Blank Gold Coast issue #17 - January 15

January ‘15

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CELEBRATING one year in print

R E V E F T H KNIG aves issue #017

MUSIC

Buskers waterside Earth Frequency Yes Sir Noceur Mudgeeraba scores live music bonanza

FOOD

Local food policy Source Bulk Foods Tamborine Coffee Marketta Street Food

CULTURE

Anxious, much?

Surf ‘n’ Ink Bleach* Lawrence Mooney Shen Yun

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#017 JANUARY 2015 Editor: Samantha Morris Design: Chloe Popa, Blunt Pencil Studio Advertising: Amanda Gorman Music Coordinator: Mella Bunker Money Coordinator: Phillippa Wright Environment Editor: Mic Smith Subeditor: Cody McConnell Cover photography: Jake Wilton Cover image: Klubknight are pictured in the Sea Ball, a sculpture created by Gold Coast artist John Wilson for Swell Sculpture Festival 2014 and engineered and fabricated by Oliver and Roland Mork and Andrew Youhanna from The Avalon and OM Engineering Contributors: Mic Smith, Catherine Coburn, Andrew Scott, Nathan James, Marj Osborne, Natalie O’Driscoll, Kyle Butcher, Jake Wilton, Chrstie Ots, Pip Andreas, Nev Pearce, Liz Ansley, Anthony Gebhardt, Samantha Morris, Sly Steve, Emily Russell, Liz Ansley, Gina Martin, Mella Bunker, Sarah McEwan, Lizzy Keen, Terry “Tappa” Teece, Jay Annabell, Locke Fitzpatrick.

Karl S Williams added to Bluesfest bill Held over five days between Thursday 2 and Monday 6 April, Bluesfest is one of the most diverse festivals in Australia.

And just last week, the Bluesfest crew made its fifth lineup announcement with none other than Gold Coast rising star Karl S Williams included in the list. Alongside him for this announcement are Chrarles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, Augie March, Donavon Frankenreiter, Melbourne Ska Orchestra, Justin Townes-Earle, Declan Kelly’s Diesen n’Dub (Emma Donovan, Alex Lloyd, Pat Powell, Radical Son and Tony Hughes), Ash Grunwald, Blue King Brown, The Beautiful Girls and Steve Smyth. Get all the details at bluesfest.com.au.

Burleigh Boardrider’s 18th Single Fin Festival Those laidback days of the 70s are set to return with the 18th annual Burleigh Boardriders Single Fin Festival from 9 – 11 January. Surfers will compete on single fin boards made before 1985 which means every board surfed in the event is an antique and a unique part of surfing history. Gary Elkerton, Rabbit Bartholomew, Mick Fannin, Luke Egan, Mark Occhilupo, Cheyne Horan, Matt Hoy and Jack Freestone have all surfed in the event previously. It’s all about classic surfing, on classic surfboards. Get down there and check it out.

Miss Saigon casting call Be a part of an epic, musical love story without leaving the Gold Coast. Arts Centre Gold Coast is seeking creatives for paid and unpaid positions including choreographer, stage manager, rehearsal assistant and costume and wardrobe roles.

Get all the details at theartscentregc.com.au/opportunities.

Zines make a comeback Anyone can be an online publisher but Robina Library is about to give you a chance to create something tangible with your very own hands using paper, scissors, pens, and glue.

Wow. Talk about old skool. Zines are mini, handmade mags – rough and ready, quick to produce and circulate and usually with a small distribution. In the 70s and 80s zines were big in the punk scene as a way to broadcast alternative news to the punk community. This zine workshop takes place 1.30-3.30pm on Wednesday 14 January and is free! Call 5581 1600 to book your place.

Comedy in the Arts Centre Basement Another incredibly talented lineup of comedy is coming to the Arts Centre Gold Coast over the month of January.

Kicking off with Dirty Laundry’s Lawrence Mooney (Friday 2 January) and wrapping up with Matt Okine (Friday 30 January), you can get all the details (and your tickets) at theartscentregc.com.au.

Smashing Pumpkins added to Soundwave lineup The Smashing Pumpkins have created one of the most acclaimed bodies of work in musical history with more than 30 million albums sold. And they’ve just been added to the Soundwave 2015 lineup, alongside Steel Panther, Millencolin, Falling in Reverse, Exodus, The Vandals, King Parrot, Rival Sons and Raglans. They’ve joined the incredibly diverse bill of acts, previously announced, which includes Slipknot, Faith No More, Soundgarden, Slash, Marilyn Manson, Fall Out Boy, Incubus and Judas Priest – and a host of others. It goes down over two days in 2015 for the first time ever – Saturday 28 February and Sunday 1 March See you in the pit \m/.

TAFE Queensland Open Day

Blank GC + Rabbit Radio xmas party photography: Brittany Hazel BLANK LIFE Cover image: © 2014 Shen Yun Performing Arts Acknowledgement of Country We show our respect and sincerely acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of this Land and their Elders past and present.

Treehouse nabs Tora Tora, hailing from northern NSW, have been doing amazing things recently: getting massive traction on JJJ Unearthed and nabbing slots at Both Falls Festival and Splendour.

And Treehouse Byron Bay will have them as special guest residents, Saturday 27 December and Saturday 3 January. Go check them out before they’re outta here.

Editorial: news@blankgc.com.au Advertising: advertising@blankgc.com.au Blank GC is an independently owned and published magazine, with all of our writers contributing their time pro-bono to boosting the cultural scene on the Gold Coast. Founded in 2013 with the goal of busting those boring stereotypes which have surrounded the Gold Coast for decades, we rely on advertising to keep us in the fray. Opinions expressed herein, are not necessarily those of the Editor, Publishers or of the writing team.

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TAFE Queensland Open Day: celebrating change The Southport Campus of TAFE Queensland will throw open its doors on Wednesday 21 January showcasing its new $6 million education precinct. Free entertainment, food, training demos, competitions, photo booth, career and study advice, live music, art exhibition, coffee demos, pop-up pamper stations and opportunities to enroll. It runs 9.00am – 2.00pm and the G-Link stops right outside the campus doors.

Urban Country Music boosts lineup A boon for country music fans, but also those who enjoy a family-friendly, grassroots festival vibe. It’s the Urban Country Music Festival’s 12th year next year and they’ve got a stellar lineup to celebrate. We’re talking Lee Kernaghan, Beccy Cole, Augie March, British India, Jetty Road, Delta Riggs, The Beards, 8 Ball Aitken, Carl Wockner and more. It runs 1 – 3 May at Caboolture and you can get all the details at urbancountry.com.au.

8,500 signatures on Broadwater petition As we go to print Save Our Broadwater have amassed some 8,500 signatures on their petition to both Premier Campbell Newman and Mayor Tom Tate asking them to both stop the integrated resort / terminal proposal as well as extend the Moreton Bay Marine Park to the Broadwater to protect the waterways, habitat and islands therein. If you’d like to add your voice you can do so at saveourbroadwater.com/how-to-help.

Bleach announces music lineup Bleach* Festival has gone from strength to strength thanks to the incredibly passionate team who pull it together every year and from the first music announcement made this month, the 2015 event will be no different. With Clare Bowditch as Artist in Residence, which includes a bunch of performances as well as speaking engagements, next year’s Bleach* promises dancing in the streets, parks and beaches.

Joining Clare Bowditch on the lineup are Kim Churchill, Christe Anu, Darren Middleton, Bobby Alu, Band of Frequencies, Jess Ribiero, Tijuana Cartel, Trinity Roots, Karl S Williams, Good Oak and Bullhorn with more to be announced. The event runs 6 – 22 March and you can get more at bleachfestival.com.au.

Carmody’s goes organic Carmody’s Restaurant and Bar at Southport Sharks has announced the introduction of organic meat, sourcing boutique cuts from small farms. They have negotiated with regional producers of organic meat who are supplying them exclusively with high-quality organic beef, lamb and pork.

Suppliers include Figtree Organic Farms in Grafton and Mallows Organic Farm in Stanthorpe. Nice one, Sharks. You can find them Cnr Musgrave and Olsen Avenues, Southport.

Japanese Graffiti Artist creates art for Jupiters Jupiters Hotel and Casino has commissioned a Japanese street artist to create a bespoke, large-scale art installation for Kiyomi, its new Japanese restaurant which opened this month. Houxo Que (AKA Questa) is a Tokyo based artist and made a special trip to the GC to create a massive 6 x 2.6m installation over four days just before the restaurant opened. Kinda sets the tone for the restaurant’s creative menu. You’ll have to go check it out for yourself.

Fiesta d’yoga With a combination of live beats, food and yoga, Fiesta D’Yoga will provide yogis and yoginis the chance to connect, practice and reflect, in one place, for one evening.

Organisers say it’ll be an unforgettable evening of breath, sound, movement and flow, witht the beats provided by DubConTroll Collective led by Andy Dub. It all goes down Sunday 8 March at Rabbit+Cocoon, home of Blank GC and tickets cost $39. More at fiestadyoga.eventbrite.com.au .

Nature based recreation plan open for comment City of Gold Coast is seeking input into its draft Nature Based Recreation Plan which was endorsed by Council earlier this month. The Mayor, Tom Tate has said the plan would balance demand for low impact nature based recreation but also said there is potential for commercial operators to provide activities. There are 850 conservation reserves across the Gold Coast. The draft plan is on public display for ten weeks from 15 December and open for submissions during that period. There will also be an online survey and discussion forum commencing 15 January. For more information visit gchaveyoursay.com.au.

YARN: Professional Development City of Gold Coast is pulling together a 3-day professional development intensive focused on cross disciplinary arts and artist development. The intensive program runs Friday 6 – Sunday 8 February at Kirra Hill Community Centre and to be considered, you must submit an application and respond to selection criteria. Applications close 9 January and more information is available by contacting cultural@goldcoast. qld.gov.au.

Transvaal Diamond Syndicate

Mojo Burning is hot hot hot March will be a busy time for music lovers. As well as the epic Bleach* lineup on offer here on the GC, just a little ways up the road, another little boutique festival is bringing the goods. And it’s a pretty solid lineup. Gay Paris, Redcoasts, Claude Hay, Mojo Webb, Transvaal Diamond Syndicate, Guthrie, Eddie Boyd and the Phatapillars have all been previously announced and just last week, Marshall Okell, Bonez and Hobo Magic were added to the bill, along with a tonne of others. If you want part of the action, Mojo Burning 2015 will land at the New Globe Theatre on the weekend of 21 and 22 March. Pre-sale tickets are only $35 ($40 on the door). As a very special aside, you can also sample Mojo Premium while there – an exclusive craft brew. Get all the details at facebook.com/mojoburning.

March at Soundlounge While we’re on the topic of cool things happening in March, there are some amazing local acts headlining Soundlounge shows and we will most certainly be front and centre. On Friday 13 March, hip-hop sensations Lane Harry x Ike Campbell, along with special guests Jesswar and Scott Dalton, will take to the stage. They’ll be fresh off the 360 tour where they scored a coveted support slot and you really ought to make the effort to check them out. Following from that, Friday 20 March sees Greys supported by Salvadarlings and The Dandelion. Both will be excellent gigs. See you on the balcony.

Australia Day at Cabana Bar Live acoustic music from Haley Grace, the JJJ Hotest 100 broadcast plus a free BBQ with a drink purchase between 3.00 – 4.00pm? Kinda has Australia Day written all over it, right? Join the shenanigans at Cabana Bar & Lounge, Southport Sharks on Sunday 25 January from 1.00pm. Get more details at cabanabarandlounge@southportsharks.com.au.

The Creases

And OZfest a day earlier If you can’t make it all the way to Australia Day for a music fix, you can peak a couple of days early thanks to OZfest at Miami Tavern. The festival sees Illy, The Preatures, Allday, Kingswood and The Creases party with the masses. Get busy though. Gates open 2.30pm and tickets are waiting for you to snap them up. Tickets from Ticketmaster or the Tavern.

Sunday sessions reappear for summer Everyone’s on the same page with this one… the Sunday session is well and truly back. Well, maybe it never went away, but there seem to be a lot of new events popping up in time for the festive season. Let us run you through a few: Hard Rock Café in Surfers Paradise has launched Sounds of Sundays with four Sundays through January and February featuring Jeffrey Hoad (Kings of the Sun). Buskers by the Creek have partnered with Waterside Events at Currumbin RSL for a month of Sundays as well. Their lineup features some of the stars of the buskers’ event held in November, including Kenny Slide, Salt and Steel, Tristan O’Meara Band, Katie Who, Andrew Cousins, Barefoot Friday and Stav Giouzelis. It runs every Sunday in January. Our friends at VICE have been pulling together amazing lineups of local and visiting artists for their Sunday sessions at Miami Tavern and the crew at Sounds of Sunday GC have also brought together an incredible mix of local talent for their Sunday session at Broadbeach Tavern. There are others… check the gig guide for all your live music options.

Live Music Bonanza for Mudgeeraba Mudgeeraba has scored big time, with Division 9 Councillor Glenn Tozer pushing hard for funding for the arts which has led to a new series of shows: Summertime Series in the Village, held every Sunday over summer in Cuddihy Park. First cabs off the rank in January are Felicity Lawless (16 Jan) followed by Karl S Williams, CC The Cat, Josh Lovegrove and Hailey Calvert. Nice one Councillor.

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KNIGHT FEVER

Image courtesy of Jake Wilton

Take deep, banging drums, a dark, driving synth bass line, lots of minor keys and you’ll have something that people who have heard Klubknight will find eerily familiar. This electronic duo from the Gold Coast are making waves at local clubs with their dark and distinctive dance tracks. Natalie O’Driscoll caught up with them to find out what they think about the insane year they’ve just had.

“Two words: hard work”, says Chris Lamaro. “2014 has been really the start of it all so we have nothing to compare it to.”

invite him to join us for milk and muffins. We love Lenny.

He’s from Sweden. We think. Hahaha.”

The start of Klubknight is actually the culmination of years of industry work for both guys, who had both DJed throughout their twenties and were also musicians from back in their high school days. They met on the Gold Coast scene about five years ago and had talked about doing some original production together, but both were too busy with their solo projects at the time.

Imaginary Scandinavian characters obviously work for the pair, whose debut EP From The Whiteboard has been incredibly well received in both the underground club scene and by radio, with tracks from the EP receiving immediate airplay. With influences like LCD Soundsystem, Arcade Fire and Dillon Francis to name a few, Klubknight’s sound has a highly accessible vibe.

Along with his solo project Etoile, Chris also found time to promote other artists and venues.

I ask the guys how they feel about live performing vs the recording process.

“I had booked Brett for a couple of shows when I was trying to be a cool promoter”, he laughs but Brett doesn’t have the fondest recollection of that experience.

Chris shakes his head. “I don’t really have a preference.

Working in the studio is always fun. Getting sounds right.

Finding a synth patch that sounds really good with a particular kick. But playing gigs is sort of like a holiday we can let our hair down and get down to business and meet new people and all that.”

“Like that time you booked me for a DJ set at Cooly and told me that the CDJs were linked but it turns out they weren’t.

So I had to scramble to find a second USB to use. Thanks.”

Still, the duo managed to find the time to get together in 2013 and start writing, and haven’t looked back since. When not packing out clubs like Elsewhere until they are bursting at the seams with impatient punters lining up outside, Klubknight have been diligently writing and recording.

I ask them about their writing process, and receive a slightly unusual response.

“Basically one of us will come up with an idea. Then we sit down together add bits and pieces that we feel we need”, says Brett.

“Our studio sessions are usually very silly. By the end of the day we’ve usually created a few made up characters. And we name most of our synth patches and plugins/presets. For example we have an effect processor we call Lenny. He usually helps us out when we’re stuck with a sound. So we 4

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Although DJ sets might seem relatively quirk-free compared to a full live set with many instruments, they are not without their own difficulties. Chris remembers one such occasion.

“One funny time that stands out was when I pressed stop by accident to a full crowd at our Elsewhere show.”

Brett laughs. “That’s right! If anything it made it better, got everyone up and going for our next track, it wasn’t meant to be but it worked well.”

Chris shrugs. “I was really embarrassed at first, but these things happen.”

The boys are very grateful towards all their close friends and the people who have supported them along their journey so far.

“Shout out to Kendall James and Ash Mcdonald for being

the first set of ears to hear fresh stuff ”, says Chris.

Brett adds ”Rachel Lamaro for basically managing the business side of things. James Raper for mastering all our finished work. And Michael Mckeirnan from Various Artists for helping out with our first tour and publicity.”

Brett’s partner has also been a support for him, but Chris is currently single, to which statement he adds “So... Ladies...”

We all laugh.

2015 looks as though it will only get bigger and better for this energetic duo with a follow up to 2014’s From The Whiteboard on the cards.

“We have been working on a follow up EP that we are in the process of finalising now,” says Chris. “It’s almost finished and should be ready for early 2015. It will be a little different to our first. But the concept is the same. Heavy electronic sound.”

The Klubknight boys are excited for the coming year.

“We have a big one coming up on Boxing Day at Essential Intentions in Byron Bay playing alongside some good friends of ours”, says Brett.

“Over the next twelve months we have a few goals we’d like to achieve. It’s going to be busy. But we can’t wait. Big things to come! Watch this space.”

You can download Klubknight’s exclusive unreleased single Engine using the QR code on the cover.

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BUSKERS GO WATERSIDE FOR A MONTH OF SUNDAYS Waterside Events at Currumbin RSL have partnered with Buskers by the Creek organisers to further support live music on the Gold Coast.

You’d already know this from previous Blank reports, but Buskers by the Creek’s inaugural event saw more than 10,000 people cruise through the parklands adjacent Currumbin Creek to check out some 100 performers. Cincy Jensen, the event’s organiser says she’s been inundated with requests for acts to make venue appearances ever since.

“There is an enormous amount of talent on the Gold Coast, but unfortunately the number of venues that are able to support them are decreasing at a rapid pace,” Cindy said.

No wonder then, that she’s so excited about a new partnership with Currumbin RSL which has always supported grass roots events on the coast. They’ve hosted Bleach* Festival’s gala opening since its inception and were the first major sponsor of Swell Sculpture festival in 2002 (and beyond).

Currumbin RSL CEO, Anne Stovin has always been a supporter of live music. She said the Waterside Events Room – with its large balcony overlooking Currumbin Creek will be the perfect backdrop for a series of afternoon summer gigs.

“We see the synergy,” Anne said.

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Buskers by the Creek’s Cindy Jensen had hoped to organise a number of post-festival events to cater to demand, but did not expect it to be an easy task.

And that’s where Currumbin RSL and Waterside Events stepped in.

“It’s important to support live music and arts in general and to provide a space where our community can enjoy what the Gold Coast has to offer,” Anne said.

The free events will run every Sunday throughout the month of January from 3.30pm to 7.30pm, with doors opening at 3.00pm.

“I am so proud to have our local, iconic club onboard and our talent are extremely appreciative of the extended opportunities,” said Cindy.

It’s another month of Sundays celebrating summer and it all kicks off on 4 January at Currumbin RSL. 4 January | Julie Hayes + Kenny Slide + Salt and Steel 11 January | Joshy Dredz and Johan Coppers + The Tristan O’Meara Band + Zed Butel 18 January | Katie Who + Andrew Cousins and Jackson James 25 January | Barefoot Friday + Stav Giouzelis Band + Casey Duque

TEN YEARS OF EARTH FREQUENCY It’s been ten years since Paul Abad launched Earth Frequency Festival, but it’s only been one year since our editor Samantha Morris touched base with him.. 2015 will see the event in its second year at Ivory’s Rock, a move Paul says is very much what the festival needed.

“Ivory’s Rock is one of the best setup festival venues I have seen and it feels like home already,” he said. “There’s always a lot of work involved in moving venues, but things went quite well this year and we are now refining the layout for 2015 based on how it all went. Hopefully this will be our permanent home from here on in.”

I find it hard to move house, I can’t imagine moving a whole festival set-up and I’m curious as to whether they got it right last year. I pose the question to Paul.

“We are redoing the site layout for a better approach to camping, and a few changes to stage locations. It’s amazing how many things there are to consider when doing a festival layout, a big web of inter-dependancies, but it’s shaping up great, i think everyone will be impressed,” he said.

Paul says that this year’s event saw the Festival hit the numbers they expected and that people from the local area loved it and the vibe of the people who came along.

But as usual, one event closes another one is in the wings straight away.

“Because EFF started as a small community based event, we have worked really hard to keep that special vibe, to manage our growth carefully, and not just go massive too quickly,” he said when asked about next year’s event. But he quickly rattles off some of the highlights of the program.

“The Opiuo Band and Beats Antique,” he says, “both are acts who blur the line between a live band and electronic music, who make futuristic live vibes, and I think they will have a massive showing for their sets.”

“Also really looking forward to Desert Dwellers, Dub FX and Perfect Stranger.”

“It’s been a slow growing project which is really finding its feet now, and that means we have a lot of returning audience year to year, a real community vibe and the feeling of being welcomed in to big extended family, not just in a field of strangers,” Paul says about his vision for the event.

“We also seem to get a very diverse audience, from hippies to city folk, young and old, live music and electronic music fans .. it’s a big melting pot of different vibes and cultural backgrounds, but we like that.”

And then it’s back to reeling off highlights in the 2015 program.

“Regular favourites Kingfisha and Spoonbill are always a highlight for me, and Spoonbill is bringing a full performance stage show for our 10th anniversary show - expect a lot of costumes and shenanigans!”

Cartel, Dub FX and Dose. I think they will all be stand out sets.”

“We have our biggest performance lineup this year with a wide range of fire shows, roving performers and feature stage shows. Also very happy to have the amazing artist Damon Soule out from the USA to do live painting - his stuff is incredible,” Paul said.

Earth Frequency Festival has always set itself apart from the ‘usual’ festival scene by trying to create a community of participants rather than a field of punters. And Paul is quick to acknowledge that his event has been a decade-long effort at building that community, with many people contributing and supporting his vision.

“A massive shout out to everyone who has supported the festival over the past decade - whether its as a guest, a volunteer, a worker, a musician … whatever,” he said. “Thank you for being part of it, thanks for supporting the journey this event and this community have gone through, and here’s to the next ten years.”

Earth Frequency Festival 12 – 16 February 2015 Ivory’s Rock | earthfrequency.com.au

“First time bookings for us include Combat Wombat, Tijuana

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CELEBRATING one year in print Most of our readers know by now, Blank is a very small, grassroots operation, owned by two Gold Coast ladies who have set out to unearth and celebrate all that is special about the GC. And right now we’re celebrating the most wonderful milestone – the first anniversary of going to print.

It’s been a big year of learning for us. When we started Blank we had no idea about the music industry or about publishing. When we asked for our first interview and the publicist came back to us and asked what kind of interview we wanted to do we had to research what kind of interviews were possible. Whoops.

But, as with any new venture that’s built on passion and people, we learned on our feet, got the magazine off the ground and are still working hard to make sure we build a sustainable community of creative people here on the coast.

There’s a few things we’d like to share that show our growth and demonstrate the level of support we’ve had from people like you: • We’re distributing more than 5000 copies of the magazine across over 250 outlets throughout the GC and northern NSW. • We have more than 50 writers and photographers who have contributed their time to creating real content and unearthing cool things happening here and further afield.

• We’ve moved into awesome offices in Miami which offer a space for our writers and other people involved in GC culture to come together.

• We’ve interviewed hundreds of local bands, artists, restaurateurs, entrepreneurs, promoters, designers and cultural change agents across the Gold Coast.

• We’ve grown our online community to 100,000 visitors to our website since launching.

• We’ve had 6000 people look at our online gig guide in the past year. That’s 6000 people looking for live music offerings.

Of course, Blank is a team effort. Getting something like Blank off the ground takes the skills, time, passion and creativity of a massive group of people, some of them who work very hard behind the scene for very little measurable reward. And in fact, the only person who gets paid right now is our advertising guru.

So, to our management team who work their butts off to bring you each edition: Amanda Gorman, Mella Bunker and Phillippa Wright, we offer our unending gratitude. We’d like to offer thanks especially to the growing team of writers and photographers who craft our content and without fail send us awesome stories every single month. We’d like to acknowledge the enormous list of people who gave cold hard cash to our crowdfunding appeal in 2013 which raised $10,000 to get us off the ground. And we’d like to send heartfelt love to all of you, our readers for sharing our vision for an awesome Gold Coast.

We are, your most humble servants.

Chloe Popa – owner and designer Samantha Morris – owner and editor 8

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JEFFREY HOAD RICH & FAMOUS Jeff Hoad didn’t chose to become a musician - life chose it for him. In life we must accept the cards which we are dealt.

In the case of Jeffrey Hoad - the deck was musical - and he plays on. In 1981 Jeff joined Kings of the Sun, learned the ropes and paid his dues in the wild pub rock scene of the 1980s. But what followed was the stuff of legend – picked up by a USA talent scout at a Kings Cross gig, the band toured the world with acts like Kiss, Iron Maiden, Aerosmith and more and produced three major label studio albums.

But every fairytale has a twist, and that twist was GRUNGE it hit the 90s like Disco hit in the 70s and stalled the progress of rock as we know it. In hindsight - it was just rock all along.

Musically - the world has come full circle and so has Jeffrey Hoad. And lucky for you, you can witness it all in person when he hits the Gold Coast with his band The Rich & Famous. Mella Bunker caught up with Jeff.

What do you love about living on the GC? They keep knocking everything down, so if you’ve lived here for a long time there are no landmarks, it’s like you have no past. Plus Surfers Paradise is a cultural mecca, I almost forgot!

The best gig you’ve ever played?

Opening for Iron Maiden and Kiss in Italy for the Monsters of Rock tour, I had never seen the Euros as a crowd before, it was like WWIII. I was hit with sharpened coins and loved it.

The crowd was so huge it felt like I was in a Roman Colosseum. In fact we were.

Thoughts on the GC music scene There should be more than there is. Everyone listens to music and it’s part of everyone’s life - there is no life without music. There are great bands, there is a great love of music and of seeing music played live - but THEY have eliminated some of the greatest live rock venues that ever existed in Australia such as The Playroom and Bombay Rock to name a few. Culture is something that the GC planners need to embrace wholeheartedly and if one granny complains about noise levels don’t shut the venue down because you have one sad granny versus 1000+ excited music lovers.

One piece of advice you’d give an aspiring musician?

Play what you want to hear.

The biggest challenge to up and coming Australian artists The lack of live music venues. It shouldn’t always have to be a festival. The best and most iconic venues around the world were small, tiny, dingy rooms where musical creativity was nourished and these venues and gigs changed people’s lives and changed the culture of the world forever in a positive way.

©2014 Hard Rock International (USA), Inc. All rights reserved.

Your most vivid musical memory?

Seeing The Cramps play live at Meeting of the Tribes, a festival initiated by Ian Astbury (The Cult) in Los Angeles.

Jeffrey Hoad hits Hard Rock Café with The Rich & Famous for a month of Sundays starting Sunday 11 January.

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THE COATHANGERS Suck My Shirt

Atlanta USA garage-punk riot girls, The Coathangers have very much been a ‘fly under the radar’ proposition in this country to now. The band forming back in 2006 simply to hang out and play parties, before their sloppily infectious sounds got them their own rabid underground fan base, as well as delivering them support slots for bands of the calibre of The Thermals and The Black Lips. But with the local release of their trashily hedonistic fourth long player, Suck My Shirt, as well as an Australian tour on the horizon, the band may very well be on the cusp of greater recognition and notoriety in this part of the world.

In turns bouncy, shouty and snarly, Suck My Shirt delivers on the band’s earlier promise as they fizz and wallop their way through an abrasively catchy slew of 12 bile-bombs in a little under 40 minutes.

Bursting out of the blocks with Follow Me, the band’s manifesto is laid bare upfront; jaunty rhythm section married to three chord garage-punk, the gutsy, ‘on the edge of desperation’ vocals of singer and guitarist Julia Kugel (aka Crook Kid Coathanger), back up pack-vocals framed within a singalong chorus, with impressive, post punk channeling lead guitar shards providing welcome light and shade.

Springfield Cannonball (which was stuck in my head as ‘Springfield Cannibal’ for quite awhile there!) serves as a

Soundwave have just announced the final line up for the already massive two day festival for each city.The announcement includes The Smashing Pumpkins, Steel Panther, Millencolin, Falling In Reverse, Exodus, The Vandals, Rival Sons, King Parrot, Raglans, Animals As Leaders, Bayside, The Devil Wears Prada, Dragonforce, Evergreen Terrace, Fucked Up, He Is Legend, Killer Be Killed, Le Butcherettes, Lower Than Atlantis, Nonpoint, One Ok Rock, Sleepwave, Twin Atlantic and The Wonder Years. The festival will hit Brisbane on Saturday 28 February 28 and Sunday 1 March.

Sludge/Prog metal favourites Mastodon are set to embark on their first headline tour Down Under in support of their new album Once More Round The Sun. Anyone who has seen them live know that they put on one of the best shows on the planet and with a tonne of much loved material under their belt this is one tour not to be missed. Catch them at Eatons Hill Hotel in Brisbane on 29 March.

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spunky homage to mid 90’s English gals Elastica.

On tracks such as Aderall and Smother, the band largely stay true to their original garage punk roots. And Shut Up is classic punk snottiness, embellished with the emergence of a guitar line bringing to mind the psychedelic spaghetti-surfpunk style of Dead Kennedys guitar legend East Bay Ray. However, across the entire breadth of Suck My Shirt, it’s clear the band don’t wish to pigeonhole themselves as purely a one-paced, three-chord thang. The strong rhythmic interplay between drummer Stephanie Luke (aka Rusty Coathanger) and bassist Meredith Franco (aka Minnie Coathanger) comes to fore pleasingly often, providing an early 80’s post punk/funk filter to offset their more traditional punk-gunk.

Early 80’s bands such as Bush Tetras, Kleenex, Romeo Void and even early B52s all colour the band’s palette on tracks such as Dead Battery and I Wait.

The band’s ability to shift mood and tempo within tracks is also a strength, as evidenced in the song Zombie, which starts off all broodily gothic with sweetly eerie vocals shadowed by moody guitar shapes, the track pausing for breath half way in before a spiky, atonal guitar scree rides the track home.... something not too far removed perhaps from a less measured (LA girl group) Warpaint.

The gals are about to hit our shores for the first time ever, so if you dig their sounds be sure to get along to one of their January shows.

Shock rocker Marilyn Manson is set to release brand new album The Pale Emperor on 23 January ahead of his appearance at Soundwave Festival in February. The album is available for pre order digitally and also a special edition through the official website. Two tracks can currently be streamed for those keen to check out what’s to come; Third Day Of A Seven Day Binge and Deep Six. With the news that American Sludge legends Eyehategod will return to our shores in February, local supports have been announced for their gig at the Crowbar in Brisbane on 1 February. Gold Coast heavy hitters The Matador and I Exist will warm up the stage for the NOLA natives at what is set to be one of the most talked about tours of 2015. Tickets are on sale now through www.lifeisnoise.com Just when you though 2015 couldn’t get any bigger Norma Jean have announced an Australian tour in April in support of their critically acclaimed sixth album Wrongdoers. See why they are one of the most talked about live bands for

Friday 23 January | The Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay Saturday 24 January | Trainspotters, Brisbane Sunday 25 January | The Spotted Cow, Toowoomba

Mastodon

yourself at the Crowbar in Brisbane on Thursday 2 April. A word to the wise – Friday is a public holiday. Tickets are on sale now through Oztix.

Got some metal news we should know about? Email rabidnoiseradio@hotmail.com. And get the latest metal tracks and interviews with Rabid Noise every Wednesday night from 9.00 pm live on rabbitradio.com.au.

REVEL IN THE MUSIC: YES SIR NOCEUR Gold Coast band YES SIR NOCEUR sat down with Christie Ots to discuss their upcoming EP, the debut of their music video and exactly what they are in the music industry for. Spoiler alert, it’s world domination.

“2015 will be the year of Yes Sir Noceur!” declares the band’s drummer Rory Switzer as we hide from the torrential rain that interrupted our photo shoot. The rest of the guys laugh and crack jokes and it is clear they can be the best of friends.

2014 saw the rise of this local outfit, comprised of Marc Cowie (vocals and guitar), Harry Toll (bass), Elliot Toll (guitar) and the aforementioned Rory Switzer. Having just released their debut video in November, finishing recording for their self-titled EP and a slew of gigs, this has been one busy year for the band.

“We came together almost by accident,” says Elliot, “I met Marc when he was playing a gig down the road and asked him if he wanted to come play some music. I cracked onto him!” Amidst the laughter Rory explains, “Harry and Eliot are brothers and Marc and I live together, we started jamming together after Marc and Eliot met and it all grew quite organically from there.”

Having done my research I knew what the band’s name meant, Noceur is French for a reveler or party animal, I was curious as to how they settled on their moniker.

“We had a gig at The Loft and we needed a band name,” Marc explained laughing, “We used to use H.E.R.M because it was an acronym of all of our initials. It came from recording shorthand.”

As the lightning flashed outside, our talk turned to their upcoming EP Launch, which is scheduled for early February.

The EP was recorded at Blind Boy Studio with Brad Hosking and Harry said that the process of deciding which tracks made the cut was excruciating.

“It was the first six that we finished, if we had gone with all of the songs that we had we would have had too many,” he says laughing. Mind you the band has enough songs to fill another full EP, which comes from their love of the creating process. They jam about four times a week!

American artists Andreas Pedersen and Corinne Elyse, are currently completing the EP cover art and the band has a treat in store for fans… the EP will be released on vinyl!

“We’re not going to make any money off it.’ Elliot jokes.

“We’re not in it to make money,” says Rory, “we just want to hear our music on our record player. A lot of our favourite albums were introduced to us on vinyl and having that warmth that comes off vinyl is really important to us.

Vinyl is an experience and a more intimate atmosphere for the listener.’

The band’s influences are apparent in the psychedelic rock sound of their music, but one of their sources of inspiration is a little unusual.

“Rory will prance in an erotic way and we just draw on that,” says Marc with a straight face, “he has a kind of je ne

sais quoi.” As Harry and Rory try to keep from laughing Elliot interjects, “Usually we’ll go off and write, some sort of rhythm or lyrics, and then bring that into the jam and everyone messes around with it.” Marc hasn’t had any formal musical training so his way of writing can need translation for the other band members, but ultimately it is their differences that help them create great music.

“We all come from different music backgrounds as well,” Rory explains.

Marc and Eliot like to listen to classic rock, like The Doors.

Harry and I prefer post rock, which we kind of combine in our music. You can hear the bass and the drums have a lot of driver, whereas the leads and the vocals are a lot more psychedelic-rock driven.”

The music scene on the Gold Coast can be limited at times, however it fosters a tight community of creative people that are always willing to help each other out. The band released their debut music video in November for their track Voodoo, and the guys credit its success to Tom Adams. They say he’s a video genius, kind enough to lend a hand.

“We messed around with a lot of ideas, but ended up letting Tom run with his, he’s a conceptual genius,” Harry said.

The film clip, which stars a young boy performing the song in front of a crowd of elderly people, is simple yet brilliant.

“Tom grew up with this kid in Port Macquarie and he flew him up for it,” explains Rory, “The kid listened to Voodoo over and over and learnt all of the lyrics and made up his own choreography. I think he actually knows Marc’s lyrics to Voodoo better than Marc himself!” Laughing he continues, “Not many people know this, but the entire video was one take. Tom did seven takes and had to choose the best one.

Apparently there was a better one than the one we went with, but an old lady fell asleep in it so we had to scrap that one!”

The guys have accomplished a lot in just over six months, Rory attributes it to Marc’s persistence in devoting a lot of his own time to contacting the creative community on the Gold Coast. “Some people might call it stalking,” jokes Harry.

Whatever you call it, it has paid off, with the band looking at expanding their base in 2015 and bringing their music to new ears. With a strong fan base here due to a large network of friends and, of course talent Yes Sir Noceur sold out their debut gig at The Loft earlier this year. Reminiscing about the buzz of that gig the conversation soon turns to local musos they’re loving.

“We saw a great band called Elegant Shiva down in Byron”, says Elliot, Also The Midnight Ramblers, they were fantastic.”

“Delta Riggs as well,” adds Rory, “seeing a band that started out here on the Gold Coast and has grown the way they have has been great for us.”

Talk turns to their plans for the year ahead and world domination, but all jokes aside Yes Sir Noceur are talented musicians who just want to share their music with people and support the Gold Coast’s growing creative community; and that is something I can get behind.

Make sure you catch the band in February for their EP Launch, because 2015 is going to be the year of Yes Sir Noceur. www.blankgc.com.au

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MUDGEERABA SCORES LIVE MUSIC BONANZA Glenn Tozer, Councillor for Division 9 is a live music nut.

I’m sure politically speaking he’d tell us about the social and economic benefits of live music and a strong cultural scene, but to be honest, I didn’t even ask him about the politics.

I actually posed the same question to Polly. And she reinforced Glenn’s words.

He’s taken the lead on developing a whole season of live shows to breathe musical life into an underused park in his electorate.

“Glenn? The dude is a fucking champion,” Polly said. “I can’t even believe it. They’re doing so many different things out there - he’s passionate and he’s all about culture and giving the community of Mudgeeraba some options.”

Cr Tozer has managed to secure $15,000 for nine Friday afternoon sessions in Cuddihy Park.

“I couldn’t be more stoked to be involved,” she said. “I wish I lived in Mudgeeraba.”

“It’s just a little stage,” he said. “Someone in their wisdom put a stage in the village and I don’t think it’s been used. This is a community asset, let’s use it.”

Cr Tozer’s electorate is the biggest landmass in the City taking in the whole south west: Mudgeeraba all the way to the border and out to the Scenic Rim and Numinbah. His target for this summer of Friday events is on the mark.

“What we’re hoping to do is activate this little stage in our village and invite people to come and see the best live music the Gold Coast has to offer.”

In a stroke of genius Glenn has engaged local cultural champion Polly Snowden to manage the project and book the acts. I asked him where he came across Polly and his answer won’t surprise anyone who knows her.

“We first met at Bluesfest,” he said. “And she impressed me with the amount of sentences she could put the word ‘fuck’ into and then she gave me a big hug. She’s so closely connected to the industry and her job is to deliver a showcase of events and activate our little park.”

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“If I can get between 60 and 100 people in our little park to listen to the best new music in the city, that’d be a great thing for Mudgeeraba and a great thing for the city,” he told Blank.

The series is being funded by a local area work budget.

Glenn told me that each year an allocation is made to projects and normally that includes pathways and playgrounds. “But I allocate a small amount of that money to cultural and community activities,” he said.

Artists for the Summertime Series are currently being booked with solo artists and duos being favoured and a folksy feel being crafted. “We’ve selected the best from

Council’s Soundcheck program,” Glenn explained.

I asked Polly what her vision for the series is and she made the point that events like this are incredibly important to Gold Coast’s cultural scene.

“Mudgeeraba is an amazing connected community but they don’t usually get these acts to their town.”

“The Gold Coast is a series of villages and Mudgeeraba is one of those villages. We want to give the people of Mudgeeraba a good time, somewhere they can take their kids and listen to tunes under the summer stars,” she said. “I don’t know if many people get out to Mudgeeraba very often either. This is a great chance for others to see what a great community Mudgeeraba is, and to meet the people there.”

The series kicks of on Friday 16 January with Felicity Lawless and then continues every Friday until mid March. Other acts to be included in the series include Julia Rose and CC The Cat, Karl S Williams, Emily Holler, Josh Lovegrove, Hailey Calvert, Hussy Hicks and Matt Rogers and Dave Murray.

Check the Blank gig guide for all the details blankgc.com. au/goldcoastgigguide.

Samantha Morris

It’s been a busy few months for you, working on the new record with The Putbacks. Single Daddy was the first taste we heard, was that the first track you guys started working on for the release?

Yeah pretty much, there was Dawn and I think Voodoo were the first ones we started messing around with when we started playing together. I met Mick and Rory, the bass player and drummer from The Putbacks a long time ago with the mob from Black Arm Band, they were the rhythm section there.

They gave me the ideas for Dawn and Voodoo to kind of start with and then after that and after playing a few little gigs and picking some playlists and doing some covers together we just started writing more, it was a lovely little combo you know.

PUTTING THE SOUL BACK IN Sly Steve chats to Emma Donovan on the release of the debut record ‘Dawn’ from Emma Donovan and The Putbacks

Well you seem to have found a song writing soul mate in Mick Meagher of The Putbacks, how did the two of you meet?

Black Arm Band were doing a gig called Murundak, with a lot of regional touring around Western Australia and Northern Territory. There was this one kind of soul song that I had on the show called Lullaby that I wrote with another band member in Sydney and they really liked my song in the set and it was a lot more soulful than a lot of the kind of rock ballads and rock/reggae songs that were on the gig. They loved it and at the time Rory would say, because at this time I was living in Sydney, ‘you should come to Melbourne and have a sing with us and catch up properly’ and we did. We just kept the conversation going and it ended up happening. I could pretty strongly say I that I really wanted to move to Melbourne to work with them mob. I just love them you know, I love The Putbacks, I’ve seen a lot of their live stuff and I just thought they’d be my dream band to work with.

There’s a real sort of funk and soul community vibe going on in Melbourne at the moment. Has it been good tapping into that and getting in touch with the crew down there?

Yeah it has, their (The Putbacks) relationship with Hopestreet Records too has been really solid. Them mob have been making really good music with that label, and really opened my eyes and ears with what Hopestreet do with like recording records and the way that they record stuff too, it’s pretty raw the way some of the recordings are set up live. Not to mention all of the beautiful people who work for the label, there’s lots of love.

You’re also doing a vinyl release for the record, as well as CD and digital, is that something new for you releasing on vinyl?

Yeah it’s the first time I’m going to release an LP, I’m going to have to buy a record player now (laughs). I asked mum about an old record player that I had when I was younger and she was like ‘That’s so old Emma, I don’t think that would work’ (laughs). I did have one when I was real little that Nan gave me, like an old carrier box one, I’ll have to dig it out.

That would be cool to put your record on your Nan’s player.

As you say you’ve been working with Hopestreet Records, who have put out a few releases from The Putbacks, what’s the relationship been like with those guys?

Just when the album was getting mastered and getting close to being finished, The Putbacks released a single with Nai Palm called Spanish Harlem and we shared a little gig together down at The Espy. It was nice crossing paths with her, as I’m a big fan of Hiatus Kaiyote and Simon from The Putbacks plays in Hiatus Kaiyote so there was a nice little connection there.

It feels like we’ve been sitting on this album for a bit though, kind of busting to hurry up and get this out now (laughs).

People have heard a few songs and we’re really looking forward to people hearing the rest of the album now.

Read more online blankgc.com.au

SCREAMFEEDER: GOLDEN YEARS Nineties indie rock stalwarts and proponents of the “Brisbane Sound” Screamfeeder are back with a re-release of all of their classic albums on vinyl. Catching up with band frontman Tim Steward, Natalie O’Driscoll’s first question was, “Why now?”

“Everything’s always a bit random,” says Tim in what I will come to learn is typical good-natured fashion.

“What happened was the label Poison City in Melbourne approached us very early this year to say let’s actually put in some promotion and get the albums released on vinyl, and we’d need to you tour in order to promote this, and then the guys at the label decided to do it this year and next year.”

Not having heard of Poison City previously, I ask Tim if they had worked with these guys before.

“Not exactly. We played at their showcase gigs in 2009 in Melbourne and they’re real music fans and passionate and just in it for the right reasons. People can tell it’s a really genuine label. We wouldn’t have done this with just anyone.”

I have to admit to Tim that I was a fixture at Brisbane live music venues in my teens and early twenties, at the time that Screamfeeder were gigging the most. I lost count of the time I saw those guys share stages with other Brisbane greats of that time, and bemoan the loss of what I perceive to be the Golden

Era of Brisbane music.

“Sure,” agrees Tim. “Everyone looks at their years in the teens and the early twenties like it was the golden years of music.

You’re just really open to everything new at that point in your life, and you’re over childhood.”

Even though their last recorded release was 2005 EP Delusions of Grandchildren, Screamfeeder have been gigging and rehearsing on and off for most of the period between then and now, including a run of shows in 2013 with American altrock band The Breeders on their most recent Aussie tour.

I ask Tim what kind of sound we can expect from the new album, and how long he thinks it will take to come together.

Next year however, it looks like more recording is on the cards.

“It’s much lighter on, we’ve experimented with dynamics and it’s a lot sparser and more spacious. It shouldn’t take long.

Over the years we’ve learned to write on demand, so we can go to rehearsal three to four weeks in a row, and we can basically guarantee at the end of that you’ll have the backbone for six to eight songs.”

“Next year we’ll record, we’ve been rehearsing again. Dean our drummer was away for a while and he’s back and he’s really into it. That’s enough and we can pick things up where we left off. 2015 we’ll start working on a new record. We’ve recorded some duo stuff already.”

Screamfeeder have finished up their run of shows supporting the release of their albums on vinyl. Keep an eye on their website www.screamfeeder.com for updates about their upcoming album.

www.blankgc.com.au

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album reviews

CHASE CITY

SMASHING PUMPKINS

TSUN

SAHARA BECK

This time last year, Tasmanian surf rockers Chase City were amping themselves up to play at the Marion Bay Falls Festival – an illustrious spot they’d deservedly been given thanks to Triple J Unearthed. If you need any indication of just how carefully you should be watching these guys, it’s worth noting that the Unearthed acts at Lorne and Byron Bay last year were Meg Mac and The Kite String Tangle, respectively.

Monuments to an Elegy marks Billy Corgan’s return to 90s styled rock, and yes, let’s be honest here, Billy Corgan IS Smashing Pumpkins, no-one else gets creative input in the band. Album number nine sounds like the 90s iconic alt-grunge-rock sound without the grunge and is ready for your aural pleasure in the form of tracks like Tiberius, Monuments and One and All. Dorian feels like a track that fell off the back of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, and that is not a bad thing.

It is incredibly rewarding and heartening to see a band you’ve discovered from day one from your hometown begin to grow up. Four guys, collectively known as TSUN, bringing the colour haze of joy back to psychedelic music not seen since the Beatles’ wrath of mainstream music control. It warms my soul.

Brisbane songstress Sahara Beck has made waves with her sophomore EP Pretender and with a single listen it is easy to see why.

Pretender opens with Words For Mary, which sounds sweet as the finger picking floats through Beck’s soft vocals. However as drums enter and vocals become stronger this song becomes powerful in its own right. Instantaneously Beck grabs your attention, with interesting lyrics and simple clean chord progressions.

With lyrics like ‘Mother came and told me never give yourself away, father said remember you are perfect in your way’ this song has a maturity that belies the singer’s 18 years.

I Lost Myself (Single)

Since then, the guys have played a slew of shows in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, their native Hobart, and more. They’ve also released their debut EP Winter Dawn which has already spawned two wonderfully sunny singles in Waves of Ours and Go Back. Now they’ve completed the trifecta with their feel-good track, I Lost Myself.

It’s a clean, uplifting number that deliciously follows the good old “quiet verse/big jam-out chorus/bridge that builds up to a climax that’s sure to get your feet moving” formula. Fans of The Jungle Giants and Loon Lake (read: those with a taste for indie rock with pop flavours) will definitely dig this one. I Lost Myself is an air-punching triumph of sparkling guitar hooks and sing-along lyrics. Simply put, this is a head bopper. You can just imagine that, when this track is performed live, everyone would be clapping along in time with the drums from the very first verse.

However, there’s a little more than meets the ear at first listen to I Lost Myself. On paper, lyrics like “I lost myself/Back at home with nothing going on/With these ghosts in my mind/My body won’t drown them out” sound pretty dark, and definitely at odds with the dizzyingly boisterous vibe of the song.

Essentially, this is the musical version of that all-too-familiar human experience of feeling a bit, well, lost – and keeping up the happy-golucky demeanour regardless.

You can (and really, really should) catch Chase City on their summer 2015 We Lost Ourselves tour. They’re at Beach Hotel Byron on 23 January and Broadbeach Tavern on 25 January.

Liz Ansley

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Monuments to an Elegy

One and All stands out as my favourite track from the album, mainly due to the driving, grungy guitarwork that still comes across with the full force of its emotion. Run2Me follows, and it sounds like a strange track from Muse’s The 2nd Law, complete with synth based pop progressions and a minimalistic drumbeat that underpins the hooks.

Billy Corgan even seemed to get into the spirit of the pop track with his vocals being the most commercially viable since the release of 1979. Drum + Fife is the acoustic based track of the album and even though I much prefer the heavier tracks on this album, the song ranks quite highly for me, mainly due to the explosive drums and the mass of instruments used throughout.

We need to be fair to Smashing Pumpkins. Everyone wants to hear a repeat performance of Mellon Collie and Siamese Dream, however bands that stay the same get crucified for having no progression (see: AC/DC). Billy Corgan turned 47 this year.

People change, and I think this album is a great release from a band that has managed to maintain a large fanbase over three distinct decades.

Kyle Butcher

Aghartha

Still retaining the heart and passion that we’ve come to know from Karl S. Williams’ solo stint but infusing deep layers of technicolour bliss through the other members’ collective engagement with Gold Coast’s other psych-pop darlings the Delicates. Now following from their incredibly solid 7” exclusive release earlier in the year, TSUN are tightening the screws but somehow are still keeping it, as Jack Black would famously say, “Loosey goosey, baby.” It’s the live studio dynamism which borders TSUN away from other Australian psychedelic giants. In Aghartha you can physically hear the group having fun in the studio. It’s the band’s aptitude to aimlessly feeding off each other, musically, which allows TSUN to breath a wave of crispy freshness into the, somewhat, overpopulated Australian psychedelic music scene.

Aghartha still toys with TSUN’s love of the cosmic dimension which groups nicely into the musical and visual context of the TSUN project. Karl dances over the words, “Underneath the central sun” which plays to the infectiously chiming keyboard hymn they’ve marvellously created. As the song tunefully progresses, the acknowledgement and discovery that Aghartha is a legendary esoteric city amongst the Earth’s core is as magical as it sounds. TSUN’s ability to transport the listener to regions previously unknown through the power of story, music and colour is something incredibly unique in a mere four minute period. I’ll finish by stating the blaring obvious - we have a Beatles revival in our midst, folks and it’s happening right here on the Gold Coast.

Jake Wilton

Bloom (EP)

Track two is titled Brother Sister and was the breakout track from Pretender. The song starts with a strong drum presence; with a lovely hint of cowbells, but it is the chorus of voices that make this song something different from the norm. This song isn’t poppy, but it is incredibly boppy, and will have you moving when you listen to the rhythm that Beck creates seamlessly. You can tell this isn’t Beck’s first rodeo; she has really honed her abilities since her first album in 2011. The third track Pretender needs a language warning, but has a beautiful rawness to it. Holding nothing back this track is gritty and honest and is the perfect amount of edge for this EP. The film clip is brilliantly simple and showcases the contrast between the strength of Beck’s voice and the fragility of her person. It is true that great things come in small packages.

I Don’t Want To Break Your Heart is one of those songs that makes you take a breath when it starts and forget you’re holding it. Soft, sweet and sad the mix of gentle melodies and clever lyrics makes this one of my favourite tracks on the E{. It can be hard to pack diversity into a five track EP without creating a clashing mess, however Beck manages to have the highs, the lows and everything in between through intelligent composition. Finishing with The Creators: keys add to the almost melancholy feel of this track, stripped back and allowing Beck’s voice to shine. Ending the EP on The Creators gives you the feeling that it truly was a journey, which is something Beck should be lauded for, especially when only using five tracks to do so. Sahara Beck will be playing Woodford Folk Festival this year and if you can’t make it to Woodford I strongly recommend putting Bloom on repeat and pretending you’re there.

Christie Ots

MARSHALLING A FRETFEST WIN

SALVADARLINGS

OLIVER’S ARMY

The delightful single Positive Energy was thought to be unmatched as Brisbane / Gold Coast psych children Salvadarlings aimed to keep that trophy on their shelf. The hardest competition comes from yourself, so it wasn’t hard for Salvadarlings to release yet another infectious psych sandwich in the form of Beta Swan.

The bleak and wistful title of Oliver’s Army’s debut album acts as a warning sign for its listeners: you’re not in for an uplifting experience here. Singer/songwriter Ryan Oliver explores themes of loneliness, loss and resignation to pessimism while flirting with varying genres across the vast space of the record. Despite the slow, measured pace of every song, Nothing Ever Really Stays The Same feels like somewhat of a break-neck musical journey. It’s full of sharp turns – into country (most notably on Hilary, Come On Home and Cradle of Wood), suave indie rock (Born To Breed and Arms Around Your Lover) and folksy chamber pop (Riddles).

As a whole, however, this is an album that is tied together by its musical and lyrical melancholy. Even the most come-hither and beat-driven tracks still sound brooding and hushed, thanks to some gorgeous production and sparse, twinkling instrumentation.

Nothing Ever Really StaysThe Same

Beta Swan

The charm and charisma is entirely diverted from front woman Ashley Goodall who still holds the vocal complexion of a Grace Slick (Jefferson Airplane) or a Victoria Legrand (Beach House). The cutesy magnetism reinforces the entirety of the Salvadarlings package, though, with the instrumentation feeling as groove as ever. Experimenting now with synth bleeps and bloops, accustomed to a Flaming Lips jaunt, Salvadarlings now have a new syndicate to back pedal toward their future records. The swirling, riffing guitars still take precedence, yet the group can afford to dabble into customised electronic voyages.

Much like the progressive development of the two Tame Impala records, Salvadarlings are creating and briefly experimenting early on into their celestial venture. With a bright future ahead – and another EP set for early 2015 release - Salvadarlings can rest on their laurels now as we continue to bounce along to another joyous colour-soaked jam.

Jake Wilton

Ryan Oliver laments and sighs from the opening title track all the way to the closer Lonesome Man, with universally accessible sentiments scattered throughout his lyrics.

Don’t let the band’s name fool you – this is a highly introspective and personal record, rather than an analysis of broader social issues a la Elvis Costello. The album has the feel of the kind of thing you’d listen to after your very first big breakup, just as you were starting to explore alternative music and consume media that lay slightly off the beaten track. Arms Around Your Lover is far and away the standout, the thematic cousin of songs such as the Rolling Stones’ Honky Tonk Women, featuring a wonderfully crunchy guitar solo and spirited, coltish piano.

Fans of Boy & Bear and other such indie folk-rock acts will adore this album, dubbed “Ameri-straliana rock” by its makers. Nothing Ever Really Stays The Same is a quintessential down-in-the-dumps effort, the perfect complement to broken hearts and glasses of single-malt whiskey. Unfortunately, Oliver’s Army have already completed their tour for the year, so you won’t be able to catch them live any time in the near future – but keep your eyes and ears open for new developments in 2015.

Liz Ansley

17 year old Harry Marshall is from Emerald but he visted the Gold Coast recently. He’s quite an impressive young person, recently taking out Queensland’s Fretfest singer and songwriter competition for 2014 and also a Young Citizen Of The Year award. Rabbit Radio’s Sarah McEwan caught up with him.

How did you find out about Fretfest?

I was playing with my band at a Catholic school, we were a contemporary ensemble, and Al Buchan (Fretfest), was judging. We were the only band playing all originals and he approached us afterwards and told us that we got good ability and then it kinda just grew.

So when did you start getting into music?

I initially started writing poetry when I was in early primary school but it was all the generic type of love sick poetry. I started writing music when I was about 13. I also decided to make the transition from playing the piano to the guitar as I developed my own style as a young musician.

Some of the artists who have previously won the Fretfest competition include Kate Miller Hiedke, Pete Murray and Tom Busby from Busby Marou. Are these artists influential within your own music career?

Yeah, big shoes to fill, but definitely think those artists are great. I actually met Tom Busby at a festival in Clermont; lovely guy, really admire his poetic lyrics and he’s a great songwriter.

What other music do you listen to that has fostered your passion for music?

I take a lot of influence from acoustically driven artists such as Boy and Bear, Bob Dylan, Mumford and Sons, Bruce Springsteen and Ben Howard. I’m also listening to a lot more rock and roll like the band 1975. As I continue to develop my music and grow a lot of my more recent tracks are definitely rock inspired.

What do we expect to hear from you next year?

A lot of writing and gigs, I was only just in the studio and we got one track down and just fingers crossed for a record deal now. And being so young I’m so appreciative of Fretfest and Al’s guidance as there are so many talent shows for singers but nothing that caters for the songwriters, I’m very grateful to have been a part of it.

For now though, you can catch Harry’s material on youtube or follow him on Facebook

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Recommends

GON’ BOOGALOO C.W Stoneking

I’m pretty new to C.W Stoneking, having heard his smooth sounds at Byron Bay Blues Festival 2014 for the first time.

My jaw dropped. He has such an old sound I was not expecting a middle aged man from Northern Territory to produce.

A FALLS’ BONANZA Summer is here and with it comes some of my favourite Australian music festivals. I’m heading along to Falls Music and Arts Festival in Byron Bay over the new yeah so here are a few records from some of the amazing acts that are top of my list.

THIS IS ALL YOURS Alt J, 2014

The 2012 debut album from Alt J, An Awesome Wave, was so well received I was a little worried about where they could go from there. The album was filled with hits like Tessellate, Breezeblocks and my personal favourite, Matilda; earning Alt J the reputation of the ‘new Radiohead’. A title that every English alt-rock group is after!

This Is All Yours kicks off with Intro, a dramatic and integral start to the album before flowing on to the first in a three part song series, Arrival in Nara (Nara and Leaving Nara are the other parts). It has this soft, apprehensive guitar and keys to open with and moves into a heartbreaking tale of a woman drowning.

Left Hand Free is the second single and comes as a welcome increase in tempo. It has this cool blues-rock sound and a catchy chorus - a very good choice as a second single. After a lull in tempo with Garden of England and Choice Kingdom comes the first single, Hunger of the Pine. The single strangely features a sample from Miley Cyrus (a name I never thought I would type) on her hit 4x4. It does not work for me. Not even a little bit.

This Is All Yours came as a double LP on 180gram, translucent, coloured vinyl, without knowing which colours you would get, I got blue and green.

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Gon’ Boogaloo is the third studio album from Stoneking and the first in six years. It’s also the first album to be long-listed for the Coopers Australian Music Prize before its actual release date. It is unbelievably addictive and it’s impossible to concentrate on anything else when it’s playing; you don’t want to miss a thing! Gon’ Boogaloo is perfectly balanced with ‘50s rock’n’roll and a female choir providing a whole new depth.

The album flows effortlessly but listening to it out of order is really strange, you can see just how different every track really is. A great deal of thought went into the track listing for Gon’ Boogaloo. My absolute favourite song on this rekkid is Tomorrow Gon Be Too Late (if I had to only choose one, otherwise I’d be listing the entire album). Check this album out, it’s in my Top 10 of 2014. C.W Stoneking has recently toured this album on the back of its release in October and is playing the Marion Bay leg of Falls Festival only.

SOME DAYS THE RAIN MAY FALL (SINGLE) Kim Churchill, 2014

I picked up this little gem earlier in 2014 at Blues Festival after seeing Kim Churchill play. It had been a few years since I’d seen him around this neck of the woods, with his success supporting Billy Bragg in Canada and recording his album, so when I saw this single at the merch tent I snavelled it up.

Some Days the Rain May Fall is definitely sleepy morning music. It has a solid, gradual build and seems to fit perfectly with the kookaburras in my backyard. The blues harp pleasantly echoes the lyric melody and then softens this tune again as it fades out.

The B side, Fear The Fire, starts with this almost oriental string arrangement before Churchill comes in with his flawless phrasing. As the track builds Churchill sings with strength and conviction before fading off into the same, oriental-style string motif as the start.

Gina Martin

HOME GROWN Sarah McEwan is a 20 year old a member of the Rabbit Radio Team and host of radio show, Home Grown which airs every Friday morning from 9.00am – 11.00am via rabbitradio.com.au.

What do you love most about living on the GC? The attitude of people, the amazing year round summer and the café culture. Initially moving here I had no idea what I was doing but after living in London for the past six months I was ready to be back. And I also really love the natural contrast of the beautiful national parks and then the pristine beaches: the best of both worlds.

Tell us about the best gig you’ve ever been too?

Bon Iver at the Sydney Opera House, hands down. I cried and have never been so consumed before. Justin Vernon and his band… wow my two friends and I the left the show speechless. Bon Iver’s music has gotten me through the worst and best of times and I will always hold those memories close to me, blessed to have seen them play live in such an incredible venue.

What are your thoughts on the GC music scene?

After starting my locally influenced radio show my knowledge of GC music grew quite quickly. There’s quite a contrast in the artists that are from here, there’s loads of cool psych rock bands and then acoustically driven artists who you just find busking at the farmers markets. We have loads of talent here and it’s constantly popping up, can’t wait to see these local artists grow.

If you could take five musicians on a roadtrip, who would you choose?

I’d have to pick Xavier Rudd, one of the most down to earth and spot on humans in this country. Angus Stone, he probably wouldn’t offer much conversation but he would be nice to look at. Kevin Parker because he is such an interesting human with insane talent. Paul Kelly because I grew up listening to his stuff and he would be a great story teller and Missy Higgins because I’ve loved her music ever since I was a grommet and she seems like such a beautiful person.

The most under-rated musician right now?

I’ve been following the musician, ILUKA for a long time now, love her style and the era she harks back to. I’ve always been a lover of the late 60s and early 70s and ILUKA is a super talented artist from Sydney and really makes you smile and has brilliant lyrics. Women within the music industry don’t get as much attention, and this lady of light deserves it.

Listen to Sarah McEwan on Rabbit Radio every Friday morning at 9.00am and if you’re a local band or event host wanting to be covered, contact Sarah at homegrown.rabbitradio@gmail.com.

Mella Bunker

think, as far as the religion goes, it has a lot of beautiful stories and tales of different demons and magical arrows,” Narayana says, and he admits that these stories have had a profound impact on why he creates music. “With Willow Beats I’m trying to create these fantasy landscapes, these interesting otherworldly places, so I can bring a listener on a journey. Kind of a bit of an adventure, something that’s otherworldly. I’m trying to put someone in another realm.” Kalyani credits the artistic nature of her upbringing with starting her on her current path, and with shaping her desire to tell her own stories through music. “The religion is super creative and musical they were always putting on plays in the temple and everyone dances and sings together, so you just feel like you can [create music]... There’s a lot of ancient texts that I grew up reading and listening to. The Mahabharata is this epic, massive book, this story about these brothers who get exiled in the forest.

When I was young I’d just listen to those [stories] when I was going to sleep. So I’ve always been very enchanted by epic, magical stories.”

WILLOW BEATS Narayana and Kalyani of Willow Beats spoke to Liz Ansley about their roots, the national electronic music scene, and guilty listening pleasures.

Sitting on a futon covered by brightly coloured cloth, on a verandah in Brisbane’s West End, Narayana Johnson and Kalyani Mumtaz ponder their earlier years, before they became the seemingly unstoppable electronic duo that is Willow Beats.

“We grew up on this farm, on a huge 1000 acre property, so we spent a lot of time playing and just kind of having free reign – being able to run where we want, swim in creeks and climb trees. It was really awesome, having that nature in our lives,” Narayana reminisces. “The area we grew up in is so amazing and beautiful… we try to incorporate that into our music. The obvious way to do that is to use actual samples from nature. Bird calls and river sounds.”

The influence of the Australian bushland is incredibly prominent in the music Willow Beats makes – in more ways than one. Lyricist Kalyani draws upon her hometown of Murwillumbah when it’s time to put pen to paper and write a new song. “[I’m] just trying to capture the feeling I get from the place where I live. I have so much emotional attachment to it. I try to convey how I feel when I’m there.” For her, making music is a way of worshipping the things that are so close to her heart. “It’s kind of like praising the land and mother earth.”

Narayana and Kalyani were born into a Hare Krishna community, and it’s clear that this upbringing has cemented spirituality and mysticism as being integral to their lives. “I

Electronic music has been having a bit of a moment in Australia recently, with acts like Flume, Chet Faker and Peking Duk becoming household names – and even smaller acts, such as Paces and Golden Features, frequently draw huge crowds at their various festival sets. Narayana attributes this to music-making and sharing tools accessed through the internet. “I think we’re going through a bit of a golden age for electronic music in Australia. Partly, I think it’s because of the internet - people can make whatever music they want to, be creative however they choose to. They can just put it up on the internet and people will find it and listen to it. I think anyone can spend a couple of hundred dollars and make music, so everyone’s doing it, and then there’s these gems that pop up all over the place.” Kalyani agrees, adding “It’s accessible, we’ve grown up with technology and so we’re all just using it creatively.” But in her eyes, music is a way to take a step back.

“For me, a lot of Willow Beats is about getting back to your roots as a human. Cos we’re in such a technological age, and growing up in the country just seemed like the natural thing to do [for us], and then you go to the city and you realise that so many people are living this life that’s probably not so natural for humans.”

Bands that are formed by members of the same family are certainly nothing new – but the uncle/niece dynamic that is Willow Beats is somewhat rarer. There isn’t a giant age difference between Kalyani and Narayana, but is there a power imbalance that affects the way they collaborate? Not particularly, according to Kalyani. “I don’t know, I’d say we’re pretty chill with each other. We’ve always made stuff together, so it’s kind of the same as it’s always been.” Narayana adds, “I think we know where each other’s strengths are, so we kind of just let each other do our thing and then bring it together. We have a lot of the same ideas musically as well, and a lot of the same ideas about how music should sound or what’s pleasing. It’s easy when we work together because we both like the same stuff.”

years. “They were the first band I ever saw in Melbourne when I was probably 15, I just snuck in. I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is the standard, this is Melbourne music!’ And now they’re like the best musos in the world, practically!”

But Narayana and Kalyani have some surprisingly diverse tastes, too. “I really like The Cranberries! Their No Need To Argue album was played so much when I was travelling around a lot and while a lot of big stuff was happening in my life. So when I listen to it now, it brings me back” Narayana says. “Mount Kimbie’s Crooks and Lovers is a big one for me [as well]. That made me realise that electronic music didn’t have to be all these big sounds or really in your face. It’s a really humble album, it’s quite like, ‘Hey, come in and listen if you want, but you don’t have to’. Whereas most electronic music is just like, BAM! So that for me was a beautiful awakening, and that’s kind of partly what started me making beats. It had a pretty big impact on my life.” And is there an album that had a similar impact on Kalyani? “Probably Bjork - Medulla is a pretty special album to me. Mum always played it around the house late at night. It’s really transportational. I never realised how honest music could be. She’s not at all guising herself when she presents herself to an audience, she’s just purely her.

Even just the way she sings is super raw. It’s so honest, and that’s really heartwrenching.” But like everyone, she has a few unexpected tastes - mostly carried over from when she was younger. “Paramore and Muse were definitely me coming out as an angsty teen - and feeling real rebellious while doing it.

Actually, Avril Lavigne takes the cake. But I don’t know, we listen to a lot of music. I like a lot of Indian music, I like Loreena McKennitt, Celtic music, Arabian music...” If there’s anything to be said about the musical tastes of Willow Beats, it’s that they’re certainly not boxing themselves in.

It’s an overcast and incredibly humid afternoon. Tonight [at the time of this interview] is the duo’s Brisbane date of their Water EP tour – and there are some changes that’ve been made to their set since their last visit. “We’ve amped it up, visually,” Kalyani enthuses. “[I] just made completely synced visuals for our whole set, which is cool,” Narayana chimes in, “So that’s new. We’ve also reworked a lot of our old songs to make dancier versions that are more fun in a live setting. And I guess it’s a bit of a wave - we have some chill stuff, then it builds up and then chills out again. It’s a bit of a journey.”

The tour is a relatively short one, already wrapped up, in fact – and with two EPs under their belt, the inevitable question is: what’s next for Willow Beats? Kalyani and Narayana exchange knowing looks and smile. “Album!”

Both musicians are champions of fellow Aussie artists – neo-soul outfit Hiatus Kaiyote in particular. They’ve now had their remix of Hiatus Kaiyote’s track Ocelot included on the compilation album Tawk Takeout. “When I first moved to Melbourne, they [Hiatus Kaiyote] were just starting out, and instead of having a support act, they would have people do beat battles. Basically, they’d choose a song, everyone remixes it, and then different producers would get up and play their beat battle. I think I was in like three of those. That’s when they were just coming up, so it was pretty cool,” Narayana recalls. Kalyani discovered the band during her formative www.blankgc.com.au

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Its as healthy as it’s been for a while, as far as new acts go I could recommend Bad Sav, Shifting Sands, Kane Strang, Death & The Maiden..... there’s a lot more I haven’t seen or heard.

THE CLEAN

I’d imagine you may have seen The Gordons back in the dawn of the 80’s? Were they as powerful/visceral live as I imagine they must have been... Future Shock is such an amazingly ‘sonic’ song It seemed at the time they prided themselves on how loud they were, yeah loud, uncompromising attitude. I actually felt a little intimidated by early Gordons, musically and attitude wise, but of course later discovered what good fellows they were. Great songwriters, don’t forget that! The Clean did one show with them early on in 1980 I think which turned into a mini riot with the police being called and closing the show down.

I read recently of the sad passing of Peter Gutteridge. Did you have much to do with him in more recent times?

Peter lived a few blocks from us and had done for many years so yeah we saw quite a lot of him. Recently I helped him get Pure released on vinyl in the USA . He used to come visit and play piano and guitar and we would record and hang out. His passing has left a large hole in our lives.

Will the bumper four record re-release of your Anthology compilation be available at the upcoming shows?

I’m not sure at the moment, it’s so expensive to ship it down here, its nuts, though Merge have managed to keep the price down as much as possible.

Any new recordings/jams in the pipeline for The Clean?

Ah, no!

It’s The Clean’s first time back in Australia for 8 years, Anthony Gebhardt caught up with David Kilgour It’s your first time back in Australia for five years, what were the circumstances that bought you back over the ditch this time around?

Well I think its only our fourth visit to Australia, perhaps that’s a good enough reason BUT we are mainly coming as we have been asked to play the festivals and some shows got added. We only really play these days if asked.

Any enduring memories of playing in Brisbane (The Zoo) the last time you played these parts five years ago?

Lovely crowd and it was hot. Hamish played at a “drum off ”, Spiral Stairs popped up as did Everett True and band.

Previously I had played The Zoo solo to about 20 people. I also remember paying there with Lambchop and covering Stranded by The Saints.

What sort of fanbase are you attracting to your shows

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these days?

Just toured the USA for two weeks and it’s mostly younger people and a scattering of grey tops..... it seems to range from kids who just discovered us or music freaks in general.

What’s your general take/feeling on the nostalgia and reverence felt towards so called ‘seminal’ bands such as yourself?

I tend to focus on the performances I guess. I have no interest in nostalgia really. I’m more interested in making new music to be honest but the pure joy of performance is still high on the list. You gotta keep in mind The Clean is a very part time thing in our lives, its not really an on going project.

What’s the Dunedin music scene like in this day and age, anything worth investigating?

In light of the band’s other musical projects and dispersed locations, have you ever put a timeframe on the longevity of the band?

From my perspective I don’t see a lot on the horizon for The Clean apart from these Australian dates. I tell me friends this is the last tour, and they laugh...so go figure! Without any new music there’s only so much a poor boy can do. I love playing live with The Clean, no doubt about that, its still a challenge but for the artist to carry on without making any new music becomes an empty trip in the end, I think.

As you can see we three recently released a solo LP each.... mmmmmmmmmm ..... But also in saying that I looked at some footage of us playing in Chicago recently playing Point That Thing, and for most of the track you couldn’t really tell what was goin’ on apart from Bob’s three notes .... The beauty of The Clean is most songs are two or three chords and are open ended, we don’t adhere to arrangements or copying of old recordings live...it’s a free form situation but with songs.... I’ve recently being trying things out like “how can I play this song without actually playing the song?” And we also play for money and in recent years the fees have gotten better so that’s another reason we perform and tou. I survive off music alone and thankfully The Clean has allowed me to do that in more ways than one, and allowed me to have a solo “career”.

Catch The Clean supporting Ariel Pink and a host of others at The Brightside’s Australia Day Eve party. Tickets at Oztix.

JANUARY FRIDAY 2 JANUARY Monster Guitars | Cabarita Beach Bowling & Sports Club Sarah Frank | Jimez Cafe Bigfellalinc + Ian Jenkinson + Luke Houselander | The Loft Chevron Island Monster Guitars (Adam Hole and Mark Easton) | Cabarita Beach Bowling and Sports Club Paul George | Bambu Palm Beach

GIG GUIDE DECEMBER WEDNESDAY 24 DECEMBER Kiara Jack & The Jill | YHA Yamba James Street Preachers (covers) | Cambus Wallace Nobby Beach Open mic night | The Loft Chevron Island Santa’s Little Hinderers + Eva J + DJ Holiday | Treehouse Byron Gabrielle Lamb + Mitch King | Bambu Palm Beach FRIDAY 26 DECEMBER Sarah Frank | Bambu Palm Beach Thomas Sheehan (4.00pm) | Sunhouse Coolangatta

SATURDAY 3 JANUARY The Underscore Orkestra | Sheoak Shack Fingal Sarah Frank | Brooklyn Standard Brisbane Tora | Treehouse Byron Bay Dean Gray Duo (covers) | One50 Public House The Colombians + Morningside Fats + Casey Duque | The Loft Chevron Island SUNDAY 4 JANUARY Summery Sangria Sunday DJs | Eva J + DJ Guy Smiley from 2.30pm | Treehouse Byron Bay Jason Delphin (covers), 1.00pm | One50 Public House Felicity Lawless | Bambu Bar Palm Beach (4.00pm) Julie Hayes + Kenny Slide + Salt and Steel | Currumbin RSL Waterside WEDNESDAY 7 JANUARY Elbury Music | Sheoak Shack Fingal James Street Preachers (covers) | Cambus W allace Nobby Beach Open mic night | The Loft Chevron Island Ayla Briscoe + Mitch Ryan | Bambu Palm Beach

SATURDAY 27 DECEMBER The Hi Boys | Miami Marketta Tuppeny Opera | Sheoak Shack Fingal Benny D Williams | Baja Mex Cantina Kingscliff Mescalito Blues | Lennox Hotel Wordlife + Giv and friends | Elsewhere Jemma Lee + Kenny Slide + Kristie Lea | The Loft Chevron Island Tora | Treehouse Byron Bay

THURSDAY 8 JANUARY Buddah in a Chocolate Box | Beach Hotel Byron Bay

SUNDAY 28 DECEMBER Benny D Williams | Cudgen SLSC Mescalito Blues | Billinudgel Hotel Royale Sundays with Stretch + Sessionkatz | Elsewhere Surfers Paradise Summery Sangria Sunday: Eva J + DJ Summer Salt from 2.30pm | Treehouse Byron Pat Tierney | Bambu Palm Beach

FRIDAY 9 JANUARY Mescalito Blues | Shaws Bay Hotel Ballina Fletch | Burleigh Brewery The Flame Fields + Flannelette + Duque + Salt & Steel + Tylar Rossow | Currumbin Creek Tavern The Meerdogs + Steve Dorrington + Jimmy Martinovich | The Loft Chevron Island Marc Cowie | Bambu Palm Beach GOVS | Elsewhere Surfers Paradise

WEDNESDAY 31 DECEMBER NYE @ The Brewery | Tijuana Cartel + Wild Marmalade + Essential Intentions Productions | Byron Bay Brewery NYE Party with CC The Cat | Pacific Hotel, Yamba Daryl Braithwaite + band | Twin Towns Felicity Lawless | Nobby SLSC from 8.30pm The Titanix | Currumbin Creek Tavern

Jayden Courts + Amberley Jane + Daniel Robertson | The Loft Chevron Island The Arno Show: spontaneous live music | Elsewhere Surfers Paradise

SATURDAY 10 JANUARY AZREAL + Pseudonaja + Nescient + The Silencio | Currumbin Creek Tavern Nat & Stu Duo | One50 Public House Frazer Goodman & Friends | The Loft Chevron Island SUNDAY 11 JANUARY Mescalito Blues | Australian Tavern Ballina Shane Wilke (covers), 1.00pm | One50 Public House

Jeffrey Hoad (3.00pm) | Sounds of Sunday at Hard Rock Cafe, Surfers Paradise Joshy Dredz and Johan Coppers + The Tristan O’Meara Band + Zed Butel | Currumbin RSL Waterside WEDNESDAY 14 JANUARY Open mic night | The Loft Chevron Island Luke Houselanders + Steve Dorrington | Bambu Palm Beach THURSDAY 15 JANUARY Sam West + Bud Manthey + Andrea Kaden | The Loft Chevron Island FRIDAY 16 JANUARY Monster Guitars | Nimbin Hotel Mescalito Blues | Riverview Hotel Murwillimbah King Louie & Guitar Mick | Burleigh Brewery Benny D Williams + Nige + Kirra Huddy | The Loft Chevron Island Felicity Lawless + Scott French | Summertime Sessions in the Village, Cuddihy Park from 5.30pm The Altais | Bambu Palm Beach Spirit of Akasha | Soundlounge Currumbin SATURDAY 17 JANUARY Kiara Jack & The Jills| Palm Beach Markets, 7.00am Chris Shermer | Sheoak Shack Fingal Mat Stokes Duo (covers) | One50 Public House Simon Meli + Dan Irwin + Jack Paterson | The Loft Chevron Island SUNDAY 18 JANUARY Gavin Doniger + The Gonzo Show | North Kirra SLSC Sarah Frank | Nobby Beach SLSC (2.00pm) Amanda King (covers), 1.00pm | One50 Public House Jeffrey Hoad (3.00pm) | Sounds of Sunday at Hard Rock Cafe, Surfers Paradise Katie Who + Andrew Cousins + Jackson James | Currumbin RSL Waterside MONDAY 19 JANUARY Felicity Lawless | Gold Coast Arts Centre, 12.30pm WEDNESDAY 21 JANUARY James Street Preachers (covers) | Cambus Wallace Nobby Beach Eleea Navarro + Gabrielle Lambe | Bambu Palm Beach THURSDAY 22 JANUARY Wild Comforts | The Rails Byron Bay The Arno Show: spontaneous live music | Elsewhere Surfers Paradise FRIDAY 23 JANUARY The Coathangers | Great Northern Byron Bay Sarah Frank | Brooklyn Standard Brisbane Dr Lips | Burleigh Brewery The Wild Comforts + Timber Bones + Dirty Hearts + Zac Gunthorpe | Currumbin Creek Tavern

Karl S Williams + CC The Cat | Summertime Sessions in the Village, Cuddihy Park from 5.30pm Felicity Lawless (with full band) | Miami Marketta, 6.45pm David Taylor | Bambu Palm Beach Geoff Turnbull | Soundlounge Currumbin Dreems Multi Culti album launch | Elsewhere Surfers Paradise SATURDAY 24 JANUARY The Coathangers | Trainspotters Brisbane OZFEST: Illy + The Preatures + Allday + Kingswood + The Creases |Miami Tavern Kiara Jack & The Jills| Sheoak Shack Fingal Signature Music Duo | One50 Public House SUNDAY 25 JANUARY OZFEST: Illy + The Preatures + Allday + Kingswood + The Creases | Waterfront Hotel Diddillibah Mescalito Blues | Bearded Dragon Tamborine The Coathangers | The Spotted Cow Toowoomba Ariel Pink + The Clean + Dan Deacon + How to Dress Well + Tincture + Primitive Motion + Thigh Master | The Brightside Shane Wilke (covers), 1.00pm | One50 Public House Felicity Lawless, Nobby SLSC from 2.00pm Jeffrey Hoad (3.00pm) | Sounds of Sunday at Hard Rock Cafe, Surfers Paradise Haley Grace (covers) from 1.00pm | Cabana Bar & Lounge, Southport Sharks Barefoot Friday + Stav Giouzelis Band + Casey Duque | Currumbin RSL Waterside MONDAY 26 JANUARY Gavin Doniger | Cabarita Hotel THURSDAY 29 JANUARY Gavin Doniger | Nimbin Hotel Kim Churchill | Beach Hotel Byron Bay FRIDAY 30 JANUARY Kiara Jack & The Jills | Bambu Palm Beach Hailey Calvery + Josh Lovegrove | Summertime Sessions in the Village, Cuddihy Park from 5.30pm Resonance | Burleigh Brewery Gavin Doniger | Bambu Palm Beach SATURDAY 31 JANUARY Isaac Paddon and the Tides | Sheoak Shack Fingal Kiara Jack & The Jills | Billinudgel Pub Dean Gray Duo (covers), 1.00pm | One50 Public House

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

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Blank GC + Rabbit Radio

HAPPY FESTIVUS MINI-FESTIVAL Friday 12 December saw a private Miami venue ablaze with light and colourful industry characters as Blank GC and Rabbit Radio contributors and friends celebrated a Merry Festivus Mini-Festival in typical creative style.

typically creative fashion by magazine owners Samantha Morris and Chloe Popa, with especially hand-picked records and individually designed and named Blank Covers.

Writers and presenters lounged in steampunk velour chairs, chatting and sipping local beer and cider while being entertained by a plethora of talented local artists in an allnight showcase.

In an exciting coup, local hip-hop duo and fast rising stars Lane Harry x Ike Campbell kindly agreed to take time out of their busy schedule in the lead up to their support tour with 360 to play a half hour set for the team and debut a few of their brand new tracks off album Renaissance.

Emma and Myles kicked off proceedings with their own brand of languid acoustics while Benny D Williams and his bare feet brought the house down with his unique eastern-inspired vocaltronics.

Noisy garage band James Bondage & The Safewords then got everyone’s toes tapping with retro stylings and finally, the young and talented Electric Zebra brought their California casual surf sound to the stage.

Local playlists put together by the Rabbit Radio team kept the GC vibe flowing throughout. During the live music break, all Blank writers were recognised in touching and

Local DJ Sixties Sarah took over the dancing responsibilities straight after the live music finished up, with DJ Chris Lamaro - one half of superstar GC electronica duo Klubk-

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night - finishing off the night of music with a hard one hour set.

It was a fitting and rewarding end to a huge year of effort, growth, love, tears and sweat for the Blank GC and Rabbit Radio team. Once we’ve recovered from our hangovers, we’ll be sure to get back into creating even bigger and better things in 2015!

We’d like to wish all of our readers, listeners and supporters a safe, happy but most of all rocking festive season! Get out there and enjoy what the coast has to offer at this fabulous time of year.

Love The guys and gals at Blank GC and Rabbit Radio Images courtesy of Brittany Hazel

Environment

BUSY AS AN URBAN BEE Insane is not a word often connected to apiology, the study of honeybee ecology. Insane is the idiomatic territory of adrenalin-junkies, surfers, and you know, dudes; colloquially suited to events of chaos and recklessness.

But on a closer look in the hive, the behaviour of bees is all of that.

“Once they’re done with her, they sting her to death and brush her body out of the hive with the other dead bees once the larvae are forming.

And that’s that,” she explains, gesturing to a small pile of crusted bee corpses below the hive opening.

Bee life is insane.

The term ‘busy as a bee’ was not coined for the benefit of alliteration. Bees do not like to be idle, and 24 hours of the day, they are pollinating, flying, building, cleaning, forming wax, and inseminating. And when they’re not doing that, they’re dead, their bodies being briskly disposed of by their former family and colleagues.

Kate has had urban apiaries on Bumbles’ roof long enough to learn the laws of apiology and call herself a honey nut. Perched mid-morning on a hive-side crate, she speaks fervently about her bees’ reproductive and travel cycle, all without a protective bee suit. Resembling a crumpled white tin can in the half-body bee suit, I question Kate’s lack of protection.

Despite the repetitive and often barbaric nature of bees, however, their constant cooperation, inter-dependence and love for localism are worth noting for their similarities to our own lifestyle habits.

“I don’t need to wear a suit because they know me, they know my smell,” she says.

Insane might be a bit strong to describe urban beekeeper Kate Madison’s obsession with honeybees but fanatical would do. As owner of Surfers Paradise’s Bumbles Café and an urban bee keeper for the past six years, beekeeping for Kate, despite its recent trending among localists and foodies, is not just a buzzword.

I meet Kate while she tends her rooftop apiaries. The hives are bundled together among milk crates and timber planks, stark against the China-blue waterway fronting the café.

Kate says honeybees, in all their social nuances, homing activity and familial behaviour, are in fact a little like people.

This ethological likeness is illustrated colourfully in Kate’s explanation of her bees’ queen selection and reproductive cycle.

“In order to build a good hive, the queen bee acts like a total schoolie and gets it on with every male bee in the hive in a small timeframe,” says Kate matter-of-factly. “Meanwhile the male bees too act like total schoolies and just eat, sleep and, well, sleep with the queen.”

WASTELESS CHRISTMAS: RECYCLE YOUR PHONE

“I was stung multiple times about six years ago in the chest when I first started out, and since then they’ve never attacked. It sounds weird, but they know it’s me when I’m up here.”

There are three hives at Bumbles since two were removed after the queen swarmed with 25,000 hive members to relocate to the café’s garden, a common occurrence.

Bumbles’ hives produce up to six kilos of honey half yearly. Given the Gold Coast’s mild winter climate this year, Kate and her beekeeping friend robbed them early in October. The liquid gold from the honeycomb now sits in mini glass pots for sale downstairs by the register.

Kate expects they will rob again in December.

“Our honey is the best quality, in its purest form. The bees don’t fly beyond a five kilometre radius, pollinating mainly between the fig tree (in neighbouring parklands) and the nearby jacarandas.”

“They work all year round. The love each other, they kill each other. It’s just insane.”

One of Australia’s leading mobile phone e-waste managers has estimated that there are more than 110,000 mobile phones and their accessories in Gold Coast homes.

Right now, they’re sitting in your third drawer or your office drawer or some other dark dusty place, but they could be recycled.

And Christmas is the perfect time to purge yourself of this toxic e-waste because MobileMuster has partnered with Salvation Army and will donate $2 to the charity for every kilo of e-waste collected in cities across Australia.

In a campaign called Old Phones for Good, your donation of an old phone to MobileMuster’s recycling program will help change the lives of Gold Coast residents, and indeed people all over Australia, thanks to the partnership with Salvation Army.

Rose Read, Recycling Manager for MobileMuster said that by recycling your old mobiles with MobileMuster you will be giving a gift that gives three times.

work of the Salvos Stores. Two, a gift to our precious natural environment, by keeping old mobiles out of landfill. And three, a gift to yourself by de-cluttering your home or office of unused electronics,” said Rose.

Salvos Store spokesperson Edwina Morgan said the partnership was a perfect match helping both people in need and the environment.

“All profits from the Salvos Stores go to help the work of the Salvation Army. The additional funds raised as a result of recycling old mobiles with MobileMuster between now and 31 January will go to the Salvation Army Christmas Appeal that helps thousands of people during the Christmas period by distributing toys, Christmas lunch, food vouchers and hampers to Gold Coast families in need.”

There are over 4000 drop-off points around Australia for you to recycle your old mobile phone, battery and accessories, or you can grab a free post back recycling satchel at any Australia Post or a reply-paid sticker is downloadable online at mobilemuster.com.au.

“One, helping those in need through the great

Lizzy Keen

www.blankgc.com.au

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Environment

SPRINGBROOK CABLECAR: FAST TRACK INTO 100 MILLION YEARS

“We [Springbrook Chamber of Commerce] agree on a concept of a cableway but a final decision won’t be made until after more information and community consultation,” Ms Geronimous, who hopes the cable car will bring more activity to businesses in the area, said.

“Market research and prospective customer surveys need to be done.”

The Chamber of Commerce President said it could become an election issue but it depends on what information comes out and what progress is made.

“I’ve had two conversations with the CEO and both of those were very short. We need more information.”

Until more information comes out any more comment would just be speculation, Ms Geronimous said.

Leslie Shirreffs said going by the information so far the moment the cablecar enters the National Park it will be dissecting the 2400ha Gondwana Rainforest World Heritage Area.

She said 80 percent of Australia’s Gondwana Rainforest World Heritage Area is in NSW, but the remaining 20 percent in Queensland gets the largest visitation by far, because of its proximity to Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Fast tracking a 9km cablecar into the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Listed Area in Springbrook for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games is a pipedream, a former Gold Coast District Manager of National Parks said.

“If you fast track it you are not going to look at the issues or mitigate the issues,” Leslie Shirreffs said.

Ms Shirreffs said the world has many spectacular cablecars but Springbrook has too many issues for the Skyride project to be sustainable.

She said the issues include the small size of the rainforest area the cable car would dissect; the high concentration of threatened species; construction challenges; health and safety issues because of bushfire; and interfering with the water catchment area for the Gold Coast.

“Presentation, which is making Springbrook accessible to people to enjoy the natural values, is an important part of being World Heritage Listed, but the proposed Skyride cable car isn’t presentation, it’s private development,” she said.

Recent changes to the Queensland Nature Conservation Act by the Newman Government allows for private business development in National Parks.

The Skyride is being backed by a consortium of four “Gold Coast corporate heavyweights”: former Tourism Queensland chairman who formed Pacific Cinemas, Terry Jackman, Sirromet Wines millionaire Terry Morris, the pubs and pokies billionaire who’s ranked 31 on the BRW richlist, Bruce Mathieson, and Managing Director of the Rayjon property development and investment group that developed Treetops estate, John Hembrow.

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The former Gold Coast National Parks Director pointed out those visitation numbers show that Springbrook is not locked up to visitors and there are hundreds of commercial operators already showing tourists the park’s natural values.

Blank tried to contact all of these investors but they were unavailable for comment. The consortium’s PR company Promedia also would not comment.

The project was announced in Parliament on 31 October by Mermaid Beach MP Ray Stevens, who is both a consultant and an investor in the $100 million project. The announcement set off a barrage of questions about conflict of interest from the opposition, despite Mr Stevens’ approval from the Integrity Commissioner.

Blank tried to contact Mr Stevens at his office but was told he was on leave.

For Springbrook Plateau, being a rainforest with species that are direct links with the birth of flowering plants over 100 million years ago is a double edged sword.

On one side the World Heritage Listing presents the best marketing opportunity to tourists, but on the other side it presents the best case for protection, Ms Shirreffs said.

Mic Smith BLANKGC_Uber.pdf

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The consortium has already purchased land for the base station at Neranwood about 10 minutes drive from Mudgeeraba on Springbrook Road.

According to an artist’s impression distributed on the internet, the proposed cable car will leave Neranwood, head past Little Nerang Dam to finish at “The Falls” which possibly refers to an area called The Settlement behind Purling Brook Falls.

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The exact details won’t be known until the proponent releases the Initial Advice Statement which is needed to start the assessment process. The statement had been expected to come out in November.

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President of the Springbrook Chamber of Commerce Gail Geronimous said the Skyride CEO Terry Moore had told her the Initial Advice Statement would be delayed till around Christmas.

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She said however it would be a good assumption that it won’t come out until after the election.

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LOCALS ONLY?

DOES THE GCCC NEED A LOCAL FOOD POLICY? ‘Locally sourced’ has gained foodie followers and a very handsome hashtag count, because eating locally is a serious matter for those concerned with food security.

Eating local produce provides social, economic and health benefits, as well as encouraging micro, decentralised food systems that reduce food miles and give more money back to the producer.

Sustaining local eating habits depends on both awareness and access to local food, so it makes sense that the responsibility of raising awareness and supporting local food producers rests with local councils.

The Willoughby Council and Blue Mountains City Council of NSW also have similar policies in place, covering catered public events, council and community centre canteens and on-site vending machines.

Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance National Coordinator Nick Rose says without local food policies, councils cannot use their institutional power to push food security action to higher tiers of government.

“Councils are able to create a policy environment and enable frameworks that generate action and change,” Nick says.

The Gold Coast City Council launched its ‘Buy Local’ procurement policy in July this year, but the policy fails to mention any preference towards purchasing local food products.

“But without a specific policy in place, council members cannot issue resources towards local production or make food purchase decisions that are consistent, approved and beneficial for local producers,” he says.

There are a number of Australian local councils that demonstrate leadership in food sustainability through their ethical catering policies.

Justin Sharman-Selvedge from Gold Coast Permaculture says the City of Gold Coast couldn’t even begin to administer a local food procurement policy like that of Byron Bay because urban and peri-urban agriculture in the area is so low.

The Byron Bay Shire Council Ethical Catering Policy addresses the social and environmental impact of food purchasing and acknowledges the responsibility to foster community health and prosperity.

Its policy indicates the Council will preference locally grown, seasonably available, value-added food, and will purchase only fair-trade, organic and low food mileage products from overseas. It also boycotts cage eggs and GM foods for catering purchases.

He believes that addressing food sustainability issues isn’t on the Council’s agenda because food scarcity isn’t yet a prominent social issue.

“Without a fundamental urban agricultural framework that prioritises resources to local growers of healthy, sustainable food crops, the Council can’t expect that the food they purchased would be completely local,” Justin says.

“Creating a Council Urban Food Department would require staff, training, resources, community engagement, the involvement of academics and therefore a lot of money,” he says. “And because our food security is relative, not urgent, there is no apparent need to set up a policy and team.”

“But food security is something people must address now.”

Nick Rose says the question comes down to whether the Council really wants this kind of movement to develop and depends on its values.

“This isn’t a question of writing down some procurement guidelines. This takes consultations, research, observations of other councils and a lot of work,” Nick says.

“At the end of the day, without Council actually wanting a local food policy that addresses urban agriculture and local procurement, then it just won’t happen.”

He says however, this movement among other local councils is strong.

“There are a lot of councils around Australia who are very interested in urban agriculture and regional food, so it’s an emerging area for councils.”

“It’s a great opportunity for councils to be linked together in a structured, conversational network, in which they learn from each other and build stronger communities and food security,” he says.

Lizzy Keen

CLASSIC 70S SURF FILM MAKES A COMEBACK The lost classic, In Natural Flow makes a comeback in January at Surfworld Gold Coast with a cavalcade of its stars in attendance If you have grown up with stories of the freakish abilities of the great Michael Peterson, and wondered if the tales had grown somewhat taller in the retelling, you need to check this out.

The classic film and there will be a cavalcade of its stars in attendance.

There’s a scarcity of quality footage of Peterson, who dominated Australian surfing in the ‘70s, but younger surfers might be inclined to think his peers have exaggerated the stories of his feats.

Yet the proof is in the watching when it comes to Steve Core’s classic 1972 surf movie, which captures the turning of an era; as the giants of the ‘60s disappeared into the Byron Bay hinterland in search of enlightenment.

these budding young talents as they bloomed. As well as the great MP, there’s Peter Townend, a very young Rabbit Bartholomew (briefly), Simon Anderson, Col Smith, Andrew McKinnon and many others who put the evolving shortboards through their increasingly radical paces.

In Natural Flow also captures vintage Kirra in all its glory, a natural wonder that a younger generation of Gold Coast surfers have never experienced first-hand.

In a very special screening, Surfworld will host filmmaker Steve Core and local world champions Peter Townend and Rabbit Bartholomew, who will stage an insightful panel discussion following the screening.

The screening takes place Friday 2 January and doors open 6.00pm. Entry is $10.

Into the breach stepped a new generation of hyper -competitive youngsters hellbent on taking over the surfing world. Core was right in the thick of it and captured many of www.blankgc.com.au

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Food & Drink MARKETTA STREET FOOD 23 Hillcrest Parade, Miami Situated in the laneway running through the arts precinct of Rabbit + Cocoon, this event is part market, part street food, part pop up, part festival of food. With council bylaws preventing food trucks firmly on private land, the Marketta provides a weekly meeting place; a mix of food trucks, stalls and a licensed bar at a foodie event which has been hugely popular from day one. Here’s a snapshot of some of our favourite stalls: Wildfire Pizza Napoletana (Food truck) Think ‘pizza’ and most of us think of ‘place’. Wrong!

Don’t take it too hard. We were wrong too! Using an imported Italian oven with a Napolitana-shaped dome, Justin Palumbo’s pizzas follow Napolitana principles of authenticity: ‘00’ flour imported from Campagna in the Naples region, hand-rolled dough topped with San Marzano D.O.P. tomatoes topped with Fior de Latte cheese (rather than buffalo mozzarella) cooked for between 60 and 90 seconds in the oven! The crust is just right, slightly chewy with a smoky overlay, its flavours melding with tomato and melting mozzarella.

Learning his trade from a Napoli-born chef, Justin went out on his own two years ago, using a trailer for mobility. That’s good news for all of us! Based at Miami Marketta every Saturday, it’s possible to book Wildfire for events such as family celebrations, street parties or sporting events. You can give your driver a rest and enjoy luscious pizza, served at a venue of your choice!

Souvlaki (Stall) It is difficult to miss the Souvlaki at Miami Marketta as the stand resembles an ancient Greek temple, complete with stone-like columns, and it always seems to have the biggest line of hungry punters who return again and again to satisfy their craving.

Kosta Rotos is the man behind the grill who spends 4.5 hours cooking the meat before it is ready to be eaten. The caramelised and tender meat is marinated overnight and has a glorious, well

Marketta Street Food @ Miami 24

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developed flavour. In asking about the marinade Kosta only smiles and intriguingly reports it is an old and secret Greek recipe, one that he is definitely not able to share. At Marketta Kosta likes to keep things simple and delicious, offering only one choice of meat on the night, either lamb or chicken, that is served in your choice of a wrap or on a plate. With souvlaki this good surely the Greek Gods of Mount Olympus would line up to try them.

JR’s Smokehouse BBQ (Food truck) You’ve never tasted a BBQ like this one! Following the tradition of southern style smokers, JR’s Smokehouse BBQ serves up real wood-smoked Texan beef ribs, pulled pork, Angus beef brisket and maple glazed chicken, all cooked low and slow. I’ve made pulled pork before but it’s not a patch on this! I remember a quote from ‘Joe Beef’: “When you add the element of smoke, the dish becomes completely different.” Falling apart, there’s no fatty ‘afterburn’. It’s overlain with another dimension, yet the smoke is not too dominant; there’s a balanced soft mouth feel. Truthfully, it’s the food you’d expect to find in a real Southern States BBQ joint half a world away, not in a Miami warehouse complex!

“When I was about eight years old, my dad took me to a real barbecue place. It was a family restaurant but in a bad neighbourhood. That was the first place I had really good smoked ribs and it set the standard for everything else I’ve tasted since,” owner Joel Romo (JR) tells us. He’s been following the smoke trail ever since, taking trips back to Austin, Texas and Memphis to perfect his technique.

You’ve got to love the commitment it takes to bring our meat to the table. After setting up at 4.00am, the meat is hickory smoked for 12 hours in Joel’s little smoker. Come January ’15, though, we’ll see a new large smoker emerge. We’re looking forward to the ‘beauty’ this beast will produce!

Monkey Magic Dumpling (Stall) Dumplings are quickly becoming one of the most craved for foods on the Gold Coast with various restaurants popping up to service this growing need. Ken Tezuka saw the growing popularity of the dumpling in Sydney and decided to offer a difference to the many deep fried varieties around by selling his homemade

Marketta Street Food @ Miami

gyoza, with either a pork, prawn, chicken or vegetable filling, steamed rather than fried.

You can easily taste the freshness of the ingredients as the dumplings melt in your mouth and leave you wanting more. So be warned, it is very difficult to stop at just one flavour.

Poffertjes (Food Truck) Another stall that experiences immense popularity is the poffertjes van, which is located in what can only be called ‘The Sweets Aisle’ alongside cronuts, gelato, macarons and a variety of other treats guaranteed to satisfy any sweet tooth.

Mark and Nancy own and operate the poffertjes stall, which spent seven years in Victoria before making the move north to the Gold Coast. Nancy reports the little van has done a lot of work over the years and was previously owned by Mark’s parents.

Receiving a plate stacked high with these small, fluffy pancakes you have your choice of a variety of toppings, with strawberries always coming out as the favourite. This is definitely the way to end your meal at the Marketta.

Alongside the food on offer Marketta Street Food also boasts two bars and live music every Saturday night. With cheap eats and free entertainment the Marketta Street Food is a weekly event that should not be missed!

Morin F, McMillan D & Erickson M 2011, The art of living according to Joe Beef, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, p.144.

Marj Osborne and Catherine Coburn

THE SOURCE BULK FOODS Miami One Centre, 1930 Gold Coast Highway OK. I’ll admit it. I’m a fan of ‘clean and neat’. A clean freak, even!

Somewhere in my handbag, there’s a little plastic bottle of hand disinfectant, alongside the tiny torch. Girl scout! And if you say to me just as I’m finishing a meal, ‘But did you see the

The Source Bulk Foods @ Miami

kitchen?’ with one of those looks, then have a paper bag ready (a lined paper bag)!

‘Cleanliness is next to godliness’. The Dickensian saying is deeply ingrained somewhere inside me.

And I’m a librarian. Apart from the naturally occurring chaos principle, I’m happy with a natural order of the world: ‘A place for everything, and everything in its place’.

Finally, I’ve found The Source.

Newly opened in Miami One, The Source fulfils all my heartfelt longings about shopping for healthy food ingredients: give me informed service, make shopping easy with products clearly marked, the best products you can find (rather than every possible choice), make the food organic/ sustainable/local, the containers minimal and recyclable where possible. And lastly, don’t rip me off!

The original Source shop in Mullumbimby established the principle of ‘Good old-fashioned grocery shopping the modern way’ and we’ve got to agree: goods are neatly packaged in food bins in the most orderly, cleanest bulk food shop we’ve seen.

Shopping is easy! Choose product. Grab paper bag or tapioca container (or BYO container). Write product number on bag.

Fill bag with the amount you need. Take items to counter to weigh and pay. Simple!

The assistants are there to give advice along the way. No, they don’t walk the goods out to your car, but there’s plenty of free parking under the centre. Geographically challenged? You can shop online and have your products delivered!

With the added touch of DIY, you can say you ground those Rainforest Alliance coffee beans to perfection, made your own cashew nut butter, or milled your own flour, all without having to invest in the cumbersome ‘need to be cleaned’ machinery – all free to use in the store!

A circuit around The Source is a journey of discovery. Besides flours, rice, nuts, spices, superfoods, seeds, dried fruit (and other dry goods), you’ll find unexpected delights: Paleo trail

mix fragrant with strawberries and figs, Vege chips abundant with natural colour, Coconut toffee (Oh my, it’s addictive!) and Energy balls (just the thing for that 3pm slump)! Over half of it is organic, locally sourced where possible.

And talking about cleaning, there are natural chemical-free cleaners and personal hygiene products too, all at really affordable prices.

Clean outside, clean inside – for us, and the environment.

Now that’s a win: win!

Marj Osborne Read more of Marj’s reviews at foodgoldcoast.com.au

MOUNT TAMBORINE COFFEE PLANTATION Kees van Rijssen has a dream… that one day every café in Australia will offer Australian grown and produced coffee alongside their international choice. Sampling the beans on offer at Mount Tamborine Coffee Plantation it’s easy to see that one day; this dream could indeed become a reality.

Owned and operated by Kees and his wife Maria the plantation was purchased around ten years ago as a means to fix Kees’ “fetish of finding good coffee on the Gold Coast”.

Kees handpicks, sun dries and roasts the beans, and reported the crop this year has made for “a good vintage”; one I hope to sample when it is ready around Easter 2015.

The Mount Tamborine Coffee Plantation Organic coffee was sampled in the most idyllic setting sitting out amongst the trees on the balcony of the Queenslander that holds the café.

The espresso had an earthy aroma muddled with blackberries, which carried through to the flavour with a mild kick of tannin.

A piccolo leant a more caramel flavour to the earthy blackberries with a smooth winey mouthfeel that was also reflected in the flat white, which was creamy with a buttery crème caramel flavour and scent. Maria kindly offered a ground sample of their blend, which was cold-brewed at home and was delightful to drink on a hot day, being sweet and fruity with the wine mouthfeel lingering afterwards making me thirsty for more. In discussing my coffee experience, Kees informs me that the wine flavour I experienced is unique to their beans and is known around the world.

The Plantation also offers another blend called Black Magic, which has a stronger caffeine content for those who crave a big hit, with Kees reporting the Black Magic beans, imported from Africa and roasted at the Plantation, have the highest caffeine content in the world. Sampled in an espresso the high caffeine is evident, but not overpowering as it makes for a smooth drink with a savoury kick and a tobacco aftertaste with hints of dark chocolate and berries.

Mount Tamborine Coffee Plantation beans can be purchased on premises or online with the Café and gallery open Monday to Friday, 8.00am to 3.00pm. With Tamborine Mountain fast becoming the food and wine destination of the Gold Coast, it is well worth your time to stop by Mount Tamborine Coffee Plantation and sample some awesome locally grown and produced coffee.

Catherine Coburn

Mt Tamborine Coffee Planation www.blankgc.com.au

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Food & Drink

Chocolate Date Energy Balls

Energy balls abound but this is a sure fire recipe to suit everyone. They’re perfect for the athlete or children or eaten straight after a workout where the natural date sugar can be metabolised more quickly. This recipe makes a large batch so you will have enough to give away as presents.

Ingredients 2 ½ cups cashew nuts 3 ½ cups dates ¼ cup cocoa powder 2 tbs coconut oil 2/3 cup desiccated coconut 1/2 tsp salt ¼ cup rice malt syrup To Garnish – extra cacao powder, coconut or cacao nibs to roll balls in

CHRISTMAS AND THE GREAT UNCOOKING Peace. Joy. Love.

These three words herald a time that for many is a tiring gauntlet of present buying and family commitments, the rite of passage marked by the consumption of copious amounts of food and drink. Somehow we emerge, breathlessly gasping into the New Year. We sit on the couch, exhausted and over-satiated, swearing off grog for life, arms still full with half a ham and a few handfuls of regifted presents.

Method Process nuts to a fine powder Add coconut and cocoa Add dates 2 at a time (if you don’t have a powerful food processor Add syrup salt and oil After blending in food processor place into a bowl and squeeze mixture for a couple of minutes to release oils. This is important or you will need to add more oil. Roll mixture You’ll find more of Natalie’s recipes into small balls and then roll in cocoa on: thegreatuncooking.com.au powder or desiccated coconut. Makes 40

extended family pretty intact! It’s a major achievement, considering the journey! But our family food journey is a little more complicated.

really nice champagne and drink less of it, buy some really indulgent seasonal fruit, such as mangoes and cherries, figs and pomegranates. Think ‘better’, not ‘more’.

Our table this festive season includes gluten-free, lactose intolerant, vegan, fructose intolerant, crustacean anaphylactic (at least two of each of those)... as well as the rest of us who enjoy everything!

Family: The focus of Christmas should be on spending more time together as family, connecting with each other.

Obviously I need help, so I asked Natalie Prigoone from The Great Uncooking to give me a few tips. Just in case you need them too, here are her helpful comments:

Anxiety. That’s the flipside of Christmas. Did I buy the right present? Do we have enough of everything for everyone? Will ‘Cousin It’ be there, and if so, how will I cope?

Gifts: Why do we buy more at Christmas? What is all this stuff that we think we need? It’s all about a mentality of excess, which I think is the pitfall of Christmas. Why not give a book or homemade gifts; something thoughtful? The time we spend on others is more precious than anything else.

Don’t get me wrong. I am grateful. Somehow the Main Squeeze and I have survived the blender of remarriage with

Food and alcohol: Maybe we should rethink the whole concept and consume less but better quality: splurge on a

Giving: How can I spend more time being ‘other-focussed’?

How can I give (even outside the family circle)? For example, did you know that it only costs $25 to give someone eyesight?

These focus points are little tools we can use to help make our lives more joyous. Take time to reflect, to eat well, connect with others, and open our hearts to those around us.

As for our Christmas table? Natalie has made up a recipe that everyone in our family can enjoy!

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

THROW AN ECO-FRIENDLY FESTIVE PARTY We all know what Christmas means: too much to eat, too much to drink, friends, family and fun times.

Unfortunately it also means waste. Plastic plates, cups and party decorations. Well not this year. This year we are going to plan a party using the 4 Rs! Reduce | Reuse | Recycle | Really Awesome ideas for making old new REDUCE the plastic! Actually let’s just get rid of it altogether.

Using plastic plates and cups once and throwing them out is like slapping Mother Nature in the face and no one wants to do that! Those plastic bits end up in landfill and generally speaking never, ever degrade. They break into miniscule particles and end up in our waterways and oceans.

So we have a few options here depending on what is being served at the party.

The easiest option is make finger food: no plates necessary!!

Recycled paper or cloth napkins and we’re on our way!

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Lighting is important. When possible (obviously during the day) natural light is best. But if the party goes into the night try using some solar powered light sources to keep your emissions down. Charge during the day and light the porch or room beautifully and really set the party mood.

When you’re storing leftovers go with glass jars or Tupperware containers and avoid gladwrap or buying new storage containers (seriously, who doesn’t already have a cupboard full of these anyway).

REUSE: If it is a barbecue or you want to go a little kitchy, go down to the local salvos and buy up all their odd plates.

Cheap as chips and the mismatch looks excellent! Dye old sheets and use as table cloth. Avoid buying new things just for a one-off celebration. Buy quality the first time and use them for eternity. Plates, cutlery, linen, whatever.

RECYCLED: The best way to avoid unnecessary waste is to send out electronic invites. However; If you still feel the need for paper invitations, use recycled paper or tree free paper.

Another fun option is seed paper, which is made from recycled materials and embedded with seeds. When

planted, the paper will simultaneously grow flowers while making sure the paper decomposes naturally.

Really awesome ideas: When catering for the event try to stay organic and local. Organic because it’s free of unhealthy, environmentally damaging chemicals. Local (which means from local growers – not your local grocery store) because every time you support local farms, you help avoid the emissions created when transporting food long distances. This also extends to beer, wine, and liquor. Hit the nearby farmers market when buying supplies, look for locally made beverages, or order from organic companies.

Go easy on the quantity. There’s nothing like wasted food to spell “I’ve missed the point of xmas entirely”. Under-cater.

Trust me, this won’t be the only meal your guests have over the festive season. Go for food items that will keep. A leg of ham will go a full month in the fridge. A tray of mangoes is an awesome addition to the xmas table and will keep for a while (or you can freeze the pulp for smoothies which will keep for months too).

Pip Andreas

Lifestyle & Culture CHELSEA WILLIAMS: WORLD LONGBOARD CHAMP

TAPPA’S TOP SUMMERTIME TIPS

Tweed Coast Surfer Chelsea Williams has defeated Hawaiin Kelia Moniz to claim her maiden ASP Women’s World Longboard Title at the GoPro World Longboard Championships, China. Near perfect 3 to 4 foot surf provided the perfect canvas for the world’s best longboarders to fight for the sport’s ultimate prize, but it was Williams, the form surfer of the event who was the last one standing.

Remarkably Moniz and Williams have met in the final of the GoPro WLC four years in a row, proving that these two athletes really are on top of world at the moment. Their friendly rivalry sees them now at two wins a piece in the Final in China.

Williams’ win was a long time coming after finishing runner-up in the ASP World Longboard Title four times.

“Did that just happen? I can’t believe it!” Williams said.

“I’ve wanted to win a World Longboard Title since I found out it existed. For a long time people have been telling me I deserve to win, now I finally believe them. I’m so happy and thankful for the support of my family, friends and sponsors.

It was an awesome Final, Kelia (Moniz) is so good, we have a fun rivalry going and I’m glad that I got her back.”

Well done, Chelsea. It’s been a long road to claiming your first world title, but the hardest fought wins are the sweetest If you think sponsorship is tough on the women’s shortboard tour, it’s even harder for the girls on longboards. William’s tenacity and the ability to see it through to the end have paid dividends, and we reckon she will be smiling for weeks. Also something else to notice is that in the Gold Coast and Tweed area we now have the number one women on both long and short boards! Is there something in the water? Damn good surfers, those ladies, that’s what.

Terry “Tappa” Teece

Summer, and what to do? We all want to make the most of the days off, but how do we fill those long summer days?

Terry “Tappa” Teece shared his top four ideas with us. And they don’t all involve surfing.

Get a new board Well it doesn’t have to be new, just maybe a different type.

Bring out your inner hipster and maybe scout the tip shops and garage sales for a relic from the ‘70s. Go for a surf and imagine you are back in those old days, when petrol was cheap, the surf was uncrowded and the crochet bikini was the number one thing for the ladies to wear.

ECO CHALLENGE GOLD COAST How do you take sustainability principles and integrate them into your own life? How do you take those principles and run an event as part of Bleach*? Surfrider Foundation’s Gold Coast branch is about to tell us They’ve created a family-friendly, sustainability-focussed event, which celebrates coastal living with surfing and lifestyle activities.

Relive the 1970s Oh this is a challenge! Go to the op shop and get a weekends worth of retro clothes. Find a mate who has an old Kingswood or Falcon and get them into the fun.

As well as a chance to try surfing on a wooden board, there will be children’s circus, skate demos, plastic bag fashion parade, an eco market and sustainability stalls and for the first time ever, a battle of the Gold Coast’s theme parks. The Worlds’ Roots of Surfing Teams Challenge will see Seaworld v Movieworld v Dreamworld.

OK, here’s how it rolls… It’s as if you went back in time. No mobile phones. No ATMs (get your cash out beforehand).

Then take off for the weekend and enjoy it simple-style. I’m sure you and your mates do not have to selfie the weekend, but if you must take a polaroid.

But where does the ‘challenge’ fit in with Eco Challenge Gold Coast? Surfrider Foundation have set themselves the target of using only renewable energy for the entire event and of creating no plastic waste. Can they do it?

It’s a bit different, but who knows, there may be much more talking and less flicking and tapping of digital devices. You get bonus points if you can drink Summer Wine and Fourex, or even the odd Passion Pop!

They’re calling upon you, to bring your friends from far and wide, to engage, enjoy and protect what we all love: our waves, our oceans and our beaches.

Check Out the Burleigh Single Fin Classic The event is now in its 18th year, featuring classic surfing on classic single fin boards from the 70s, Running 9-10 January, Occy, Rasta, Luke Egan and many other previous pros enter the event. You should take that single fin you got from the tip shop and have a crack! It is an awesome weekend with live music on the point after the presentation on Sunday.

Even Ash Grunwald has played and surfed in this event. You can enter online at surfingqueensland.com/event and it costs nothing to watch the event.

Eco Challenge Gold Coast takes place on Sunday 15 March from 7.00am at Tugun Surf Life Saving Club.

Cool down in the hinterland Summer, hot. Mountains, cool. There’s nothing like a cool mountain stream while the rest of the city swelters in 90% humidity. We are blessed here to have such a great choice of creeks to cool off in our beautiful hinterland. And it’s free!

Currumbin Rockpools, Mount Cougal, Springbrook, and the Tweed Valley are just some of the places where you cam sit in a mountain stream, look at the canopy and let the world drift by. For me that is the perfect alternative when the waves are flat and or there’s stingers on the beach.

Terry “Tappa” Teece

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Lifestyle & Culture

ANXIOUS MUCH? I am not a medical professional.

I am not an authority on mental health by any measure. I have been classified by a doctor of psychology as a trauma survivor. The symptoms, which alert to this categorisation are in layman’s terms… a busted internal chemical factory. Mild brain damage. Circuits which control the release of stress/bliss chemicals is a bit busted.

So here I am writing my first article for Blank which stands as a platform for a growing awareness of mental health. The invisible emotional currents, which constantly run and the accompanying spiritual attitudes which govern personal and community well-being.

In the days leading up to the writing of this article I have endured a rollercoaster between levels of manic/hyperactive mostly enjoyable moods to physically crushing lows of depression and choking anxiety.

SURF ‘N’ INK: BODIES AS CANVASES

Just before hiding away in my room with this laptop to commence writing I was experiencing the heavy physical throws which come with the onset of anxiety. No specific circumstantial trigger or particularly upsetting thought is responsible. Just a neural knot which keeps the blast of discomfort charging for no particular reason. Stress or anxiety, which is created out of thin air by a distorted frontal cortex. This is not medical fact.

Some of the world’s leading tattoo artists will be on the Gold Coast next year with the Surfn’ink 2015 Tattoo Festival attracting an army of gifted artists from around the world.

Just a layman’s expression of what I have come to understand whilst urgently seeking ways to mend and heal a tangled internal circuitry of emotional programming.

Peru, Ecuador, Italy, Japan, Germany, China, Taiwan, France, USA, Belgium, New Zealand and Samoa are all represented with a line-up that will be the biggest in the event’s six year history.

Knowing this discomfort shall pass is my greatest tool in overcoming the glitches which can rule over my daily mood.

Knowing when it will be alleviated is like trying to forecast next week’s weather by looking out the window now. Trying to escape the discomfort can sometimes paradoxically create further stress and discomfort. The highly desired Vodkavalium-latte only ever a temporary crutch in a long term strategy for seeking long term peace of mind.

The three day festival celebrates tattoo culture with workshops, seminars, art exhibitions, live music and fashion. Visitors can also book tattoos in advance with one of the international and Australian artists.

Renowned tattoo artist, Stefano Alcantara from Peru, will conduct seminars at the festival and also tattoo onsite for those lucky enough to secure a spot. Stefano has been described by many in tattoo circles as “the best in the business”. The VIP guest artist list for SURFn’ink 2015 also includes Hector Cedillo from Ecuador, Khan from South Korea and Alex Nardini from Italy, who will all tattoo throughout the weekend alongside an A-list of tattoo artists from all corners of Australia.

Surfn’ink runs 9 – 11 January at Gold Coast Convention + Exhibition Centre and you can get more info at tattoofestival.com.au.

Samantha Morris

For men particularly… discussing pain caused by an emotionally-loaded circumstance/event opposed to that of a physical nature is about as comfortable as chewing aluminium foil whilst rubbing your fingernails down a chalkboard. Trails are being blazed by a handful of brave role models but the social acceptability is in a teething stage. I’m not sure how many bosses would empathise with you calling in sick with depression/stress/anxiety flare ups. Or even taking a week. It requires a lot of trust. Like the man with the bad back who suffers excruciating invisible pain. When the mind takes a turn and the mechanisms which regulate stressful/blissful moods are corroded like a knee joint void of healthy cartilage. It is a genuinely immobilising experience.

At least as we move into 2015… the suggestion that those

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who suffer symptoms of mental unrest simply “suck it up” is now fading. Most people know someone who struggles with mental health issues. Awareness campaigns run on major network television. Events are held regularly throughout our communities. Is the approaching year the first of many in a transformative era which encourages those who struggle to step forward confidently and ask for help? Is it in your new year’s resolution to tell those nearest and dearest that you have chosen to move forward with therapy/counselling?

Or that you wish to quit your current career path because it doesn’t feel right? Or maybe to declare openly from one bloke to another that you are dangerously dissatisfied with your life and that you have come as far as contemplating suicide?

I am truly excited about the future of the Gold Coast community and the willingness of the majority to seek understanding of the invisible psychological abyss which churns under our skin… adding a bottomless depth to the human experience. The highs and lows. The bright and the dark.

I look forward to exploring the services on offer for those experiencing difficulty. The stories of battles overcome.

And the shifting social narrative which for so long insisted being a man means being ignorant of your emotional needs.

‘Tough’ they used to say. Perhaps vulnerability and gentleness may claim prestige status yet. Peace Andrew Scott Need to talk to someone? Try Lifeline 13 11 14 or MensLine 1300 789 978.

BLANK PAGE

Swan Valley, the inherent worth of the people has been sucked out of them by the state, but they don’t seem to mind: herein lies the political allegory.

Keyi’s writing pulls extreme focus on the protests in Beiping and on everyday life in Swan Valley, which contrast against scenes where Mengliu tries to escape Swan Valley to return to Beiping.

At these points, the prose shifts to fantasy, communicating perfectly the sense of mental and physical difficulty Mengliu finds in pulling away, despite his overwhelming desire to.

Jay Annabel

DEATH FUGUE

WHAT CAME BEFORE Anna George

Sheng Keyi A poet who renounces poetry in order to become a surgeon?

Sounds a bit implausible, right? This isn’t the only thing in this book that comes across as implausible, but that’s not why it’s unpublished in China.

Lovers of Gillian Flynn’s blockbuster novel Gone Girl take note.

What Came Before, the first novel by Melbourne writer, Anna George, is another dark, emotionally-charged thriller that digs deep into a marriage to unravel the twisted story of a husband who murders his wife.

No, the reason the Chinese government won’t allow it to be printed is that it’s a political allegory, which is highly critical of topical events in China’s past and of the Chinese leadership’s role in them; most notably Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Published in June 2014, it took George a decade to write and she says the novel went through several incarnations. Trained as a lawyer, she drew on her previous knowledge and read many stories of women killed by their partners or exes.

Death Fugue opens in fictional city Beiping, where a massive pile of excrement appears in the town square for no apparent reason. People want to know what it is and why it’s there. We never find out. There are protests, in which the young, educated literati play a central role. The government clamps down, martial law ensues. The book then takes a sharp turn, and we find the central character, ex-poet and sometimes surgeon, Mengliu, having journeyed (he can’t quite recall how, and the description of the journey is deliberately indirect and vague) to a place called Swan Valley. “...but anyway, please be less selfish, and think more for the collective good.”

Swan Valley is never geographically located within the book. It could be anywhere, and maybe it isn’t anywhere – maybe it’s a state of mind. Mengliu, having fought for freedom and democracy, struggles to come to terms with this place where there is nothing to protest. Everybody seems happy and fulfilled, and the town seems well-ordered and affluent, but as we learn more about Swan Valley, we learn how strange it is.

For instance, sex is illegal (alarms in bedrooms go off, those caught suffer barbaric punishment), procreation is genetically engineered (to create geniuses), the tea has mysterious mindscrubbing properties (to make people forget their past), and the nursing home, where people are forced to ‘retire’ when they are 50, is not what you’d think a nursing home ought to be.

Swan Valley’s population seem to think they’re free, living in this strange utopia, and they do not question their leaders.

They’re willing to take the bad to get the good, and they collectively choose not to make waves. The tension in the book arises from Mengliu’s inability to reconcile himself to this. He knows he could stay in Swan Valley forever and live an uneventful, peaceful life, but the price would be his individuality and self-determination.

People in Swan Valley aren’t all Chinese. People have landed here from all over the world, so you’d think it would be cosmopolitan and vibrant, but it isn’t. It’s peaceful, but passionless. In

BURIAL RITES Hannah Kent Hannah Kent’s extraordinary debut novel takes place in the harsh and extreme landscape of Iceland in the years 18291830. Agnes Magnusdottir was the last person ever executed in Iceland, for her part in the brutal slaying of two men. What actually happened on that night will forever remain a mystery, however Hannah Kent has obsessively researched public records surrounding the macabre tale and woven it into a dark and heartbreaking re-imagining of the final 12 months in the life of the prisoner.

Taken into the home of a local minor councilman due to a lack of official prisons in Iceland, Agnes gradually integrates herself into the daily lives of the suspicious and unwilling host family, and haltingly unfolds the story of her life and experience with the deceased men to the young and newly ordained local priest who is charged with leading her to God and remorse in the period up to her beheading.

The constant tension in the story stems both from the slowly released detail regarding the part that Agnes played on the night of the murders, and also from the gradual thawing of members of the family’s hearts towards her as her pitiful tale unfolds. The unforgiving Icelandic climate and its effects on daily life play as important a role as any of the characters in forging the tone of the book.

Kent’s painstaking research into peasant life of the times proves almost as fascinating as the story itself, and the basic themes of love sought and constantly denied will leave more than one reader in tears throughout.

This is a page turner. I read it in one day, and it is definitely one that I would revisit. For an experienced writer, it would be an excellent effort. As a debut novel, it stuns. Highly recommended for the Christmas reading list.

Natalie O’Driscoll

Gone Girl and What Came Before both peel back the layers of a marriage to show us the rotting insides. Both books begin as fairytale romances. Within a few years of marriage, both quickly descend into hellish nightmares of seemingly no escape.

The story has two timelines. David’s timeline begins with his confession. “Tonight at 6:10, I killed my wife. This is my statement.” What does David do in the hours after murdering his wife? Then there is Elle’s timeline which has a supernatural element as Elle’s spirit or soul, is hovering over her lifeless body. In the hours after her murder she relives the story of her relationship with David, beginning in the past and working towards her own murder.

There are none of the strategic traps and elaborate plots as in Gone Girl to keep the audience guessing.

The reader is driven by the question of Why. Why does David kill Elle? Why does Elle stay with a man who is capable of such violence? In reliving the start of their relationship. Elle comes to realise how she became so diminished through emotional abuse.

The theme of limerance is woven into the story early. Elle explains it as a “heady, in-love state felt typically in the early days of a relationship, those all-consuming and intense feelings that inevitably pass.” Despite recognising its temporary state, limerance is one of the reasons that Elle holds on to the relationship far too long, perhaps in the hope that the feeling will return and David will again become the charismatic man she fell in love with. At times it felt difficult to believe that an intelligent, capable, independent person would stay with an emotional abuser, however the many tragic cases that George read as research for this novel indicate that despite the ubiquitousness of divorce, sadly, many people do stay with an abusive partner.

Well-written with elegant prose, What Came Before is a page-turner not for the faint hearted.

Emily Russell

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Lifestyle & Culture

Business Social Media Marketing Workshops Clear and practical training on how to harness the power of social media marketing to grow your business like a pro in 2015!

JANUARY TRAINING: Social Media Marketing BOOT CAMP $35 Thurs 15 Jan 7-8.30am | Burleigh Heads Fast-paced download of latest changes, tips and tools for small businesses.

Social Media Marketing Strategy Workshop $75 Thurs 22 Jan 9.30am - 12.30pm | Southport Get serious and develop a tailored social media marketing strategy.

Social Media Content Creation Workshop $75 Friday 30 Jan 9.30am - 12.30pm | Burleigh Heads Develop powerful, engaging and shareable social media content.

Visit BlueBeeSocial.com.au for full training calendar and bookings.

For enquiries contact via social, email buzz@BlueBeeSocial.com.au or phone 0421 252 153.

Seating limited.

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BLEACH* FESTIVAL

conversation with Robyn Archer AO and will also participate in a three hour performance workshop including the opportunity to perform at the Festival.

But the musical gold doesn’t end there. Also on the Bleach lineup will be Kim Churchill, Christine Anu, Darren Middleton, Bobby Alu, Band of Frequencies, Jess Ribeiro, Tijuana Cartel, Trinity Roots, Karl S Williams, Good Oak and Bullhorn. And there’s more to come.

6 – 22 March The Bleach* Festival 2015 is starting to take shape with organiser’s drip feeding program announcements and serious rumours emerging about where some of those artists might be playing.

Musicwise, Bleach* 2015 will be big. Clare Bowditch has come on board as artist in residence. With an ARIA under her belt as well as some serious global accolades (including Rolling Stone’s Woman of the Year), Clare will bring not just her musical talents, but also her business acumen to the event. Bleach will host a special event with Clare in

Festival Director Louise Bezzina said the event is about coming together and celebrating everything there is to love about our Gold Coast lifestyle.

“Music plays a big part in life on the Coast,” Louise said. “And there will be many opportunities to see some of the best local and interstate artists perform, many at free concerts.”

But it’s not just music that will draw people to the two week event. Theatre, circus, lifestyle, surf culture and art all feature in the program, with much more yet to be announced.

In streets and parks at Bleach events, ants will invade. The human-size Ants from Polyglot theatre will pop up at all types of activities, taking over public spaces and engaging with children in public art. It’s not a play, it’s play-time. Ants appear all through the Bleach program.

Talented circus artist Darcy Grant, in partnership with Aerial Angels will premiere a new work at Bleach. Female aerialists perched sky-high on cranes, with Surfers Paradise as their backdrop will astound with a mix of dance and aerial acrobatics when Sequins and Sinew celebrates the glitz and glamour of the GC. It runs 6 – 8 March at Coolangatta.

Inherit the Wind is a community performance project about the weather. A city defined by its coastline, shaped by weather, the glory of a blue-sky holiday, surfers praying for an offshore wind. The warm winter, the tide that never used to reach this high. We know it’s part of a bigger story. And that’s what Inherit the Wind will explore through a six week creative project.

COMEDY in thE basEMEnt

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Lifestyle & Culture

BLANK SCREEN

of those jobs where you go and you work and you and see the results. You go home satisfied.”

We talk for a while about how hard it is to convince your parents that giving away a job with a tangible outcome like clean windows is hard when you’re making the move to something like comedy.

“They were just waiting for me to fail,” he said of his family.

“That’s over.”

“Though we do live in a precarious industry, you’re always at some extent standing on a precipice looking into the abyss.”

“You have to keep being funny or you have nothing and you know what,” he asked. “In the past years, I have pretty much ignored personal development.”

NIGHTCRAWLER Staring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Bill Paxton Ladies and gentlemen, I can officially say I’ve found my favourite movie of 2014. As the year draws to an end, it appears the very best of Hollywood has been saved until last. Not since Breaking Bad have I witnessed the antagonist become the central character in what is clearly an anti-hero movie pushed to the very boundary of anti-hero.

Louis Bloom, (Gyllenhaal) is a petty thief, making a living off seemingly easy criminal opportunities on the mean streets of LA. One fortuitous night he stumbles upon the flaming wreck of a car, where police officers are assisting a trapped woman to safety. Buzzing around the wreckage like a fly drawn to a turd, is Joe Loder (Paxton), LA’s leading freelance crimejournalist and notorious nightcrawler, the name of which describes one who profits from filming horrendous acts of crime, or newsworthy accidents.

With the smell of blood in the air, Louis instantly spots an opportunity to profit from the misfortunes of others, eagerly drawing a hand in the soul crushing art of nightcrawling.

The beauty of this film lies in Jake Gyllenhaal’s superb performance. You literally witness his transformation from one character to another as he loses his sanity, spiraling deeper into grey areas of morality so intriguing to watch, your heart rate will seriously beat out of tune. I kid you not, I had to stop and check my pulse during one particular scene. Such a rush!

DIRTY LAUNDRY’S MOONEY COMES TO GC Funny guy Lawrence Mooney had just got out of a meeting with ABC when our editor Samantha Morris spoke to him. He said they were planning a special New Year’s Eve special. But that’s all he could say.

“I can’t say exactly what it is,” he said. “But my bit’s going to be funny.”

Just as well, people have high expectations from this award-winning comedian. In fact one story I read before the interview called him articulate, intelligent, fascinating, entertaining, humble and honest – all in the one paragraph.

I read that paragraph out to Lawrence and he laughed. “As written by Lawrence’s mum,” he said. “How does one respond? I concur whole heartedly? False modesty is a bit annoying. I’d like to think all those things are true to an extent.”

Lawrence has been performing stand-up comedy for 20 years now, so it’s no surprise he has such a wonderful track record. I asked him whether he ever thought he’d be able to make a living as a comedian.

“I didn’t really envisage it,” he said. “It was kind of like on my wishlist, if you like, you know I’d love to be able to make a living from doing this. If I can make a living from doing this, I’d be happy.”

When you become emotionally entangled in a movie, to the point of forgetting you’re even watching one, it’s a clear indication that you’re onto a real winner. For this reason, Nightcrawler has to poll in first position for me this year.

“As it transpires, I can and I am happy. I’m a happy person.”

With a story so unique, and performances so visceral, I really can’t wait to see this film again, picking to pieces all those little nuances missed the first time.

Wow. Secret persona. I ask him to tell me more.

Truly Gyllenhaal’s best performance to date, be sure to keep an eye out for this talented actor. He’s not going anywhere soon.

The last job Lawrence had before he became a ‘real’ comedian was as a window cleaner, cleaning high-rise windows.

Nathan James

“But of course there’s a conflict between my public persona and secret persona,” Lawrence told me.

“Well, that’s a secret.”

“1998,” he said. “The following year, I got a gig on Channel 7, on the Denise Show.”

“High rise window cleaning is fun,” Lawrence said. “It’s one

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Fortunately, that abyss isn’t looking too deep for Lawrence. While his show Dirty Laundry Live hasn’t been 100% confirmed for next year, he’s feeling quite confident.

“The word is that Dirty Laundry Live will be on ABC next year, not ABC2. We’re being moved over to the big kids in the second half of 2015.”

It’s at this point in the interview I feel compelled to make a confession. I’ve never seen the show. In fact, I don’t even have a television. Thankfully Lawrence is happy to tell me all about the show. It’s effectively an opportunity for a panel to take the piss out of celebrities, right?

“Our primary sources are famous, yes,” he said. “Who, Women’s Day, New Idea, Buzzfeed,” he rattles off a long list of celebrity news sites. “We take the story that everyone’s talking about and pull it to pieces.”

“It’s basically a weekly comic dissection of how celebrities are reported and how they participate in the whole game.

I’m not much of a celebrity news consumer, so I ask Lawrence about his favourite content. I sense that it’s hard for him to settle on one or two examples, but he does.

“Todd Carney and the bubbler,” he said. “The Cronulla Sharks rugby league player who was photographed by a friend trying to piss in his own mouth.”

“His phone got lost and the photo got leaked. And it was like, what, it’s just a rugby league player trying to piss into his own mouth – why is everyone so angry?”

Then there’s Kim Kardashian. “She’s doing a service for women who have shapely bums all over the world,” Lawrence tell me.

“We’ve been sizest about bottoms. Thanks Kim. You’ve got your dacks off, oiled your booty up and doing everyone a favour.”

But back to the live stand-up routine. Lawrence has just been to Queensland as part of his Lawrence Mooney is a Stupid Liar show.

And his next trip to Queensland sees him at Jupiters as part of their Laugh Your Pants Off series. He’ll be joined by Judith Lucy, Peter Rowsthorn, Troy Kinne, Ellen Briggs, Tahir, Ronny Chieng, Steve Allison and Jennifer Burke.

“What a lineup,” he said. “We all get up and do ten minutes each.

It’s like the Whitman’s Sampler of comic treats.”

And that’s something, coming from a man who’s performed at 18 comedy festivals, and won a bunch of awards including two Barry Awards and the 2011 Best Comedy for Melbourne Fringe Festival and 2013 Best Comedy at Perth Comedy Festival.

Lawrence hits The Arts Centre Gold Coast’s Basement on 2 January and joins his funny buddies for Laugh Your Pants Off at Jupiters Casino on Friday 23 January 2015.

BRAZOUKA @ JUPITER’S THEATRE

A fiery whirlwind of sexy dips and twirls punctuate a storyline filled with gods, ambition and Billy Connolly’s questionably sexy voice.

Brazouka was created by Pamela Stephenson-Connolly and Arlene Phillip, which explains why Billy’s unmistakable voice provided the narration, although it comes as quite a shock to hear a deep Scottish accent when you are surrounded by the vibrancy of a Brazilian dance show.

Brazouka follows the life story of Braz Dos Santos, a boy who grows up in a small fishing village in Brazil. The storyline is fairly uneccessary to the whole experience of the show. The main character is not an actor, but a dancer telling his life story; it is because of this that the development of story and the main characters acting performance are lacking, and at times a bit awkward.

Troy Kinne

Tahir

What it lacks in storytelling, Brazouka makes up for with the inescapable energy that radiates from the dancers, as they thrash around the stage mixing the classic Lambazouk style dance with Capoeira martial arts and the sexy Lambada.

For the entire show, each movement was thrown out to the audience with wild passion and a cheeky smile. The atmosphere was racy and exciting and with the average age of the audience sitting around the 65 mark, I was waiting for the right flash of the dancers lingerie to set off the pacemakers of the oldies in front of me so I could get a better seat.

The female Brazilian dancers made Victoria’s Secret models look like Shrek.

The music was an interesting collection of classic Lambazouk style songs mixed with modern pop songs restructured to fit the dance numbers. Diamonds by Rihanna made an appearance, along with Katy Perry’s Firework and a random Pitbull track was used as well. Overall the show had a very impressive soundscape and score that really brought the characters to life.

The show ended with a bang and it didn’t take long for Braz Dos Santos turn the audiences final applause and standing ovation into a seniors Zumba class, encouraging everyone to get up out of their seats and follow his own vigorous, but simple choreography.

Zambouka is infectious, energizing and mesmerizing fun for people of all ages. I’m probably not their usual audience (a 19 year old male whose dance experience rarely stretches beyond the 5 minutes of So You Think You Can Dance I watched once) but I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it.

Brazouka runs until 18 January and tickets are available through Ticketek.

Locke Fitzpatrick www.blankgc.com.au

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Lifestyle & Culture REVIVING ANCIENT CIVILIZATION: SHEN YUN RETURNS Legend has it Chinese arts and culture were gifts bestowed by the heavens. In ancient China, students and scholars would sit in meditation to calm their minds and inspire creativity. But in recent decades, these traditions have been all but completely lost. Today, where can you go to discover authentic Chinese arts and culture?

The answer is somewhere closer than you might think. In January, the world’s premier classical Chinese music and dance company, Shen Yun Performing Arts, returns to Brisbane and the Gold Coast. The show is a celebration of traditional Chinese culture: a study in grace, wisdom and virtues distilled from five millennia of civilisation.

The company’s dancers are mostly ethnic Chinese selected from among top artists around the world. What unites them is a vision of reviving a lost heritage and sharing it with the world.

The journey to understanding today’s China begins 5000 years ago, with the reign of the legendary Yellow Emperor. He is credited with establishing a culture rooted in veneration for the “Heavenly Way.” This idea of aligning oneself to a higher principle has permeated Chinese life for thousands of years since – from arranging furniture with Feng Shui to governing by Confucian ideals, from following Buddhist and Taoist meditation disciplines to creating music and art that revere the divine.

and 70s was especially devastating – artifacts, books, and temples were destroyed in an effort to wipe out the world’s most ancient culture.

Millions were killed and Chinese culture never fully recovered.

Enter Shen Yun Performing Arts. In 2006, a group of top Chinese artists living in the West came together and established Shen Yun as a not for profit organisation in New York. Having found artistic freedom, they set out to bring a long lost culture back to life.

Ever since, Shen Yun has performed in the world’s top venues, taking audiences to distant lands and times on an extraordinary journey across 5000 years of Chinese civilization.

At the core of a Shen Yun performance are classical Chinese dance, ethnic and folk dances, ancient legends, and modern tales of courage.

Dance is accompanied by a one-of-a-kind orchestra, which combines both classical Western and Chinese instruments. Vocalists, bright costumes, and animated digital backdrops complete the Shen Yun experience, one that has been described as both enriching and inspiring.

You can catch Shen Yun at The Arts Centre Gold Coast on 31 January and 1 February at QPAC on 3 and 4 February.

Get more at shenyun.com.

Fast forward to the present and these traditions have mostly disappeared, wiped out by the Chinese Communist Party’s political campaigns. The Cultural Revolution of the 60s

SIX SHOWS O NLY BOOK N OW FO R B E ST S E AT S!

ExquisitE dancE profound culturE moving storiEs

31 JAN – 4 FEB

QPAC | THE ARTS CENTRE GOLD COAST

136 246 | 5588 4000

ShenYun.com Shen Yun Performing ArtS iS A non-Profit orgAnizAtion.

PreSented bY fAlun dAfA ASSociAtion of AuStrAliA, QueenSlAnd brAnch inc.

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5,000 YEARS OF CIVILIZATION. LIVE ON STAGE! ALL NEW SHOW WITH LIVE ORCHESTRA

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*taking a closer look at life on the GC

free Issue #17 JANUARY 2015

REVIVING ANCIENT CIVILISATION Shen Yun returns

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