be a box office blockbuster –

timed to coincide with the release of The Hobbit, the MSO and MSO Chorus will perform Howard Shore’s epic score to The Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship of the Ring while screening the film. One lady who’s becoming familiar with the sweet tingle of success is Hannah Williams. Her show Mercedes Benz… Awkwardly took out the People’s Choice Award at the Melbourne Fringe Festival on Saturday night. It’s a major coup for Williams who had never performed a full-length solo cabaret show before the Festival. The Ballarat performing arts’ graduate put in the hard yards to create her stripper character visiting many strip clubs and even learning to pole dance for the role. Quizzed as why she thought her show was so popular, Williams joked that “any time you put in pole dancing and a Flashdance number you’re going to win an award” but more seriously said it had more to do with the character – “she’s the Bridget Jones of stripping, she’s someone everyone can identify with.” Williams is now preparing to take the show to Adelaide Fringe next year and is hoping she might even get the chance to hop on a long-haul flight at some point. She said the award “certainly helps” in terms of boosting her confidence and no doubt it will look good on any new posters.

MENSTRUUM

THE MENSTRUUM 44: CARGO EMBARGO BY ROBERT LUKINS It was more likely winter but my memory, of course, rewrites it as the peak of summer. It’s the Griffith University campus bar and I’m here with the Burnside boys and the place is wet and dreadful with bodies. It may be St Pattie’s day, that year they ran green dye through the beer taps and everyone cheered then spewed an ungodly shade of jade. The point is it’s Brisbane and the kind of place where they make a religion of dancing with your slacks around your ankles when Eagle Rock comes on. Maybe it was 24 February; my birthday and the night the house got ransacked

while we were down the uni pub erasing memories of student fees and tutorials. The point is I was pretty shickered, perhaps with green lips when I muscled over to the jukebox and pumped in the money for three selections. Pretty shickered when through excitement and confusion I hit play, play, play on the B-side of a Screamfeeder single that had somehow found its way on to the playlist amongst the Chisel and Daddy Cool. Three times straight The Rat & The Goldfish played out to the packed room of pool tables, blokes, and their quicklywarming pots. Ten minutes and three seconds of that beautiful sludge-noodle instrumental and a hot room of men with sticks alternating between calling the music bullshit and me a faggot. Eventually, Alice Cooper’s Poison came on and the place returned to its comfortable

semi-violent haze, but I didn’t forget. Screamfeeder would be there, resident, over the years. I’ve found emails of me buying things direct from the band. Tim Steward telling me he’s going to throw in some stickers and a frisbee to my order, and me trying to talk it cool, thinking ‘frisbee’ was hip-slang for a vinyl record – like Damien calling them black spinners – and saying I can’t wait and that I’ve just got a new stylus. Then the parcel arrives and of course it’s an actual frisbee and I’m feeling like a dick. Now, 2011, the old band are done but the kids are still playing it straight – Tim and Dean are The Whats and are touring; Kellie’s just recorded an album. Screamfeeder have just reclaimed their back catalogue and they’re up and alive on Bandcamp – Cargo Embargo is a proper joy, every B-side and oddity

they’ve made over their 20 years. Really, go there, get it, you’ll get The Rat & The Goldfish, and we will share something important and eternal. She doesn’t know it, but I’m about to go find Paige in the living room – oh boy, how she hates it was I use her name in these things – and play her that track for the first time. She isn’t into ‘guitar music’ but I know she’s going to go for it. She’s got ears and a heart. Honestly, find a babe, play ’em Screamfeeder, keep them forever. Amen.

SENSES OF CINEMA ANTHONY CAREW TALKS TO TRAN ANH-HUNG, WHO’S BROUGHT TO LIFE HARUKI MURAKAMI’S NORWEGIAN WOOD. Tran Anh-Hung nods politely when I tell him Haruki Murakami’s coming-of-age novel Norwegian Wood – in which a college kid in the late-’60s loses his best friend to suicide, and then his first love to depression – is an a learning-tolive-again allegory for post-war Japan. Though he nods, Tran doesn’t agree. The 48-year-old Vietnamese/French filmmaker, the first to person to ever adapt a Murakami novel to screen, reads it more simply. “Even when you were a child,” Tran says, in Melbourne handling press duties, “you have those dreams of your parents’ death; where it feels so real, that you suffer while you sleep. That’s inside you, inside all of us; and the book really taps into this darkness, this fear of losing someone you love.” Tran first read the novel in 1994, when it was first published in French. “It was obvious to me that it would be a good movie, so obvious I can’t even begin to think of any one reason why,” he laughs. “Each time I went to Japan since 1994, I kept saying that I wanted to adapt Norwegian Wood, but people kept telling me that Murakami never allowed people

to adapt his books.” After Murakami’s short story Tony Takitani was turned into a feature in 2004, a Japanese producer brokered a meeting between filmmaker and novelist. “He didn’t want to have some long discussion with me about what I wanted to do,” Tran recalls. “He just wanted to see the script and the budget for the movie, and make a decision based on only those two criteria.” Budget had been dogging Tran for years. After debuting his wildly-successful ‘Vietnam trilogy’ in the ’90s – 1993’s Camera d’Or-winning, Oscar-nominated The Scent Of Green Papaya, 1995’s brutal Cyclo, 2000’s melancholy The Vertical Ray Of The Sun – Tran effectively vanished; lost for a near-decade of failed financing. “The $7mil to $10mil arthouse movie is a dying breed, no one wants to make them these days,” he says. “That’s why you haven’t heard from me. I never wanted to take time off; I’d love to make a movie for you every year!” With Murakami’s legendary status in Japan, cash wasn’t a problem for Norwegian Wood; and Tran’s feature plays as a bittersweet soap-opera set to the grandeur of weather. Tran

FEELING BLUE BARRY DICKINS TALKS BRETT WHITELEY WITH BETHANY SMALL, AND HOW HIS PLAY ABOUT THE ARTIST BEGAN (SUITABLY) WITH HALLUCINATION AND FLAMINGOS.

Brett Whiteley is something of a mythic figure in Australian culture, and Barry Dickins’ situating him in Limbo for the course of a play about his life seems quite apposite. “He can access the living and the dead straight away, with no journeying,” Dickins explains, “he’s not moving through time, it’s an experience of his mind.” Whiteley’s Incredible Blue is a sort of a psychological channelling, a lyrical evocation of an essential Whiteley-dom from a man who’s met him, written the biography (2002’s Black & Whiteley) and, um, had the visitation. Yes. Brett Whiteley appeared to Barry Dickins in a summer-flu hallucination and the vision inspired the direction of the play. “I looked out my window,” Dickins says in the kind of fond tone you keep for truly classic reminiscence, “and there was Brett, standing there in my front garden, and he was with these flamingos. They were dancing, but he looked bored. That was the thing, with Brett, he was this character but he would always be bored, that was the cool thing in the ’70s, not to be interested. But he’s there, and he says ‘Hello’, and then he asks, ‘Do you have any amyl nitrate?’ and I go up to the window and he and the flamingos are dancing but bored and they have the amyl nitrate, and afterwards I realise that I’ve been on the wrong track, that I need to make the play like a dream.” It has been observed of Whiteley’s paintings that they are not so much of things as they are of moods and mental states, and Whiteley’s Incredible Blue is similarly more concerned with connotation than denotation. “I’ve made all of it up,” Dickins says. “This isn’t... it’s not things he’s said, it’s

a lyrical representation of what he is. I think he needs to be celebrated; there was so much meanness around when he died, so many people saying sharp things, but if we look back at him... and the thing is, when he died, he was at the top of his form as a painter, and it’s such a loss.” While the show will be lit in the blue that characterises some of Whiteley’s most famous works, his paintings themselves will not appear. “I wanted to have slides of some of the paintings going through the show,” Dickins says, “but Wendy [Whiteley, the artist’s divorced wife] wouldn’t let us. The show was commissioned by the Melbourne Theatre Company years ago but she blocked it, she has the copyright to the images and she didn’t want them used. Instead of that now we’ve got jazz music through the show, and Neil Pigot, who plays Brett, he’s onstage and he’s this huge tall guy and a great dancer and you see him dancing the way Brett used to dance while he painted.” Once again there it is the idea of Whiteley’s presence, rather than his biography, that informs the play, and it is a presence that powerfully struck those who came into contact with it, fascinating or repelling but always commanding. He fostered an image of himself but seems also to have believed it. “Well, what’s your little name?” he asked Dickins when they first met, and he honestly does seem to have believed himself to be as much bigger than life as posterity records him. WHAT: Whiteley’s Incredible Blue WHEN & WHERE: Thursday to Sunday 23 October, Fortyfivedownstairs

BURNING MAN SCREENING/Q&A AT NOVA Fresh from its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and its winning script award at the AWGIES, the comedy/drama Burning Man comes to Cinema Nova for a special advance screening, followed by a Q&A with writer/director Jonathan Teplitzky (Better Than Sex/Gettin’ Square) and AFI award-winning actress Bojana Novakovic (Edge Of Darkness). Burning Man is the reckless, sexy, funny, and moving story about a man’s journey back to happiness. Cinema Nova Sunday, 4pm.

CELEBRATING THE HEIDE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART cites his cinematic heroes as Malick, Ozu, and Kurosawa, and they clearly inform a singular aesthetic of mythical domesticity and tangible landscapes; of light and rain and skin. “It’s the desire to make pictures that have a strong physical, sensual connection to the audience,” Tran says, of said aesthetic. “I work to make the skin of my characters very obvious to the audience, so that everything that is around it – the ‘world’, the set direction, the make-up, hair, clothes; the light! Everything! – is there to make the skin more obvious, to

show how it feels to be in that place. “Nature, the wind and the rain, I use it because it hits the skin of the actors. It enhances the physical feeling that I want the audience to have. When you see someone whose face is wet by the rain, whose hair is blowing in the wind, it brings out your own memories of the rain on the face, the smell of it; the tactile, physical, sensorial souvenirs of this.” WHAT: Norwegian Wood WHEN & WHERE: Screening in selected cinemas now

Forever Young: 30 Years of the Heide Collection is a celebratory exhibition marking the 30th anniversary of Heide as a museum and parkland, bringing to life the story of collecting and philanthropy at Heide. Almost 250 works by over 80 artists will be displayed from the Heide Collection, showcasing works which have rarely been seen alongside iconic masterpieces. Forever Young: 30 Years of the Heide Collection is on now. Head to heide.com.au for more info.

RED STITCH ACTORS THEATRE RELEASE A BOOK To commemorate ten years of Red Stitch Actors Theatre, the company has created a special limited edition coffee table book: Ten Years – The Red Stitch story in pictures. A beautiful photographic essay, the book charts the journey from the very beginnings of this audacious endeavour; commemorating the contribution of all those who helped to make Red Stitch the vibrant and iconic institution it is today. Featuring 100 pages, hardcover, high-gloss photographs with detailed production credits for every show produced since 2002. Available from the box office, or boxoffice@redstitch.net.

frontrow@inpress.com.au

PAUSEFEST UNVEILS ITSELF A LITTLE MORE Pausefest have revealed their programme, which includes an abundance of high-tech, multimedia happening about Melbourne during the festival’s Monday 7 November to Sunday 13 run. Things like installations and performances by digital artists and industry folk along LaTrobe St; screenings galore at Loop; projections at Berlin and Rooftop Bars; Pause & Play sounds and videos specially created for Pausefest at ACMI; Graham Elliot’s New York In Motion, Matt Lambert’s curated programme Motiongrapher; Projectorbike, a 90-minute bike tour of Melbourne offering a taster of the festival; and more, more, more. Head to pausefest.com.au for sexy design and more info.

CNN TAKES OVER WHEELER CENTRE The Wheeler Centre will explode in discussion over three nights this Melbourne Festival, exploring ideas of revolution, resistance, and struggle, and explore the need for revolutionary thinking and radical action. Notably, on Monday 17 October they’ll host The CNN Freedom Project Debate. A live panel discussion hosted by CNN International anchor Anna Coren, it will tackle issues of human trade and exploitation head on. The discussion will be followed by a screening of Nepal’s Stolen Children: A CNN Freedom Project Documentary, featuring actress and anti-sex trafficking activist, Demi Moore, in a special event that aims to amplify the voices of victims and inspire genuine change around the world. Head to wheelercentre.com for more info.

TERRACINI TO DELIVER GLANVILLE-HICKS ADDRESS The New Music Network annually invites an outstanding advocate of Australian music to deliver an address, which, in the spirit of the great Australian Composer Peggy Glanville-Hicks, challenges the status quo and raises issues of importance in the world of today’s music. Lyndon Terracini is this year’s speaker, and will deliver the address, ‘Populism as Art and the Art of Populism!’, followed by a live performance of Chamber Made Opera’s Minotaur The Island. The 13th Annual Peggy Glanville-Hicks Address takes place at BMW Edge, Federation Square, Friday 11 November.

MUMA EXPLORES AUSTRALIAN FEMINIST ART Spanning a decade within two decades, a significant time for feminist art practice in Australia, A Different Temporality presents feminist approaches to temporality in the visual arts. Rather than an encyclopaedic summation of feminist practice at that time, selected works reflect specific debates and modes of practice: the dematerialisation of the art object, the role of film theory, and the adoption of diaristic and durational modes of practice including performance, photography and film. A Different Temporality displays at Monash University Museum of Art, Thursday to 17 December.

FILM

CAREW

WITH ANTHONY CAREW Kevin Smith feels like the filmmaking equivalent of the celebrity that’s more famous for being famous than for actually doing anything. Sure, he made Clerks like two decades ago; shooting a bunch of fashionchallenged Jersey dorks making dick and/or Star Wars jokes for like $5 in the convenience store he worked in. A legend was born, a myth was made, a key player in the Miramaxisation of American independent cinema came along; from there, sequel after essential sequel, websites and animated tie-ins and comics and podcasts and fan conventions and books and ‘social media’ ensued. Like one of his characters, Smith would never – could never – shut the fuck up, and an entire cottage industry grew out of that glad fact; Smith becoming a brand-name, a multi-faceted corporation of self. But, after Clerks, did Smith ever make a meaningful motion-picture? Did he ever show growth? Maturation? Evolution? Red State is his attempt to do so; to finally transcend that same recurring-characters ‘universe’ his penned pictures have drawn from to steadily diminishing returns. And, good lord, is it crappy. It’s, I suppose, a satire; a heightened caricature of Deep South ultra-orthodox Christianity, in which a Westborolike funeral-protesting hate cult is in the business of... murder! But the film deals solely in ‘comic’ Southern caricatures; seen, symbolically, in the presence of a flat-topped, mullet-

backed dude named Billy Ray; seen, cast-wise, in the presence of a host of ’90s sitcom refugees all slappin’ on strained redneck accents. It’s comedy parading as social commentary, but Red State also sticks a toe in the tropes of the police-standoff, and, less flatteringly, the horror-movie. This horrendous mish-mash only brings its maker’s lack of artistic authority and aesthetic identity into focus. Smith has characterised himself as a writer, and so Red State shows he’s sure no filmmaker: whilst the characters all talk fast and crack wise and every line feels worked-over (not necessarily a bad thing, note), there’s not a single commanding shot, roughly a hundred completely unnecessary edits, and some eye-aching colour-grading. It’s a slapdash work that carries the air of some direct-to-video ’80s B-movie; a technical disaster that hopes to ‘get by’ by dint of a fast-moving story. Of course, shitty comedies need not be works of art, but make viewers laugh; and Smith nerds will, even if there’s no insider references to Jay or whatever, find comedy in the snarky dialogue and a few early moments of gross-out; may, even, chuckle at what passes for satire, here. But here’s the rub: Smith conceived Red State as a ‘straight’ horror. Judged sans-genre, it’s but a merry mess; judged by the metric of the horror-movie, it’s a calamitous disaster. There’s not a single instant of tension, let alone a sustained slow-build; there’s not one moment of thrill or chill; there’s not any sense of reverence for the genre, how its extremes serve as

Red State

metaphors mirroring the dark, unspoken desires bubbling in society’s darkest undercurrents. Of course, expecting Smith to leave anything unspoken is, as viewer, a fool’s dream; after 20 years of hearing dudes make dick-jokes at warp speed, it should be no surprise his ‘reinvention’ is anything but. Red State finds the career of Kevin Smith holding steady. El Bulli: Cooking In Progress charts a year in the life of the near-mythical Catalan eatery; and, like the divided calendar of the restaurant itself, it spends half its running-time looking at El Bulli’s head chefs in pure ‘research’ mode. The works (and quirks) of avantgarde cuisine have entered the public consciousness far more in this era of reality-televised cooking contests and chefs-as-celebrities, but they’re regarded with suspicion and derision; ‘molecular gastronomy’ still feeling like a punchline for those who don’t

have liquid nitrogen in their kitchen. Cooking In Progress isn’t so much about the demystification of Ferran Adrià’s working ways as it is a door to such a world left cracked open; Gereon Wetzel’s classic observationist documentary patiently looking at the lengthy experimentation, gestation, and preparation periods that incubate every outlandish dish that dotted El Bulli’s endless-hailed menus. There’s little dialogue that isn’t related to such research; this effectively naught more than men-at-work, talking with an internal jargon of food-science nerdery; the viewer needing, very much, to tiptoe towards the ‘drama’, not have it served to them. There’s no biography here, of either restaurant or chefs, no attempts to make metaphorical or, indeed, skew populist; this a stark, severe tonic for those reared on all those reality-televised cooking contests.

frontrow@inpress.com.au

THE HUMAN FACES OF IRAQ

ALONE, TOGETHER

FUSING AGITPROP, FRONTLINE JOURNALISM, AND THEATRE, JESSICA BLANK AND ERIK JENSEN’S AFTERMATH IS A UNIQUE LOOK AT WAR. INTERVIEW WITH JESSICA BLANK BY BETHANY SMALL.

LIZA DEZFOULI TALKS TO ACTOR ERIN DEWAR ABOUT THE HIGH-TENSION, AND TIMELY, PLAY ORPHANS – RED STITCH’S LATEST PRODUCTION.

experiences meeting people in Jordan as a constantly amazing realisation of essential human common ground.

Never before in the whole of my reasonably long-term and thoroughly enthusiastic participation in society’s half-century-old enthusiasm for adding the word ‘post’ to the front of things have I ever before been able to call something ‘post-agitprop’. But it’s a perfect term for Aftermath, and so we cross that one off the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism Bingo card. We’re talking ‘post’ here in the ‘development upon and departure from’ sense, by the way, not as a simple ‘after’, which is fitting for a piece of work exploring how impossible a simple ‘after’ really is. The performance is a series of excerpts from interviews American writer/director team Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen undertook with refugee Iraqis in Jordan after the US invasion targeting Saddam Hussein’s government. The pair conducted 35 interviews, each taking around four hours, selecting six people’s stories to tell and selecting, in the end, an hour and a half worth of material from these stories

to be recounted verbatim to the audience through the figure of their translator. “Every word in the show has actually been taken from what a person we spoke to said,” Blank explains of her and Jensen’s method of documentary theatre, “and it being real people goes beyond what would come of out of a writer’s imagination. “If theatre, fictional theatre, is like making a painting,” she elaborates, “documentary theatre is like carving from a block of wood. Instead of creating the material, we have it and we’re shaping it down, bringing out the story.” Blank is emphatic about the need for a narrative in theatre, and for the need for an audience to be involved and to relate. “If you don’t in a way become the people on stage in the theatre, have their experiences, then that’s when you walk out of the theatre and say ‘Yeah sure,’ and we want to really address issues.” The reality of the figures in the play is something she emphasises as one of its primary aims, describing her own

“I don’t know what it’s like in Australia,” she says, “but in the States we only have this small vocabulary of images that are used to represent the Arab world, like, there are young men rioting and holding signs, and there are women wailing. We only really see those images, so we don’t have any idea about who the people really are.” It kind of sounds like she does know what it’s like in Australia? “We were worried, coming in, that they would have this idea of us as Americans and not want to have anything to do with us, to think ‘Americans did this to us,’ but instead we had people just welcoming us, wanting to tell their stories, offering us biscuits from the last packet they had. These are people who have been displaced and dispossessed and here they are welcoming us...” One of the key questions Blank and Jensen asked their interviewees was what they would say to a room full of Americans, and what Aftermath presents is the essence of that. “And it’s not bitterness and railing that comes through,” Blank says, “it’s truth about what happened to real people, their day-to-day lives.” WHAT: Aftermath WHEN & WHERE: Until Friday, Merlyn Theatre, Malthouse

‘I’m really working now’.” In brief, the play deals with, amongst other things, sibling rivalry. “And some really great stuff you can’t really explain,” enthuses Dewar. “It’s extremely intimate but full of sibling rage. Helen has managed to pull herself out of the rut – she has a house, a husband, they’re middle class but her brother Liam is the flip side of that. He’s the guy that’s been out in the world; he arrives covered in blood, letting the outside world in. “It’s a split world,” Dewar elaborates. “You have the safety and warmth of the home, that sanctuary, but once you step outside the front door there’s a sense of impending doom.”

The recent London riots provide an “eerily relevant and poignant” backdrop to Red Stitch’s new work, Orphans, by British playwright Dennis Kelly, whose work looks straight at the ugly faces of racism, urban alienation, and violence. “Our director [Inara Savage, directing her first play for Red Stitch] was considering dropping the accents and setting it here like the Queensland Theatre Company did last year,” says actor Erin Dewar, who plays Helen. “But that sense of danger, lack of security, the violence, is not necessarily something we experience here.” Urban disconnection and disrupted family life underpin the drama of Orphans. “It’s not a particularly happy play,” continues Dewar. “But the characters are quite charming. ‘Cute’ isn’t the right word – but they are entertaining to play.” Dewar is joined by guest actors Phil Haydn

and Paul Ashcroft, both of whom have worked with Red Stitch before. This much-awarded play deals with grim social realities and damaged characters who struggle with their pasts and the dangers in the present. “I can’t imagine what it must be like to not be connected, with no one really looking out for you,” Dewar adds. “It’s so far removed from my own experience.” For an actor, delving deep into trauma must at times be emotionally overwhelming, surely? “It can be great as an outlet, to be honest,” she says. “It can be overwhelming but it’s that game that we play – wanting to delve into extremities of thought and emotion. ’Cause our life isn’t that exciting! We heard about the Queensland actors being totally stressed out by having to go to those places. How do you pick yourself up? But there’s that delight when you think,

Satisfyingly, the play challenges audiences to examine our own perspectives on society and the part we each play within it. “Inara gave us this quote: ‘Man is a wolf to man’,” Dewar says. “In terms of having to deal with violent acts, who do you look out for? You walk away from it questioning your values. Where do your loyalties lie? What is your world belief? Are we inherently selfish or do we need the collective to survive?” Red Stitch as an actors theatre will always present challenging, unconventional, character-driven work because they choose plays they want to do. “Because we choose our own material we get to stretch ourselves,” adds Dewar. There is no danger of their becoming complacent as ensemble members do sometimes audition for roles, along with employing guest actors and holding a general audition once a year. “We cast our net wide,” says Dewar. “We like to attract new blood.” WHAT: Orphans WHEN & WHERE: Until 5 November, Red Stitch Actors Theatre

CANNON BALL FEVER PIRATES AND ROCK’N’ROLLERS AND BURLESQUE STARS (OH MY!) ARE COMING TO TOWN, AS BERTIE PAGE EXPLAINS TO ALICE BODY. NAKED. Burlesque rocker Bertie Page is talking to me starkers. Granted, I discover this at the end of our phone conversation (“I did do the interview naked,” she says offhandedly as I’m about to hang up, in a tone that suggests it’s something that has crossed her mind before. “These are all the words of a naked woman.”), however the revelation merely cements the impression I’ve already formed from our conversation: that Bertie Page is one saucy wench of a frontwoman, in the most gleeful way possible. Page is one of the primary people behind the upcoming rock’n’roll piratethemed masquerade, The Cannon Ball. The Cannon Ball will bring rock bands of the big and ballsy variety, along with burlesque performers (including last year’s Miss Burlesque Queensland Coppelia Jane) and circus artists to Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, with a side show in Mt Tambourine’s preeminent toad-racing venue The Bearded Dragon. “It is exciting,” Page affirms of the tour. “I always take a spare pair of knickers with me. It’s exciting enough to induce incontinence.” This is the second time Page’s band, the Bertie Page Clinic, will be lugging The Cannon Ball half way across the country. Fresh from a tour of Europe, including a week-long stint at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, it’s been full steam ahead for the Bertie Page Clinic, making the fact all profits from The Cannon Ball are going toward envirowarrior group, Sea Shepherd, even more commendable. “All the artists are giving their time for nothing. It’s all volunteer,” Page says. “We just met some Sea Shepherd

people at a show. They’re so creative and so open to ideas, we thought we might ask them about doing something and they said yes. It was that easy. They’ve collaborated with other artists before, and it’s just a perfect match. And we believe in what they do, they protect all of the really cute fat animals, all the best ones. And,” she continues, “Sea Shepherd are fabulous because they are modern day pirates. They’re the kind of people who take the dramatic action it requires to save these animals.” Despite The Cannon Ball’s serious side, it certainly seems to shaping up to be quite the event: “If you buy four tickets online, you get the fifth ticket free,” Page says. “It’s already cheap, but if you come with a group of friends you save money. And you must dress

piratey.” Page is stern on this point. “You may or may not be attacked if you are not dressed up. If you just come wearing jeans, I will commandeer those jeans, and you will spend the rest of the night pants-less.” At a time where burlesque is a prominent art form both in Australia and across the world, infusing the genre with balls-out rock’n’roll and a pirate aesthetic somewhat refreshes the collective cultural palate: “I could write you an essay,” Page, a drama graduate, audibly shrugs. “But the truth is, all those elements are my favourite things. Like Homer Simpson says: ‘Nuts and gum, together at last.’” WHAT: The Cannon Ball: A Rock’n’Roll Pirate Masque WHEN & WHERE: Saturday, Evelyn Hotel

themusic.com.au

ISSUE 1195 - WEDNESDAY 12 OCTOBER, 2011

TOURS

Money For Rope

PRESENTS

THIS WEEK INTERNATIONAL COSMO JARVIS: October 13 Workers Club CHICAGO SOUL COLLECTIVE: October 13 Hi-Fi THE BATS: October 14 East Brunswick Club MEAT LOAF: October 14 Rod Laver Arena MARCEL DETTMAN, BEN KLOCK: October 14 Brown Alley OKKERVIL RIVER: October 14 Forum; 15 Meeniyan Town Hall FLO RIDA: October 14 Geelong Arena; 17 Bluestone (Ballarat) POUR HABIT, SMOKE OR FIRE: October 15 East Brunswick Club THE WOMBATS: October 15 Festival Hall JEFF MARTIN: October 16 Northcote Social Club

NATIONAL MADDY HAY: October 12 Red Bennies THE AMITY AFFLICTION: October 12, 13 Billboard THE PANICS: October 12 Theatre Royal (Castlemaine); 13 Bended Elbow (Geelong); 14 Palace PETS WITH PETS: October 12, 19, 26 Tote THE DRONES: October 14 Corner SKIPPING GIRL VINEGAR: October 14 Northcote Social Club WATUSSI: October 14 Espy RENEE GEYER: October 14, 15 Bennetts Lane JACKSON MCLAREN: October 14 National Hotel (Geelong); 15 Grace Darling JEFF LANG: October 14 Caravan Music Club (Oakleigh); 15 Corner; 16 Way Out West Blues Club (Williamstown)

GIG OF THE WEEK MONEY FOR ROPE, THE ONCE OVERS, THE VELOCETTES FRIDAY, THE TOTE

Back with a sexy new orange 7”, I’ve Had Days/December, local rockers Money For Rope are gonna lay down the mantle this Friday and get the Tote jumpin’ along with their arse-shakin’ tunes. The single was recorded by the band at Newmarket Studios and then mixed by Callum John Barter and is the third in a series of hot little releases. Besides the spectacle of double-drummers thumpin’ out infectious beats, punters get a triple header of a bill with openers The Velocettes and The Once Overs rounding off a night well worth getting out of the house early for.

Georgia Fair Wednesday 16 November Toff In Town Kasabian pic by Sam Wong

Time has not softened these men – the cocky swagger and lairy bravado remain as compelling as ever. After being kept waiting for an empty hour before the gig starts, the crowd are ravenous, frenzied by the sense of defiance and rebellion with which Kasabian mark their territory. Plastic cups are launched into the air, streams of beer trailing behind them as edgy-looking bouncers crane their necks in a hopeless attempt to trace the trajectory back to the culprit.

THE RED EYES: October 15 Northcote Social Club GOSTELERADIO: October 15 Workers Club TEX PERKINS: October 15 National Theatre TEETH & TONGUE: October 15 Buffalo Club DM3: October 15 Caravan Music Club; 16 Northcote Social Club CONFESSION: October 15 (U18), 16 Corner PETE MURRAY: October 16 New Albury Hotel;

UPCOMING INTERNATIONAL BACHELORETTE: October 19 Toff In Town CHRIS CORNELL: October 19, 20 Palais JAMES RHODES: October 19, 20 Melbourne Recital Centre GHOSTPOET: October 20 Northcote Social Club AGENT ORANGE: October 20 Corner KONONO NO. 1: October 21 Forum EMMANUEL JAL: October 21 Corner TIGER & WOODS: October 21 Mercat Basement SBTRKT: October 21 Roxanne Parlour SALMONELLA DUB: October 21 Espy ALCEST: October 22 Toff In Town; 27 Curtin Bandroom JELLO BIAFRA: October 22 Forum THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA: October 22 (U18), 23 (18+) Billboard

SKIPPING GIRL VINEGAR: October 14 Northcote Social Club OKKERVIL RIVER: October 14 Forum; 15 Meeniyan Town Hall AESOP ROCK & KIMYA DAWSON, THE NARCICYST & OMAR OFFENDUM: October 15 Forum THE WOMBATS: October 15 Festival Hall WILL SHEFF: October 16 Toff In Town BACHELORETTE, RAT VS POSSUM: October 19 Toff In Town 360: October 20 Bended Elbow (Geelong); 21 Kay Street (Traralgon); 22 Corner Hotel (arvo U18; evening 18+); 27 Karova Lounge MANTRA: October 20 Karova Lounge (Ballarat); 22 Whalers Hotel (Warrnambool); November 5 Surf Coast Sport (Torquay); 18 Star Bar (Bendigo); 19 East Brunswick Club KONONO NO 1: October 21 Forum PHRASE: October 21 Prince Bandroom JELLO BIAFRA: October 22 Forum HEIRS, ALCEST: October 22 Toff In Town NEW EMPIRE: October 22 (arvo) Prince Bandroom; 22 (evening) Royal Melbourne Hotel TALLEST MAN ON EARTH: October 25, 26 Corner Hotel THE JEZABELS: October 26 Karova Lounge (Ballarat); 27, 28, 30 Forum; 29 Bended Elbow (Geelong); 30 Hi-Fi (U18) ILLY: October 28 Palace FUNKOARS: October 28 Bended Elbow (Geelong); 29 Karova Lounge (Ballarat) SKA NATION IV: October 29 Fairbank Café (Clayton, all-ages); 30 Corner Hotel; 31 CBD Nightclub GOLD FIELDS: October 29 Corner Hotel; November 26 Karova Lounge (Ballarat) RIDING SIDE SADDLE: November 3 Prince Bandroom

LIVE: REVIEWS

DEBIT MASTERCARD PRICELESS MUSIC SERIES FEAT KASABIAN PENINSULA, DOCKLANDS

Four albums in and Kasabian look, sound and feel like the ultimate modern rock band. Flown in especially for this Melbourne-only appearance thanks to some deep corporate pockets, it’s hard to tell how the evening might unfold. Ponderous conversations online and in the actual line outside seem to suggest that much of the set would be made up of the new album, their fourth, Velociraptor. But as lead singer Tom Meighan tears into the opening track, the filthy guitar riff from early hit Club Foot storms its way around the Docklands venue followed by the turbo-charged beats of the rapturous Where Did All The Love Go? and it becomes clear that tonight’s performance is going to be a quintessential ‘crowd pleaser’ – some newer stuff, some old stuff and the favourites out in full force.

themusic.com.au

Kasabian live are a formidable force and the new material goes down well. Rewired has a killer chorus hook that gets everyone singing along, even if the rest of the song is a tad too familiar. The marching drums, funk guitar and half voodoo/ half shrieking alley cat tribal chant of Days Are Forgotten also holds its own in amongst the hits. Despite how good they are at it, Kasabian always had the potential to break free from the ‘lad rock’ tag. Goodbye Kiss, a clear-cut love song, has a retro feel and tempo and, while it might not trigger as much reaction down on the dancefloor, is delivered with heart as Meighan and bandmate Sergio Pizzorno belt out some beautiful vocal harmonies. Similarly, when Meighan goes “off for a drink” and Pizzorno steps up to do Take Aim on his own, we see yet another string to this band’s bow in the form of this mesmerising guitarist who looks like one of your dad’s mates 30 years ago. Coming back to the stage and announcing triumphantly, “This one’s for you Melbourne”, Meighan launches into Underdog, bringing the intensity of the gig back up to the brim. As loose limbs flay out from the mass of beer-drenched bodies in front of him, Meighan’s chicken head bops back and forth in time to the beat, smiling satisfaction on his face. The pulsating electronic synth riff of Switchblade Smiles pulls the boys back onstage for an encore and we’re finished off with Fire – a psychedelic anthem with a chorus that people are still whistling as they head for the exit. Richie Meldrum

live@inpress.com.au

THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH: October 25, 26 Corner DROPKICK MURPHYS: October 26 Forum JANET JACKSON: October 26, 27 State Theatre STEELY DAN, STEVE WINWOOD: October 27 Rod Laver Arena THE BUSINESS: October 28 Tote CELPH TITLED: October 28 Corner HERNAN CATTANEO: October 28 Billboard LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO: October 28 State Theatre BROKENCYDE: October 29 Royal Melbourne Hotel SHAPESHIFTER: October 29 Forum Theatre LONDON ELEKTRICITY: October 31 Prince Bandroom ONRA: October 31 Revolt Art Space JOE PUG, WAGONS: October 31 Espy DESTRUCTION: November 4 Prince Of Wales FLY MY PRETTIES: November 5 Athanaeum Theatre PASSENGER: November 5 East Brunswick Club TUCK & PATTI: November 5 Palais Hepburn Springs; 6 Corner CARTEL: November 5 Prince (U18s), Bang (18+) THE POINTER SISTERS: November 7 Palais Theatre BECKY LEE: November 7, 14, 21, 28 Espy; 12 Old Bar; December 3 Tote CHILDREN OF BODOM: November 10 Palace FOLK UKE: November 10 Caravan Music Club; 11 East Brunswick Club MAD SIN: November 11 Hi-Fi EVIL NINE: November 11 Brown Alley BLIND IMAGE: November 11 Prague; 19 Shepparton Hall KD LANG: November 12 Sidney Myer Music Bowl KINGS OF LEON: November 13, 14 Rod Laver Arena RUSSELL WATSON: November 14 Plenary Hall CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH: November 16 East Brunswick Club TV ON THE RADIO: November 16 Palace DOLLY PARTON: November 22, 23 Rod Laver Arena THE MOODY BLUES: November 23 Palais Theatre TINY RUINS: November 24 Northcote Social Club; 25 Palais Hepburn Springs DAEDELUS: November 26 ArtPlay THE MAGICIAN: November 26 Roxanne Parlour LEO SAYER: December 1 Bairnsdale RSL Club The Wombats Saturday Festival Hall National:

EMINEM: December 1 Etihad Stadium SADE: December 2 Rod Laver Arena FOO FIGHTERS, TENACIOUS D: December 2, 3 AAMI Park GUITAR WOLF: December 2, 4 Tote SALT-N-PEPA: December 3 Palais Theatre MISFITS: December 3 Hi-Fi THE INTERNATIONAL SWINGERS: December 3 Corner HOW TO DRESS WELL: December 3 Phoenix Public House KURT VILE & THE VIOLATORS: December 4 Corner ELTON JOHN: December 6 Rod Laver Arena GANG GANG DANCE: December 7 Corner EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY: December 8 Forum Theatre MUDHONEY: December 8 Corner UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA: December 8 Toff In Town; 10 Northcote Social Club JEDI MIND TRICKS: December 9 Billboard OFF!: December 9 Corner; 11 Fitzroy Bowls Club DIG: December 10 Corner BLACK JOE LEWIS & THE HONEYBEARS: December 11 Caravan Music Club (Oakleigh); 13 Prince FUTURE OF THE LEFT: December 16 Corner OPETH: December 18 Palace Theatre ALOE BLACC: January 1 Palace Theatre THE JIM JONES REVUE: January 2 East Brunswick Club ARCTIC MONKEYS: January 3 Festival Hall THE VENGABOYS: January 12, 18 Corner HALL & OATES: February 2 Melbourne Convention Centre; 12 Rochford Wines (Yarra

Valley); ROGER WATERS: February 7, 8, 10, 11 Rod Laver Arena INCUBUS: February 8 Festival Hall ROD STEWART: February 17 Rod Laver Arena; 18 Hanging Rock (Macedon) ROXETTE: February 18, 22 Rod Laver Arena JESSIE J: March 7 Festival Hall TAYLOR SWIFT: March 13, 14 Rod Laver Arena TIM MCGRAW, FAITH HILL: March 20 Rod Laver Arena NICK LOWE: March 22 Forum

Mono pic by Jesse Booher

We’re here to help Sand Pebbles celebrate the launch their latest album Dark Magic and we’re met with ‘sold out’ paste-ups surrounding the ticket booth and doors. Some dirty bastard has even plucked this reviewer’s name off the list to gain entry. Needless to say the room is swollen to the banks when the Pebbles hit the stage and with the first notes of crowd favourite and hat-tip to the past Red, Orange, Purple & Blue, the crowd falls silent in anticipation. From here they take us on an exploration of the new record in all its folk-drenched psychedelia, starting with the scathing Andrew Tanner-led Because I Could. Despite a couple of classics including Wild Season from 2008’s Ceduna, and the Dave Graney-written (and vocally assisted on the night) Natalie from 2006’s Atlantis Regrets Nothing, acting as transition to the newer material, the new numbers sparkle and every main-set highlight springs from the new record. Of note is the live mix that, provided by Dark Magic producer Malcolm McDowell, never waivers far from perfect throughout.

MONO, WINTERCOATS FORUM

James Wallace, who records as Wintercoats, is doing his best to impress punters as they arrive at the Forum tonight. Looking like a one-man band, Wallace is busy playing with a violin, sampler and keyboard, which he uses to layer loops of fragments played live to create a dreamy orchestra ambience that undulates wistfully with cinematic intent. Instrumental tunes such as Working On A Dream are incredibly textured and recall the sweet, hazy and out of focus indulgence of Ólafur Arnalds’ music. Eventually these sounds become the backing for Wallace’s soft and plaintive vocals. Wearing his heart on his sleeve, Wallace is dealing a tender and intimate set that doesn’t quite fill the Forum. The loud incessant chatter from a multitude of punters intrudes upon the mix and mars the softer moments. Signed to the Cascine label, Wintercoats looks set to release some interesting new music soon. The orchestral theme of the evening is maintained in between sets as Górecki’s unnerving Symphony No 3 anxiously booms from the PA. As hip indie types and many Japanese expat fans push their way to the front it is reassuring to know that this gig is not going to be Mono’s schmaltzy Kiss-meets-the MSO moment. Recreating the set from their Holy Ground DVD, which was performed in New York with an orchestra, tonight’s show promises to be an epic, instrumental evening that is a touch kosmische but comes with the fashionable post-rock tag. The tinkling tones of a glockenspiel modestly introduce Ashes In The Snow but it builds quickly and this four-piece rock band are tossed on a lush ocean of strings before they turn the tables and get nasty with a wild squall of distorted guitars. It has always been obvious that Mono are influenced by classical music, so watching them go it in full symphonic style is a treat. The arrangements harness the full power of the orchestra and they avoid merely adding a grandiose, but ultimately cheap, flourish to their music. The lights onstage are dim and moody and Mono, it seems, prefer to play in near-darkness. Taka Goto is an awe-inspiring lead guitarist who plays with a fervent passion that you have never seen before. Meanwhile, on the other side of the stage, Yoda’s rhythm guitar is equally complex and delivered with mechanical precision. Interestingly, Yasunori Takada, who has a fierce reputation for being a wild drummer, seems to take it easy this evening, relying to some extent on the oomph that the orchestra provides to propel the band. Alternating between bass and guitar, a very glamorous Tamaki Kunishi plays it nonchalantly cool. It’s not long before our ears are set adrift on the rather solemn Burial At Sea. Despite the obvious bombast of their dramatic crescendos, Mono effortlessly deal passages that paint pictures of great pastoral beauty throughout the set. Much of this evening’s set features material off their much-lauded album Hymn To The Immortal Wind but tracks such as Are You There and Where Am I provide a new look at older material. The monumental Pure As Snow takes us deep into the heart of a storm that only Mono could create and this is followed by the wintry chill of Follow The Map. An anthemic version of Everlasting Light brings down the night and is a truly great performance. No encores, but as the lights come up it’s clear that Mono have blown everyone away. Guido Farnell

NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB

Oh my goodness! Jarrod Quarrell (AKA Lost Animal) is every bit as good in this incarnation as he was in previous band St Helens. His voice cuts the room in two with a butter knife – soft and visceral at the same time. He breathes life into single Say No To Thugs from his recent release Ex Tropical and his presence is undeniable.

NATIONAL PETE MURRAY: October 19 Inferno (Traralgon); 21 Hi-Fi; 22 Pier (Frankston); 23 Ferntree Gully Hotel 360: October 20 Kay St Saloon (Traralgon); 21 Corner (Under 18 Afternoon); 22 Corner (Over 18 Night); 27 Karova Lounge (Ballarat) MANTRA: October 20 Karova Lounge (Ballarat); 22 Whalers Hotel (Warrnambool); November 5 Surf Coast Sport Club (Torquay); 18 Star Bar (Bendigo); 19 East Brunswick Club LANIE LANE: October 21 Northcote Social Club BALL PARK MUSIC: October 21 East Brunswick Club THE KILLJOYS: October 21 Thornbury Theatre PHRASE: October 21 Prince KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD: October 21 Tote THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT: October 21 Pier Live (Frankston); 22 Ferntree Gully Hotel KIRA PIRU & THE BRUISE: October 21, 22 Red Bennies HEIRS: October 22 Toff In Town NEW EMPIRE: October 22 Royal Melbourne Hotel BIG SCARY: October 22 Ormond Hall PAUL DEMPSEY: October 23 Corner THE JEZABELS: October 26 Karova Lounge (Ballarat); 28 Forum; 29 Bended Elbow (Geelong); 30 Hi-Fi (U18) JOHN WATERS: October 27 Playhouse (Geelong); 28, 29 Palms At Crown; 30 Frankston Performing Arts Centre; November 12 Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre TIJUANA CARTEL: October 27 Loft (Warrnambool); 28 Corner; November 4 Westernport Hotel (San Remo) KING CANNONS: October 27 National Hotel (Geelong); 28 Loft (Warrnambool); 29 East Brunswick Club. ILLY: October 28 Palace SHANNON NOLL: October 28 Trak BOY IN A BOX: October 28 Espy FUNKOARS: October 28 Bended Elbow (Geelong); 29 Karova Lounge (Ballarat) LAURA IMBRUGLIA: October 29 Workers Club A DEATH IN THE FAMILY: October 29 Bendigo Hotel NED COLETTE & WIREWALKER: October 29 Toff In Town JIMMY HAWK & THE ENDLESS PARTY: October 29 Buffalo Club GOLD FIELDS: October 29 Corner; November 26 Karova Lounge (Ballarat) BABY ANIMALS: October 31 Corner DAVE GRANEY & THE LURID YELLOW MIST: October 31 Northcote Social Club THE GRATES: October 31 Hi-Fi; November 2 Karova Lounge (Ballarat); 3 Bended Elbow (Geelong) DARREN HAYES: November 2 Forum FAKER: November 2 Bended Elbow (Geelong); 3 Karova Lounge (Ballarat); 4 Corner LAURA JEAN: November 5 Toff In Town REDCOATS: November 5 Northcote Social Club JOHN FARNHAM: November 9, 11, 12, 15, 16, 18 Palais PARIS WELLS: November 10 Northcote Social Club; 24 Loft (Warrnambool); 26 Palais Hepburn Springs MARK SEYMOUR: November 12 Espy BROUS: November 12 Phoenix Public House CLAIRY BROWNE & THE BANGIN’ RACKETTES: November 12 Hi-Fi TATU REI: November 12 Malthouse Theatre; 18 Revolt PUTA MADRE BROTHERS: November 12 Old Bar; 24 Cherry Bar SHANE NICHOLSON: November 14-15 Melbourne Recital Centre JEBEDIAH: November 17 Billboard

SAND PEBBLES, LOST ANIMAL

themusic.com.au

Just how Tor Larsen holds the vocal line in Occupied Europe (Take Me Across The Water) is beyond me – his pitch must be tickling the top of his range yet he belts it out unperturbed. Other winners include the album’s title track and Larsen’s Scottish Highlandsinspired Long Long Ago, which lilts the performance into dreamsville. The encore brings the repetitive pulse of the trip-inducing Black Sun Ensemble from their breakthrough Ghost Transmissions of 2004. In recreating the bulk of the new record live, Sand Pebbles make a claim for their ongoing relevance and prove the worth of their more-folk dabblings. In doing so they shed any strictly-psych labelling and drive their music into bold new territory. They show a packed NSC on this occasion that they are worthy of their standing in the local music community. Maybe now, after ten-or-so years, is the time to show that to the rest of the country and even the world. Samson McDougall

BATRIDER, NATIVE CATS TOTE

“Good evening, we are Native Cats and you need us now more than ever,” intones Peter Escott, vocalist and button pusher staring us down. The sonorous voice and compelling lyrics make Native Cats one of the more underappreciated bands going. Perhaps as they’re from Hobart and signed to a label based in Boston, Melbourne hasn’t caught on, but there is an energy about this band, their new album Process Praise and its rendering live that few bands manage to match. They open with Hit and launch their second album, as do the headliners, tonight. The audience – most of whom are holding pints, have a lot of hair and look a lot like Charlotte Gainsburg or a member of Fleet Foxes – are rapt. Julian Teakle’s guttural bass and intimidating, looming presence offsets Escott’s intelligent fury and forces deep melodies that Escott avoids (except when playing his melodica). Cat’s Paw highlights his use of the Nintendo DS and a drum machine run through a Korg, which sounds like no other band in existence. Songs veer between sparse, sexual, new wave pop with bitter lyrics about isolation and physicality (Cavalier and closer Dani Dani) and rich, layered ‘80s pop (Elements Of Style). That they choose to live in the sparse end of the spectrum, sounding like a pissed off Young Marble Giants, actually gives them a greater power; melodies sound lonely and lost and the rhythm aggressive and taut. Few bands articulate and understand menace as well as Batrider. The Adelaide three-piece know exactly how to balance the weight of each instrument and the resultant power is impossible to deny. Their new album Piles Of Lies makes up most of the set with Hold A Grudge, Just Another Person and Hand Cream standing out, despite the dynamic shifts and raw, tearing vocals that sound as if they’re fighting against the plate reverb and a rhythm section that Albini would pay to have his name attached to. The stench of Indonesian cigarettes drifting in from the mingling groups outside sweetly accentuates the stoner rock aspect of their music, and it’s the music that arrests attention. Sarah Chadwick’s guitar is either a shivering afterthought or a million broken metallic frequencies ricocheting in an icy vacuum. Sam Featherstone’s bass is like a compressed 303 tone that moves like an endlessly shifting chord and Stephanie Chase’s bright, forceful drumming and copious reverb elevate what could be dirges to something altogether stronger. It’s a unique sound and an incredible show. Andy Hazel

live@inpress.com.au

Sparkadia pic by Andrew Glover

while DJ Morgs handles his role behind the decks beautifully. Crowd favourites such as Sleeping On Your Style and The Mash balance nicely with new hits, particularly set closer Paint The Town Red. The audience are utterly wild for the trio and with nearflawless performances like this, it’s easy to see why. Muph & Plutonic are the final support act for the night, and the long-admired duo certainly deliver. The infectious live drumbeats keep the audience’s hands waving and feet moving, particularly during Heaps Good and finale Don’t Worry About Nothin’. It’s another solid performance from two of hip hop’s greatest, although the lost looks on the faces of some of the younger punters serve as a reminder of the time that has passed since their last album. The lights fall, eliciting screams from the crowd. Drapht comes bounding onto the stage, dripping with the kind of confidence that only number-one albums and numerous national tours can bring. Life Of Riley tunes dominate the set early and the audience know every line, belting along to Air Guitar, Down and Sing It in quick succession. He’s always polished onstage, but there’s a new edge to Drapht’s delivery tonight – it’s a direct, furious and insistent performance.

SPARKADIA, IMAGINARY CITIES FORUM

As we collect our tickets from the booth, the lady before us in the queue makes a mad dash and suggests we hurry inside also. Having caught Winnipeg band Imaginary Cities performing a RRR live-to-air, she is eager to see whether the visual experience measures up. Sassy female singer Marti Sarbit busts out some gutsy vocals and certainly looks the part, poured into a strapless black dress, her flowing brunette rockstar locks bouncing and behaving. Imaginary Cities are a songwriting duo rounded out by Rusty Matyas, but beefed out to a five-piece live incarnation that incorporates expertly played Rhodes piano. Sarbit oozes star quality and this band call to mind their wonderful fellow countrymen Silversun Pickups. When Sparkadia arrive onstage, they are so sharply dressed that frontman Alex Burnett wouldn’t look out of place at a funeral. His backing band is a well-oiled machine, performing live versions of the songs that sound like exact replicas of their recorded counterparts. Burnett’s voice is flawless and capable of scaling ecstatic heights for seemingly impossible key changes (Hail, Mary!). There are some really interesting percussion-style instruments onstage and one contraption sees six horizontal metal bars played with drumsticks. Proving that material from their debut album retains all of its original charm, Too Much To Do supplies swoonworthy riff rhythms and bittersweet vocal melodies. “Surprise news is that Triple J is recording tonight,” Burnett informs, encouraging us to be vocal in our appreciation of his band tonight. Talking Like I’m Falling Down Stairs, the lyrical content of which has been translated literally on to one of Sparkadia’s t-shirt designs available as merch, successfully warms up our larynxes. The fact that if you were falling down stairs, talking would probably be the last thing on your mind matters not. Stretching their arms skyward, all assembled resemble some sort of pagan baptism during Mary – the single after which this tour is named. We collectively wish we’d been christened Mary for this song’s duration. Having heard there was a mini gospel choir onstage for this song during Sparkadia’s last tour, we are a tad disappointed not to be treated accordingly. To kick off the encore, Burnett sings Space & Time solo – just him, his spiffy quiff plus guitar. The frontman then tells us Sparkadia need to go elsewhere, but will be back asap (the band’s official website actually reads: “We may not be back for a while #justsayin’”). China goes down a treat with its familiar chord sequence that has been the subject of many ‘Name That ‘80s Power Ballad’ conversations. (A label rep swears it’s from The Who’s Baba O’Riley – Oh, yeah! Right on!) “Down the back, I know you’re sitting down but you can still clap, I think,” Burnett prompts and closer Jealousy scores a radio broadcastworthy response. We could easily have listened to Burnett’s angelic voice well into the wee hours. Bryget Chrisfield

DRAPHT, MUPH & PLUTONIC, THUNDAMENTALS, BRIGGS PALACE

Punters are being frisked upon entry before being allowed to trickle into the venue, where Briggs is warming the Palace’s ample stage. The set from the ever-dependable MC is short, sweet and packing plenty of swagger. After a short break, Sydney’s Thundamentals take over, delivering a brilliant series of numbers with show-stopping precision. MCs Tuka and Jeswon throw themselves into the set with the gusto and dedication of a headline act,

Drapht’s disdain for his newer fans coming late to the Pale Rider party is no secret, but he obliges the crowd with a rendition of Hang ‘Em High, much to the delight of fans. Drink Drank Drunk takes on a strange, skewed meaning coming from the recently sober MC and is followed up by a performance of We Run The Night with Melbourne’s Mantra. This and an inspired rendition of Falling are the clear highlights of the night: measured, passionate performances of undeniably great songs. Jimmy Recard is trotted out to ‘finish’ the set and Drapht heads off stage. It’s getting late though, and he comes back out for the encore almost immediately, chiding the audience: “I didn’t make you work very hard for that!” The crowd respond with wild cheering, and a perfect pair of old and new favourites (Soundman and Rapunzel) close out a fantastic show. Aleksia Barron The Frowning Clouds pic by Heidi Takla

but the show must go on and a roadie investigates with a torch. Just when you think these crazy cats can’t get any looser, enter theremin. A stray mic stand lurches violently from the stage into the crowd, but is artfully saved by a punter. Don’t miss King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard at Meredith this year; their short stabs of frenzied brilliance are perfect for Supernatural Amphitheatre ambience. A single rotating fan on its stand does little to cut through the room’s sultry conditions and some chick smokes a durrie in the front row, undisturbed. Another coastal success story, Geelong’s The Frowning Clouds, launch their latest All Night Long single tonight but take until around song four to really get going. Some of the newer songs are a raw live experience, with the quintet performing a show as shambolic as this venue’s placement of streamers. At least four band members sport stripes and hairdos cover onstage ears. There’s also much fellating of the mic going on. One of The Frowning Clouds’ frontmen, Zac Olsen, has a plush toy monkey attached to the neck of his axe. The variety of vocal delivery options that come with having two singers categorises this great young band’s sound. Alternate frontman Nick Van Bakel is also a demon on the harmonica and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s designated harp player looks on from the audience, eyes filled with admiration. The Olsenled Time Wastin’ Woman is authentic garage with a debilitating bassline – it’s heavy on the tambourine with belligerent vocals and a cacophonous rock-out to finish. The Frowning Clouds have calmed down a bit onstage, or maybe they just seem grown up when compared to tonight’s unruly support act. Bryget Chrisfield

THE EMMA WALL BAND, MICHA, BRONNIE, MICHAEL O’CONNOLLY WESLEY ANNE

Ever see a ‘spontaneous flute player’ improvise over a rock band? No? Well, anybody out and about at the Wesley Anne tonight does. Michael O’Connolly is a phenomenal contribution to the already rockin’ line-up of bands for a show organised by singer/songwriter Micha in Northcote. The flute is worth the price of admission alone, but the rest of the night is a hoot, too. Bronnie kicks the night off with the unique flavour of raw, acoustic, Australian folk. Her lyrics are alluring to say the least. There is something poignant about her sense of youthful naïvety when it is so skillfully matched with power and honesty. The impromptu a cappella cover of Lenny Love with Bindi Cohen is the highlight of this overall lovely set, both compelling and beautiful. Micha maintains the connectedness in mood as she humbly unleashes her emotional depth and worldly knowing onto the lulled audience. Her offbeat, jarring guitar style is unnerving. Her music is dark and textured and the beauty lies in its unconventionality. The standout instrumental song Ben Saw delicately melds guitar and flute, which complement each other to create light and clean sounds and heavy raucous heights. The emotional intensity conveyed purely through sound shows a deft musical maturity, and portends, no doubt, terrific things to come.

THE FROWNING CLOUDS, KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD BUFFALO CLUB

A queue distinguishes the laneway doorway to this venue. In accordance with Buffalo Club’s full RSL club license we are ushered inside in small groups to sign in – an activity that can also easily weed out the intoxicated. Once we scale the stairs, the room itself calls to mind a school gym being used for a prom – suitable for that scene in Footloose, which accompanies the soundtrack’s title track. Instrument cases congest an area against the wall in front of the stage and all seven pieces of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard try to cram onto the tiny performance space. The harp player winds up playing offstage due to overflow. Under the watchful eye of the Queen, who stares down at us from a portrait on the wall, the hyperactive action onstage is riveting. My plus one says, “I wanna pash one of them. I’m trying to decide which.” There are two drummers, one of whom plays standing up using maracas in lieu of drum sticks, his back to us for the duration of the gig. This Anglesea outfit prove to be a rambunctious bunch and two of the band members dispense of shoes, choosing to perform in their socks. Trench Foot is a dangerous beast of a track with outstanding harpsmanship, crazy percussion and a string of “hey”s to get you involved. One of the amps literally starts smoking,

Three-piece chick rock outfit The Emma Wall Band are charismatic and quirky, engaging and energetic. More importantly perhaps, they simply don’t give a fuck. They’re going to tell you how they feel and it’s going to be raw, it’s going to be in your face and there will be very little in the way of punches pulled. Emma Wall is a barefooted cowgirl meets stand-up comic/musician. Sounds wack, but somehow she ties it all together to create a unique style that just works. They are randomly entertaining, ballady chick rock. And they are way too much fun to drink beer to.

are running intricate circles of musical abstraction around our ears to hypnotic effect. Much to the chagrin of some punters, a laptop conspicuously provides a glitchy, micro-house backing track around which wraps a fairly conventional guitar, drums, bass and vocal combo. The math-rock arrangements are intricate and take in influences as diverse as dubstep and free jazz. Ghoul play with earnest intensity, fluidly moving from abstract jazzy vibes to going it tribal like Vampire Weekend’s African influences. Yet they always attack their subject matter from fresh perspectives and consequently confound expectations. There’s plenty of space amid the broken beats for brooding crooner Ivan Vizintin whose lyrics start with clichés such as “Choose life” and “I can’t get satisfaction”. He darkly rips through them by philosophically knotting them up in layers of complexity. The set ebbs and flows unpredictably and Vizintin at times deals incantations like a high priest at a ritual ceremony but there is also plenty of opportunity for him to let loose his distinctive, dreamy croon. Not to be confused with various punk and trash metal bands from around the world with the same name, Sydney’s Ghoul are very much in a class of their own. Oft compared to Nick Cave, Sydney’s Jack Ladder is in town to take the wraps of his new album Hurtsville. Although Ladder can nail a passable impersonation of Cave he is not prone to violent fits of rage and angst. Instead, in amongst the gritty guitar chords there is a certain sense of gothic romanticism and yearning in Ladder’s music. Tonight Ghoul step in as Ladder’s backing band and the irrepressibly theatrical Kirin Callinan, whose distinctive lead guitar is stamped all over Ladder’s songs, joins them. Together they deal a gorgeously lush sound that avoids a heavyhanded approach but rather surprisingly flirts with a mellow, ‘80s-pop vibe. Hurtsville is not as sinister a place as one might presuppose. As the set proceeds, the lanky dude in the red cravat comes across as a lovable drunk, reeking of whiskey with plenty of stories about life and lost love to tell. More often than not, Ladder trades in the kind of heartbreaking, maudlin moods that bring to mind Waits’ Downtown Train. Tunes such as Cold Feet and Blinded By Love strike emotional chords but Ladder comes undone a little when he does not fully and convincingly enter into the character he’s acting out. Hurtsville washes over as a commendable collection of songs from an emerging talent. Guido Farnell

MASSACRE OF MELBURN LAUNDRY

Whaaa-?! Lord Finesse is playing downstairs?! For 20 BUCKS?! A frenzied subsequent check reveals he’s just DJing. Still, with battle rapping happening upstairs and a former Digging In The Crates legend DJing downstairs, tonight Laundry definitely seems to be the place to get your hip hop on. We tramp upstairs to where Massacre Of Melburn is happening and, mercy me! We haven’t been to anything quite like this before. Oversized clothing and big old stickered caps fill Laundry (with such a massive clothes-to-body ratio going on, you do kind of feel like you’ve fallen into the washing), with the exception of a couple of girls with a – frankly quite impressive – boom (humble respects, Finesse). And, apart from the DJ kicking back, the stage seems pretty much firmly reserved to the background. The action happens smack bang in the middle of the floor: the two MCs, set to battle rap, ringed by people standing no less than a couple of feet away, and behind them people are on chairs so as to catch everything. No microphones needed in such close quarters, no sir.

Arriving as Melbourne duo Forces are bringing down their set with a thunderous bang signals a lively start to this evening’s entertainment. The duo are dropping a crazed electro punk conclusion to their set in a way that recalls the madness of Rev and Vega. It’s a pity that this spectacle is being made available to only a handful of punters in an otherwise deserted Corner Hotel. Torrential rain probably found many preferring to sink into the comfort of their sofas instead of braving the deluge.

The battle raps themselves are exciting affairs. Having always been in awe of any kind of improvised performance, the “flips” (for those new to battle rap: the flip is where a battle rapper will make up something on the spot to effectively rebut something their opponent has just thrown their way) are generally incisive and tightly crafted bars. On the whole, the MCs are on fire with their respective styles. On the local side (among others): Mikey Pipes’ highbrow allusions and 360’s scalpel-sharp rhymes. From the US: Madness’s irreverence and Dirtbag Dan’s comic prowess. There are a vast number of nuggets of lyrical goodness throughout the night, some that make the crowd wince with their aggression and others that get a good roar of laughter from all ‘round – even from the opposition. 360’s dig at Dirtbag Dan’s red beard (and belly, presumably) is one favourite – something along the lines of, “No one told me Santa Claus had ginger balls” (humble respects, 360). On that note, 360 held his own very admirably while taking on battle rap legends Dirtbag Dan and Madness. I’d venture to say he was evenly matched to both.

It’s not long before acclaimed Sydney four-piece Ghoul

Alice Body

Ah, the forgotten artists hidden in Melbourne pubs – playing neither for success nor recognition, but purely for their own expression – sure are great to watch in the candlestick ambience of the Wesley Anne. Oh, and keep your eyes peeled for Micha’s Musicians Obstacles Event coming up soon at a venue near you. Lucie McMahon

JACK LADDER, GHOUL, FORCES CORNER HOTEL

themusic.com.au

live@inpress.com.au

TASTE TEST PAT KILBY – THE RED EYES

STANDING OUT

LONG TRADITION

The Vagrants are at Cherry Bar on Friday 21 October, supporting the classic punk band X. The Vagrants recently headlined Cherry Bar when they launched their new CD Stand Up, which struck a chord worldwide. Their protest song Can’t Take Anymore got repeatedly spun on commercial English network radio and received countless great reviews in Germany. Radio stations around Australia have been sucking up the single so quickly that it shot into the top ten in its fi rst week on the AirIt/AMRAP charts.

Longyard are a proud Melbourne band steeped in the old-style rockin’ boogie blues and roots tradition. They strive to fly the flag of gritty electric beat blues to audiences of all ages. Longyard’s aim is to entertain the people and keep alive the blues and beat power of decades past to which they acknowledge a massive debt of gratitude. You can catch them Gertrude’s Brown Couch, this Sunday from 4pm.

BLACK SANDS

Spring time: who hasn’t lost their head? By popular demand, Sand Pebbles will perform a very special Dark Magic launch encore with special guests Black Cab on Saturday 22 October at Brunswick’s hottest new venue Phoenix Public House. Tickets are on sale now from phoenixpublichouse.com.au. Buy the ticket, take the ride. Doors are from 9pm and it’s only $11 pre-sale and $15 on the door if still available.

The song I’m really digging at the moment is… The Good Shit by The Genie. I bought the Here Comes The Scissors EP at their launch in July and it hasn’t left the car CD player since. A song more people should know about is… The Red Eyes’ new single, Circles. It’s the truth right there. I’m always proud performing this song live and feel it represents me and the music I like. Music with meaning. The song that always gets me on the dancefloor at 3am is… If I’m on the dancefloor at 3am it’s to lug my gear off stage through the crowd, which isn’t easy. A song that always makes me feel like dancing is Jess Harlen’s Watch The Water. It’s soulful and has a great groove, produced by Plutonic Lab.

The song I most wish I’d written is… I’m also a massive soul fan and it would be Little Ghetto Boy from Donny Hathaway’s Live album. The sound of the ‘70s is timeless to me. The song’s message really comes across in the live atmosphere. Best listened to on vinyl. The song I never want to hear again is… I don’t really listen to music I don’t like, which means that I steer away from commercial radio and TV. I prefer to surround myself with great local musicians, which filters out the ‘never want to hear again’ factor. The Red Eyes play the Northcote Social Club this Saturday and the Queenscliff Music Festival on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 November.

BANG A GONG

LU-WOWSERS

There’s but one Melbourne adventure through the south seas, and it’s at the LuWOW. Check out the swingin’ swirl of Martin McIntosh on Thursday. Friday and Saturday, Bombay Royale bring their vintage Bollywood extravaganza joined by Sye Saxon on the Friday and Jumpin Josh on the Saturday. Get in before 8pm for free entry and cocktail specials, otherwise, get dapper, hand over a fiver and treat yourself to some big kids’ luxuries.

Seekae

With the 2011 JÄGERMEISTER INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS so close you can smell the herbal digestive, BRYGET CHRISFIELD weighs in on those mostly likely to receive a gong with a little help from some of this year’s nominees. The sixth annual Jägermeister Independent Music Awards will be remembered as the year of the multiple nominations, with a whopping ten of the total 33 nominated artists up for more than one chance at a statuette. Tying in fi rst place with four noms apiece are Adalita and Seekae. Having not familiarised herself with her competition at the time of our chat, a “stoked” Adalita shares, “It’s just nice to be nominated”. John Hassell from Seekae explains that his band got two chances to celebrate being nominated. “We originally were told we’d just been nominated for [Best Independent Dance/Electronica Album] so we were like, ‘Oh, that’s great we got a nomination!’ And then when it was publicly announced we were like, ‘Woah, we got four?’”

Science – The Experiment, Drapht – The Life Of Riley, Seekae – +Dome When Art Vs Science’s competition in this category is read out to him, Finn marvels, “Oh, wow! Drapht, I think he might have a chance at that one. He’s doing so well and he just smashes it onstage, like, everyone goes nuts for him.” As equal top nominee scorers, it’s all about Seekae in this category.

Art Vs Science are the only outfit up for three gongs, and the group’s vocalist/keyboardist Jim Finn ponders, “That would be quite convenient if we won all three and then each one of us could have one of them.” The seven acts with a chance to double dip in the prize pool are: Abbe May, Busby Marou, Drapht, Emma Louise, Illy, Pnau and The Jezabels. Multiple nominees did well last year, with trifecta possibilities Dan Sultan and Cloud Control proving to be the biggest winners on the night, taking home two transparent square trophies each. So who will need to clear some space on a shelf in the trophy room this year?

Best Independent Single Or EP nominees: Adalita – Hot Air, Emma Louise – Full Hearts And Empty Rooms, Illy Featuring Owl Eyes – It Can Wait, Stonefield – Through The Clover, The Jezabels – Dark Storm There’s a healthy variety of genres represented here and Illy (AKA Al Murray) is the sole hip hop contender. Regarding his competition in this category, Murray ponders, “Oh, I’ve smashed The Jezabels Dark Storm EP and Emma Louise – I know the Jungle, which I’m a big fan of… I’m really stoked to be nominated for that [award] because I have a lot of respect, particularly for The Jezabels.” So would The Jezabels be his final pick? “I would say so, yeah. I think it’s the start of their time.” Hmmm… we’ve already given The Jezabels the major gong, so believe this should go to Adalita for her wonderful EP.

Best Independent Artist nominees: Abbe May, Adalita, Art Vs Science, Seekae, The Jezabels “I’d have to go with The Jezabels, because, in my opinion, they are a great band,” Hassell opines of his band’s competition in this category. “They’ve been working really hard for a long time.” Finn disagrees, believing Abbe May’s got what it takes here: “I just really dig her vibe, she’s got great guitar sounds and tones and really cool riffs.” We agree with Hassell. Best Independent Album nominees: Abbe May – Design Desire, Adalita – Adalita, Art Vs

Breakthrough Independent Artist Of The Year nominees: Adalita, Big Scary, Busby Marou, Emma Louise, Oscar & Martin, The Holidays Considering Busby Marou have also been shortlisted for the Best Independent Blues And Roots Album award, we believe they will be successful here.

Best Independent Blues & Roots Album nominees: Blue King Brown – Worldwize (Part 1, The North & South), Bonjah – Go Go Chaos, Busby Marou – Busby Marou, Gurrumul – Rrakala, Jordie Lane – Blood Thinner It’s always been dudes up on the prize podium collecting this one, so it would be great to see the finer sex breaking the mold here – that would be the Natalie Pa’apa’afronted outfit Blue King Brown.

Adalita

Best Independent Hip Hop Album nominees: Bliss N Eso – Running On Air, Drapht – The Life Of Riley, Illy – The Chase, Joelistics – Voyager, Sietta – The Seventh Passenger The hip hop fraternity being so close knit, Murray puts his two bobs’ in: “Like I was saying to a friend the other night, I honestly would be stoked with, and for, whoever wins – they’re all really cool people.” We would love to see Illy take this award home, but also reckon Drapht’s rising star is due an acknowledgment. Best Hard Rock & Punk Album nominees: Cosmic Psychos – Florious Basterds, Front End Loader – Ritardando, Harmony – Harmony; My Disco – Little Joy, Trial Kennedy – Living Undesigned My Disco were overseas when they received an email asking whether they would be available to perform at the ceremony. As such guitarist Ben Andrews apologises, “We are virtually unaware as to the categories/artists, I’m afraid! Although I’ve heard Cosmic Psychos have been nominated also, and they rule. If we don’t win, I hope they do!” The Nation Blue took home this gong in 2009, so it’s high time we acknowledge another legendary heritage group.

themusic.com.au

Best Independent Dance/Electronica Album nominees: Art Vs Science, Pnau, Seekae, The Aston Shuffle, The Potbelleez After some deliberation, Finn decides he’ll put his money on The Potbelleez. “I think they’re going so well, they’ve just got great songwriting and such good drive onstage and, yeah! They’re just really into it I think they’ll probably take that one out… And also I think their song [Don’t Hold Back] was on the Jeep commercial, so that’s good exposure for them.” We actually think that with a debut album that came in at number two on the ARIA albums chart, Art Vs Science are a shoo-in for this one. Best Independent Dance/Electronica Or Club Single: Collarbones – Don Juan, Pnau – Solid Ground, Seekae – Blood Bank, Tommy Trash & Tom Piper (Feat Mr Wilson) – All My Friends, Tonite Only – We Run The Nite When asked whether he’s familiarised himself with the competition, Tommy Trash casually replies, “Umm… I have now!” Collarbones are deserving winners here. Not only is the tune glorious beyond belief, the video clip featuring sailors at sea, performing synchronised physical jerks – a win-win. The Jägermeister Independent Music Awards take place tonight (Wednesday) at Revolt.

live@inpress.com.au

UP THE DUFF

This October, Teenage Mothers headline the Monday night residency at the Workers Club. The beers are only $2, so there’s usually 500 trendy kids there. You bearded graphic designers can shove your vintage bicycles up your arses. Special guests this week are Bachus Marsh noise terrorists Hollow Everdaze. Plus there are $2 beers and free nitrous oxide courtesy of Teenage Mothers.

MARTY UMANSKI – GOSTELERADIO

The song I’m really digging at the moment is… I’m really digging The End Of The Golden Weather by Simon Gibbs, AKA Mountain Static.

ADAM THE ARTIST Adam Simmons encompasses the meaning of ‘artist’ in his day-to-day life. An accomplished musician, he has covered jazz, punk, world, thrash, swing and free styles in his career so far. In recent times he has moved to the world of sculpture and has experienced adulation in the visual art world. Simmons is about to release his most recent recording with a trio, Origami. At the Northcote Uniting Church this Thursday, Tony Gould will be playing the in-house organ, Speak Percussion will premiere a new piece by Adam composed for Newspaper and the night will finish off with the Origami launch, where you will be able to purchase the release in an origami case. Doors at 7.30pm, under-18s free and adults $10 entry.

TASTE TEST

A song more people should know about is… Our fi rst single from the Gosteleradio EP, Odyssey.

SCARED YET? To celebrate the release of their debut album Vacation, Big Scary, comprised of the boy strummer and girl drummer – Tom Iansek and Jo Syme – have announced they will be playing a selection of special intimate performances across the country this month. A moodier offering than their earlier releases, Vacation is Big Scary all grown up. With support from Buckley Ward, Big Scary play Ormond Hall on St Kilda Road at 8pm on Saturday 22 October. Tickets are $15 pre-sale or $20 on the door.

The song that always gets me on the dancefl oor at 3am is… Would have to be Street Fighting Man by

GET APPROVED

Psychedelic, spacey, progressive rock, Melbourne band Baptism Of Uzi is this month’s SYN Approved artist. Having not headlined since their sold-out cassette launch at the Tote, Baptism of Uzi will be in fi ne form for a night of psychedelic fun at Workers Club this Thursday. Support comes from Twoels and Zonks, doors are at 8pm and entry’s $10.

themusic.com.au

The Rolling Stones. Although at 3am I’m probably as sober as an Irish Bricklayer, so I’d probably dance to the ringtone on my phone. The song I most wish I’d written is… Girl From The North Country by Bob Dylan. The song I never want to hear again is… Anything by Billy Joel. Gosteleradio play the Workers Club this Saturday.

GIVE IT

The Give will be launching their debut self-titled EP at the Grace Darling Hotel on Friday. This EP comes after the success of their track Expect Me To Be, which charted well on Triple J Unearthed, received airplay on local independent radio and saw the guys (and girl) performing regularly around Melbourne. Doors are from 9pm and it’s only $10 from Moshtix, or $15 with a CD.

live@inpress.com.au

TRIPLE TREAT

Three Australian acts fast and steady on the rise are banding together this Saturday to deliver new material and an unmissable show at the Grace Darling. Jackson McLaren’s second EP Mirrors & Strings was released in April this year and first single A Whole Day Nearer has been smashing the airwaves on Triple J. The Rescue Ships is Brian Campeau and Elana Stone’s new project, an ideal marriage of their individual talents. Their new video for single On The Air has won them a whole lot of laughs and new fans. The ten members of Brisbane’s Inland Sea are bound together by a love of complex harmonies and songwriting. Their second EP is due for release in October through Brisbane label Plus One Records. Doors for this triple header will be from 9pm and pre-sale tickets are $10+BF, or $13 on the door.

MYLES AWAY Having stepped away from Special Patrol, MYLES MAYO is finding things easier to manage out on his own, writes IZZY TOLHURST.

GET APPROVED

VULTURES ARE FROM VENUS Vultures Of Venus hit the tarmac of the infamous Cherry Bar on Friday 4 November, launching their new EP, Your Planet Or Mine. Incorporating live projections and burlesque dancers, Vultures Of Venus create a live show fuelled with an explosive mix of devastating rock and live electronic mayhem set to send burning embers down AC/DC lane. Joining Vultures Of Venus on the line up are the five-headed heat seeking missile that is Red Rockets Of Borneo and Lashes To Lashes, who will be opening the evening with their pop sounds. The Vultures’ live show is being fi lmed for their next round of video clips so a wide variety of strange and wonderful freaks will be in attendance. An explosive mix of sound from the underground, this show is sure to be a spectacular party.

Psychedelic, spacey, progressive rock, Melbourne band Baptism Of Uzi is this month’s SYN Approved artist. Having not headlined since their sold-out cassette launch at the Tote, Baptism of Uzi will be in fine form for a night of psychedelic fun at Workers Club this Thursday. Support comes from Twoels and Zonks, doors are at 8pm and entry’s $10.

EAT, DRINK, READ, LISTEN

This Friday at Workers Club, The Lifted Brow launches its food issue, From Hungry Jacks To Noma, with a bunch of talented musicians from a mix of locations. Talent on the night includes Evelyn Morris (Pikelet), Avant Gardeners and Bare Grillz. Seeing that is the food issue, there’ll probably be some food as well. Doors are at 8pm and entry is $12, which includes a copy of the magazine. The Jacks

BATTLE IT OUT

The Goliath international band competition, Global Battle of the Bands (GBOB) is heading to Melbourne for the GBOB Victorian Regional Final! A bunch of Victoria’s finest original live acts will be battling it out for the chance to win a spot in the GBOB Australasian Final, where they will aim to win a trip overseas to the GBOB World Final in Europe. It will be a passionate battle indeed, as GBOB’s overall fi rst prize is worth $US100,000 and gives the winners the title of ‘Best New Band in the World’! The Victorian Regional Final is on Friday 21 October at the Rock Bar from 8pm. The bands listed to play include: My Abacus (Warrnambool), Lash 78 (Geelong), Building Jericho (Geelong), The Palmer Brothers (Bendigo), Bastion (Melbourne), No Stairway (Melbourne) and The Fire Alive (Colac). Come down and show your support!

SMOKIN’ SUNDAY SESSIONS Smokinbilly Sunday at Bar Open boasts a rockin’ line-up not to be missed this week. Damn The Torpedoes are kicking off with their punk rock sounds followed by Burn in Hell, who have just come off their French tour, known for their swamp music with a gypsy attitude and grunt bucket blues. Finishing off this Sunday session are hip shakin’ bone rattlin’ high octane rock’n’roll outfit The Jacks. Entry is $6, doors open at 8pm.

TASTE TEST MCKISKO background sounds into my recordings. A song more people should know about is… Georgia by Big Strong Brute. He’s about to release an album and if this song is anything to go by, it will be most excellent. The song that always gets me on the dancefl oor at 3am is… Sex Machine by James Brown. How could I not get up, get on up? The song I most wish I’d written is… Lay & Love by Bonnie Prince Billy. Will Oldham at his best, with the help of Dawn McCarthy on backings. It’s perfect in its simplicity and it makes me feel.

The song I’m really digging at the moment is… There’s A Blue Light by Crooked Fingers. It seeps into my head time and time again. Can’t shake it. There’s a strange bell low in the mix that inspired me to put quiet

The song I never want to hear again is… The version of More Than Words that my sister and I, aged eight and ten, recorded to tape for my eldest brother who was living overseas at the time. Kind of an inappropriate choice in hindsight. McKisko plays the Toff In Town this Thursday and Pure Pop Records this Saturday.

Myles Mayo (and no it’s not a stage name, it’s Scottish apparently), the former lead singer of buoyant, summery-sounding five-piece Special Patrol, has flown the coop, and is doing it solo. But in the midst of an Australian tour and EP release, the lad bears no self-righteousness, and is as refreshingly humble and honest as his music. Despite achieving moderate fame with the band, Mayo insists, “I don’t consider myself to be a great musician, I just play everything fairly basically, and most of the instruments on my album are played very basically.” Influenced by songwriting revolutionaries such as Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, Mayo started playing guitar at a modest 13 years. “I was just interested in strumming chords and singing melodies,” he says, “so I guess I started writing songs around that age too. Then I got into a band at school and we just jammed.” And progression through his musical career sans grand plan and pretension seems to have worked out just fine, with Mayo saying it was namely the desire to continue songwriting that convinced him to go it alone. “Special Patrol was becoming harder to manage, and trying to organise five people when you get into your late 20s is not as easy, and not as fun. So I basically got to a point where I knew I wanted to keep writing songs for a long time – on whatever level, I want to keep being able to do that – and I guess that was the catalyst for both stopping the Special Patrol stuff and keeping on doing my own stuff.” Thankfully, the break-up of Special Patrol appears to have left Mayo unscathed and wound-free. “Robbie the drummer, who’s a really good mate, moved to Melbourne about a month or two ago, and we see each other when he comes back. The other band members still live in Adelaide and we all catch up a lot… it’s very amicable and fun.” His self-titled debut album, recorded at home and released earlier this year, brought into circulation and repute How

GOODNESS GRACIOUS

Three Australian acts fast and steady on the rise are banding together this Saturday to deliver new material and put on a great show at the Grace Darling. Jackson McLaren’s second EP Mirrors & Strings was released in April this year and first single A Whole Day Nearer has been smashing the airwaves on Triple J. The Rescue Ships is Brian Campeau and Elana Stone’s new project, an ideal marriage of their individual talents. Their new video for single On The Air has won them a whole lot of laughs and new fans. The ten members of Brisbane’s Inland Sea are bound together by a love of complex harmonies and song-writing; their highly-anticipated second EP is due for release this month. Doors are at 9pm and tickets are around $13 from Moshtix or at the door.

themusic.com.au

You Done Me Wrong, as well as Mayo’s personal favourite, Young Love Aches. “I like that one because it turned out a bit differently to how I pictured it sounding… when I fi rst wrote it, it was just acoustic guitar and vocals and with a lot more layers it came out a lot more different to how I was picturing it. So for that reason I like that one.” In the same spontaneous, carefree vein, Mayo favours the results of his homespun album, and insists it’s the way he’ll continue to work in the future. “I was really happy with the results I got from home, compared to some of the big studios Special Patrol did work in. It’s an easy way to work, and you can spend a lot more time crafting the actual recordings themselves and playing around with them, and that’s the fun part of music. I think I’ll do the next one like that, unless I get bored of that. It’s always when you get bored of something that you want to try something else. And I’m not bored of it yet.” When asked about past (and for Mayo seemingly uncharacteristic) mischief and touring shenanigans, Mayo admits he doesn’t “really have a lot of crazy stories”. “When we were with Special Patrol we had some funny times… I should really have something up my sleeve from that.” But with any luck, the nine-stop Australian tour he’s already embarked on should help thicken the chronicles.

WHO: Myles Mayo WHAT: Leave The Party EP (Longtime Listener) WHEN & WHERE: Friday, Northcote Social Club; Sunday 23 October, Toff In Town

SOCK!

Rockin’ Socks is a new initiative bringing entertainment from some of the best of Melbourne bands and Australian touring acts for weekday entertainment at the Prince Bandroom from Thursday with prizes from sponsors, cheap drinks, hot chips, a great social atmosphere and quality sounds from some wicked bands. Doors open at 9pm, so bring your dancing shoes and get ready to rock your socks off. The Rockin’ Socks opening night will consist of: Sounds Of Sirus, Assemble The Empire, Futures Now and We Disappear. Future bills are currently on confi rmation and all bands are welcome to apply. Contact: rockinsocksbands@phoenixmusicindustries.com.

live@inpress.com.au

CATCHING CATFISH

The Grocery Bar is absolutely delighted and excited to bring Catfish Voodoo to St Kilda. Voodoo play blues rock and was established mid-2010. The band was founded by harmonica player Aaron Gillet and drummer Russell Bannister, and then Julian Byrne joined the duo to provide powerful, youthful energy on vocals and guitar. Check them out at the Grocery Bar on Sunday 30 October from 3.30pm.

PLASTIC FANTASTIC

Plastic Palace Alice return to the earth with a glossy, bubbly, pop-tastic new album, Like A Light. A year in the making, this new set of songs is as gloriously melodic as their debut, but with an added splash of colour and tension. They will release that tension by way of launch at the Phoenix Public House on Saturday 5 November with help from fellow popsmiths Gosteleradio and The Twoks. Doors are at 9pm and tickets are around $10.

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

Rosie & George have been very busy. After signing with Decibels Records this winter and recording a brand new EP, the four-piece folk ensemble return to the Grace Darling Hotel on Friday 28 October to release the film clip of their single, Miss Sunshine. Expect to hear their signature sound of mellow sounds, soaring harmonies and glockenspiel breakdowns. Supporting them on the night will be funk rockers Animaux and the lovely Southpaw. Doors at 9pm and entry’s $8.

GET A KIK OUT OF YU

Since rescuing an old Italian organ from a second hand shop, Melbourne micropop artist Kikuyu (Sez Wilks) has worked playfully to establish her own unique brand of comboorgan kitsch. Kikuyu is now proud to launch her debut album, Hunter Gathered, which will be available through Kikuyu’s Bandcamp from this Friday. Fresh from a run of support

shows throughout Victoria and New South Wales, Kikuyu will send the Grace Darling stage awash with her big vocal loops, bright tones and kooky percussion presets on Friday 21 October. This celebratory show will kick off Kikuyu’s national album tour, with contemporaries Melodie Nelson and Fatti Frances joining the event to complete a stellar all lady line-up. Doors are at 9pm and entry’s $10.

SUNDAY GROCERIES

This Sunday, the Grocery Bar welcomes back an old friend, Victor Stranges, who will be doing a solo acoustic set from 3:30pm. Stranges’ credits include The Methinks and the Grocery Bar’s very own Muddy Roger! Then on Sunday 23 October, the Grocery Bar welcomes the Sam McAuliffe Trio (featuring guitar, double bass and saxophone). Combining subtle acoustic sounds and rhythmic interplay, the trio is inspired by the musical possibilities of a drummer-less group.

Kingswood launch their new single at the Toff In Town this Saturday. HOW DID YOU GET TOGETHER? Justin Debrincat, drums: “We’re not actually together, we just play in a band together and spend a lot of time with one another. An ordinary person, judging by the amount of time we spend together, may infer that we’re in a physical/sexual relationship, but we aren’t. We’re just bandmates.” CAN YOU SUM UP YOUR BAND’S SOUND IN FOUR WORDS? “Fergus, Alex, Jeremy, Justin.” IF YOU COULD SUPPORT ANY BAND IN THE WORLD, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY? “The Corrs. I think you know why.” HAVE YOU RECORDED ANYTHING OR DO YOU PREFER TO TOOL AROUND IN YOUR BEDROOM? “I’m not sure if this question is alluding to masturbation as I have The Corrs in my head now. We have a single coming out this Saturday called Yeah Go Die. So apart from demos and the like, that’s what we’ve recorded. It’s a love song.” IF A HIGHER POWER SMITES YOUR HOUSE AND YOU CAN ONLY SAVE ONE RECORD FROM THE FIRE, WHAT WOULD IT BE? “Best Of The Corrs.” DO YOU HAVE A LUCKY ITEM OF CLOTHING YOU WEAR FOR GIGS AND WHAT IS IT? “A Corrs t-shirt I wear under an ordinary t-shirt… Always.” IF YOU INVITED SOMEONE AWESOME ROUND FOR DINNER WHAT WOULD YOU COOK? “A Corrn pie with a Corriander garnish.” WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE TO DRINK IN MELBOURNE? “The Corrnish Arms.”

TICKET TO THE MOON

Brous’ shimmering single Streamers has been on everyone’s lips. It was closely followed up with second single Little Ticket, which saw Brous fi lming in a Lithuanian club with seven gold painted dancers and a choir of Italian grandmothers known as La Voce Della Luna (or The Voice Of The Moon). La Voce Della Luna very rarely performs but agreed to be involved in this particular project on the strength of the song and the video’s concept. To celebrate the release of her self-titled EP, Brous will be taking her mesmerizing live show on the road. La Voce Della Luna have agreed to join Sophia on stage for this one very special performance in Melbourne at the Phoenix Public House on Saturday 12 November. Doors are at 9pm and tickets are $15 from Moshtix or at the door (if still available).

GIVE A LITTLE, TAKE A LITTLE

The Give are happy to announce they will be launching their debut self-titled EP at the Grace Darling this Friday night. This EP comes after the success of their track Expect Me To Be, which charted well on Triple J Unearthed, received airplay on local independent radio and saw the band performing regularly around Melbourne. Support on the night comes from Hunting Foxes, The Pretty Littles and Trouble Man. Doors are at 9pm and tickets are $10 from Moshtix or $15 for a ticket plus CD.

GRILLZ ON TEETH

Sydney to Newcastle band-buds Sweet Teeth and Bare Grillz are hitting the road in a series of launch shows for their upcoming split cassette tape. The tape, recorded in March in the garage of Newcastle slacker-punks The Nugs, will be released on Newcastle label Forbidden Shopping in limited pressing of 100. This Saturday, Sweet Teeth and Bare Grillz will be joined by Nervous, Cat Cat and The Clits below deck in the Grace Darling Cellar. Doors are at 9pm and entry’s $8.

themusic.com.au

live@inpress.com.au

PULLING SHAPES TO SOUNDS

LEVITATE US The Levitators are a six-piece dance act combining electro, funk, and reggae, all delivered with a rock’n’roll swagger. They have rocked stages all over the country including Park Life, Peats Ridge and Big Day Out, and now they are heading to Melbourne to launch their new EP Eclectica. The EP has already been getting airplay from Triple J with Dom Alessio giving the fi rst single Sunshine In My Juice a 4-star review. Incorporating live drums and percussion, bass, stacks of keyboards, guitar, vocals and samples, The Levitators never fail to impress at a live show and get the crowd dancing. Their Saturday 22 October show at Bar 303 is one you don’t want to miss.

With great delight, Iceage Productions presents a historical night of Melbourne experimental music at the Grace Darling on Friday 9 December, to launch The Shape Of Sound Vol.1 Album. Legend of experimental fi lm and sound, Arthur Cantrill, will be opening the night with a one-off performance of tape manipulations, so get there early. Ernie Althoff (another of Melbourne’s experimental legends) will be teaming up with Undecisive God creating sonic rhythms using turntables and found objects. Oranj Punjabi (AKA Fjorn Butler) builds majestic alien soundscapes of electronic noise. Barnaby Oliver & Dark Passenger are known for their walls of dark metallic drone. Penguins, playing as a three-piece band, close proceedings with their twisted experimental rock mayhem. Doors at 9pm and entry’s only $10.

DJ BOOTH

ON THE GOSTELERADIO

Following on from their well-received debut album, 2010’s Great Deeds Against The Dead, Gosteleradio’s new self-titled EP showcases the evolving songwriting skills of a band whose sound has been described as ‘a mix of London psychedelics and Californian sun’. Gosteleradio launch their EP at Workers Club this Saturday with support from Wolfy & The Bat Cubs, Machine and DJ Nic Oogjes (NO ZU). Doors are at 8.30pm and entry’s $10.

Some time in the next few weeks, SKIPPING GIRL VINEGAR will launch Baker the monkey into space. The band’s MARK LANG explains their actions.

It’s 20-odd days ‘til Baker, the vintage hobo monkey, gets launched into space and it’s fair to say he’s looking a little nervous as he watches us building his small hobo spaceship out of foam and gaffa tape. With the demise of NASA we saw an opening for Australia to enter the space race – indie style. With an extended team of artists and scientists, Skipping Girl Vinegar will be joined by the brilliant Dr Karl, Chris Lansell, Leigh Ryan, Cobie Orger and the elusive Major Tom (if we can bring him down). In late-October/early-November (weather depending) Baker the monkey will launch into space in rural Australia as part of our fi lm clip for new single Chase The Sun.

A NEW START

Melbourne foursome Dick Diver (featuring members of UV Race, Boomgates and Total Control) launch their debut album New Start Again at the Phoenix Public House on Saturday 19 November. Like the band, the album is warm and understated, shot through with casual grace and supported by real backbone. New Start Again combines widescreen Australian sweep, ‘70s New York punk edge and ‘90s indie-rock scratch, but transcends its influences to become truly honest and exciting. Doors are at 9pm and tickets are $10 presale from Moshtix or $13 on the door if available.

Baker, found in hard rubbish and recommissioned for a special space mission, will shoot for zero gravity with the assistance of a large weather balloon, climbing to approximately 132,000 feet above the Earth’s surface. On board the ship will be a camera capturing the rolling image of the ship and monkey leaving Earth. It will rise until the balloon breaks and then drift back to Earth landing safely back in the launch area site (fi ngers crossed it doesn’t hit your backyard).

CHADWICK PARADING DOWN IVY ST

Ivy St – the three-piece mess of ex-Hobart ideology – will be commandeering the Grace Darling along with Parading and Batrider’s Sarah Chadwick on Saturday 22 October. Chadwick will likely be playing a bunch stuff from her recently released record, Piles Of Lies. Ivy St will be playing stuff from a forthcoming album and Parading will be golden, as they always are. Doors at 9pm and entry’s $10.

MONKEY BUSINESS

Lopan play Trocadero at Match Bar & Grill every Thursday, Saturdays at New Guernica and Cosmology at Loop on Friday 28 October. WHAT INSPIRED YOUR DJ NAME? “It’s more of a ‘who’ question and his name is James Hong, the greatest Asian-American actor of our generation.” IN A NUTSHELL, DESCRIBE WHAT YOU PLAY? “The kind of music people don’t request.” WHAT TRACK TURNS YOU ON RIGHT NOW? “I’m really digging Can’t Get Enough by Roman Fleischer. It reeks of summer.”

RESI-DANCE-Y

‘Heat-beat’ band No Zu take over the Grace Darling every Thursday in November for a wild ‘resiDANCEy’ of percussive meltdowns and cosmic-suburbia-rhythms. Themed nights of life ceremonies/events (Carnival ,Wedding, Birthday, Holiday) will be taken from the everyday into the realms of the exotic via eclectic line-ups of many of Melbourne’s most unique bands/artists and by weekly visual transformations of the Grace’s upstairs band room. Finally, the often separate, emotions felt on New Years Eve and at Tupperware parties will meet! Doors at 9pm and entry’s $8. Wear your best dancing outfit.

The Hobo spaceship will have an mp3 player and speaker attached playing a selection of people’s messages out into the universe, backed by Chase The Sun. If you have a message to send the universe, visit Baker on Skipping Girl Vinegar’s Facebook page and leave your ramblings. Baker will then select his favourites and it could be yours. An online tracking system will enable you to track Baker’s launch and space travel in real time. You will also be able to follow Baker’s preparation and fitness regime through a series of video vignettes. See the first Project Monkey In Space video via youtube.com/user/SGVMusic. Project Monkey In Space is our attempt to spark a reminder of the wonder you felt as a child before the world filled your eyes. In pausing and sending a selection of inspired words out into the universe we hope that this will cause a moment of reflection closer to home as you become part of our space journey. ‘Til then keep your eyes to the sky; the Hobo Monkey is coming. Skipping Girl Vinegar launch Chase The Sun at the Northcote Social Club this Friday.

HAPPY HUNTING

After a year of writing and recording, singersongwriter Alice Hutchison emerged as the enigmatic and eclectic She Hunter. Nine months later, having made a mark on the Melbourne music scene and travelled abroad, She Hunter returns to release her fi rst commercial single, unveiling her unique dark and dreamy pop sensibility to a wider audience. Joining She Hunter at the launch at Grace Darling on Saturday 5 November will be Lashes To Lashes, with their energetic yet ethereal sound, alongside the dreamy pop duo, The Lights. Doors are at 9pm and tickets are $10+BF pre-sale from Moshtix or $12 on the door if still available.

WHAT MADE YOU START DJING? “One of my best mates and the other half of Lopan (currently operating the London operation of Lopan) had been fooling around with Fruity Loops and Virtual DJ. I started to dabble with it as well and eventually we both took the plunge and began playing some house parties.”

LITTLE GEMS Award winning country-folk-blues six piece Ruby Boots are running down the railroad track towards the release of their second EP entitled At Last. With a growing buzz on the West Coast that’s started drifting east, it’s no secret that the Boots have had a fun 2011 with festival dates including the Big Day Out and Laneway, support performances including The Waifs and Wagons, and a WAMi Music award for best country band. You can catch them at the Retreat this Friday.

WHAT’S THE WEIRDEST THING YOU’VE SEEN IN A NIGHTCLUB? “I walked out to the packed smoking area of a Melbourne club once and saw a completely naked girl sitting down and smoking a cigarette. In hindsight I should have asked her where she kept her wallet and keys.” WHAT’S THE WORST BOOTLEG YOU’VE EVER HEARD? “A dubstep remix of Cat Stevens’ Peace Train. It’s like aural rape.” THE MOST IDIOTIC REQUEST YOU’VE HAD AS A DJ? “After telling the idiot that I didn’t have any Miley Cyrus, she followed it up with ‘Well, what do you have then?’ Always a nice one to hear.”

CARS FOR CUP EVE Calling All Cars have taken lessons learned on the road into the studio with them and produced a brilliant new album. Dancing With A Dead Man makes a mockery of the so-called second album syndrome. If Calling All Cars’ debut was all about them finding their feet, its follow up has them kicking in the door. Catch Calling All Cars in a special Cup Eve show that is not to be missed at the Espy on Monday 31 October. Guests include Hunting Grounds, Kingswood and Reckless.

themusic.com.au

STIFF WEBB Former Stiff Kitten Rich Webb is performing a one-off solo acoustic show at Gertrude’s Brown Couch in Fitzroy on Tuesday. It’s free, start time is 9pm and it will be a great warm up for the new comedy show Housos on SBS later this month, which features an absolute shedload of Stiff Kittens’ material.

themusic.com.au

live@inpress.com.au

WAKE THE

DEAD

Hardcore and punk with SARAH PETCHELL A few weeks ago I mentioned that punk rock supergroup Off! would be heading out to Australia this December as a part of the Meredith Music Festival, and that I had my fingers crossed for sideshows. Last week I was able to successfully uncross my fingers when they announced over their Twitter, “Australia, you didn’t think we would be coming all that way just for one show, did you?” And so Melbourne, you can catch the four-piece on Friday 9 December at the Corner Hotel for an 18+ show and then on Sunday 11 at Fitzroy Bowls Club for an all-ages show. If you don’t know who Off! are, here’s a quick rundown: the band features Keith Morris (Black Flag/The Circle Jerks), Dimitri Coats (Burning Brides), Steven McDonald (Red Kross) and Mario Rubalcaba (Earthless/Hot Snakes/Rocket From The Crypt). The music is fast, confrontational and pure punk rock. From their explosive debut (with only a handful of songs and no stage time) at 2010’s South By Southwest to now, Off! are resurrecting the rawness of hardcore punk of the past and bringing it into the present. Check out their First Four EPs compilation if you want a summary of what they have released to date. Sticking to the semi Black Flag theme that I’ve got going so far, Henry Rollins looks to be heading back out to Australia (again!) in May 2012. Feel Presents announced last week that Rollins would be in Perth around that time to do two spoken word shows as a part of the Perth International Comedy Festival. The presumption from this is that he will be doing shows across the whole of Australia at the same time, which fits in nicely with a blog post he recently made on his site of a proposed schedule of his touring plans for next year. If you haven’t checked Rollins’ spoken word show out before, I strongly recommend it. If you haven’t heard of Into It. Over It now is your chance to check them out, as the most recent album, Proper, is in stores now via No Sleep Records/Shock. Into It. Over It is a oneman show, with Evan Weiss playing all the instruments on the album. But what sets him apart is the full band sound, rather than the

DEPARTMENT OF YOUTH All things under 18 with KENDAL COOMBS ‘Tis the season, it appears, for battle of the bands competitions, and if you thought the opportunities and prizes on offer for the winners of the FReeZA Push Start Battle Of The Bands competition were the only thing worth screaming about, think again. The National Campus Band Competition will be having its final in Victoria this year. This competition has been running for 22 years, making it the biggest and oldest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. This year’s final will see artists coming from all over the country to the Penny Black on Wednesday 19 October from 7pm. Each artist has won their state’s final and will hopefully make the most of having their travel and accommodation subsidised by playing around town a bit before heading home. The finalists are NSW winners Hot Cop; Runner, indie-pop-postrock hopefuls from Western Australia; Language Of The Birds, the local contenders; MisM from South Australia; The H Gang of Queensland; and Sidney Creswick, hailing from the Australian Capital Territory. Previous winners of this competition include Jebediah way back in 1995, 78 Saab in 1996, Eskimo Joe in 1997, The Vasco Era in 2004 and Will Stoker & The Embers in 2007, meaning that winning this prize is an almost sure-fire way to kickstart a successful career in the music industry. Points are awarded for originality of material, musicianship, stage presentation, recording viability and audience response. The judges on the night will be George Dalziel from Shock Records, Adrian Marchesani from Victoria University and Courtney Clarke from KISS FM. The national winner will receive a $1,000 cash prize. If you’re heading to uni next year and in a band be sure to check out this competition for yourself at aaca.net. au, and keep a look out for these artists. Global Battle Of The Bands, or GBOB for short, is a massive yearly battle of the bands

regular acoustic sounds that seems to typify punk/hardcore-based solo acts. The album is heady and beautifully melodic, drawing inspiration from the likes of Sunny Day Real Estate, Death Cab For Cutie and Dismemberment Plan. It’s definitely worthwhile checking out the rest of Weiss’s back catalogue (including the EP from his full-band project, Stay Ahead Of The Weather) as he caught the attention of No Sleep Records four years ago with his 52 Weeks project. Always a favourite, The Gaslight Anthem have announced that they will be releasing a series of live tracks as a part of their iTunes Sessions, expected to be available from 13 December. Recorded at the Magic Shop in New York on 25 July, it contains an unreleased original track titled Our Father’s Sons; four covers that have never before been put to tape; a re-imagined version of Boxer; and the track (and my favourite TGA song) The Navesink Banks. I found some of the choices for the covers intriguing (Baba O’Riley by The Who and State Of Love & Trust by Pearl Jam) but it goes to show how diverse this exceptional band’s influences actually are. According to a post on their Facebook page, Converge have demoed the first 12 songs for their forthcoming album, and apparently that is only the tip of the iceberg of songs they have for this release. The as-yet-unnamed album will be Converge’s eighth full-length studio release and is the follow-up to 2009’s Axe To Fall (which was definitely at the top of my releases for that year). A release some time in the first half of 2012 is anticipated, and just to build the hype some more, drummer Ben Koller has described the new material as “bonkers”. New York’s After The Fall are set to hit Australia for the very first time, on the back of their latest album Eradication. I hadn’t heard of these guys until the announcement was made, but listening to their brand of melodic hardcore (in the vein of Bad Religion, Paint It Black, Propagandhi or Kill Your Idols) has me keen to check them out. Joining them will be Melbourne’s Anchors, who have had a stellar year. These locals kicked off 2011 with the release of their debut album, the excellent Bad Juju, while playing Soundwave, Poison City Weekender, Blood Sweat & Beers 5 and Push Over, and completed a tour of Japan. You can catch the line-up on Saturday 26 November at the Gasometer Hotel in Melbourne for an 18+ show.

competition for all artists from all over the world, and the Victorian Regional Final is coming up on Friday 21 October at the Rock Bar in Melbourne from 8pm. Each heat winner this year received a three-month subscription to Giglaunch, an online music resource for bands, and a goodie bag from Ernie Ball, with guitar and bass strings and straps. Bands that make it through the state finals to the Australasian final also receive a digital camera courtesy of Fuji Film, Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars and a $50 voucher from Bass People. The winner of the Australasian final will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the World Final and the eventual winner of the GBOB will receive US$100,000. The Victorian finalists are My Abacus (Warrnambool), Lash 78 (Geelong), Building Jericho (Geelong), The Palmer Brothers (Bendigo), Bastion (Melbourne), No Stairway (Melbourne) and The Fire Alive (Colac). Check this competition out for next year at gbob.com.

THURSDAY

The Amity Affliction, Asking Alexandria, Skyway and more play Billboard from 4pm. Tickets available through Ticketek and Moshtix.

FRIDAY

The FReeZA Push Start eastern metropolitan regional final with Stealing O’Neal is on at the Mooroolbark Community Centre. Stonefield, Sweethearts, The Nicholson 5 and The Warning play Point Lonsdale Primary School Hall from 6pm. This event is free. Flo Rida and guests play the Arena in North Geelong from 7.30pm. Tickets are $50.35 through Ticketmaster. The Youth Awards And Dance Party is on at the Education Myrtleford Performing Arts Centre from 7.30pm. This event is free.

SATURDAY

The Gippsland regional FReeZA Push Start final with Have You Seen This Boy? takes place at the Exhibition Hall in Warragul. Tonight Alive and Rufio play an underage show at the Hi-Fi from midday. Tickets are $20+BF through Moshtix.

ROOTS DOWN

Blues ’n’ roots with DAN CONDON rootsdown@inpress.com.au Roots Down was all set for a very positive column this week as there have been plenty of cool shows announced over the past week or so, but on Wednesday night we got word that the legendary Bert Jansch had passed away so regrettably I must make the bulk of this week’s column somewhat mournful. Jansch was one of the true legends of the British folk music revival that sprung up in the 1960s, many referring to him as the British Bob Dylan. He had a style of his own though (not to mention he was a far better guitarist than Dylan) and one that kept his followers enraptured for more than 45 years, during which time he released more than 20 solo records as well as a heap of albums with the very successful folk supergroup Pentangle, of which he was a founding member. In 1965 he recorded his debut, self-titled record which was sold to Transatlantic Records for a mere £100, the record went on to sell 150,000 copies and still stands as one of the truly great records of that era. In 1967 Jansch founded Pentangle, which also featured John Renbourn, Jacqui McShee, Danny Thompson and Terry Cox. The band’s initial time together was a short five years, but their brand of “folk baroque”, which had a heavy reliance on the amazing intertwining guitars of Jansch and Renbourn, was quite successful commercially for a band playing such complex music. Their 1969 album Basket Of Light reached the number five position on the UK album charts. While never enjoying any huge commercial success, it was the widespread influence of Jansch that made him such a revered name in the world of music. Countless artists from the likes of

THE

RACKET Metal, heavy rock and dark alternative with ANDREW HAUG Multishow conducted an interview with System Of A Down drummer John Dolmayan recently and when asked if fans of the band could expect to hear a new studio album following the group’s reunion tour, Dolmayan said, “We’re gonna take it day by day. We don’t generally work during Christmas and New Year’s – that’s a time for our family and stuff so we’ll be home for the next three or four months. And then Serj [Tankian, vocals] takes off and goes to New Zealand for a couple of months – he lives part-time in New Zealand. And then I think he’s got another solo album coming out next summer. So you might see System touring next summer, you might not. But for the people who are waiting for an album – I know there’s a lot of people waiting for an album; I’m waiting for an album just like they are. It’s gonna happen when it’s right and when we can make something that tops what we’ve done in the past. Because we don’t really wanna rest on our laurels – where what you’ve done in the past is what you depend on. Well, I don’t wanna do that, and I know the rest of the guys don’t wanna do that. Instead of resting on our laurels, we wanna throw them away and create something new and specific for this generation that they can say that’s their System Of A Down.” Florida-based guitarist-turned-producer James Murphy, who is best known for his guitar work with Testament, Death and Obituary, has posted the following message on his Facebook page: “Some troubling news for me in the last couple days. The blood work that was done recently revealed that the hormone indicator for the tumour I battled and defeated nine years ago is now 20 times higher than the low it reached as recently as one year ago. This could be indicative of a recurrence. Next step is an MRI, scheduled for the 11th of this month, to determine how much the tumour has grown. I am keeping a positive attitude about it and just moving forward.” Gold Coast-based metal quintet Lynchmada have released their second album, entitled To The Earth. It was recorded in Core Studios, Gold Coast with Nik Carpenter (Devolved). It was mixed and mastered by renowned

themusic.com.au

Donovan and Nick Drake all the way through to Fleet Foxes and Kurt Vile have been open about how much the songwriting and guitar playing of Jansch has affected their own music. Neil Young once said, when comparing Jansch to the great Jimi Hendrix: “As much of a great guitar player as Jimi [Hendrix] was, Bert Jansch is the same thing for acoustic guitar… and my favourite.” Up until recently Jansch was still performing live, attracting rave reviews for his low-key approach to performing and his far from low-key technical talent and songwriting finesse. Last year he co-headlined a tour of the United States with Neil Young. He has had myriad plaudits and honours bestowed upon him – everything from a BBC Lifetime Achievement award to Mojo Merit awards – and he was even awarded an Honorary Doctorate Of Music by Edinburgh Napier University in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the UK music industry. He passed away on Wednesday 5 October and was 67 years old. I’d strongly recommend getting a copy of that 1965 debut record – it’s brilliant. Anyway I don’t want to be a complete gloommonger this week so here’s some good news. One of the major highlights of this year’s Big Day Out festival was London’s Jim Jones Revue, an amped-up garage rock freight train that didn’t let up from go to whoa. I’d been a big fan of their Burning Your House Down record from last year and had pretty high expectations after hearing reports of their live show and they didn’t let me down. The rollicking piano-driven blues rock is feisty and fun, packs a punch but makes you want to dance and the band shed all manner of blood, sweat and tears to ensure that no one can accuse them of phoning anything in. They were recently announced to be back in Australia as a part of the Falls festivals, but they’ve also announced that they’ll be heading north for a show at the East Brunswick Club on Monday 2 January. Tickets are available from the venue right now for $39.60+BF, and let me tell you it will be worth every cent – miss this gig at your own peril!

producer Zeuss (Hatebreed, Shadows Fall). New Jersey’s melodic thrash-metal warriors God Forbid will enter the studio at the end of October to begin recording their new album for an early 2012 release via Victory Records. The bulk of the production on the album will be handled by Mark Lewis (The Black Dahlia Murder), with Jason Suecof (Trivium) stepping in during the vocal-tracking stage. The album will be mixed at Fascination Street studios in Örebro, Sweden with Jens Bogren (Opeth). Guitarist Doc Coyle previously stated about the material for the band’s forthcoming CD, “It’s always difficult to tell how a new album will sound this early in the process, but I can say that our new guitar player Matt Wicklund [ex-Himsa] is contributing tonnes of material. His stuff is very hook-oriented with a Scandinavian tinge.” Norwegian symphonic black metallers Dimmu Borgir have issued the following update via their Facebook page: “Wanted to let you guys know that Dimmu Borgir had several studio sessions lately and have lots of new material for the upcoming 20th-anniversary album.” Soulfly has completed recording its new studio album for an early-2012 release via Roadrunner Records. The CD was recorded at a Phoenix, Arizona studio with producer Chris ‘Zeuss’ Harris (Chimaira). The band’s new drummer, David Kinkade (Malevolent Creation), described the group’s new material on his Facebook page as “crushing, fast thrash, blasting, tribal and fuelled by extreme burrito fury… The record is sounding fucking SICK. Thrashy as fuck… totally Arise on crack and speed.” Technical extreme metal instrumentalists Blotted Science featuring guitarist/mastermind Ron Jarzombek (Watchtower), bassist Alex Webster (Cannibal Corpse) and new arrival, drummer Hannes Grossmann (Obscura), have completed work on their long-awaited EP, The Animation Of Entomology. Commented Jarzombek: “Usually with any release that I’m part of, whether it’s on my own, or in a band/ project context, I have a specific direction of how I hope things turn out, and this is another one that was absolutely nailed. Putting together these long distant recordings always involves a tremendous amount of time, discipline, communication and motivation, and once again we wrote and completed another recording without the three of us ever having been in the same room together. While putting this all together was a bitch and a half, working with Alex and Hannes has been beyond exhilarating!”

live@inpress.com.au

OG FLAVAS Urban news with CYCLONE Hip hop doesn’t care about poor people. Recently those protesting against corporate greed on Wall Street were ‘mocked’ by affluent ‘champagne sippers’ from the balcony of the posh Cipriani Club 55 restaurant. At times it feels as if US urban is one giant Cipriani, materialistic braggadocio pervasive even amid the GFC. Sure, Diddy encapsulated the ‘90s zeitgeist with his bling-bling rap, and ‘shiny suit’ videos, but it’s tacky in 2011. Kanye West ushered socially conscious themes back in with his first three albums, but he’s lately become increasingly introspective, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy a meta-commentary on popular media culture. In 2008 West requested that journos not ask him about politics. Drake’s emo rap, while beguilingly candid, is inherently narcissistic, his lamenting fame not exactly relatable. Of course, blinged-out, club-hopping rap is also aspirational – and possibly empowering – for many, as John Legend told OG Flavas. “I wonder why people aren’t insulted that rappers are talking about how rich they are and what they’re wasting their money on… But maybe it’s inspiring for them and it’s a form of escapism and fantasy-fulfilment for them to hear that.” With 46.2 million Americans living below the poverty line, it’s bizarre that (mainstream) hip hop, the urban ‘folk’, has so little to say. Even West’s hook-up with Jay-Z, Watch The Throne, was a mega flossing fest, offering too few joints like No Church In The Wild. Luckily, Jermaine ‘J’ Cole, signed to JayZ’s Roc Nation, is bringing some balance to contemporary rap with his impressive debut, Cole World: The Sideline Story. Today every major MC worth his swag has a protégé: West groomed Kid Cudi, Lil Wayne secured Drake and Nicki Minaj… Jay-Z has chosen well in Cole, the mixtape stalwart who guested on A Star Is Born. It’s unfortunate that rumours of a sex tape with Rihanna preceded the North Carolinian’s premiere. Still, it may have been

DANCE MOVES New currents with TIM FINNEY Perhaps inevitably, UK funky has receded slightly from its (is it too soon to call it this?) golden era of 2008-2010; after three years exhaustively mapping out every possible sonic byway and tangent, what is it to do? Previously possessing an unerring calibration for the sweet spot between house, grime and dancehall, UK funky has lately been pulled in different directions by both back-to-house types – as if more trad house is what we need right now – and macho, bass-driven banger enthusiasts (read: dubstep tourists). While still churning out amazing material (check Champion’s Sensitivity, Fuzzy Logick’s Playground, Natalie May’s Clothes Off), the scene has struggled to maintain its peerless run. Ill Blu and Funkystepz have been the two artists to most obviously buck the trend, using 2011 as a laboratory in which to test their ever more bizarre sonic inventions, while their charming idiosyncrasies nevertheless keep faith with UK funky’s core promise to its listeners. Ill Blu are by now firmly established as UK funky’s most histrionic operators, offering an unmistakable sense of melodrama and bigness whether they’re creating stripped-back percussive bangers or slick, shiny remixes of pop tunes. In either mode their rhythms resemble a rolling gait, galloping and stuttering around a syncopated soca-style five-beat groove, and filled with micro-hesitations and trips that counterintuitively make you want to dance harder. In 2011 the duo have eased off on remixes to prepare for their debut album, and the results scale ever greater heights of overblown menace: in particular, Monsta sounds like a giant vacuum cleaner swallowing entire solar systems. But rather than simply turn the intensity notch up further, tunes such as Bhangra Knights, Do That and Warp Speed play around with rhythms and tempos, switching between menacing half-step build-ups, militaristic snare drum interludes and full-bore breakdowns with giddy excitement. So firmly established is Ill Blu’s sound that they can absorb a wealth of external sounds and ideas – from Dutch house, from dubstep, from techno – into their blueprint without compromising its singularity. Funkystepz’s aesthetic is less streamlined than

to his advantage, anti-playa or not. He scored two pages in Famous with a big pull-out box, “Who is J Cole?” Cole has a history with RiRi – kinda. He laced her S&M remix, she appears in the video for his single Can’t Get Enough and they’ve toured together. Regardless, Cole is a multifaceted talent – like ‘Ye, he produces and MCs (though he’s yet to dabble in couture!). But he’s more into his boom-bap (cue: Lights Please, originally heard on The Warm Up mixtape) than electro hop. Cole World is comparable to vintage Common – and, in fact, Common’s cohort No ID masterminded Never Told. It’s also not dissimilar aesthetically to West’s early work (including that on Hova’s Blueprint). Both Common and Nas are reembracing ‘90s influences on their upcoming albums. Cole, too, creates soulful, funky and jazzy hip hop with samples and lavish live musicianship – and, significantly, he loves epic shit. The strings on the emotive Breakdown evoke classic Stevie J, one of Diddy’s Bad Boy producers known as The Hitmen. Cole veers off into post-electro midway. His production on the dubsteppy Mr Nice Watch (complete with Jay-Z cameo) is especially dope, with spiky guitar, but it’s disharmonic here. The chorus lines aren’t necessarily about bling, but the transience of wealth. Clever, that. Cole, the product of a struggling single parent family who nonetheless attended college, excels as a chronicler. On the compelling Lost Ones, he acts out the arguments over an unplanned pregnancy, the man’s and the woman’s, at the same time exposing the tensions that split low income families. As with West, Cole is occasionally contradictory, but he could just be the saviour of hip hop’s conscience. And, crucially, he’s an ‘album’ artist – a rap Adele. Hopefully, once more hear Cole’s US number one blockbuster, his singles will fare better. (His earlier ‘flop’ Work Out is an ignominious LP ‘bonus’). The Trey Songz-featuring Calypso Can’t... is cool, as is the mellow Drake-embedded In The Morning, but for radio OG would have picked (a modified) Nobody’s Perfect with Missy Elliott singing. It sounds like the Missy of Supa Dupa Fly – melodic retro cool.

Ill Blu’s, though no less distinct, all trembling synth arpeggios and intricate-but-ungainly beats lurching and staggering around a percussive house template. They’re a dab hand with a vocal tune, but their secret weapon is their expansive understanding of rhythm, recognising that complicated beats, while fun, are not enough by themselves. Instead, every component of their tunes builds into the off-kilter sense of groove: Fuller possesses an absolutely straight 4x4 house kick, but what you dance to is the bizarrely angular synth melody jumping around the beat with queasy unpredictability. Funkystepz frequently gets perverse – Royal Rumble sounds like a computer having an epileptic fit – but somehow always sidesteps the fidgety undanceability of IDM, retaining an intuitive dancefloor functionalism no matter how complicated the obstacle courses they construct. Warrior is a particular highlight: with its alternately tripping and stomping beat and stuttering one-note synth squeals, it is essentially a two-bar trick, and yet in those two bars does more to challenge conventional notions of how a dance groove functions than any other recent tune I can think of. Despite releases on respectable labels such as Kode9’s Hyperdub, Ill Blu and Funkystepz both remain cheesy ravers at heart, with their silly monikers, pop remixes and portentous eponymous production stamps on every track. Moreover, it’s their rejection of arid notions like deepness or hardness, and countervailing devotion to rhythm as something that can still excite and surprise, that makes them both worthy of singling out and yet utterly representative of what the best UK funky still does better than any other music right now.

Ill Blu

THE CALLING LUKE MCKINNON goes with the flow Producer and drummer Plutonic Lab (one half of duo Muph & Plutonic) has been hand-picked by Hilltop Hoods as their tour drummer as they embark on a bout of summer performances in the lead-up to a new 2012 release. Last week, Plutonic Lab took to Facebook to let his fans in on the news. “2012 will be massive for me, as I head out on the road with Hilltop Hoods as their tour drummer. It all kicks off with the Eminem stadium shows and continues with the Big Day Out tour and beyond. After years of hard work and contributions to the Australian hip hop community, this is definitely a career highlight for me. Currently on tour with Drapht, myself and Muph will continue as a duo, however the forthcoming WA and QLD dates will be Muph & Plutonic’s last live shows for a while. I will continue to produce music on and off the road next year, so keep an ear to the street for developments. Wish me luck! And thanks for all your support so far!” The latest offering from the distribution arm of Obese Records is In Good Company. Consisting of Syntax, Breach and Whisper, these three unique artists have fused their individual styles to produce a hybrid self-titled debut LP. Featuring an assortment of impressive vocal contributors including Eloquor, Mantra, Ginger Van Es, Boltz and Skyzoo (USA) and additional production highlights from heavyweights M-Phazes, Jase, J Smith & Dutch and Joe Lewis, In Good Company’s dynamic fusion of talent has led to the creation of a record that is both diverse in its lyrical content and sound. In Good Company dropped nationally on Monday.

released via Def Jam Records on 6 December. Pusha T has revealed his upcoming Fear Of God II: Let Us Pray will be released on 8 November. The 12-track release, hitting stores via GOOD Music and Decon, comes packaged with four videos and behind-thescenes footage from the Trouble On My Mind video shoot. The offering includes guest appearances from Kanye West, Diddy, French Montana, Pharrell Williams and Rick Ross. Although Lupe Fiasco has previously revealed that he was working on Food & Liquor 2, he’s this week said that he’s got a few more projects in the works. Speaking via LupEND, Fiasco let it be known that he’s working on a DJ album with his partner Scott under the name Soundclash and plans to drop a mixtape by the end of the year. “Me and my partner Scott started a DJ collective called Soundclash so we’re working on that album right now and hopefully we’ll have a single out by Halloween and will try and push an album out around that and tour and all that,” he said. “There’s a Lupe Fiasco mixtape that’s coming which hopefully we’ll have out before the end of the year and that will hopefully lead up to the next Lupe Fiasco album. And that’s really it, just more touring, touring, touring and music, music, music, music.” Lupe Fiasco

They don’t come more prolific than The Roots and the Philadelphia crew are busy preparing their 13th and first-ever concept album. Entitled Undun, the record will be

FRAGMENTED FREQUENCIES Other music from the other side with BOB BAKER FISH Two words cause an involuntary shiver through music lovers everywhere. They manage to conjure up all that is excessive, bloated and wrong in music, recalling a misguided time when an unsophisticated audience could be taken in by horribly egocentric musicians who in any other field, in any other time, would have been ridiculed as annoying Dungeons And Dragons freaks or tragic sci-fi nerds. I’m referring to progressive rock, and before you stop reading, throw this magazine in the bin, burn the bin and put a hex on the family of the person who built the establishment that you picked the Inpress up from, consider this: there is more to prog rock than you might think. Of course there’s the mid-‘70s cliché: Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s three trucks and 120-member road crew for their 1977 Works tour, or Yes’ keyboardist Rick Wakeman, whose live show at Wembley Arena for The Myths And Legends Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table featured knights on ice skates and a full orchestra. But what if you could trace the origins of progressive rock through not just folk, but also fusion, and through the likes of Miles Davis, Sun Ra, Gong or Soft Machine? Interested yet? It’s exactly what Paul Hegarty and Martin Halliwell do in Beyond And Before: Progressive Rock Since The 1960s (Continuum), citing the jazz fusion of Davis on Bitches Brew as mirroring the exploration and freedom in progressive rock, while offering guitarist John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra and Weather Report as two examples of bringing jazz to rock and offering a greater complexity and virtuosity to the music. The connections are loose, yet pleasing to consider, and the authors are keen to utilise them as a tapestry, or a delta of ideas and influences, as opposed to a straight continuum. Of particular interest is the way they unpack essential albums in the prog rock canon in order to discuss some of its central tenants, such as myth, imagery, virtuosity, and of course the concept album. We’re talking albums by the likes of Hawkwind, Pink Floyd, Yes, Genesis and

themusic.com.au

King Crimson, yet the authors also find ways to draw in the likes of Italian synth soundtrackers Goblin, George Clinton’s Parliament/Funkadelic, Magma and Henry Cow. It’s these fringe outfits that prove the most revelatory, allowing you to hear their music with a whole new set of ears. But then punk came and killed the bloated corpse of prog. And to paraphrase Captain Sensible of The Dammed, rich coke-fuelled stadium rockers stopped singing about irrelevant things like Merlin and pixies and Henry VIII’s wives. Right? Well, no. It’s the common consensus, but while punk did influence the direction of prog, with bands eschewing the mystical for more direct lyrical obsessions and at times even delving into more countercultural directions, it didn’t kill it. In fact stadium rockers flourished, while punk quickly became a caricature of itself. Hell, there were even punk-prog hybrids such as the noisy avant-garde This Heat. By the ‘80s, bands like Genesis became more middle of the road and neo-progressive music evolved with bands such as Marillion and IQ, where the songs became shorter and the concepts less stringent. More recently exponents have included Spock’s Beard, Glass Hammer and Magenta. Yet it’s the post-prog music that bears a greater relationship to the musical world of today. Think Sigur Rós, The Flaming Lips, David Sylvian and yes, Radiohead, whose OK Computer, with its dissonant strategies, extended take on alienation, the use of visuals to augment the music and desire to sequence the album as a whole, gives Hegarty and Halliwell enough ammunition to suggest it’s a new form of prog that doesn’t need to return to 1977 to take its cues. In fact, that seems to be the issue. No one wants to acknowledge prog has evolved; the bloated cliché is too attractive as something to rail against. Hegarty and Halliwell choose to pick through more recent practitioners, keen to point out their prog-like characteristics. Bands such as Fleet Foxes, Midlake, The Decemberists, Dream Theater and The Mars Volta all contain elements of prog, yet also elements of numerous other genres. Their point is prog is still alive, evolving, fusing, yet with none of the coherence of the ‘70s. And this just makes it all the more exciting. “It’s as if all of the times and potentials of prog exist now, in the present,” they write. And if you’re willing to accept this, then prog no longer has to be a dirty word.

live@inpress.com.au

A BIRD IN THE HAND… RHIANNON HOWELL talks with NICK ARGYRIOU about cult docos, birdsong and a desire for LANGUAGE OF THE BIRDS to evolve into a “weird hybrid” genre outfit.

SEEING RED The Red Eyes are set to explode back onto the touring circuit with the release of new single Circles. This fi rst single from their anticipated third album will be launched in Melbourne for The Red Eyes hometown crowd at Northcote Social Club this Saturday. In November The Red Eyes feature in a bunch of summer festivals including Queenscliff Music Festival and Shine On Festival. Since 2002, The Red Eyes have delivered their high energy show and alternative dub/reggae style to the masses. 2011 has seen The Red Eyes continue to tour around the country bringing their high energy show and unique style to fans far and wide, with festival appearances including Byron Bay Blues Fest and the Australian Raggamuffin tour.

PUDDLE-JUMPING

After playing shows across the UK and Europe, Melbourne’s own Hyfrydol are thrilled to announce the launch of their long-awaited debut EP, Jump In A Puddle, Flood The City. Held at the Grace Darling on Wednesday 16 November, the launch will see The Twoks and Matt Kelly supporting. The home-made, screen-printed EPs in a very limited pressing will be available for the special launch price of $6. Doors at 9pm and tickets are around $7 from Moshtix or on the door.

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

Rosie & George have been very busy. After signing with Decibels Records this winter and recording a brand new EP, the four-piece folk ensemble return to the Grace Darling Hotel on Friday 28 October to release the fi lm clip of their single, Miss Sunshine. Expect to hear their signature sound of mellow sounds, soaring harmonies and glockenspiel breakdowns. Supporting them on the night will be funk rockers Animaux and the lovely Southpaw. Doors at 9pm and entry’s $8.

RESERVED

Melbourne musician and songwriter Daniel Jericho is independently releasing his debut album, Reserved For Artist, on Friday 28 October at the Phoenix Public House with support from Dotcoms and Huf. The album, featuring musicians from across the Melbourne scene, is quintessentially Melbourne as it draws on influences of rock, funk and indie folk, and will be performed on the night by Daniel Jericho with his full band and some guest musicians. This will also be Huf’s last Melbourne show, so don’t miss it! Doors are at 9pm and tickets are around $10 from Moshtix or on the door.

OLD TOMMY

Twenty-two-year-old Melbourne lass Rhiannon Howell and 21-year-old Wangaratta-born James McGuffie met at Box Hill TAFE in 2010 where they both study music. Compatible in their musical persuasions, the pair quickly slipped into the live scene as a duo before evolving into a band. While Howell tapped into her reverence of Joni Mitchell and Laura Marling, McGuffie introduced his country-tinged zest with The Avett Brothers being his primary influence. Fellow uni pals Jim Rindfleish and Cal Barker (drums and double bass respectively) support their leads in crafting a strictly acoustic, dual vocal, fluttering musical affair that draws strength from its multifarious sonic streams. Whether it is the ’60s and ’70s folk realm to indie country, the band are engineering a cultured sound at this early stage. Nothing too brash, radical or opaque, Language Of The Birds’ debut EP simply straddles the line at this embryonic juncture, yet the foundation to evolve is obvious. Another of the Triple J Unearthed clan, the Eastern Suburbs assemblage are winners of the recent National Campus Band Competition (Victorian leg) and will compete at the National Final held on Wednesday 19 October at the Corner Hotel. “We’re writing and playing a lot differently to when we started,” says Howell, ahead of the band’s EP launch this Friday. While the kudos from music industry is one thing, the award doesn’t necessarily guarantee any local or worldwide success with many of the winners, since 2005 in particular, either disappearing into the musical ether or stuttering and stalling. Howell believes Language Of The Birds will have the edge whatever happens. “Jim’s a hip hop and jazz drummer so we’ve been turning into some weird hybrid now,” she laughs, “so anything is possible.” With the band name born from the unusual rapport that humankind have with the birds, via the correlation between bird motion, premonition and the art of birdsong, it seems that New York author Rafe Martin’s 2000 retelling of a Russian folktale of the same title was also an influence. “I just love that story and Silver & Gold [one of the songs on the EP]

DEAR ELIZA

HOWLIN’ Hiatus Kaiyote are a four-piece experimantal soul group backed by the Wondercore Choir. Led by Nai Palm’s complex vocals, their tense arrangements move from progressive rhythms to broad sonic expressionism and pockets of skank funk. You can catch them at the Evelyn every Tuesday in October from 8.30pm.

The Eliza Band is the long awaited solo project from Rory Cooke, lead singer and guitarist from critically acclaimed Australian guitar band Gaslight Radio. Described as a collection of stoner space ballads for the lonely, The Eliza Band’s debut album Firework Dogs will be released on 12” vinyl and digital download on Tuesday 25 October and is set to launch at the Grace Darling on Tuesday 18 November with Parading and another special guest to be announced. Doors are at 9pm and tickets are $12.

SO SHE SAYS

Jessica Says will play her only Melbourne headline show for 2011 at the Grace Darling on Wednesday 23 November, supported by folk enchantress and Lisa Mitchell collaborator Carry Nation and enigmatic

is written about that story,” Howell says. Yet it appears that much of the band’s EP material mines Howell’s interest in the world of sinister documentary fi lm that details the manic world we sadly inhabit. “Yeah, I watch a lot of documentaries and seem to have written a lot of [dark] songs and ones about natural disasters and that kind of stuff,” explains Howell. “The documentaries I watch the most are those with messed up people in them and those crazy cult religions. I love all that stuff like from [UK doco maker] Louis Theroux too.” Another of the songs from the EP, Sea Of Trees, also ardently explores the ominous nature of humanity. Written about the Aokigahara ‘suicide forest’, at the base of Mt Fuji in Japan where many people take their own lives (local authorities reported that from the years 1998 to 2003 an inordinate 442 suicides occurred), Howell explains her desire to pen her wistful thoughts about this cheerless mess. “There are some really horrible stories but the song is actually meant to be really beautiful with acoustic guitar, two voices and harmonies – like most of the record these types of songs just come out,” she recalls.

Tommy El Salvador is the new project for Melbourne musician and writer, Wayne Marshall (ex-Knives of Neptune, Desert Wanderers). Armed with just a guitar and his voice, Tommy El Salvador brings his set of intense, gothic swamp songs to the Old Bar on this Tuesday. He is joined by friends and fellow soloists Darn Matter, Joel Edmondson and Your Humble Narrator. Entry is free and the show kicks off at 8pm.

BACK IN BLAK

Blak Roots Band are back in town playing their own unique high energy mix of Afro-reggae dance music for the soul at Bar Open this Saturday. The band create sweet harmonies and contemporary reggae arrangements flavoured with jazz, Afro grooves, Latin and funk. It’s a fresh and exciting musical brew – a razor-tight mix of driving reggae rhythms, refreshing vocals and inspired harmonies. Doors are 10pm, entry is free.

HATS OFF

Hat Fitz & Cara Robinson bring their mongrel blues to the Old Bar this coming Friday. Having won a shitload of awards for blues both here and overseas, the duo from outback Queensland are here to show us all what the fuss is about: Aussie-tinged stomping blues. With Cherrywood and Coral Lee & The Silver Scream in support, it’s gonna be a pearler. Friday at the Old Bar.

One of the highlights from the band’s recording and live arsenal are the dual harmonies imparted by Howell and McGuffie in order to tell the expressive, macabre and enlightened tale. The songwriter admits that there is “nothing unnatural” about the way in which the vocal pairing goes about the enduring craft of male/female choral unity. And advantageously in the Language Of The Birds’ camp, it’s all quite inherent. “We just don’t think about it and go and do it, and I guess if we have got it right we look for each other’s big smile; that’s when we know we have the sound,” affi rms Howell. WHO: Language Of The Birds WHAT: Langauge Of The Birds (Reverbnation) WHEN & WHERE: Friday, Wesley Anne

sadcore sensation Emma Russack, whose debut album will be released early next year. This event celebrates the release of Jessica Says’ new single Queen Of The Night, which features the production talents of Dominic Byrne (Little Red) and Geoffrey O’Connor (Crayon Fields). Doors at 9pm and entry’s $8.

SNAKING AROUND

It’s been a good year so far for rock’n’roll noisepunkers River Of Snakes, playing their butts off around town and picking up a few good supports such as Jebediah and Tumbleweed. They also launched a monster of an EP Bad Blood, a solid slab of sonic mayhem and scuzz-pop. The year is drawing to an end, so Pony thought they’d better have them back for another late show since they completely tore the place apart a few months back. So River Of Snakes will play the Friday night late show at Pony this week.

themusic.com.au

BANG BANG Fresh from their recent mind-melting shows opening for Sebadoh, Adam Harding & Friends (featuring Dane Certificate and Steve Patrick from Useless Children) return to the stage for two shows this week. They’re playing Thursday at Bar Open with special guests Bodies and Hunter – doors from 9pm, free entry; and they also play Friday at the Prague, with fellow noise merchants Hotel Wrecking City Traders, Dead River (featuring Bonnie Mercer) and Admin Bldg – doors from 7pm, $10 entry.

themusic.com.au

live@inpress.com.au

TOUCH ONE, TOUCH ALL

Every Monday in October Immigrant Union are inviting some of their friends to come and perform acoustically at the Old Bar. Guests include folk from My Left Boot, Merri Creek Pickers, Super XX Man plus some members of Immigrant Union playing too. It all culminates with a huge full-band show on Monday 31 October and it’s all free.

A FEEL GOOD MASSACRE

Loaded with chainsaw riffs, dirty hard rock from the hills out east, Rainbow Massacre are a Melbournebased five-piece band, punching your eardrums with the truth. These young gents have been hiding away recording their latest EP, These Bones, which will be around town soon. Supporting will be The Feel Goods, the loudest two-piece band you will see. Two skinny, white boys, brought up on rock’n’roll and set to make themselves heard, animalising their instruments and exploring the unknown, The Feel Goods will have your thirst for rock slaked at Bar Open tonight. Doors open at 8pm, entry is free.

COME UNDONE Returning to Melbourne for the fi rst time since the release of her latest, self-produced release Undone, troubadour and conjure woman, Emily Davis plays an afternoon show at the Empress Hotel this Saturday. Drawing on goth-country, swampy blues and gypsy folk influences to weave narratives from her spectacularly dark dream world, Davis’ most recent offering has been winning her accolades all around the country after receiving national airplay on Triple J. While ghosts were the principal muses for most of the tracks, inspiration and imagery for these songs was drawn from intense lucid dreaming and dark corners of family history from her mixed LebaneseAustralian bloodline. Joining her on stage are Jesse Mitchell and Adam Cousens Band. Doors are at 4pm and entry’s $8.

A HARVEY MUSICAL HITS THE PARIS CAT

Tracy Harvey, comic genius turned chanteuse, playwright and composer will be teaming up with musical guru and extreme trumpeter Jack Howard, musical theatre actress Laura Burzacott and director Bryce Ives for two nights of smokin’ hot tunes. They will be performing songs from Harvey’s Call Girl The Musical along with her upcoming second musical, a work in progress set in a busy suburban public hospital at the Paris Cat Jazz Club this Friday and Saturday night. The show starts 7.30 and tickets are $ 20 or $17 concession.

KIMBER KEEPS ROLLIN’

Melbourne alternative-country five-piece, Sal Kimber & The Rollin’ Wheel will release their self-titled debut album at the East Brunswick Club Saturday 22 October. The album captures all the swagger, sway and sauce of their live performance, featuring the gifted songwriting skills of vocalist and guitarist, Sal Kimber. The band will celebrate with a national tour spanning three months, two festivals, six states and one territory. Get your tickets early from the Corner Hotel box office.

THE BAMBOOS FIREY ALTER-EGO

When The Bamboos take off their suits and want to stretch out on Soul, Jazz, Latin and Funk instrumentals they become The Firemen. The eight-piece band will take you on a wild flight of improvised madness performing stoneclassic and much-sampled tracks from legendary labels like Bluenote, Prestige, CTI and Groove Merchant. See them every Friday in October at Bar Open. Doors open 10pm and entry is free.

KNUCKLE DRAGGIN’ GOOD TIMES

Thursday night will see Bar Open turned into a heaving, sweaty milkshake of good times, bad times and beards. Bodies play their first show after having a couple of months off. These primal, knuckle dragging mumblers will bring their burdensome and desperate songs to the few that are still standing after witnessing the magnificent noisiness of Adam Harding & Band and Hunter. Get on down and get a musical hug and a punch in the back if the head.

BIRDS OF FOOTSCRAY

Loose Change hosts another killer indie line-up this week, with Brisbane’s Oh Ye Denver Birds, Coins and Humans playing live along with the usual suspects on the decks spinning an eclectic mix of danceable jams. Arguably Footscray and the inner-West’s only spot to get a good dose of live emerging bands and indie DJs, Loose Change goes off every Thursday at the Footscray Exchange from 7pm. Entry is free, pots are $2.50 and pizzas $5. Love Footscray, love Loose Change.

BEING FRANK

Contemporary roots band The Stillsons have announced a national tour to launch their second album Earnest. The title song was inspired by tragic statistics, which state that more Australians die from suicide than car accidents or skin cancer, and males in regional areas account for a high percentage of these self-inflicted deaths. As part of an extensive national tour, you can catch The Stillsons on Thursday at Northcote Social Club, and at a very special Readings (St Kilda) instore performance on Thursday 3 November.

themusic.com.au

BIG SHOW You’ve chucked rocks at longnecks down the railway line to the sound of Bad Oil in your ear hole, you’ve punched on with the kids outside Flinders St Station listening to Slacker and you’ve even racked pornos from the local servo with Another Drink cranked to hell on the massive subby in the back of your mate’s Torana parked out front. Now, get ready to spazz out for the last time this year as Mammoth Mammoth blast more than a mouth full of heavy fuzz your way at the Espy front bar this Saturday, with Destroy She Said (CD Launch), China Vagina and AC/DShe.

PRECIOUS JEWELS

Some 20 years ago The Killjoys won the ARIA Best Independent Release award for their debut album Ruby. This album launched the band on a distinguished career of recording, releasing and touring records around the globe. The band are celebrating the anniversary by remastering Ruby and packaging it together with their new studio album Pearl. The Killjoys will launch the package at the Thornbury Theatre on Friday 21 October with supports from the legendary Ron S Peno & The Superstitions and exciting new band, Livingstone Daisies.

live@inpress.com.au

blanc, one carton of beer, one bottle white rum, plus one bottle of vodka and Jäger.” Do you always get the full rider? “Um, we usually get about half, but more often it’s everything. I’m trying to detox at the moment, so we may need to start asking for beetroot juice. We’ve heard of some bands asking for condoms, but I think that’s a little overboard for us.”

Tijuana Cartel

Tijuana Cartel made M1 in Nimbin, the NSW town with a reputation for drugs and hippies. What was the band’s Nimbin experience? “Well, we have our own reputation for drugs and hippies,” Paul smiles, “but it was not as exciting as people would want to believe. We spent most of the time recording with a very rare trip into town for food and beer. It was harvest season, so everyone was in a good mood. Now and then you’d see a chopper or two trying to spot plantations, and we’d have to stop recording until they passed.”

JUST ADD MAYO & VINEGAR

HOWZAT! Local music news by JEFF JENKINS

ON THE ROAD WITH TIJUANA CARTEL

Their new album is aptly titled: M1. And Gold Coast band Tijuana Cartel are hitting the highway to promote it, doing 32 shows in 64 days from Cairns to Canberra, Broome to Byron Bay and Margaret River to Melbourne (checking into the Corner Hotel on Friday 28 October). Asked about the Tijuana Cartel tour van, singer Paul George points to an almost clapped-out white Mitsubishi Express that the band have had for five years, clocking up more than 170,000km. Trumpet player Josh Sinclair does most of the driving. “He’s the youngest and doesn’t generally drink. He’s a good lad, so we take advantage of him as much as possible when we’re a little drunk.” Tijuana Cartel have taken their potent sound – a

mix of electronica, world music and pop – to 5,000 people at a Fremantle festival. They’ve also played to three people at a Bellingen pub, “two old men and one car accident victim in a walking frame, attempting to dance”. What’s the strangest venue they’ve played? “We did a haunted pub somewhere on the outskirts of Perth,” Paul says. “The guys thought it’d be funny to plant a recording of a dodgy ghost voice under my bed while I was sleeping. I was passed out at the time and woke up screaming.”

It could be Howzat!’s favourite double bill: Skipping Girl Vinegar – who have released our favourite 2011 album, Keep Calm Carry The Monkey – plus our favourite Adelaide act, Myles Mayo. They’re playing at the Northcote Social Club on Friday.

PLUMBING THE HEIGHTS

Paul loves life on the road, even though the van is loud and the air con doesn’t work. “Having a job where hundreds of people scream at you when you finish is a real perk,” he says. “It’s far more exciting than my stint as a pizza deliverer.” What doesn’t he like? “Snoring. Being trapped in a room full of four guys sounding like angry bears protecting a family cave can be annoying.” On a good night, the guys have separate rooms. “It can be odd bringing a date back to a single room filled with four guys – all snoring.”

The Stillsons are earning some raves for their second album, Earnest (through Fuse). In a four-star EG review, Inpress founder Andrew Watt said: “The album is an example of hyperactive genre-jumping that shows an impressive ability to translate plentiful ideas into compelling music.” While Nick Argyriou wrote in Rhythms: “Earnest is one of those records that you simply can’t find fault with.” Howzat! was intrigued by the band’s name, which also provides the title of one of the new songs. “A Stillson is a plumbing wrench – the big shifter,” the band’s co-lead singer, Justin Bernasconi, informs us. “When we formed, in 2006, one of the members was a weekend warrior musician – he was a plumber during the week – and we wanted a real straight name. Unfortunately, he didn’t last long in the band, but the name stuck.” Many people think they’re Irish because of the Stillson School Of Irish Dance, “which is quite ironic for a band in which every member has an Italian surname”. The Stillsons play at the Northcote

What’s on the rider for this tour? “Two bottles sav

Social Club on Thursday and Pure Pop on Sunday.

themusic.com.au

THE HELLO ALBUM

“It’s been like a biblical journey.” So says The Hello Morning’s Steven Clifford, referring to the band’s long-time-coming debut album. But they promise it will be out early 2012. Excellent news. This band could be very big. Howzat! saw them with Sydney’s Dead Letter Chorus, who are definitely ready for the big stage. They’re capable of swinging from intimate to grandiose – and only great bands can do that.

CHART WATCH

Gotye’s reign ends after eight weeks. Somebody That I Used To Know GOTYE (number two) Inescapable JESSICA MAUBOY (24) Local hip hop star 360 lands at four. Making Mirrors GOTYE (number three) Falling & Flying 360 (four, debut) Ultimate Hits LEE KERNAGHAN (eight, debut) The Acoustic Chapel Sessions JOHN FARNHAM (ten, debut) Vows KIMBRA (14) Prisoner THE JEZABELS (15) Blue Sky Blue PETE MURRAY (18) White Heat: 30 Hits ICEHOUSE (19) Storybook KASEY CHAMBERS (22) Songs & Pictures BECCY COLE (24, debut) Coast To Coast CODY SIMPSON (26, debut) Moonfire BOY & BEAR (38)

HOWZAT! PLAYLIST

Never Grow Old TIJUANA CARTEL Leave The Party MYLES MAYO Heart Does Ache SKIPPING GIRL VINEGAR Freefalling THE KILLJOYS Stillson THE STILLSONS

gigguide@inpress.com.au

WED 12

Able, MZ Rizk, Raceless, Sizzle Miss Libertines

Adalita, Seekae, Illy, Emma Louise, Calling All Cars Revolt Artspace

Agent 86, Bladerunner, Mr Thom, Joybot Lucky Coq

Anna Smyrk & The Appetites, Anna Paddick Band Northcote Social Club

Beekeeping

Edinburgh Castle Hotel

Bopstretch

Uptown Jazz Café

Buttered Loaf

The Lounge Pit

Catherine Sietkiewics Blue Tile Lounge

Deadstar Renegade, Overdrive Cherry Bar

Dizzy’s Big Band Dizzy’s Jazz Club

Facon Sanwich Workshop

Jenny M. Thomas & The System Paris Cat Jazz Club

Jimmy Stewart

The Standard Hotel

Johnny Galvatron, Spidey, Gupstar Revolver

Julien Wilson Quartet 303

Le Belle, Steel Birds, July Days, Anoxicera Esplanade Lounge

Leigh Barker & The New Sheiks Bennetts Lane

Lilys Radio, Minute 36, The Naysayers Empress Hotel

Lucky Dragons, Geoffrey O’Connor The Toff In Town

Maddy Hay

Red Bennies

Melody Moon Open Studio

New Guernica DJs New Guernica

Nicolette Forte, High Society, Joe Oppenheimer Evelyn Hotel

Open Mic

Dancing Dog Café

Open Mic

Grind ‘n’ Groove Bar

Open Mic

Thornbury Local

Pause Fest 2011 - Meet & Cheer, TweetFilm screening Ghostbusters Loop

PCP

Lounge Bar

Pearls by the Sea, Neil Matthews Retreat Hotel

Petar Tolich, Scotty E Co. Nightclub

Petar Tolich, Scotty E Co., Crown

Pets With Pets, Darren Sylvester, The Townhouses, Parents, DJ Mum

Dead Boomers, The Ovals, CULM, Ghost in the Photograph, Muddy Lawrence

Rachel Taylor Beales, Fly South

Dirty Deeds

The Tote

Wesley Anne

Rare Child, Oh Pep! Veludo

Soul Army, Vince Peach, Miss Goldie, Prequel, Black Diamond Kicks Bimbo Deluxe

Straw King Eye, Jackals, The Euphorics Old Bar

The Amity Affliction, Feed Her To The Sharks, skyway, Asking Alexandria Billboard

The Brunswick Open Mic with host Brodie Brunswick Hotel

The Drones, Ron S Peno & the Superstitions Trio

Vineyard

Dreamland Recordings “Around” Listening Party, Mood, DJ NuBody Loop

Dubstep Thursdays

Eurotrashbar Dylan Joel, D McLean, Velvet Archers, Hans DC, Sam Gudge, John Doe, James Steeth, Sean Rault,

Hey Sam Revolver

Wine, Whiskey, Women, Naomi Jones, Jenny Biddle The Drunken Poet

THU 13

Agility, Buttertime, Circuit Bent, Monkey Marc Miss Libertines

Alcatraz

GH Hotel

Amanita, Apes Retreat Hotel

Baptism of Uzi, Pink Notes, Legendary Hearts, Towels DJs, James Lake Workers Club

BMX Beach, The Sweets, Rayon Moon, Smoking Toddlers, Indian Summer DJs 161

Bodies, Adam Harding, Hunter Bar Open

Chicago Soul Collective, Kate & Max The Hi-Fi

Citizen.com, DJ Who Lounge Bar

Conductors, James Kane & Friends, Negative Magick, Nu Balance, Post Percy New Guernica

Cosmo Jarvis, The Frowning Clouds, Laura Imbruglia East Brunswick Club

Curds n Grain

Elwood Lounge

Darrin Archer Trio feat., Ben Robertson, Hugh Harvey

Rockin, Sounds of Sirus, Assemble The Empire, We Disappear, Futures Now Prince Bandroom

Rose Tattoo

Wellers of Kangaroo Ground

Sam Pankhurst Cherry Bar

Great Britain Hotel

Saskwatch

Bennie & The Fly-ByNighters Blackout

Kim Salmon, Crystal Thomas & The Flowers Of Evil, John Patrick & the Keepers

Shotgun Funk, Straight No Chaser, Wandering Spirit, Callum Taylor, DJ Totes, Mike Callander, Nick

Bois Et Chabron

King of the North, AHB

Revolver

British India, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard

Kollosoul, Soul Ministry

Lomond Hotel Bimbo Deluxe Open Studio

Kay Street Saloon Bar

Butterbox, Booty Quest, Backyard DJs, Ladylike Esco Bar

Butterbox, Booty Quest, Backyard DJs Fashion Keyboard

Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk, Ruby Boots, Dead River Deeps, Trevor Travis Retreat Hotel

Sonny Haines

Fred Smith

The Palais, Hepburn Springs

College Party

Funhouse DJs

Soul Infusion featuring Carmen Hendricks

Dan Reeves, Nic Tate, Brad Rumberlow

Bella Union Trades Hall Co. Nightclub

Hat Fitz, Cara Robinson, The Social Bandits

Theatre Royal (Castlemaine)

Laundry Bar

Foxs Wedding

Co., Crown

The Feel Goods, Rainbow Massacre, Guests The Panics, Georgia Fair, Avalanche City

Collective

Uptown Jazz Café

Goodtime Medicine Band

Bar Open

303 Reflex Rex, The Princetons, Ghosts, Mass Cult, The Hondas, The Winters, Tomderson, Manchild, Freakout

Finlo White, Kitty Kat

Corner Hotel

Dizzy’s Jazz Club

Old Bar

Peter Geoghegans Straight Ahead

Lomond Hotel

Ruby’s Lounge

Hey Fever, Ghetto Ghetto, The Groves, The Dark Globes Yah Yah’s

Hopeless, Ill Vision, Our Mindset, ArmourUs, Trad Nathan

Rahk Melbourne

Teen Spirit

Escobar The Amity Affliction, I Explode Like, skyway, Asking Alexandria, Matty Grant, Matt Dean, Phil Ross Billboard

The Brunswick Blues Shooters 1000 Pound Bend

Prince Bandroom Thornbury Local

Dick Diver

Polyester Records

Divine Ascension, Rainshadow, Crimsonfire, Black Orchid, Winterstorm Esplanade Gershwin Room

DJ Nikkos, Joe Sofo, Kitty Kat Co. Nightclub

The Sporting Club

The Deep End, Miffy Duke, Looking For Scarlett, Slayain, Love/ Hate

Jarek, Cads Of Yore, Dirty Elvis

The Drones, Adalita

Fiona Boyes & The Fortune Tellers

Joe Chindamo Trio

The Native Plants

First Floor DJs

Junior Walker, Sleepyhead, Sarah Hyde

Flo Rida

Ken Schroder quartet

The New Eileens, Red Leader, The Complimentary Headsets, Blue Bayou

Kiti, Lady Noir

The Panics

Le Disco Tech

The Panics, Georgia Fair, Avalanche City

Howl At The Moon

Brunswick Hotel Bennetts Lane

Empress Hotel

Paris Cat Jazz Club

Carlton Hotel, Geelong Pretty Please

Les Thomas, Michael Mooney, Luke Vassella, Jessica Paige Wesley Anne

Lolo & Berto Open Studio

Low Key Live Electro Thornbury Local

Martin McIntosh The LuWow

Matt Glass, Serendipity Veludo

McKisko, Seagull, Kieran Ryan, 1928, Tranter, Sleeves, Megawuoti, Supremes, TDAH The Toff In

Mikey Madden, Rosey The Drunken Poet

Minute 36, Private Life, Battery Kids John Curtin Hotel

Open Mic

Plough Hotel Origami, Adam Simmons, Howard Cairns, Anthony Baker, Tony Gould, Speak Percussion Northcote Uniting Church

Pete Glennon, James Chappel The Lounge Pit

Pony

Corner Hotel

Union Hotel Brunswick

Esplanade Lounge

Bended Elbow, Geelong The Bended Elbow

The Playbook, Who Invited the Wolf?, Aura Cura, Cat Or Pillar The Tote

The Stillsons, Yanto Shortis & Band

Northcote Social Club

Tiger Funk

Bimbo Deluxe

Tight

Workshop

DMTS Present

The Palais, Hepburn Springs Williamstown RSL First Floor

Shoppingtown Hotel

Get Back: The Lennon & McCartney Songbook Wesley Performing Arts Centre, Horsham

Grand Atlantic, JK Ruff, Brave Face, The Death Rattles, Mohair Slim Yah Yah’s

Grouse Party, Cuteface Killah, Sookie Smackhouse, Criminal Intense, Ann Ominous Cornish Arms Hotel

Gypsy Brown

The Night Cat

Hat Fitz, Cara Robinson, Cherrywood, Coral Lee & the Silver Scream, DJ Matt Stabs Old Bar

Trocadero

Match Bar

Watussi, Cumbia Cosmonauts, Benjalu Evelyn Hotel

WHO, Agent 86, Lewis Can Cut, Tiger Funk, Jumbo Lucky Coq

Hotel City Wrecking Traders, Adam Harding, Dead River, Admin Bldg The Prague

Ali E

The Sporting Club

The Vic Veludo

Marcel Dettmann, Ben Klock Brown Alley

Matt Rad, Mr George, Tom Meagher, Phato A Mano Lucky Coq

Matthew Kea

Bluestone Lounge

Meat Loaf, Thirsty Merc Rod Laver Arena

Megastick Fanfare, Oh Ye Denver Birds The Buffalo Club

Mesa Cosa, Burried Feather, Rayon Moon 303

Mindset, Trophy Knife, Vultures, Thieves Brunswick Hotel

Money For Rope, The Once Overs, The Velocettes

Jeff Lang, Jordie Lane Caravan Music Club

JK Ruff

Baha Tacos

Andrew Reid, Collective 29 Dizzy’s Jazz Club

themusic.com.au

Step Into My Office Baby John Curtin Hotel

Sure Fire Midnights, Mustang, Uptown Ace Cherry Bar T- Rek, Polyfonik, Orkestrated, Chardy, Heath Renata, Stevie Mink, Boogs, Spacey Space, Kalus Billboard

TBC

Edinburgh Castle Hotel

The Bats, Witch Hats, Guy & Marcus Blackman East Brunswick Club

The Bombay Royale, Sye Saxon The LuWow

The Cope Street Parade, Tracy Harvey Paris Cat Jazz Club

The Firemen

Evelyn Hotel

Nicolette Forte

Elwood Lounge

Nikkos, Joe Sofo, Kitty Kat Co., Crown

NTI, Jon Montes Abode

Okkervil River, Roller One Forum Theatre

Pet Sounds (GOOD Things DJ Collective), Jumbo, Kim Dezen Loop

Phil Ross, Dean T, Chris Mac, DJ Atomik, Johnny M Fusion, Crown Poisonous Viper Gang, Agonhymn, Sun Shephard, Dead, Gangrenous Penis, River of Snakes, Grunge Betty Pony

Poprocks at the Toff, Dr Phil Smith The Toff In Town

Rav Thomas

Trak Showroom

Renee Geyer

Bennetts Lane

Rich Yeah, Hiding with Bears Ruby’s Lounge

Rick Charles, Andrew King, Leslie Martn Rusted

National Hotel

Northcote Social Club

Mushroom Giant, Ennis Tola, Geamala, Lunaire

Hunting Foxes, The Pretty Littles, Trouble Man Inland Sea, The Rescue Ships, Jackson McLaren

Skipping Girl Vinegar, Myles Mayo, The Trouble With Templeton

The Drones, Adalita

Cardinia Cultural Centre, Pakenham

Uptown Jazz Café

Jones, Mic Newman, Oliver James

The Tote

Howard Cairns Quintet

Grace Darling Hotel

FRI 14

Empress Hotel

Elwood RSL

Ryan Meeking, Telltale, Steve Clifford, DJ Stevie V Public Bar

Sal Kimber & The Rollin’ Wheel Basement Discs

Sal Kimber & The Rollin’ Wheel Newmarket Hotel, Bendigo

Corner Hotel Bar Open

The Greeting Method, A Stolen Myth, The Man From Meteor, Our Lady of Pain Barwon Club

The Lifted Brow, Evelyn Ida Morris, Avant Gardeners, Bare Grillz, DJ Woody McDonald Workers

The Lloyd Weir, Language of the Birds, Canos, Loki Wesley Anne

The Panics, Georgia Fair, Avalanche City Palace Theatre

Tonight Alive, Rufio The Hi-Fi

Traditional Irish Music Session, Dan Bourke & Friends The Drunken Poet

Turner, Laura K Clark, Delivery Boy, Samuel Cole, Ella Ruby Rubinstein, Stew Walker Vibe on Smith

Watussi, Cumbia Cosmonauts, Banjalu, Hayley Couper, Tim Rizolli Esplanade Lounge

Wiseheimer, Cash No!, Daybreak, Foxtrot Esplanade Basement

Yokey, Sons Of Messengers, 8 Bit Love, No Love for Lexi Bended Elbow, Ballarat

SAT 15

Adam Cousens, Emily Davis, Jesse Mitchell Empress Hotel, Arvo Show

Aesop Rock, Kimya Dawson, The Narcicyst, Omar Offendom Forum Theatre

After Dark DJ’s

Roxanne Parlour

Alexis Nicole and the Missing Pieces Wesley Anne

Alithia, Qlayface, I Milk Tigers, Eddison Esplanade Basement

Andrew McSweeney Band, JVG Guitar Method

Union Hotel Brunswick

Banjalu

Baha Tacos

Ben Delves Quartet, Cope Street Parade Open Studio

Bertie Page Clinic, My Dynamite, Contraban, Burlesque Evelyn Hotel

Beth King & The Hemingway Collective, Charles Baby, Pleasing Anna John Curtin Hotel

Blak Roots Bar Open

Clinkerfield, Skippy’s Brain, Secret Guest, Richie 1250 Yah Yah’s

Confession, Thy Art Is Murder, Antagonist, Jeff Laing, Jordie Lane, Suzannah Espie Corner Hotel

Cosmic Tonic Veludo

Dom Mariana Three Caravan Music Club

Duke Batavia, Dave Rogers Great Britain Hotel

Emma Hamilton

Paris Cat Jazz Club

Farewell the Lion, Sean O’Neill The Vic

Finlo White, Joe Sofo Co. Nightclub

Flats & The Friendly Few Edinburgh Castle, early show

Flo Rida

Chelsea Heights Hotel

Gutbucket Jug Band Lomond Hotel

Hot Step

Bimbo Deluxe

House of Rock Palace Theatre

Jackson McLaren, The Rescue Ships, Inland Sea Grace Darling Hotel Jam Session - Thelonious Monk tribute, Andrew Reid, John Montesante Quintet, Wilbur Wilde Dizzy’s Jazz Club

Jamie Vlahos, Frazer Adnam, Scott McMahon, Mr Magoo, Ziggy, Wes B Billboard

Jason Lowe

Elwood Lounge

Josh Rawiri

Rowville Community Centre

Kingswood, The Delta Riggs, The Pretty Littles, The House deFROST, Andee Frost The Toff In Town

74 JOHNSTON ST FITZROY 9417 4155 WWW.THEOLDBAR.COM.AU 12PM - 3AM EVERY DAY FREE WI FI

WEDNESDAY 12TH OCTOBER

STRAW KING EYE JACKALS THE EUPHORIACS THURSDAY 13TH OCTOBER

8:30PM FREE

THE COLOUR OF SOUND PRESENTS: DEAD BOOMERS THE OVALS CULM GHOST IN THE PHOTOGRAPH MUDDY LAWRENCE FRIDAY 14TH OCTOBER

8:30PM $8

HAT FITZ & CARA ROBINSON CHERRYWOOD CORAL LEE & THE SILVER SCREAM DJ MATT STABS SATURDAY 15TH OCTOBER

8:30PM $15 12.30AM FREE

SUN SHEPHERD - ALBUM LAUNCH

POISONOUS VIPER GANG WURMS DUDE MOUNTAIN DJ DRAW 4 SUNDAY 16TH OCTOBER

8:30PM $10 1AM FREE

KIRA PURU & THE BRUISE

MACHINE (EX-SAILORS & SWINE) TOM LYNGCOLN (NATION BLUE/HARMONY) DJ STREET MONDAY 17TH OCTOBER

8PM $7 12AM FREE

IMMIGRANT UNION PRESENTS: ALEX HAMILTON SUPER XX MAN IMMIGRANT UNION DJS TUESDAY 18TH OCTOBER

8PM FREE

TOMMY EL SALVADOR DARN MATTER JOEL EDMONSON YOUR HUMBLE NARRATOR

BANDBOOKINGS@THEOLDBAR.COM.AU

THURS 13 OCT - DOORS 9PM

ALCATRAZ

ENGINE THREE SEVEN I AM DUCK EYE & DUCK EYE DJ ESQUIRE

+43 C7 +8=4 +78B:4H +><4= ?< "0><8 >=4B ?< 4==H 833;4

$10/$8 CONCESSION

FRIDAYS - DOORS 8PM

BOYLESQUE

(7DAB C7 ?< !8:4H !0334= ?< &>4BH &

FREE BEFORE 9.30PM - $15 SATURDAYS - DOORS 8PM

A CLASSIC SATURDAY NIGHT FREE BEFORE 9.30PM - $20

A8 C7 ?< (A038C8>=0; A8B7 !DB82 '4BB8>= F8C7 0= >DA:40=3 A84=3B

SUNDAY 16 OCT. - DOORS 6PM

BITTER SWEET KICKS THE MERCY KILLS BUNNY MONROE

'0C C7 ?< (74 &DBCH $82:4AB

MONDAYS - DOORS 6PM

OPEN MIC

'D= C7

?< 8;H 0=3 8=6 ?< 7A8B &DBB4;;

FEATURING: NICOLETTE FORTE & FRIENDS ALL WELCOME - GOLD COIN DONATION & PRIZES

(D4B C7 ?< +44:;H (A8E80

PBS PRESENTS MBAS BLUES PERFORMER OF THE YEAR AWARDS, GODDESS, FOO FIGHTERS (TRIBUTE)

COMING SOON:

(74 AD=:4= $>4C $44; 'CA44C 8A42C;H >??>B8C4 %D44= *82 !0A:4C $7>=4 FFF <HB?024 2></3AD=:4=?>4CB themusic.com.au

gigguide@inpress.com.au Lil Fi

St Andrews Hotel

Lior

The Palais, Hepburn Springs

Lo, Bowcaster, Night Hag, Risk and Reason The Gasometer Hotel

Mack & the Boys, Tabasco Tom & Doc White, Saving Cleopatra Chandelier Room

Sweet Teeth, Bare Grillz, Nervous, Cat Cat, The Clits Grace Darling Hotel

TBA

Retreat Hotel

Teeth & Tongue, Magic Silver White, Fox + Sui

Edinburgh Castle, early show

Tex Perkins, Band of Gold, Dark Horses

Carringbush Hotel

Thornbury Local The Buffalo Club National Theatre

Mal Webb, Canary, Jacob McGuffie, Hannah Cameron

The Bombay Royale, Jumpin Josh

Mammoth Mammoth, Destroy She Said, China Vagina, AC/Dshe, Phil Para

The Bonniwells, The Living Eyes, The Onyas, Sure Fire Midnights, Mustang, Rock City Riff Raff

303

Esplanade Lounge

Matty G, Dean T, Nova Co., Crown

McKisko, Carry Nation, Lindsay Philips Pure Pop Records

Meat Loaf

Rochford Wines

Megastick Fanfare, Oh Ye Denver Birds Karova Lounge

MGMC, Amy Younge, Tate Strauss, Phil Ross, Nova, Johnny M Fusion, Crown

None the Wiser, Aitches, Old Skin, Wolf vs Fire Public Bar

Oh Deanna, Leagues, Susy Blue

Edinburgh Castle Hotel

Okkervil River Meeniyan Hall

Pacman, Jean Paul, Sam McEwin, Samari, Kodiak Kid, Moonshine, Ash-Lee Lucky Coq

Painters & Dockers Trio Tago Mago

Prognosis, Dave Juric, J-Slyde, Rysh Paprota, Square Eyes, Alex Butler, Aaron Static Loop

Relax With Max The Night Cat

Renee Geyer

Bennetts Lane

Secret Headliner, The Playbook, Calvacade, Crafter, Thy Art Is Murder, Sam Bang

Secret Room, Syme Tollens Abode

Shameless Cover Band Bar 362

Shitdisco DJs, Age of Consent, Metals, Felinedown, Bitrok Revolver

Smoke or Fire, Pour Habit, ANCHORS, Take Your Own East Brunswick Club

Sons of Lee Marvin Quietly Spoken The Sporting Club

Steve Magnusson Trio

The LuWow

The Tote

The Doors, Shed Zeppelin, Exile

Esplanade Gershwin Room

The Graveyard Train, Daniel Champagne

Barwon Heads Hotel The Havelocks, The Plains, Little Pictures, Charm, Below the Line, Mike Bayliss & Friends Brunswick Hotel

The Patron Saints (two sets) Tago Mago

The Quarters, Three Last Words, The Elliotts Cherry Bar

The Rattle, The Hunting Club, Charm, The Anoushka, Sonic Porno, Mr Sharp Pony

The Red Eyes, Hiatus Kaiyote, Sista Itations Northcote Social Club

The Ribbon Device, Mild Sparrow Empress Hotel

The Rusty Pickers The Drunken Poet

The Wombats, Faker, Owl Eyes Festival Hall

Tonight Alive, Rufio The Hi-Fi

Very Handsome Men, Ferry Tails, The Peep Tempel, Xander Retreat Hotel

Yokey, No Love for Lexi, 8 Bit Love, Sons Of Messengers Bended Elbow, Geelong

SUN 16

Alex Lashlie

Great Britain Hotel

Arbia, Mason, Harlott The Tote

Ashy, Matt Kelly Bar Nancy

Askew, Booshank, Paz, Ms Butt, Jumbo, Junji Lucky Coq

Uptown Jazz Café

Bakersfield Glee Club

Sun Shephard, Poisonous Viper Gang, Wurms, Dude Mountain, DJ Drawfour

Confession, Thy Art Is Murder, Antagonist AD, At War With Gods

Old Bar

Coral Lee & the Silver Scream, Waz E James, Den Hanrahan & the Roadsiders

The Standard Hotel

Corner Hotel

Courtney Barnett

Davey Lane, Mikey Madden Dean & Curruthers Mentone Hotel

Dom Mariana Three, Grand Atlantic, Jeff Martin, Colin Moore

Northcote Social Club

Dylan Hammond, Khristain Mizzi & The Sirens, Kerryn Fields, Glenn McDonald

Teenage Mothers, Hollow Everdaze, DJ Whiteside

Phil Ceberano, Dale Ryder Band, Bad Boys Batucada

The Shelf, Denise Scott

Bimbo Deluxe

Esplanade Lounge

Workers Club

The Toff In Town

Trivia

John Curtin Hotel

Quarter Street Orchestra The Night Cat

Remission Theory, Jonnday, Lawrence Green

Esplanade Gershwin Room

Rich Davies

The Sporting Club

Rouge Fonce, Dear Stalker

Empress Hotel, Arvo Show

TUE 18

Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk, Old Grey Mule Retreat Hotel

Cine - Cult 303

Sal Kimber & The Rollin’ Wheel

Comfortable Shorts Loop

Lucky Coq

Brunswick Hotel

Sean O’Neill, Ditto, Open Mic

Greg Champion & the Pillars

Spoonful

Northcote Social Club

Hanhela

The Cliffords

Veludo

Ian Blands’ Lamington Drive Orchestra, Woodward & Rough

The Jacks, Burn In Hell, Damn The Torpedoes

Audrey, Ben Burne

St Andrews Hotel The Vic

Lomond Hotel

Jason Lowe

Wesley Anne

Jeff Lane, Suzannah Espie, Jordie Lane Williamstown RSL

Jeff Lang, Jordie Lane Way Out West Club (Williamstown)

Jimi Hocking’s Blues Machine

Vine Hotel, Richmond Chandelier Room

Union Hotel Brunswick Post Office Hotel Bar Open

The Mighty buZZniks The Palais, Hepburn Springs Grocery Bar

Waylon Jones

303

Kira Puru & The Bruise, Machine, Tom Lyngcoln, DJ Street Old Bar

Kitty K & the Jager Bombs Cherry Bar

Lily and King, Chris Russell The Drunken Poet

Grolsch Grid, Joe Oppenheimer, Sunday Chairs Workers Club

Hiatus Kaiyote, Harmless Evelyn Hotel

Esplanade Lounge Lomond Hotel

The Toff In Town

MON 17

Allan Browne Trio, Marc Hannaford, Sam Pankhurst Bennetts Lane

Irish Session

Matt Radovich, Andras Fox, Henry Who Bimbo Deluxe

Melbourne Fresh Industry Showcase, Never Cheer Before You Know Whos Winning Revolver

Mentone Secondary Big Band Dizzy’s Jazz Club

Nathan Bird

The Sporting Club

Open Mic

Alwan

Claypots Seafood Restaurant

Empress Hotel

Open Mic

Boozy Mondays w/ Friends and DJ’s

Wesley Anne

Brett Franke, Cameron Brown

The Brunswick Discovery, Hiptonic, Goodie Two Shoes

Old Bar

Major Tom & the Atoms, Plague Doctor

Veludo

Yah Yah’s

Dave Havea

Will Sheff, Jimmy Stewart, Andyblack, Haggis

Liz Bradley

Elwood Lounge

Daniel Champagne, David Knight

Tago Mago

Young & Jacksons

Josh Forner, Mish Fortino, Tanya Ransom, Cope Street Parade, Shottleboppers

Cosmic Pizza

Hotei, Sarah Gurry, May Hishmeth, Ali Barter, Tim Woods

Victor Stranges

Rich Webb

Gertrude’s Brown Couch

Ed Fairlie, I.M Boering

Brunswick Hotel

The Ugly Kings

Matt Dwyer Little Big Band

303

Davey’s

Howlin’ Steam Train, Ben Wright Smith

Miss Libertines

Michael Shaun McKiernan, Peter Ewing

Esplanade Lounge

iBimbo

The Toff In Town

Mikelangelo

Leon Tussie Jazz Band

Murphy’s Law, Modular

Mariachi Mondays

Tommy El Salvador, Darn Matter, Joel Edmonson, Your Humble Narrator

Music Trivia

Open Mic

Tuesday Trivia

Bertha Brown

Union Hotel Brunswick

Open Decks

VJ Sepp, Samari

Thornbury Local

Private Life, The Fox Party, Ainslie Wills

The Gasometer Hotel

Open Decks, Dukesy & The Hazzards, Knight at the Discotheque

Evelyn Hotel

Round and Round Storytellers night

Open Mic

Scul Hazzards, Dead River, Elizabeth Pistol Club

Workers Club The Gem

Bennetts Lane

Empress Hotel

Veludo

Rose Hotel Open Studio

Bimbo Deluxe Empress Hotel Retreat Hotel

Brunswick Hotel

It’s all about the energy for WATUSSI, but it’s also about the message, as frontman OSCAR JIMENEZ tells MICHAEL SMITH.

Bennetts Lane

Ruby’s Lounge

East Brunswick Ghosts of 29 Megacycles, Lil Leonie Lionheart, Gilbert Fawn, Blue Bayou, Milan Milutinovic, Little

THINK PARTY

Ben Carr Trio

Ruby’s Jukebox Sundays

Pep Talk

Phato A Mano, Agent 86, Tiger Funk

These Patterns, Ivy St, Trjaeu, Towels

Old Bar

Wednesday the Rat, KnightSansArmour, Indian Summer DJs, Smoking Toddlers Eurotrashbar

Weekly Trivia

The Drunken Poet

Northcote Social Club

themusic.com.au

Very much a band that needs to be experienced live, it was obviously important that the party vibe of Watussi was captured for this second album, El Olvido (The Oblivion). But for the man at the core of the band, Colombianborn, Sydney-based singer/ songwriter Oscar Jimenez, the thing of which he’s most proud with this album is the lyrics. “A lot of things were driving my songwriting,” Jimenez admits. “Since the first album, Tequila, Sangre y Fuego, a lot of things have happened with the band, but a lot of things have happened in my country [Colombia] as well and I have to write it down. The actual title of the album, El Olvido, was inspired by the book of a Colombian writer [Carlos Naranjo] I had the pleasure of reading, and this song is the backbone of the whole album. “The rest of the album just develops more deeply things that are happening right now, not just about social change but climate change and many things I’ve been watching from this perspective of the conflict that’s happening in Colombia. There’s another song [Cuando Sera] that is dedicated to the people who are kidnapped for many years in Colombia, which is a real issue. So I feel that we want to maintain that party vibe in the band, but also I feel with this album I wanted to bring a certain message across as well – lift people with the energy but at the same time with a different consciousness, just to reflect on those issues.” Jimenez pulled Watussi together in 2005, not long after first coming to Australia, the band’s name apparently Cuban slang for “the most handsome man at the party”. They released that first album in 2008, picking up an ARIA nomination and a gig in the inaugural Vivid LIVE festival curated by Brian Eno in 2009. Since then, the band have not only toured Australia pretty relentlessly but also performed at various festivals across Asia before, as well as last year being invited to play the Festival Iberoamericano

de Teatro in Colombia. “A lot of these experiences, the festival in Colombia and another in Peru, inspired us but always maintaining what we are about,” Jimenez qualifies. “We take from that experience and transform it into where we are. This is an Australian band as well, but it brings in those elements in kind of an authentic, unique way, cookin’ it with different ingredients but with our own recipe. For me, it is the rock elements in this band that is the Australian flavouring and some of the reggae and jazz elements. I’m fortunate to have a bunch of musicians who are into many different styles of music and those elements really translate into each song.” For both the EP, 1000% Handsome, released earlier this year, plus the new album, Watussi called in Brooklyn-based producer Joel Hamilton, whose CV includes records for artists as diverse as Tom Waits and Talib Kweli. “We already had a very good connection with Joel in terms of he’s been able to translate that Latin sound that he’s also been influenced by in New York, so he was the perfect catalyst to get that sound across but still maintain that Australian sound and make it international. “I met him in Colombia actually. He’s a big fan of Colombian rock festivals and he’s produced a couple of Colombian rock bands. I go back to Colombia every two or three years – I’ve got many friends that are musicians – and among these friends there was a band that hired Joel for their album and coincidentally I was there looking at a Colombian producer to come to Australia, but I found Joel was just perfect.” WHO: Watussi WHAT: El Olvido (MGM) WHEN & WHERE: Thursday, Evelyn; Friday, Espy

140 Sydney Rd

BRUNSWICKHOTEL.NET

9387 6637

NO COVER CHARGE

WEDNESDAY THE 12TH OF OCTOBER - 8PM

oct 15 benjalu (syd) oct 20 sticky fingers (syd) oct 21 jed rowe band oct 22 waz e james Oct 29 saritah

THE BRUNSWICK HOTEL’S OPEN MIC NIGHT

WITH YOUR HOST BRODIE EVERY WEDNESDAY NIGHT REGISTER ON THE NIGHT FROM 7PM ONWARDS $10 JUGS

THURSDAY THE 13TH OF OCTOBER - 8PM TILL MIDNIGHT $2 POTS OF DRAUGHT - $5 BASICS

9PM

JAREK

WITH GUESTS CADS OF YORE, DIRTY ELVIS

FRIDAY THE 14TH OF OCTOBER - 9PM

MINDSET

WITH GUESTS TROPHYKNIFE, VULTURES, THIEVES

SATURDAY THE 15TH OF OCTOBER - 5PM

CHARM

WITH GUESTS BELOW THE LINE, MIKE BAYLISS

9PM

THE HAVELOCKS(NSW)

WITH GUESTS THE PLAINS, LITTLE PICTURES

SUNDAY THE 16TH OF OCTOBER - 6PM

MILAN MILUTINOVIC

WITH GUESTS LITTLE AUDREY, BEN BURNE

9PM

GHOSTS OF 29 MOTORCYCLES WITH GUESTS LIL LEONIE LIONHEART, GILBERT FAWN, BLUE BAYOU

MONDAY THE 17TH OF OCTOBER - 8PM

NASHVILLE BASED ROUND AND ROUND MUSICIANS STORYTELLING

COME DOWN AND SEE SOME GREAT MUSICIANS AND SOME FINE WRITING SKILLS. PERFORMERS AND SUPPORTERS WELCOME.

TUESDAY THE 18TH OF OCTOBER - 9PM

THE BRUNSWICK HOTEL DISCOVERY NIGHT

GIVING CHANCES TO UP AND COMING LOCAL TALENT! THIS WEEK: HIPTONIC AND GOODIE TWO SHOES

themusic.com.au

clubguide@inpress.com.au

WED 12

Midnight Express: Prequel, Edd Fisher:

Mesa Cosa, Burried Feather, Rayon Moon:

Mood: DJ NuBody:

NTI: DJ Jon Montes:

Lost & Found: DJ Jonny Galvatron, Spidey, Gupstar:

Obsession Thursdays:

Paparazzi: Nikkos, Joe Sofo, Kitty Kat:

Lucky Dragons, Geoffrey O’Connor: No Era Club:

Shake Some Action: Smoking Toddlers, Backyard DJs, Indian Summer DJs:

Miss Libertine

Onesixone

Peter Tollch, Scotty E:

Textbook Thursdays: Miss Libertine

Ring The Alarm:

The Chicago Soul Collective, Kate & Max:

Trak Lounge

Watussi, Cumbia Cosmonauts, Banjalu:

Revolver Upstairs

Revolver Upstairs The Toff

Co. Nightclub Laundry Bar

The Toff Carriage Room Loop

First Floor

Pause Fest 2011: Loop

The Hi-Fi

Stand & Deliver: Co. Nightclub

Evelyn Hotel

THU 13

3181 Thursdays:

Revolver Upstairs

3d: Alex Kidd, DJ sNuff, Jaffa, Pgram, Chris X:

Alcatraz: GH Hotel

Funhouse: Finlo White, MC Kitty Kat: Co. Nightclub Laundry Bar

Good Evening DJ People:

The Toff Carriage Room

Love Story: Tranter, Sleeves, Megwuoti, TDAH: The Toff Stage Room

McKisko Single Launch: Seagull, Kieran Ryan: The Toff

CBD Melbourne

Cant Say:

Miss Libertine

Fashion Keyboard: Butterbox, Booty Quest, Backyard DJs, Fashion Keyboard DJs:

Freakout!:

Abode

Co. Nightclub

Pet Sounds: The Good Things DJs: Loop

Poprocks: Dr Phil Smith: The Toff

Rav Thomas Album Launch: Revolver Friday & Mama Said: Ripe: Platinum Dancers: Sugar Lounge

FRI 14

Escobar

Flo Rida:

Shoppingtown Hotel

SAT 15

303

Sal Kimber & The Rollin’ Wheel: Basement Disks

Shot Gun Funk, Straight No Chaser, Wandering Spirit, Callum Taylor, DJ Totes: Revolver Upstairs

Sounds Of Fusion: Phil Ross, Dean T, Chris Mac, DJ Atomik, Johnny M: Fusion

Watussi, Cumbia Cosmonauts, Banjalu, Hayley Couper, Tim Rizoll: The Espy Lounge Bar

Low B:

Laundry Bar

Marcel Dettman, Ben Klock: Brown Alley

Audio Porn: Onesixone

After Dark Social Club: After Dark DJs: Roxanne Parlour

Bad Taste:

Strut Caufield Cup After Party: Mark Pellegrini, Jason Serini, Danny Merx, Hendrique: Trak Lounge

The House deFrost: Andee Frost:

Eurotrash

The Late Show: Low B:

Evelyn Hotel

Weekender:

Bar Open

The Toff

Revolver Upstairs Laundry Bar

Pony

Canary, Jacob McGuffe, Hannah Cameron:

SUN 16

303

Electric Architecture: Solarstone: Room680

Envy: Matty G, Dean T, DJ Nova:

Hunkmania Club:

Flo Rida:

Mikelangelo Gospel Shakedown Party:

Co. Nightclub

Chelsea Heights Hotel

Trak Lounge

Playground:

The Gem Bar

Playground Saturdays:

Revolver Upstairs

Prognosis: Dave Juric, J-Slyde, Rysh Paprota, Budgie Collective, Aaron Static, Simon Murphy:

303

Revolver Sundays:

Loft

Seven Nightclub

Loop

Sonic Porno: Pony

Replay: MGMC, Amy Younge: Fusion

The Cope St Parade: The Sunday Set: AndyBlack, Haggis:

The Toff Carriage Room

TUE 18

Secret Room: Syme Tollens:

Comfortable Shorts Short Film Screening:

Shithouse DJS, Age Of Live, Metals, Felinedown, Bitrok:

Daniel Champagne, David Knight:

Abode

Revolver

Loop

Northcote Social Club

FRIDAY OCTOBER 14 THE NATIONAL GEELONG

SATURDAY OCTOBER 15 THE GRACE DARLING MELBOURNE

Dumplings Bitch: Wednesday The Rat, KnightSansArmour, Indian Summer DJs, Smoking Toddlers:

themusic.com.au

World’s End Press

Hiatus Kaiyotem Harmless: Make It Up Club: Never Cheer Before You Know Who’s Winning: Revolver Upstairs

The Battery Kids, The Rosa Gilbert Rogues, Reality Complex, Jekhyl, Chev Rise, Victim Of Sin, Michael Shaun, Radical Sludge: Revolver Upstairs

The Ugly Kings: Miss Libertine

These Patterns: Ivy St, Trjaeu, Towel DJs, Water Melon Sugar: The Toff

CUE KUBIK Open-air live music venue installation Kubik has announced its full Melbourne Music Week program. The temporary venue will be situated at Birrarung Marr from Friday 18 to Saturday 26 November 2011. Kubik will host more than 50 world-class DJs and bands. The Raah Project and FLRL join local heavyweights Cut Copy and Midnight Juggernauts (playing an exclusive threehour DJ set) and World’s End Press, while Dunklebunt adds to the list of international superstars, which includes DJ Krush, Gaslamp Killer, Daedelus and Wax Tailor. Since its launch in Berlin in 2006, Kubik has been featured as a summer highlight in cities across Europe including Milan, Lisbon, Berlin and Barcelona, and has made special feature appearances at international music festivals including Sonar. For more info check out kubikmelbourne.com.

gigguide@inpress.com.au

BAHA TACOS Friday

JK Ruff

Saturday Banjalu

BANG Saturday

CARAVAN MUSIC CLUB Friday

Jeff Lang, Jordie Lane

Divine Ascension, Rainshadow, Crimsonfire, Black Orchid, Winterstorm

Saturday

Dom Mariana Three

CORNER HOTEL

Secret Headliner, The Playbook, Calvacade, Crafter, Thy Art Is Murder, Sam

Wednesday

BAR OPEN

The Drones, Adalita

Wednesday

The Feel Goods, Rainbow Massacre, Guests

Thursday

Bodies, Adam Harding, Hunter

Friday

The Firemen

Saturday

Blak Roots

Sunday

The Jacks, Burn In Hell, Damn The Torpedoes

BENDED ELBOW, GEELONG Thursday

The Panics

Saturday

Yokey, No Love for Lexi, 8 Bit Love, Sons Of Messengers

BILLBOARD Wednesday

The Amity Affliction, Feed Her To The Sharks, skyway, Asking Alexandria

Thursday

The Amity Affliction, I Explode Like, skyway, Asking Alexandria, Matty Grant, Matt Dean, Phil Ross

Friday

T- Rek, Polyfonik, Orkestrated, Chardy, Heath Renata, Stevie Mink, Boogs, Spacey Space, Kalus

Saturday

Jamie Vlahos, Frazer Adnam, Scott McMahon, Mr Magoo, Ziggy, Wes B

BIMBO DELUXE Wednesday

The Drones, Ron S Peno & the Superstitions Trio

Thursday Friday

The Drones, Adalita

Saturday

Confession, Thy Art Is Murder, Antagonist, Jeff Laing, Jordie Lane, Suzannah Espie

Sunday

Confession, Thy Art Is Murder, Antagonist AD, At War With Gods

CORNISH ARMS HOTEL Friday

Grouse Party, Cuteface Killah, Sookie Smackhouse, Criminal Intense, Ann Ominous

EAST BRUNSWICK CLUB Thursday

Cosmo Jarvis, The Frowning Clouds, Laura Imbruglia

Friday

The Bats, Witch Hats, Guy & Marcus Blackman

Saturday

Smoke or Fire, Pour Habit, ANCHORS, Take Your Own

Sunday

Dylan Hammond, Khristain Mizzi & The Sirens, Kerryn Fields, Glenn McDonald

EDINBURGH CASTLE HOTEL Wednesday Beekeeping

Friday TBC

Saturday

Oh Deanna, Leagues, Susy Blue

Soul Army, Vince Peach, Miss Goldie, Prequel, Black Diamond Kicks

EMPRESS HOTEL

Thursday

Wednesday

Tiger Funk

Friday

Blackout

Saturday Hot Step

Sunday

Phato A Mano, Agent 86, Tiger Funk

Monday iBimbo

Tuesday

Matt Radovich, Andras Fox, Henry Who

Lilys Radio, Minute 36, The Naysayers

Thursday

Junior Walker, Sleepyhead, Sarah Hyde

Friday

Kim Salmon, Crystal Thomas & The Flowers Of Evil, John Patrick & the Keepers

Saturday

The Ribbon Device, Mild Sparrow

Sunday

BRUNSWICK HOTEL

Music Trivia

Wednesday

Tuesday

The Brunswick Open Mic with host Brodie

Thursday

Jarek, Cads Of Yore, Dirty Elvis

Friday

Mindset, Trophy Knife, Vultures, Thieves

Saturday

The Havelocks, The Plains, Little Pictures, Charm, Below the Line, Mike Bayliss & Friends

Sunday

Ghosts of 29 Megacycles, Lil Leonie Lionheart, Gilbert Fawn, Blue Bayou, Milan Milutinovic, Little Audrey, Ben Burne

Monday

Round and Round Storytellers night

Tuesday

The Brunswick Discovery, Hiptonic, Goodie Two Shoes

Friday

Monday

Leon Tussie Jazz Band Open Mic

EMPRESS HOTEL, ARVO SHOW Saturday

Adam Cousens, Emily Davis, Jesse Mitchell

Sunday

Rouge Fonce, Dear Stalker

ESPLANADE BASEMENT Friday

Wiseheimer, Cash No!, Daybreak, Foxtrot

Saturday

Alithia, Qlayface, I Milk Tigers, Eddison

ESPLANADE GERSHWIN ROOM

The Doors, Shed Zeppelin, Exile

Sunday

Friday

Thursday

Saturday

Friday

Pet Sounds (GOOD Things DJ Collective), Jumbo, Kim Dezen Prognosis, Dave Juric, J-Slyde, Rysh Paprota, Square Eyes, Alex Butler, Aaron Static

Remission Theory, Jonnday, Lawrence Green

Tuesday

ESPLANADE LOUNGE

LUCKY COQ

Wednesday

Le Belle, Steel Birds, July Days, Anoxicera

Thursday

The New Eileens, Red Leader, The Complimentary Headsets, Blue Bayou

Friday

Watussi, Cumbia Cosmonauts, Banjalu, Hayley Couper, Tim Rizolli

Saturday

Comfortable Shorts

Wednesday

Agent 86, Bladerunner, Mr Thom, Joybot

Thursday

WHO, Agent 86, Lewis Can Cut, Tiger Funk, Jumbo

Friday

Pacman, Jean Paul, Sam McEwin, Samari, Kodiak Kid, Moonshine, Ash-Lee

Hotei, Sarah Gurry, May Hishmeth, Ali Barter, Tim Woods

EVELYN HOTEL Wednesday

Nicolette Forte, High Society, Joe Oppenheimer

Thursday

Watussi, Cumbia Cosmonauts, Benjalu

Friday

Mushroom Giant, Ennis Tola, Geamala, Lunaire

Saturday

Bertie Page Clinic, My Dynamite, Contraban, Burlesque

Monday

Private Life, The Fox Party, Ainslie Wills

Tuesday

Hiatus Kaiyote, Harmless

GRACE DARLING HOTEL Friday

Hunting Foxes, The Pretty Littles, Trouble Man

Askew, Booshank, Paz, Ms Butt, Jumbo, Junji

Tuesday

Hopeless, Ill Vision, Our Mindset, ArmourUs, Trad Nathan

NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB Wednesday

Anna Smyrk & The Appetites, Anna Paddick Band

Thursday

The Stillsons, Yanto Shortis & Band

Friday

Skipping Girl Vinegar, Myles Mayo, The Trouble With Templeton

Saturday

The Red Eyes, Hiatus Kaiyote, Sista Itations

Sunday

Dom Mariana Three, Grand Atlantic, Jeff Martin, Colin Moore

Monday

Scul Hazzards, Dead River, Elizabeth Pistol Club

Tuesday

Daniel Champagne, David Knight

Thursday

Jackson McLaren, The Rescue Ships, Inland Sea

Saturday

Friday

Sweet Teeth, Bare Grillz, Nervous, Cat Cat, The Clits

JOHN CURTIN HOTEL Thursday

Minute 36, Private Life, Battery Kids

Friday

Step Into My Office Baby

Saturday

Beth King & The Hemingway Collective, Charles Baby, Pleasing Anna

Monday Trivia

LOOP Wednesday

Pause Fest 2011 - Meet & Cheer, TweetFilm screening Ghostbusters

Thursday

Dreamland Recordings “Around” Listening Party, Mood, DJ NuBody

Mikelangelo

THE HI-FI Thursday

Chicago Soul Collective, Kate & Max Tonight Alive, Rufio

Saturday

THE STANDARD HOTEL Wednesday

Jimmy Stewart

Sunday

Wednesday

Lucky Dragons, Geoffrey O’Connor

Thursday

McKisko, Seagull, Kieran Ryan, 1928, Tranter, Sleeves, Megawuoti, Supremes, TDAH

Poisonous Viper Gang, Agonhymn, Sun Shephard, Dead, Gangrenous Penis, River of Snakes, Grunge Betty

Saturday

The Rattle, The Hunting Club, Charm, The Anoushka, Sonic Porno, Mr Sharp

PRINCE BANDROOM Thursday

Rockin, Sounds of Sirus, Assemble The Empire, We Disappear, Futures Now

Sunday

Will Sheff, Jimmy Stewart, Andyblack, Haggis

None the Wiser, Aitches, Old Skin, Wolf vs Fire

THE DRUNKEN POET Wednesday

Wine, Whiskey, Women, Naomi Jones, Jenny Biddle

Thursday

Mikey Madden, Rosey

Veronica Falls VERONICA FALLS

WORKERS CLUB

Mockingbird Time THE JAYHAWKS

Thursday

Everybody Get Close THE JUAN MACLEAN

Baptism of Uzi, Pink Notes, Legendary Hearts, Towels DJs, James Lake

Friday

Middle Aged Unicorn On Beach With Sunset ALEKS & THE RAMPS

The Lifted Brow, Evelyn Ida Morris, Avant Gardeners, Bare Grillz, DJ Woody McDonald

Meditations On The Sun MELODIE NELSON

Sunday

Metals FEIST

Michael Shaun McKiernan, Peter Ewing

Eventual Ghost EP DRUNK MUMS

Monday

Teenage Mothers, Hollow Everdaze, DJ Whiteside

Tuesday

Grolsch Grid, Joe Oppenheimer, Sunday Chairs

3RRR SOUNDSCAPE Metals FEIST

YAH YAH’S

To The Horses LANIE LANE

Thursday

Neverendless CAVE

Hey Fever, Ghetto Ghetto, The Groves, The Dark Globes

Friday

Clinkerfield, Skippy’s Brain, Secret Guest, Richie 1250

Sunday

Major Tom & the Atoms, Plague Doctor

The Year Of Hibernation YOUTH LAGOON Sketches WINTERCOATS Hearts I BREAK HORSES Leave The Party MYLES MAYO Like A Man ADAM COHEN This Body Is Wrong For Us GO-GO SAPIEN Hearts & Arrows DANNY & THE CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD

The Shelf, Denise Scott

Tuesday

These Patterns, Ivy St, Trjaeu, Towels

TRIPLE J HIT LIST

THE TOTE

Pogo DUNE RATS

Wednesday

Metals FEIST

Pets With Pets, Darren Sylvester, The Townhouses, Parents, DJ Mum The Playbook, Who Invited the Wolf?, Aura Cura, Cat Or Pillar

Friday

Money For Rope, The Once Overs, The Velocettes

Saturday

The Bonniwells, The Living Eyes, The Onyas, Sure Fire Midnights, Mustang, Rock City Riff Raff

I’m His Girl FRIENDS Sometimes I, A Man Curl Of The Burl MASTODON Odd Soul MUTEMATH Tapioca NEW NAVY Awkward SAN CISCO Secret Weapon THE WHIP We Bros Wu Lyf

Sunday

Arbia, Mason, Harlott

THE VIC Friday

King of the North, AHB

PBS TIPSHEET

Saturday

Sal Kimber and the Rollin’ Wheel SAL KIMBER & THE ROLLIN’ WHEEL

Sunday

Low Down and Tore Up DUKE ROBILLARD

Farewell the Lion, Sean O’Neill

PUBLIC BAR

Saturday

Death’s Procession SAVIOURS

Monday

UNION HOTEL BRUNSWICK

Ryan Meeking, Telltale, Steve Clifford, DJ Stevie V

The Vasco Era THE VASCO ERA

Time To Let Go INTERCOOLER

Saturday

Kingswood, The Delta Riggs, The Pretty Littles, The House deFROST, Andee Frost

STEREO

Open Mic

Saturday

Poprocks at the Toff, Dr Phil Smith

Friday

Tuesday

Grand Atlantic, JK Ruff, Brave Face, The Death Rattles, Mohair Slim

Hanhela

College Party

Sunday

Friday

Thursday

PONY The Deep End, Miffy Duke, Looking For Scarlett, Slayain, Love/ Hate

Saturday

THE GEM

THE TOFF IN TOWN

Saturday

Jason Lowe

Sunday

ON THE

The Lloyd Weir, Language of the Birds, Canos, Loki Alexis Nicole and the Missing Pieces

Bakersfield Glee Club

Thursday

Les Thomas, Michael Mooney, Luke Vassella, Jessica Paige

Weekly Trivia

Tuesday

Saturday

Cosmic Pizza

Tuesday

Lily and King, Chris Russell

Tonight Alive, Rufio

Sunday

Howlin’ Steam Train, Ben Wright Smith

Sunday

Friday

Sunday

Monday

The Rusty Pickers

Matt Rad, Mr George, Tom Meagher, Phato A Mano

Mammoth Mammoth, Destroy She Said, China Vagina, AC/Dshe, Phil Para Phil Ceberano, Dale Ryder Band, Bad Boys Batucada

Traditional Irish Music Session, Dan Bourke & Friends

Thursday

The Native Plants

Saturday

Andrew McSweeney Band, JVG Guitar Method

Sunday

Sote Sote Adhi Raat BOMBAY ROYALE Wolfroy Goes To Town BONNIE ‘PRINCE’ BILLY Give The Beggar A Chance MONOMONO Wake Up your Mind JONI HAASTRUP To The Horses LANIE LANE

Spoonful

Sem Nostalgia LUCAS SANTTANA

Tuesday

Life Sux WAVVES

WESLEY ANNE

Odd Soul MUTEMATH

Tuesday Trivia

Wednesday

Rachel Taylor Beales, Fly South

themusic.com.au

BEHIND THE LINES Compiled by MICHAEL SMITH

WORKSHOP YOUR ARTZ Launched online a couple of months ago, Cover Your Artz is a digital platform event production resource designed to provide a social network for touring artists and events across Australia, allowing you to access skilled and available production resources. The brainchild of director Penny Weber, she explains its genesis and what she hopes it will achieve.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

THE PROFILER RED DOOR SOUNDS Chris Cheney (left) and Paul ‘Woody’ Annison

“Cover Your Artz came about from my management experience,” Weber begins. “Back in 2003 I was booking a national tour for the band Offcuts, and I had difficulty finding sound engineers, lighting people, merchandise people, people to put up posters in regional areas. So I came up with the idea then and fast forward eight years and I finally got around to doing it. That was partly because of the cost. At the time, I checked around and asked how much it was going to cost and I’d be told, ‘At mate’s rates, it’ll be $150,000’ and I went ‘Whoa! I don’t think so’,” she laughs. “Things have become much cheaper over the intervening years.”

Can bands bring in their own engineer or do they have to solely use a house engineer? “Yes they can, they will just need the assistant to help with the basics.” Is the studio capable of holding a full band at once for recording? “We have a large ‘live’ room, a small ‘dead’ room for a great ‘70s drum sound or vocals, and a large ‘natural’ room with beautiful acoustics and adjustable baffling. More than four to five in a room can get a bit tight. It really depends on the size of the band and how they want to record.”

Designed to deliver a service that works with record labels, tour managers, venue owners, artists and anyone involved with event management, among those who have become involved are Gregg Donovan, who manages Grinspoon, Airbourne and Josh Pyke; Keith Welsh, who manages Icehouse; Catherine Haridy, who manages Eskimo Joe, Bob Evans and Jimi Maroudas; and Andy Walters from AJ Sound. “I’ve just been emailing people I know,” Weber continues, “and putting them in the site, so that’s been really fun, catching up with old friends and all the rest of it. So the team I’ve pulled together came together through people I know that have the skills that I need.” Cover Your Artz steps into the real world this Saturday with its inaugural On the Road Again seminar at NMIT Fairfield. Whether you’re a musician, performer, manager, road crew or just “with the band”, this one-day seminar will help drive you past the potholes of touring, making it there and back in one piece. Covering everything from the best times to tour, how to make touring boost your career, booking tour logistics, the best way to market and promote the tour without destroying the bank balance, along with some pretty awesome tour yarns, you’ll get it all from the panel, which includes Icehouse guitarist Paul Gildea of Paul Gildea Artist Management (Stonefield, Michael Paynter), John Sinclair of Fleming Artists (Ani DiFranco, Colin Hay, Paul Dempsey), Karen Conrad of KC Publicity (Ross Wilson, Mental As Anything, Gary Numan) and Tommy Spender (Spender, Offcuts), and there will be more speakers joining on the day. “I actually teach touring at TAFE as well,” Weber explains, “so I have quite a bit of experience in organising workshops, and there are certain things I know from experience that you need to know and how to do and that sort of stuff, so I’ve put together a basic template on how to tour and I think we have some very exciting speakers that are going to help tell the story.” The plan, of course, is to eventually take these workshops around the country, but that won’t be happening until next year. It’s free to become a member, and if you sign up before the end of October with the promotional code cyagift, you’ll receive three months’ worth of free services, which gives you a chance to road test the site. There are already a couple of hundred people who have signed up to the site, who have been seeking lighting people, photographers, graphic designers and so on, so, as Weber suggests, “it does work kind of like a social networking website where, once you’ve logged in you can search other people’s profiles to find the right person without necessarily having to advertise through the site.” Weber of course is also using the site, and from a management perspective, she’s set it up so that “it does all the paperwork as well. Once you’ve logged the job, it automatically emails out to the people that are appropriate for it. They can then log in and apply for the job and once you’ve decided who is appropriate, it then sends them a confirmation of payment details, of all the shows and all that kind of stuff, and once that’s done, we can actually rate the job. So it almost acts like an eBay rating system at the end.” Tickets to Saturday’s Cover Your Artz workshop at NMIT Fairfield cost $88 or $77 for students and are available from coveryourartz.com/workshops.

new in-house producer. Tyson Fish is our in-house engineer. Along with Chris Cheney [The Living End] and myself, we hope to provide a good range of options. Background wise, obviously Darren and Chris have years of knowledge writing and producing via their bands, and are now lending that experience to other artists. I’ve been involved in the making of records since moving from the UK to Australia 20 years ago.”

We’re an impoverished indie band – do you offer any deals for acts in our situation? “We do offer stand-by rates but there really hasn’t been any free time in a while. We think our rates are really competitive for the studio’s gear and location.”

What’s the studio set-up you have there equipmentwise? Paul ‘Woody’ Annison, producer and studio manager: “The main console is the SSL G+, however, we recently purchased the 60 channel Neve Vatican from Sydney’s BJB, of which 12 channels are now in the SSL room. We also have Pro Tools HD3, Studer 24-track tape machine, UAD Quad plus plenty of outboard gear including Neve, Vintech, Universal Audio and mics including AKG, Beyer, Neumann, Rode, Sennheiser, etc. Monitoring is via Genlec, Yamaha NS10s, Auratone and AVIOM. Visit reddoorsounds.com.au for full details.” Any tips for artists entering a studio for the first time?

“Be prepared.” Which notable artists have worked at the studio? “We’ve only been operating for a year so the list is just starting. At the moment Children Collide are in the studio making their third album. We get a lot of varied acts coming though like Die Antwoord, Dropkick Murphys, Operator Please, Red Riders, Black Cab, Hunting Grounds and more.” Who do you have on staff and what’s their background in the industry? “Darren Middleton [Powderfinger] has relocated to Melbourne and has just come on board as a

Do you have any in-house instruments at the studio that acts can use, or is totally BYO? “We have a drum kit plus a good range of guitars and amps.” What’s the access to the studio like with regards to parking, flat load, etc? “Flat load with two car spots.” Working in the studio can be arduous and we’ll need a break – what are the amenities in the local area? “Plenty of action on Smith and Brunswick streets – both are walking distance from the studio.” What are your contact details? 25 Sackville St, Collingwood bookings@reddoorsounds.com.au 0417 051 977

THE ALCHEMIST

No more the ‘former’ Tea Party frontman, JEFF MARTIN talks to MAC MCNAUGHTON about his new studio in Byron Bay and how to juggle two bands and 45 guitars. Photos by DARREN MOK.

The past 18 or so months have been something of a purple patch for Jeff Martin. Fans have been eagerly watching as the word ‘former’ has been officially dropped from his title as ‘singer of The Tea Party’. First, he twiddled the knobs of the fourth album by Melbourne doom rockers The Eternal. Then came The Ground Cries Out, the debut by his second post-Tea Party band 777 with Jay Cortez and Malcolm Clark. It was during that album’s production that hatchets were buried, bridges rebuilt and The Tea Party became an ongoing interest once again. When Inpress speaks to Martin, he is enjoying something of an interlude. The Tea Party reformed for a series of dates in Canada that were so well received by both bandmates and fans alike that more activity looks certain. Martin has recently overseen a more important production, though – the birth of his second son. Martin is on the phone, curled up in front of the fire in his house in Byron Bay on a chilly evening. This is the setting for his new studio, now nearing completion. “It’s much like Studio 301 in Byron, which I’ve worked out of a lot. 301 has the beautiful old Neve console from the [record label] Festival days. This new studio will work in conjunction with 301. That drum sound that I can get out of there – that big loud sound – is the best I’ve ever done. I need something that will be a satellite situation, linking to other studios where I can be the alchemist that I am with all the analogue gear around me.” Technology and an orgy of computer trickery doesn’t seem very Jeff Martin, who often speaks of organics in rock’n’roll. “What are those cars Hollywood stars drive… my studio will be like one of those Prius Hybrids. Half is the best of the old school analogue worlds, half is what’s necessary these days with Pro Tools and all that. I prefer not to use Pro Tools on my own music, but when I’m producing, that seems to be the format that people are more comfortable with these days. People don’t seem to want to hear their own nuances any more.” Martin has always fostered/been subjected to an almost mythical reputation for being able to play whatever instrument he picks up. “After the first Tea Party record became successful, for the first time in our lives, we had some money. I took mine and travelled, bringing back lots of instruments. I wouldn’t let any of them ‘win’, so to

speak. They give me a run for my money, for sure, but for example, the sarod [a fretless stringed instrument from India] took me a while to master. Generally I find if I can listen to someone who plays it really well, if I can get the tuning of it, I can play it”. This has led to what Martin calls a “sizable arsenal” of instruments, which are currently spread all over the world. “Some are in Canada, some still in Ireland [where Martin’s 2009 record with The Armada was recorded], all amassed, there’s about 45 electric guitars, about 20 acoustics and many different exotic instruments. “My 1968 Les Paul Black Beauty with TransPerformance system is the ultimate weapon. Gibson came out three years ago with the Robot guitars, right? Well the Robot would be kindergarten compared to the TransPerformance’s NASA Degree – it’s out of this world because it’s mechanical. I got turned on to it when Jimmy Page played it with Robert Plant in the early ‘90s. I played it on Cathartik from The Interzone Mantras. I also love my prototype Fender Telecaster with a B-Bender.” Martin has called West Australia home for several years now and he acknowledges how he has gravitated there

themusic.com.au

with his family growing and the foundations laid with former Sleepy Jackson members Jay Cortez and Malcolm Clark (who also crewed The Armada). There are already plans afoot for a second 777 record as well as for Tea Party drummer Jeff Burrows to spend time down under, hopefully leading to new Tea Party music. “The Tea Party were never a rock’n’roll band. It was more about the exotic, the ‘event’, the ethereal. I’d like 777 to go more into Queen Of Spades territory and that kind of dirty rock’n’roll and I think that’s where the other two boys wanna go, too.” Following a solo tour (a planned 777 tour hit a stumbling block when Cortez broke his hand), Martin is also set on producing a record for Sydney DJ Kelly Lynch, who he describes as having a “rock’n’roll heart”. “I’m a fan of that Bristol scene – Tricky, Massive Attack. It was very sexy music. Combine that mindset with analogue rock’n’roll and there’s a new form of music. It’s good to tangle things that shouldn’t be entangled.” Jeff Martin plays the Wheelers Hill Hotel this Saturday and the Northcote Social Club this Sunday.

NEED A MONTH OF WORK WITH GREAT PAY? The Established Bottled Water Company is looking for a bakersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; dozen of good workers to help out with our current project.

$20-36 per hour Great working hours: 10am-4pm, Monday-Friday Located in a bright Victorian mansion just off Lygon street, Carlton. We are seeking friendly people with a laid-back and conďŹ dent phone manner to call businesses. The idea is simple, for every bottle of water a company buys, a bottle with their name on it gets sent out to the SES volunteers. Continued work will be created for the right people. If you have good command of the English language and basic computer skills call us today on:

9946-6868 or 1800-908-034 and ask for Dan or Amy themusic.com.au

FOR SALE AMPS

EMPLOYMENT ADMINISTRATION Bass player from Sydney is looking for musicians for avant garde metal/rock band. Influences: Arcturus, Ulver, Head Control System, The Kovenant. Please contact for more details.

LANEY GH120 GUITAR HEAD

120 watt.2 channel.f/switchable.reverb. direct out.very punchy.great tone.UK made.VGC.$350.Ph.0428744963.Cooroy iFlogID: 13021

iFlogID: 15576

PEAVEY BANDIT 80WATT 12” GUITAR COMBO

DJ AVAILABLE- ANYTIME

www.djzokithefab.com -0416306340 for any dj service club or home or birthday call anytime-GET A REAL DJ NOT MP3 PLAYER OR CRAPPY DOWNLOAD....... VINYL DJ ROCKS

2 channel.footswitchable.great fat tone.reverb/saturation etc.USA made. VGC.$350. Ph.0428744963. Cooroy iFlogID: 13019

iFlogID: 15373

STUDIO GEAR Music Production systems Cubase and Reason iFlogID: 15545

DJ AVAILABLE- ANYTIME

GIBSON EPIPHONE SG BASS GUITAR.

solid mahogany.great fat tone.VGC.$400. Ph.0428744963.Cooroy. iFlogID: 13029

iFlogID: 15643

CD / DVD

DJ AVAILABLE- ANYTIME

Attention Musicians, Record Collectors, Universities, Libraries - new Book (print/ cdROM/direct download) compiling 100 years of popular music. GO TO www.plattersaurus.com web-site on how to buy. Enquiries: (02) 9807-3137 eMail: nadipa1@yahoo.com.au

www.djzokithefab.com -0416306340 for any dj service club or home or birthday call anytime-GET A REAL DJ NOT MP3 PLAYER OR CRAPPY DOWNLOAD....... VINYL DJ ROCKS iFlogID: 15645

Drummer wanted for Sydney Grunge Band. In Carlingford/Paramatta area 24 years and under. Influences: Silverchair, Nirvana, AIC, Sabbath etc Contact Daniel on 0403 885 433 for more info and demos.

iFlogID: 13287

DRUMS WANTED VINTAGE DRUM KIT, old Ludwig, Gretsch etc. Also want vintage snare drums etc. Sydney based but will pay top $ and arrange courier. Ph 0419760940

iFlogID: 13938

Manager wanted for established artist, industry experience preferred. Brisbane based but looking for the right one Australia wide. Ph: Justin 0467448963 info@ earthgoat.com www.earthgoat.com

iFlogID: 13234

GUITARS FENDER PINK PAISLEY STRAT.

iFlogID: 15871

iFlogID: 13027

GODIN MIDI GUITAR ACS SA Nylon string semi-solid body with piezo and 13-pin MIDI output plus the Terratec Axon AX100 Synth controller & AX101 MIDI pickup. $2,400 including delivery. THE001Music@hotmail.com iFlogID: 13086

iFlogID: 15721

KEYBOARDS

SALES & MARKETING

KORG TRITON Extreme88 synthesizer in new condition with keyboard stand and damper pedal. Worth over $7,000 sell for $4,295 including delivery. Currently in Perth. Phone 0439301165 Email: THE001Music@hotmail.com

Looking for fun, ethical, paid work? Love meeting great people? Looking for a little more out of your career? Check out www.funwaysing.com People needed to send eMails offering a new music Book for sale. Must have own computer - payment by commission via Paypal. Contact Bill on (02) 9807-3137 or eMail: nadipa1@yahoo.com.au

CD MANUFACTURING:Acme is Australias best price CD manufacturer. 500 CD package = $765.05: 1000 CD package = $1320.00 Short run also available. www.AcmeMusic.com.au KevinW@ AcmeMusic.com.au

iFlogID: 13289

iFlogID: 15800

PA / AUDIO / ENGINEERING

iFlogID: 13117

HIRE SERVICES

iFlogID: 15173

MASTERING Audio Mastering, mixing, recording. CD-R music & data duplication, cover artwork, colour disc printing, online global distribution. Full studio package deal for EP or full album projects. Enquiries ph: 02 98905578 iFlogID: 15156

OTHER

Pa hire,set up and pack down,great for bands and functions,We also have lights and sound man.We have over 20 years exp.Email me at nsound@live.com.au with ur event iFlogID: 14205

Sydney PA Hire: Best quality equipment, small to large 2, 3 and 4 way systems, packages for all occasions, competitive prices servicing Sydney and environs. Details; http://www.sydneypa.biz, Chris 0432 513 479 iFlogID: 13943

POSTERS GOLD COAST & NORTHERN NSW Poster distribution for touring artists & bands. Fast, efficient & reliable service at a competitive price www.thatposterguy.com.au iFlogID: 14678

++ play more chinese music - love, tenzenmen ++ www.tenzenmen.com iFlogID: 14468

Get your Band or Business Online Cost effectively and PROFESSIONALLY from $299 including Hosting and email addresses! Contact info@bizwebsites. com.au or see www.bizwebsites.com.au. iFlogID: 15452

Music publicity. Do you want to get noticed? Affordable exposure for your band by someone that actually cares! www.perfectlywrite.com.au Drop me a line! iFlogID: 15737

RECORDING STUDIOS Incubator Recording and Mastering. “Where the grooves are hatched”. Record your next demo or release in a relaxed creative enviroment with experienced engineer. Affordable check it out online at www.incubatorstudio.com.au iFlogID: 13892

Recording Studio, Parramatta, $30hr casual rate. No kits! Singers, songwriters, instrumentalists for acoustic, world, classical genres specialist. 25+yrs exp, multi instrumentalist, arranger, composer, producer. Ph: 02 98905578, 7 days.

WWW.3773BODY.COM iFlogID: 15862

iFlogID: 13230

TOP INTERNATIONAL DRUMMER available, great backing vocals, harmonica player and percussionist. Gigs, tours and recording always desired. www.reubenalexander.net iFlogID: 14261

Drummer and Drum Lessons Drum Lessons avaliable in Gladesville Teach all Levels, ages and experience. Played for 16 years. I studied at Billy Hydes Drumcraft, Obtained Dipolma in Drummming Mob: 0402 663 469 Michael iFlogID: 13703

GUITAR LESSONS BEGINNER to ADVANCED INNER CITY NEWTOWN guarantied guitar playing in days not years all styles Hendrix-Zeppelin etc. Music CD’s teaching tools supplied. Teaching guitar 10years + 0405 044 513 iFlogID: 13973

Music tuition, classical / flamenco guitar, celtic harp, theory & harmony, arranging. 9am - 9pm, 7 days. Parramatta area. $40 hr, $30 half hr. Mature & patient. Harps for hire. Ph: 02 98905578 iFlogID: 15154

VIDEO / PRODUCTION D7 STUDIO MUSIC VID FROM $250 music vid $250. Live gig edits, multiple angles, from $150 or 1 live track from $80. All shot in full HD. d7studio@iinet.net.au ph:0404716770 iFlogID: 13368

Kontrol Productions is a highly professional production company that specializes in the production of music video’s. We ensure that our products are of the highest industry standards. For enquiries www.kontrolproductions.com iFlogID: 13827

MUSIC VIDEOS offer a great way to gain exposure. Immersion Imagery has worked with a variety or artists and strives to offer quality & creative Music Videos. Visit www.immersionimagery.com email info@ immersionimagery.com iFlogID: 13825

GUITARIST 18 year old guitar player looking to form Rock N’ Roll band. Influences: Guns N’ Roses, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, New York Dolls. Preferably in South. Call Tom on 0401722767. iFlogID: 13358

OTHER Percussionist - Professional Freelance Percussionist with 20 years professional experience playing both nationally & internationally. Looking to perform with professional musicians on a freelance basis. Very reliable. Call Timo on 0402980602. iFlogID: 14923

We are a friendly jazz band playing music to any style for romantic situations, weddings, anniversaries, small cozy clubs very affordable. contact Chris 0419 272 196 ventura@yayabings.com.au iFlogID: 15177

SINGER Attractive 25 year old female singer (trained) searching for covers band to either join or create. Prefer pop, country, modern funk, reggae beats contact me on pebblesandbam@hushmail.me iFlogID: 15826

MUSICIANS WANTED BANDS Up & coming bands wanted for gigs-get yourself some exposure in front of small/ med size crowd-send band details & contacts to soundbar@bigpond.com iFlogID: 15385

DJ Looking for a cool DJ to work with in forming a killer club act with live drums/ percussion. Call Al on 0400 909 633 drumpercuss@hotmail.com iFlogID: 14052

ALBUMS t EPS t SINGLES t DEMOS CALL TODAY! t

0437 244 371

iFlogID: 14934

Experienced drummer with a commitment to regular rehearsals and professional performances required for alternative rock band. Influences QOTSA, Foo Fighters, Nirvana etc. www.myspace. com/mollydredd 0411 372 469 iFlogID: 15346

WHO ARE YOU? Are you a reliable Metal Head into Conspiracies who plays Drums or Guitar? CONTROL NEEDS YOU... Contact: 0423 350 259 iFlogID: 15071

GUITARIST 18 year old guitar player looking for another guitar player. Influences: GN’R, Aerosmith, Zeppelin, New York Dolls. Preferrably someone in the south (Shire). Call Tom on 0401722767 iFlogID: 13407

Guitarist wanted for working Sydney party/dance/rock band Party Central. 25 to 45, good gear and transport, available Fridays and Saturdays. fb www.facebook. com/partycentralband. Email Viv on hmpent@ozemail.com.au for more info iFlogID: 15662

SINGER GOSPEL SINGERS WANTED for nondenominational music ministry to record triple-CD in Perth. World-class, passionate and devotional vocalists sought. View www.THE001Music.com for details. Jesus is KIng! Reverend Eslam. God Bless You! iFlogID: 13088

Original Band looking for a vocalist in the South Eastern area. Influnces include Alexisonfire, Rise Against ect. Looking to practise 1-2 times per week. Contact me 0412750722 iFlogID: 15616

SINGER /VOCALIST

wanted experienced vocalist to front our band covers and originals rehearse weekly at Wetherill Park ready to gig soon contact 0417044497 iFlogID: 15913

SERVICES GRAPHIC DESIGN Get your Band or Business Online Cost effectively and PROFESSIONALLY from $299 including Hosting and email addresses! Contact info@bizwebsites. com.au or see www.bizwebsites.com.au. iFlogID: 15450

U-DRIVE NOW AVAILABLE! YOUR STUDIO, U-DRIVE Register now for your free 4 hr session. www.saltstudios.com.au

OPEN 7 DAYS

DRUMMER Energetic drummer needed to form a progressive heavy rock band in Bondi area. Are you serious, determined and able to drive the rhythm section whilst still keeping a groove? Call:0414399413.

Get your Band or Business Online Cost effectively and PROFESSIONALLY- from $399 including UNLIMITED pages, Logos, Hosting and 5xemail addresses and much more! Contact info@bizwebsites.com.au or see www.bizwebsites. com.au

NEW WEBSITE NOW ON LINE www. saltstudios.com.au

FORMER LONDON-BASED EMI STUDIO ENGINEER t

A1 PRO DRUMMER AVAILABLE for freelance gigs, tours etc. Extensive touring experience, gret time/tempo/groove, great drum gear and pro attitude. Sydney based but will travel. More info, ph 0419760940. www.mikehague.com

iFlogID: 15160

www.tbonetunes.com

MUSICIANS AVAILABLE DRUMMER

iFlogID: 15062

iFlogID: 15152

RECORDING STUDIO ST KILDA

03 9005 5946

Contact me for your free chapter of my book “ Chord Voicing for Composers, Arrangers, Songwriters and Pianists”. The complete guide to advance harmony. jdmuspub@gmail.com

OTHER ***

Are you an emerging unsigned independent artist? Free tips, youtubes and workshops (f2f or skype) on band/artist planning and all things indie. Get the edge. Sort out where you wanna go and how you’re gunna get there. www.crazybandplans. com

DUPLICATION/ MASTERING

iFlogID: 13084

iFlogID: 13785

ATTENTION: MUSIC CREATORS

iFlogID: 15218

genuine 1980’s.all original.in case.great tone/action/condition.very rare.$2000 ono.Ph.0428744963.Cooroy

needed-guitarist -drummer -bass player g’day im trying to start a post hardcore band like, a day to remember/ parkway drive looking for members anywhere between sydney and the central coast 0434249005

TUITION

Cardboard Box Studios, Contributor to Rolling Stone Magazine, Dane specialises in providing high quality creative images to a diverse range of clients www. danebeesley.com

For as low as $100, you get a professional sound/pa mixer system with operator for the evening. Suitable for weddings, pub/clubs band gigs, private parties etc. Infovision@yayabings.com.au. Contact Chris 0419272196

REPAIRS Drum-In-Tensions - your local mobile Drum and Percussion service and repairs for Brisbane, Gold Coast and Northern NSW. Free quotes available. Call Timo now on 0402 980 602. iFlogID: 14888

MUSIC SERVICES BAND MERCHANDISE

BASS

www.djzokithefab.com -0416306340 for any dj service club or home or birthday call anytime-GET A REAL DJ NOT MP3 PLAYER OR CRAPPY DOWNLOAD....... VINYL DJ ROCKS

DUDE WHERE’S YA BAND PLAN??

CUBASE AND REASON

03 9592 4233

iFlogID: 13864

LIVE BAND PHOTOS

Gig photography $100 including photos retouched and supplied in digital form. See examples at http://www.charliekinross.com.au under ‘Live Bands’ Contact Charlie on 0414 689 681 iFlogID: 15817

OTHER Get your Band or Business Online Cost effectively and PROFESSIONALLY from $299 including Hosting and email addresses! Contact info@bizwebsites. com.au or see www.bizwebsites.com.au. iFlogID: 15454

Get your Band or Business Online Cost effectively and PROFESSIONALLY- from $399 including UNLIMITED pages, Hosting and 5xemail addresses and much more! Contact info@bizwebsites.com.au or see www.bizwebsites.com.au. iFlogID: 13862

Need to promote your restaurant, club and make it the place to go? Contact us now, because providing good entertainment is a personal skill. Chris 0419 272 196 ventura@yayabings.com.au iFlogID: 15175

PHOTOGRAPHER

LETS CREATE A BUZZ Melbourne Based Photographer Website: www.catherineblackphotography.com Contact: catherine@catherineblackphotography.com iFlogID: 15517

WEBSITESS BUILT FOR $195

You send us the pictures and the content we build you a site! Easy!. For $199 we do static sites, and we HOST IT FOR ONE YEAR FOR FREE. Check out www.indieavenues.com iFlogID: 15658

TATTOO Monstrosity Dreadlocks, Sydney. Dreads and maintenance special: All service $30 per hour. Professional, guaranteed service. Kings Cross. Call 0421356410 iFlogID: 13613

TUITION GUITAR LESSONS BEGINNER to ADVANCED INNER CITY NEWTOWN guarantied guitar playing in days not years all styles Hendrix-Zeppelin etc. Music CD’s teaching tools supplied. Teaching guitar 10years + 0405-044-513 iFlogID: 13975

MUSIC TUITION- Guitar, Bass, Drums, 5 String Banjo. Catering for all ages, private one on one lessons. Rock, Blues, Country, Jazz, Slide, Finger Picking. Sutherland Shire.Contact Terry- 0402 993 268 iFlogID: 15166

P&O DJ CRUISE

P&O and DJ Bootcamp present, 8 day, 3 island professional DJ Cruise # 2. Nov 26th, 2012. Book early and save. www. djbootcamp.com.au iFlogID: 15754

STAND-UP COMEDY WORKSHOP

Graphic Design for the music industry. Work to your budget and needs for your next logo, flyer, album art or merch design.Contact design@dillonashcroft. com or head to dillonashcroft.com

Have fun learning invaluable comedy, presentation & life skills from ARIA nominated Robert Grayson w JJJ Raw Comedy finalists in 3 states in 2011 www.youstandup. com Robert@youstandup.com Ring 0401 834 361 iFlogID: 15113

iFlogID: 15606

Limited Edition mens tees and hoodies with a sense of humour. All hand-screened and numbered. monstrositystore.com iFlogID: 13611

info@saltstudios.com.au

$30 $55 $50 $50

$80

RECORDING PROJECT ROOM FROM $100 8dbegZ]Zch^kZ E6 hnhiZbh YZa^kZgZY! hZi je VcY

deZgViZY l^i] XgZl#

8dbeVXi! ZVhn id jhZ hdjcY hnhiZbh ndj XVc e^X`je

VcY VhhZbWaZ ndjghZa[#

8dbedcZcih hjX] Vh b^Xgde]dcZh! heZV`Zgh VcY Z[[ZXih

VgZ Vahd VkV^aVWaZ hZeVgViZan# E]dcZ BVg` 7Vggn %( .--. &... dg %)&. ..( .++ lll#WhhdjcY#Xdb#Vj WhhdjcY5W^\edcY#Xdb

themusic.com.au

$40 $65 $60 $60 $15 $20