Blank Gold Coast Edition 1, Dec 2013

18 Dec ‘13

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BOBBY ALU Taking it slow over summer

issue #001

MUSIC

Stonefield Skinwalkers Street 66 Earthless Josh Pyke

CULTURE

Marketta marvels Fringe dwellers Single fins make a comeback

FESTIVALS

Festival guide 10 of the best Fly under the radar 5 festival essentials

ENVIRO

The mutton birds Wasted at festivals

FOOD

Cambus Wallace Pablo Pablo The Little Hen

humans of Gold Coast

“In 1986 I was diagnosed with lung cancer. I had one of my lungs removed, and told I have five years to live.

For the last 27 years I have sent a Christmas card to my surgeon saying “I’m still here.”

“I believe in the power of the mind. I’m always happy and see the positive side of things. If I died tomorrow, I would be ok with that because I’ve lived a happy and fulfilling life. I was one of the original Les Girls in Sydney and had a fantastic career in cabaret. I moved up here to the warm and sleepy Gold Coast to retire.

It’s where old showgirls come to die.”

www.facebook.com/humansgoldcoast

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#001 18 DEC 2013 Editor | Samantha Morris Design | Chloe Popa Support | Mella Bunker Photographer | Leisen Standen Feature Writers Andrew Scott, Anthony Gebhardt Contributors Marj Osborne, Katie Hooper, Terry “Tappa� Teece, Kemii Maguire, Mic Smith, Keiren Bond, Jake Wilton, Leah Martin-Brown, Jessie Ryan-Allen, Christie Ots, Emily Hosking, Carmel Lewis, Tari Peterson, Gina Martin, Lara Frew.

With special thanks We extend our gratitude to Phillippa Wright from Essential Analytics, Kathie Graham, Darren Maxwell, our special buddies at The Avalon, Victor Morris, Leontine Morris, Nancy and Rosie Stephens, Lucy Tanner and Bogs who all contributed cold hard cash to getting this first edition of Blank off the ground. Our friends at Rabbit Radio have provided both moral and content-related support and Polly Snowden very kindly supplied the cover and feature article images of Bobby Alu. Guy Cooper from Seratonin Productions founded the first ever street press on the Gold Coast and he has been incredibly generous with both his time and his intellectual property.

Editorial | news@blankgc.com.au Advertising | advertising@blankgc.com.au Blank Gold Coast PO Box 878 Broadbeach QLD 4218 www.blankgc.com.au Blank GC is independently owned and published.

Opinons expressed in Blank GC are not necessarily those of the editor, publisher or contributors. www.blankgc.com.au

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Hard-Ons and L7. You can also catch the lads at Big Day Out 2014.

Bingo’s not just for the old lady next door. Meet Hit That Hit Musical Bingo – a retro party bingo game anyone can play. A first in Australia, the concept was born just last year in Byron Bay and is hosted by radio presenter and stand-up comedian Danny Salfield. It’s at Byron Beach Hotel Monday nights from 7.00pm, Melbas in Surfers Paradise on Tuesdays from 8.00pm and Coolangatta Sands on Thursday nights from 7.00pm.

American country music legend, Kris Kristofferson will pack up the tour bus (literally) and hit regional Australian towns as he tours his new album Feeling Mortal next year. He hits the Gold Coast on Saturday 19 April.

Tickets through Ticketek.

If you caught Jake Bugg at Splendour you’ll be pleased to hear he’s back in April 2014 for a bunch of headline shows.

He plays the Hi-Fi Bar on Wednedsay 23 April and Bluesfest at Byron over Easter.

A festival called Panama slinks into the forests of north eastern Tasmania over 8 and 9 March 2014. On the bill are Charles Bradley, Husky, The Frowning Clouds, Saskwatch, Super Wild Horses, The Babe Rainbow (Gold Coast), Holy Holy (Brisbane) and Tiger Choir. Limited tickets are on sale now. More information at www.panamafestival.com.au.

Controversial Gold Coast hip hop duo Lane Harry x Ike Campbell have followed up their hit EP with rapper Jesswar with a new album, Love & Terror Cult. The album features lead single and film-clip Jesus which was banned from YouTube after creating one of the fastest and largest responses seen in Aussie hip hop in some time. Guy Cooper from Seratonin Productions produced the album. You can buy the album at http://lane-harry.bandcamp.com/.

If you want to relive your alternative youth, a couple of Gold Coast lads have a great option for you. The Abyss Club is a monthly club which takes over the upstairs room at the Clock Hotel in Surfers Paradise. It’s a club scene with a penchant for heavy music and the first two events saw plenty of long hair, black jeans, tattoos, burlesque and beards.

Hosted by local promoters Nev Pearce and Richard Wynne,

Lane Harry x Ike Campbell

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Bleach* will also feature some classic Opera next year as the Gold coast plays host to Opera on the Beach – an Australian exclusive of Opera Australia’s The Magic Flute. It takes place on Greenmount Beach in Coolangatta from 9 – 11 May. Gold Coast’s very own independent radio station Rabbit Radio is going through somewhat of an evolution at the moment. With a focus on filming some of the best up and coming talent passing through the Gold Coast as well as a series of incredible live music performances on the radar, 2014 is shaping up to be a cracker for the bunny crew. Check out their offerings at rabbitradio.tv.

Rabbit Radio kicks off its 2014 live music program with two Sunday sessions in January. Ngaiire and Jac Stone play Rabbit + Cocoon on Sunday 5 January and Mat McHugh and Karl S Williams hit Rabbit + Cocoon on Sunday 12 January.

The Trouble with Templeton @ Bleach*

the event offers a genuine alternative to the typical night out.

Follow their Facebook page (@theabyssclub) for updates.

They may be reluctant punk heroes, but Cosmic Psychos have blazed a trail of empty beer cans and busted ear drums around the globe with their quintessential Australian drawl and pounding punk rock songs. And now you can relive those days with a DVD hitting the streets just in time for Christmas. Blokes you can trust tracks the band’s adventures along the rock and roll highway. Nirvana were fans and they even played shows with Pearl Jam. The DVD features appearances by Eddie Vedder, Mudhoney, The Melvins,

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It’s making quite an impression with all the right people and with the first announcement of acts for next year, Bleach* Festival takes place from 7 to 23 March and 2014 is set to be another cracker. Soundlounge Currumbin will play host to Elizabeth Rose, The Trouble with Templeton, Hey Geronimo, Violent Soho, Bad//Dreems, The Sinking Teeth and Band of Frequencies over three hot nights of indie rock.

and the TAXI Gang to the bill. They join a massive lineup for the five day event which takes place over Easter 2014.

Other acts include Jack Johnson, John Butler Trio, Iron & Wine, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Doobie Brothers, John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, Gregg Allmann, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Wailers, Suzanne Vega, Jake Bugg, Ozomatli and Rockwiz Live.

We were pretty thrilled to get the final Falls Festival set times and notification of the new app. Something so exciting about starting that festival planning process. In other Falls’ news, MGMT are offering one lucky ticket holder the chance to join them onstage and help play a monstrously large cowbell with a giant drumstick. Just show up in fancy dress of an intergalactic nature for Boogie Nights as the festival opens on new year’s eve at the Amphitheatre Stage at 6.10pm.

GC rockers Lilly Rouge recently placed in the top 5 at the Australian Independent Music Awards. They were acknowledged for their song Switchblade and were amongst over 150 finalists for best song in the rock category. This recognition tops off a stellar year for the band, who have managed to squeeze releasing two EPs in alongside appearances at Big Day Out and Dead of Winter Festivals, a support slot for USA rockers Presidents of the United States of America as well as two tours of the East coast and Australia.The band has their sights set on an even larger 2014 with hints of a full length release in the works.

More than 250 people attended the first ever The Other Side festival last month. The boutique event featured boats, DJs, sandy feet, an island vibe and performances by The Vernons, Ash Grunwald and Stonefield that people are still talking about. The lads at Yum Yum Popsicle who pulled the event together assure us there’s another one in the pipeline in the first half of 2014. They are expecting the next one to sell out, so keep your ears peeled and get in early.

Mat McHugh @ Rabbit + Coccoon

Blues on Broadbeach has released its first artist announcement with some big names included for the 2014 event. Diesel, Russell Morris, Kevin Borich, Bondi Cigars, Backsliders have all been announced. James Reyne, Joe Camilleri, Daryl Braithwait and Ross Wilson will also collaborate for Time of My Life closing the event with four decades of hits. Blues on Broadbeach takes place from 22 – 25 May and is free.

If you like your Aussie rock anthems, you won’t want to miss Icehouse and Models as they come through the Gold Coast in January. With an astounding eight top 10 albums and more than thirty top 40 singles, the Icehouse show is sure to have the crowd singing along (we imagine there’ll be some serious head nodding too). These two very popular Australian bands play RSL Souhtport on Saturday 18 January.

Byron Bluesfest made a special Christmas announcement last week adding Jeff Beck, KC & The Sunshine Band, Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, Kate Miller-Heidke and Sly & Robbie

Send your news to news@blankgc.com.au.

THE ULTIMATE FESTIVAL GUIDE Ah, the summer festival. Long flowing hair and killer bands, sunny skies, gentle breezes, shady trees, grassy lawns, refreshing beverages, international cuisine, quality market stalls, blissful camping… wait. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?

No matter what ideas you have in your head about festivals, they rarely deliver in the way you expect.

There are queues and smelly people, mud-baths, tents which collapse, loud bogans, quiet hippies, filthy toilets, warm beer, expensive merchandise and last minute band cancellations.

But somehow we keep going back.

There’s nothing new about this festival culture. The earliest festivals date back to some 4500 years BC. During these ancient Egyptian festivals, people combined spiritual ceremonies with politics, music and dance.

And some would argue that the commitment some have to their favourite festival borders on something spiritual. But I tell you, there’s nothing spiritual about lining up for a toilet at 10pm, surrounded by drunk people, to get there and find there’s no light, no toilet paper and sometimes no door.

Have no fear! We’re here to help! We talked to some of the coast’s most dedicated festival goers to compile a list of tips to make your summer festival experience just that little bit better.

1.

Choose wisely.

Woodstock attracted 500,000 people. You know why it was so popular? There was nothing like it at the time. That’s not the case now. There’s a plethora of festivals to choose from in Australia. So pick the ones that are going to work for you.

You can usually tell from the lineup, the location, the timing and the price what sort of demographic is going to be there.

You’ll be comfortable with like minded people who are partying for the same reason. Are you there for the music?

To find a man? To drink luke warm VB in the summer sun?

Choose your festival wisely, my friend.

2.

Go it alone.

There’s nothing more infuriating then heading to a festival with a large group of friends to find that your plan gets hijacked by the vocal majority. Sorry, no-one to blame but yourself. You have to be brave at festivals and that means being smart enough to go it alone. So you really want to see The National but everyone else thinks they just play the same song over and over again? Well ditch them. Don’t follow the crowd because you want to follow the crowd.

Trust me, no-one will look at a solo festival goer twice. And there’s something very liberating about ditching all that baggage (ie. drunk friends). Firstly, you move through crowds much easier when you’re on your own. You get to eat and drink when you want. And when you go to the bar, you don’t need to come back with a three-foot high stack of booze bought on your tickets.

And you might just get to make new friends.

3.

Don’t peak too early.

We all have that one friend. The one who hits the bar early, takes happy pills on the way in to the festival, or just has one too many energy drinks before 10.00am. Doesn’t matter what your poison, peaking early is not cool.

story). And for the 45 minutes I was in there, pretty much every guest (and there were dozens) had overindulged. Too many drugs, too much booze. And it was only midday.

If you arrive at a festival at midday, chances are you have a solid 12 hour stretch ahead of you. It doesn’t matter how much you want to party, starting the day with a camel back of vodka in the carpark is not going to go well. Booze, sun and lack of drinking water usually combine to spell disaster.

4.

Pick a meeting point.

You know the drill. You arrive with a group of your besties and the minute you walk in the gate, Isha goes to get cash, Chris goes to leave a bag at the cloakroom, Melanie takes up a collection to get drink tickets and you never ever see eachother again.

You need a meeting point. And not just one. Firstly, you need a meeting point where you can sit – preferably in the shade – when you need some time out. Secondly, if you really are there for the music you need a meeting point at each stage. Ours is usually either to the left or right, halfway between the mixing desk and the stage. It’s a bit hard to explain to other people, but our usual festival-going group know exactly where it is. It doesn’t mean we all stand there, but if we’re alone and wanting to reconnect, a little swing past that spot will usually rustle up a straggler (with drink tickets) or two.

“My number one tip? Avoid amped-up festival jerks.”

Keiren Bond

At last year’s Splendour in the Grass, I had occasion to sit in the first aid tent (to express breast milk, but that’s another

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5.

Do your research.

You know what really sucks? Missing out on a amazing musical moment that was happening just 100m from where you were chilling. Most festivals give you plenty of information about the acts on offer. And not just the music – the artists, the dance workshops, speakers, DJs, market stalls, food – you have no excuse for hiding under a rock. Do your research, find the hidden gems and revel in their wonder. (Hint: we’ve done this music research for you for the biggest summer festivals in SEQ).

6.

Dress appropriately.

Oh, the festival sights. The girls in bikini with horrendous sunburn. The EMOs looking palefaced from heat exhaustion all dressed in black. The muppets in the onesies on a hot summer’s day. Those bikini girls putting up a brave fight as the sun sets and the temperature drops to 15 degrees.

You’ve seen them. They’re the people who didn’t quite think things through. The thongs at a muddy Woodford site. The short shorts trying to sit on prickly, gravelly, ouchy lawns.

If there’s one thing you know about the summer festival, it’s that the weather can change in an instant. Here’s what you need to consider: • Layers are your friend.

• A light-coloured long sleeve shirt is great for summer days.

• Failing that, take a long-sleeve shirt, jumper or cardigan you can tie around your waist.

• Grab a hat you can shove in a pocket as the sun sets • Take a sarong, scarf or wrap that doubles as a scarf, skirt, bag, towel, bib, napkin, sun shelter or picnic rug.

It will tie to the outside of your glad bag.

• Pack a poncho, garbage bag or small tarp square to sit on when you need to rest and it’s a mud pit.

• Clean, dry socks and fresh shoes are your best friend after a cold, muddy festival. Stash them in the car (and take a bucket to throw the muddy gumboots in).

FESTIVAL CAMPING Nothing spells serious festival goer like camping does.

I always have mixed feelings as I walk past campers at a festival. And those feelings are usually weather-dependent.

When it’s cool and sunny I’m thinking, “wow, look how close those guys are to the entry.” When it’s hot, raining or mosquito weather, I’m thinking, “shit I’m glad I drove.”

You can pick a festival camping virgin for miles. They’re usually the ones looking pretty haggard at the end of a three day festival. Shit, they’re usually looking pretty haggard half way through the first day.

“Rugs! If you’re camping, take rugs. Yes, it’ll be filthy by the end of the festival, but allows you a small space that isn’t just mud and it adds a homely touch.”

Christie Ots

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By the same token you can spot a seasoned festival camper as well. Usually by the lanterns and rugs. Their tents just seem to be happier to be there. I can’t quite put my finger on it.

But again, we’re here to help. We’ve done the hard yards and we want to make sure your festival camping experience is one to remember… for the right reasons.

1.

You can never have too much water or too much shelter

This is Queensland in summer. If it’s not 40 degrees with extreme UV rating, it’s 40 degrees with torrential rain.

If someone asks if you should take a tarp, the answer is yes.

Always yes. And please please please don’t buy slabs of bottled water. Buy a water cooler and fill it with water and take reusable cups.

Water is handy and not just for drinking. You can use it to wash your mud-stained feet at the end of a long day at Splendour or Woodford, you can use it to smooth down your hair on the third day of not bathing and you can use it to brush your teeth with so you don’t have to queue up at the demountable dunnies.

“I saw someone who had their own portable fold up stool at Woodford. Golden idea.”

Keiren Bond

2.

Carry it in, carry it out

I remember a Splendour at Woodford where the punters had left piles and piles of trash behind. Tents, lounges, mattresses, raincoats, clothes. You know what’s not cool?

Expecting other people to clean up your rubbish. If you carry it in, carry it out.

This motto especially rang true for this year’s Splendour at Byron where due to weather all campers had to carry their camping gear into the campground. A sound decision when you consider how wet and muddy the Splendour grounds were.

3.

Take ear plugs

If you’re getting on in years (like me), and you value a quiet night’s sleep, take ear plugs. They’ll double for ear protection for extra loud sets.

“There was a Splendour at Woodford where I was in charge of picking the campsite for our group of 20. I was so proud of the extra spacious flat spot, under trees that I chose. Until we returned to the campsite at midnight to find that we were camped right next to the massive minesite-sized spotlights and generator for the entire campsite. I was not popular and we nearly got kicked out for turning it off.”

Samantha Morris

4.

Take your own stuff

It is not cool to nick someone else’s gumboots. It’s not cool to finish someone else’s noodles. Apart from the obvious things you’ll want to share in a coordinated manner (like sugar and water), be a grown up and take your own stuff. Make sure you have your own cup, cutlery and plates. Make sure you have your own stash of midnight munchies and make sure you have your own cash for when all else fails and a trip to the general store is in order.

5.

Know the rules and the facilities available You know there’s no committee setting out to ruin your camping adventure with bizarre rules. If there’s a rule like no fires, you know it’s a rule for a reason. You can’t claim ignorance when you get there, so familiarise yourself with the rules before you go. Are you allowed glass? Naked flames? Alcohol? Are there warm showers or just cold water?

Are there taps where you can refill your water stash? Is there somewhere you can stock up on cash, noodles, milk?

6.

Remember your sense of humour

A friend of mine, Bruce has this saying… “it’s as grim as camping.” Camping brings out the worst in people. I don’t believe anyone who says it brings out the best.

If you’re going camping with a large group, make sure it’s with people you actually like. It pays to be with people who will look out for eachother and lend a helping hand when it’s needed. It also pays to ensure everyone pulls their weight.

There’s always some joker who insists they have to leave first thing in the morning before the clean up’s done. Don’t let them get away with it. Give everyone a task to ease the burden.

“I remember that time a man completely naked and painted head to toe in gold was riding an inflatable dolphin atop the crowd during The Pixies at Splendour at Woodford.”

Keiren Bond DOs Pack a reusable water bottle, hand sanitiser and tissues Stand your (musical) ground Bring a ziplock bag for your valuables Expect the unexpected Look after eachother Remember that your antics might be captured for posterity on film or photo Dress in layers DON’Ts Wear white Peak too early Spend too much time on your makeup and hair. Seriously Mess with sniffer dogs Trash the festival. Pick up after yourself.

Miss the show because you’re so busy filming it.

Contributors Samantha Morris, Oliver Mork, Christie Ots, Keiren Bond, Leisen Standen, Bogdan Popa

HANG 5: FESTIVAL MUST HAVES

HANG 10

Welcome Summer. The season of sun, sand, surf, and festivals. On the East Coast of Australia, almost from tip to toe there is a festival for everyone. All ages, all music types, one day, several days, hippy, goth, crazy.

You name it, you can find it. So how to distill this magnitude of music making fun into a list of just 5 top essentials? We’ll assume that you’re an 18+ law abiding citizen and talk to the crowds.

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It wouldn’t be summer if you didn’t have to Slip Slop Slap and Slide! Even if you forgo clothing of the modest sort, cover that body in sun-cream and lots of it, coloured zinc on the face, a suitably retro trilby hat and a pair of throwaway $5 sunnies to keep the glare out of your sweet little eyes (ensure they’re dark enough to allow for serious unnoticed perving of the opposite sex).

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Hydrate Amanda, Hydrate. Think you can last all day, or worse yet all weekend on booze alone? Think again my friend. That summer sun will strike you down and be damned that your favourite set had just come on. So bring along a refillable water bottle or camelback to keep your thirst quenched. Remember the golden rule, for every 18+ bevvy, swig back a glass of water too.

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Smile! And what sort of a festival would it be if you didn’t have your camera or smartphone with you to capture all the antics to share with your besties and the rest of the world via FaceCrack straight away? You literally never know what will happen at a festival, you’ve got to be prepared for the strange, the amazing, the exciting and the downright bizarrely terrifying. Did Grace Jones really just show all her lady parts and dance inappropriately erotically for someone who is essentially an old lady? Your friends can tell you that, yes, you really just saw that.

Call me a capitalist, but it goes without saying that the ultimate festival must have is cash. And lots of it. For the drinks, snacks, t-shirts, paraphernalia, market stalls and what not. For the girls that means a small cross body shoulder bag to keep it close to your person, even when going hard in the mosh pit.

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My favourite, the quirk factor. Whether you go for matching outfits, a wild hairstyle, or clothes with a message it doesn’t matter – but you have to have something that makes you stand out from the crowd. At my first ever festival, The Vans Warped Tour on the Gold Coast in the late 90s I wore a Viking helmet, had my hair in 8 plaits and made a handkerchief of a top. I scored the front page of The Bulletin. One year at the Lorne Falls Festival one of the guys in my crew wore a snuggly Koala beanie (coldest NYE on record!), I have never seen so many girls flock to a guy. He certainly had his choice that festival!

So go wild. At a festival you can be and do anyone and anything you want.

Make the most of it!

Katie Hooper Ever heard of a SheWee? Neither had Georgiana McGonigal until she picked one up at a random Kathmandu side walk sale in London.

So glad she had though when she found herself at the Benicasim festival in Spain busting for a wee one day. Whilst it was fine for all the males to drop their pants and take a leak behind the shrubs, what’s a girl in a short skirt supposed to do?

Just pop your SheWee snug around your lady parts and hey presto! Instant penis style apparatus to wee behind the bushes in style, just like the guys and no toilet queues to ruin your fun.

We asked some festival stalwarts about the festivals, both in Australia and abroad, that make them swoon. We were supposed to come up with a list of five. But that’s not possible. So, based on feedback from lots of avid festival goers, Samantha Morris, compiled a list of 10 (in no particular order).

Plus a bonus.

Coachella

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is simply known as Coachella. It’s an unlikely venue – a polo club in Indio California, in the Coachella Valley. It’s hot. It’s dry.

And it’s a mission to get there. But that’s part of the reason why the vibe is so chilled. Oh, and the fact that cannabis is medically legal in California. Let’s just say there are a lot of people getting medicated at Coachella.

It’s an epic three days around April, of music and arts with rock, indie, hip hop, electronica and sculpture all playing a part.

Sounds like: Dr Dre, Prince, Arcade Fire, Wu-Tang Clan, The Killers, Madonna, Rage Against the Machine, Pavement, Beastie Boys, The Stone Roses, Nine Inch Nails and Bjork.

Austin Psych Fest

This independent three day festival happens April-May in Texas. It focuses on alternative genres but it’s really the premiere bucket list festival for psychedelic rock fans. It’s famed for its relaxed atmosphere.

Sounds like: The Black Angels (seriously, these guys play all the time), The Black Lips, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Wooden Ships, Moon Duo, The Raveonettes, Warpaint.

Woodford Folk Festival

Just one hour north of Brisbane and hosted by Queensland Folk Federation, Woodford is one of the biggest annual cultural events in Australia. Held between Boxing Day and New Years Day it attracts more than 100,000 punters.

As well as crossing over folk, rock, world music and first peoples’ genres, the festival also has a strong speakers’ program. Julia Gillard, Julian Assange, Bob Hawke have appeared in the past.

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The festival culminates in a fire event as a closing ceremony and a hilltop ritual with chanting and meditation to see in the new year.

Sounds like: Jeff Lang Band, Resin Dogs, Kate Miller-Heidke, That 1 Guy, Wild Maramalade, Tim Freedman, LABJACD, Youth Group, Archie Roach, Women in Docs, Jackson Jackson, Emma Dean, Dubmarine, Gotye, The Saints, Xavier Rudd.

Festival in the Desert

Many of us here at Blank have seen the DVD (Le Festival au Desert) and that’s as close as we’ve been to Mali’s Festival in the Desert. It’s had a bunch of security issues in the past with the 2010 event moved to Timbuktu. It helped make Tinariwen famous after they played the festival in 2001 and its aim is to showcase traditional Tuareg music, as well as music from around the world. Sadly the festival was postponed in 2013 due to the Northern Mali conflict.

Sounds like: Tartit, Imharhan, Lo’Jo, Ali Farka Toure, Mamadou Kelly, Tinariwen

All Tomorrow’s Parties (ATP)

The first ATP festival was curated by Mogwai in 1999 and since then it’s appeared every year; priding itself on being intimate, non-corporate and uber fan friendly. But the thing that really sets ATP apart from its contemporaries is that the line-ups are curated by bands or artists who are significant themselves. This often results in an eclectic mix of performances by a genuine diversity of acts.

The festival has taken place in the USA, UK and Australia and has been curated by the likes of Deerhunter, The National, Les Savy Fav and The Flaming Lips.

Sounds like: … And You Will Know us by the Trail of Dead, Aphex Twin, Sigur Ros, Calexico, Yo La Tengo, Cheap Trick, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Mission of Burma, Public Enemy, The Fiery Furnaces, Iggy & The Stooges, Gang of Four, Grinderman, Ed Kuepper and Jeffrey Wegener, The Scientists, Sparklehorse.

Primavera Sound

Primavera Sound has been hailed for lineups that exude coherence, eclecticism and risk-taking. With a focus on indie music, it also showcases new international and domestic acts. But its range of musical genres is broad and includes alternative, indie, electro, pop, hip hop, dance, folk, jazz, metal and experimental.

The festival has been taking place in Barcelona – just six kilometres from the city’s heart - for more than ten years and to some is an unmissable event. The event, which takes place May-June is one of the largest music festivals in Spain, with more than 100,000 people attending its events in recent years.

Sounds like: Neil Young, Portishead, Pet Shop Boys, Patti Smith, James Blake, Arcade Fire, The White Stripes, PJ Harvey, Shellac, Death Cab for Cutie, Mazzy Starr, New Order, The Cure, Smashing Pumpkins.

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Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival

Glastonbury

Glastonbury is the largest open air music and preforming arts festival in the world. It is best known for its contemporary music, but it also features dance, comedy and cabaret.

The festival organiser is a farmer in the Somerset Valley in England, where the event takes place and it was first held in 1970 and heavily influenced by hippie ethics. While it does still have some elements of this tradition, it has grown considerably in size and is now attended by some 175,000 meaning massive logistics efforts.

Sounds like: Simply Red, Happy Mondays, Carter USM, Lou Reed, The Communards, Johnny Cash, Rage Against the Machine, Elvis Costello, The Prodigy, Bob Dylan, Pulp, Muse, The Flaming Lips, James Brown, Kings of Leon, The Specials, Arctic Monkeys, Wu-Tang Clan, Paul Simon, BB King, Kenny Rogers, Beady Eye, Dizzee Rascal, Mumford & Sons.

Lollapalooza

Lake Michigan to one side and Chicago’s famous skyline on the other, Lollapalooza is on many people’s festival bucket list for good reason. Eight stages and more than a hundred thousand punters each day, this festival is not for the fainthearted. There’s also no camping.

Musical genres leap between metal, rock, hip hop and punk with dance, craft and comedy included in the mix. The festival was created by Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction as a farewell tour in 1991 and went through many evolutions until it settled into its current format as a weekend event.

Sounds like: Rollins Band, Babes in Toyland, Pearl Jam, Body Count, The Drums, Butthole Surfers, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Hole, Primus, Of Monsters and Men, Nine Inch Nails, Muse, The Cure, Ministry, Arcade Fire, Franz Ferdinand, Audioslave, Fishbone, Lady Gaga.

Boonaroo

Held in Tennessee, USA and covering a wide range of musical genres, Bonnaroo goes down on a 700 acrew farm.

While the festival launched with a major focus on jam bands and folk rock, it has diversified immensely. The four day event includes elements of indie, world music, hip hop, jazz,

bluegrass, folk, gospel, reggae and electronica. Bonnaroo was recently named as one of the 50 moments that changed rock & roll by Rolling Stone Magazine.

Sounds like: The Beach Boys, My Morning Jacket, Stevie Wonder, The White Stripes, Pearl Jam, Tom Petty, Metallica, Beastie Boys, Bruce Springsteen, The Police, Jack Johnson, James Brown, Wilco, The Allman Brothers Band.

Burning Man

Burning Man isn’t so much a festival as a community of radical art and self expression. It takes place in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada in August-September, runs for a week, and leaves absolutely no trace of its existence once the punters leave. Its name comes from the ritual burning of an effigy of a man, which apparently first happened on a San Francisco beach in 1986.

The event is guided by ten principles which embrace inclusion, gifting, decommodicifcation, self-reliance, self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility, leaving no trace, participation and immediacy.

Sounds like: nothing you’ve ever heard before

Womadelaide

WOMADelaide is an annual world music and dance festival, held in the majestic setting of Adelaide’s Botanic Park and part of the series of WOMAD festivals which take place around the world. WOMAD events aim to celebrate the world’s many forms of music, art and dance and the event’s eclectic mix of artists is testament to this.

Adelaide is known as the Festival State for good reason.

While you’re down there for Womadelaide, you can catch the Adelaide Festival, duck in to Writers’ Week and then rest your weary feet at the Fringe Festival and its Garden of Unearthly Delights.

Sounds like: Ozomatli, Not Drowning, Waving, Miriam Makeba, Lior, Kev Carmody, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Master Drummers of Burundi, Baaba Maal, Afro Celt Sound System, Tiddas, Blue King Brown, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Victor Valdez, Hugh Masekela, Vieux Farka Toure, Soweto Gospel Choir.

FLY UNDER THE RADER Summer means festivals, lots and lots of festivals of the musical variety!

And one thing’s for certain, you’ll be bombarded with a brain scrambling array of acts whichever outdoor event you manage to make it along to.

Of course we all know what to expect when it comes to the big-ticket headliners, but scratch a little below the surface and you’ll be rewarded with some of the best new music you never knew you liked...yet.

But hey festival line-ups bat deep these days, sometimes across a multitude of days, and with so much choice out there picking the right ‘speculator’ act to latch onto can sometimes be a bit of a musical minefield.

Never fear though, Blank is here to give you the insider’s tips on who you simply must schedule time for during this bulging festival season!

Falls Festival, Byron Bay | December 31 - January 3 A southern festival institution, the Falls Festival has now spread its wings north, lucky us!

Hanni El Khatib: In turns gritty, soulful and just plain rockin’, this Californian cat with Filipino and Palestinian heritage is sure to win over a legion of new converts as he delivers tracks off his new record Head in the Dirt, which was produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys.

White Denim: a ridiculously versatile four headed rock beast outta Austin, Texas, White Denim may just leave your jaw agape with their ability to switch seamlessly between southern rock/jam band tendencies, punked-up psychedelia, with a dash of blue eyed soul...get eclectic!

The War on Drugs: from Philadelphia and originally featuring Kurt Vile (another killer artist soon to be visiting these parts for the Laneway Festival) the band delivers hypnotic, swirling, widescreen sound-scapes through an anthemic classic rock filter. To steal a quote; ‘it’s as if the Spiritualized and Springsteen albums filed alphabetically next to one another in your record collection melted together on a hot summer afternoon.’

Think Oz, go..

The John Steel Singers: six piece Brissie collective, who named their first album after local island resort Tangalooma.

They’ve just dropped a pop-licious new record full of warm, harmony drenched, quirky indie-pop moments.

Big Day Out, Metricon Stadium, Carrara | January 19 The grandaddy Oz music fest of ‘em all...

Bo Ningen: get in on the ground floor and take the trip with these four piece Japanese acid-punk warriors knowns as Bo Ningen. Mind melting psych flourishes married with fuzzed out riffola - banzai!

Toro Y Moi: Chaz Bundick, better known by his stage name Toro Y Moi, is an American recording artist and producer who peddles in laid back, organic, beat driven, lo-fi pop-funk. Ride the chillwave...

Mudhoney: Seattle grunge pioneers, who those of an elder persuasion may be well acquainted with. But for those Nirvana t-shirt sporting youngsters, be sure to get thee in the presence of these fuzzed out garage masters as part of your Big Day Out experience.

Think Oz, go...

Cosmic Psychos: beer swilling, tractor driving, pub-punk legends experiencing somewhat of a renaissance on the back of their excellent career documentary Blokes You Can Trust.

Hooray Fuck!

Falls Festival Art Space Warpaint and new ‘it’ band Haim, both outta Los Angeles.

And then there’s Savages, a London all-girl 4 piece currently making waves by authentically channeling the post-punk early 80’s heyday of acts such as The Slits and Siouxie and the Banshees. Don’t miss this one...

Parquet Courts: New York based Texans, Parquet Courts peddle in a wallop of sharp, driving, garagey post punk, framed by the biting, sing-speak ruminations of vocalist Andrew Savage. Fans of Eddy Current Suppression Ring and classic indie-rock take note...

Think Oz, go...

Dick Diver: ramshackle guitar-pop collective and featuring members of other top notch Melbourne indie acts such as Boomgates and Total Control, they bring a uniquely Australian slant to their subject matter and vocal delivery.

Soundwave Festival, RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane | 22 February Raise your devil horns to the skies, as Soundwave yet again delivers a bumper line-up of music from the heavier end of the spectrum. Lots of big big names on the bill here, but be sure to make time for these somewhat lower profile gems:

St Jerome’s Laneway Festival, RNA Showgrounds Brisbane | 31 January

Rocket From The Crypt: recently reformed and legendary San Diego horn driven punk rockers, featuring the talents of John ‘Speedo’ Reis, also of seminal bands Hot Snakes and Drive Like Jehu. Yeah hup!

This little gem of a festival is generally tailored to bringing cutting edge ‘buzz’ bands to the collective musical consciousness, so make sure you get along and try these for size...

Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats: English psychedelic-doom warlords, their fuzz-encrusted riffage will resonate for those with 70’s hard rock tendencies. And with a band name like this how can you go wrong!?

Kurt Vile: J Mascis by way of Springsteen and Tom Petty, Kurt Vile (real name!) delivers chimingly laconic, finger picking guitar slacker anthems. Be bewitched...

Graveyard: Channeling the cream of 70’s classic rock and metal, these retro-Swedes are sure to go down ghoulishly well for those in the know..wink-wink.

Savages: There’s quite the proliferation of all girl bands in this year’s Laneway line-up, including the moodily moving

Anthony Gebhardt www.blankgc.com.au

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TAKING IT SLOW OVER SUMMER So another sweltering South East Queensland summer is upon us and for many this means taking the foot off the gas, kicking back with loved ones and imbibing whatever the best of the festive season has to offer.

And local roots-soul-world artist Bobby Alu is ready to soundtrack it for us with the release of his tropically soulful and chilled new album Take It Slow. Anthony Gebhardt caught up with the man with the ‘fro.

Bobby Alu is the recording alias of one Charles Wall, a talented multi-instrumentalist whose musical pedigree includes stints as a crack ‘drummer for hire’ for the likes of Xavier Rudd. I kicked off our chat by asking him if he still answers to his birth name, or is it Bobby all round these days? “Depends who’s asking! I can tell people get a bit confused on what to call me. Bobby is my middle name and became a nickname. I answer to both still. It’s great having a few names. If I don’t feel like being Bobby I can just say, “Oh

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no, sorry you must have mistaken me for someone else, my name is Charles.”

Having grown up on the Gold Coast, Charles has been jamming the grooves as Bobby Alu for the past five years.

Starting out as a solo project during his uni days, Bobby Alu became a fully fledged band three years ago with the addition of good mates Paulie B (guitar - formerly with the bands George and The Beautiful Girls), Stu Barry (bass) and

original drummer Grant Gerathy, who left just last month to don sticks for the John Butler Trio. Another local mate Richie Seymour has now taken over behind the kit.

Drumming was Bobby’s first musical passion, but percussion is not the only talent that he brings to the band. He’s also branched off into other instrumental directions as the Bobby Alu project has gained momentum, and he’s keen to further diversify the Bobby Alu sound template.

“Drumming was definitely my first love,” he says.

“One of the best feelings is locking into a heavy groove, creating a deep pocket for other musicians and the audience to nest in. It’s a meditation and such a rewarding physical outlet. Straight out of uni I was touring the world as a drummer, meeting incredible artists and friends. It’s been an integral gateway to all my opportunities and something I’ll never stop doing.”

“I just love to play music. I’m not really very well trained on any instrument but I can get some pretty good sounds

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out of many instruments, which helps me communicate the songs I write. At the moment as Bobby Alu I’m playing my ukulele and singing a lot - and loving it! Mum taught me the uke when I was five so it’s great to be rocking the mini axe on stage. I also write on guitar and spend time on the bass to create some nice feels. When I was at primary school I played the trombone. I still have it so it might be time to get that back in the mix. I also want to teach myself the piano… hmmm maybe just one thing at a time ha ha!”

Bobby Alu impressed the right ears early, and amazingly were invited to play the prestigious Byron Bay Blues and Roots Festival after only their third public gig as a band! I asked Bobby if there was a degree of incredulousness on his part as a result of this meteoric rise in profile?

“I was totally pinching myself. When Bobby Alu began I wasn’t sure how it would go and at times I lacked confidence.

Getting into Bluesfest so early in my career was a true blessing and gave me so much gusto as a performing artist. It was very surreal playing on the same stage I’ve seen so many great bands on in the past. To be sharing that moment with my mates was awesome. I smile when I think about it.”

And as far as hobnobbing with any musical heavy-weights on that Bluesfest bill he said his dressing room was right next to Ziggy Marley’s but he wasn’t tempted to pester any of the headliners.

“They’re usually in the zone and in my experience I reckon it’s not really appropriate pre-show to just hang around trying to be close to them. Post-show is different though, I

got to exchange a few hellos but most of the time I was just enjoying the atmosphere with my close friends. Just having all those heavy cats around creates a real energy.”

Since that time Bobby Alu has appeared on an array of diverse festival line-ups throughout the country, from the Woodford Folk Festival through to Island Vibes and Wide Open Space in Central Australia. I asked Bobby if there was a festival experience or moment that has particularly stood out?

“We played the Eclipse Festival in the Far North Queensland desert. It was frickin’ hot and dusty, but with 10 000 others we watched an incredible solar eclipse. The light in the sky at eclipse was like nothing I’ve ever seen, a silver-like sheen painting the earth that no instagram filter could ever capture.”

The life of a touring musician will inevitably also bring with it a bit of good old fashioned rock and roll excess, Bobby says that some other great festival moments have been marred by “Sailor Jerry’s rum… lost… lost forever.”

Having released a self titled debut album back in 2010, Bobby has recently dropped his second long player Take It Slow and is “stoked” with his musical progression and the response from fans so far.

“It’s the first recordings with the whole band’s involvement.

Although I wrote the songs, it was very much a collaborative effort between myself and the other band members,” he says.

“The new album is definitely a progression in many ways.

I’m more established as a writer and singer, there are other musicians involved and we are indeed a full-fledged touring act. The first album was an experiment, a collection of songs I made at uni. This album came about after touring with a slammin’ band, playing awesome shows and finding our place in the Australian roots music scene.”

“It’s been such a great three years of finding our sound whilst touring the country. Creating the album felt like such an achievement. The response has been awesome! The fact that it’s finished and released means my goal has been reached.

To hear that peeps are digging it is icing on the cake.”

I questioned Bobby on one of his musical side projects, collaborating with progressive roots/dance trio OKA, and whether it’s ever given the dreaded ‘ocker’ mispronunciation.

“Yep we’ve had a few pretty average MCs at various festivals that don’t do their research and totally make a knob of themselves pronouncing the band’s name wrong,” he says.

I’ve been playing with OKA for four years now and in that time have visited some insane places and crazy festivals - on the edge of the Arctic Circle where the sun didn’t go down, doofs in the British Columbian forest, and playing the Californian desert and Central Australia are some highlights. I’ve been taking a break from OKA of late.

Change is good for the soul, hard sometimes, but essential.

Plus there’s only so much you can fit in your calendar.”

Bobby’s heritage is Polynesian and he never realised that that cultural vibe sat so strong with him until he started writing songs. www.blankgc.com.au

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“I was completely surrounded by Polynesian music and dance throughout my childhood”.

“I was completely surrounded by Polynesian music and dance thoughout my childhood,” he said.

“Mum was performing every night with me in her belly right up to when I popped out. I never took music seriously at school and listened to heaps of different styles of music. I found all my old tapes and CDs the other day. The collection included Presidents of the USA, Metallica, Michael Jackson, Dr Dre and Bob Marley. But when I am writing from the heart the island vibe is just so strong. I spent some time in Samoa last year and so many things about my personality made sense. It’s a strong part of my identity.”

As well as being in touch with his roots, Bobby is also passionate about getting behind causes he believes in, as evidenced by his recent support of a Sea Sheppard fundraiser. He says it’s important to support and encourage good human spirit through any means possible – and that his way is through music.

“Man, it was amazing, I had the privilege of meeting the Director of Sea Sheppard Australia, Jeff Hanson, a few weeks before and was completely blown away by his passion for the ocean. Sea Sheppard still aren’t recognised as an official charity so they lose a lot of big donors without tax deductions being available. The money they need for fuel alone is ridiculous. Last year they saved almost 1000 whales.

Spending some time on the road with Xavier (Rudd) and meeting Jeff Hanson was a huge reason why I wanted to be involved. We raised forty thousand bucks that day - a mighty effort.

Bobby is also committed to utilising the talents and resources of creative locals. A case in point is the video clip for his track You Know (find it on youtube), which was shot

by Salvador Cantellano of local filmmakers and arts collective Digital Cinematix at the Gold Coast’s premiere cultural arts space, Rabbit and Cocoon at Miami.

“Yep Salvador and crew did that clip. I grew up on the Goldy and Salvador and many of the Rabbit and Cocoon family I have known for some time. I’m so proud of them and all their achievements in contributing to this art space. I’ve seen them grow into their work and it’s such an integral and important part of the Gold Coast. I was stoked that we could collaborate and film at Rabbit and Cocoon, and it won’t be the last time that’s for sure!”

Bobby and band also helped kick off Rabbit TV’s Shed Sessions - a newly launched project emanating from the Rabbit and Cocoon precinct. The concept involves a local or touring band calling into the Rabbit TV studios in Miami once a week for a chat and to play a live track. Bobby was excited to be involved.

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“Another awesome friend of mine, Polly Armstrong is involved in this project - what a legend! Working with friends is so much more comfortable than regular media.

The Rabbit TV shoot was super, super, cruisy and I can’t wait to see what else they have in store.”

On the back of their new record Bobby Alu have been touring our general vicinity these past few months, including an album launch at the Hi Fi Bar in Brisbane on 14 December and a prestigious closing slot at the recent Mullum Music Festival.

“It was an honour to close one of the stages at the Mullum Music Festival. The gig was oozing great vibes and plenty of smiles were dancing about. We’ve had some great gigs on the Goldy. Kirra Kite Festival two years ago was a blast and more recently Swell Sculpture Festival. Both gigs were in the afternoon right on the beach - perfect! We’ve also played some pumping shows at Mandala Arts Café.”

Rabbit Radio Presents...

With a buzzload of opportunity on the horizon in 2014, Bobby is also dreaming of worldwide exploits saying overseas touring for the band is on the cards.

“I really believe our sound would be well received in North America and Europe. Following in the footsteps of other great Aussie bands is my next mission. You have to be good though, real good. We’ve got to put in some more hard yards first.”

A quick glance at any of Bobby’s music clips or press footage reveals a penchant for sun visor style hatted-attire. I put it light heartedly to Bobby that he seems to be on a personal crusade to bring it back into vogue, and that he’ll know when he’s made it really big when he steps out onto a festival stage to be greeted by a sea of sun visors. Although slightly more practical considerations seem to be at play.

“Well, it is one of the only hats I can wear with the ’fro still displayed in full glory. I found a bright yellow Telecom visor in a Melbourne op shop ’bout five years ago and now seek them out wherever I go. Wide brim vintage visors are very very hard to find. My collection is slowly growing. Recently on my trip to Samoa I found some thatched ones. Classic island style – it’s my current favourite.”

Bobby Alu - rockin’ the sun visor, taking it slow and delivering the positive vibes on the road in 2014 - so be sure to keep an eye out for when Bobby’s in the house!

Bobby Alu is planning Gold Coast shows for early 2014 and playing Blues on Broadbeach 22 - 25 May 2014.

You can check out Bobby Alu’s Rabbit TV session by going to: www.rabbitradiopresents.com/videos.html

NGAIIRE + Jac Stone Sunday 5th January

MAT. McHUGH + Karl. S Williams Sunday 12th January Rabbit+Cocoon 23 Hillcrest Ave MIAMI

SKINWALKERS

music

If you’ve been searching for a band that genuinely believes in their art and the ability for music to act as a positive forum for social change on top of being incredible songsmiths, look no further than the boys from Skinwalkers. Formed in 2008 the group have been making noise around the national music scene with numerous releases and live performances.

Leah Martin-Brown sat down with drummer and vocalist Matt Turner about the group’s new release Fateless, their DIY film clip plus their plans for the future.

You guys have had a massive 2013 with an appearance at the Big Day Out in January, your recent EP and video release plus gigs galore. What do you have planned for next year?

community spirit and pulling together - people these days have grown so far apart due to class systems and various other issues. We’re just out there subtly trying to help raise the revolution!

We are going to try as hard as we can to keep the music coming, being an independent band the recording and releasing process is incredibly full on. We’ve been putting a lot more planning into everything since our broken bone induced hiatus halfway through the year and are hoping to work towards putting out a few more singles as well as an album. We have plans to gig a lot more and get around to all the places we haven’t yet had a chance to visit.

Tell us a bit about your interactive project Everyone Has a Story. What is it all about and why do you think it has attracted such high profile personalities like Ben Lee to it?

Your music seems to have some strong political and social commentary peppered throughout, similar to Rise Against or Rage Against the Machine. Do you agree with this and is it something that you aim for?

Most definitely! We try and get our beliefs and messages out to people in whatever way we can. It started around three years ago when a few of us saw a documentary on teenage homelessness and that really opened our eyes. Prior to that we’d only been switched onto mainstream media and had never seen anything like what this program was showing us.

After seeing it we began a project called We Are the Streets where all of us travelled to Sydney to help out in shelters and find out what was really going on. We ended up filming a music video and doing a single launch on the streets down there for all the kids.

There is still so much more to learn and we want to continue discovering what is going on in the world and writing music to inform the masses. These days most socio-political messages go over the heads of young people so we like to put strong messages that are close to our hearts in our compositions but not ‘raising our fists’ as much. We all have to live together in this world and there’s no point in making things harder by alienating people. We believe in fostering

We put it together in September-October 2012 off the back of one of our singles we’d just released. The whole idea was to share the amazing stories and conversations we’d experienced with other musicians and people in general, give credit to those that had helped shape our mindset, you know? We’d just Skype call people we thought were likeminded and chat to them person to person - really informal - just so we could hear their story.

With regards to the high profile personalities it’s seemed to attract - we don’t really know why they said yes! We did a big reach out at the beginning of the project just saying we wanted to connect with everyone but especially those successful in their field. Ben Lee in particular was really interesting, he spoke to us about working on his own stuff solo as well as releasing and funding himself as an independent artist. That was really interesting.

We actually filmed it on my sister’s camera so if we spent any money it should have been on something for her! It was pretty difficult to shoot with only three people but we made it happen by tailoring the extremely extravagant ideas we had in the beginning down to what was realistic but still catering to our artistic ideas and interests.

The shooting happened pretty close to home and took place over three or four weeks with a lot of help from the camera tripod to assist in shots where the whole band had to be present. Prior to this we’d only done one official video and it was a bit of a headache so by keeping it all in house it was a little easier. I actually did the editing!

There were no restrictions on this one, we know it looks DIY but we’re cool with that and we also know what we can do by ourselves. Who is to say what the future holds? It’s all about improving the process for us.

Skinwalkers are taking the rest of the year off to plan for a huge 2014! You can listen to their new single Fateless at: https://soundcloud.com/skinwalkersmusic/fateless. And watch the accompanying film clip here: http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=CAncFG5JrTI.

Hopefully next year we can expand to something physical that could potentially help people in need.

You’ve mentioned that your new film clip was done on a super, super tight budge. What challenges arose from this and how did you manage to create such an amazing end product?

Haha! By tight budge you mean spent zero dollars on it!

www.blankgc.com.au

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RIDING THE MAGIC CARPET Slightly removed from the spotlight for six months to write and record their debut self-titled album, Melbourne sisters Amy, Hannah, Sarah and Holly – collectively known as Stonefield to the rock world – have come out with a mature, hard-hitting rock record that sees the girls grow up and take the next big plunge into their already mammoth career.

The album touches on themes of evolution and maturity, not just as a band, but as individuals. Stonefield is a heavy, raw and unique collection of classic rock songs with an overt blues influence – a trademark of the sisters’ success. Jake Wilton caught up with drummer and lead singer Amy to ask them about playing with Fleetwood Mac, breaking into the UK market and working with a backing choir.

Before we talk about anything else, let’s discuss your cancelled support slot for Fleetwood Mac. Where were you when the news broke of John McVie’s illness and the cancelled tour?

I was actually at home and saw it on Facebook. We didn’t get notified before it was common knowledge, so it was a real bummer to see that on your Facebook feed [laughs].

Did you grow up with Fleetwood Mac’s music?

Yeah, definitely. It all just felt completely surreal that we were going to be supporting them. To be honest, it never really sunk in so I think that may have made it a little bit easier.

A few years back, Stonefield played Glastonbury Festival.

Now you have a full album, do you plan to break into the UK market more?

Yeah, we’re planning on going over there next year. We’re playing the Great Escape and will try to do a tour around that and definitely focus on that part of England next year. I mean we haven’t released our album outside of Australia yet so that’s something we’re looking into doing at the moment.

Now that you’ve developed as much as you can in Australia do you think it’s time to branch out into the US/UK? Definitely, UK is our main focus firstly because we had the opportunity to play showcases in both London and Los Angeles. But just from doing that London show, we got the vibe that the UK is a lot more suited to us and our music.

But you never know what opportunities come up, such as Glastonbury, so I guess we’ll just see what happens.

When you say the UK is more suited to your brand of music, what do you mean?

Well in LA, we got the feeling that rock is more… glam, more into that whole emo side of rock. But in the UK, there are so many bands that have influenced our music so we just sort of fit in. It just felt right.

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How do you think the band has developed in a live setting?

Definitely we’ve gotten a lot better as musicians and I think our songs have improved. We’re always looking to improve and we’re already excited to write the second album because we know we can do heaps better. Not to say we’re not proud of what we’ve done, it’s just… we’re always working harder to improve at everything. So I think our live show now is so much better; we’re a lot tighter, we’re better musicians, it’s a lot more dynamic. I think having myself upfront… it feels like we can put on more entertaining show and we can connect with people a lot better.

Do you prefer this to being behind the drum kit?

Well I’m doing a bit of both and playing a few songs in the middle of the set on drums as well, so it’s really nice to have the best of both worlds. When I was playing drums for the whole set, I really did feel like I was stuck behind a barrier and I just wanted to get closer to everyone and move around.

You have managed to keep in the public eye in a very calculated way. There was the Unearthed High win in 2010, 2 EPs and now the album. There’s been a lengthy wait but most bands who take their time usually fall out of public interest.

Playing shows was all we were doing [to remain in the public domain] apart from six months before we started recording the album. I think that was a really important thing for us to keep up the playing, seeing new bands and hearing new music and new influences. But I think we were very careful not to seem like a band that’s going to be the hyped thing for two seconds and then we’re gone. I think because we’re all girls and we’re sisters, it’s so easy to focus on the gimmicky side of our band.

ourselves. We know that people love to talk about that because it is quite exciting that all four of us happen to love the same music and play together. We get that that’s a talking point, but it now feels more focussed on our music and that we’re working as hard as any other band.

Because you’re all girls and you’re sisters, were there barriers that limited you?

There were, more so when we first started playing years ago in 2006. We’d rock up to the venues in Melbourne, nobody knew who we were so we felt as though we had to prove

Was recording the album a different experience from the EPs? Definitely, it just felt a lot more natural and relaxed and fun; it was just easy, we just really loved the experience. It was definitely our most enjoyable experience and I think recording live was a big part of that.

Let’s talk about Put Your Curse on Me. The song is phenomenal, how was it working with a backing choir?

So, so amazing! The sound of a gospel choir is my favourite sound in the world, so to have that on one of our songs was just a really amazing feeling. We got to perform with a gospel choir at our show in Sydney, which was amazing again to do that live. It really changed the song for us and gave it a really cool voodoo vibe; it gave it a whole new life.

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WAAX Leah Martin-Brown hung five with WAAX as they breezed into the coast for a gig in November.

Your Gold Coast debut was a relatively large onesupporting Von Villains at Elsewhere for their EP launch.

How did it feel to come down and play at a venue that is considered Marie’s stomping ground? How did you find the crowd?

You guys only formed 9 or so months ago and yet have had some amazing support slots, frequently played The Zoo and released a demo EP. Why do you think you’ve become so popular with the scene and what are you hoping to do in 2014?

It was really great to finally show Marie’s Gold Coast friends what we’re about. It was packed despite how early in it was. The Von Villains are really lovely guys and we’re lucky enough to be playing with them again at the Northern in Byron (20 December).

I think we capture people’s attention because we’re so different. What’s considered hip/cool in Brisbane is pretty far removed from what we’re about... We don’t quite fit in, but I guess that’s what makes us stand out. And we never want to fit in anyways.

If you could describe your sound in only a few words, what would they be and why?

We work really hard and live together, so the band is our life.

It’s all we talk about or think about. We are all extremely passionate people so we’re into making things happen quickly.

2014 means an east coast tour and recording an EP. How did you all meet and decide to form a band?

Marie had heaps of solo stuff and needed someone to help her record. At the start of this year she moved to Brisbane and met her new housemate Jordan through her friend Elijah from uni. Jordan and Elijah were schoolmates and jammed together for years. She asked Jordan to help her record – as he was an audio-engineering student at JMC and he asked if she actually needed a band. Of course she said yes. They got Elijah on board and they soon met Tom (the drummer) whilst jamming at his rehearsal studio. And so WAAX was born. And we are now family.

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Theatrical: because our music is very up and down and dramatic.

Energetic: all of our songs are intense and end up making us sweat a lot.

Rock: because we comprise of the elements to fall under that genre, I guess.

You guys are incredible onstage and have an amazingly energetic/frenetic live show- is that something you’ve worked hard on or does it come naturally to you?

Gee thanks, dude! It’s all natural. We are passionate misfits and that comes out in our performance. We’re all pretty chilled kids, but we’re all completely different personalities on stage and it’s just instinctual. We draw a lot of inspiration from punk rock in terms of our onstage persona.

Any further news you’d like to add?

We have four more shows til we cap off the year. We have a very special headliner at The Zoo (Brisbane), 19 December and The Northern in Byron on 20 December.

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WORD ON THE STREET Christie Ots sat down with the guys from Street 66 and chatted about their recording habits, musical aspirations and the one thing they really want people to know.

It’s Sunday afternoon and I’m sitting in the sunshine with the guys from Street 66, who are browsing the menu at The Joynt and appreciating a cold beer on a hot day. Bassist Liam Butler is keen to jump into the interview, cracking jokes and keeping the table laughing.

I ask them the most obvious question you can ask a band – how did the band name come about? “Julian introduced us to this guy Linton Kwesi Johnson, he’s from Jamaica and immigrated to Britain. He was a really big black rights activist” explains Butler. “And we’re all black,” interjects drummer Jackson Martens, gathering laughs from the rest of the band.

Liam chuckles as he reveals, “he does a lot of reggae-dub spoken word and one of his songs is Street 66. We spent ages trying to find a band name and one night I was talking to Julian after having a few drinks and I was listening to Linton and I just said ‘What about Street 66’? He messaged me the next morning and said that was a great name, which I had to be reminded of ”.

Lead singer Amir Hack leans forward and describes what Street 66 means to the band, “It also really represents us and where we come from. It tells the story of people judging you straight away based on where you live or your culture and different aspects. We have a lot in common coming from Palm Beach and having really different cultures and backgrounds. We also have a huge respect for Jamaican music; a lot of the music we love is derived from Jamaican music. We also made sure that we contacted Linton and asked his permission to use street 66 as a band name and we were so grateful that he said yes”.

The guys all come from very different music backgrounds, from jazz to classical and freestyle. When asked how this influences their music Hack was quick to point out that they all have similarities in what they listen to and all of that music backs up what is heard in the studio.

Butler adds to this, stating “there’s definitely underlying differences and similarities, but at the end of the day we’re all just adaptable musicians”.

Lead guitarist Julian Holland agrees. “We’ve all listened to a lot of music and what we’re making at the moment is reflecting what we like”.

The band bucked trend and found themselves recording before they had performed live. Questioning how that affected their experience, Martens explains how it solidified their bond, “I think it did have an impact on the way the band formed, everything we’ve done since our first recording has been about writing and creating as a band,” he said.

Hack nods and interjects, “It was a different way to do it, where we didn’t know what the outcome would be, but it made us want to keep doing it.”

Joining each other in the studio the band discovered something new about Hack, Holland reveals, “It was great just a clean slate to perform from, what is on the first two tracks is just us being blown away by hearing Amir sing for the first time.”

With great bands like the Beatles erupting in disputes over songwriting, I asked the boys how they deal with collaborating song inspirations. Holland describes the bands creative process, stating that, “I think with Jackson recording a lot of our jam sessions, we have the chance to look back on what we’ve done and decide what to work on in a space where we feel comfortable”.

Butler goes into more detail, expounding that, “One of the songs off the new EP we’re doing started off as Jackson playing a beat and it all came together. In recording all we’re trying to do is recapture that natural moment. It really is a democracy, we will try anything and you can feel if it works or not. We’re pretty egoless when it comes to each other”.

Holland agrees with Butler as they share a smile, “There’s not the format of a lead songwriter who writes a song and brings it to the band. We develop songs out of jamming and we all know when something sticks and that’s when we work on a song”.

Discussing one of their first tracks Ganja Grunge, which seems to represent some sort of cathartic release, Hack seems filled with an energy as he swigs his beer, “I wrote the verses first and I wrote them when I was frustrated with where I was,” Butler adds to the story asking Hack, “Well you were up north weren’t you? Amir was living on an island in the Northern Territory?” Hack laughs, knowing where the story is leading, “Yeah and when I finally got back from there the first thing I wanted to do was surf and I broke my leg.”

Holland hooks an arm around the back of chairs and chimes in, “In a sense everything that we write is a release, we aren’t shying away from acknowledging the negativity in life and just bringing it into the light”.

As the talk begins to diverge onto different paths, from the idea of supporting One Direction to different experiences they’ve had in previous bands, I ask the guys if there’s anything they really want people to know. Butler looks at his band mates and laughs, “Yeah, you can’t boil an egg in a kettle!” www.blankgc.com.au

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EARTHLESS: COSMIC GUITAR OVERLORDS RIDING INTO OUR STRATOSPHERE Instrumental San Diego power trio Earthless are set to shred Australian stages this summer, and in the lead up to their current tour Anthony Gebhardt chews the fat with guitarist Isaiah Mitchell and drummer Mario Rubalcaba (who also plays with the equally awesome Rocket From The Crypt, Hot Snakes and OFF!) So you guys seem to be quite the regular visitors to Australia these days. What is it that brings you back out here so regularly?

hated for the most part when they were initially active. It’s great that they can now play to a crowd that really loves them.

This will be our third time over, we all love Australia. We dig a lot of Australian music from a bunch of different eras. The people of Oz have been very kind to us and we have made some amazing friendships from coming here. So why not come back?

Isaiah, given your status as a modern day guitar demi-god, who are your guitar deities, both past and present?

Outside of Earthless you guys are also involved in a whole heap of other bands and side projects. Is it ever a challenge multi-tasking all of your musical outlets?

Yes it is at times, for me personally (Mario) sometimes I have three other projects to work around (Rocket From The Crypt, Hot Snakes and OFF!) Whether it be others tours, one-off shows or recording, it can get tricky and ultimately it’s not gonna always work out. When Isaiah was in Howlin’ Rain, I had just started touring with OFF! so it was a logistical nightmare trying to get any Earthless activity going, our schedules just did not match up. I’m glad that we are changing that now.

In your twelve years together as Earthless, have you observed a noticeably growing interest in the more retro flavours of psych/classic/cosmic rock from music fans around the world?

There is definitely a younger crowd that has embraced this whole sphere of music and they are hungry for it. I think it’s great not only for new bands but also for older bands like (doom metal pioneers) Saint Vitus, that were absolutely 18

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My guitar heroes are (deep breath!); Jimi Hendrix, Billy Gibbons, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Robert Johnson, Peter Green, Rory Gallagher, Chuck Berry, Ry Cooder, Mark Knopfler, Robert Cray, Frank Zappa, Jerry Garcia, David Gilmour, Muddy Waters, Townes Van Zandt, Freddie King, Johnny Winter, John McLaughlin, Paul Brady, Eric Gales, Richard Thompson, Lightning Hopkins… to name a few.

I see that awesome Brisbane music store Tym Guitars stock a specially designed Earthless fuzz pedal. How did this ‘collaboration’ come about?

Our good buddy Tim Brennan of Tym Guitars fame is the best. I approached him via internet and wanted to see if he had any recommendations for a fuzz pedal that would suit my style of playing. And he just flat out said “Why don’t we build you a custom pedal?” That’s something I always dreamed of and really never thought would be possible. Tim makes dreams come true! He asked me what kind of fuzz sound I was interested in and then whipped up the Earthless pedal. He also added one of his ‘Boost’ pedal circuits into the housing to bring it up a notch during a solo, so it’s really two pedals in one. He was able to make the fuzz really loud so that when you turn it in you don’t lose a bunch of signal.

He’s the best, one of the absolute nicest and most helpful

people you’ll ever meet. Brisbane and Australia are blessed to have such a man.

I was wondering about the track Uluru Rock, from your new record From The Ages - was it inspired by the big red rock in the centre of Australia, and if so have you made the pilgrimage to visit it during your Oz travels?

The track Uluru Rock was conceived during one of our warm up/intro jams at our Tym Guitars in- store in Brisbane during our last trip over. I know that Uluru is a sacred sight for the Aborigines and it seemed like a fitting title for the song. When you listen to music and close your eyes all sorts of great visions can happen, especially in instrumental music. For me, listening to this song and visualizing long ago when the natives were paying homage to Uluru with their rituals and what have you… I think it’s a wonderful match.

Do you have any plans in place yet beyond your Australian tour for Earthless in 2014?

We have a few one-off shows going on, we are playing the Austin Psych Fest in May - that’s gonna be insane! And we are hoping to get back to Europe again and maybe South America.

Those with a penchant for epic, cosmic jams would be wise to get themselves along to Crowbar (Fortitude Valley) on 3 January to witness Earthless in their free-form, guitar drenched glory.

music

FOR THE LOVE OF MUSIC In the middle of their national tour with Katchafire, Jessie Ryan-Allen caught up with the Common Kings from California to talk about their eventful visit in Australia.

On their third visit to Australia, Common Kings stopped in at the Caloundra Music Festival as well as a bunch of national tour locations.

What struck me first about the band was their humble approach to their music and each other, while still being ambitious and driven.

Their music is a combination of soul, reggae and RnB, mixed with seamlessly pulling off Michael Jackson covers live. They dream of sharing the stage with artists such as Bruno Mars, Maroon 5 and Steve Wonder, and they are well on their way

having already opened for artists such as Fergie.

Each member of the band ihas a rich cultural background from a range of Pacific Islands: Samoa, Fiji, Tonga and Hawaii and they all grew up with music as a large part of their family life.

Although the Common Kings have only been together for two years they have accomplished a lot and now have a clear sense of where they are heading musically with the release of their Summer Anthems EP.

In that two short years, they’ve built an impressive resume with sold-out tours stopping in at Hawaii, Los Angeles, Guam, Tokyo and right her in Australia. They’ve had more than 7 million YouTube views of their independently produced hits, Alcoholic, Wade in Your Water, No Other Love and Fly. Finishing up their tour on the Gold Coast, the Common Kings have plenty planned with shows in New Zealand and USA next. There are few bands that make you smile when they start playing and the Common Kings are one of them.

The next generation in feel good music is here.

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music JOSH PYKE: LONE WOLF TOUR Our writer was sharing the exciting news that she’d be interviewing musician Josh Pyke about his upcoming Lone Wolf tour with a friend.

Her announcement was met with squeals and questions, from when the tour was beginning to what questions were going to be asked. Christie Ots took that enthusiasm into her interview with Pyke about the Lone Wolf tour, which kicks off 14 February 2014 in Tasmania.

The first thing that struck me about Pyke was how friendly he was, living up to his reputation of being a lovely and easygoing guy. When asked about the more intimate settings for his Lone Wolf tour Pyke explained, “I just thought, because it’s a solo tour, I just wanted to play in a few venues where I could properly engage with the audience.

Venues like the Old Museum, that are more conducive to having an interactive experience”.

“My way of dealing with negative things or dark times has always been to write a song about it to figure out what to do.

I don’t think it’s necessary to be a depressed mess to write songs, but even if you’re a sane and comfortable person, you’re going to have periods where you are struggling with stuff. Some people talk to their buddies or go to therapy and my thing is to write songs about it. Luckily I have been able to make a career out of that.”

Performing without a band this time around, Pyke is touring his latest album The Beginning and the End of Everything, an album that was written while touring for his previous album Only Sparrows. This album was recorded mostly at Pyke’s home, and many have commented on the ambient noises you can hear in the background, but what about the emotional impact on the record?

Joking about his penchant for touring Pyke laughs about the year he spent 76% of the year in hotel rooms. “Touring as much as I do kind of helps that in some ways because that can be a very fragile place. You’re pretty raw and tired when you’re on the road, having ups and downs with shows, so for me it’s the best place to write which is fortunate because I tour a lot.”

“It’s a great feeling to be able go down to the studio whenever I want and inspiration strikes, as opposed to having to go in for a few hours and say okay I have to do this,” Pyke said. “It could be 10 o’clock at night and if I have an idea I could pop down and record it. Most of the time that you’re writing music you’re just sitting around waiting for inspiration, like a lightning strike, so you can’t force it and with this I wasn’t feeling the pressure and looking at the clock.”

One of the most appealing things is how relatable he is, just like the rest of us who’re searching for something, “I feel like the character Augie March, from The Adventures of Augie March is someone I relate to. It’s hard to explain, but I feel like there’s a vibe in some people, of always searching for something. I don’t think that’s unique to me, but I feel like there are people in books and in history who are always searching for something. It’s not necessarily about finding it, that’s just been a recurring theme in my life and definitely my song writing.”

The Beginning and the End of Everything seems to have a very relaxed feel, which belies the stereotype that all musicians are tortured souls and Pyke seems to agree, “I’ve always said I wouldn’t trade my happiness for a good song, but everyone has a balance, even if you’re the Dali Lama you aren’t going to be the happiest person in the world.”

His music reflects his straightforward and insightful view on the small details of making music. When asked how he finds the titles of his songs Pyke elaborates, “It’s usually just a line from the song. I remember years ago when I was in my first punk band and we would always name the songs something totally different to what it was about. Then I worked in a record store and people would come into the store and say

I want that song, I don’t know the name, but the chorus goes like this… and I would be like Okay well I know the chorus so I know the song. It made me realize that just for the ease of finding the material you might as well just call the song the chorus words. It doesn’t really matter because the song is much more important than the title.”

Letting my excitement for the Lone Wolf tour infiltrate my voice I asked Pyke if there were any surprises that we could expect in the upcoming tour, “The looping thing seems to surprise people a lot,” he mused, “I use a looping pedal in my live solo shows, which allows you to come up with little tricks and things. It can lead to some pretty wild moments where things go very badly wrong as well, which is cool - it’s all part of the drama.

That’s something people may or may not look forward to,” Pyke laughed.

Finally as the conversation wound to a close, Pyke shared one last thing with our readers, “If you open yourself up to the world, the world will open itself up to you; that is genuinely what I think”.

The Lone Wolf tour starts February 14th, 2014 in Hobart and travels around Australia. For more information, check out http://joshpyke.com/joshpyke/.

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gig reviews Tivoli Theatre | 12 November

to find frontman Jeff Mangum walk on with half his face covered with an untamed beard and truckers hat. Although his appearance wasn’t matched, his voice was. To add to this, an impressive list of equipment and instruments were used, mainly played by Julian Koster and Scott Spillane, throughout the night including: accordions, moog synthesisers, fuzz bass, singing banjo and saws as well as an arrangement of horns.

The collapse of Harvest Festival left many ticketholders, including me, bewildered and saddened at the passing of Australia’s largest boutique festival. Yet a few remnants were salvaged to form one of the strangest triple bills to date. An odd mix,– Superchunk, who haven’t played in Australia in 17 years, M Ward, who can draw a healthy crowd on his own (with or without Zooey Deschanel) and Neutral Milk Hotel one of those elusive bands many people thought they’d never experience live.

Never have I seen such an astounded audience in this setting. After cult classic In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, NMH actually had to wait for the crowd’s applause to cease.

Tracks from their seminal 1998 record of the same name seemed to be received better, but it felt like each person in the audience had their own personal attachment to a song and the feeling of seeing it live made for some unforgettable experiences.

Jake Wilton

NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL + M WARD + SUPERCHUNK

It was a fitting choice to place Superchunk at the beginning of the evening – arguably, being the more renowned act, with their frantic yet charming brand of indie rock. It was a delightful way to roll the crowd into the Tivoli and given frontman Mac McCaughn’s 46-year-old physique he sure doesn’t act his age: jumping, windmilling and dashing all over the stage while pelting out some of the band’s best from the their back catalogue. For Tension and opener Cast Iron were clear standouts and showcased the bands unmistakeable talent. Superchunk were super tight, pitch perfect and a welcome opening act.

Only knowing a song or two from M Ward, I was sceptical to see how well the transition of energetic power-rock to laid

Neutral Milk Hotel

This was Neutral Milk Hotel’s first ever Australian show and hearing those first oaky guitar plucks of King of Carrot Flowers Part One gave me chills down my spine. The band haven’t had a press photograph since the ‘90s, so it was odd

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Black Bear Lodge | 21 November Black Bear Lodge is reminiscent of a 1920’s speakeasy, clad with velvet décor, tasseled lamps and walls adorned with quaint countryside paintings. A few “pardon me”s and sneaky dodges brought me to the front of the stage.

Consequently, arriving halfway through a sold out gig left me to sit on the floor in the midst of gentlemanly Movember masterpieces – I was not at all disappointed.

Now, the basic law of music making states there must be some form of unity in timing throughout the performance.

However, this is too often taken for granted. The exceptional pace of these musicians must be commended; throughout the staggered stops and starts of crowd favourite Impossible Like You, keyboardist Hannah kept a keen eye on the pace of her comrades that ensured impeccable synchronization. This song is enchanting – sonorous vocals and engrossed instrumentals come together for literal goosebump moments.

The tune that followed was Pretty. “This is one of Oscars favourites” noted Tim. Starting with a bellowing drum introduction, this song honoured its namesake perfectly. Holy Holy fixated on whimsical compositions that crescendoed through the roof, with dark bassy undertones and a galloping drum that brought it back down to earth.

After delivering their farewells and gratitude with thanks, the lads and lass left the stage only to be met with the customary encore call. Running out of the backroom and beckoning his bandmates, Tim jumped on the stage as the ensemble launched into an electronic rock version of The Terminator theme song that was influenced by Graham on bass (no doubt satisfying the desires of the 13 year old inside him).

My lateness served me well as Holy Holy had started their

Holy Holy @ Black Bear Lodge

back alt-country would turn out. Yet as soon as the opening chords of Poison Cup filled the theatre, my suspicions gracefully floated away to the beat of Ward’s majestic vocal talent. Strangely enough, M Ward was outshone by his own backing band – the sheer talent from the acoustic and bass guitar players as well as the drummer proved that M Ward was certainly not the main attraction during this 40 minutes of euphoric country hits.

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HOLY HOLY

band-heavy harmonies. A massive fan of densely layered music, I was in my element.

British India @ The Zoo

set, relaxed and killing it. The multiple broken guitar strings on vocalist Timothy Carrol’s guitar gave me an indication of the intense performance to come.

On tour Holy Holy (originally consisting of singer songwriter Timothy Carroll and guitarist/producer Oscar Dawson) becomes a five piece, joined by Hannah Macklin on keys, Ryan Strathie on drums, and Graham Ritchie on bass.

Ryan opens Southern drum heavy, securing everyone’s attention as Oscar drew on folk style riffs. Tim’s vocals mounted throughout the song, ending with graceful

British India @ The Zoo They finished with Constitution, a song of cascading guitar lines and synthetic church organ sounds. Adorned with Tim and Oscar’s adept songwriting, it was a graceful end to the evening.

This quintet brings genres of rock, folk and indie, to the scene, giving Holy Holy an enigmatic depth. Combined, they pulled off a beautiful display of refined technique, novel music making and a flair for brilliant lyricism; do your musical soul a favour and saddle on up to their next gig.

Keiren Bond

music BRITISH INDIA The Zoo | 23 November Driving up to The Zoo in Brisbane the other night, I had British India’s latest album Controller blasting as lightning illuminated the highway; and I thought I was well prepared for the Blinded single launch.

happened, I fell in love. As the lights flashed and they launched into a song from their debut album Guillotine every body in the crowd surged up, jumping and screaming, and the band did the same. The energy was electric as lead signer Declan Melia led the band through a great discography from Guillotine, Theives, Avalanche and Controller. When the band covered Blink 182’s Dammit the masses went mad, screaming and shoving to be that little bit closer to the band.

Arriving to a rainy Fortitude Valley we slipped into The Zoo and grabbed a drink, just in time for the first act Fox & Fowl.

A five-piece Canberra band that has recently relocated, it was a shame that the audience was dribbling in during their set as they were great! Perfectly suited to open for an indie-rock band, their indie-pop washed over the venue and got bodies moving. The song Pilot off their upcoming EP Neon Colours showcased drummer Matt Small’s rhythmic talent, while lead singer Lachlan Smart welcomed a new bassist to the band. While the venue hadn’t yet filled up, the pool tables lay unoccupied as every person at the Zoo got caught up in the music.

Overall the night was mind blowing, with this particular music lover officially converted to fandom for British India.

The Zoo is now one of my favourite venues, and as summer rolls in I know Summer Forgive Me will be blasting as I head to the beach.

Christie Ots

It’s always a pleasant surprise when opening acts manage to get you liking their Facebook page, but Fox & Fowl took it a step further. Interacting well with the crowd and making jokes, they were personable and most importantly they had a refined talent that made them head-boppingly good!

Von Villains, you make my ears happy.

Unfortunately the same could not be said for the second band. Recent winners of Triple J’s Unearthed High the most enjoyable part of their set for me was the lead singer’s Marge Simpson shirt. Now that’s not to say they didn’t have their fans, or that I make a habit of shredding growing bands,

Von Villains @ Elsewhere

VON VILLAINS EP LAUNCH Elsewhere | 29 November

Miss Evsky is “about the girls that never call you back”, a super fun lighthearted rip on the qualms of twenty-somethings that will have you incessantly bopping along, laughing at James’ guileless lyrics.

Short snares, nostalgic lyrics with travelling vocals, crowdstealing riffs and absorbed, rhythmic drumming, these guys are one of my favourites of the year. The honest, mischievous and outlandishly fun music making, converts these guys from the budding rock band into a boisterous outfit worthy of swooning over. Von Villains were made to be on heavy rotation.

Favourites: Telephone, Whisper, Where You Been Sounds like: Kings of Leon, Arctic Monkeys, Two Door Cinema Club, The Strokes Listen to their self-titled EP on vonvillains.com and get your beady eyes onto facebook.com/vonvillains for updates.

Keiren Bond

A ridiculously fun four-piece alternative rock outfit who hail from our very own backyard, these boys are an unconventional alternative rock act who know how to put on a crowd pleasing show.

WAAX

Well oiled and raring to go, the boys opened with rough and pastoral rock sounding 625, a number comprised of foundation drumming, misty vocals and evocative songwriting. Drummer Anthony is not cymbal shy, manipulating

I have ventured out in the rain to the famous Elsewhere to witness the Gold Coast debut of Brisbane based four piece WAAX. Relatively new to the scene yet already receiving

Von Villains @ Elsewhere

however for me it felt like someone had attempted to merge The Kooks with Nirvana.

his set to create an involved backup to satisfy the moody, nostalgic numbers.

Unfortunately for me the continuous feedback sound was actually part of the music, which confirms that The Zoo has a great sound engineer because he managed to make sure it never actually split my skull. The lyrics were simple, which is usually preferable, but lacked depth … to me, it just felt like they were slightly out of place in this line up. But soon after, and with a few ‘excuse me’s’ we were front and centre and ready for British India. Or so we thought.

Opening up with indie style serenade, Where You Been quickly had the crowd in a synchronized jig as they threw down a beguiling jam with catchy riffs and some seriously skillful playing by lead guitarist Voislav Ivanovsk.

The guys took to the stage, fairly unassuming and relaxed, as they passed around a bottle of champagne. Then it

and well-rounded sound.

“We’re gonna drop the beat; it’s gonna be a slow one”.

Telephone is as romantic as pastoral blues gets. James handles his voice incredibly well, working it into a rustic and soulful croon to compliment a slow jam reminiscent of Arctic Monkeys. Bassist Lewis is your typical under the radar bass player, effortlessly injecting solid tones for a deep

Elsewhere | 29 November

WAAX @ Elsewhere rave reviews and snagging coveted support slots for various local and international bands these guys have been pegged as ones to watch.

There is certainly an excited buzz in the air as the group take the stage with charismatic lead singer Marie DeVita adjusting her mic stand in a business-like manner waiting for the okay to kick things off.

WAAX’s first number is a killer! Featuring a throbbing bass line with classic 70’s-style grunge rock guitar lines layered over the top the band immediately draws a crowd. Marie’s sexy husky vocals blend beautifully and seem to transport

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23

everyone back to a time when rock ‘n’ roll reigned supreme and Joan Jett stomped around in leather on a regular basis.

An intense but brief track, the band waste no time transitioning into their next number, Nerve Child which Marie informs us “is a beast” over the grooving, melodic grunge style instrumentals. Watching these guys, it’s difficult to believe they have only been together nine months - they seem to all be connected by an invisible thread so in sync they are with each others movements. Of course, focus is drawn entirely to Marie, a blend between Joan Jett and a female Ian Curtis this woman has no fear and throws herself around the stage singing and howling like her life depends on it. Sexy, sultry and terrifying all at once she epitomises the new generation of rock and roll front women.

WAAX are an unrelenting force of frenetic grunge rock but they really shine when slowing things down a little Blue Record Machine was the number I could most feel their musical prowess shine through. Moodily grungy with a lot of repetition, the track showcases Marie’s unique and beautiful vocal style in a way their faster tracks don’t. It also provided shape to their set, building towards their eventual and impressive finale.

After seven songs the crowd is definitely not ready for WAAX to retire for the night and are hungry for more. It is impossible not to fall in love with this eclectic, talented and genuine group of musicians and it is easy to see why they have become so popular so quickly. Their music and their live show contain a blend of passion and integrity that most international bands do not achieve in their entire careers.

WAAX seem to hail from a place far away and long forgotten where musicians made music that actually meant something!

Leah Martin-Brown

THE UPSKIRTS + THE VERNONS

The band’s emphasis on pivotal lyrics with the drummer Tom Kell chiming in for a back and forth harmony broke up the musical abyss that psych-rock can transpire into. Bassist Mitch Noakes was as calm as a Hindu cow, effortlessly giving depth to the set with subtle yet pounding undertones As if telepathically connected, they were in tune with each other every moment of their set, harnessing the belligerence that is garage rock and fine-tuning it to make it their own.

The lads showed their talent for producing intoxicating and magnetic music with their token track Mind’s a Burden, leaving time for precious hypnotic instrumentals that climaxed with an epic drum solo, taking them back into a solid rush of ambience, compelling drums and an energy that sounded like happiness.

Keiren with Hugh from The Vernons

THE OTHER SIDE FESTIVAL South Stradbroke Island | 23 November

The Upskirts @ The Loft Entering the studio at the end of their latest tour, these lads are promising to bring even more goods in a third EP early 2014. Do your earholes a favour and check them out.

When the lead breaks 3 strings in the first song, you know its getting real.

Sydney-based The Upskirts may have been the predecessors to the Vernons on this night, but we saw them in perfect execution.

Reminiscent of a 1970’s blues-rock gig, James sat in the corner as his soulful guitar licks broke through the calm setting, Elliot steadily tapped his drumstick and bassist Hugh strummed away whilst sitting on the speaker, playing long involved improvisations. Jonny gave the usual exceptionally mastered bluesy vocals that were, and I quote a patron, “enough to make you climax.”

Drawing on their attention to detail when tweaking their chords to fit the ambient build up, The Upskirts delivered hallucinatory melodies in We Could Be A Team, indulging in shoegaze fuzz and finishing with an all out group breakdown.

The uber catchy Standing In Life enlivened their set, prompting an escalation of onstage antics, front row crowd interactions and induced a back and forth sing-along. A few cheeky slip-ups added to the mischievous mirth, the lads laughing it off and ripping into the set with renewed vigour.

Taking advantage of the boutique venue, the boys filled every gap with haze, playing off the feedback, garage rock style. Guitarist Harry Tuckwells heavy opening riff in Vesuvius reminded me of early 90’s Nirvana, with the vocalist Nick Stillman complimenting perfectly by nailing

The boys ended on a deliciously lewd high, provoking a crowd dance off and even a few cheeky kick-jumps on the breakdown.

The Loft | 28 November

the solid, grungy vocals minus the careless singing that often comes with it.

Us Gold Coasters are so blessed to call these boys our own.

Their debut EP, aptly named Volume 1 is now out with single White Wine whipping around the airwaves.

Keiren Bond

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The Other Side festival is the baby of Yum Yum Popsicle – a fresh event company collaboration of two Gold Coast lads who have sought to blend their loves of live music, sun, surf, sand, fun, adventure and paradise.

Strongly advertised through Facebook and local music venues and cafes, the festival merited a good reaction and managed to get a few hundred attendees eager for the debauchery a day on a (semi) deserted island would bring.

Event producer and one half of Yum Yum Popsicle Clint was stoked at the festivals response.

“It’s rad for people to have the opportunity to be intimate with these acts. It’s not often you get a boutique venue like this.”

For a festival on its maiden voyage, The Other Side was as smooth as aged whisky.

After being ushered onto the catamaran at Marina Mirage, the jovial masses went promptly to the boat’s in-house bar where a modest selection was waiting.

There soon were beers a-flowing and the usual pre-festival merriment as well as a few bulging triceps. #shreddingforTheOtherSide.

We headed past the dance floor where DJs Chris Lamaro and Kendall James of Rabbit Radio’s program Do You Like Disco? were spinning tracks of summertime disco vibes

music and sunshiney steel drums, prompting happy toe-taps from all aboard. I must admit The BlankGC crew cleared the floor when the boys played Earth Wind and Fire’s September.

What better an icebreaker than a 70’s disco classic.

Contrasting to most intimate gigs, everyone was getting along like old friends. Maybe it was the glorious day or the combination of pretty humans and alcoholic beverages – whatever it was, the vibe was delightful.

Making friends with fellow music lovers, we and more than others sped out of Marina Mirage onto the aqua green water with euphoric tunes bouncing in the background.

The festival feeling was upon us.

We docked at South Straddie just after noon, with patrons excitedly spilling out onto the pier. We were met with an island carrying a wonderful tiki vibe complete with old barrels, stone statues and a canopy of palm trees.

With shore-side hammocks, massive huts with thatched roofs and high stools overlooking the beach, The Other Side felt more like an island holiday with a side of incredible music.

Before the first act, everyone was entertaining themselves with the island delights – the generous bar, the wood carved pool tables, or swimming on the surrounding beach. Where is the standing in lines for half-strength beers? Where is the elbowing to get to the stage front? Where are the fistpumpers? IS THIS EVEN A FESTIVAL!?

There were the usual gig suspects. The ‘too drunk before the festival starts dude’ and the ‘offensively big hat’ dude, but lucky one guy took both titles and security made sure he was out before the first act.

First up were winners of Triple J Unearthed Big Day Out competition and Brisbane based boys Jakarta Criers. With a classic style of music making evocative of early Birds of Tokyo, drummer Wil Logan brought them in with melodic Ash Grunwald

introductive drums that led into a set of distinct guitar leads and killer hooks by vocalist James Walker. The boys took advantage of the festival’s intimacy, leading from silence then building to an epic breakdown of climbing riffs with lead guitarist Seaton Fell-Smith shredding Hendrix-style.

With their debut single Peking, Jakarta Criers executed the art of sensual rock remarkably well. They turned the apprehensive crowd into a feet-stomping mass, and my beer vibrated beside the speakers as the dance floor filled in a flurry of floral and fast paced jigs. They were eager to impress, and showed massive appreciation for the audience.

Sweet music and sweeter boys! Needless to say there were a few swooning lasses.

After a break long enough to chat with your newly found friends, grab a G+T and rest those ground stomping feet, Gold Coast boys The Vernons took to the stage. There’s been a steady buzz growing around the local lads, building a ripping rep for themselves in Aus and the US just in time for a visit early next year.

Self-assured and ready to go, the boys led with a soulful cover of James Brown and Betty Jean Newson’s It’s a Man’s Man World. Channeling the songs shrieking highs and bassy blues and remaining faithful to its vocal subtleties, The Vernons showed massive commitment to perfecting the blues.

Tied to the commitments of a proud Greek family wedding, lead guitarist James regrettably missed the gig, but despite having one man overboard, the lads continued to tear the place down. It’s easy to see how they have been taken under the arms of the best music venues between Brisbane and Byron.

Their hymns of lost love compliment their interpretation of 70s style bluesy rock, and with the band to crowd eye contact, who wouldn’t be enthralled?

Ain’t No Sunshine prompted an organic rock and roll group jam that got under your skin, Jonny’s purring lyrics mirroring that of Jeff Buckley. The boys killed it, their incredible skills bringing reverence to the blues rock and roll of a bygone era.

Festival goers hit the dance floor

Breaking the male dominated line-up, four sisters hailing from rural Victoria stormed onto the stage in a haze of estrogen and leather. The crowd’s pupils widened as Stonefield broke the silence in a rumble of rock, psychedelia and rhythmic drum beating. With a wide-mouthed and tongue-out expression that mimicked Steve Tyler, eldest sister and vocalist Amy consistently carried her stoic vocals throughout favourite Put Your Curse On Me. Lyrics “You take the love you think you deserve, not like me I know when I deserve more” are a testament to the band’s self-assuredness, which shines out in their performance.

The sibling support is a token of their dynamic relationship, both in music and family, and is clear in their stage presence.

The girls incessantly looked out for one another, repeatedly congregated together in a cheeky guitar play off.

Reminiscent of Woodstock era, their long untamed locks danced in the Broadwater wind. In a tribute to his influence, bassist Holly rocked a Frank Zappa shirt as she unleashed energetic riffs that tied C’Mon’s enigmatic sound together.

I can attribute my headbang hangover to that set, and I’m not even mad.

Long anticipated, the king of Aussie blues Ash Grunwald came to the stage, barefooted and dreadlocked in all his glory. The set kicked off with a heavy bass line, with lyrics “in the bedroom, on the floor” getting the crowd well roused.

Accompanied by a bassist and drummer the boys performed a bluesy rock version of Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy that warranted and received a hearty crowd sing along. With the aura of a misbehaving schoolboy, Ash wandered across the stage slicing through the chords with precise intention to carry the sound through the venue. Lifting the tempo and getting the crowd to “Shake that thing for me”, he executed unbridled guitar highs complemented by gnarly facial expressions that most definitely would have offend your mother.

It was undoubtedly a group act as the percussionists took Ash’s lead when he increased the tempo or went off on a rocking tangent, laughing at the front man’s belligerence for traditional music making. Finally, the favourite Be Yourself had the crowd slamming their hands on the stage screaming, “Just be yourself, I don’t want nobody else” until our palms and throats were raw.

Walking away, sweaty, dirty and elated, we hesitantly boarded the boat after a day of sand, sun, surf and several beverages. After a beautiful trip back we watched the sunset over the amber Gold Coast sky scape. Delighted and a just a little drunk, we departed the dock with newfound friends and disregarded our lost voices.

The boys at Yum Yum Popsicle are busy inventing more piquant projects for the purpose of your preoccupation. And we’re thrilled to hear The Other Side Festival Mark II will be back in the first half of 2014.

Keiren Bond Images courtesy of Lamp Photography www.blankgc.com.au

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YELLOWOOD FESTIVAL Alberton | 23 November It was a dark and stormy sky as I set off for Yellowood.

Wasn’t exactly sure where Alberton was but I know Jacobs Well. Not well ... but it was on that road, past the Yatala Pie Shop. Bit off the glitter-strip.

Managed to take a few wrong turns but still ended up there.

Behind The Gem Hotel, in the old Rodeo Grounds: “The Corral”.

Quite a few early punters scattered around amongst the gum-trees. Perched on hay-bales, weathered fence rails, hanging over the pub balcony. A lot of cowboy hats and gum boots … and The Piece-de-Resistance - an inflatable, pseudo-mechanical, bucking bull. Classy. Hilarious.

Just as rockabilly band “Bobkats” took to the stage, the heavens opened. Take that, you heathens. We did! And the band didn’t miss a beat. Kept right on Stray Cat Strutting.

So, throw in a hail storm to boot. Fine. All the better for boot-scooting.

Kip Casper put in a rocking set, “sounding better each time I hear them” I hear someone say. Ditto. Mario, Ryan and the boys sure look like they’re having a good time. And Jackson Dunn, an accomplished solo performer had the crowd tapping.

The sun decides to come out with a vengeance. It’s a sauna at The OK Corral. Getting hot and sweaty with the one-andonly Jimmy The Saint and The Sinners. Love these dudes.

Jimmy is soul-man-blues-man-preacher-man. Thumping his skull-headed lagerphone, down on his knees, screeching his sermon to the corraled congregation. Hallelujah. Hell yeah.

Saw him earlier in the day looking very Un-Rock-n-Roll in thongs, baggy pink-orange board shorts and chesty bond singlet emblazoned with ‘Two in the Pink. One in the Stink’.

It was a dare he tells me. It was his birthday the day before and he’s done quite a bit of revelling. Looking very much the bogan with a XXXX in his hand, I think he still was.

We waited backstage for a while for him, till someone said, “he’s gone to the pub. Hair of the dog.” The other Riggs were probably with him, or on the blow-up Beast -El Bull. Ha. Ride em cowboy.

I last saw The Delta Riggs up at BIGSOUND a few weeks before, looking debonaire as usual and sounding kick-arse.

As usual. They are so damn good.

In the interim they have been in the States for the CMJ showcase/music conference, along with an Aussie contingent including The Preatures and our own GC Dune Rats. New York. Los Angeles. Yellowood.

I asked Elliot what US bands they got to play with.

He responds : “ Some shit bunch of American bands. So many bands. Not a high calibre of bands in America. In Australia you have to be good to be known about otherwise no-one fuck gives a fuck. Over there you can be shit”.

They take the stage and prove their heritage. Monte looking much suaver, cooler - though must have been damn hot - in those tight black jeans.

Regardless if playing NYC or the backyard of The Gem Hotel half way to nowhere ... 100 percent Rock and Roll.

On cue and as the last song belted out, the rain pelted down.

No-one cared. It was a relief really after the scorching heat and raucous revelry. We’d literally danced up a storm.

Hay-bales were being ripped apart and thrown in the air

ANTIMATTER’S UNDERGROUND SOUND Confession time - I was once a bird nerd. As a young lad I went through a phase of rising at the crack of dawn and going outside to study the arrival of the early morning bird-life frequenting our backyard. Hell, I may have even wanted to be an ornithologist for around a year or so, prior to the arrival of my teenage years putting paid to such noble endeavours.

Bird Nerds also happens to be the title of Melbourne by way of Adelaide band Bitch Prefect’s plaintively alluring new record. Following their impressive 2012 debut Big Time, the band deliver another dose of bitterly satisfying lo-fi guitar pop medicine, with largely impressive results.

On second track Adelaide, the band have once again concocted a wistfully downbeat anthem on a par with last years fabulous Bad Decisions. The song acts as a break-up paean to their ex-home town, delivering bitter-sweet musings such as; ‘I ain’t into this town, it ain’t into me either, might be time to leave her.’ And hey when Tony Abbot proclaims Adelaide as being the world’s most liveable city, you know it’s probably time for anyone with a modicum of artistic integrity to get the hell outta there. And as for the ‘na na na’ refrain in the chorus, well try getting it out of your head after just one listen!

The propulsively memorable Shipped It is not far behind in the killer-catchy stakes, the sound a spikier, beefed up counterpoint to their more typical wistful jangle.

And the slowly unwinding, languid dirge University Fiend delivers a biting diatribe about having to share one’s education space with a right wing, conservative zealot of tomorrow, a target no doubt worthy of their snarkiness.

Peter Wilson plays ‘kuube’

Matt from the Bobkats

James Brown must be rocking, grinning, yee-ha-ing in his grave.

billowing over thestage along with the rain like some wildtumbleweed-special-effects.

Electrik Lemonade bring the funk as always. Been a big few weeks for them, doing festivals up and down Far North Queensland. Doesn’t seem to have tired them, grooving away. Minnie The Moocher always a crowd mover. Barney bringing the hip-hop to the hipperty-hop.

Oh Yellowood. What a Hoot.

I get to have a chat with Elliot from The Delta Riggs before they bring the festival home. Was meant to be talking with Monte as well . “Monte loves a chat” everyone tells me.

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As I say goodbye, Elliot graciously says, “ thanks for the kind words”. I say, “thanks for keeping it real, not getting big heads, not dissing the Gold Coast”. Eloquently, hand to his heart, he says, “ We love the Gold Coast. We’ll always be back”.

Carmel E Lewiw Images courtesy of Yellowood Festival

As a whole Bird Nerds shows the band subtly tinkering with their charmingly downbeat template. There’s now a bit more of a driving guitar chug in amongst the typical jangle, and the vocals on a whole are more measured, but still delivered for the most part in their trademark plaintive Aussie twang - no faux overseas singing accents in this corner of the aviary. To these ears the band touch upon the naive charm of early ‘Able Label Singles’ era Go Betweens within some of these grooves, albeit delivered with a more bleary, world weary outlook.

For those partial to dirgy pop-smarts with an edgy, rough around the edges charm, this one rewards in spades.

not a digital girl BLAST FROM THE PAST You Am I

The last few months have been pretty exciting in the world of vinyl, for me anyway. I’ve been a huge fan of Nirvana since I was in high school and the 20th anniversary of the release of their last studio album ever, In Utero, has been reissued in a deluxe edition with a bunch of previously unheard tracks and all of that other jolly stuff. However, when it comes to this edition of Blast from the Past I have been far more excited about You Am I. I think Hourly, Daily was one of the first Australian albums I knew all the words to and Tim Rogers is a crush both my mum and I have shared for years! For my dear mothers’ birthday this year I took her to see You Am I on their Hi-Fi Daily Double tour at The Tivoli in Brisbane where they played the Hourly, Daily and Hi-Fi Way albums in their entirety, the way they were intended to be heard.

music adulthood with old favourites like Good Mornin’, Wally Raffles and Please Don’t Ask Me To Smile that take me back.

This album is a convincing representation of Australian suburban life and the album cover image of power-lines and rooftops reflects this feel perfectly. This record should be in every Australian’s collection!

NEW RELEASE Kurt Vile

Kurt Vile’s Walkin on a Pretty Daze has been one of my favourite releases of 2013. I throw it on, plug in my headphones and drift off to some unknown, sunny place where it’s okay to be lost. Then the Laneway 2014 line-up was announced and my fondness and excitement for Kurt Vile grew. Then I read that a deluxe edition of the album with an EP of extended tracks, new songs and album cuts

sounds and lighter 70’s guitar are there but with this electronic undertone that closes this instrumental daze is executed perfectly.

New tracks from KV on the EP, including highlight of mine from the record The Ghost of Freddie Roach, combined with all the other pieces fit together to make a beautifully whole and well rounded record, deserving of all of it’s critical acclaim and praise.

Oh, and the artwork is awesome! Steve Powers is wonderful and has contributed artwork to this deluxe 12”. The front cover image is an upside down KV with his legs reflected in a puddle of water and a speech bubble with the name of the EP inside. The back cover of the album displays little bits and pieces relating to each track. This is honestly the most interesting track listing I think I have ever seen. I think it’s brilliantly done and captures the humours side seen in much of Kurt Vile’s musical work.

ODDBALL

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Some of my favourite past times are of flicking through vinyl at op shops, junk stores and markets, trying to find that unusual album cover, early release and unusual record. I have a new favourite place to look. On the second Sunday of each month the Burleigh Rotary Club hold a car boot sale in the car park at Burleigh Stocklands shopping centre and there, somewhere in the middle, are a couple of guys with this awesome stall. It’s awesome because it’s all vinyl records.

My brother and I have both nabbed some pretty great bargains from these lads and they are very reasonably priced.

For those who know me, and those who don’t, I do like me a bit of mild sci-fi and I am a huge fan of the Douglas Adams series The Hitch-hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The series started as a radio program on BBC and developed from there into recorded episodes, TV series, stage show, a series of novels and a Hollywood film.

Around the same time (June – July) they announced that You Am I would be releasing their 3 most acclaimed albums, Hourly, Daily, Sound As Ever and Hi-Fi Way, on vinyl for the first time EVER! This excited us to no end. As soon as I found out, I pre-ordered from my favourite record store, Jet Black Cat Music, and counted down the days until they would be released.

After some issues with production of the albums in Germany and a few mishaps with Australia Post I finally picked up my records from Brisbane last month. I grabbed myself a beer from the fridge, put Hourly, Daily on the turntable and sat in the sun. What a glorious record! The album is a journey through childhood, adolescence and

was to be released and I finally lost it. The deluxe edition, titled Deluxe Daze (Post Haze) features the original album on high quality 180gram vinyl and the bonus EP, titled it’s a big world out there (and I’m scared).

For me the EP feels like an extension of the album. It consists of songs that didn’t quite make the cut for Walkin and some extended and altered tracks from the album, however they are excellent in their own right and it is no wonder Vile saw fit to release them. Hearing some of those familiar tunes slightly altered like Snowflakes Extended (Snowflakes are Dancing) allow for a different understanding of the songs from the original album, in particular Wedding Budz. I mean those familiar drum

I picked up the first of the series on vinyl from the stall at the markets and if you’ve got some time and could do with a laugh, then check this one out! One of my favourite things about this record is at the bottom left corner of the back cover. There is a statement saying, “When the events on this record take place, only those who have not made tape copies will stand any chance of being rescued.” This made me giggle. It’s little details like this that make vinyl the greatest format of recorded music.

Gina Martin

www.blankgc.com.au

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album reviews

NINE INCH NAILS

LITTLE GREEN CARS

STRANGERS FROM NOW ON

Hesitation Marks

Absolute Zero

Midnight Town

In their true five year hiatus fashion, Hesitation Marks is Nine Inch Nails’ first studio album release since 2009. With its renowned industrial sound, this album takes you on another meticulous journey blended with minimal techno in a more forbidding yet conservative way.

If the pensive lyrical introductions don’t draw you in, the barn-style sing-alongs will. A well-oiled musical machine, Little Green Cars is comprised of high school band mates Stevie Appleby, Dylan Lynch, Donagh Seaver O’Leary, Adam O’Regan and Faye O’Rourke.

From the moment opening track Midnight Town, punched my eardrums, a thousand adjectives leaped into my head. Like images, pictures, visions. Dense, hallucinatory, suspenseful, haunting, crazed, poetic, neurotic, mesmerising.

The album begins with its signature textured samples and sounds before reaching the first two singles Copy of A and Came Back Haunted. Both with a parallel lyrical significance, Copy of A is my favourite of the two with a foottapping beat and an almost hypnotic fermata intensifying over the top of it.

Their melodies stay faithful to traditional ballads of Ireland, with My Love Took Me Down To The River To Silence Me accentuating Faye O’Rourke’s Irish inflection to produce 5 minutes of pleasantry.

A grotesque, Berlin-ish, allegorical film noir. Dark, disturbing and beautiful.

The latest single to be released from the album Everything is the most alien track with its pop guitars and verses, leaving fans scratching their heads. You only need to look at the Nine Inch Nails Facebook page to appreciate the fans’ contempt. Still, Reznor must’ve been having a good day when this track was written, and despite the urge to want to click your fingers with animation, it has its place on the album.

The tracks all feed on from each other and connect in a way that make you think you’ve heard the same track moments before. The most notably powerful song on the album is I Would For You. The melodic tones, mixed with heavy lyrics invoke emotion as the song builds to a climactic guitar cry, which is then rounded off perfectly by Reznor’s calming piano sounds.

Hesitation Marks would have to be Nine Inch Nails finest studio release since The Fragile. It takes you on a journey from start to end, closing with Black Noise blurting out a surprisingly peculiar and coltish saxophone solo, cleverly leaving one with curious hesitation marks.

Leisen Standen 28

www.blankgc.com.au

My pick of the album, John Wayne, brings together elements of folk, rock, and a disarming pledge of adoration in its lyrics. The delicate strumming and effortless harmonies of The Kitchen Floor is a wistful ballad that will seep into your pores. Stevie Appleby’s straining vocals combined with subtle synth and cadenced drums produce a post-folk genre catering to a diversity of tastes. The enchanting adoration of which he sings will vibrate through your speakers, preventing any track skipping.

This album has spoiled us with a gift of unashamed songwriting, harmonic composition and poignant musical moments. In the season of giving, share Absolute Zero with your loved ones. They will be delighted!

Keiren Bond

Thumping, crashing drums from Miranda Holt, Dan Myle’s obscure droning bass, Aidan Kelly’s psychotic, discordant guitar and the evocative, frantic gasping and shrieking from vocalist Gabriel Santos.

Intriguing, exciting, foreboding. Like eerie black clouds rolling in...heavy, ominous. Waiting, waiting for that crack of thunder, that flash of lightning. BOOM. The four ‘strangers’ formed in Melbourne in 2010. Early this year they blitzed it at All Tomorrows Parties alongside The Drones, My Bloody Valentine and Beasts Of Bourbon.

Strangers From Now On tease and taunt, lure you in, take you on a schizophrenic roller-coaster ride and hurl you into a chaotic yet beautiful abyss.

Midnight Town feels like manicured nails scratching seductively, dangerously, down a blackboard… or down your back.

Carmel Lewis

music GOVS This is the record you need stashed in your glove box for those ‘could anything else possibly go wrong’ days. When you’ve just found out you didn’t get that promotion and the world tops your day off with a parking fine wedged tightly underneath your wipers. Lucky for you, GOVS’ debut EP leaves no space for anger or bitterness. Listening to this record is like taking a few well deserved vodka shots; you’ll leave feeling calmer, content and, in the words of Fat Boy Slim, you’ll have ‘vague recollections and a general feeling of happiness.’

The record is produced extremely well, each song tying in with one another sonically, making for a really smooth listening experience, while the raw and emotional song-writing allows for each individual song to stand out on its own merit. There are no fillers on this record, however Merseybeat and I Have Never Seen A Ghost are particular stand outs, using ambient harmonies and melodies to create catchy choruses that get stuck in your head for hours. The lo-fi, dream pop tunes found on GOVS’ debut EP are soothing and uplifting, their sound is definitely unique, but I think it’s one Australia has been looking for for a long time.

Tari Peterson

MAYAN FOX

BOBBY ALU

JUNGLE GIANTS

Take it Slow

Learn to Exist

I wasn’t meant to review Bobby Alu’s CD. It was sitting on my kitchen bench to pass on to someone else – but my mum saw it and wanted to take a listen, so we did.

Part of separate bands back in high school, guitarist Cesira Aitken, bassist Andrew Dooris, drummer Keelan Bijker and singer Sam Hayle put their heads together and have since produced a ridiculously fun and catchy debut EP. Daring you to join in their harmonies, count ins and “Woo-oohing”, the Jungle Giants have created a euphoric album that will have you toe tapping against your will, playing high tempo drum sets on your steering-wheel and taking the long way home just to hear Skin To Bone all the way out.

Quite coincidental really as both my mother and Bobby share some islander heritage. He Polynesian and she Melanesian. And there’s no mistaking Bobby’s heritage in his music. It is laid back, easy-listening, tribal and sweet.

It’s the kind of album you can play at a Christmas party knowing that the vibe will be chilled. Lima is a stand out for my mother who pipes up with “oooh, I see Tahitian girls swaying to this song.”

The title track, Take it Slow, where Bobby gives us all permission to be do just that, is a groovy number. The ukulele and tight percussion take centre stage here, leaving you feeling like just a little siesta.

For me, the album brings back memories of long summer days on a Filipino beach, sipping mojitos in Jamaica, swaying coconut trees in Vanuatu and the vibe you get when everything is just peachy.

Take It Slow is a sure-fire crowd pleaser and an excellent stocking filler. My review copy is already wrapped and under the tree for mum.

Samantha Morris

Mayan Fox It is hard to categorise local outfit Mayan Fox into one or even multiple genres, and their latest musical offering on their self-titled EP is the perfect example of this.

JEZABELS

Capturing an array of genre influences, including and not limited to the feels of reggae, rock, acoustic, rap, with occasional spurts of Jamaican jams and synth sounds, I, at first listen expected this un-conventional culmination to be too erratic for my liking. I soon realised that once you truly understand the sound and angle of Mayan Fox, you can’t help but find yourself immersed in the funkiness that this EP has to offer.

Feed the Fire is the ultimate stand out track on the EP, with front man Nate Fox Hamon delivering some tight vocals that could, at times, be the musical doppelganger of Chili Pepper’s Anthony Kiedis. The second track Drugovision is another highlight, and while the melody has extreme similarities to the all time classic Angel of the Morning, the familiarity of the melody (which is also delivered in a completely different style) makes the song ridiculously catchy.

If you are into something a little bit different, with a lot of punch and an island flare, then you should definitely grab a copy of this baby.

Emily Hosking

The End Finally the highly anticipated first single from Australian band The Jezabels’ sophomore album has arrived, and The End is everything we hoped for. Perfectly showcasing lead vocalist Hayley Mary’s haunting voice, The End is a new yet familiar track. While it brings everything we love about the four-piece from their 2011 album Prisoner, the song’s moody and blissful melody has a higher level of polish.

The End is a seductive introduction to their recently released album, The Brink. Escaping to their new home in London the album was recorded with producer Dan Grech-Marguerat who has worked with artists such as Lana del Rey and The Kooks. This first song, The End mixes thumping beats with resonating vocals to tell a tale of endings becoming new beginnings, which leaves the listener awash with hope.

Christine Ots

Drawing on their own experience of love and life, The Jungle Giants will have you smiling in agreement as Sam hymns lyrics relatable by most 20-somethings dazed by the world.

That’s not to say their music is restricted to this age bracket – their high tempo riffs that precede cheeky verses will attract anyone with a love for happy tunes. A Pair Of Lovers and Truth May Hurt will satisfy the tortured romantic inside you, where I Am What You Want Me To Be will be there when you’re riding the euphoric wave into Lovetown. For an album appropriate at any time, Learn To Exist is a must-have.

Keiren Bond

ADALITA All Day Venus Those rustic, heaving guitar riffs always draw me in. Adilita’s first track Annihilate Baby is a winning mix of indie-esque vocals, with a nod to some of those trailblazing female rock gods of a bygone era and solid guitar work. Interestingly, Adalita supported Blondie and The Pretenders in 2010 – the same year she released her EP Hot Air. As the rest of the album unfolds, there’s no doubt that Adalita is an accomplished musician whose talent has improved with age. The album’s first single Warm like you is melodic and earthy. There’s something about Adalita’s mix of vocals and guitar which leave you confused as to whether you’ve heard a rock song or a pining love song. And it’s no wonder – as I pore through the lyrics, nearly every song is a story of lost love.

The drums and bass are pared right back on this album.

And it sounds to me that Adalita’s voice has softened a little since her Magic Dirt days. Her guitarwork, though remains unmistakeable.

Samantha Morris

www.blankgc.com.au

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gig guide

Saturday 28 December

Brian Jonestown Massacre | TheNorthern Byron Bay

United States of OZ, Chasing Grey, Laura Mardon, Rob Ratten | The Loft Chevron Island Sticky Fingers | The Northern Byron Bay Black Tongue | Marketta Street Food, Rabbit+Cocoon Miami

Friday 20 December

Sunday 29 December

Wednesday 18 December

Karl S Williams, Reilly Fitzalan | Currumbin Soundlounge Burleigh Brewing Up Late (over 18s only), Josh Lee Hamilton and DJ Chris Lamaro | Burleigh Brewery Co Shaun Kirk (Melb), Dan Hannaford, Kenny Slide | The Loft Chevron Island Topnovil (NSW), Double Lined Minority, Common Enemy, Here’s To Neverland, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly | Shark Bar Miami Harley Breen, Gold Coast Arts Centre Basement DeeDee Lavell Band | Southport Sharks Tijuana Cartel | Swingin Safari

Saturday 21 December

The Elliotts (Melb), Paging Jimi, The Midnight Antics, Monkey’s Pirate (Melb) | The Loft Chevron Island Demodocus, Defamer, Eternal Torment, The Green Whistle | Shark Bar Miami The Twine, Marketta Street Food | Rabbit+Cocoon Miami Tijuana Cartel | Swingin Safari

Monday 23 December

Dinkum Bohos | Emerald Lakes Market

Thursday 26 December

TSUN | The Northern Byron Bay Stellar Green, Fox ‘n’ Firkin, Lagerstein | Beergarden Surfers Paradise

Friday 27 December

Jackson Dunn “Manila Sky Preview Launch Party”, Jason Delphin, Angelika (Syd) | The Loft Chevron Island Vernas Keep | The Northern Byron Bay

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Bonjah | The Northern Byron Bay

Monday 30 December

Hey Geronimo | The Northern Byron Bay Bonjah | Beergarden Surfers Paradise

Tuesday 31 December

Froth & Roll: Pilots, Waxhead, The Lovely Days, The Single Fins, DJ Chris Bradley | The Northern Byron Bay

Thursday 2 January

Morgan Bain, Rhea Robertson, Alisha Todd | The Loft Chevron Island

Friday 3 January

Peatbog Faeries (Scotland) | Currumbin Soundlounge Bootleg Rascal and Pirates Alive | The Northern Byron Bay Let Them Eat Cake (1920’s fancy dress party): Spyndrift, Akova, Reichelt, Miss Belle Benet | The Loft Chevron Island

Saturday 4 January

Half Moon Run | The Northern Byron Bay Jackson James Smith and the Sl Mavericks, Sarah Frank and the Quick Millions, Jake Whittaker, Shooty and the Fox | The Loft Chevron Island Beachlife: Skrillex, Jack Beats, What So Not, Alvin Risk | Surfers Paradise Beach Akova, Marketta Street Food, Rabbit+Cocoon Miami

Sunday 5 January

Beachlife: Wiz Khalifa and A$AP Rocky, Hermitude, Ta Ku | Surfers Paradise Beach

Ngairre, Jac Stone | Rabbit+Cocoon Miami

Thursday 9 January

Music for the Mountains: The Himalayan Music Project Fundraiser | The Loft Chevron Island

Friday 10 January

Sons of the Morning, Indigo Parade, Take Me North | The Loft Chevron Island Kingswood, Calling all Cars | The Northern Byron Bay Allensworth, Hussy Hicks, Julia Rose | Soundlounge Currumbin

Saturday 11 January

Mi-Sex | Coolangatta Hotel The High Grade, B for Bandit,Hans-Solo Band | The Loft Chevron Island Mat McHugh, Seperatista SoundSystem | The Northern Byron Bay Soulman O’Gaia | Marketta Street Food, Rabbit+Cocoon Miami Dinkum Bohos | Palm Beach Market

Sunday 12 January

Karnivool, Dead Letter Circus, sleepmakeswaves | Coolangatta Hotel Mat McHugh, Karl S Williams | Rabbit+Cocoon Miami Soulman O’Gaia, Nobby Beach Surf Club 2.30pm

Thursday 16 January

Mission Blues, Men in Blues, Mike Beale | The Loft Chevron Island

Friday 17 January

Icehouse and Models | Southport RSL Kim Churchill | Soundlounge Currumbin Electrik Lemonade, Barney Trub, Soul Simple | The Loft Chevron Island Send your gigs to news@blankgc.com.au.

lifestyle &culture

MIAMI MARKETTA MARVELS Andrew Scott discovers why the crowd is so happy as he explores the Friday evening joy of Miami Marketta. Live music, massage and Tim Tam Cheesecake, what more could a fellow ask for?

It’s an early Friday evening. I take a seat with the band.

There are so many of them. I want to seem cool. I ask as politely as I can “how do you put a giraffe into the fridge?” I look to their faces hoping the ice is broken. I mumble some nonsense about how it’s a basic sociopathic test. Sasha the drummer tells me that he’s brave enough to hack it up and shove all the pieces in wherever they can fit. Are they nervous or is it me? I try again “would you rather eat something you found in a bin or on the ground?” The group members come alive. Eating from the ground is the winner.

I start breathing again. The party has begun. Welcome to the Miami Marketta.

After generously sharing their pre-gig moments for a meet and greet, Astrid and the Asteroids head to the stage for a sound check. I grab a cold drink and seat myself outside the Rabbit Radio studio. I try to gauge the vibe. I can’t put my finger on it straight away. It’s unique to my standard Friday evening ventures. I get to the end of my drink. Still unsure.

A friend has come to join me. She is smiling. The MC on stage makes his final announcement. I am almost certain he said fashion parade. I start smiling. The play-list begins.

It’s Otis “Just sitting on the dock of the bay”. I look to the crowds passing back from their march up the centre of Marketta. Food in hand, goody bags filled with tricks and treats. They’re smiling. The light-bulb explodes in my brain.

They’re HAPPY! That’s the vibe, it’s happiness.

The next twenty minutes pass in a blink. I’ve been entranced by a fashion parade happening not three feet from the couch

I had chosen to fall in to. It’s not the fashion, it’s not the girls, it’s certainly not the friend who is still trying to engage me in conversation. It’s the crowd. They’re just passing by as if nothing out of the ordinary is taking place. I feel as if I’m the only person amongst hundreds having to handle the raging internal dialogue “how f*cking sweet is this?”

The parade finishes with an enthusiastic applause. I resist the urge to stand up and holler at the top of my lungs. “F*ck Yeah Miami!” I look at my friend, she is staring me down like I’m some kind of pervert. “Did you enjoy that?” Her tone stings but I just smile and nod with the judgment. It’s been a long time since I sat on a couch with a drink just to have a parade explode in front of my eyes. I offer to get drinks. It’s time for the band to begin.

On stage there is a keyboard, a trumpet, a handful of guitars and some intimidatingly calm young musicians on the end of them. It’s a pop-tone with a distinguishable finger-print of originality. I feel my foot begin to tap, followed by the accompanying head nodding. My friend giggles and suggests “you’re such a dag.” Perhaps she’s right. I don’t care. I am warm. I am giddy. I came here to work and all of a sudden I’m accidentally having an awesome time. SHIT! Time, I look to my phone. Over an hour has passed. I haven’t done anything. There is an epic party stretching out a hundred metres ahead and I’m sitting on a bloody couch.

I leap to my feet, pen and pad in hand. Time for notes, there is a job to do after all. I ask my friend where to start. She is talking to someone else and politely ignores me. Ah, guess I

deserved that. I turn and stare down the belly of this mighty, friendly beast named Marketta. There are so many people, so many stalls. Where do I begin?

I have always enjoyed the sensation of strolling through streets unknown. The urban jungle. Never sure of what is around. This time it’s different. It’s Miami. It’s the Gold Coast. It’s home. Yet I know this feeling, I’m a tourist. This event is so foreign to what I have equated with Gold Coast culture. By day it’s a street filled with every workout and gym franchise known to man. Snuggled peacefully inside, the Rabbit and Cocoon. A silent industrial wonderland with accompanying Shed Café.

Tonight it’s a party. The spaces in this precinct held by small businesses are now open and alive. Garages transformed into arts and crafts galleries. It’s a maze… Great, I f*cking love mazes. I love the stimulation, the sights, sounds, smells and splendour. I find some t-shirts made out of bamboo, old furniture transformed into a fashionista’s delight and art, art, all around.

After silking through the crowds I come out the far end. The smells which began as a tease now rule the street. I’m not talking about the shitty scent you pick up when you walk too close to a subway store. Real food, real odours and just a hint of my overly excited, mildly perspiring self. What can I say? Stimulation makes me sweat.

I know I can’t eat yet. I want to, but the anticipation of what stall is next has quelled my appetite. I’ve got hours ahead to choose and am feeling like I may need to sit down and breathe for a while. This moment of pause is when the angels appeared. Under the halo for ‘House of Health.’ A flyer inviting me in to “experience a specialised massage treatment with a highly qualified massage therapist”.

And just because they’re angels, they’re doing it for free. www.blankgc.com.au

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Certain that I am imagining things, I check with the lovely lady in the service stall. “Um, are you offering to touch me up for free?” It will be an honour and a privilege apparently.

My name is pencilled in and all I have to do is show up in half an hour. I check once more. “Do I just come back and then um….” She smiles and guarantees that my night will include some gentle hands on. Or a bit rough, if that’s how I like it.

I am now over-loaded. It’s definitely time to sit down and regather my professional composure. I tuck the notepad under my arm and mke a bee-line for the safety of the couch. Five steps later I am confronted by a stall selling sweets. Before I read any signage I know there is cheesecake.

A guttural instinct. I wander up like a gentlemen, doing all I can to hide the glint in my eyes which reveals that I am secretly a hopeless fat bastard. I give my best “excuse me, I was wondering if…” Before I am finished, Shannon ‘The Whoopie Lady’, points to the display case. She knows my secret. “We have a baked tim-tam cheesecake. I will save you a piece if you’d rather wait until the massage ladies have finished with you”. Holy crap, how does she know so much?

Have I said anything? I must have. I quickly check my chin for drool. Safe. I say something stupid and we both laugh.

OMG, I must sit down.

too. I know he is harder to please. He’s spent seven years travelling the globe. A drifter and the perfect companion for comparing notes. I always fear that the novelty of an event may sway my opinion too easily at times. The truth is, I can spend an hour building a sand-castle on the beach all on my own and feel time has been perfectly spent.

I tell him that it’s great to have made an appearance.

However, I declare “entertain yourself because I’ve got massages booked and cheesecake on reserve.” He doesn’t even ask. Just smiles and meanders into the crowd solo. We agree to meet back within the hour. I don’t even feel mildly guilty for having palmed him off. New to the Gold Coast, perhaps some guided company would have been polite.

Living together for almost two weeks and not once has he offered to massage me so too f*cking bad.

The band finally takes a break. They don’t even look tired. I just walked two hundred metres and needed a half hour to recover. Go Astrid! You and your Asteroids rock!

Fast forward forty minutes. A gentlemen never tells. That is code. If you want to know more about my massage, contact House of Health. I asked Megan about any on-going therapy for an old war injury. Not Vietnam, Palm Beach. An average game of tennis in which I managed to bust, twist or tear something in my shoulder.

I find my friend. She is spreading the gospel of Rabbit Radio to the punters. I slump into a seat next to her.

Once the gathering around her table moves on I am confronted. “Where did you get those?” I look down. In my hands I have a take-away packet of dumplings. I’d completely lost track on my adventure. In a panic, I try to relive the tale. I’m certain all she heard was cheesecake.

She humbly declared that they really are THE corrective massage therapists.

I need to re-load. My friend and I chat through our food.

We laugh. The band is still playing. Style and stamina.

Very impressive stuff. Clarity returns. I feel like a working professional again. Phone in hand, time shall not slip by this time. I have a massage to attend. A call comes in. My house mate, he has arrived. I have talked up this gig for him in the days previous. He wants to experience the Miami Marketta

She politely handed me her card and winked. F*ck yeah.

I have put my best foot forward in trying to present for you the opportunity on offer if you visit Hillcrest Pde for the Miami Marketta extravaganza. Of course, parties like this don’t exist without the tireless dedication and discipline of the behind-the-scenes characters. One such hero, Emma,

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As for the cheesecake… get your own. Shannon the Whoopie Lady is waiting for you. I asked if she would make me a cake for an upcoming pretend birthday which I would be attending at home, alone, in the dark.

was happy to share with me some of her experience in creating the Miami Marketta events.

I told her of my sweet tooth. Apparently, of a Saturday night Steed Food Marketta, every week there is a HALL. Not a stall, a whole hall dedicated to gelato, decadent cupcakes and almost anything dipped in chocolate. The crowd I experienced was no fluke either. Consistently the masses attend, only short of capacity if it rains. However, next year there is a canopy planned to cover the centre mall.

Before the night ended, I was re-united with my house mate.

Usually devoid of any animated emotion, I was pleased to see he was satisfied. “How often are these on?” was the first question. I told him there were many more to come. Before we exited, I stole a hug from the amazing Astrid and a final parting gift. Their self-titled album. Boom! I haven’t added a CD to my collection in years.

For locals flocking to the event this summer, be generous with your dollars. Emma informs me that all 25 food stalls of a Saturday evening Steet Food Marketta are small family-owned businesses. Up to 33 community artists share the space of a Friday Marketta. Remember that your dollar bills are your voting cards. Say yes to this close-knit community.

I thought of my house-mate the traveller. I wondered what the tourists would make of this. How to take the inspiration home and create your own Moscow, Maryland or Madrid Marketta. The advice shared by Emma “with a lot of persistence. Then patience with permits, paper work and local councils”. There you have it. A marvellous event which has materialised through the grind and not an overnight miracle.

Thankyou Miami Marketta, I will be back. If you wish to join me there, visit www.miamimarketta.com for all upcoming summer events, including a raft of live music options launching in January.

Images courtesy of Lamp Photography

lifestyle &culture HANG 5: FIRST DATES

We all want to impress when we find a gorgeous guy/ girl who makes our heart flutter. But what to do, where to go, to stand out from the crowd and make that valuable first date impression count.

1

Take a leisurely stroll along Burleigh Heads beach then pop into the Fishmongers on James St for their legendary fish and chips and boutique beer; and continue your walk up to Burleigh Point to watch the surfers, satisfy your tummies and be at one with nature… and each other.

2

Hitting up one of the theme parks is an easy and fun date, and you can tailor it to the type of person your date is: a. Sexy show off? Wet’n’Wild. Get slippery with each other. b. Adrenalin junkie? Movieworld. Cuddle up on those scary rides. c. All-rounder? Dreamworld and White Waterworld for scary rides, cuddly animal photos, waterslides and all round fun. d. Academic, nature lover? Seaworld. With added bonus of the water park if things go well and if things go really well… check into the Seaworld hotel for the night!

3

Ride your cruiser bikes for a leisurely afternoon along part of the 39km of seaway boardwalk, ending with sunset drinks at the top of Q1.

Enough to bring out the amorous in all of us.

4

For the foodies; hipster breakfast at Commune in Burleigh. If things are going well, hit up the Miami or Burleigh Farmers Markets for lunch to either cook at your house or to take to the Currumbin Rock Pools for a romantic picnic.

5

You want to go old school? Then it’s off to Yatala Pies drive through and the Yatala drive-in movies for you my friend. With popcorn, BYO bevvies and two movies per night… you’ve got no excuse not to get in some lip action at least.

Katie Hooper www.blankgc.com.au

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been there done that

THE SHITTY SANDWICH I love it when friends come to town. Being a Brisbane native, my exodus to Gold Coast living has been marred by the odd drought of contact with my tribe. But, with summer in the air, visits are becoming more frequent.

to send over the manager? What will my mates think if I become ‘that guy’? What if they offer to replace it and I get a special sandwich garnished with the bodily fluids of the kitchen crew?

I like to show off my new lifestyle to visiting tribesman. It’s calmer on the Gold Coast. It’s cleaner on the Gold Coast. We have a bigger beach than South Bank and wearing a bikini to lunch is standard practise. How shall we re-connect? Some pub-grub of course.

I pick at the chips. All of a sudden, the footy seems irrelevant and stupid. My whole mood has been soured. Until… BINGO! I know what to do, I’ll send an email. A nice, polite email, reporting the incident.

How I was too embarrassed for myself and friends to call it on the spot. I smile, colour returns to my face.

I announce the plan to my friends who ignore me as ‘try of the year’ is replayed on the tele. Win and win.

With so many surf clubs and local taverns to choose, it’s a no brainer. All the classics will be on offer. Barra and chips, chicken parmigiana, pizza, steak and the classic club sandwich. Menu fixtures on which we can always rely.

The tavern of choice for this particular rendezvous is under ten minutes drive from my flat. Two Brisbane boys, two locals but no partridges or pear trees. Just some good tucker as we watch the big screen display of football triumphs from season 2013.

Our meals are ordered, paid for and served in a relatively short time. This atmosphere is comfortable. There are no unknowns when embarking on this sort of dining experience. I raise the toasted sandwich to my face and bite down with… disappointment. WTF mate? My toasted club sandwich is cold. I can even sense that it tastes good but… it’s… bloody cold.

I am unnerved. This was supposed to be an experience which helped sell the certainty of my move to the Gold Coast. Fark! I try to enjoy my sandwich quietly but it’s shitty. After digesting half, I sheepishly enquire. “Hey guys, what’s your meal like?” A chorus of hurumph for the chicken parmigiana selection. Damn it!

I am not sure how to act this one out. What is the standard response to poor service? Do I tell the waitress? Do I ask her

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If you have had this same dining experience at your local tavern or surf-club. Fear not. After contacting management via email, then a phone call, I was invited back for a complete dinner-for-two package.

Paid for in full by the establishment. Coffee and cake included upon completion of our cow.

The manager came to visit us throughout the meal.

We joked together. It was great. I promised Tamara that I would make a shout out to her and the professional handling of my shitty sandwich saga. Not only did I feel welcomed for my honest feedback, I cannot wait to dine with her staff in charge again.

Tamara did advise this. “Be honest. Be understanding. Mistakes happen but do not have to be paid for without compensation. Good management demands good service and customers are valued.

Speak up and we will respond.” I suggest including a smile, say that you’re willing to give it another chance.

Laugh together and visit again. The only way you can come to trust their service once more is to trust it.

Andrew Scott

lifestyle &culture “I grew up in the area and moved away about ten or twelve years ago and I really miss the headland and the community.

To come back and see the amount of grommets here – that semi final and final display from the groms were amazing.

It’s so great and it’s important to have events like this and to keep inspiring them to do what they’re doing,” This year Rastovich will be back to compete, and even though good mate and music legend Ash Grunwald will not be performing at the contest like last year, he will be competing, and is keen to get into the spirit of the event again.

The Single Fin Classic is the first event of the surfing calendar for 2014, and Burleigh Point will once again be crowded with people from the Gold Coast and beyond to check out classic surfing on classic surfboards.

SINGLE AND HAVING FUN The laid-back days of the 1970s will be back in the new year when Burleigh Boardriders host the 17th annual Burleigh Single Fin Festival. Taking place 10 – 12 January, the event kicks off with a charity luncheon on Friday evening, with the weekend seeing the action turning to Burleigh Point for the Single Fin Classic. Terry “Tappa” Teece gives us the low-down and talks to some of the event’s stalwarts.

The Single Fin Classic is a unique surfing contest, where all surfers compete on single fin surfboards made before 1985.

This means every board that is surfed in the event is an antique and a unique part of surfing history. It is like a surfing museum over the contest weekend, all the boards there for one and all to see, and thousands gather on Burleigh Point to watch the event.

embarking on his journey of being a soul surfer, and championing environmental causes.

The 2014 event is a special one for many of those that surf Burleigh Point, held in memory of “AB”, Allan Byrne, who passed away after an accident in August. Allan was a true craftsman and innovator of surfboard design, and the first ever Kiwi to be accepted by the Burleigh Boys in the mid 1970s. Allan’s channel bottom single fins are a prized craft, and they are “the” board to surf on in this event.

Whether you are competing or watching from the headland, it is the vibe that is the single fin, which Rasta says draws him to the event.

The event has a special spirit to it as well. Six man heats, and a really mellow attitude from all the competitors in the water, where hassling is at a minimum, and cheering on your fellow competitor as they surf the wave is mandatory. 2013 winner, Dave Rastovich, embodies the spirit of the single fin. Cool, relaxed, and surfing with that bit of style and class.

Dave grew up surfing at Burleigh Point, before

There is also an under 18 division, and the young grommets really impressed Rastovich.

Last year Rasta won a handcrafted single fin made by local legend Dirk Van Straalen and to say he was happy with the win would be an understatement. In 2014, first prize will be a handshaped Alan Byrne replica single fin.

“It’s such a wonderful thing to be able to come down and pull out these old relics and have a lot of fun on the Point,” he said.

Grommets as young as ten years old compete in the single fin, and seeing them surf on a board that is three times as old, and three times as big as them is a great sight - one of the most entertaining parts of the Single Fin Classic according to most spectators.

The level of surfing at the event is incredible, Joel Parkinson, Mick Fanning, Occy, Luke Egan, are just some of the big name surfers to have competed in the event in the past. Occy, Rasta, and Luke Egan look set to compete again in 2014, along with World Professional Junior Champion Jack Freestone. All will be competing against a field of local Burleigh rippers, plus red hot surfers from the Gold Coast and beyond. It is a prestigious title to win; it is all about the glory, the title and the fun.

“We have a squad of juniors who train once a week, and we are hoping one day that they can follow the lead of surfers like Jay “Bottle” Thompson, and qualify for the World Championship Tour, and maybe even have a world champion in the club one day. Overall though, we are developing the kids to be better surfers, with improving results at State and National level for the last few years.”

The Single Fin Festival Classic takes place 11 – 12 January at Burleigh Point or Jellurgal as the ancients from the Koomberri Tribe named it from their dreaming stories.

Tickets for the charity luncheon on Friday 10 January are limited, cost $100 and can be purchased from Burleigh Bears Leagues Club.

The whole thing is about surfing for surfing’s sake, remembering lost friends, and for the Burleigh Boardriders it is their major fundraiser for the year. With money raised from the event, Burleigh Boardriders support local charities, and invest in their Burleigh Boardriders Junior Development program. Three times single fin Champion and Burleigh Boardriders head coach, Kyle “Dvex” Robinson sums up Burleigh Boardriders Junior Development plan quite well.

The annual charity luncheon will be hosted by funny-man and former jockey Allan “Robbo” Robinson, Rash Ryder is the comedian, and the main guest speaker will be the man who single-handedly (sorry about the pun) was responsible for the demise of the single fin; yes the man credited with the invention of the “Thruster”, Simon Anderson.

Once you have checked out the Single Fin Festival once, like many others you will be back every year.

Image courtesy of Lamp Photography

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It seems that 2013 is the year for memoirs. Scott Ian, Anthrax founder and guitarist will publish his autobiography next year. Titled I’m the Man, the book will cover topics such as his adolescence in a dysfunctional home, escapism through heavy metal and the band’s formation through to the present day.

Ian’s autobiography will be available in 2014.

After stepping down from political life earlier this year, Peter Garrett has snaffled a publishing deal with Allen & Unwin to tell his life story. The book will cover his musical career with Midnight Oil, his life as an environmental activist and his journey to Parliament House. It’s expected to hit shelves towards the end of 2014.

Morrissey isn’t a stranger to controversy. But he faced some of a different kind this year, when his autobiography was published by Penguin … as a Penguin Classic, no less. Bibliophiles have been left scratching their heads as to how Morrissey joins the ranks of Homer, Orwell, Steinbeck, Twin and Tolstoy.

Penguin have responded with “Most pop stars have to be dead before they reach the iconic status Morrissey has reached in his lifetime.” Some book snobs think Penguin has sold its soul. Morrissey’s life story is available now in print and as an audiobook.

A SERIES OF AUSTRALIAN ART Having grown up in Australia from a young age, and having a multitude of artistic people in my life, I felt I was well informed of the art world in Australia; boy was I in for a surprise. Art of Australia, a three part series that premiered on ABC, 22 October opened my eyes to the journey of modern Australian art throughout history. The first episode begins with narrator Edmund Capon exploring the mingling of European and Indigenous art, delving into different depictions of Australian colonisation and the beginning of modern Australian history.

Episode one progresses through the ironic Glover paintings that depict scenes of Aboriginal corroborees in Tasmania, to the Europeanisation of Australian scenery by the romantics and moves forward to the beginning of beach and urban imagery. Despite having been attentive in my history classes, there were still a wealth of moments that surprised me and Capon does well to bring to life a subject that could be dry to paint his own picture of art in Australia. The most impacting moment for me was a piece Longing Belonging by Hossein Valamanesh, which represents the need to balance a new life in a new country without abandoning the past.

Episode two delves into the 20th Century and the contrasting effects of war and peace on the art scene. From Lambert’s Anzac, the landing 1915 showing the un-heroic image of the soldiers being subsumed by the land they fought on, to Wallace and his first hand accounts with battle; Art of Australia breathes life into one of our most historic events. I found myself captivated by the paintings and photos that accompanied the journey through social respite from battle and the beginning of WWII. The series as a whole seamlessly merges the art displayed with the stories told, but this episode does particularly well at demonstrating how art reflects society and humanity’s upheavals.

The series comes to a close with an episode dedicated to the expansion of Australian and international artists.

Capon laments the fact that foreign artists are still idolised over Australian, even in Australia, referencing the Sydney Opera House. This series completely expanded my awareness of Australia’s beautiful and burgeoning art community and increased my appreciation of our history. With stunning imagery and superb storytelling Art of Australia is definitely a must-watch for all culturally inclined viewers.

Christine Ots

Filling little bellies from early 2014

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Delicious whole foods to feed your children’s body and soul at their next party or function

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BLANK PAGE

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www.facebook.com/HumbugFoods

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environment

THE MUTTON BIRDS The wreck of thousands of migrating mutton birds on Gold Coast beaches left a lot of residents wondering why.

On the worst days in October and November, early birds doing their morning beach walk would pass a dead bird every few metres – more like a Hell’s Highway of bird corpses than the famed glitter strip.

Thousands were lost this year, so many that the Gold Coast City Council had to employ a truck to clean them up.

It wasn’t the first time though, there were thousands of deaths in 2009 and another big wreck in 2000.

This spring, reports of wrecks in October and November came from as far north as Double Island Point all the way to the shearwaters’ southern nesting grounds in the Tasman Sea. Most people were shocked by the scale of the shearwater losses and like me had no idea what the cause was. They were just left to guess.

But when you learn what these bird have been through it’s not hard to understand why they run such a high risk of dying of exhaustion and hunger.

By the time the unfortunate mutton birds wash up starving and exhausted on the beach – they have flown 30,000 km from their nesting grounds in Bass Strait to Siberia and Alaska and back. The adults left in April and returned in September. The new chicks followed a few weeks later navigating only on instinct.

The main flocks came back through the Gold Coast in September, creating beautiful spectacles by flying low in massive magnificent Vs across the sea. The stragglers in October and November were mainly non-breeding age birds (younger than five). Some of them had lost 80 percent of their body weight on the flight south from the northern icy regions. Some were so hungry they dropped from a healthy 650 grams to only 150 grams. Many of them were first timers on the epic migration, less than a year old, and became so food deprived that their organs started failing, yet they flew until they literally dropped.

“They’ve got a natural imperative to get back to their breeding grounds,” said retired biodiversity planner Philip Du Guesclin, who studies a shearwater nesting ground near his house in the Southwest Victorian coastal town of Port Fairy, “They tend not to muck around.”

“It’s just part of the circle of life,” Currumbin Wildlife Hospital veterinary nurse, Ellen Richmond said of the deaths.

Images courtesy of Mic Smith Ms Richmond and the team at the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital received over 300 stranded mutton birds during the weeks of the wrecks.

“They were little fatties, quite active, running around our waterbird rehab facility. They’d come up to peck your shoe laces,” the vet nurse said.

“They were coming in by the tubful. In one day we received a hundred.”

Down at Port Fairy at the nesting ground on Griffiths Island, there are currently about 100,000 burrows with birds sitting on eggs. Shearwaters mate for life and share parenting duties.

She estimated three quarters of the 300 were beyond help and euthanised. Only a quarter were assessed as viable and of them only a tiny four survived to be released successfully.

That is four more, however, than Phillip Du Guesclin would have expected, as he said it’s virtually impossible to nurse shearwaters back to health.

Phillip Du Guesclin won’t know what impact this spring’s wreck has had on the numbers until April when adults leave the nestlings in the nest. Then his team of volunteers will be able to do a count.

A little tip if you want to help a feathered friend though: You can just put them under a shady tree so they don’t dehydrate so quickly. Or if you find one and want to nurse it - don’t try to put water in its beak or force food on them, the best thing is offer it some fish, though there is next to no chance it will be strong enough to eat it, and get them to the animal hospital as soon as possible.

“It (the recent wreck) is not a great concern, but it depends on how often it happens,” he said.

At the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital the viable ones were stomach tubed. It’s the only safe way to deliver the hydration and nutrition they desperately need.

The mutton birds could be the early warning system like the “canary in the cage,” he said.

“When they came in they were too weak to eat, so we have to stomach tube them,” Ms Richmond said.

The aim of the treatment was to get their weight up quickly without holding them so long that it would interfere with nature.

“We tried to hold them no longer than a week as they can lose the waterproofing on their feathers or miss the migration.”

The four that the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital released were nursed for about two weeks to make sure all four were ready to go together.

He said that as shearwaters are the most globally abundant avian species, observing what is happening with them could provide insights into what problems are facing more threatened bird species.

Scientist Dr Grainne Maguire who is the Project Manager of Beach-nesting Birds from Birdlife Australia has called for interested people to try and record numbers of dead and dying shearwaters on beaches.

“The wreck of Short-tailed Shearwaters appears particularly abundant along the Australian coast this spring,” she said.

Like many early birds on their beach walk Dr Maguire couldn’t say with certainty if there is something more than the cycle of nature behind so many dead birds.

It seems more widespread but “unless we collect data and do this consistently, this is only an observation,” she said.

Mic Smith www.blankgc.com.au

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E-WASTE

E-waste is our fastest growing waste problem.

With the festive season just about here and some nifty gadget on plenty of wish lists, there’s no doubt that we are just about to see a massive influx of new technology. Smart phones might be clever, but what we do with them when they stop working needs some attention.

With an influx of new gadgets into circulation come concerns for the consequential leap in e-waste.

E-waste is Australia’s fastest growing waste problem and one of our most serious.

A study conducted by not for profit mobile phone recycler MobileMuster shows that more than 40% of Australian’s were thinking of purchasing, a new mobile over Christmas, and nearly half of all Australians are considering buying a new mobile during the summer sales.

There are fears that Australia’s current stockpile of old, unused mobile phones of 23 million is set to explode over the festive season. MobileMuster’s e-waste recycling expert Rose Read is urging all Australians to recycle their excessive e-waste safely, ethically and for free with the recycling program.

Since 1998, MobileMuster has recycled 7.79 million mobile handsets and batteries. MobileMuster is the mobile phone industry’s official product stewardship program. It’s a free mobile recycling program accepting all brands and types of phones along with their chargers, batteries and accessories. To find out where you can drop your phone off for free visit www.mobilemuster.com.au.

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WASTED AT FESTIVALS

environment

Ok……. It’s summer and it’s the time when all those big acts hit town.

Break out your big floppy hat, comfy shoes or whatever your festival going attire is…You feel the vibe and the ambience consumes your entire being.

You are in the moment.

As you finish that beverage or snack, and dispose of the inevitable rubbish, have you ever thought about what happens to the rubbish from 20-30,000 punters? Well Terry ‘Tappa’ Teece never did until meeting Diana Hartung and Steve Dillon. These two people basically run the rubbish recycling and grounds clean-up for events like Bluesfest, Falls Festival, Day on the Green, Boomerang, Big Day Out and others. Both Steve and Di have been working in and around festivals for more than 10 years, and have seen many changes.

Tappa caught up with them at Boomerang Festival to discuss what goes on, what they do, and changes over time in getting rid of all that rubbish.

Di: We have to leave the site, the same as, or a lot of times better than we found it, because here for instance it is a farm, and it is ecologically sensitive, so we have to get everything so none of the wildlife eat any plastic or butts.

So what is the hardest this to clean-up?

Steve: Has to be cigarette butts, not to get rid of, but there is just so many of them. At some festivals for instance we have buckets with sand for the butts, but not everybody uses them.

Di: So we are always brainstorming, getting new ideas, to recycle more, and to get rid of everything on site.

So what sort of changes have there been with waste management at festivals over the past ten years?

Does the rates and type of recycling vary from festival to festival, what sort of percentages do you work with?

Steve: Saving time and money.

Steve: Much more recycling, sorting out individual types of waste, saving on landfill.

Steve: Yes it does, at this festival for instance (Boomerang) there are a lot less cans, a lot less drinking going on. Big Day Out is a lot of rubbish, Splendour a lot more drinking going on, a lot of food gets wasted at Splendour, unfortunately.

Bluesfest is...

So what advice would you give to punters out there when they are at a festival?

Di: and the resource centres we take our recyclables and landfill to, have changed moreso, developing and recycling more. As they develop we can recycle more.

Where does everything go?

Di: There are different streams of waste, general waste, co-mingled recycling, glass, cardboard, and green waste, like the organic waste. So basically we try to separate all the streams of rubbish on site, separate it as much as we can. The stuff we pull out, the co-mingled recycling , goes to Chinderah and they pull it apart more, they take out the glass, the plastic, they take every single little bit out of it, and it goes to all their specific areas for recycling.

Glass gets taken off site, and goes to a glass recycler at Yatala; the cardboard goes off site to Visy Cardboard and gets recycled into paper or cardboard: What we are left with goes to Ti-Tree at Willowbank near Ipswich to landfill, it is covered and they extract the methane from that which is used to create electricity, which goes into the electricity grid.

Steve: Green energy from the landfill is used to power suburbs’ electricity, all from peoples’ waste, in fact some suburbs are powered by this green energy from the methane plant.

Di: Yes we get a good stream out of Blues.

Steve: It is pretty well even, the punters are better with their separation, when they dispose of rubbish.

Di: But the overall picture, what we want to do is, we work with the councils and “Greenfest”, which is an award for the greenest festival. Bluesfest has got that for quite a few years now, most of our festivals put in for the Greenfest Award. As the resource centres grow we grow with them and recycle more and more with them. As I was saying before, we let our waste management contractors know what will be coming out of each particular festival, what sort of stream of waste will be produced, and they will tell us “yes you can recycle this, no you cannot recycle that, we don’t have the resources for that, this can go to that place,” so we are on top of it before we even start.

So what does it take to clean up a site, what is it like when you finish, and how far do you have to go when it comes to cleaning up?

Steve: All the way down to cigarette butts, so it is pretty well clean, clean-as, everything, cigarette butts, ring pull tabs, pretty well everything on the ground as well.

Steve: If they could just use the right bins, basically, out there in punter land there is 3 types of bins, if they could just think about it a bit more when they put their rubbish in the bin, it would make it a lot easier for us.”

Di: I think it comes down to education, we are working with environmentalists on-site at each festival, working on an education system, this goes in that bin so we can teach people to use the right bins, and eventually one day have organic bins in the main area where festival-goers can scrape their left over food into that as well. We have an organic pig farmer who comes on-site at most festivals and collects the organic waste left over from the food stalls, and green waste, and at some festivals that waste is a tonne a day, so that is even less waste going to landfill.

Steve: And the pigs just love it.

Di: So that’s our job as waste management people, is to manage the waste, get it off-site, and recycle the best we can, and the best the community will let us with the resources that are out there.”

Well there you have it, a little bit of a look into waste and recycling at festivals. So the next time you are at a festival, get lost in the moment for sure, but remember, use the right bins, and if you are a smoker dispose of your butts into the right area, and you will be doing your bit to help the environment, in your own little, maybe, wasted moment. www.blankgc.com.au

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42FIFTEEN

PABLO PABLO

Southport’s an unlikely place to house my latest food excitement, but there it is, loud and proud of its identity, 42Fifteen.

Oh Pablo Pablo, where have you been hiding? You’ve made my night, my week, my year!

4215, Southport, is having a hard time in the war zone of light rail construction. It takes courage and a little forward planning to venture out…but when we do, it’s well worth the effort!

It was with a tentative heart that I approached Pablo Pablo to take my husband out for a special surprise dinner after being messed around by one of the coast’s premier restaurants.

As a last minute choice I couldn’t believe a place that had slipped under my radar could be so good.

5 Davenport Street Southport Ph: 0423 307 425

Nestled in the middle of the ‘soon to be Chinatown’ precinct, Davenport Street, the café’s an outpost of times gone by – recycled timber, family memorabilia and the old-fashioned values of home-cooked and baked seasonal produce and warmly embracing service.

Owner Peter Batley tells us that he and partner Julie Rogers had dreamed of running a family business for some time before the opportunity arose. Both from pub backgrounds, they envisaged bringing their passion for great food and service to Southport.

“Southport is overcrowded with franchises,” Peter says, “so we wanted to offer something different. This is a happy family environment. My son Julian makes the coffee and Julie and I are both chefs.”

Julie and Julian are working away behind a tonne-heavy distressed timber counter, originally a fixture in Boggo Road Gaol, Peter tells me. He also fills me in on the recycled timber wall from Nerang Pony Club and secondhand shops, the tricycle from a niece, the street art, the all day seasonal menu which changes each month…everything, that is, except the new menu that’s coming this week…

The menu is modern, and the food quality exceptional. My Pumpkin Tart has a creamy flavour-packed filling, encased in a short biscuit-like pastry. The Main Squeeze dives into the Pulled Pork Roll and my fingers idle across to steal a pinch…scrumptious! Feel the love!

I haven’t even mentioned the award-winning Dimattina coffee. It’s pretty good, but for me it’s overshadowed by the food, pure and simple, and Peter’s ‘can do’ attitude which shines through everything! Our day is suddenly brighter.

Yes, I know times are tight and you feel like you’re risking your life in the war zone, but…. it’s really worth venturing out to 42Fifteen. For food, service, and value for money all dished up with a huge bucket of family love, this is one of the best little eateries around.

Marj Osborne Read more of Marj’s reviews on Good Food Gold Coast http://www.foodgoldcoast.com.au

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6 Fifth Avenue Palm Beach 07) 5534 7003

Boy was I, were we, both pleasantly surprised. Up and running for just a year Pablo Pablo is a Latin eatery and bar in every sense of the words. Rustic décor, bursting at the seams with patrons, friendly and knowledgeable staff, and sensational food and drink. Tucked away down Fifth Avenue in Palm Beach this is a place I want to come back to, bring my friends to, and shout about from the rooftops: “I love Pablo Pablo! And you will too”!

It was only 6 months ago I was complaining to all and sundry about the coast’s need for an authentic tapas place, and here I was, living the dream. Well, someone else’s dream but I was absolutely benefitting too!

With a menu this good we salivated long and hard over what to order. The specials sounded divine and we realised we’d have to return at least another 3 times to work our way through everything we wanted to try. We started with literally melt in your mouth Jamon Iberico Gran Reserva – 24 month old cured ham. I could quite happily have just let a kilo of this delicacy dissolve in my mouth and called it a night. But there was more to try. Chipirones en su Tinta – stuffed squid in ink. Imported from Spain, little old ladies have tinned the most delicious parts of the catch and when eaten with a little bread – delicious! Next came Pescado del dia – fish with baked fennel, tomato, and saffron – exquisite. We kept the palate extravaganza going with Mejillas de Ternera – braised beef cheeks with peas and tomato reduction, and Maiz a la Plancha – grilled corn cob with smoked butter, Manchego and lime. Of course we finished the night with churros dipped in hot chocolate, who doesn’t love them?!

We washed these fantastic share plates down with some of the most devilishly indulgent and refreshing cocktails on the coast – I’m not telling what, but will say that the bartender is A-class and you need to get there pronto for an after work bevvy!

With paella and live music on weekends and some great events throughout the year Pablo Pablo is a desperately needed addition to the Gold Coast and makes us catch up just a tiny bit to our hipster trend-setting Melbourne and Sydney cousins. You get an A+ from me! Now, when can I book another table?

Katie Hooper

The Bluff Cafe ● coffee ● juice ● smoothie ● tapas ● pizza Proudly supporting local artists Friday evenings 6pm - 9pm Sunday afternoons 3pm - 6pm Phone 55 766 333 66 Goodwin Terrace, Burleigh Heads Open everyday from 7am until late

food

THE CAMBUS WALLACE 4/2237 Gold Coast Highway, Nobby Beach

Images courtesy of Lamp Photography

It only took three words, “Let’s do it!” to launch eleven friends into action. Their venture, The Cambus Wallace opened in late 2012, inspired by history – the history of a ship run aground; the history of a nation whose currency was rum.

“We wanted to fill in the blank spot that we thought was missing in Gold Coast venues,” owner/manager Dave Ferry told me. “The nautical theme came first, and we’d seen the venue months before, then we learned about the Cambus Wallace. It matched perfectly.”

Helping communities achieve sustainability goals...

• marketing & communication • event management • grant writing & sponsorship • training & facilitation • campaign development • project management

We don’t have a work/life balance.

We just have a life. www.wombatcreative.com.au

Well, almost! The Cambus Wallace, a ship which foundered off the Gold Coast in 1894, was carrying a load of whiskey, beer and explosives. There’s lots of whiskey on the menu, but it’s the range of rum that takes my eye. So how does that fit?

“Whiskey’s all the rage interstate,” Dave acknowledges, “but we also wanted a great cocktail menu to please the ladies.

Rum’s a far better base. Plus it was the drink of choice for many of us.”

Eleven great-looking blokes, I’m thinking. There’s more than cocktails here to keep the ladies amused! Plus a fabulous venue…

The Cambus Wallace is a very classy nautically-themed bar decked out in timeless wood, replete with nets, boating paraphernalia and even Long John Silver’s parrot. Along one wall Dylan Quirk’s moody mural of a frigate at war with a stormy sea reminds us that the sea is a cruel mistress indeed.

Rum takes pride of place in our history too. It may have been whiskey spilled on South Stradbroke Island’s rocks, but it was rum that featured in Australia’s first and only military coup, the Rum Rebellion.

The menu titles reflect the venue’s nautical origins – ‘Italian Stowaway’, ‘Captain’s Table’, ‘Walk the Plank’ and ‘The Spice Merchant’. Nautically themed, they’re a mix of generous share plates, charcuterie cheeseboards and breads, with main course specials and desserts given on a blackboard menu. It’s great quality food from Chef Jonas Kleistch; certainly not the average beer-soak up!

The bar is obviously the centrepiece of the action. There are local beers on tap, the promised cocktails and a few wines, but turn the page… The menu features a who’s who of some of the world’s best rum, (over twenty in total), many from the Caribbean and Central Americas, as well as our own locals from Beenleigh and Mount Tamborine Distilleries), as well as single malt whiskies (hats off to the Cambus Wallace), more than enough options to keep the First Fleet happy for the entire journey, and enough to give me rum envy, if not for Dave’s helpful guidance!

In the moody half light I stare into my Pussers British Navy rum, served in a cute tin cup and read the inscription: “The wind that blows the ship that goes, And the loss that loved a sailor!”

It’s too early in the night to be melancholy for lost loves, but it’s not hard to get into the mood of this place, dark and dusky as it is, to imagine the stormy seas not far from here which took the lives of five sailors on the Cambus Wallace.

Leaving before I’m washed up on the shores of regret, I look back and ponder… Yey, me hearties, behind these doors lies history…

Marj Osborne Read more of Marj’s reviews on Good Food Gold Coast http://www.foodgoldcoast.com.au

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fringe dweller I can’t pinpoint exactly when it happened.

My transformation to part-time hippy. But it probably coincided with deciding I was going to be a ‘proper’ adult.

Growing up I’d always loved tie-dye clothes, crystals, the idea of reincarnation and thinking I had spiritual contact with the other side. In reality I was just another self-obsessed, Twistie eating, chain store wearing teenager who liked to party.

Even when I broadened my horizons with 8 years of overseas living about the only ‘natural’ thing I discovered was Echinacea for colds, and I thought that was ground-breaking! I had several friends who were naturopaths and I had tried time and again to give away my high white carb gluten and dairy based diet but I just loved my pasta and toast too much. There was nothing to sway me.

No need to convert. Until, I guess, I decided it was time to prepare my body to have a baby.

After umpteen years on the pill and a great social life I thought I probably needed a serious detox, I know my husband certainly did. So we decided on one of the least romantic honeymoon options available: A 7 day total detox on Koh Samui, Thailand. Not a scrap of food passed our lips in that time. We could drink water and one bowl of

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vegetable peel broth per day (as awful as it sounds). We filled our stomachs with psyllium husk and clay and took handfuls of restorative pills multiple times a day.

The kicker? Twice daily, self-administered coffee colonics!

Now for the uber keen (of which we were not) you had the option of basically putting a colander underneath to catch the output so you could examine it! People have reportedly seen toy soldiers, crayons and other undigested follies of their youth, as well as copious amounts of undigested steak. As the days progress you notice the output becoming ‘clearer’ and ‘cleaner’ as the detox works its magic.

We spent our days enjoying Oolong tea ceremonies, ogling at the people who used hard drugs all their lives and now looked 15 years younger than their age thanks to detox and a raw food lifestyle, partaking in yoga, meditation, lots of massage, experiencing every kind of alternative healing

under the sun, and watching DVD after DVD about the unhealthy western way of life.

To say it was eye-opening and life-changing undervalues the immense awakening we both experienced. After returning home I craved a bowl of macaroni cheese. After making it I just sat there looking at it, feeling ill. I didn’t eat pasta or bread for 6 months afterwards. All I craved were salads and fruit. This wasn’t my mind thinking logically, it was my body demanding health over psychological comfort. And I was benefitting! Clearer skin, shiny hair, strong nails, brighter eyes, and at our very first try at conception – jackpot! I was sold on the idea of natural living, which in our crazy world means alternative living, and I was going to revolutionise my world. One slice of toast at a time.

Katie Hooper

The Mind Centre

THE LITTLE HEN Image courtesy of Marj Osborne Our family includes two chooks – the laying sort, not the Christmas sort, despite the Main Squeeze calling them ‘Dinner One & Dinner Two’. To me, they’re just ‘the girls’, family members who perform essential functions in the household. They’re our ‘empty nest’ fillers who’ve taken on the role of writer’s companions, front door sentry guards, and breakfast providores who give a sense of ‘groundedness’ to our lifestyle. To be honest, they do have a few shortcomings: demolishing the herb garden and creating divets in the front lawn that any bad golfer would be immensely proud of, and we’re making slow progress with their education. Small faults really in light of their real drawback…

They’re conscience prickers.

I’m time poor, and partial to an occasional take away meal; the sort that’s homemade and not fatty, fitting the nutritional guidelines for protein and GI… and therein lies the problem.

It all boils down (sorry!) to CHOOK! Roast chook is the quintessential fast food, high in protein, with low GI and few carbs. Add a salad and we’re in business!

So picture this: Gingerly I creep in through the front gate, feeling guilty as hell as I look across at the girls’ night pen.

How can I explain it to them that their sister is ‘in the bag’!

“Cages!” they screech at me, “Cages!”

It’s a ‘girl-to-girl’ conversation. Secret women’s business!

You see, I’m under contract to look after them, to give them a ‘green’ life (in exchange for eggs), and to take care of the crossing over… But does that mean looking after extended family as well?

The least I can do is ensure that it’s an organic free range chicken in the bag, a girl who’s led a blameless life roaming pasture and meadow, laying at will where she pleases before moving on to the next life…But free range takeaway has been an endangered species on the Goldie… until now.

“Chicken Charge!” The barn doors are open. Enter [Stage left] Little Hen.

Little Hen is the first restaurant/café/takeaway we know of which exclusively sells organic free range rotisserie chickens, world salads and gourmet burgers, all under one roof. The largest supplier of Lilydale chooks in Queensland, Little Hen sources local produce grown as sustainably as possible.

We’ve heard the rave about the burgers and, despite our ‘bread freeze’ diet, we agree with the <insert emoticon for drool> Facebook comment that the food’s delicious!

“I could eat here once a week,” I exude to The Main Squeeze, as I tuck into my meal of Atlantic salmon and freshly made Fattoush salad. I’m nibbling on his burger and can’t leave his sweet potato chips alone. They’re addictively salty and ‘moreish’, and I’m getting mileage out of their Low GI status.

Psychology & Counselling: ● Depression ● Anxiety ● Divorce ● Grief & Loss ● Addictions ● PTSD ● Anger Management ● Relationship Counselling ● Sexual/Physical Abuse ● Childhood Trauma ● Medico-Legal Reports ● Forensic Psychology Services Hypnotherapy: ● Weight loss ● Insomnia

● Stop Smoking ● Stress

Meditation Classes held every Monday evening at 6pm.

PH: 07 5608 4148 E: info@themindcentre.com.au 49 South Bay Drive, Varsity Lakes QLD

We join the protein brigade marching to glory, but notice that there’s potato salad, chicken and fig salad and even couscous available in the range of world salads, with everything made from scratch in the shop.

www.themindcentre.com.au

We’ve eaten in at Little Hen, but still bring takeaway home in the bag, holding our heads high as we walk in the gate.

Adult Tennis Program PALM BEACH

“We’re sustainable,” we crow with pride. We’ve been ‘round the world with Little Hen, conquering the Orient, masquerading with the French, drifting in Tokyo…

Self-righteously we look left to the pen.

But we needn’t have worried. The girls have had a big day and are already tucked away on the perch.

Little Hen | 2/2249 Gold Coast Highway, Nobby Beach.

Marj Osborne Read more of Marj’s reviews on Good Food Gold Coast http://www.foodgoldcoast.com.au

● coaching ● social play ● membership available Monday nights 7pm-8pm Wednesday nights 6.30-7.30 pm (followed by social tennis and games) Saturday mornings 8-9pm more info www.tennison11th.com

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