Time Off Issue 1595 by TheMusic.com.au

SETH SENTRY

MYSTERY JETS

OH MERCY

PAUL CAPSIS

EVERMORE FUTURE ISLANDS TZU THE RED PAINTINGS

N O W AVA I L A BL E O N I PA D • 19 S E P T E M BE R 2 012 • 15 9 5 • F R E E

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FOREWORD LINE

NEWS FROM THE FRONT

DINOSAURS ROCK

IN BRIEF

Brisbane’s favourite indie rock/power-pop band Last Dinosaurs have announced a second under18s show. The band have been high off the release of their debut album In A Million Years, released in March this year and filled with catchy and extremely well-produced tracks, making an Australia top-ten debut and reaching number two on the digital album charts. The band then completed a sold-out Million Years national tour and then completed a tour of the UK and Europe, with plans to release the album there in September. The second under-18s show will be at the Alhambra Lounge on Saturday 3 November with special guests The Jungle Giants. Proudly presented by Time Off.

VIOLENT HOME

It’s been a long time between drinks for Brisbane’s Violent Soho who are returning home for their first headline shows in over two years, celebrating the release of the upcoming double a-side 7” Tinderbox/Neighbour Neighbour to be released through I Oh You in early November. After signing to Thurston Moore’s Ecstatic Peace label, the band relocated to the US after releasing their self-titled sophomore LP in 2010. This move proved to be the right one for the band as they later toured with high profile bands such as Dinosaur Jr, Built To Spill and The Bronx and saw their single Jesus Stole My Girlfriend reach #21 on the Billboard alt charts. The Brisbane show will be Friday 23 November at the Alhambra Lounge with special guests. Tickets are $12+BF Presale or $15 at the door, available through Oztix.

Often credited as the man who patented indie music for the masses, Morrissey’s wit, swelling guitar anthems and signature sorrow have defined a musical path that many other bands have since travelled down and tried to emulate. Morrissey will return to our shores for the first time in over a decade in a run of shows through December. Seen as one of the most influential figures in music over the last 20 years, anticipation will be high and these shows are sure to sell out. Joining Morrissey on tour will be American singer-songwriter Kristeen Young, whose performances are marked by widely emotional energy and mastering of the piano. The Brisbane show will be on Monday 17 December at the Brisbane Convention Centre – tickets available through Ticketek.

Local post-hardcore outfit The Amity Affliction have stolen the ARIA Album Chart number one from moody London indie band The xx and hotlytipped Sydney dance duo The Presets this week, who finished in numbers two and three respectively.

I WANNA BE DEFECTED

10 • TIME OFF

Perth indie-pop kids San Cisco have signed a label deal with Fat Possum/RCA Records for all territories outside of Australia and New Zealand. They become the first Australian band to sign with the very well-respected label. Australian singer and songwriter Sia has continued her dream run of chart success this week, with yet another track entering into the UK singles chart. The track She Wolf (Falling To Pieces), which is another collaboration with David Guetta, entered the UK chart at #14 and the dance chart at #2.

ONE FOR MORRISSEY

Long-serving Irish punk rockers The Defects will be bringing their hard-hitting rock to Australia in October. The Defects formed way back in 1979 and started out as just a classic punk-rock cover band but later refined their own style of aggressive punk, however they disbanded in 1984. Nearly 25 years after they broke up, the band were approached and asked to reform in order to play the prestigious Punk & Disorderly Festival in Blackpool in 2009, and since then The Defects have rediscovered their passion and love for music. The band will tear up rock the Prince Of Wales Hotel on Saturday 20 October with hard-hitting special guests Anger In Motion, Prophet Margin and Plan Of Attack. Tickets are $34.70 and are available online now from Oztix.

Chet Faker has dominated the nominations for this year’s Jagermeister Independent Music Awards, with five in total. 360 picked up four, while Royal Headache, The Jezabels and locals DZ Deathrays picked up a few each. The awards will be presented in Melbourne on Tuesday 16 October.

LISA’S BLESS

It has been three years since Lisa Mitchell’s debut album Wonder first set hearts alight and then went on to win the Australian Music Prize for album of the year, as well as attaining platinum-plus sales status. The singer undertook a relentless touring schedule that saw her support Mumford & Sons as well as her own headlining tours. Now the talented songstress returns with her latest offering Bless This Mess to be released on 12 October. This title is a reference to life and all its wonderful chaos and colour, and in support of the release she will set out on a national tour that will see shows played throughout Queensland beginning on Friday 2 November at The Tivoli, Saturday 3 at The Coolangatta Hotel (Gold Coast), Sunday 4 at Woombye Pub (Sunshine Coast) and then finishing Monday 5 at the Byron Bay Community Centre (all ages and licensed show), with support from Evermore’s Dann Hume in his guise of Danco.

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Melbourne outfit Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes have moved up in the US charts this week, making it to number five on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums list, hitting the Independent Albums chart at number 32 and the Billboard 200 at number 167.

A LONG OVERDUE MUTINY!

Renowned Melbourne punk/folk band Mutiny, whose slogan is “Folk punk for punk folk” are set to bring their unique musical stylings to Queensland. Mutiny have been around since forming in 1991 and have toured all throughout Australia, the United States and some parts of Europe. Their unique blend of folk and punk has been described as ‘pirate’ music and many of their songs tend to revolve around the lives and issues of working-class people, convicts, Australian history as well as having a strong anti-authoritarian stance which also comes out during their exciting live performances. The Prince Of Wales Hotel will play host to Mutiny on Saturday 17 November along with special guests The Great Shame and Paddy McHugh & The Goldminers.

ED’S PASSENGER

After wowing audiences throughout Australia last year English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran announced he will return to our shores in 2013, and now this news is even more exciting with the announcement of special guest Passenger, the moniker of UK singer-songwriter Mike Rosenberg. Rosenberg has well and truly become an adopted son of Australia, Passenger having spent the last three years touring and busking persistently to develop a much adoring fanbase. It was during Passenger’s first visit to Australia that he met Josh Pyke, and it was from that friendship that Passenger’s album Flight Of The Crow spawned with collab’s from Matt Corby and Kate Miller-Heidke. You can catch Passenger supporting Ed Sheeran on Saturday 2 March at the Brisbane Riverstage. Tickets from Ticketmaster.

MASTERS OF INDUSTRY

Germany’s iconic and infamous avant-industrial band Einsturzende Neubauten will be making the trip down under for the 2013 ATP I’ll Be Your Mirror bash, and have taken full advantage of their opportunity down under announcing headlining shows on their own in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. The band’s fearsome live shows have become legendary after literally trying to bring the house down (with jackhammers) on more than one occasion. They were founded in West Berlin in 1980 and quickly became known for their intense noise assaults, bloodcurdling screams and trenchant use of hair-raising instrumentation – often constructed from scrap metal and bludgeoned and dismantled onstage with handyman tools – to enhance their already visceral sound. The Brisbane show will take place on Saturday 23 February at The Tivoli, tickets available online at Handsome Tours and Ticketek. Proudly presented by Street Press Australia.

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EMBRACING THE UNCERTAINTY BRISBANE RISING

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks are coming down to Australia for the Brisbane Festival, and Malkmus has fond (although vague) recollections of both the country and the city. “It’s pretty crazy that we’ve been there so many times,” he says. “I always like to go to Australia – the flying is a little bit of a drag in a certain way because you have to fly [between cities] to each show, but that being said it’s quick and the airports aren’t psycho like American airports and there’s not crazy crowds and stuff like that, so usually it’s kind of painless. But the weather and the people and the food are great, and the hotel rooms are usually really big – more like apartments than hotel rooms – those are all good things.” And his memories of Brisbane are even more general, although they involve The Zoo, The Tivoli and photos of goth rock gods holding native fauna at Lone Pine Sanctuary. “Scott [Kannberg – aka Spiral Stairs] from Pavement lives there now out in the suburbs, so I’m looking forward to seeing him and his family. We went to pat the koalas at a nature reserve outside of town there, and Marilyn Manson must have been there before, they had a picture of him holding some wildlife. Wildlife holding wildlife. What else? We usually play at this venue which reminds me of an Austin-style venue, like a big loud, open space. The last show I played there sounded really great, so I liked it there. I saw some really big spiders on the wall of my hotel – like sub-tropical spiders. You have free internet at McDonalds there – I was looking for internet once, so I remember that. When Pavement played there we played in a beautiful old theatre – that was nice. I mean Brisbane rising, that’s what I say.” don’t sound that good because they’re recorded on hand-held tape recorders at shows and stuff. ” The songs on Mirror Traffic were shorter and hookier than the Jicks material which directly preceded it, which had a predilection for longer, jammier songs – which way is his muse dragging him this time?

On the eve of hitting town for Brisbane Festival with his band The Jicks in tow, Stephen Malkmus talks to Steve Bell about Israeli undies, staving off poverty with guitars and his need for perpetual forward motion.

or some reason it seems incongruous that Stephen Malkmus and his family are living in Berlin these days. Nothing against the German capital, far from it – it’s almost bohemian in vibe since the Berlin Wall came down and an incredible place to visit, fast becoming a tourist mecca – but maybe that’s the conundrum. Ever since his days fronting slacker indie legends Pavement, Malkmus has seemed almost contrary in nature, preferring to swim against the tide of popularity instead of going with the flow, inadvertently setting the pace for the indie hordes rather than reacting. He moved to Portland way before it became the hipster enclave of today and now he’s decamped to even more exotic climes, yet whatever his reason for uprooting he seems perfectly content in his new adopted home. “It’s nice this time of year for sure, it’s really a laidback summer place,” he tells of Berlin in his trademark semi-wasted drawl. “It’s a big city like New York or London, but it’s less crowded and just kinda laidback in a certain way. You probably wouldn’t think that – a lot of Australians have been here so you might have been here – but in my mind I assume that some people think of it as some upstart party town where there’s a lot of graffiti, but it’s not really like that – it’s all wide roads and parks and bicycling everywhere, it’s great.” With his band The Jicks having just completed a European tour – still on the promo trail for 2011’s Mirror Traffic, the fifth long-player of his post-Pavement career – it must have almost been like a hometown run for the newly-minted European resident. “For me it wasn’t so far to go, but the other people were pretty worn out,” Malkmus continues. “It was a fun tour. We went to Israel – I’m wearing some Israeli underwear right now, but I’m looking at them and they’re already decaying. They’re cheap – they were a gift. I hadn’t been there since the ‘90s, I’ve never been there with a band. People were really psyched at the show – they were really nice and really wanted to interact with us, it was great. Thinking back on it the energy that some people give, I wish I would jump around more or something [on stage], but I can’t really pretend to jump around. It was great trip though. “We went to Sicily – that was great, we played some boutique festivals – and going to new places is cool, but also you’re working and you want to be 14 • TIME OFF

back with your family too at times. If we could just play shows in Berlin only, that would probably be the best for me technically, but that’s not how it works. But we get to go to nice places and we don’t abuse ourselves too hard with the touring – it’s a reasonable amount – and we want to play and we want people to have a relationship with us still, and that’s the best way. This is our version of direct marketing – we just go to your town and you can see us play. “You need to [tour] just to keep a band going. I think if you’re just a bedroom artist you can just release stuff and play a couple of shows now and then, and you can have an existence and be part of the dialogue and have people hear you, but if you’re going to have four or five people in a band then you have to tour to keep the musicians employed – otherwise everyone’s going to go broke,” he laughs. “That’s the business.” In recent times The Jicks have undertaken a line-up change – former Sleater-Kinney drummer Janet Weiss left the group to reunite with Carrie Brownstein in Wild Flag, being replaced by

“

According to Malkmus the songs from Mirror Traffic are translating well live, even if some feel that its producer Beck may have been sabotaging the size of the project’s sound from within. “It’s the kind of thing where we liked the record fine how it is, but now that we’ve played them live a bunch it sounds way better now – friends of mine who saw us in Cologne the other day were, like, ‘I’m starting to think that Beck fucked you up!’” he chuckles. “Everything’s just more powerfulsounding now. The record was kind of purposefully medium-small in a way. I was hearing this band The Black Keys in a cafe the other day – everyone loves this band, and they’re really cool guys and I like them too – but then also it’s this small, Danger Mouse sound; small but cool sounding. I think Beck was doing something like that. It’s not like some battle to get to the biggest sound. But live it’s just a bigger sound, it’s more in-your-face. But I like the Mirror Traffic record, it’s cool.

[TOURING] IS OUR VERSION OF DIRECT MARKETING – WE JUST GO TO YOUR TOWN AND YOU CAN SEE US PLAY.”

ex-Joggers skinsman Jake Morris – but Malkmus believes that the change has been beneficial. Plus he comes up with a patentable idea in the process. “He’s perfect for us, it’s really fun and I’m really happy with him,” he enthuses of Morris. “We were hitting our stride at the end of this tour just now, last week the place where we played one of our shows was really hot – it was a club and I guess that makes you play more intensely too, when you’re completely drenched in sweat. It’s been really hot in Europe the last couple of weeks, that’s something to remember – you should probably put heating pads all over you and you’d play better, although your clothes would get soaked and that’s a problem if you’re travelling light like the modern traveller does today.”

“It was cool working with Beck, he’s great. He’s just a straight-up person – he’s very clear about what he’s doing, and he doesn’t turn up to the studio wasted or anything. He’s ready to work and he’s level-headed. He was present – he was listening and he was into his duties as a producer. It wasn’t like he was just stamping his name on the back of the record or something, it was cool.” And in great news for fans of Malkmus, he declares that The Jicks have a heap of new material ready to go. “We’ve got tons of tunes, they’re just waiting to be recorded really,” he shrugs. “I mean there’s already a million of them, and they’re out there on YouTube if you’re really interested – they just

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“There’s a couple of potentially sprawling ones,” Malkmus ponders. “There’s some energetic numbers and there’s some trippy numbers and there’s some catchy ones too. I think it’s in the same boat as Mirror Traffic, except I expect to record it differently so it’ll just naturally sound different. I expect maybe even more jammy performance things, at least from the drummer’s side and perhaps even the guitar, but we’ll see. I’ve got to just get in there and see how it sounds.” Malkmus’ post-Pavement body of work is now basically as large as his work with his former outfit – is he proud of what he’s achieved since Pavement called it quits back in 1999, and is he happy being a Jick? “Yeah, I’m proud of it. I just keep plugging away,” he tells. “I think the band is a good live band and they can hold their own. We don’t have any major hits really – or even any big dumb songs that we can play at festivals where everyone loses their shit – but we do have solid songs and good jams, and it’s always different when we play, so that might be interesting. I think those are the benefits, but we could use a couple more festival bangers. Although not a lot of people have more than one of those, unless you’re like a legend. “But I feel like it’s a band, totally. It’s a band with a songwriter, but it sounds like these people and I willingly want it to be that way. A band’s more than just its songwriter, and they enable me to do that stuff in a way where it comes easy – musically and in all facets of being in a band – and that’s what you’re hoping for at the end of the day.” Even spending most of 2010 on the road with the Pavement reunion basically reinforced his love for The Jicks. “The Pavement thing was really fun, but it didn’t feel like it was the present for me and I don’t really like to feel as a musician as if I’m just going through the old motions – I wouldn’t want to do that forever,” he ponders. “It’s hard to say though, I loved playing some of those old Pavement songs and the guys were great, but there was no forward creative motion in it anymore, so I guess it’s nice to be in a band that’s just about new songs and the questions and uncertainty of what might come next. And I just work efficiently with this group – we have a mature relationship I think which is nice. The divisions of labour are good, we all have our roles – on stage and off – and it seems to work.” WHO: Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks WHEN & WHERE: Tuesday 25 and Wednesday 26 September, The Spiegeltent

TIME OFF • 15

THE PROVERBIAL CURVEBALL Melbourne’s Oh Mercy are back, more dangerous and sexier than ever with record number three and a new sonic attitude. Mainman Alexander Gow explains to Ben Preece just how deep Deep Heat goes.

f there is one thing you can’t accuse Alexander Gow of being, it’s unambitious. It can’t have been an easy road to this album number three – Deep Heat – having experienced making records solo, losing original member Thom Savage and expanding the Oh Mercy banner to something that now genuinely feels like a band with the inclusion of Eliza Lam, Rohan Sforcina and Simon Okely. Deep Heat abandons the acousticbased and confessional nature of Gow’s music on the first two records – 2009’s Privileged Woes and 2011’s major label debut and acknowledged “breakthrough” Great Barrier Grief – and trades it for something brasher, something sexier and something with a deep groove where basslines and sturdy drums dictate

a classic swagger that’s always been present in Gow’s music. This time, however, it’s a different beast entirely. “The birthing of Deep Heat, conceptually at least, came out of my realisation that people had managed to pigeonhole me as a serious, earnest singer/songwriter, which is fair enough considering the last record that I made,” Gow outlines thoughtfully. “But I’m not comfortable with the idea of being defined musically or even socially, so once I cottoned on that people had gotten comfortable with that idea of me, I thought it’d be fun for me – subversive and interesting – to throw them a curveball and shake up their expectations a bit. That was the first and probably the most important realisation.” Deep Heat is a record of vibrant and forward-thinking proportions. It takes Oh Mercy on an entirely fresh sonic path. Vocally, Gow is finer form than ever, yelping like a banshee on the likes of album highlight Pilgrim Blues and overall spitting hormone-driven and fictional lyrics over a sound crafted with producer Burke Reid. The influences are very present, though never derivative – My Man is a slinky Roxy Music-esque gem, while the glam-driven title track and pulsating bass-led first single Drums swagger on the right side of sexy arrogance and Still Making Me Pay takes on a direct reggae flavour. “I’d always loved ‘70s R&B and groove-based music and late‘70s glam rock and reggae and dub music,” explains Gow of the album’s influences. “So I figured I might access that palette of my appreciation of music. I feel I still write music in the method I always have, except that I knew that I was going to execute them differently and I knew I was going to be subtracting all the rhythm-playing, there’s no one playing acoustic guitar – all the chords changes are implied by the bass guitar. So yes, same old songwriting so I do feel I’ve thrown the proverbial curveball.” Following the completion duties for Great Barrier Grief, Gow decided he wanted to shake up the sound so he decamped to Portland, Oregon for a couple of months and set out to make the transformation with Reid at the helm. His memories of the time are vivid.

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“I remember drinking mountains of beer,” he says, placing utmost importance on the alcohol. “It’s really, really cheap over there. I remember riding ten kilometres every second day around Lake Oswego with Rohan. I remember drinking a ton of coffee. I remember Law & Order: Special Victims Unit being constantly on repeat on American TV, I fell in love with a couple of the actresses – in and out a few times. I remember how excitable Burke was and the endless amount of fuel that his creativity continuously burns on. I remember talking to him and describing approaches with him and generally talking with our crotches, while thrusting at one and other to try and explain the kind of sax solo we wanted on the song. I remember when Burke shaved his beard off and looked about 12 years old. I remember writing and recording Deep Heat, the song; I wrote it the first day and recorded it the second day – I wrote it in the shower while Rohan was setting up the drums, I was upstairs in the shower and I could hear him playing that shuffle feel and I had always wanted to write a song with that feel and I did.” For the first time, Gow put the personal musings aside and began to write in third person. It all started with a song called My Man which was written on the piano from the perspective of a woman, a little trick he wanted to try after reading a chapter in Paul Kelly’s memoir How To Make Gravy. “Paul Kelly famously does that and does it better than anyone,” he says. “I thought that would be an interesting exercise in writing. So I wrote My Man, and it was a whole bunch of fun and a lot easier than I expected. It paved the way for the rest of the album to be this fictional style of writing. I think the reason that it’s easier is because when I don’t have to be super-earnest and sincere and I am writing fictional work.” Some of the most obvious presences on Deep Heat are those of Gow’s influences. Clearly stemming from the pop world, Gow is simply too young to have lived through the material he clearly adores, so how did he exactly hear this music he seems to reference? “My knowledge of music isn’t as vast as some but it is vast. If you heard me doing an iPod DJ set at a house party, you’d probably notice that I don’t own many records passed 1987 or something. I grew up listening to ‘60s pop groups and singers that I still love like Dusty Springfield, Nancy Sinatra, Dionne Warwick, Scott Walker, Lee Hazlewood – stuff like that. My love of pop music stemmed from all those and then I discovered all the songwriters, hearing The Velvet Underground was a big deal and all that combined, well, that opens up a lot of different avenues.” It’s not only the sound and aesthetic that has changed for Oh Mercy, the band’s live show itself has shifted the goalposts considerably. “Eliza has had to really step up, it’s her record – the bass is the most prominent instrument on the whole thing,” Gow explains. “There’s fuck all guitar on it which is good for me because I never really liked the guitar in my music – I’m not playing guitar anymore, I’m just singing. I’m going to do the frontguy thing – it could be sink or swim, we’ll see how we go. I did it on the Finn Brothers show and then with The Triffids, that’s given me the confidence to try it at least. But Annabel [Grigg], our keyboard player, and Eliza are kind of the stars of the show musically. It’s going to be a whole new ballgame.” WHO: Oh Mercy WHAT: Deep Heat (EMI) oztix.com.au

16 • TIME OFF

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WHEN & WHERE: Friday 21 September, The Zoo; Saturday 22, Joe’s Waterhole, Eumundi

SLOW BURNS & EXPLOSIONS Seth Sentry released his breakthrough single The Waitress Song back in 2009. Matt O’Neill corners the Melbourne MC to find out why it’s taken three years to deliver debut album This Was Tomorrow.

ven today, Seth Sentry’s The Waitress Song stands up to scrutiny. Conceived as something of a throwaway novelty when recorded for Sentry’s debut EP The Waiter Minute, it swiftly gained momentum upon release and has since gone on to become the most downloaded track on triple j Unearthed. Three years later, it’s still a remarkably clever and crafted piece of music. “I was definitely surprised when that took off the way it did,” Sentry says candidly. “You know, we weren’t even going to include that song on that EP in the first place. [Producer] Matik didn’t even like it when I first showed it to him and it’s just a weird song. It’s all a bit silly – and, really, a bit stalkerish, when you think about it. Still, people seemed to really connect with it. A lot of stalkers out there, apparently.”

A warm, gentle, slightly silly song chronicling Sentry’s idle crush on the waitress of a particularly unimpressive local diner, The Waitress Song is an almost stunning showcase of the Melbourne MC’s innate lyricism and personality. Atop a lush and bleary instrumental backdrop, Sentry’s almost-sung flow dances cleverly around the narrative – a knack for detail helping to paint a comprehensive portrait of the MC’s chosen subject matter.

“Really, everything is shocking to me. The fact that people rock up to my gigs and sing my lyrics is just shocking to me,” he laughs. “Really, I just want a copy of the album to give to my mum and I want a copy of the album to sit in my bedroom. Anything beyond that will be just a bonus, really.” WHO: Seth Sentry WHAT: This Was Tomorrow (High Scope/Inertia) WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 20 September, The Zoo; Friday 9 November, Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay; Saturday 10, Sprung Festival @ RNA Showgrounds

“Everything I do is quite conceptual. It’s one of the reasons it takes me so long to write songs,” Sentry says of his approach. “When I hear a beat and stuff, I see a little movie in my head and I just try and fit words to that movie – but, because I’ve got such a specific picture and sound in my head, it can take me quite a while to capture it. I’m trying to get to a specific kind of point. “You know, I’m not very loose or freeform with my flow. When I listen to my songs, I don’t hear flow, really. I hear something that I tried very hard to get to... You know, I like hearing dudes just rap and take listeners on a journey and you don’t know where they’re going to end up,” the MC muses. “But that’s not really how I play. I usually have a very specific idea and I’m trying to sum everything up in a song – beginning, middle and end, you know?” This could explain why Sentry’s taken three years to actually capitalise on the success of his breakthrough single. The MC has hardly been idle in the years since Waitress‘ release – collaborating with Horrorshow and 360, touring the country and dropping the occasional follow-up single – but it’s nevertheless taken him three years to significantly expand his body of work beyond that initial EP with debut album This Was Tomorrow. “Well, when we did the EP, that was going to be the album, at first. When things took off for The Waitress Song, we decided to just put out an EP instead – so, really, it’s taken closer to four years. And, really, laziness was a massive part of that. Don’t get me wrong – when I say it took me four years to write the album, it wasn’t because I was labouring in my room for four years making it. “That would be awesome if that’s what actually happened – but that’s definitely not the way things ran,” the MC laughs, a little embarrassed. “It was also simply a case of the EP doing so well. We could tour off the back of that EP, which was a bit stupid, but we just kept getting gigs out of it and that was too awesome to ignore. Really, though, laziness was a big part of it. It feels good to be motivated and working again.” Sentry’s style is something else. He’s representative of a newer breed of Australian hip hop. Stepping away from the harsher and more direct approach Australian hip hop has been known for over the past decade, Sentry’s style is more in line with the hyper-melodic eclecticism of acts like 360, Illy and other rising stars. His flow is almost as sung as it is spoken – his beats unstintingly gorgeous. “Well, I never actually set out to do anything different,” the MC counters. “I mean, I like traditional hip hop. I’m coming at this as a massive rap fan. Have been forever. I’m just not trying to emulate my favourite rapper – because that’s not me. I always find it weird when I hear dudes who clearly sound like their favourite rappers. I mean, the reason you like most rappers is because they don’t sound like anyone else. “I’ve never really thought about it, to be honest. I just hear a beat and the flow and the tone of my voice is just the first thing that comes to me,” he says casually. “We’re definitely in a place in Australian hip hop, though, where sub-genres are kind of starting to form. It’s just evolution, though. It’s all rad music. I don’t see any reason to get particularly caught up in it.” What separates Sentry from his contemporaries is his categorical lack of ambition. Where peers like 360 or Illy chase their crowds and respond to their detractors with equally vitriolic commitment, Sentry seems perpetually easy-going. One actually suspects that This Was Tomorrow took so long to eventuate largely because Sentry didn’t feel any overwhelming need to deliver it. “At first, I felt a little bit of pressure from The Waitress Song. I had to make a conscious decision to just let that go, though. You’ll just do your head in thinking about stuff like that; ‘Oh, I’ve got to write the next hit, I’ve got to deliver the next EP‘,” Sentry muses. “You’re just going to get nothing done. You know, it’s a curse you see a lot of bands deal with – just trying to live up to something for their entire career. “You know, man, I just want to hold that album. That’s all I want,” the MC says bluntly. “I just enjoy rapping, man. Anything that happens beyond me simply being allowed to do what I love doing is a bonus for me. I have got no plans for world domination. I’m not really too interested in blowing up or getting famous or any shit like that. If that does happen, it’ll be solely as a by-product of me doing what I love. It’s not a priority.

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THE MYSTERIOUS WEST Blaine Harrison, the wild-haired lynchpin of Londoners Mystery Jets, talks Benny Doyle through their fantastic fourth record Radlands and explains why Austin was as much a compromise as it was an obvious choice.

lways seen as one of the more quirky and intriguing musical prospects on the British indie landscape, Mystery Jets have delivered yet another curious curveball in the way of Radlands, their soundtrack to the dusty roads of the USA. Led by the partnered vocals of co-frontman Harrison and his longtime bandmate and friend William Rees, the quartet have channelled their experiences into a warm and expansive album that all but puts you on the adjacent bar stool. And unsurprisingly, the band is buying. Enjoying a break from touring at his London home while the Olympics take place around him, Harrison coyly admits that although he didn’t expect to, he’s quickly warmed to the sports-driven hyperbole that comes with the world’s largest spectacle. “I’m not really a big sports fan or anything like that, but I was surprised by the ceremony; it was quite good,” Harrison confesses. “I think a lot of Londoners were surprised. I feel weird saying it but I’m interested in the Olympics. I didn’t think I would be at all. It’s always seemed to me that everyone in London has been paranoid about being nationalistic. It’s strange, you go somewhere like America and no one thinks twice about having the stars and stripes hanging off their houses, but here there’s almost a certain shame about being nationalistic, but that has kind of all disappeared during the Olympics. It’s all quite twee, waving the Union Jack around.” It’s funny that Harrison mentions the word “twee”. It’s a term that Mystery Jets have at times bordered on. But their sentimental nature seems rooted in honesty, life experience, learning and loving. This is more apparent than ever before on Radlands. Through the fictional character Emmerson Lonestar, the record documents the plundering lifestyle of a desert troubadour, managing to mix idealistic American nature with rogue English sharps in arguably their most cohesive body of work. “It’s always important for us with albums, that from start to finish they immerse you in something and they take you… not necessarily on a journey, but they suck you into a world and spit you back out half an hour later,” Harrison states. “I think with Radlands we felt like we definitely wanted it to be one of those kinds of records. It wasn’t an album built

around singles, which we have done in the past; I think it’s sort of based on America, which is something we basically got from a comic book we wrote to accompany the record, and that very much influenced the themes on the album. It very loosely follows this narrative, which is essentially this three-part modern western. You can order it online and read it, and it’s very much an accompaniment to the record.” So, is this Mystery Jets’ take on a concept album? “In a sense it is,” he remarks. “I don’t think we set out to make a concept record, but when we came back [home] we realised that it was such a separate reality to being back in London that we needed to bottle it as something. This character Lonestar came out and the story plays out around him, and a book was just the next logical thing. The first part is already out and the second two parts will be coming out in the autumn and around Christmas as a graphic novel.” To record the album, the band removed themselves from their safe haven of Eel Pie Island on the Thames and threw themselves into the beating core of America – Austin, Texas. It was a decision, Harrison admits, that made sense after their third record Serotonin. However, as much as the vibrant city lent itself to be a somewhat obvious choice, it took differing desires in regards to a recording location to land the band on the banks of the Colorado River.

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“In a way it could have been anywhere. We’ve always made our records in London and it’s so easy to get wrapped up in our own world over here. I think going away somewhere where we were away from all our friends, I think that’s what we knew we needed to do; and live in a house together, which we’ve never done before,” he explains. “But in terms of why America and why Austin – I remember that I really wanted to go to LA and make a real ‘70s kind of Neil Young sort of record, and then a couple of the guys wanted to go to New Orleans and be a part of those all-night street parties where soul bands play on the stoops – so Austin was a

compromise because it was roughly halfway between the two. But just being there in the past for SXSW, it really is a special place and it’s a very freethinking and liberal city and I think it was the right place to go. “Texas is, in many ways, the heartland of America,” he continues, “and it’s insane how much they love their country over there. But Austin is kind of like this little blue dot in this big red square; Austin’s actually a very cultured town and there’s lots of interesting young people doing cool things in the technological world – IBM moved there, for example – [so] it has a real identity in that sense. But you can also see all the old bluegrass and bar bands just playing on little stages to people who still dress like cowboys.” Since the British rock’n’roll explosion of the ‘60s, America has always stood to be somewhat of a musical frontier country. Fifty years on, and that romanticism still remains. Mystery Jets arrived with wide-eyes and dreams, and they departed, thankfully, with much of the same. “It’s such a huge place and just touching on that, I dunno, you could write a whole series of records on it,” Harrison muses. “And it definitely bought something out in us

just in terms of writing together. We really connected. Like, we were all reading the same books and it was just an exploration of our imagination, I think, because part of Radlands is a fantasy; it’s partly based on the world that we found out there and perhaps the world that we wanted to find out there, which was things we’d seen in films and all this imagery that comes from Hollywood. “I’ve always found that feeling like a fish out of water is conducive to songwriting,” he concludes. “I think being a stranger somewhere is always a good perspective to write from, and it’s not hard to feel like a stranger in Texas, so it was very fruitful for us. And there are still songs [left over] that didn’t make it onto Radlands and songs that have just come up since then, so I think in terms of the music being an exploration of that culture and that imagery, I think there is going to be more coming.” WHO: Mystery Jets WHAT: Radlands (Remote Control/Inertia) WHEN & WHERE: Tuesday 25 September, The Hi Fi

PARTING THE WATERS Baltimore’s Future Islands specialise in intense pop experiences that are both morose and effervescent. Gerrit Welmers explains to Brendan Telford how such a union is a part of life.

merging from the creative melting pot that is the Baltimore music scene, which in recent times has given the world such disparate sounds as Beach House, Double Dagger and Deerhoof, synth romanticists Future Islands have evolved from a frenetic electro menagerie intent on starting parties and freaking out into a tortured pop opera, straddling highly strung affectedness, anguished theatricality and intimacy laid bare. The trio interweave Gerrit Welmer’s sonorous synthesisers and William Cashion’s guitars with ringleader Sam Herring’s iconic vocals, evoking the more flamboyant fringes of pop whilst staying firmly rooted in a punk-like visage. Whilst 2010’s excellent album In Evening Air was steeped in the quagmire of a failed relationship, the rich tapestry of sounds presented transcended the potential pomposity to craft a truly resonant suite of songs. This year’s release On The Water steps even further away from their bombastic beginnings, creating a tempered soft-focus atmosphere for Herring to self-flagellate over love lost and in doing so offers a powerful-yet-tortured work of art. The change in tempo and atmosphere on On The Water wasn’t a conscious effort to ensure that Future Islands is ever-evolving; rather it was spawned from the desire for self-preservation after years of incessant touring.

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“When we started writing and recording On The Water it was a time we had finished a lot of touring, and we were exhausted,” Welmers admits. “What came out of that was something slower; there was more space to breathe within the songs, less cluttered. We didn’t specifically sit down with anything in mind; it was primarily a release from the constant touring. It re-energised us.”

I might write a faster, dancier song, or maybe talk about a set tempo, but other than that we just create without any pre-planned focus. I spend a lot of time writing up the keyboard stuff and the programming, getting rough ideas and showing the guys. If they like it we’ll play around, try to come up with a bass line and guitar, the standard songwriting process I guess. But we record all of our practices, so we jam things out, often without talking to each other beforehand. We never write on the road, we are very much in the mindset of doing shows, but when we get home we try to decompress, to gather our feelings of what’s just happened, then come together and see what’s settled.” Nevertheless the album is Future Islands’ first record that hangs together in its entirety, an elegiac musing on life’s greatest conundrums – love, both acquired and lost, grief, desolation, and deliverance. Not exactly the most uplifting of thematic concepts, yet the trio have taken morose ponderings to another realm to the point where the juxtaposition of the positive and negative aspects of living co-exists naturally. “I think that we have worked hard on maturing our sound; our first album (2008’s Wave Like Home) we recorded in a few days, whereas we lived with these songs for some time,” Welmers concedes. “We haven’t ever really gone into making throwaway songs, but the earlier stuff was written all over the place. On The Water is of a time and place, and I think that helped for them to join together so well. Also these aren’t negative songs; they touch on sad or emotional things, but most of them are positive and uplifting. I don’t think people get bummed out by us; Sam’s lyrics are mature and heartfelt, yet the music is catchy. We want to enjoy life without leaving out the reality of it.”

Whilst there was the communal need to recharge the batteries, the writing process for On The Water was much vaguer in concept.

Although it is somewhat tempered on their latest release, Herring’s vocals are at the forefront of the Future Islands aesthetic, his powerful, throaty and at times delirious delivery proving to be a divisive touchstone. He sings like a man possessed, as if the vocals control him. Live it makes perfect sense, yet on record it is something that more difficult to harness.

“We just sort of create, we never have any idea where things will go,” Welmer muses. “There are times when

“It is entirely Sam, there is no denying it, he is a force of nature,” Welmers says. “To us it’s perfectly natural,

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but we realise that he is a one of a kind, and that isn’t always going to connect with everyone. When we play live we just do our thing and it’s up to Sam to reel the crowd in. And it will either (a) energise them, or (b) terrify them. Sometimes the crowd won’t connect, but it’s not from a lack of trying. He can definitely get into people’s faces, and I think it’s necessary to light some fires under people’s asses sometimes, you know, ‘You’re at a show and it’s gonna be fun, so enjoy yourself!’” Future Islands come into their own in the live arena, a tour de force of intensity and emotion led by Herring’s hyper-real theatrics that leaves the audience in lathers of sweat. The band has been touring relentlessly for years, and Welmers admits that when the downtime does come, it’s hard to get back into the slipstream of everyday life. “We have been on the road for so long that you get used to it, so coming home is very confusing,” he admits. “You get stuck in this cycle, so you have to strike a balance. You have to find things to do with your day to get back in the swing of things, like buying groceries and paying bills. We started touring pretty heavily four or five years ago, and since the beginning there hasn’t been a whole lot of hype around us, it’s been up to us to make it what it is, slowly building fans and creating a strong backbone.

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In the middle of a long tour we can feel tired, but we feed off the crowd’s energy. It’s been our life for so long now that to stop playing is weird; it’s nice but we end up counting down ‘til we are back out there again.” It is just as difficult pinning down what it is that defines Future Islands musically, something that Welmers also struggles to articulate. “It is difficult, and I think it can only be defined to a certain extent as its own thing,” he reflects. “There is a lot of energy involved, there’s a lot of emotion. We aren’t looking to be different, or to change the instrumentation, yet I think that, whilst I won’t say limitless, our style of making music has a lot of scope. The best description that we’ve ever had was from Sam’s brother, who said we were ‘too noisy for new wave, too pussy for punk’. I think that’s an apt description.” WHO: Future Islands WHAT: On The Water (Valve/MGM) WHEN & WHERE: Friday 21 September, Prado Up Late @ GoMA

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A LITTLE MORE It’s been a long wait between albums for Evermore fans, but the band’s fourth full-length is almost within reach. Vocalist/guitarist Jon Hume chats to Daniel Cribb about his underwear and the joys of finally being an independent band.

ince the release of Evermore’s third full-length in ’09, Truth Of The World: Welcome To The Show, the three Hume brothers that construct Evermore – Jon, Dann and Peter – have collectively celebrated 11 birthdays. A lot has changed during that time and while the brothers have been quite busy with other commitments unrelated to Evermore, the time apart has allowed each member to refine their individual sound and bring something new to the table. When Evermore frontman Jon Hume answers his phone, he’s headed out to celebrate Dann’s 25th birthday. While pre-party anticipation creeps into his voice, a bigger celebration is just around the corner. Follow The Sun, the fourth offering from the Hume brothers, is finally ready for release and the boys are gearing up to hit the road. Since the Truth Of The World... touring cycle died down, they’ve somewhat disappeared into the background. With the brothers engulfed in other projects, Evermore could have quite easily stayed dormant for years, or even disbanded, but other forces were at work, ensuring no such thing eventuated. “We could have easily gone, ‘Oh, we’ve done this thing, we’ve had this band ten years and let’s just go do something else now’, but it really didn’t feel like we’ve said all that we needed to say. And musically there’s such good chemistry between the three of us that it’s not something that we could walk away from. There’s just so much good music, we can’t just walk off and do something else,” Hume explains. “If we all made [separate] music it would just be different and it’s hard to put your finger on exactly why, but I guess just being brothers and making music together since we were kids, there’s a certain chemistry in the whole writing process that I don’t fully understand, but it works and we really enjoy it and it just felt really good, after a little bit of time working on other stuff, to get back to Evermore and make a record.” Part of the reason they went underground for so long was because they were building their own

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studio in the countryside of Victoria. With their own studio in place they were able to break free from the constraints of a major labels and be completely independent – something Hume emphasises was a goal from the beginning. “We could sit down and make whatever record we wanted to make, whereas our previous three were all on Warner Music. I guess there was always a bit of pressure to work with other producers, which was a good experience, but because Dann and I are producers, there was already plenty of ideas in the mix. We didn’t really need someone else to find our direction,” he says. “I think now, more than ever, you’re kind of in control of your own destiny as a musician and I think it felt right to us to actually put our own album out there.” Although they’ve been out of the mainstream spotlight, fans still had opportunities to connect with the band and keep up to date with the progress of the album and individual songs as the band released demos and live recordings as they went along. “[Warner] actually did stop us from doing that previously, which seems silly to me. I don’t know what their policy on that is now, but back when we were making our previous albums, they had some sort of policy where they didn’t want anything to go out until it went through them.”

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And now they return with their a new single, which didn’t need to go through any big label ears first. “Our new single, Follow The Sun, we recorded a live demo of it for YouTube probably nine months ago; the chorus has got completely different lyrics and the song is called All The Way. Our songs always go on journeys, so I think it’s interesting for our friends who hear a song from the start and hear it go through three different phases of different ideas making their way into the song, and so this time around we gave our fans a listen earlier on to the album. I think people dig it, being

a part of the process and understanding how much time we put into the different aspects of the songs. “Songs like It’s Too Late, once they’ve been out for years and we’ve played them so many different times, we sometimes forget exactly how the recording goes because of the slow evolution of the way we play it live. Sometimes I find myself going ‘Oh, whoops, I’ve actually changed a lyric’,” he laughs. “That’s just part of the creative process, really.” With the freedom to release their music whenever, wherever and however they wish, they’ve put together an EP of album b-sides that will be sold exclusively on tour. While it sounds like a unique idea for tour/ album merch, that’s just the tip of the Evermore merch iceberg. “The album’s called Follow The Sun, so we were like, ‘What’s something that would be cool to have Follow The Sun written on?’ and sunglasses was the first thing we thought of. I kind of think we just felt like there’s only so many times that people want a band t-shirt, so we’re not doing any t-shirts, we’re just doing any creative thing we can think of,” he explains. Their 2004 debut album Dreams saw Evermore pillowcases sold at shows and around the time of 2006’s Real Life Evermore underwear surfaced – not

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exactly sure what the connection is there, but they were popular all the same. “We’ve actually still got a massive box of Evermore underwear in my garage,” he laughs. “They were really popular, but somehow a box got left behind at some point and it’s still sitting there. They were very popular, but it always felt slightly weird, to be honest, when people are asking you to sign their Evermore underwear and I’m just like, ‘This is just strange’, so I think we’ll probably give the Evermore underwear a miss from now on… Occasionally someone still brings [a pillowcase] to a show to get it signed and I’m like, ‘Argh, I wish I had one of these myself’.” A box full of unsold underwear will have to suffice as a consolation prize. “I kind of wish we made boxer shorts, but we didn’t,” he shares. The conversation then directs itself to the topic of disposable underwear, and it’s clear that things need to wrap up quickly. “That’d be handy on tour, actually!” WHO: Evermore WHAT: Follow The Sun (Universal) WHEN & WHERE: Wednesday 19 September, The Zoo

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SERENDIPITOUS FLOW There are very few bands that can proclaim to be completely unique. Enter Shikari are one of them. Rou Reynolds, frontman for the St Albans four-piece, gives Benny Doyle an insight into the Thai times that shaped their third record.

he summer has run its course in Ol’ Blightly once again. Some things the country experienced were different this year – they’re never having a Jubilee/ Olympics double ever again – however, some events remained the same. One of those was the Reading and Leeds Festival, something of a rite of passage for any British music lover and two of the most iconic stages in the world. But even with all the massive names filling the bill – Foo Fighters, The Black Keys, At The DriveIn, Kasabian – one band stood head and shoulders above all for punters when votes were cast for performance of the weekend. Finishing off a bowl of strawberries and cream with his girlfriend (seriously), Enter Shikari leader Rou Reynolds humbly admits that the band was blown away

when they heard the news. “Every year that we play Reading and Leeds the crowd is just awesome,” he gushes. “It’s one of our favourite festivals to play, definitely, and to get voted best band was quite surreal. On any stage of that size we try and naturally fill up the space and progress sonically, but we don’t think about it too consciously to be honest; you go out there after you’ve been couped up in a van for a few hours and it’s just like a playground.” Formed in 2003, old friends Reynolds, Rory Clewlow (guitar), Chris Batten (bass) and Rob Rolfe (drums) generated a wave of underground hype with a number of demo EPs before debut album, Take To The Skies, officially released in 2007, solidified their standing as one of the most explosive and popular British bands doing the circuit. Released at the start of this year, their third record, A Flash Flood Of Colour, builds further on this reputation, the album amalgamating hardcore ideals with dubstep and drum’n’bass breakdowns in a sound that is unlike any other. According to Reynolds, crowds have been eating it up. “This has definitely seemed like the most immediate album in a live sense; people have really taken to the tracks and they go down really well live and people are screaming the lyrics back louder than ever. We’re really enjoying it.” Although sessions for the record began in London last year, the band ended up decamping to Karma Sound Studios in Thailand for three weeks to complete the work, enticed by the opportunity to work in premium facilities surrounded by exotic beauty. Considering the energy and raw aggression found in most of the tracks, the location seems somewhat contradictory. However, Reynolds couldn’t imagine the results coming from anywhere else. “I certainly think getting away from it all helps, definitely. Getting away from the hustle and bustle of cities calms your mind and enables you to really concentrate and feel the music and it just works for us. I think if we had stayed in London and did the whole album there I don’t think it would have been as good. “The producer we were working with, Dan Weller, he did guitar production on [2009 album] Common Dreads. He’s just a great friend of ours and we get on really well, so we decided to go with him fully for this album and he had a friend who was building this studio out there. He’d finished it, it had all gone to plan and he’d had a few Thai bands and Asian bands there, but he was trying to attract a few more Western bands over and get his name out. So he offered us a proposition that we couldn’t refuse basically. We were in the middle of nowhere, so we had some inspirational walks around, but it was literally just jungle with this state-of-the-art studio in the middle of it. All we had nearby was a little fishing village that was completely untouched by Western influence, so that was amazing, to see how the locals lived. “And the great thing about it was there were just no distractions whatsoever. They even had cooks and stuff so we had meals made for us – this incredible traditional Thai cooking – so literally all we had to worry about was getting the music down. We had a room each, like basically a small hotel room each at the studio as well, which made all the difference because when we were in London we were commuting back and forwards on the Tube each day, an hour each way every day, which is not ideal to get you inspired,” he laughs. “So there was this really calm and relaxing atmosphere where the mind could be at its most creative.” Arguably, A Flash Flood Of Colour is Enter Shikari’s most consistent and flowing release, with the whole album seeming unified sonically and thematically, which is ironic considering the songwriting process Reynolds speaks of. “In terms of the structure of the album we didn’t think too hard about it. We had all these individual songs and for the first time we didn’t think about how the album would flow actually, we just concentrated on each song as its own entity,” he admits. “And I guess it’s just through serendipity that it actually flows really well. We mulled over the order of the tracks quite a lot and tried out different things and thought about the outros of tracks going into the intros of others, but we were committed to keeping the tracks separate and not doing any little interludes or anything this time and it’s worked well.” And as far as band progression goes, that harmony is what Reynolds considers to be the biggest area of growth for the quartet. “I think probably the main thing for me was how whole we sound as a band [now]. It’s very much one unit. The lines between what is guitar and what is electronic and what is bass, it all got blurred. We’re really getting into bleeding the electronics either through the guitar or vice versa. The base rig is becoming ridiculously vast now, a lot of instruments run of Ableton and my laptop so yeah, it’s all becoming one sound and we’re not really thinking about different parts, we’re just sitting down and saying, ‘What does this need? Does it need something tranquil and light, or does it need a sharp sound?’ We’re looking at all the instrumentation we’ve got at our fingertips instead of thinking in a traditional band sense.” Enter Shikari are genre smashers – plain and simple. Their sound walks a line between the dancefloor and the mosh pit and on their second visit to our shores in seven months, having made an appearance at Soundwave earlier this year, Reynolds is eager to deliver the meld those two worlds create and deliver the full experience to rabid Aussie fans. “Soundwave was great fun and the crowds were awesome – the vibe was great for us – but being able to play a much longer set with a full structure of all the new songs, we’re really looking forward to it.” WHO: Enter Shikari WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 20 September, Eatons Hill Hotel

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TIME OFF • 23

DEEPER TRIPPING

ENERGY CIRCLES

TZU are back with a new release, Millions Of Moments, which sees a marked shift from the band’s back catalogue. A concept album about a time-travel junkie experiencing moments of Australian history, it moves away from hip hop realms and explores a much darker sound, as Phillip Norman (aka Countbounce) explains to Sky Kirkham.

Never short on ambition, Trash McSweeney is finally ready to release his mammoth sonic opus. The Red Paintings mastermind talks survival, skills and the Sunset Strip with Benny Doyle.

t’s taken more than a decade, six EPs, plenty of address changes and an unrelenting quest for perfection for McSweeney and The Red Paintings to get to the precipice of their debut studio record. “I had a vision and kept remixing the album around the world, and what should have cost $40,000 ended up costing $238,000 and put us in serious debt,” he reveals. “But I’ve also had an incredible fanbase that have stood by me and helped me survive – I’ve got a community of Red Painting people that are just phenomenal. I’ve never paid for rent in America [his current home], they’ve just protected my best interests and kept me going. It seems like people don’t want me to stop, like, I get in situations where I think it’s over, I’ve done everything I can do and financially I’m completely screwed and I’ve given my all, and then I’ll get a call or an email and next thing you know we’re going along again – we’re still running. We’ve been really lucky.” McSweeney formed The Red Paintings in 1999 after suffering an intense seizure and developing coloursound synesthesia, a condition where senses bleed into and affect each other. Since then, the bombastic art rock group have developed somewhat of a cult following domestically and overseas, however, their grandiose vision has never been captured on a fulllength album. McSweeney admits that it was trial and error up until this point, and that it needed to be, so he could master all the techniques, tricks and twists that have gone into The Revolution Is Never Coming. “It’s like you don’t know how to fix a car until it breaks down and you’ve got no money to fix it, and then every time your car breaks down you know how to fix it, you save some money and you get on with the job quicker,” McSweeney relates. “I guess that’s the same with all things in life, and that’s what this album did for me – it was a learning experience.” Based in Los Angeles for a number of years now, the quintet have avoided the brightly lit bullshit of

the city to continue forwards on their unique musical journey. “As an artist, it’s good to get out of the norm and get out of your comfort zone, because if you don’t do that then you’re stuck in this place where you’re not really developing your art – you’re not really mastering your craft. It’s those huge risks, at the end of the day, which I think do that. I always take those huge risks, and I always survive and I’m always in a better place than I was before.” And in keeping with tradition, a variety of inspired artists will help introduce Australian audiences to The Red Paintings’ exciting new songs. “I am always looking for people that show passion in their art and that are trying to come up with something new, and it’s not just a line on a piece of paper,” McSweeney states. “But if it is a line on a piece of paper, then I’ll usually ask why they drew that, and if that response connects with me then I’ll be like, ‘Hell yeah, get up on stage’. I want to have intensity on stage – that makes our shows so much more powerful. It’s a fragment of time that fits the moment – this person’s listening to us and we’re playing our music as hard, fast and crazy as we can, and they’ve got fourty-five minutes to put it all out there. It really creates this intense circle of energy.” WHO: The Red Paintings WHAT: The Revolution Is Never Coming (Independent) WHEN & WHERE: Friday 21 September, The Tempo Hotel

CITY OF TINY LIGHTS

“T

he whole reason behind the new sound is because we had time off and we stepped off the frame so to speak and went, ‘What is this?’” Norman offers. “’We have this business, this group… what are we doing here, what are searching for?’ I think part of us coming back together was that we all wanted to remain artistic and not just have it as this business that we deliver the products that people like and we go out and play it. There was something in us that despised that kind of behaviour. “And we really thought that after this time off, if we’re going to do something, let’s do what we’ve always wanted to do. Throughout all of our other records, there’s been a bunch of songs that are instrumental slow jams that never made the cut because they were instrumental slow jams and in a way we kind of wanted to release an instrumental album, and for a while it was an instrumental album.” Large parts of Millions Of Moments remain instrumental, but in place of vocals there are dense layers of instruments filling the space, again a shift away from the comparative sparseness of Computer Love. “We definitely were looking for density” states Norman. “And colour and richness because there’s always, well I guess hip hop always steers towards being spare. I love music that’s minimal and spare and each element is really delicious. You know, that kind of music, whether it’s jazz or hip hop, or very minimal classical is beautiful. But on this album we just went, ‘Let’s not do that and let’s see how thick we can make the forest, just go for it’. And it was really fun to take that different approach.”

One of the first things that sticks out about the new album I Just Got To Believe is that only one song cracks through the three-minute mark – the whole album is over before you even notice. Roden says that far from this being a coincidence, he had somewhat of an epiphany when writing the new songs and decided that the old adage ‘less is more’ is often very true. It also reminded him a lot of some of the songs that first inspired his own love of rock’n’roll. 24 • TIME OFF

And asked what he sees as the focus of the forthcoming tour, Norman says; “I think for our shows we’d like to take the audience on a trip through the dark vortex of our new material and some of older stuff, still get people dancing, so it will be a mix, but in our shows we feel that we can take them on that trip a bit deeper.” WHO: TZU WHAT: Millions Of Moments (Liberation) WHEN & WHERE: Friday 21 September, Sol Bar, Maroochydore; Saturday 22, The Zoo

“It’s a reference to a scene out of Dostoyevsky’s novel Notes From The Underground,” Boy & Bear drummer Tim Hart tells Nic Toupee regarding the title of his solo album, Milling The Wind. “It’s about a person who always has too much to say on every topic.”

“We recorded exactly the same songs, in our view, badly!” Roden laughs. “I think we mistook a little bit of looseness and relaxedness, and a ‘when it’s finished it’s finished’ attitude, with just too much looseness in the studio. We didn’t really know what we were doing. We didn’t end songs on time together – we just hadn’t rehearsed enough. You actually have to be a bit tight. You can’t be quite so casual. We recorded in such a way that if one person made a mistake, the whole song had to be re-recorded because there was so much spill between the microphones. So with the first lot of recordings there were no good takes, except for the one that survived and then that became the benchmark for how the others should sound. We knew if we could get every song like that, when we know what we’re doing, it will sound great.”

“Definitely part of where TZU belongs in people’s hearts is as a party and as a sort of honest feel-good group,” Norman says, reflectively. “I guess that’s the kind of people we are in real life and that very much translated in our earlier records, particularly our first record. Now as we’ve grown and we’ve gone deeper into just being artists and exploring stuff, this is a much darker record and I know that some of our fans know us and want us to continue that really fun, party side even if it has some intelligence behind the party. But on the other side some people are really excited by it.” Norman is particularly pleased that some of his closer friends who weren’t previously fans of TZU are expressing their appreciation for the new album. “We don’t want to isolate and push our fans away, we’d love it if they came with us, but we recognise that it’s hard to sort of continue that party vibe when you’re sort of doing dark, challenging, artistic music.”

TILTING AT WINDMILLS

James Roden from Sydney rockers The City Lights tells Chris Yates that sometimes a raw, rough and ready recording can be a little bit too raw, rough and ready. ot counting all the usual things that hold up an album, The City Lights had some real challenges to deal with in regards getting the band back together, before they could even start work on their third record. With something of a floating line-up, James Roden decided that it was time to strip things back to their bare bones minimum – three-piece rock’n’roll. With his brother Harry on bass, and Graeme Trewin (formerly of Sydney indie kings Peabody) on drums, the lineup was solidified and ready to go, so they headed into the studio. The problem was, what they came up with they hated, bar one track Without People You’re Nothing which made the cut.

TZU have always been known as a bit of a party band, particularly live. Recently completing a tour in support of the first single Beginning Of The End has given the guys a chance to see how their fans are reacting to the new material.

“My impatience level has reverted to that of a teenager,” he says without laughing. “I looked at songwriting from a completely different perspective this time, and I realised it was kind of this weird habit of doing a verse, then a chorus, then another verse and put in some sort of instrumental part... maybe the verse is really boring the second time – or maybe the chorus should be in there again. It just became a lot more fun to use an emotional response rather than the imaginary rulebook in your head that says this is how songs are supposed to go. “So much exciting music, if you look at ‘50s singles and ‘60s singles, they were a minute-and-a-half! I think that got lost somewhere around prog rock. They went to 12-minutes and then came back to a more reasonable three- or four-minutes, but that’s still double some of my favourite songs. Most Kinks songs go for about one-minute and fiftyseconds, and I think a lot of people forget that.” Roden says that when The City Lights first emerged, there were some disparaging comments made towards the band and some of their likeminded cohorts for jumping on board some kind of new rock explosion bandwagon. “The bands didn’t jump on it – the media did! Now that explosion has gone, but the bands haven’t gone away. It’s just that no one cares anymore,” he laughs. WHO: The City Lights WHAT: I Just Got To Believe (TCL/MGM) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 22 September, Beetle Bar

f the name’s autobiographical, that certainly suits our purpose, which is to find out why the durmmer for a highly successful indie-folk outfit would feel the need – and how he’d have the time – to write a solo album on the side. And, just as importantly, what does that mean for the future of Boy & Bear? They’ve been touring and generally an active, working band over the past couple of years, but it seems that Hart has found the time between stick shifts to write songs for his own album and record them. “Yeah that’s right – I wrote these tracks all within the space of 12 months. Actually, I guess the writing was finished in September last year and that’s when I started to record. Songwriting has always been a real passion for me, and definitely my first love” Hart offers. “I get great opportunities to contribute to the Boy & Bear writing process but with this project it’s nice for the genesis of the songs to begin and end with me – it sounds a bit control freakish, doesn’t it?” he laughs. With a self-confessed love of ‘classic’ folk music, perhaps Boy & Bear hasn’t been exactly the right forum to express something that seems potentially more purist than the indie-folk blend he’s been collaborating on for the past three years. Hart thanks his music-loving parents for the inspiration, but denies that the album is in any way a history lesson. “My influences in this area came directly from my parents’ record collection,” he concedes. “They were what I had access to growing up and what I loved. For me, writing this album doesn’t feel like digging far back into history, it just was always something that was around. “’Classic’ to me is about the quality of songwriting, and the ability to tell what I perceive to be honest stories about whatever was happening for them at that time. I try to achieve the same through my tunes but dont pretend to be an expert at it... yet” he chuckles.

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Honesty seems to be at the core of not only what Hart enjoys in classic folk, but what he wants to write himself – and perhaps why he needs to write and record by himself. “The concept of honesty in songs is something that’s pretty important to me, as I’m a writer who writes from personal experience,” he continues. “I know not everyone writes like this, and that’s wonderful because if all we had was biographical narrative it’d be pretty dark and boring. I do speak metaphorically in some songs, but I still try to present the narrative in a way I feel is genuine. Maybe I do this to avoid the regret – and possibly the consequences – of being a compulsive ‘over-sharer’.”. With Boy & Bear still active, but Hart now having experienced the joys of autonomy, one could wonder whether he might find it difficult ot go back to a collaborative structure. “We were all completely on the same page when it came to my solo project and the guys are massively supportive,” he assures. “I think making the record, if anything, enhances my contribution to Boy & Bear. We’ve been busy the whole time and even during the recording, the boys – with the exception of Killian, who was on his honeymoon – came up and hung out at some point during the process. I feel really fortunate to be in the band. There’s a lot of support and respect for anything one of us wants to do.” WHO: Tim Hart WHAT: Milling The Wind (Island/Universal) WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 27 September, Black Bear Lodge; Friday 28, The Loft, Gold Coast

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B R I S B A N E P OW E R H O U S E . O R G TIME OFF • 25

SOMETHING FROM NOTHING

BETWEEN WORLDS

Although he might have removed himself from the Australian musical landscape somewhat, Simon ‘Berkfinger’ Berckelman hasn’t slowed down for a second. The former Philly J’s main man chats to Benny Doyle about his exciting new project Feelings.

With Call Me Maybe, Canada’s Josh Ramsay has been responsible for one of 2012’s most inescapable earworms. Matt O’Neill speaks to the vocalist and songwriter as he brings his own band Marianas Trench to Australia for the first time.

“O

h, that was very surprising,” Josh Ramsay laughs of Carly Rae Jepsen’s mega-hit, Call Me Maybe, which he cowrote and recorded with the Canadian pop star. “It’s funny, I’m standing in the room where that was written and recorded right now and it still seems weird to me that everyone in the world seems to know that song. Honestly, it’s been amazing because, obviously, what helps Carly helps out my band too.” Marianas Trench straddle a strange divide. Firmly established within their native Canada as a successful pop act, they’ve also made an unusual habit of experimenting with their artistic limits. As an example, Ramsay’s work with Carly Rae Jepsen has made him a much soughtafter professional pop songwriter – but his band have delivered multiple concept albums spanning everything from punk to pop to Broadway. “I really try and not have rules. I think, as soon as you put rules in place for a band’s sound, you put a ceiling on what that band can do. “Bands like Queen, [The] Beach Boys, even The Beatles – the greatest thing about those bands was their sense of adventure. That ability to go, ‘Well, that instrument doesn’t really go with this genre but we’ll do it anyway.’ That’s the fun of music, I think.” Their most recent album, Ever After, for example, tells a (surprisingly complicated) fairy tale of a stranger waking up in the land of an evil queen. Composed as a continuous piece of music, Ever After’s make-up runs the gamut from gospel to electro. Yet, equally surprisingly, it also produced multiple hit singles. Lead single, Haven’t Had Enough, actually reached #1 on Canada’s iTunes chart. “I think we’ve been really lucky. Ever After went gold in Canada in its first week. I’m still shocked that that actually happened. I mean, it’s only our third album,” Ramsay laughs. “I feel really lucky because, really, our first album we were still searching for our sound in a way.

Our second record, we kind of started to figure out what we wanted to do as a band. I feel we really kind of came into our own with Ever After.” At the heart of both the band’s dilemma and success is Josh Ramsay. The band’s main songwriter, Ramsay is something of a freak. His father owned a recording studio (entertaining clients such as AC/DC and Aerosmith) while his mother was a professional vocal coach. From an early age, he’s been indoctrinated with music – currently, he can play eight instruments, works as a professional songwriter and runs his own studio. “It was great. I actually thought everyone in the world was a musician until I was about ten,” Ramsay laughs. “Everyone in my family was a musician, everyone I met was a musician and, if I went to work with either of my parents, I only ever met other musicians. The great thing was, because everyone in my family was a great musician, every road trip and singalong was like a new lesson about music. “Like, I think the thing about me is that I’m not the kind of person or musician that only likes one genre. Some people only respond to one genre of music or they have that mentality that says something mainstream can’t be good or something indie can’t be good. The way I look at music, I just like good songs. I don’t care if it’s R&B or country or pop or rock or rap – if a song is good, I think it’s good. As a result, I write it all. It’s all good.” WHO: Marianas Trench WHEN & WHERE: Tuesday 25 September, The Zoo

YOU ARE FEELING SLEEPY...

Don’t let the frontman’s humble nature fool you though. People have been accepting of far more than simply one song. With two albums now the independent Victorian trio have a glut of material to deliver on the live stage and Bailey informs that fans should expect more soon. “As soon as we finished [2010 album] Stars Are Bright we recorded and tracked Hypnotised,” he tells. “So within six months of that first record we were then just waiting until we could make enough money to put it out, so we’ve been sitting on it for a year-and-a-half. It seems a bit weird but every time we get together it’s just so easy to write and we just like the tracks. I learnt really early on with the band to not hold anything back with regards to songwriting – just record it and get that shit down as soon as possible while the fire is burning.” But ease of songwriting wasn’t simply a virtue for Pony Face when they formed in 2008. They knew what band they wanted to be; they just had to learn how to be it. 26 • TIME OFF

Part of that something has been recording friends such as Dune Rats and Hungry Kids Of Hungry, international acts like LA rockers The Blood Arm and doing mixing work for Novocastrians’ Seabellies, all from the studio he bought in the city. Another part of that something has spawned into Feelings, his new project. “It’s a band that will always include me,” he explains. “But it will have a revolving cast of dudes and dudettes playing things with me.” Helping out on this introductory tour of the country with be Dave Rennick of Dappled Cities fame and Dan W. Sweat, the former Philly J’s drummer who now mans the stool for electro pranksters Art vs. Science. Also along for the ride is New Zealand support act Tom Lark, another musician who

“He’s 21 and from Christchurch, and we had to re-record his album because it [the original demos] got destroyed in the earthquakes. He only eats margherita pizza and he writes these amazing pop songs that are like Nirvana and Outkast. So I’m a little bit scared now because he’s supporting me and he’s brilliant; he’s my favourite solo artist that I’ve come across in so long.” Fantastic first single One In A Million is a gorgeously dreamy piece of guitar-led pop that sounds like a lost West Coast hit single from the ‘60s. However, Berckelman confesses that he still hasn’t started the arduous task of whittling down his recordings into a concrete track listing for the record. “More times than not I end up writing a new song and fully recording it rather than finishing off an old one, so the list is growing at the moment rather than shrinking, which is a little scary, but soon I’ll start to cull.” Whatever he does decide on though, he assures his fans here to expect the unexpected. “I would be ready for more surprises,” he forewarns. “I didn’t make any rules on this album; it wasn’t like I wanted to make a commercial album or an arthouse album. I think what you’ll find with the rest of the record is that I like melody – I actually like a song – but I’ve been trying to build my songs up around vocals of whatever I’m feeling at the time, so it’s going to be pretty eclectic I think.” WHO: Feelings WHAT: One In A Million (Inertia) WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 20 September, Alhambra Lounge

Releasing new EP By The Fire this week, Bec Laughton tells Tyler McLoughlan how her musical theatre background and some guidance from an industry heavyweight has shaped her career.

“Alabama, Howdy Moon and Disco Cop got a really big reaction, but [single] Silver Tongue just got a massive response,” Bailey says. “We’ve only just figured out how to play it live because it’s a drum machine song, so that’s pretty weird for us.” But as to why the track connects with people so well, the bearded frontman is lost for an answer. “I’ve got no idea?” he chuckles. “I guess it’s got a really kickass guitar chorus and it’s probably as pop as we’ve gone, but I hear this really nerdy, shitty guitar sound, almost on purpose. People have been very accepting of it though, I don’t know why?”

“Berlin has made me very productive because when you first get here it’s very hard to fathom the level of not getting anything done that occurs,” he tells. “It’s a place people come to hide out, like, ‘I’ve saved a few thousand dollars and life is freaking me out, I’m going to go to Berlin, live in a flat and drink cheap beer on the street and just hide’. It’s a real holiday, party city, but once you get tired of going to all the parties, art galleries, exhibitions and being drunk all the time, you then end up going, ‘Hold on – I want to get something done’. And so when I see people around me all doing nothing, it actually inspires me to do something.”

Berkfinger has done production work for and an artist who he admits he’s simply blown away by.

SOUL KINDA FEELING

Simon Bailey, frontman for indie genre pushers Pony Face, has a laugh with Benny Doyle, talking cracking new songs and crappy old guitar tones. ailey and his Pony Face crew are packing the van at their Melbourne home, getting ready to hit the road for a big run of dates to mark the release of their second record, Hypnotised. Things have already got off to a flyer, though, with a sold-out launch party at the Northcote Social Club seeing the new soundscapes making an immediate impact with fans.

little under a year ago after somewhat of a ‘hiatus’, Sydney’s Philadelphia Grand Jury called it a day, and Australia lost one of its most fun and performance-tight indie bands. By that stage, however, Simon Berckelman aka Berkfinger, the group’s frontman and chief songwriter, had already relocated to Berlin, the German capital where artistic spirits come to lose themselves, or in Berckelman’s case, continue to tirelessly create.

B “It happened straight away but we couldn’t play – we were really shit,” he hoots. “Anth [Dymke] is an exceptional bass player and technically proficient as a motherfucker. But we couldn’t play together as the trio that we wanted to be. Kris [Emond] was a guitarist, he never played drums before in his life, but he had a cracker rhythm so I wanted him behind the kit because we didn’t have a drummer. He had a really rocksteady rhythm guitar – you could almost set a watch off it, but it just took a while for it all to slot in.” But since they have the music has come in droves. Hypnotised was recorded with Casey Rice, an American expat whose ear has helped guide, “... more good records than we’ve made songs,” according to Bailey. It was a working partnership that he admits was critical to finish the record, even if the three-piece were applied some pressure. “It was good for us because Kris and I come from a studio background and left to our own devises we would have taken four years before we had the album done. Casey has a Chicago work ethic and he has no bones about saying when something was shit, y’know; ‘Let’s go again’. And it was great because in the past we’d worked with people that would hold a lot back and would rather iron out problems rather than go, ‘Look, that’s not working’. He pushed us around. I like that; I like that honesty.” WHO: Pony Face WHAT: Hypnotised (Independent) WHEN & WHERE: Friday 21 September, The Joynt

risbane songstress Bec Laughton’s broad vocal ability recently earned her a 2012 Queensland Music Award – not a bad effort considering the Dance/Electronic category win was a bedroom side-project collaboration that came in the midst of her work to release her sophomore EP By The Fire. “I grew up in musical theatre, trained in jazz but then my heart is definitely in soul music so that kind of comes out in everything. My original stuff is kind of quirky soul pop but then I seem to work in the funky house scene as well,” Laughton says of the cross-over ability that scored her a QMA. “I guess everything I do has soul as the basis, whether it’s a dance track that’s soulful and upbeat or if it’s a more soul pop sound like Amy Winehouse or Adele,” she admits. “And even if I’m doing jazz it’s normally like a bluesy kind of soul ballad, so I guess it’s the one thing that ties everything together… Soul to me is more than a genre – it kind of says what I’m singing about as well which is music that has heart and meaning. And so a lot of my music is about the lyrics and the message that I’m actually trying to say – I’m trying to speak life into people, because I heard once that music is the one voice that can speak into your life without your permission.” Laughton’s soulful sass grabbed the attention of industry A&R and management veteran Michael Parisi in a vital development stage. “In 2009 I got sponsored to go down [to Melbourne] for Dream Inc which is a conference that he was running with [singing teacher] David Jaanz,” she recalls. “Michael Parisi loved my music but he said, ‘You’ve got this, this and this to do’ – kind of gave me a list of things to do. Then two years later, which was end of last year, I wrote to him and said, ‘Look, I’ve done all these things’ and he was like, ‘Wow, excellent’, and hooked me up with Jan Skubiszewski [Owl Eyes, Cat Empire] who was the producer of the EP.”

themusic.com.au

With the spirit of collaboration acquired from her rich musical theatre background and an open jam-style approach with her seven-piece band, Laughton’s strong personality across By The Fire has been backed by guest vocalists Rachel EverettJones and Ni.Na, also known as Madame Peal. “It sounds rad on the CD but if you hear it live it has just got this power to it that is absolutely paralysing,” Laughton says of Ni.Na’s vocal. “She’s much more than a singer – you can hear I guess her soul when she opens her mouth and it’s just incredible. Have you ever been in a zoo when a lion has roared? It just sends chills down your spine…” she explains, an apt analogy considering Laughton herself is often described as ‘lion lungs’. “That was a nickname that I developed when I was playing Dorothy in The Whiz from musical theatre. And it was about my singing but it was also about my speaking voice ‘cause apparently the cast could hear me from the dressing rooms as soon as I’d pulled into the car park…” Laughton laughs, adding how this side of her performance persona will impact the EP launch shows. “It’s given me some great ideas for the launch – we’re doing some funny, funny whacky production things that are gonna make the performance so memorable in like a 3D kind of way… There’s some interactive stuff happening with the crowd that includes fire and things like that – it’s gonna be really fun.” WHO: Bec Laughton WHAT: By The Fire (Independent) WHEN & WHERE: Friday 21 September, Icecream Factory; Friday 28, Sol Bar, Maroochydore

27 • TIME OFF

SINGLED OUT WITH CHRIS YATES

ON THE RECORD

TOTAL CONTROL Total Control Home Loan Records

The glitchy drums that are whacked over the top of the actual drum track on this Dirty Projectors track are clearly designed to distract you from the actual song. If you stripped this away you’d be left with some randomly splattered harp-style string sounds and a bassline that I think is supposed to be from a different song. The chorus is great and the clacking, wrong-sounding bits are buried in this section just so you can sing along. This band makes no sense, which could be their appeal to people who want to get into something avant garde but can only really handle pop music.

Columbia/Sony

Hub/Sony

The back story behind Arizonian alt-country veterans Calexico’s seventh album Algiers seems on the surface slightly misleading. Named after the New Orleans suburb where the record was recorded, the album doesn’t sound miles removed from everything they made back in their usual stomping ground of Tucson,. There’s no blues stomps or second line ragging, mainly more evocative sketching of the cinematic, dusty vistas that have made them so beloved for so long.

Some can’t believe Bob Dylan is still alive and are suspicious of the likely quality of new material from an oft-eccentric artist who’s certainly stepping into his twilight years. Then there are those who have heard his recent work, know that Dylan is still one of the world’s great songwriters and performers and embrace what the legend has to offer. Bob Dylan ceased being groundbreaking years ago (when everyone started copying him), but that doesn’t mean he’s not pushed the envelope in recent times – anyone who heard 2009’s Christmas In The Heart might argue he pushes it too far on occasion – and Tempest is another example of Dylan writing songs and making records on his own terms.

Dappled Cities new album is a bit of a summer party for your ear-drums, and who doesn’t love one of those? LakeLIVE Air is the fourth album from these sunny sounding Sydney-siders, and opens with the radio-familiar track Run With The Wind. Wave after wave of repetitive electronic scales, and yells and falsettos in the vocals, create a dizzying ocean of fun sounds that you’re more than happy to drown in. Once you dry yourself off, the following tracks keep the beat up but let you have a bit of a breather from the opener’s intensity.

Calexico have always been a musical melting pot anyway – fusing together disparate sounds such as alt-country, jazz, folk and mariachi into one indiefriendly concoction – so the skilful pans of horns in Sinner In The Sea and the mournful tone of Maybe On Monday (the two songs most closely attributable to their Louisiana locale) seem perfectly natural for their aesthetic. Gorgeous opener Epic and gorgeous strings of Para aren’t miles removed from the tone of 2008’s Carried To Dust, while Puerto continues their love of Mexican folk (even if set in the Dominican Republic). Calexico are often assumed to be Joey Burns’ vehicle because he’s seen out front lending his silken vocal tones to proceedings, but the importance of his long-term confidant John Convertino can’t be understated (here or elsewhere), his subtle but expressive brushwork giving Burns the broad palette on which to construct his solemn odes, here driving the title track in particular with his adroit drumming.

Schoolyard Bullies Big Village/Creative Vibes

★★★★

The most important thing about Tempest is simple; Dylan once again contributes something of real weight and of real value, his music remains the opposite of disposable. If so inclined you could spend hours poring over the lyrics, researching and cross referencing his every line, all the while secretly knowing you’ll never hit on the true meaning of his lyric. Is Duquesne Whistle really about a train? Does Early Roman Kings speak of Italy in 600BC or South Bronx in the early-1960s? Much of the imagery is unmistakably bleak; talk of gangs, murder (Tin Angel is chilling) and a 14-minute dissection of the Titanic’s sinking (on the meaty but overrated title-track) among topics raised. Album highlight Pay In Blood has Dylan telling us he has “dogs that could tear us limb from limb” – in his gruff voice it’s more frightening than anything released all year. It’s no masterpiece, but with Tempest the Dylan legacy remains intact. ★★★★

Steve Bell

VDIt’s probable that if you’re into a bit of fairly harmless

Algiers may find Calexico exploring a different rural frontier, but it hasn’t detracted from (or noticeably abetted) their delightful allure. Once again the desert has never seemed so hospitable.

DAILY MEDS

Lake Air

Anti-/Spunk

Dan Condon

indie pop-rock you’ll feel real love for Real Love, a track that sits somewhere between a ditty and an anthem about how youth doesn’t stand in the way of serious emotions. It’s the Puppy Love of a new generation, without the naff. Work In The Mould finds the vocals reaching a Bowie-esque timbre, followed by comforting disco-beats worthy of any Bee Gees track (may they rest in peace, except for the one that’s still alive). Lake Air goes on to reaffirm that it’s very much summer-worthy with Icecubes, a fantastic track that actually sounds like ice in a refreshing drink! You can almost feel the condensation on your hand! Amazing. Waves holds its own as a beautiful ballad of sadness and comets, the poetic lyrics backed by what sounds like a perfectly dusty bar-room piano.

Domino/EMI

DAPPLED CITIES

Tempest

About To Die

BOB DYLAN

Algiers

DIRTY PROJECTORS

LIVE

CALEXICO

The first release for HLR comes in the form of an action packed 12-inch single, which builds on the band’s debut and their reputation to not give a fuck about genres or expectations. Carpet Rash is the lead, which was remixed for the album Henge Beat, but here it’s an unwavering, new wave minimal head fuck. Two never-before-released tracks fill the remainder of the first, the 8-bit ambience of New Age leading into the disjointed Algorithmic Field. The flip features an ‘80s club-inspired remix of Carpet Rash and a Bladerunner dystopian future rework of New Age, both by by HLR’s Michael Ozone. Physical 12s in October, but you can preview it now.

Not to end on a downer, the final track The Weekend brings the mood right back up to dizzying heights of fun, with soaring synths and a drumbeat that ensures grins all round. ★★★★½

Eleanor Houghton

This juvenile number excuses itself from its teenage pandering and stories of delinquency by taking on the voice of the schoolyard bullies being jerks, with the Sydney rappers reminiscing about their time in high school. It’s stupid, but so was Principal’s Office by Young MC and Just A Friend by the Biz, genuine classics both of them. Tongue-incheek schoolboy humour is a nice relief from the current crop of ‘woe is me’ rap or preachy, faux-political tirades that we’re so often subjected to with Aussie hip hop, so it’s a win, really, and the female MC/ singer in the crew Bille Rose wins hard.

THE CITY LIGHTS I Just Got To Believe

THE PARSON RED HEADS

THE AMITY AFFLICTION

Holy Love 2 (Feat Ni.Na) Independent

Footstomp/MGM

Laughing Outlaw/Inertia

Roadrunner/Warner

Laughton employs the amazing vocals of Ni.Na to bring extra gravitas to her single from the new EP By The Fire. Laughton does well to keep up with her guest on the record, it wouldn’t be hard to be outsung by Ni.Na but Laughton manages to keep the whole thing fluid and together. The production is tight with a reverence for classic soul being represented via a modern, more dance-based interpretation and a live-sounding hip hop R&B beat that would mash well with Beyonce’s Crazy In Love, if you felt so inclined to mash things.

Sydney’s The City Lights have been taking punk back into the garage since they released Escape From Tomorrow Today in 2004. I Just Got To Believe is their third album proper, and first in five years, and offers more of the same strident fare that has helped bolster their passionate fanbase. In that time the carousel has kept turning, with members touring with other bands, yet the core – the Roden brothers James and Harry, and Graeme Trewin – have stayed ardently true to their roots, emulating the melodic punch of ‘60s British rock and ‘70s blue collar punk. The title mirrors the time and effort to bring the record to light, and it brims with energy, verve and a touch of mortality – these guys know that rock is their lifeblood, and spend 25 minutes ensuring that you feel the same.

There are unexpected places in the world that just seem to be breeding grounds for musical talent, where the cultural and environmental constituents were due to be just right when the Big Bang popped us into being. Our native Perth, for example. Portland, Oregon is another, and it now gives us country-folk four-piece The Parson Red Heads. Following up their 2007 debut in the spirit of indie folksters Fleet Foxes and Blitzen Trapper, Yearling is a mature and endearing album that treats optimistic sentiment flush with country embellishments, all used with humble restraint.

It’s hard to discuss the work of The Amity Affliction without mentioning the savage tall poppy reception they now receive from the hardcore community that they grew up in. Since their second long-player Youngbloods dropped in 2010, it seems the band can’t release a new merch design, let alone music, without drawing criticism from the scene’s message board warriors.

BEC LAUGHTON

ROBBIE WILLIAMS Candy Universal He’s back! Revelling in the streets is happening at the moment, especially in China where unsold copies of Robbie’s 2008 Rudebox album were sent and crushed up only to be recycled as road surfacing material. The lyrics are borderline psychotic – the ramblings of a madman with too much time on his hands and more money than, uh, me. The best part is when he sings “It’s a living” just like all those dinosaurs being used as domestic appliances in The Flintstones, a career certainly slightly more dignified than the one Robbie is floundering with.

The incessant hustle of Without People You’re Nothing, the first single off the album, embodies what The City Lights have always done well – simple yet driving rock that sinks its teeth into melodies and shakes them ferociously. The production is stripped right back, bringing the songs the sweaty urgency that the band bring to their live performance, and it acts as a breath of fresh air. Elsewhere there is the snotty Oh No!, the ‘70s whimsy of Like I Do, and the soaring raucousness of What A Day. The album closes on a surprisingly heart-tugging high with Makes Me Want To Cry, an affecting love letter to a daughter. It’s a short blast of a record and an honest testimony of a band that live and breathe rock’n’roll. ★★★★

28 • TIME OFF

Yearling

Brendan Telford

One might baulk at Yearling’s 17 tracks over 75 minutes (including Australian bonus tracks) but not a second is wasted. Behind each lurks a sense of sincerity, a raw and honest sound bereft of affectation. Opener, Burning Up The Sky, introduces us to vocalist Evan Way’s Tom Petty/Bob Dylan-like croon, harmonised ever so dulcetly by wife Brette. They know how to shape pretty melodies that seep into the skin, like on the slide guitar-filled Time Is Running Out and Banking On The Sun. The textures are gently sparse, with dynamic builds, twangy guitar bursts, and harmonica and organ flourishes riding an even pace throughout most of the album. Things pick up with rollicking Americana guitar strums and laidback drums on Kids Hanging Out and Long Way Back, closing with the atmospheric Here It Comes Again.

Chasing Ghosts

It would take a team of scene historians working around the clock to pinpoint exactly what The Amity Affliction have done to enrage Brisbane hardcore fans, but whatever its root, any hatred directed towards the band hasn’t slowed them down. They’ve been selling out shows and found themselves at home on an international label for the release of Chasing Ghosts, an album that showcases Amity as having the classiness to rock a positive mental attitude, and the chops to make a damn catchy metalcore/melodic hardcore record.

There’s much to love about Yearling; it’s mature, poignant country made accessible by a youthful group of folksters, and yet stands tall as simply a well-crafted, thoughtful and multi-dimensional album with divine harmonies and warm, optimistic storytelling. Not bad at all for a bunch of red heads.

Sticking to the catchy chorus, dirty verse formula that served them so well on Youngbloods, … Ghosts immediately sounds familiar. In spite of the changes that saw them lose a keyboardist since their 2010 record and gain their new positive ‘tude, …Ghosts is very much the next logical step. The Amity Affliction know what they do, and they do it better than ever before on soaring numbers like Open Letter and Life Underground. There are incremental changes; a fresh, clean production highlighting the songwriting nuances, sharper songs with a greater sense of dynamic, but its business as usual for the band. And though this will undoubtedly incense their detractors, it makes for a pretty bloody good record.

★★★★½

★★★½

themusic.com.au

Carley Hall

Tom Hersey

SETH SENTRY

THE XX

THE VACCINES

LEHMANN B SMITH

High Score Records/Inertia

Young Turks/Remote Control

Columbia/Sony

Sensory Projects

While his cronies 360 and Pez may have established a new era of hip hop in Australia, Seth Sentry stands alone on the landscape as his name suggests he should. He is a lyrical storyteller, he avoids the trap of ridiculous American-style bravado that just sounds stupid in a local accent, but also steers away from the emo-rap that 360 and Pez are mining for all it’s worth.

To say that hordes are frothing over this second album from the Mercury-winning Brits The xx would be a complete understatement. The airplay garnered for stunning ballad and first single Angels certainly hasn’t discouraged the public’s enthusiasm – it’s not your typical radio single, but its sentiment would most certainly speak to, well, anyone with a pulse. And with that, Coexist picks up right where the trio’s 2009 self-titled debut left off. Jamie Smith’s production work has evolved incredibly – he’s now an in-demand remixer and producer – and certainly challenges the focus point of record one, the vocal interplay between Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim. He’s managed to master simplicity, hone the minimalist vibe and capture the silence like no other. In fact, so meticulously crafted is the sound, it makes Croft and Sim seem a little sterile lyrically and a little separate in their deliveries, not so much sexy interplay anymore but more vocalising their own parts of the story. Chained feels R&B flavoured and is well-placed to be another radio single, while Reunion and the subsequent Sunset pulse almost enough to qualify as “club” if there wasn’t so much space, so much atmosphere. Aside from the beats, little else exists besides a guitar that echoes The Edge and a sampled Jamaican steel pan.

What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? It was the question the English group posed to the world with their cocksure debut record last year. Back then, many people wouldn’t have expected the razor sharp rock’n’roll they delivered. Now, most wouldn’t have anticipated the diluted and soulless tunes to follow up such an initial burst of vigour.

Lehmann B Smith is adamant he will flood the market with his wares, such is the voracious nature of his songwriting over the past two years. However it’s unlikely that the wider music-listening public will have heard (or possibly ever will hear) of him. When he isn’t psyching out in Kes Band, he’s crafting off-kilter pop tunes that revel in idiosyncrasies. Yet there’s an innate charm in the faux-naivety and heart of his songs, and new album Girlfriends continues this trend.

This Was Tomorrow

He almost seems to address this straight out of the gates on the first track Campfire, with references to having a hole in his bucket – his deadpan delivery is basically reaching out for the positive and not letting the negative day to day get in the way. The production is out of control on the track – it jumps from a guitar-heavy rock section to an electro section like a mash-up. It’s busy, but the risks make something unique by cobbling together disparate elements. The production is really song-based across the album, lots of guitars and other organic instruments. He steers away from the boom bap typical ‘90s-inspired beats that are all too prevalent. Sentry’s effortless lyrics are often humorous, like when he gets mad at science for depriving him of a Hoverboard, but even when he’s serious it’s not heavy or self-indulgent. This Was Tomorrow is a landmark Australian hip hop record; Sentry’s voice is unique in a genre still struggling to find its own in a confused environment. He may not know what his scene is exactly, but that could be the reason he’s conquering new ground. ★★★★

Chris Yates

Coexist

Come Of Age

In the end, Coexist is stunning – compelling in delivery, simple and beautiful. It’s a hot summer night romance that perhaps wasn’t the dirty romp of the debut, but still most definitely brings the heat. ★★★★

Ben Preece

Come Of Age sounds like a band short on ideas, yet unable to accept the fact. There was no need to deliver a follow-up this soon and surely with a bit more time these half-baked songs could have been served up with the heat required. Justin Young hasn’t even shown up for the most part: the frontman’s delivery doesn’t just sound slack – it comes across as lazy and disinterested. There’s barely a lyric on the album that is delivered with conviction or urgency and the rest of the four-piece follow suit, with the music dragging the chain lethargically behind his verses. It’s uncertain what the quartet hope to achieve with this record. The reputation of The Vaccines has been built around energy. Their songs have never been the most technical or inspired, but the conviction with which they were delivered onstage was impossible to ignore. On Come Of Age, that raucousness has been forgotten. Lead single Teenage Icon is the only track on the album where the Londoners rekindle that former infectious energy. But, for the most part, the album drifts along listlessly. Putting out two LPs before your band is even three years old is a decent achievement. But if the tracks simply don’t stand up, then you have to wonder what the point is. ★½

themusic.com.au

Benny Doyle

Girlfriends

The first thing noticeable is the juxtaposition between the songs themselves and the themes that Smith harbours. Despite the choir, the rococo instrumentation and the cheeky posture that he emits, he’s quietly morose, his conquests and demeanour barely concealing despair and woe. The antiquated shuffle of I Believe, the bells and whistles of I Spy The Morning and the broken drive of My Body, No Good barely conceal Smith’s struggles with inadequacy and uncertainty. The pangs of being alone and finding solace at the bottom of the bottle permeate the sonorous Malice For The Bullshit, while on Killer Stone, Take Luck Smith incredulously ruminates “it’s a wonder we can even fuck”. The real wonder though is how giddy and fun these tracks are. Smith’s vocals are nasally-yet-engaging; the mass array of instruments orchestrating these ambitious gems are inspired rather than cluttered; the melodies and harmonies hit the right spots, making you smile even as life begins to unravel. It’s a tightrope of precision, a wonky traipse through the better parts of the pop realm, and exultant in its follies and foibles. Smith may not have many girlfriends now, but it’s only a matter of time. ★★★★

Brendan Telford

TIME OFF • 29

32 • TIME OFF

THE BOYS Members/roles:

Jordan Ayres (vocals), Sophia De Marco (drums), Rachel Pelser (lead guitar), Ariana Pelser (bass) and Ella-Jane Raymond (rhythm guitar)

How long have you been together? We just celebrated our first birthday. We made a cake.

How did you all meet? By accident. Jordan and Sophia met each other at The Beat and drunkenly discussed forming an all-girl grunge band. We advertised for a guitarist and bassist and met Rachel who introduced us to her sister, Ariana and friend Ella. We met plenty of weirdos in the process of finalising our line-up. One girl told us she didn’t watch TV because she believed aliens were watching her. She didn’t make it into the band.

You’re on tour in the van – which band or artist is going to keep the most people happy if we throw them on the stereo? We would fight over this. Rachel would put on The Shins or Pumpkins, Ariana would want to listen to Placebo, Ella would play The Distillers, Jordan would listen to the Garden State Soundtrack and Sophia would force everybody to listen to her guilty pop mixes involving Britney, Beyoncé and Bieber.

Would you rather be a busted broke-but-revered Hank Williams figure or some kind of Metallica monster?

What part do you think Brisbane plays in the music you make? Not so much in terms of music we write, however we’re very lucky to be a part of Brisbane’s music scene. We’re running out of places to play but we’re thankful for all the support we’ve received over this past year. Our fans are very loyal.

Is your band responsible for more make-outs or break-ups? Why? Pashin’ and dashin’. Half of us are in serious relationships, the other half are heartbreakers.

What reality TV show would you enter as a band and why? Rock Of Love. Because Bret Michaels is a babe. Kidding, gross.

If your band had to play a team sport instead of being musicians which sport would it be and why would you be triumphant? Beer-pong because we’re already skilled as shit at it!

What’s in the pipeline for the band in the short term?

We’d rather be busted broke and revered, but then we’d sue Napster.

We’re releasing our debut self-titled EP this weekend at Ric’s Bar. We’ve got a couple of shows booked in October including Valley Fiesta and we plan to tour the East Coast by the end of the year.

Which Brisbane bands before you have been an inspiration (musically or otherwise)?

The Boys launch The Boys EP (Independent) at Ric’s Bar on Saturday 22 September and also play Ric’s on Sunday 28 October for Valley Fiesta.

Regurgitator, Violent Soho, I Heart Hiroshima and The Grates are all cool dudes.

Photo by TERRY SOO.

Gideon Benson opens his maw, his low croon solves the puzzle, providing a booming bottom-end juxtaposition to Isabella Manfredi’s impressive pitch range. Both recent single Take A Card and Pale Rider, in which Manfredi exercises her vocals to full effect, are highlights of a generally impressive showing. Not a classically catchy outfit, but solidly put-together and certainly worth checking out if it’s what you’re into. Trying to describe the sounds of Teeth & Tongue without overusing the word ‘sultry’ is hard to do. Jess Cornelius sounds like David Bowie, were he more woman than space-being. Her songs fill the Press Club with ballads of emotion, and in turn fill the Press Club with people who can’t resist what they can hear from the road. She stands tall and strong behind her keyboard, flanked by her guitar and bass players, her blonde hair reminiscent of other female songstresses who have owned the music world completely. We should be hearing more of her in the future, and if we don’t, there is something wrong with music. One part old RxBandits, three parts LCD Soundsystem, the Melburnian on-stage ruckus that is Northeast Party House are having no problems at all winning the hearts and bodies of their crowd with their upbeat, dance-inducing tunes. The band’s primary vocalist, Zach Hamilton, occasionally wanders from where he’d like to be, in terms of pitch, but not to any great lasting negative effect, and to be honest he and his cohorts are just so damn endearing and seem like genuinely fun people that really, little else matters but the feeling. And it feels good, man. There’s a huge crowd at the QMusic Stage to see local party starters Velociraptor do their thing, and no one is disappointed as the more intimate ten-piece version of the band bring the fun times to BIGSOUND, people dancing and singing along en masse to tunes like Sleep With The Fishes, Riot and the eternally captivating Cynthia. We’ll have to share them with the world soon enough, but for now it’s eminently exciting that we can call this great band our own. Gooch Palms @ BIGSOUND pic by Stephen Booth

BIGSOUND LIVE 2012

FORTITUDE VALLEY: 12 & 13/09/12 Once again it’s that magical time of year when bands from all around the country converge on Brisbane for a mid-week party of epic proportions, and this year we have 120 fine acts (including a solid contingent from overseas) strutting their stuff in 12 different venues. The streets are packed with smiling wristband- and lanyard-clad people rushing from stage to stage trying to maximise their experience, and what an experience it is. We can’t cover it all, but here’s just a few highlights from BIGSOUND Live 2012! WEDNESDAY

to the crowd is infectious, with revellers hustling to the front to take his rustic sojourns with both barrels. On a bill heavy with pop and garage rock, Wagons does more than “escape his fate” – he sets the bar. Bearhug ignite the Press Club with their mixture of early My Morning Jacket and latter Dinosaur Jr pop, heavily featuring songs from brilliant album Bill, Dance, Shiner. The five-piece rip through the fast-paced Over The Hill, the jangling Angeline, the deceptively epic Cherry Red and the sanguine When I Shake. Guitar-heavy pop used to be Australian music’s bread and butter – remember Bluebottle Kiss and Gaslight Radio? – and Bearhug prove that when done well, nothing beats it.

Jeremy Neale – more like Jeremy Neale and Co! It sounds less exciting than what it is but seriously; four sharp-suited Brissie kids thrashing around like it’s a dexy-heavy swing party from the ‘60s – there’s not much to dislike. The harmonies make the chunky riffing sound friendly and fun, while Neale has the stiff head-shake on lock, smiling cheekily at his reflection in the mirrors facing him. Did I mention Ric’s is FUCKING JAMMED? No? Well it is. Cracking way to open the BIGSOUND account.

For a band called Winter People, they haven’t managed to lower the temperature of The Zoo very well. Things are typically steamy and crowded, but the dark swagger of this music can only heat things up more. They are ridiculously impressive, with a sound that reeks of setting suns and dusty roads. The guitars are particularly strong, with the distinctive vocals taking a ride on the waves of sound before landing with a heavy thud that’ll blow your little socks off. The violins lift the tracks to an almost epic level, giving this post-rock a shadowy beauty.

The salubrious vibes of Fishing permeate the room as BIGSOUND Live kicks off at Magic City. The duo delve in hypnagogic electro undercurrents, backed by blurry and warped VHS footage of the ‘80s Miami aquatic kind, and it’s the perfect introduction to a fun-filled evening. The boys give a shy thumbs up to the enthusiastic crowd, eschewing the exultant set they present.

Cracking opener Half Of It introduces the crowd to production duo YesYou, fleshed out into a live quartet, and they deliver a set of warm synth-pop tunes that revitalises anyone finding themselves flagging from the weight of music present tonight. There’s a small crowd milling out on the footpath transfixed, and new single Frivolous Life closes out the show in day-glo glory.

Go Violets have everything you could want in a guitar pop band – incessant hooks that snag in the ear like a burr, incredible three-part harmonies, and an undying focus on marrying whimsy with ageless pop aesthetic. It’s amazing they have slogged away this long without a multitude of zealous fans losing their minds over every narcotic-laced melody. But when they kill Teenager, it’s clear that their time has come.

Watching hometown bands show no mercy on hometown crowds is always special. The 4122 cries are out early for Violent Soho – Luke Boerdam sounds like he’s just pumped some JD down the gulp, James Tidswell is hoofing his way through his riffs while Luke Henery has a bass exorcism to the right side of the stage. Love Is A Heavy Word powers out early and Tinderbox is an utter steamroller late. With the pulsing lights behind the four of them it makes for a hell of a show. This new album can’t come soon enough.

Sydney sound manipulator Flume is one of the most hyped acts here and a stuffed room attests to it. The kid opens with Left Alone and immediately starts slaying it. His drippy synth tone has that same texture as James Blake and backs up all the top-end warmth nicely. Possum drops and for four minutes not much else matters. Right now, Steve Jobs is looking down smiling. The cavernous car park of the QMusic Stage is moderately full as Henry Wagons takes the stage sans his crew. He’s in dry form, whipping through some country-fuelled numbers that are flecked with soul, carnivale grotesquery and gallows humour. He ribs the crowd, dedicating a song to a sole bearded punter called Keep Your Hands Off My Sister, whilst off ranting in a casino reverie sworn to “Las Brisbane”. His connection 34 • TIME OFF

They might not need the showcase exposure, but ubiquitous local indie kids Ball Park Music sure do know how to draw a crowd. Despite being elbows to elbows as the precocious quintet begin their set, the amassed horde finds the room to jive and clap and sing along with gusto as Cromack and Co effortlessly – at times maybe a little too effortlessly – bring the goods and the good times, oh-so earnestly serenading us like old lovers with wellpolished favourites (All I Want Is You, iFly) and new tricks such as the much-played Surrender. Hey, it is what it is. At first, it’s a little difficult to see the gothic element of The Preatures’ ‘60s-tinged mix of “gothic soul and rock’n’roll”, but as soon as guitarist and co-vocalist

Melbourne seven-piece King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard close out the triple j stage at Oh Hello tonight with some mental rockabilly garage nonsense that kicks the balls and steals the heart. There’s crowd surfing from the beginning as they tear the place apart with Garage Lilliard, Bloody Ripper, Muckraker and others from killer record 12 Bar Bruise. A small pocket of the crowd loses their shit, the rest lose their minds and hearing in what is the most raucous set of the night. Harmonica solos, flailing guitars and reckless abandon reign supreme. The king is dead – all hail King Gizzard!

refer to Campbell Newman as “you disgusting fucking pig”, they know what they are doing. Upper echelon of Aussie garage rock, proving most others are pretenders. Saskwatch are keeping a very important and impossibly cool part of music alive, introducing their lead singer to the QMusic stage with all the gusto of a 1960s jazz hype-guy. Nkechi Anele swings her hips like Josephine Baker, in time to the soul-packed songs the massive band behind her dose out. In some numbers there are horns and guitar riffs that would make James Bond feel at home, and others would prick up James Brown’s ears. One of the hidden gems of BIGSOUND, Auckland thrashy trio Transistors tear through and exuberant set that leaves jaws broken on the floor. The youngsters are brutally loud yet a lot fun, intent on smashing eardrums and stealing the limelight from their vaunted peers. They said before jumping the ditch that they would destroy Brisbane – mission accomplished. Step-Panther offer serious riot-inducing fun. It’s the sort of music to destroy a house to, or push your mate down a hill in a shopping cart. Summed up in one word – reckless. D-Rad, drummer and general groupie slayer (theMusic BIGSOUND interviews do not lie people), is dynamite behind the skins. There’s nothing overtly tech about his style – the guy just fucking gets it done. Out the front, meanwhile, Stevie and Jose are chopping their riffs up like surgeons, their energy matched by the slamming bodies in the front row. Fight Like A Night slays and the whole set makes you just wish someone would start a fire or something. If nothing else, Melburnian MC Seth Sentry is charismatic. Very charismatic. Charismatic as balls. How many people do you actually know that can instantly have a room full of people eating out of their hand, singing the entire first verse of their airplay hit (The Waitress Song) for (not with) them, and reacting like a highly excitable Springer crowd to their freestyle rhymes and burns? Okay, so probably a few since hip hop’s kind of popular these days, but that doesn’t make the sheer spectacle of the Victorian’s performance any less impressive. Whether you’re a fan of rap or not, this is a hell of a show. Music’s lovable aunty, Clare Bowditch, delivers a performance that makes you want to jump on stage and give her a hug. Alhambra is packed, largely with females that have been spoken to by one of Bowditch’s confidence-building tracks. Her anecdotes between songs are just as entertaining, and as always the messages behind her songs are well sung and beautiful.

THURSDAY Newcastle duo The Gooch Palms take no prisoners as they kick off Thursday’s Ric’s Bar shenanigans in debaucherous fashion. Gold hotpants, full frontal (and back, lotsa back) male nudity, Theremin thrashing – nothing is left off the cards in a blasted performance that throws BIGSOUND straight into the deep end. The best thing? The shenanigans never gets in the way of the tunes, a heady mix of Ramones, trashcan gauche and, surprisingly, soul. The Cairos are tight as hell performance-wise and sound on point from the moment they kick into funtime anthem Shame. It’s uncertain if drummer BC is keeping beat from the bounce of Reuben Schafer’s mass of locks or if the hair is simply getting pushed around by the tight fills – either way the rhythm section are sounding all kinds of awesome tonight. Brand new track Nothing’s Impossible has a dark Cure-ish feel to it before exploding out during the chorus, and the quartet get epic during closer We All Buy Stars. It’s still a mystery why these guys remain somewhat under the radar. Fuck it though, from a punters perspective, we might as well enjoy these more intimate shows while we can. Mosman Alder take a little while to get the crowd truly into what they’re offering – it takes God Is Pissing On You and He Died For Our Olives at least before real dancing begins to take place – but they definitely deserve credit for soldiering on anyway. They put on a good show, too – frontman Valdis Valodze’s baritone croon is kind of delightful, and their catchy songs are enjoyable in the moment – and their quirky almost-country-but-in-noway-country visual aesthetic, complete with sufficiently quirky violin player, is endearing to all and sundry. Hey Geronimo jump on stage at The Zoo, and continue to jump (up, back down, into one another, one leg at a time… the list goes on) for the entire rest of their set. They open with Carbon Affair, and the chords that are somehow intrinsically familiar get everybody else simultaneously lifting both feet from the ground in time with the beats. This music is the stuff of beers in eskys and people in Ray-Bans and shorts, and larrikin fun times. Do Straight Arrows ever NOT slay? The Sydneysiders bash through a set that electrified the surprisingly (and pleasantly so) massive audience. Mind Control is an early highlight, whilst It Happened Again provides the sloppy dirge. Owen Pengalis and Co give a shout out to the Brisbane Bullets basketball team, and when they

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Velociraptor @ BIGSOUND pic by Stephen Booth Ric’s has seen its fare share of great bands tonight, and Melbourne duo Super Wild Horses muscle their way onto the best-of list with an exuberant set filled with finely-calibrated tension. The tiny venue is rammed to see Amy and Hayley tighten the screws, offering coiled serpents of tracks that cut through. The efficiency brings to mind Sleater-Kinney at their most kinetic, with “epic” guitar, pummelling drums and those haunting yet barbed harmonies, flipped over halfway through for a sweeter-tinged pop whimsy. If you were a robot, you would have a hard time making sense of We All Want To’s Tim Steward and Skye Staniford – or, at least, their voices. As the pair front the local rock quintet’s solidly executed setlist – just him, just her, together – it becomes apparent that one of this band’s strongest points is the way in which Steward and Staniford’s voices work with and against each other. They blend and stand distinct (the Staniford-centric We’re Not Perfect is a standout), excellently complementing the surprisingly lush instrumentation, reaching an explosive apex in their wonderfully cascading ender, Shine. You know what’s funny about The Beards? The fact that they fucking rule. Who the hell told four blokes with rogue facial hair that they could write catchyas-hell tunes, encourage the adulation of a whole carpark AND play their instruments like demons? Well, whoever it was, they need to be applauded. Frontman Johann Beardraven is dead-set Zach

Q MUSIC AND VIRGIN AUSTRALIA WIN ABAF PARTNERSHIP AWARD

Straight Arrows @ BIGSOUND pic by Stephen Booth Galifianakis and just as entertaining, informing the crowd that You Should Have Sex With A Bearded Man while strapped in with a keytar, before inciting a mass singalong with Born With A Beard. Something as ridiculous as this always has the potential to get lost in translation, but even the hairless nonbelievers canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t deny the power of the bearded four. The dancefloor of the Mustang Bar gets a workout with the late evening set of Mia Dyson, her raspy country-esque rock loosening the collars of fans, old and new. She hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t lost it, whatever it is, and she can still wield her guitar like an absolute pro. She is backed by a band that are flawless and edgy, and her songwriting proves as passionate as ever. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a bad way to round out a couple of days of music appreciation and festivities: surrounded by the smell of freshly-cooked popcorn, within five metres of an operational bar, with a soundtrack provided by Art Of Sleeping. And, fortunately, the local indie five-piece more than hold up their end of the bargain, ably aiding the vibe with the dirty drops of Voodoo, the pitchperfect gloss of Above The Water, and a whole ream of other, largely new, material that serves to dreamily rock its way into every heart in attendance and keep the flames of celebration ignited just that little bit longer.

Melbourne psychedelic punks Drunk Mums end the night ensuring everyone leaves deaf, dumb and covered in (fake) blood. The first couple of songs bleed into the garage rock throwaway realm, before they find their groove and the world is torn asunder. Their mulletfriendly garbage rock titillates the crowd, complete with their own dimestore Bez, whose schizophrenic, seizure-happy insanity is a sight to behold. Completing proceedings in Black Bear Lodge are The DC3, the Melbourne band who share a remarkable resemblance to the much-missed TISM, perhaps because they share the same creative lynchpin. They sound great with a live drummer instead of the drum machine they toted last time, and tunes such as Henry Fucking Wagons (we couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t spy the titular figure amongst the packed throng) and the surprisingly unhelpful I Was The Guy In TISM are among highlights, but generally itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just the constant interplay between the highbrow and lowbrow (plus an awesome rant about being at BIGSOUND) which makes this the perfect closer for two great nights of music. And donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even get us started on the after-party... BENNY DOYLE, SAM FISHER, ELEANOR HOUGHTON, MITCH KNOX, BRENDAN TELFORD

Q Music is a not for profit organisation supporting Queensland music, musicians and industry workers. This column will present you with information on grant and export opportunities, conferences and the general lowdown on the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s music industry.

HOME CD WEBSITE LAUNCH A new website has been launched for the HOME CD compilation collection, which will promote the musical works of Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. The launch coincided with the unveiling of the 2012 edition of the annual release at BIGSOUND, organised by project partners QMusic and Virgin Australia. The Home website will profile all the acts included across the four Home compilations, providing music fans and industry the world over with a single destination to find contemporary Indigenous Australian music. Artists featured on the 2012 release include Thelma Plum, Christine Anu, Jake & The Cowboys and Casey Donovan, to name a few, while previous inclusions have ranged from The Medics to Busby Marou to Gurrumul. Over the past few years, the Home project has played a major role in developing new audiences for Indigenous artists. The releases have received airplay across hundreds of radio stations nationally and garnered attention globally. Visit homeartists.com.au for more information.

QMusic and Virgin Australia have collected the Queensland â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Partnership Awardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; at the Australian Business Arts Foundation Awards. The award recognised the beneficial results gained from the successful Home compilation CDs. QMusic and Virgin Australia have developed several initiatives to assist Indigenous artists break through to the mainstream music community through compilation CDs, performances, a dedicated in-flight Indigenous music channel and much more.

AIR LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE

The Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR) have recently launched their new website, combining old industry-focused elements with newer engaging elements. The AIR Membership Program and information packages will be paired with blogs, feature articles and interviews with contemporary industry members. Visit air.org.au.

JAMM FOR GENES ROCK WITH A CAUSE

Jeans For Genes are gearing up for their musicfocused initiative, Jamm For Genes. Jamm are offering a unique fundraising opportunity through the power of live music. Throughout October, Jamm are encouraging musicians and venues to organise live gigs to raise money for the work conducted at Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Medical Research Institute. A portion of revenue raised at each Jamm event will be donated to the cause; donation collections will also be present at each gig. APRA and Studio 301 are offering the band that raises the most money two days recording time at Studio 301 with an engineer. Visit jeansforgenes. org.au/jammforgenes for more information.

WANT TO KNOW MORE OR BECOME A QMUSIC MEMBER? For these stories, memberships and more, go to qmusic.com.au.

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TIME OFF â&#x20AC;˘ 35

ROOTS DOWN

OG FLAVAS

ADAMANTIUM WOLF

BLUES ‘N’ ROOTS WITH DAN CONDON ROOTS@TIMEOFF.COM.AU

URBAN AND R&B NEWS WITH CYCLONE

METAL, HARDCORE AND PUNK WITH LOCHLAN WATT

Rita Ora

Steve Earle I spent last week hitting up the always incredibly fun but utterly draining BIGSOUND music industry conference in Brisbane’s majestic Fortitude Valley, soaking up anything I thought might be remotely interesting and trying to find some hot new acts to blather on about. It will come as no surprise that I was particularly interested in the Getting Back To Our Roots panel, which took place on the Wednesday afternoon and featured panellists Peter Noble (Bluesfest), Bill Hauritz (Woodford Folk Festival), Henry Wagons, Helen Britton (Six Shooter Records), record producer Mark Moffatt and Damian Cunningham (Peats Ridge), facilitated by triple j Roots & All host Sarah Howells. I’ll be honest, there wasn’t a lot gained from the panel, but there was a lot of discussion about what roots music actually is; it’s such a difficult question and one which will never definitively be answered. There are just too many arguments for why something is or isn’t able to be pigeonholed in such a way. After this, talk turned to Americana and things got somewhat more interesting. Peter Noble very bluntly commented that he doesn’t like Americana, as he thinks it’s nothing more than a marketing ploy despite the fact that Mark Moffatt is the Chair of the comittee of the International Americana Music Association. The best comments from the panel came rather late, when Bill Hauritz gave advice to the musicians present that should apply to everyone who plays music, regardless of genre. He urged that no artists set out to be roots musicians – particularly given that roots music is the genre du jour for many of the hip young people today – rather, he suggested that people just be musicians and wait for other people to pigeonhole them. He finished by emphasising the need for authenticity and stating that the best way for an artist to sound authentic is to merely sing in their own voice, rather than adopting an accent, American or otherwise. I am a massive fan of Steve Earle, and having had the pleasure of speaking with him in the past I knew that he would make a perfect keynote speaker for any music industry conference. He certainly didn’t disappoint when he opened proceedings on the Wednesday morning of BIGSOUND, giving us an hour of amazing stories and insights from a guy who has done and seen so very much. Being an avid fan of Texan singer/songwriters of the 1970s, I was particularly excited to hear him speak about the cult of Townes Van Zandt and stories about the work of Guy Clark, Jerry Jeff Walker, Lucinda Williams, Mickey Newberry and Willie Nelson. One thing that really struck me, a thing that had not occurred to me before, was how wide the appeal of Willie Nelson was (and I imagine is) to the Texan people. Earle spoke of concerts that Nelson would put on that just everyone would go to, from rednecks to longhairs and everyone in between. It was rather sad to hear him reveal that he’s writing his forthcoming memoirs almost purely for money, as his two-year-old son has just been diagnosed with a form of autism and they need money to pay for medical treatment. Fans of the band will be particularly excited to hear that he has finished a new record and should have it out around March next year. You can watch the entire chat on theMusic.com.au – if you’re into Steve Earle at all, pour yourself a glass of wine and crank it up. Music-wise, I didn’t catch much roots fare; it’s great to see the wonderful Mia Dyson back in action; it’s great to see Bill Chambers at any time, on this occasion playing alongside Catherine Britt; Saskwatch are doing a pretty decent job of slick, deep funk; and Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes just smashed it outta the park with the sassiest, grooviest goddamn jazzy soul music replete with choreographed dancing and gorgeous costumes. A great couple of days, sure, but now I really need to get some sleep. Just quickly; Bluesfest announce their first bunch of bands for the 2013 line-up this week. Get excited! 36 • TIME OFF

Rita Ora’s ORA is gonna be huge. The Brit urban ‘It’ girl has achieved fame in the new way. While Emeli Sandé’s unique selling point was her songwriting prowess (and that voice) and Jessie J’s was her voice (and co-writing Miley Cyrus’ Party In The USA), Ora has projected herself as a fashionista – she actually has a modelling contract. Then the star has popped up in gossip magazines, dating Rob Kardashian. Oddly, another Roc Nation artist, J Cole, was rumoured to have a sex tape with Rihanna before his debut album dropped. The tape never surfaced, but Cole generated press. Suss? Mind, Ora, 21, does have the vocal chops. She’s also enjoyed three consecutive UK No 1s. The Londoner sang on DJ Fresh’s drum‘n’bass Hot Right Now. Aussies first heard her solo on the platinum How We Do (Party). Ora has since unleashed the rockin’ dubstep RIP, featuring Tinie Tempah – a song Drake originally wrote for Rihanna with production from expat Norwegians Stargate (who sample a Chase & Status remix of Nneka). It’s a pity that Ora’s US-centric label hasn’t persuaded the credible UK music media to come on side, despite her touring with Coldplay. They’ve mostly ignored her. Ora has fascinating antecedents. She was born in what is now Kosovo, in the troubled former Yugoslavia, before her family moved to the UK. Ora dabbled in acting, landing a role in the East End flick Spivs. However, music became her focus. She sang on Craig David’s 2007 non-single Awkward. Ora even auditioned to represent the UK in 2009’s Eurovision Song Contest. The same year Roc Nation spotted her. Unfortunately, little of the singer’s personality – or history – is reflected on the oft-predictable ORA. And Ora has worked largely with US-based producers – Major Lazer, The-Dream, will.i.am – at a time when the UK is at the forefront (cue Plan B’s proudly

British iLL Manors). The exception is Fraser T Smith (Adele). Explaining Tinie’s guest spot in her bio, Ora says perplexingly, “I wanted to keep it British. I need to rep for the UK!” If only. ORA is a Frankenstein creation. The songs might have been written for, or recorded by, anyone: Rihanna, Katy Perry, P!nk… Still, there are decent tracks, so expect loads more hits. ORA has already topped the UK charts. The album opens with Switch’s Facemelt, sampling ‘Dirty Dutch’ houser Bart B More. It’s a dubstep banger that sounds like it was laid down near a MotoGP. As with the flashy How We Do..., which nicks its refrain from The Notorious BIG’s Party & Bullshit, The-Dream’s Roc The Life is rock&B – it’s also very Rihanna-esque, although, happily, Ora doesn’t have the Bajan’s nasal qualities. Not coincidentally, How... was co-produced by Florida posse The Runners, who machinated RiRi’s California King Bed, a possible reference here. Lily Allen’s pal Greg Kurstin demonstrates that he has studied David Guetta’s electro/house/trance pop formula with Radioactive, co-written by Sia Furler of Titanium infamy. Roc Nation’s Alexis Jordan (remember Happiness?) should be jealous. Ora adores Gwen Stefani – hence her platinum hair and red lipstick – and the empowering Shine Ya Light, courtesy of Smith, starts off like heavier No Doubt reggae. Jay-Z doesn’t cameo, but Cole does on Stargate’s synthy midtempo Love & War, which, like will.i.am’s hyper-electro Fall In Love (those fa-la-la-las are so annoying!), has some autotuning. Ora mimics Nicki Minaj’s stylised rap-singing on the disco Uneasy – one of The Ting Tings has a writing credit. Ora delivers two trad ballads, the restrained Hello, Hi, Goodbye beating the Rihanna-ish Been Lying. This month in a Q mag spotlight on producers, Madonna ally Stuart Price deplores today’s ‘brief encounter’ mode of recording, in which artists and writer/producers share but a transitory (and mercantile) relationship. This is ultimately the problem with ORA: it’s production-line urban-pop. Teaming with the same pool of hitmakers as your rivals can turn you into an apparent clone or, worse, biter. Mary J Blige had Puff Daddy, Aaliyah had Timbaland, and Amerie Rich Harrison. Ora needs her own go-to guy or girl to put some aura into ORA.

THE BREAKDOWN POP CULTURE THERAPY WITH ADAM CURLEY havoc in their suburban neighbourhood, Where’s The Love threw them into the busy city streets of London, surrounded by older people dancing to the song and staring at them as if they were some magical oddity. Hanson In 1997, the downstairs loungeroom of my parents’ house was my domain. I was 14 and, though I’m the youngest of four, had only the younger of my sisters with whom to share space in our humble suburban two-storey. The downstairs lounge had been converted by my father from a double garage, my attached bedroom from a woodwork room. When it was down to the two of us kids, my sister had the run of the upstairs rooms, the ‘main’ part of the house, and I got the downstairs. It was in the lounge room, during a routine Saturday rage session, that I saw the video for Hanson’s Where’s The Love, 15 years ago this month. Of course, like everyone else, I’d already experienced the phenomenon of the group’s first single, MMMBop, earlier that year. I’d bought the CD single the week of its release in a fairly confused state, thinking that Taylor Hanson was a girl, that I had a very large crush on her and that the band were possibly from the ‘70s given the washed out production of that single’s video. I wasn’t a worldly kid, but this was also a time when research on the Internet meant waiting half an hour for an unhelpful Geocities page to download, and when an American group could enter the Australian chart without anyone knowing anything much about them, including the salespeople at the local shopping centre music store. By the time of Where’s The Love, I knew more about Hanson. I knew they were not to be liked, that Taylor was a boy, that he was not to be liked, that MMMBop was a terrible song and I’d shamefully listened to it in secret too many times. I also knew that Where’s The Love had a far superior clip. Where MMMBop had pitched Hanson as a trio of teens causing cute

This was, no doubt, the impression the filmmakers and record company wanted to give. We were supposed to believe that these kids were beautiful freaks of nature sent to earth to be enjoyed by man, woman and child alike. But Taylor Hanson was two months younger than me and was, to my mind, not a freak but a 14-year-old who clearly had people outside his lounge room listening to his ideas about the world. It was there in the clip. And they were big ideas. Where’s the love? I was asking the same question. Not in those terms exactly, but I knew that pop music needed to be simpl. And how simpler to communicate the burgeoning awareness of an individual’s isolation? Where’s the love? It’s not enough. But there was something else going on in that video. My crush on the female Taylor Hanson had been manipulated into envy of, and empathy for, the male Taylor Hanson, the attraction still buried. I wanted to be him, to be famous and heard; I saw myself in him, the way he didn’t fit into the knowing cool of the music clips around him, his awkward androgyny; and deep down I wanted to do things with him, sexy teenage things. The lines were blurred even more by the fact that he looked and dressed a little like my sister: stringy blonde hair and maroon slim-fit suede jackets. She was, at the time, my only link to the grungy real world I knew existed beyond the boundaries of the suburbs I had no means of breaching, no one to breach them with. In my cave downstairs, I longed to know her better. It’s taken me a long time to see that none of those feelings trumped the others. It was not only about my sexuality, and not only a fame fantasy. They were all equally valid, all part of getting older and figuring things out. It took even longer to claim those feelings as nothing shameful, no failure on my part to make good or know more or be more brave. Fifteen years on, Hanson’s question lingers, but not in that lounge room.

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You’ve almost definitely heard about it by now, but massive props must be given to The Amity Affliction for topping the charts last week with their third album Chasing Ghosts. It only goes to show that heavy music is stronger than ever, and Adamantium Wolf is comfortable in hoping that this isn’t a one-off. Perhaps Parkway Drive will be the next band to do so? Their fourth album Atlas is due for release on 26 October, with the band this time working with producer Matt Hyde (Slayer, Hatebreed, Children of Bodom, Strung Out). Vocalist Winston McCall described the album as “ten years of Parkway Drive, ten years of travel, ten years of being alive and watching our world spiral out of control. We’re not holding anything back, we’re not pulling any punches, and this world deserves nothing less.” You can check out a video for the first crushing single, Dark Days, on that YouTube thing that some people use sometime. There’s also a pre-order bundled with a limited edition Parkway Drive beach towel available through JB Hi-Fi, and a vinyl version available directly through Resist Records. Though it was announced some time ago, it appears that this piece of news evaded being chucked into this column thus far – Michigan punks The Swellers will be back in town in October, with Sydney’s Endless Heights lucky enough to have nabbed the national support. Catch them at X&Y Bar on 20 October, and check out the new EP from The Swellers, Running Out Of Places To Go, when it is released through Shock just in time for the run. Sydney power metallers LORD have unveiled the first single of their forthcoming album Digital Lies. The video to Betrayal Blind is online now, with a downloadable version of the song available for $1 from lord.net.au. The band will launch Digital Lies in Queensland next month with Electrik Dynamite at The Tempo Hotel on 19 October, The Shailer Park High School on 20 October, and later that night at the Miami Shark Bar. A decade after originally getting together, and two years after putting the brakes on, Melbourne alternative punk rockers Horsell Common have announced an end to their hiatus in the form of three shows. While they’re skipping Brisbane this time around, you can catch them on 30 September at We Come Out At Night in Sydney, 19 October at Black Market in Adelaide, and 5 November at Plastic in Melbourne. Future plans from that point on haven’t been confirmed nor denied by the group. Melbourne grindcore crew King Parrot, who feature ex-Blood Duster drummer Matt Rizzo, have set up some pre-orders for their debut album Bite Your Head Off. Grab a copy of the frenzied punk/metal assault with free shipping within Australia from kingparrot.bigcartel.com and catch the band at Bastardfest on 13 October. Adelaide sludge lords Space Bong have confirmed that they are indeed halfway through the recording process of their new album Deadwood To Worms. They will be taking their jams interstate again later this month, but unfortunately aren’t making it all the way up to Brisbane this time. Damn you Dave Gibson! Hard rocking Swedish power metallers Sabaton, who will be out here in January to play a few supports with Nightwish, have announced their own headlining show. Check them out in Melbourne on 12 January at The Prague with locals Eyefear and Black Majesty.

GIGS OF THE WEEK: Thursday: Widow The Sea, As Silence Breaks, As Paradise Falls, Chapters – X&Y Bar. Burn With Me, Fvck Mountain, Dire Wolf, Bison – Crowbar. Enter Shikari (UK), In Hearts Wake – Eaton’s Hill Hotel. Friday: Darkc3ll, Melody Black, Bound For Ruin – Crowbar. Saturday: The Fevered, Brazen, Ritual Harm, S.M.H.G. – Empire Studios. Travels, Hellcrown, Fat Guy Wears Mystic Wolf Shirt, Only Sleeping, Ape Farm – Fat Louie’s.

godspeed you! black emperor feb 13 — tivoli tickets on sale now: www.handsometours.com

TIME OFF • 37

THE TIMBERS

GOLDEN SOUND The four-piece has announced that their second EP will land late this year, a clutch of songs that will see the band breaking away from their last release while still retaining defining elements of fun. “We recorded the self-titled EP at Chapel Lane Studios, which is one of Adelaide’s top studios,” Basey says. “It has a dark, moody, epic feel about it, but at the same time [it] is very high energy and danceable. We released the first single Into The Forest in May and we’ll be launching the EP with the single Darkhorse in Adelaide in late November. This will no doubt be followed by some touring around Australia.”

The Timbers’ multi-faceted frontman Simon Basey gets Benny Doyle up to speed on everything to do with Adelaide’s beloved roots quartet. “Myself and Ben [Roberts – guitar] were playing as a duo and Sarah [O’Brien – violin] and Craig [Atkins – drums] were playing with another songwriter,” he explains. “We were all active in the Adelaide music scene and once we all got to know each other, the music came together very quickly. We feel our instrumentation makes us stand out because it is so different from most other acts. There is a long list of instruments we perform with and we are always experimenting with new ways to make a unique, memorable sound.”

Excited about the band’s first run of dates in Queensland, Basey gives those punters new to the rustic beauty of The Timbers an insight into what can be expected from their live shows. “It’s a mixture of very high energy, raucous, thighslapping sea shanties and hoedowns with a few slower numbers for us to catch our breath,” he chuckles. “We use every limb to make our music and we give it our all onstage. All of us can’t wait to bring it to new audiences in Queensland.” WHEN & WHERE: Friday 21 September, The Spotted Cow, Toowoomba; Sunday 23, The Joynt; Tuesday 25, Ric’s Bar; Thursday 27, Music Kafe; Sunday 30, Caloundra Music Festival

LOVE LIKE HATE

the listener in ‘Golden Goodness’. I’ve also sung on a few songs on this release, which has been a change.” As touched on above, Golden Sound uses a lot in the way of vintage instruments. Your correspondent’s inner geek goes digging for more detail, and Golikov doesn’t disappoint.

The new album from musician/producer Peter Golikov – aka Golden Sound – titled Give Me Sight/Give Me Sound, hails back to an era of feelgood funk, an enthralled Tony McMahon discovers. “The new Golden Sound record is more organic in its production than my first release,” says Golikov. “Most of the music recorded is real musicians using old mics and valve technology to get a vintage sound. In comparison with [last album] Bathing In Goodness, I didn’t use any drum samples in the mix at all. There’s more song-based music on this release as well. It features a bunch of great guests including Reggie Watts, Laneous, Steph Lees, Melotonins and a selection of featured performers. This new record moves into more psychedelic talk-box funk, with lashings of sonic-textured synths, bathing

“Sonja and I write about what influences us in our day to day lives, whether it’s deep emotions felt on positive and negative levels or dark thoughts – we write about the things that make us think or feel a certain way at the time. While we initially picked the songs for the EP because we thought musically they worked as a journey for

“These artists have taught us just to forge ahead with creating the sounds that we want to create,” Cheketri levels. “They never seemed to bend and instead kept creating their own art. It’s a good reminder to us that while it may not be to everyone’s taste, nothing ever is.” With the help of drummer Stephen Birt, these expansive new songs are ready to be brought to life for Brisbane, a night that Cheketri can’t wait for. “We are just really excited for people who have seen us over the last year, gigging green, to now see where we are at with our current live performances.”

“I think there’s a change that happens, a few times in everyone’s life,” says Buckingham, “that drastically alters who they become and where their life leads. This change can happen quickly or slowly – in my case it was very slowly – but I think there’s a new version of myself living, loving and making music now and releasing Fragile Heart is the first event, I guess, in this new era.”

WHAT: Rabbit Hole (Independent) WHEN & WHERE: Friday 21 September, Beetle Bar

This record has been billed as a foretaste of a new album, due next year, and Buckingham says this is certainly the case, probably.

38 • TIME OFF

“I mainly write from personal experience so I definitely had to put myself back in my old shoes a few times and dig up all kinds of emotions. I think I also felt like there were a lot of other people emotionally invested in the recording, not just me, and I felt like I wanted to do it really well for them. No pressure!” On the important question of how this music will translate to a live setting, Buckingham assures us everything is under control. “I’ll pretty much be touring solo so will be stripping the songs right back to their original form. I love the recording process and all the new sounds it can bring, but I think there’s something really special about experiencing a song in its simplest form with just an instrument and a voice.” WHAT: Fragile Heart (Independent) WHEN & WHERE: Sunday 23 September, LiveSpark @ Brisbane Powerhouse

playing around with the idea of a unicorn flower bomb. Also, we have been on kind of a break – I took time off from Tiger Beams to make a solo/ collaboration album [as] Odyssey called Future/ Space/Dead/Sound. It’s future hip hop/outer space/ parkour/black box found recording of a broken heart. This past year I have been sending Jeremy new tracks and bouncing ideas around about the evolution of the road Tigers might take. When the time is right we will share [the songs] with you.”

SubStation have made something of a name for themselves by blending the sounds of punk, rock, grunge and metal, unifying them through their raw energy. According to Cain, this was not something that was planned, but it has had its benefits.

“Excitement levels are always high for our gigs, but nothing beats the feeling of coming up to Brisbane and nailing a show in front of a big foreign crowd – it’s worth the five-hour round trip for no or little money every time. We love playing in Brisbane. The Beetle Bar is the only venue there that we’ve played multiple times, our most memorable with Aussie

WHEN & WHERE: Wednesday 19 September, Jet Black Cat Music (all ages, free); Saturday 22, SYC Studios; Wednesday 27, Wunder Bar @ QPAC

TIGER BEAMS punk legends X. The punters here just seem to lap up the energy we have on stage and it feels great!”

This is not SubStation’s first visit to the Sunshine State. Cain makes it clear that performing here is something the band truly loves, and it seems that the feeling is mutual.

WHAT: Give Me Sight/Give Me Sound (Independent)

Reliable sources inform Time Off that the recording process for this record was a passionate one. Buckingham says this has to do with the subject matter of the songs.

According to songstress Sam Buckingham, her new, fourtrack EP, Fragile Heart, is both a taste of things to come and the beginning of a new musical epoch. Tony McMahon investigates.

SUBSTATION

Ned Cain, drummer with Lismore grunge/punk outfit SubStation, tells Tony McMahon all about how his band simply loves coming to Brisbane.

“The CD launch at SYC Studios will feature Golden Sound in 12-piece big band mode. The Melotonins will be special guest vocalists, alongside the GB’s horn section. Go-go dancer Miss BB le Buff will be shaking her Polaroid picture in the ‘Golden Cage of Delights’ as well.”

“I guess it’s a sampler. We’re still recording the album so even I don’t know exactly how it’s going to sound yet, which is exciting. I feel like Fragile Heart starts off the story… it’s the entrée.”

Touchstones such as PJ Harvey, Concrete Blonde and Yeah Yeah Yeahs have helped shape the powerful and unique sound of Love Like Hate, with the Brisbane pair adamant that to be true to those listening, they have to be true to themselves.

“The songs for Rabbit Hole were written over the last two years between Sonja [Ter Horst – piano] and I,” Cheketri, the vocalist and guitar player for the act, says. “However, in 2011 we chose the ones we wanted to record with drummer Fi Ellwood and worked on them to get them ready for recording.

All of which should make for a terrific live show. But Golikov explains that there are other things to look forward to as well.

SAM BUCKINGHAM the listener to experience the shades of what Love Like Hate are about, it happened that the themes also have completely different personal themes from love, death and those significant times of growing up and what changed us.”

Love Like Hate are back with a new EP and a bigger sound. Benny Doyle follows Heather Cheketri down their latest Rabbit Hole.

“I’m a collector of all good things vintage including musical equipment: the Golden Sound concept is built on this sound. Vintage fidelity. I use a lot of vintage keyboards in my recordings: Fender Rhodes, Hohner Clavinets, Hammond organs. Ribbon mics are featured a lot on this record. A lot of my pre amps are valve as well.”

“It definitely came naturally when we first started jamming, it also adds to the diversity of our songwriting, which is mostly all done collaboratively. I draw a lot of inspiration from punk, Mat (guitar) is a bit of a metalhead, Tim (guitar) loves classic rock and brings his grunge vocals to the mix, and Monique (bass) has shitloads of energy and enthusiasm that pushes us. All these elements gelled together naturally and make SubStation unique.” In describing a SubStation live show for Brisbane punters who might not have caught them yet, Cain makes it sound like an event seriously not to be missed. “It’s basically a party. Loud, fun, loads of energy, generally fast and lots of yelling. Bring a sense of humour, lots of hair and head banging. We like a bit of heckling and we’ll play with it on stage. SubStation loves to party and we portray that when we play live!” WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 20 September, Beetle Bar

Tiger Beams are yet another ruling Brisbane act to add to your playlist. Benny Doyle isn’t entirely sure what drummer Jesse Hawkins is talking about, but whatever it is he likes it. “Tigers with Beams coming out of their eyes has been in our minds for about four years now,” he admits. Hawkins and fellow itchy-soled local muso Jeremy Neale make up the two-piece, and if it’s scratchy groove-filled rock you’re after then you’ve come to the right place. “Almost immediately after me and Jeremy met we began making plans to make some music together,” he carries on. “We took our first year slow, writing songs and eventually released an album in July 2011 called In Your Dreams. This past year we have been

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When they are not smashing up stages as a duo or pursuing their own individual endeavours, Hawkins and Neale can also be found in Velociraptor, the 12-horned rock monster that is currently making some serious waves. The 28-year-old sticksman admits that Tiger Beams is a way for the guys to unload in a more abrasive manner. “In a way that’s what Beams is – intergalactic star fighters from the future, trying [to] fight our way out. Tigers and the other bands I play in all work in different ways, though the themes almost every time are incredibly precise and completely random at the same time. [But] we are not dinosaurs when we play this kind of music – we are broken scientific calculators.” WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 22 September, CURRENT, RISING @ Northshore Hamilton

ALBUM LAUNCH & NEW SHOW

Quirky Berserky the turkey from Turkey with legendary kidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performer rmer

Peter Combe e Matine

am at 11 seum ld Mu .org O e h T eum m old us 17+bf or Tix: $ Family +bf $60

EP Launch

Friday 5th October Tickets 7 bf PRESALE X&Y Bar, 8pm www.xandybar.com.au with special guests 10 on the door

and the

in a Pizza Band The Tempo Hotel 388 Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley Sunday 23 September, 18+ show p Doors 5.30pm

Bring along your toffee apples, newspaper hats and sing along with Mr Clicketty Cane, Newspaper Mama, Toffee Apple, Spaghetti Bolognaise, Juicy Juicy Green Grass, Chopsticks, Tadpole Blues, Jack & the Beanstalk, Baghdad, Saturday Night, Syntax ntax Error and... Quirky Berserky, The Song about Captain Cook, Rock Scissors Paper The songs that a million Australian kids grew up on... and some new ones

Tickets: $22 (+BF) Oztix Hotline 1300 762545 www.oztix.com.au

TIME OFF â&#x20AC;˘ 39

HAVE YOU HEARD?

GRIZZLY GRISWOLDS The incredibly energetic and bubbly Sydney outfit The Griswolds have just announced they will be supporting Hey Geronimo on their national tour. The five-piece burst onto the scene with debut single Mississippi, which received extensive airplay, and following that their second single Heart Of A Lion received high rotation on triple j, attracting a lot of media and industry attention. The band certainly has a lot going for them winning this year’s triple j Parklife competition, winning a spot to play at the Sydney show. They’ve also announced they’ll be releasing a new single and debut EP at the end of September. You can catch The Griswolds as they venture up to our coast with Hey Geronimo, where they will play at The Zoo on Friday 28 September, The Beach Hotel, Byron Bay on Friday 12 October and at Sol Bar, Maroochydore on Saturday 13.

ON THE TIME OFF STEREO Mirage Rock BAND OF HORSES Reckon JASON COLLETT The Seer SWANS Dot TIM RICHMOND Other Worlds TAKEN BY TREES The Key Of Sea Vol 2 VARIOUS R U 4 Sirius? THE GOOCH PALMS Tempest BOB DYLAN The B-52s THE B-52S Songs You Know By Heart JIMMY BUFFETT

SILENCE THE SUN

DEGREES OF SEPARATION

Ainslie Wills, fresh from her appearance on RockWiz – where she performed with 360, covering Jonny Cash’s Ain’t No Grave – is taking no time off as she announces an upcoming national tour. Those in the know, who have seen her live before, will know what to expect; for those who don’t, expect to be carried away by her soaring, ethereal vocals. Her upcoming shows will be showcasing material from her forthcoming album, You Go Your Way, I’ll Go Mine, giving fans a sneak peek of what to expect. With no official release date, You Go Your Way, I’ll Go Mine is expected to come out sometime early next year, so be sure to head over to Black Bear Lodge on Sunday 28 October, tickets cost $15+BF (18+).

How did you get together? Maf Davis (lead vocals/guitar): “Serendipity. Chance. Fate. Karma. Luck. Providence. Coincidence.” Sum up your musical sound in four words. “Melodic. Heavy. Interesting. Fun.” If you could support any band in the world – past or present – who would it be? “That’s gotta be a toss-up between The Cure, Glen Danzig-era Misfits or Ozzy-era Black Sabbath.” You’re being sent into space, you can’t take an iPod and there’s only room to bring one album – which would it be? “Led Zeppelin I or Helmet’s Meantime.” Greatest rock’n’roll moment of your career to date? “Playing an open air spring festival in a seaside town in Japan. It started puking rain mid-set. We were the first Western band that had ever been there, so the crowd expected us to stop. Our crew covered the gear in a few ponchos and we kept on rocking. Everyone watching went 100% nutso in the inimitable Japanese way. We all got totally soaked and it wasn’t until we’d finished that we remembered the risk of electrocution. It made the newspapers in true rock’n’roll style!” Why should people come and see your band? “Our stuff is a different spin on heavy that has loads of cool melodic stuff going on… and our bass player will probably paint his face and get partially naked.” Silence The Sun play X&Y Bar on Friday 28 September (with RVLR and We Live Forever).

CATHARSIS

TIGER SAFARI

Having played an amazing set at BIGSOUND Live this last week, Tigertown are pleased to announce a national tour, as well as the release of their latest EP Before The Morning. Over the last while Tigertown have been hard at work touring and recording, with their efforts being rewarded with extensive airplay on triple j and FBi. Before The Morning, due to be released on Friday 21 September, promises to contain “layers of rich vocal harmonies and colourful percussion”. It was produced by Jimi Maroudas (Eskimo Joe) and mixed by Scott Horscroft (Little Red, Silverchair) ensuring that the indie outfit keeps a tight sound. Tigertown will be playing at Barsoma on Friday 26 October and at Bon Amici Café, Toowoomba on Saturday 27.

GOALS FOR HOLES & POLES

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Melbourne four-piece The Stillsons have had a busy year to say the least, with five east coast tours under their belts already. Using this as a source of inspiration, the folk/rock outfit wants to capture the spirit and energy of live shows within their third album. So what have the gang done? Yeah, they’ve sorted another tour to warm their vocal cords and instruments. Leaving Melbourne, The Stillsons will be heading up to our sunny state, setting up camp at Applewood Studios to set about recording their forthcoming album. Along their way they’ll be stopping at The SoundLounge, Gold Coast on Friday 28 September, where Laneway will support them, tickets cost $14 online or $16 at the door. They will also be playing two free shows at The Royal Mail, Goodna on Saturday 29 September and at Byron’s The Rail on Sunday 30 September.

Queer music stalwart Holes And Poles makes a return to the scene, and has selected an array of artists who will be playing at this year’s Pride Festival. The mainstage bill includes Sleeping Cities with their “docile lullabies”; Bigger Than Benhur, who will introduce a little ukulele; gloomy lady rock outfit Love Like Hate; and Shiny Shiny, who’ll add a little electro bliss to the mix. Outside in the beer garden, the music will carry on, courtesy of DJ Arsee, DJ Gavin Bright, DJ DougMC, and DJ NeddEbear. So head along to Barsoma in the Valley to celebrate gay pride and rights on Sunday 23 September. Tickets are a very reasonable $5 or $3 for concession/Pride Festival members.

The Cathars have emerged from their underground lair, and have been voiced all around thanks to triple j Unearthed, who have played a major role in revealing some of our nation’s hidden talents. The Brisbane fourpiece indie-pop outfit is described as having a sound like a “freight train punch to the face of slick, visceral music”. Don’t be put off though, their two singles Pickpocket and Swingers come across in a surf-pop style, perfect for a sunny day. The Cathars have announced two shows, playing at Black Bear Lodge on Wednesday 19 September (18+) and Rocking Horse Records on Saturday 22 (all ages). Tickets for the Black Bear Lodge show cost $10; for those who pay, they will receive a free copy of double-player Pickpocket/Swinger, this will also be available for the Rocking Horse show.

TREE HUGGER

Brisbane songstress Miss Elm is about to set off on a tour of the east coast. She will be taking to the road with her “tender and demanding” voice, delivering a “mixture of quirky pop and a sliver of jazz,” as she road tests some new material. The influences of Regina Sparks and Peggy Lee shine through Miss Elm’s persona and song delivery, yet she adds her own “addictive twist”. Miss Elm is famed for her conversational-style lyrics, which she uses to address topics in her songs as varied as Facebook through to heartbreak. Miss Elm will be playing three Queensland dates: 30 September at Caloundra Music Festival, 18 October at The Joynt with Gregory Page (US) and 16 November at The Waiting Room with Arbori.

ABBOTT-PROOF KINGDOM OF NEW Over the last few years triple j Unearthed High has been the breeding ground for our up-and-coming musicians, bringing to our attention what may seem household names nowadays such as Snakadaktal and Stonefield. Kingdom Of Little Empires works hand in hand with Unearthed High, providing winners and finalists to showcase their talents; giving Brisbane-dwellers a taste of what to expect. This year’s gig will feature performances from Asta, this year’s Unearthed High winner who’s bringing her “electro-folk stylings,” as well as runner-ups indie-pop songstress Jessica Cerro and Tyler Touché laying down his synthladen dance tracks. Headlining the evening will be last year’s winner, Hunting Grounds, pictured, who have been reaping the rewards of their success, releasing their debut album In Hindsight and taking it on the road for their first headlining tour. So head along to Brisbane Powerhouse on Saturday 29 September to catch the sounds of what the future will be sounding like. Tickets cost $18 (all ages). 40 • TIME OFF

Perth-based punk outfit The Decline have been rather busy this year, but are showing no signs of slowing down. The four-piece have announced their third national tour, the delightfully-named The Abbott Proof Fence Tour, will take place over September and October. This latest tour celebrates the release of The Decline’s latest album Are You Gonna Eat That? and you can catch The Decline who will be accompanied by NSW punk outfit Local Resident Failure and Gold Coast band Friends With The Enemy at one of their Queensland shows over the Queen’s Birthday weekend: Thursday 27 September at Surfer’s Paradise Beer Garden with The Fall and on Friday 28 September at Crowbar with Driven Fear and Mental Giants.

A ROSA AMONGST THE WEEDS

Brisbane has given birth to yet another talented musician in the shape and form of Hannah Rosa. The folk-pop songstress has broken into the scene with her “beautifully crafted, honest and personal” songwriting, drawing comparisons to the greats such as Missy Higgins, Julia Stone and Katie Noonan. Rosa is on the verge of releasing her first EP Tall Poppy, with the official launch taking place at The Zoo on Thursday 27 September. Supporting her on the night will be Bec Plath, Stephen Smith and Georgia Rose & Sally-Ann, so head along to The Zoo for some genuine, mellow, heartfelt music. Tickets cost $8, with doors opening at 7.30pm

THAT’S NO EXCUSE!

Business students at the Southbank Institute Of Technology are eying up the brutish end of their studies, but that doesn’t mean there’s no time to throw a little party. Oh, no. Assessment piece/event They Made Us Do It will take place at Coniston Lane on Friday 21 September, featuring five local acts – The Arctic, The Royal Artillery, Boss Maxi, Bixby Canyon, pictured, and Calais. With acts such as these, you just know it’s going to be LOUD. Tickets are a very reasonable $10, which will go towards funding a compilation album featuring music from Brisbane. If that alone isn’t enough to get you leaping out of the door, there is an added incentive of possibly winning a $50 gift card to Arties Music Max simply by mentioning the band you want to go see.

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BRISBANE BOUND

STUDIO DIARY

BRISBANE BOUND

DOS + AOI Members/roles: Dos (everything) and AOI (sample chopper, drum break connoisseur, laser specialist)

THE CACTUS CHANNEL

Home ground: L-Burn Describe your live music/performance style as succinctly as possible. AOI: Classic dusty boom-bap filtered through a mangled mainframe played live off the 16 pads of a beaten MPD. Instrumental hip hop drug music.

Member answering/role: Darvid Thor (guitarist) Home ground: Melbourne Describe your live music/performance style as succinctly as possible. The Cactus Channel are an energetic tenpiece instrumental funk/soul orchestra playing hard funk breaks in the style of The Dap-Kings and The Budos Band.

DOS: Larry Emdur on a mushroom bender. Is this your first foray to Brisbane? If not, how many times have you performed in our midst? AOI: Too many to mention and every time it gets iller.

Is this your first foray to Brisbane? If not, how many times have you performed in our midst. Yeah, this is our first trip up past NSW. Before this, the furthest north we played was in Sydney, so this whole tour is going to be an amazing and interesting experience. We’re all excited about the Brisbane show as we’ve got fellow funk/soul instrumentalists Kerbside Collection as well as a few DJs to show us how Brisbane does it.

DOS: Yes! First time to Brisbane – first time to Queensland for that matter. Please relate your impressions of performing in our fair city. Aoi: Sometimes I wear shorts, I sweat more and am inclined to prefer XXXX for some reason. Generally look forward to occult pilgrimages to the W. Lewis statue and Toowong cemetery. What can we expect different this time around? AOI: Everything and nothing, a separate occurrence in time where all matter is in a new yet to be determined configuration. Also DOS4GW will SLAY YOU.

What can we expect from your live show? As usual we’ll put all our soul into giving you our greatest live show full of feelgood vibes, tight grooves and fun times.

DOS: I promise I’ll show up. Has anything exciting been happening in your world of late? AOI: I’m lucky to be working on music full-time and collaborating with a lot of talented artists. Always buying new records and developing a crippling addiction to raspberry sour straps. Shout outs to Neil deGrasse Tyson, that guy’s awesome. DOS: Definitely – I’m working on a bunch of releases and remixes right now, which you’ll be able to catch soon. MR DNA x DOS4GW – Hoodrat Stuff With My Friends is the next one out, dropping later this year. DOS + AOI play Samurai Throwdown at Coniston Lane on Saturday 22 September.

or their fourth studio album Mirage Rock, Seattle’s Band Of Horses bunkered down in LA’s famous Sunset Sound studios with legendary UK producer Glyn Johns (The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, The Band, The Who, we could go on forever) and came up with arguably their most vital release to date. To celebrate the album’s release and their impending Australian tour around the 2013 Big Day Out, Band Of Horses kindly provided us

with some photos of their in-studio experience, which they loudly proclaimed to be not only productive but a whole ton of fun to boot. WHO: Band Of Horses WHAT: Mirage Rock (Columbia/Sony) WHEN & WHERE: Sunday 20 January, Big Day Out, Gold Coast Parklands

Has anything exciting been happening in your world of late? Last month we released our long awaited debut album Haptics on HopeStreet Recordings, thus the Haptics Album Tour we are embarking on. It’s a first for all of us so we’re curious and excited to see what it will all bring! We’ve got six shows in ten days along the east coast, and then one in Adelaide and Melbourne, so it’s looking to be an awesome next few weeks. After that we’ll just see what happens! The Cactus Channel launch Haptics (HopeStreet/Fuse) at X&Y Bar on Friday 21 September, Swingin’ Safari, Surfers Paradise on Saturday 22 and Buddha Bar, Byron Bay on Sunday 23.

DIANA ANAID Sun 30 Sep @ Miami Tavern Shark Bar & BAND Thu 4 Oct @ Racehorse Hotel Fri 5 Oct @ Coolum Beach Hotel

FRI 21 SEP

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Sat 17 Nov @ Club Caboolture Tavern Tickets from Ticketmaster

GIGAHERTZ Sat 22 Sep @ Albany Creek Tavern FREE ENTRY

KEVIN BORICH EXPRESS Sat 22 Sep @ Racehorse Hotel ROCK N ROOTS SHOW Tickets from Ticketmaster. DAS EFX Wed 26 Sep

TIX $15 FROM THE VENUE FROM 8.00PM

@ Surfers Paradise Beergarden Tickets from Ticketmaster

ABSOLUTELY Fri 28 Sep @ Hamilton Hotel 80'S Sat 29 Sep @ Albany Creek Tavern Sun 30 Sep @ Racehorse Hotel Tickets from Ticketmaster

42 • TIME OFF

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Rise Like The Sun Qpac, Wander Bar

TOUR GUIDE RADIOHEAD: Friday 9 November, BEC

INTERNATIONAL

MACY GRAY: Jupiters Casino Sep 19, QPAC Sep 20 EVERMORE: The Zoo Sep 19 HANSON: The Hi-Fi Sep 20 ENTER SHIKARI: Eatons Hill Hotel Sep 20 JIMMY BUFFETT: Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens Sep 21 FUTURE ISLANDS: GoMA Sep 21 WHEATUS: The Hi-Fi Sep 23 SCISSOR SISTERS: Arena Sep 25 MARIANA’S TRENCH: The Zoo Sep 25 MYSTERY JETS: The Hi-Fi Sep 25 FEAR FACTORY: The Hi-Fi Sep 26 MC LARS: Snitch Sep 27 FERRY CORSTEN: Family Sep 28 FUNKAGENDA: The Met Sep 28 JAMES MORRISON: Eatons Hill Hotel Sep 28 ULCERATE: Beetle Bar Sep 30 HIGH ON FIRE: The Zoo Sep 30 DEFEATER, BLACKLISTED: Mount Gravatt PCYC Sep 30, Byron Bay YAC Oct 1, The Zoo Oct 2 JOE BONAMASSA: QPAC Oct 3 HOME BLITZ: Black Bear Lodge Oct 3 STEEL PANTHER: Eatons Hill Hotel Oct 4 TIM & ERIC: The Tivoli Oct 4 NEKROMANTIX: The Hi-Fi Oct 4 HIGH WOLF: Brisbane Powerhouse Oct 4 RUSSIAN CIRCLES, EAGLE TWIN: The Zoo Oct 5 GRANDMASTER MELLE MEL: Coniston Lane Oct 6 ALLO DARLIN’: Black Bear Lodge Oct 7 CANNIBAL CORPSE: The Hi-Fi Oct 8 MARTIKA: The Hi-Fi Oct 10 EVERCLEAR: Coolangatta Hotel Oct 10, The Hi-Fi Oct 11 GROUPER: Brisbane Powerhouse Oct 11 STEVE AOKI: The Met Oct 11 TORTOISE: The Zoo Oct 12 GOMEZ: Coolangatta Hotel Oct 13, The Tivoli Oct 14 LANGE: Barsoma Oct 14 RUDIMENTAL: Oh Hello Oct 14 GRAILS: The Zoo Oct 17 MUMFORD & SONS: Brisbane Riverstage Oct 17, Gold Coast Convention Centre Oct 31 XIU XIU: Brisbane Powerhouse Oct 18 THE SWELLERS: Thriller Oct 20, Elements Collective Oct 21 LEE RANALDO BAND: The Zoo Oct 21 SMASH MOUTH: Jupiter’s Oct 21 SHELLAC: The Zoo Oct 23 HOT CHELLE RAE: BCEC Oct 23 WEDNESDAY 13: The Zoo Oct 25 MADLIB, J ROCC, EGON: Coniston Lane Oct 25 BILLY BRAGG: QPAC Oct 25, The Hi-Fi Oct 26 THE BLACK KEYS: BEC Oct 26 THURSTON MOORE: The Hi-Fi Oct 27 MATCHBOX TWENTY: BEC Oct 27 AT THE GATES: The Hi-Fi Oct 31 TOUCH AMORE, MAKE DO & MEND:

The Zoo Oct 31, Sun Distortion Nov 1 CHERRY POPPIN’ DADDIES: Tempo Hotel Nov 1 CHELSEA WOLFE: The Zoo Nov 7 KELLY JOE PHELPS: Brisbane Powerhouse Nov 7, SolBar Nov 8, Mullum Civic Hall Nov 10 RADIOHEAD: BEC Nov 9 BEN HARPER: BCEC Nov 9 REFUSED: Eatons Hill Hotel Nov 11 BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME: The Zoo Nov 15 FAT FREDDY’S DROP: Coolangatta Hotel Nov 15, Arena Nov 16 RICK ASTLEY: Twin Towns Nov 16, Ipswich Civic Hall Nov 17, The Tivoli Nov 18 JOHN WAITE: Eatons Hill Hotel Nov 16, Twin Towns Nov 17, Caloundra RSL Nov 17, The Northern Nov 18 RON POPE: Old Museum Nov 18 COLDPLAY: Suncorp Stadium Nov 21 BOYZ II MEN: The Tivoli Nov 21, Jupiters Nov 23 IWRESTLEDABEARONCE: The Zoo Nov 22 KORA: Arena Nov 22 NICKELBACK: BEC Nov 22 THE KNOCKS: Coolangatta Hotel Nov 22, Bowler Bar Nov 23 DARK FUNERAL: The Hi-Fi Nov 23 GEORGE MICHAEL: BEC Nov 27 LAGWAGON: The Hi-Fi Nov 28, Coolangatta Hotel Nov 29 JEFF MARTIN: Byron Bay Brewery Nov 29 THE SELECTER: The Zoo Nov 29 NICKI MINAJ: BEC Dec 3 SPIRITUALIZED: The Hi-Fi Dec 4 REGINA SPEKTOR: BCEC Dec 6 POUR HABIT: Crowbar Dec 6, Miami Shark Bar Dec 7 GRIMES: The Zoo Dec 8 SIMPLE MINDS, DEVO: Sirromet Wines Dec 9 WILL & THE PEOPLE: Tempo Hotel Dec 13, SolBar Dec 14 EVAN DANDO & JULIANA HATFIELD: The Zoo Dec 16 MORRISSEY: BCEC Dec 17 JENNIFER LOPEZ: BEC Dec 18 65DAYSOFSTATIC: The Hi-Fi Jan 3 NIGHTWISH: Arena Jan 4 WEEZER: BEC Jan 13 ALESTORM: The Hi-Fi Jan 20 OFF!: The Zoo Jan 21 THE BLOODY BEETROOTS: The Tivoli Jan 22 ABOVE & BEYOND: Family Jan 25 GLADYS KNIGHT: Jupiters Feb 6 GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR: The Tivoli Feb 13 DAVID HASSELHOFF: The Hi-Fi Feb 16 NORAH JONES: BCEC Feb 19 EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN: The Tivoli Feb 23 ED SHEERAN: Brisbane Riverstage Mar 2

NATIONAL

JULIA STONE: Spiegeltent Sep 19, 20, Byron Bay Community Centre Sep 21 SETH SENTRY: The Zoo Sep 20, The Northern Nov 8 OH MERCY: The Zoo Sep 21, Joe’s Waterhole Sep 22 TZU: SolBar Sep 21, The Zoo Sep 22 THE CITY LIGHTS, THE SLOW PUSH: Beetle Bar Sep 22 PETER COMBE: Tempo Hotel Sep 23 REGURGITATOR: The Northern Sep 26, The Hi-Fi Sep 27, 28 THE AMITY AFFLICTION: The Tivoli Sep 24 – 27 REGULAR JOHN: Alhambra Sep 28, The Northern Sep 29

PRESENTS

JULIA STONE: Spiegeltent Sep 19 and 20, Byron Community Centre Sep 21 EVERMORE: The Zoo Sep 19 BEC LAUGHTON: Ice Cream Factory Sep 21, Solbar Sep 28 OH MERCY: The Zoo Sep 21, Joe’s Waterhole Sep 22 TZU: SolBar Sep 21, The Zoo Sep 22 MYSTERY JETS: The Hi-Fi Sep 25 CHARLIE MAYFAIR: Alhambra Lounge Sep 27, Great Northern Sep 28 THE BEARDS: Beach Hotel Sep 28, Spotted Cow Oct 4, Coolangatta Hotel Oct 5, The Hi-Fi Oct 6 BLACKCHORDS: Ric’s Sep 29 TIM & ERIC AWESOME SHOW: The Tivoli Oct 4 WINTER PEOPLE: Black Bear Lodge Oct 4, The Loft Oct 6, Brisbane Powerhouse Oct 7 THE MEDICS: The Northern Oct 5 DAPPLED CITIES: The Zoo Oct 6 VELOCIRAPTOR: Coolangatta Hotel Oct 11, Alhambra Oct 12, Buddha Bar Oct 14, The Hive Oct 27 CLARE BOWDITCH: Old Museum Oct 11 GROUPER: Brisbane Powerhouse Oct 11 BASTARDFEST: The Hi-Fi Oct 13 LAST DINOSAURS: Alhambra Oct 13, The Hi-Fi Oct 19, Alhambra Nov 3 MUMFORD & SONS: Brisbane Riverstage Oct 17, Gold Coast Convention Centre Oct 31 BILLY BRAGG: QPAC Oct 25, The Hi-Fi Oct 26 THURSTON MOORE: The Hi-Fi Oct 27 CHERRY POPPIN’ DADDIES: Tempo Hotel Nov 1 BALL PARK MUSIC: Spotted Cow Nov 1, The Tivoli Nov 3, Coolangatta Hotel Nov 8, Great Northern Nov 10, Alhambra Nov 11 BRITISH INDIA: king’s Beach Tavern Nov 9, The Zoo Nov 10 HENRY WAGONS: Old Museum Nov 16 XIU XIU: Brisbane Powerhouse Nov 18 GOLDEN DAYS FESTIVAL: Coolum Beach Nov 17-18 FESTIVAL OF THE SUN: Port Macquarie Dec 14-15 GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR: The Tivoli Feb 13 EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN: The Tivoli Feb 23

WED 19 Band Of Frequencies Qpac, Cascade Court Blake Saban 3, Brother Fox, Sneaky Mojo X & Y Bar Evermore, Lakyn Heperi, Ruby Frost, Call Signs The Zoo Flood Plains Metro Arts Golden Sound Jet Black Cat Records Ingrid James Trio, John Reeves, Andrew Shaw Limes Hotel Julia Stone Spiegeltent

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Jye Whiteman, The Deep End, Josh Lovegrove Chalk Hotel Jye Whiteman, Jaya, Call Me Animal Elephant & Wheelbarrow Mal Capewell Trio The Vault Bar & Grill, Southport Mojo Webb The Joynt, Brisbane Open Mic, Kurt GEntle The Music Kafe Open Mic Night The Loft, Chevron Island Rachel Lee, Tari La Lane & The Crooners Griffith University, Gold Coast

Russ Walker Duo Victory Hotel Beer Garden The Bowery Hot Five With Mal Wood The Bowery The Brodie Graham Band, + Guests Tempo Hotel The Cathars, Fever Pitch, Papperbok Black Bear Lodge

THU 20 Alex Jay, Brundles, Jordan De La Cruz, Great Dane + More Gpo Hotel Andrew Butt Trio The Turnaround Jazz Club Ballad Boy Loving Hut Blake SabAn 3, Brother Fox Noosa Heads Surf Lsc Coisa Linda Glass Bar & Restaurant Dave Ritter Logan Diggers Club Desh, Jennifer Burke, Dean Barker, June Hordern, Dan Konstantinos, Marcus Fahy, Pete Rosky The Loft, Chevron Island

Kye Cole Band Fibber Magee’s, Toowoomba Lady Antebellum Brisbane Convention And Exhibition Centre Lloyd Barrett Metro Arts Outdoor Car Park Macy Gray Qpac, Concert Hall Mark Bono Elephant & Wheelbarrow Mick Danby, Hiway 1 Rockband Tempo Hotel Nick Trovas Chalk Hotel Pear Shape Alhambra Lounge Rhys Bynon, Spacie, Sammy Owens, Jimmy & Rustled, Sam Cahill, Chris Miller Elsewhere Bar, Surfers Paradise Seth Sentry, Grey Ghost, + Guests The Zoo Slow Riots, Substation, The Young Professionals, Bmx Ray Beetle Bar Sticky Fingers, Die Rude The Joynt, Brisbane The Buzzbees, The Bumbacluts, Denizens, White Fawn, Jamiee Fryer, Epiphany Padfield The Music Kafe

WHEATUS: Sunday 23 September, The Hi-Fi

DJ Tuini, Heavensent, J-Free, That Swedish Guy, Azza Exchange Hotel Doctor P, Cookie Monsta, Funt Case, Slum Dogz Coniston Lane Enter Shikari, In Hearts Wake Eatons Hill Hotel Flood Plains Metro Arts Gerard Mapstone Qpac, Cascade Court Hanson, Matt Wertz The Hi-Fi I Can’t Believe It’s Not The Satellites The Bowery Julia Stone Spiegeltent Kelly Breuer Sol Bar, Maroochydore

Widow The Sea, As Silence Breaks, Green Street, As Paradise Falls, + More X & Y Bar

FRI 21 A French Butler Called Smith Qpac, Cascade Court Adam Brand Twin Towns Aerials, Meniscus, The Red Paintings, Plan B Tempo Hotel Bill Bailey Qpac, Concert Hall BliNd Lemon Prince Of Wales Hotel Clint Boge, Berst Elephant & Wheelbarrow

TIME OFF • 43

GIG OF THE WEEK

Nick Muir Coolangatta Sands Hotel, Front Bar Oh Mercy, Millions, Split Seconds Joe’s Water Hole, Eumundi Pink Fur, Black Coats, Tiger Beams, + More Northshore, Hamilton Recharge Beats Cbx, Caloundra Red Light Runners, Angela Toohey The Music Kafe (Afternoon) Rise Like The Sun Mandala Arts Cafe Rob Reeves Zegatos Shirazz Jazz Band Brisbane Jazz Club Steve Edmonds Band Twin Towns Steven Michael & Sarah Coolangatta Sands Hotel, Piano Bar Sticky Fingers Sol Bar, MaRoochydore Substation, Slow Riots, Whiskey & Speed, Mjootmn, Australian Psycho Prince Of Wales Hotel Sue Bond Jazz Quintet The Woombye Pub

TWERPS

SATURDAY 22 SEPTEMBER, BRISBANE FESTIVAL’S OUT THE BACK, METRO ARTS BUILDING Melbourne’s indie sensations Twerps are up this weekend for the Out The Back component of the Brisbane Festival, playing their first shows in these parts since dropping their incredible self-titled debut album late last year. They’re killing it all over the planet with their cruisy, laidback sounds so get along to the makeshift venue in the alley behind Metro Arts in the city to find out what all the fuss is about. To sweeten the deal Brisbane’s own indie stalwarts Kitchen’s Floor are also on the bill – these two bands will be a match made in slacker heaven. So if you’re going to get into Brisbane Festival this weekend (and why wouldn’t you) get your indie on and check out Twerps.

Crooked Grin, Mick Diggles, Rebecca Ireland, Table For Two The Music Kafe Darkc3ll, Melody Black, Bound To Ruin Crow Bar, Brisbane David Bentley Ecco Bar And Bistro Future Islands, Dj Scorpio Qld Art Gallery Geoff Gregor Coolangatta Sands Hotel, Front Bar Green Sinatras Kingscliff Beach Hotel Grim Tilla & The Diablo, Pony Face The Joynt, Brisbane Hanson, Matt Wertz Coolangatta Hotel Happy New Year, Naked Maja, Multiple Man Alhambra Lounge Ingrid James, Julian Jones Duo Urban Hotel Jamattix, Matt James, Matt Aitchison, Oj Newcomb Tallebudgera Valley Community Centre Jimmy Buffett, Mac Mcanally Mt CootTha Botanic Gardens Julia Stone Byron Community Centre, Byron Bay Katrina Davidson Sit Down Comedy Club, Paddington Kelly Breuer The Bangalow Hotel Lockhart Djs, Phats Neverland

44 • TIME OFF

Love Like Hate Beetle Bar Mal Capewell Duo The Vault Bar & Grill, Southport Mark Bono Fibber Magee’s, ToowoOmba Mark Lowndes, Bec Laughton Ice Cream Factory, West End Matt Kitshon, Han Yolo, J-Free, That Swedish Guy, Azza Exchange Hotel Mental As Anything Kedron-Wavell Services Club Mick Danby, Sez Booker, Kel Harper, Oli, Hammo, Joel Claxton Chalk Hotel Moomoopapa Lock ‘N’ Load Mosman Alder & Tiny Spiders Metro Arts Outdoor Car Park Oh Mercy, Millions, Split Seconds The Zoo Papa Joe Sextet Brisbane Jazz Club Paul Clarke, Hayley Mc Cannon Hill Tavern RocKwiz Live Brisbane Convention And Exhibition CentRe Shirazz Gold Coast Arts Centre Steve Edmonds Band Twin Towns Anzac Lounge Sticky Fingers Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay

The Artic, The Royal Artillery, Boss Moxi, Bixby Canyon, Calais Coniston Lane The Company The Hideaway The Feel Murrumba Downs Tavern The Owls, The Lions Children, Blonde Bear, Axel Winter The Loft, Chevron Island The Timbers The Spotted Cow, Toowoomba Tim Freedman Soundlounge, Currumbin Tommie Sunshine Oh Hello! Treva Scobie Horse & Jockey Warwick Tzu, Sietta Sol Bar, MaroOchydore Val Kilmer’s House Party Bowler Bar Vote For Pedro Cbx, Caloundra Who’s Charlie Coolangatta Sands Hotel, Piano Bar Widow The Sea, As Silence Breaks, Nightmares Elsewhere Bar, Surfers Paradise

SAT 22 Alter Egos, The Rhubarbs Elephant & Wheelbarrow Aoi, Dos4gw, Exploding Koala, Brainbeau, + More Coniston Lane

Big Hits Logan Diggers Club Blake Saban 3 Railway Bar, Byron Bay Bullhorn Black Bear Lodge Casey Barnes Stockholm Syndrome Cassian Elsewhere Bar, Surfers Paradise George Moustache, Latitude, Black River Automatic, Joe Tamaira The Music Kafe Golden Sound Syc Studios Gung Ho Fibber Magee’s, Toowoomba Helm, Alibrandi, Dollarosa Albany Creek Tavern His Merry Men The Joynt, Brisbane Innessa Lock ‘N’ Load Jackson Dunn Room 60, Kelvin Grove James Morrison Funk Show Qpac, Cascade Court Justine Jones Chinderah Tavern Krushel, J-Free, That Swedish Guy, Azza Exchange Hotel Mark Sheils Park Ridge Tavern Mayan Fox, The Lyrical Shamon, Kelly Breuer The Loft, Chevron Island Mick Danby, The Decoys Tempo Hotel

John Wilkinson Fibber Magee’s (Afternoon), Toowoomba Lo Fi Way, Archie Rye Duo Elephant & Wheelbarrow Locky, Booster, 30 Djs Chalk Hotel Lords Of Wong, Melk, Sunday Sessions, + More Mustang Bar (Afternoon) Masketta Fall Old Museum, Brisbane Next Doors Playground The Music Kafe Owie Southern Hotel Toowoomba Peter Combe, Quirky Berserky Bellyflop In A Pizza Band Tempo Hotel Peter Cupples Band, Step It Up, Scat Jazz Spiegeltent Red Light Runners, Brian Sexton Dowse Bar Rise Like The Sun Beach Hotel,L Byron Bay Rusty Datsuns The JoynT, Brisbane

PETER COMBE: Sunday 23 September, Tempo Hotel

Surecut Kids Neverland The Boys, Dave’s Pawn Shop Ric’s The Cathars, Papperbok Rocking Horse Records The City Lights The Beetle Bar The Company Coast Acoustics, Gold Coast The Mcclymonts The Tivoli The Toasters, The Resignators The Hi-Fi Tommie Sunshine Platinum Nightclub Twerps, Kitchen’s Floor Metro Arts Outdoor Car Park Tyney Charles Kingscliff Beach Hotel Tzu, Sietta, + Guests The Zoo Will Day, Ramjet, Hammo, Oli, Andrew Daniels, Ben Jackal Chalk Hotel

SUN 23 April Collection, Simon Kerr, Caitlyn Turner The Music Kafe (Afternoon) Astrid And The Asteroids, Peter Combe & The Belly Flop In A Pizza Band, + More Tempo Hotel (Afternoon) Bone Thugs N Harmony The Venue, Townsville Burl Ivers Lock ‘N’ Load Chris Ramsay Fibber Magee’s, Toowoomba Greg & Katy Aspeling Brisbane Jazz Club Jackson Dunn, Turner Nobby’s Beach Slsc

themusic.com.au

Sam Buckingham, Sweet Jean Brisbane Powerhouse Turbine Platform Snobs, Stretch Paper Cranes Elsewhere Bar, Surfers Paradise The Company Coast Acoustics, Gold Coast Wheatus, Nova & The Experience The Hi-Fi Who’s Charlie Chinderah Tavern

MON 24 Funky Monkey Jam The Music Kafe Mark Sheils Elephant & Wheelbarrow Rockaoke (With Live Band) Tempo Hotel That Swedish Guy Exchange Hotel The Amity Affliction, The Ghost Inside, Architects, Buried In Verona The Tivoli

TUE 25 Fear Factory, Amagon, FIfth Day Of Ice The Venue, Townsville Hugo Slide, At Band, Pyre & Ice, Cartoon Physics Tempo Hotel Kelly Clarkson, The Fray, Sarah De Bono Brisbane Entertainment Centre Lauren Lucille Lock ‘N’ Load Mariana’s Trench The Zoo Mystery Jets, Young Men Dead The Hi-Fi Scissor Sisters Arena Sean Prior The Music Kafe Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks Spiegeltent

TOUR GUIDE THE BEARDS: Beach Hotel Sep 29, Spotted Cow Oct 4, Coolangatta Hotel Oct 5, The Hi-Fi Oct 6 BLACKCHORDS: Ric’s Bar Sep 29 THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS: Alhambra Oct 5 DAPPLED CITIES: The Zoo Oct 6 ASH GRUNWALD: Redland Bay Hotel Oct 6, Racehorse Hotel Oct 6, SoundLounge Oct 19, Star Court Theatre Oct 20 THE RUBENS: Coolangatta Hotel Oct 11, The Hi-Fi Oct 12, The Northern Oct 13 CLARE BOWDITCH: Old Museum Oct 11, A&I Hall Bangalow Oct 12 LAST DINOSAURS: Alhambra Lounge Oct 13, The Hi-Fi Oct 19 SOMETHING FOR KATE: The Zoo Oct 13, 14 NO ZU: Alhambra Oct 13 HUSKY: Old Museum Oct 18 SUGAR ARMY: Alhambra Oct 19 FRENZAL RHOMB: Spotted Cow Oct 19, The Hi-Fi Oct 20 COERCE, TOTALLY UNICORN: Crowbar Oct 20 ROBERT FORSTER: Brisbane Powerhouse Oct 23 – 24 KARISE EDEN: St John’s Cathedral Oct 23 – 24 KNIEVEL: The Hideaway Oct 26 ICEHOUSE: Alexandra Hills Hotel Oct 26, Eatons Hill Hotel Oct 27 DELTA GOODREM: BCEC Oct 27 TUMBLEWEED: Kings Beach Tavern Nov 1, The Zoo Nov 2, Spotted Cow Nov 3 BALL PARK MUSIC: Spotted Cow Nov 1, The Tivoli Nov 3, Coolangatta Hotel Nov 8, The Northern Nov 10, Alhambra Nov 11 LISA MITCHELL: The Tivoli Nov 2, Coolangatta Hotel Nov 3, Woombye Pub Nov 4, Byron Bay Community Centre Nov 5 HOODOO GURUS, THE ANGELS, BABY ANIMALS, JAMES REYNE, BOOM CRASH OPERA: Sirromet Wines Nov 4 ANGUS STONE: The Northern Nov 7, The Hi-Fi Nov 9, Coolangatta Hotel Nov 10, Lake Kawana Community Centre Nov 11 YUNG WARRIORS: Byron Bay Brewery Nov 8, X&Y Bar Nov 9 M-PHAZES, MANTRA: Coniston Lane Nov 10 HENRY WAGONS: Lismore City Bowling Club Nov 15, Old Museum Nov 16 DEEP SEA ARCADE: The Zoo Nov 16 KASEY CHAMBERS, SHANE NICHOLSON, JOHN WILLIAMSON, TROY CASSARDALEY, CATHERINE BRITT, FELICITY URQUHART: Sirromet Wines Nov 18 VIOLENT SOHO: Alhambra Nov 23 THE LIVING END: The Zoo Dec 1 – 7 MISSY HIGGINS: BCEC Dec 1 BRITISH INDIA: Kings Beach Tavern Dec 9, The Zoo Dec 10 PARKWAY DRIVE: Byron Bay High School Dec 12, Brisbane Riverstage Dec 14

FESTIVALS PRADO UPLATE: Queensland Art Gallery Aug 31 – Nov 2 DRUNKEN MOON FESTIVAL: The Hi-Fi Sep 29 PARKLIFE: Botanic Gardens Sep 29 BASTARDFEST: The Hi-Fi Oct 13 WHIPLASH: The Hi-Fi Oct 21 VALLEY FIESTA: Foritude Valley Oct 26 – 28 ISLAND VIBE: Point Lookout Oct 26 – 28 QUEENSLAND FESTIVAL OF BLUES: The Hi-Fi Nov 3 SPRUNG HIP HOP FESTIVAL: RNA Showgrounds Nov 10 GOLDEN DAYS: Coolum Nov 17 – 18 HARVEST: Botanic Gardens Nov 18 MULLUM MUSIC FESTIVAL: Mullumbimby Nov 22 - 25 STEREOSONIC: RNA Showgrounds Dec 2 FESTIVAL OF THE SUN: Sundowner Breakwall Tourist Park Dec 14-15 SUMMAFIELDAYZE: Doug Jennings Park Jan 5 BIG DAY OUT: Gold Coast Parklands Jan 20 SOUNDWAVE: RNA Showgrounds Feb 23

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MARSHALL JVM410H HEAD & CAB

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earnie ball strings, Very well loved.

Prices start from $20

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CD / DVD 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.

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Enquiries: (02) 9807-3137 eMail: nadipa1@yahoo.com.au iFlogID: 13287

DRUMS ZILDJIAN Drum Stick Clearance $10 PAIR!!: 5A, 5B, 7A, Wood / Nylon Tip – Plus Travis Barker, Brooks Wackerman, Ronnie Vannucci & Dennis Chambers Series. Lamba - 02-9758-8888 www.lamba.com.au iFlogID: 19716

GUITARS Acoustic Yamaha Guitar, Solid Top, Great Sound and Condition, Comes with Carry Case, $420 ONO May Swap or Trade, 0421690000, jman0023@gmail.com, QLD iFlogID: 19700 Gibson Les Paul Standard 1992, Cherry Sunburst, made USA, all orig, very clean w/orig hardcase, nice maple top grain/hints birdseye, binding aged creme, sounds/looks KILLER, Pictures available $3750ono (Brisbane) wrecker70@hotmail.com iFlogID: 19403

OTHER Sennheiser HD25-1 II Headphones – The industrys leading Studio, Monitoring and DJ headphones. Get the genuine article for $279.00 with FREE DELIVERY AUSTRALIA WIDE from Lamba - 02-9758-8888 - www.lamba. com.au

MUSIC SERVICES DUPLICATION/ MASTERING CD MANUFACTURING:Acme is Australias best price CD manufacturer. 500 CD package = $765.05: 1000 CD package = $1320.00

Shure SM58 vocal microphone – The industry standard. Get the genuine article for $129.00 with FREE DELIVERY AUSTRALIA WIDE from Lamba. Call us on 02-9758-8888 to get yours today. www.lamba.com.au iFlogID: 19718

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Short run also available. www.AcmeMusic.com.au KevinW@AcmeMusic.com.au iFlogID: 13117

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 Audio Mastering, mixing, recording. CD-R music & data duplication, cover artwork, colour disc printing, online global distribution. Full studio package deal for EP or full album projects. Enquiries ph: 02 98905578 iFlogID: 15162

OTHER ++ play more chinese music - love, tenzenmen ++

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P.A HIRE W/ OPERATOR

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STUDIO HIRE

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iFlogID: 14468 Award-winning Experienced, Qualified Music Producer:

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Matt 0434195941

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PA EQUIPMENT

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PHOTOGRAPHY Image is everything! If you have a band wanting to get ahead let me capture the next gig. High quality pictures say everything. http://roybarnesphotography.com/

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POSTERS GOLD COAST BYRON BAY NORTHERN NSW Poster distribution for touring artists & bands. Fast, efficient & reliable service at a competitive price

University degree qualification All ages & capabilities! ONLY $30 per hour! Fundamentals: Music Theory, Chords, Sight reading, scores. Paddington CALL NOW 0416960673

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EMPIRE STUDIOS

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Enquires/bookings -

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Dj available

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Guitarist + Guitarist/Singer looking for a DRUMMER to form Power Pop/Punk band in Sydney. Think THE RAMONES meets CHEAP TRICK. No time wasters and committed musicians only.

If you want to use DRUGS, that’s your business

Contact 0403 995 832

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TUITION

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TIME OFF • 45

BEHIND THE LINES DWIGHT ALRIGHT

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

WITH MICHAEL SMITH

LOOMIS GUITAR CLINIC

Nevermore guitarist Jeff Loomis took the classic techniques he learned from listening to the likes of Jason Becker and Yngwie Malmsteen and recast them into a playing technique all his own. Allans Billy Hyde and Schecter Guitar Research proudly present Loomis in a performance/clinic from 7pm on Thursday 27 September at Allans Billy Hyde Fortitude Valley and, if you’re up that way, Saturday 29 at Allans Billy Hyde Cairns, tickets just $15 online or instore.

NEW NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE Neil Young & Crazy Horse are releasing a second new album, Psychedelic Pill, barely three months after releasing their Americana set, recorded again at Audio Casablanca with Young producing with John Hanlon, whose engineering and mixing credits include records for Stephen Still, Robyn Hitchcock and Cat Stevens, and Mark Humphreys. And, despite being just eight songs, it’s a double-album with an additional alternative mix of the title track – that’s how long the tracks are, truly old school. Knowing Young’s thoughts on the whole CD/MP3 thing, he’s ensured that there’s a vinyl release – a three-LP set in fact. It’s all released through Warner Music on Friday 26 October.

WIN A TD30KV V-DRUM KIT

Book a time with your local participating Roland equipment retail store, get yourself set up behind a set of Roland V-Drums, get a little practice in and they’ll help you organise to submit a live performance drum solo video of five minutes or less that you can then upload to YouTube. Get it up there by Wednesday 31 October and you’re in the running to win a Roland TD30KV kit.

SOUND BYTES

The Who’s Pete Townshend will be picking up the Les Paul Award at the 28th annual Technical Excellence & Creativity (TEC) Awards in Anaheim, California at the end of January next year. The TEC Awards honour “outstanding achievement in audio technology and production”. The third album, unimaginatively titled #3, by Dublin’s The Script, was recorded at Sphere Studios in London and produced by band members Danny O’Donoghue and Mark Sheehan with fellow Irish producer Jimbo Barry and mixed by Mark Stent (Coldplay, Muse, Oasis, No Doubt). Old Crow Medicine Show headed into Sound Emporium in Nashville with Englishman-inCalifornia and founding member of Flogging Molly, producer Ted Hutt (The Gaslight Anthem, The Bouncing Souls, Dropkick Murphys) to record their latest album, Carry Me Back. Hutt also mixed the album with Ryan Mall at King Size Sound Labs at Eagle Rock, California, Tom Baker then mastering it at Precision Mastering in Hollywood. Glasgow’s Frightened Rabbit recorded their forthcoming fourth album at the famed Monnow Valley Studio in Rockfield, South Wales, with producer Leo Abrahams (Brian Eno, David Byrne, Grace Jones). Scottish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Sandi Thom recorded her fourth studio album, Flesh And Blood, at 16 Tons studio in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes. Canadian singer-songwriter Tim Chaisson recorded his new album, The Other Side, at Woodshed Studio with producer Colin Linden (Bruce Cockburn, Lucinda Williams). Vancouver, Canada metal band Bison BC recorded their third album, Lovelessness, due in October on Metal Blade, at Soma and Electrical Audio Studios in Chicago with producer Sanford Parker (Pelican, Yakuza, Zoroaster). Irish singer-songwriter Damien Dempsey, who has just signed with ABC Music’s alternative imprint FOUR/FOUR, recorded his latest album, Almighty Love, in Kilburn, London, with producer John Reynolds (U2, Bjork, Seun Kuti). The eighth album, Away From The World, from the Dave Matthews Band, was recorded in Seattle earlier this year with UK producer Steve Lillywhite (U2, The Killers, The Rolling Stones, Peter Gabriel). Tim Whitten (Augie March, The Go-Betweens) recorded the debut album, A Year At Sea, from The Winter People, with Brooklyn NYC’s Peter Katis (Interpol, The National) producing and Rich Costey (The Shins, Bloc Party) mixing. The forthcoming fourth album, Atlas, from Parkway Drive, was recorded in Los Angeles with producer Matt Hyde (Slayer, Hatebreed). 46 • TIME OFF

For album number 26, 3 Pears, Dwight Yoakam kept things real, though he’s not looking to be retro, as he tells Michael Smith.

orn in Kentucky, it was in Los Angeles rather than Nashville that singer/songwriter Dwight Yoakam’s mix of traditional country, rock, Americana, pop and soul found its first real audience, in the early ‘80s. It’s where he recorded his major label debut LP, 1986’s Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc., and it’s where, 25 albums later, he recorded his latest, 3 Pears, surprisingly perhaps only the second he’s produced himself. He utilised four different studios around LA – Sunset Sound, Capitol Studio B, EastWest and Henson Studios – to record the album. “All four are pretty historic rooms,” Yoakam explains from a chair in the Warner lot where he’s being prepared for a film shoot in the Warner Sound Live Room. “Three of the four are Neve boards; at Henson, we were using an SSL, but that’s still the old school of Class A/D [analogue desk], and we were using the same amps, moving from room to room. It was interesting – I enjoyed the experience.

Yoakam’s vocal on A Heart Like Mine is drenched in reverb; very Sun Studio meets mid-‘50s rockabilly. “Beck ran that through an Atari eight-track one-inch tape machine from the ‘70s, and he actually put the tape slap onto that, so it’s real tape slap that he’s got running. We were just exploring what was here in the moment. We weren’t trying to do anything that was retro but unlike on contemporary records where it’s all cut into hard drive, Pro Tools, it’s done through real tube amplifiers, tube mics and through Telefunken mic pre’s – some of the best music recording was done that way. “The thing he and I kind of established on [those two tracks] was my approach. I just went in by myself with my electric guitar and his assistant engineer played drums and synth engineer played the bass, and I overdubbed a little electric and acoustic, and I found that to be a good template for the rest of the record.” Gibson recently released a limited edition of one of Yoakam’s trademark guitars, the Elitist Dwight Yoakam “Dwight Trash” Casino Epiphone, and has also released a Dwight Yoakam Honky Tonk Deuce Acoustic-Electric guitar.

“EastWest Studios was originally United Western Recorders, where I did some of my original demos back in 1981, that were on the Best Of that Warner’s and Rhino put out in 2004, and it was really interesting to go back, and we worked in there a lot. Capitol Studio B, we cut Long Way To Go there, blocked out the time there for the one track, but we worked a lot in the old A&M Studios, which are now called Henson. Those are great rooms – the molecules in those rooms are simply magical.”

While it’s been seven years between 3 Pears and his last album, 2005’s Blame The Vain, his first not to be produced by guitarist producer Pete Anderson, Yoakam was writing new material throughout. The gap was essentially down to his decision to leave the independent label he’d signed with – New West – and seek another major label, ultimately signing once more with his original label, Warner Music. As for the songs themselves, though undeniably country, they’re shot through with Yoakam’s other, sometimes unlikely, musical passions. For a start, the album opens with the track, Take Hold Of My Hand, written by Kid Rock.

As it happens, United Western Recorders’ Studio 3 is the room Brian Wilson used for much of the recording of The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds. While Yoakam produced the bulk of 3 Pears, he did hook up with Beck to co-write, record and produce two songs – A Heart Like Mine and Missing Heart. “I just wanted to be in real rooms with real sonics. Beck and I went to Sunset Sound where we cut Missing Heart. The first track I recorded with Beck, A Heart Like Mine, was actually at his home studio, which is dubbed The Library, in one section of his house.”

“There are a variety of melodic influences throughout,” he explains. “I mean there’s a bit of The Monkees’ lick from I’m A Believer, Neil Diamond’s song, at the beginning [of A Heart Like Mine], but it turns into a bit of an homage, unintentionally, to the Stones’ The Last Time kind of meets Johnny Cash. I grew up listening to Top 40 radio when it was truly an eclectic mix of all kinds of music, and that’s had a major impact on me that remains. So with Trying, I’m sure the influence of having heard Sam Cooke’s work is there.”

There are two versions, too, of Long Way To Go – a full band version and a haunting solo voice and piano one that closes the album. “Yeah, it just seemed that night, in the studio, Joe Chiccarelli was actually engineering, and I walked by the mic and I said to my extremely talented multi-instrumentalist sideman Brian Wheelan, ‘Hey, would you just play the chord changes on Long Way To Go?’ ‘cause we’d just recorded it – he played bass on the track, on the electric version – so he started playing it through and I said, ‘Just play the changes. I’m gonna sing it stripped down like that.’ And we did a version of it that way, and there’s an additional verse on that version.” Monday 24 September Yoakam will be presented the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award at the sixth annual Academy of Country Music Honors Awards in Nashville. Then in November, Yoakam brings the guys he made the album with to Australia for a tour. “Hopefully people will see what the new album has in it for me, the message of joy and happiness.” 3 Pears is out Friday through Warner Music. Dwight Yoakam plays Brisbane Riverside on Saturday 24 November.

GEAR REVIEW

TECH 21 BOOST SERIES PEDALS

Tech 21 are one of the the effects heavyweights, based in NYC, USA on Andrew Barta’s vision of the Sansamp. His legacy lives on through other killer pedals like the new ‘Boost’ series featuring a form of drive coupled with up to 21dB of clean, switchable boost. The Tech 21 Boost Overdrive was first under the microscope. I used this pedal with my Les Paul and Marshall Plexi to get a beefier tone out of my amp. The overdrive consists of controls for ‘Level’, ‘Tone’, ‘Drive’ and ‘Sparkle’. All the usual suspects are here except for the addition of the ‘Sparkle’, which “adds upper harmonics for an open, snappy sound.” The overdrive did a very convincing ‘TS808’ emulation, a great ‘Top Booster’ for ‘70s drive, and good blues overdrive when dialed in with cleaner tone. Overall I thought this pedal sounded great for older ‘70s and ‘80s hard rock/metal tones, and using the boost on its own sounded the best with my Marshall for getting the tone I was after. I took the same approach with the Boost Fuzz pedal and plugged into a driven amp, and what could be better than a Strat into a vintage Marshall for that Hendrix sound. The combination of a driven amp plus fuzz results in magic. Again, this pedal sees the same format of ‘Level’, ‘Tone’ and ‘Drive’, but the inclusion of ‘Sag’ adds an extra dimension, “allowing notes to bloom and sing at your command, for a dynamic, organic performance.” A wide array of tones was available, from Hendrix to Weezer to The Smashing Pumpkins. This pedal did a killer job of emulating those vintage Germanium fuzz pedals guitarists drool over. The Boost Distortion has hints of that iconic modern Tech 21 distortion heard all over the world on some great albums (Nevermind…). It was easy to a get a thick clear distortion that emulated a modern high-gain amp, and is perfect for turning a good clean amp into a monster. This time the ‘Sag’ effect “adds an expressive tube-like response to every pick stroke,” and did a good job of sounding like a worn-in tube amp when digging into the strings, adding that tube feel even with solid-state amps. Finally, a pedal for bass; the Boost Fuzz Bass was my favourite of the bunch, as it did a number of

different things really well. I plugged this pedal direct into my mixing desk as I was after that insane fuzz bass you hear on Nine Inch Nails recordings and on some electronic recordings and it delivered with unexpectedly good results. This time the secret ingredient was the ‘+ Clean’ knob, which dialed back in a clean signal making it possible to blend fuzz and clean together generating a massive doubled sound when distorted guitars are in the mix. There is so much drive on tap that it is possible to go from warm, spongy drive to insane globs of mush that would be perfect for heavier styles such as stoner rock, death metal and industrial music. Dialing back the ‘Level’,

themusic.com.au

‘Tone’ and ‘Drive’, and boosting the ‘+ Clean’ adds a bass boost to your overall tone, while turning the ‘Tone’ up keeping the ‘Drive’ midway was cool for ‘Sabbath-like’ rumble. This new line of Tech 21 pedals is great and will appeal to musicians searching for a certain sound, whilst still having the flexibility to produce a variety of different tones. Each pedal has a certain vibe to it and the inclusion of a switchable clean boost means you won’t have to rely on your sound tech to turn you up for lead passages. Reza Nasseri For more info head to nationalmusic.com.au

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