Book 344 by BMA Magazine

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CANBERRA’S NO. 1 FREE ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE

MASSIVE ATTACK Trip-hop haters?

TEGAN & SARA erra! Creeping out Canb

#344 MAR17

THE DEAD WEATHER WHIP UP A STORM AT ANU BAR

World Naked Bike Ride: one can only hope for a fine day.

# 3 4 4 M A R 1 7 Fax: 02 6257 4361 Mail: PO Box 713 Civic Square, ACT 2608 Publisher Scott Layne General Manager & Advertising Manager Allan Sko T: 6257 4360 E: advertising@bmamag.com Editor Julia Winterflood T: 02 6257 4456 E: editorial@bmamag.com Accounts Manager Ashish Doshi T: 6247 4816 E: accounts@bmamag.com Sales Executive Danika Nayna T: 0408 657 939 E: sales@bmamag.com Super Sub Editor Josh Brown Graphic Design Natalie Runko Exhibitionist Editor Naomi Milthorpe Film Editor Mark Russell Principal Photographers (The Flashbulb Posse) Andrew Mayo Nick Brightman NEXT ISSUE 345 OUT MAR 31 EDITORIAL DEADLINE MAR 22 ADVERTISING DEADLINE MAR 25 Published by Radar Media Pty Ltd ABN 76 097 301 730 BMA is independently owned and published. Opinions expressed in BMA are not necessarily those of the editor, publisher or staff.

Groovin’ the Moo is putting the culture back into agriculture! Oof. So you’ve heard all the bad bovine gags, you know it’s a killer lineup and you know it’s gonna be huge, but have you considered joining the bill? triple j and GTM are giving one artist/band in the Canberra region (including South East NSW or Illawarra) the op to share the stage with the big guns. To be in with a chance you need to have your tracks uploaded on the Unearthed site before Sunday April 4 with the correct region selected. Get moovin’!

The Chud Canon Local masked fiends of metal, Chud, have just released their debut CD, Blood & Bone, and are celebrating the occasion by partying it up on Wednesday March 24 at Bar 32. Joining them will be fellow party animals Friend or Enemy, Goulburn’s groove rock/metal outfit Blind Eyed Gods and Prostitute Gun. Chud will be selling their wares and there will be a few prizes for early birds. All this for a conservative ten bucks. Doors at 8.

I’m Still an Animal Humanimals are here! Created by the lads that brought you Lamexcuse, Humanimals are all about musical freedom and have been hard at work crafting a dynamic set which is now ready to be unleashed, starting with a show at The Pot Belly on Saturday March 27 with Loud So Clear, then an all ages show on Sunday April 11 at The Warehouse (Fyshwick) with Chris Duke and The Royals (Syd), The Decline (WA) and Short Fuse (ACT). You will be hearing a lot more Humanimals in the coming months, so get excited.

Simply Splendid Are you a fearless, young and emerging artist? If so, Splendid 2010 wants to hear from you. Splendid is now seeking artists to participate in the 2010 program, which affords an

All in the Family Eight months ago Mother And Father came out of nowhere with their debut LP Nothin’ (Z-Man Records) and have been causing a swell in the Melbourne music scene since. In June they’ll be heading to America to play a string of shows along the west coast but before they depart they are stopping by The Phoenix on Sunday March 28. Joining them will be good friends Parading (featuring members of Witch Hats and The Stabs) and Cat Cat. For more head to www.myspace.com/ motherandfathermusic .

Ring my Bell On Thursday March 25 The Front will open its doors, hearts and beer fridge to ultra wired Melbourne music teacher Travis Marke, and the smoothest soul crooner of Byron Bay, Simon Asquith. Joining the lads are captivating, melodic three-piece indie outfit Birds and Belles. Get set for a mish mash of folk, pop and rock peppered with reggae, funk and swing. Swell.

Jazzamataz The School of Music 2010 Premier Concert Series kicks off on Wednesday March 31 with a dynamic jazz double bill featuring Mike Price Trio and Vertical, in Llewellyn Hall. Mike Price, guitarist and Head of Jazz Studies at the ANU teams up with his School of Music colleagues to make up the Mike Price Trio. Their music is a blend of styles from blues-tinged jazz

reminiscent of guitar greats Kenny Burrell, Grant Green, and George Benson, while Vertical are a tight quartet that have received excellent reviews of their concert performances.

And All the Coloured Girls Sing Laurie Anderson and Lou Reed have been announced as the curators of Vivid LIVE, the annual festival of light, music and ideas featuring the spectacular illumination of the Sydney Opera House sails. Vivid celebrates Sydney as the creative hub of the Asia Pacific with large scale light installations and projections, music performances and collaborations, creative ideas, discussion and debate. The two-week festival celebrating the world’s best contemporary artists and cultural interpreters will be held from May 28 to June 11. Says Chief Exec Richard Evens, “Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House symbolises our values of imagination, creativity and inspiration. We are committed to presenting the most acclaimed and engaging artists of our generation, so who better to take the helm of our festival than Laurie Anderson and Lou Reed.” Head to sydneyoperahouse.com/ vividlive from March 29 for the Vivid LIVE program, regular news updates, loads of information and masses of multimedia.

LAURIE ANDERSON AND LOU REED

Get Moovin’

opportunity to develop critical thinking and experimentation in an intensive two-week residential arts lab in Lismore, NSW as well as providing the opportunity to premiere new collaborative and cross artform work at Splendour in the Grass 2011. The challenge is extended to Splendid artists to create cutting edge and contemporary art that will inspire, question, puzzle, amuse, seduce and otherwise intrigue 30,000 festival goers. Splendid 2010 applications are due on Tuesday April 6 and forms are available at www.splendid.org.au .

LapTopping AUSTRALIAN FILM NEWS Inspired by the success of Where The Wild Things Are and Fantastic Mr Fox, Australian director Baz Luhrmann has begun production on a 240 million dollar version of Australian children’s book Grug. Angus Sampson is touted to play the burrawang tree turned haystack with a face with Rose Byrne cast as Cara the snake. Luhrmann says the challenge will be sculpting the relatively simple plotlines into today’s standard three and a half hours for a feature film. He has suggested the series may be condensed so that Grug has a birthday, plays soccer and finds a rainbow all in the one day. Not to be outdone, Warwick Thornton, director of Sampson and Delilah, is planning a gritty portrayal of children’s classic Clifford The Big Red Dog. The adaptation will be a tribute to the wide range of megafauna that roamed the Australian outback 50,000 years ago. Clifford will be a mythical dingo that appears to the Anangu people of Alice Springs. Meanwhile Nick Cave has also jumped on the children’s book bandwagon, penning a script for a feature film adaptation of Eric Hill’s Where’s Spot? Cave’s script sees one man’s 50 year quest around the world to find his beloved cocker spaniel, stolen by a drug cartel on his tenth birthday. The big budget epic is rumoured to be utilising state of the art 4-D technology, where audiences will be able to lift up the movie screen to see whether Spot is behind it. Critics have dubbed the technology a sham, saying an usher dawdling through the theatre in a dog costume is hardly revolutionary.

JUSTIN HEAZLEWOOD www.bedroomphilosopher.com Justin performs as The Bedroom Philosopher and writes for Frankie and Jmag.

and

another

YOU PISSED ME OFF!

thing…

Are you familiar with the excellent British television series Spaced? It’s brilliant, far too brilliant to go into at length here – if you see repeats on UKTV, watch them… or, better yet, buy the DVDs, available at all good etc – they’re worth the money. Anyways, having said that, remember this phrase, idly scribbled by Spaced’s main protagonist, Tim Bisley, on a portfolio of his cartoon artwork: I AM A MASSIVE WANKER As I say, remember this, because it will come in handy later on... In (apparently) unrelated news, Western Australian/Californian hippy icons the John Butler Trio have released a new album, revolutionarily entitled The April Uprising. It’s an unintentionally amusing moniker, given the fact that John and his trio would probably be as close to any form of organised insurrection as Tony Abbott would be to being found in one of the stalls in the gents at Cube, but what really raised And Another Thing’s hackles were the instructions that accompanied the review copies of said album. Remember, then, that most uprisings usually have some form of natural justice, freedom of speech and/or release from oppression at their core… but the JBT, protectors of huggable trees the nation over, brewers of mung bean tea par excellence and general all round opposers of oppression and its earthly facilitator, ‘the man,’ have a different idea. Y’see, every review copy of their new album comes with a piece of paper, which has to be signed, stating the user will only use the album for review purposes (shit… I could be taken to court already – there’s a hot cup of coffee resting on my copy even as I type), and – I’m not making this up – reviewers will only listen to the album in public places via the gift of headphones. Now, that last piece of advice I’ll buy – I really don’t want people on the 318 to Belconnen and points North in the morning thinking I’m actually listening to this drivel because I’m enjoying it, but, really, sometimes I can’t control the overspill from my earpieces, and who knows who’s earwigging in the next seat? Where do these people get off? Could I be prosecuted by the same revisionist forces that John professes so much loathing for (hey man, those pigs and lawyers, are like, really bad… we should stage an uprising or something… if Mom pays for it) simply by having the stereo cranked up and the back door open whilst my neighbours – none of whom I know, much less trust – stand concealed in the herbaceous borders of my backyard brandishing Dictaphones? Do they really have such an inflated opinion of themselves that they think bootleggers are lurking everywhere, desperate to get a sneak preview of the new John Butler Trio album? The answer, you would hope, is no. But you really have to wonder about anybody prepared on the one hand to try and make a humble street press journalist sign all manner of spurious ‘confidentiality’ clauses just to review their bloody album (which is utter rubbish, by the way – I know because I happened to be standing outside someone’s window the other night whilst they were playing it) whilst on the other hitching their wagon to some sort of vague green/hippy/left of centre free thinking lentil-infused anti-establishment love-in, don’t you? There’s a simple answer here – go out and buy the most recent Levellers album, Letters From the Underground – musical proof that you can hold sincere leftist, revolutionary political views, over decades, yet still not sell out, and then go back to Spaced, with John Butler and his Trio in mind, and remember that graffiti. scott adams thirtyyearsofrnr@hotmail.com

Has someone yanked yer chain recently? Well send an email to editorial@bmamag.com and have your sweet vengeance. And for the love of God, keep it brief! [All entries contain original spellings] TO the passive aggressive cyclist junkies who seem to think that all paths networks around town are solely for their use and their use only. You piss me off! The National Triangle promenades along the lake, both north and south, provide key recreational walking and cycling links for all. They are not only for puffed up megalomaniacs high on their own arse cracks. Cycling is fine! But if you’re going to be smelling your arse crack at high speed, in a heavily utilised area, then can I suggest that you belong on-road. Lots of people walk, ride, skip and hop around the lake and manage to respect each other whilst they do it. Why can’t you?? To a Certain Politician from a certain group of unnamed fanatical’s. I think I speak for every non-conservative in Canberra when I say.....HOLY FUCK YOU PISS ME OFF. STOP enforcing your twisted views on Canberra’s public, its narrow minded old fuckwits like you that make my job and my life one big fuckoff sized restraint. I GOT TWO WORDS FOR YA..... FUCKING BOARDIES.

FROM THE BOSSMAN Youth Week is nearly upon us; a wonderful time where we can share our collective disappointment at where the human race is headed. I mean, they just don’t work as hard as we did, huh? I remember my first paper round; trudging through a bleak English Winter – sans shoes, of course – navigating bastard driveways and murderous dogs for hours on end, and all for a New England ha’penny, which bought you just enough pig snouts to see you through to the next job. But did we complain? Did we bollocks! Nowadays kids just expect to be given the latest electronic peaPod or plasmo pictocube, or whatever they’re called. It would have taken 17 years to save up for one of those in my day but dammit, we would have earned it! <strikes fist into open palm> I also received a press release recently proudly proclaiming the seven days following Mar 21 to be Seniors Week in NSW. Which of course begs the question; where’s Middle Age Week? A whole demographic is being tragically ignored. I can see it now… we could run workshops on how to sew leather patches onto our tweed jackets. There would be the beloved ‘trouser hitch’ comp – whoever has their belt line closer to their neck wins. The National Dad Jokes Comp, where everyone’s a wiener <zing!>. And let’s not forget Midlife Crisis Awareness Day; free pin up calendars for all! Wait a minute; I’m meant to be the organiser of this. Better get cracking then. Damn memory. Ain’t what it used to be. I think. ALLAN “GET OFF ME LAWN YER DERN KIDS!” SKO

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TRAVIS HEINRICH

WHO: All Our Friends WHAT: Our very own funsize version of We Love Sounds WHERE: UC BAR WHEN: Sat Jun 5

Step 1: Get a credit card with no limit. Step 2: Buy the credit company with the credit card. You then owe debt to yourself, therefore it cancels itself out. Now that you’re a multi-millionaire and won’t have to work anymore, you’ll have to find something to do with your time. Gallivanting in your vault of cheddar will get boring after a while, so let me suggest an activity. The oh so peachy We Love Sounds has animorphed into an intimate club version of itself, warming our bastard winter with the likes of Laidback Luke, Tiga, Steve Aoki, Felix Da Housecat, Proxy, Joachim Gerraud plus more to be announced. Sounds danceable.

WHO: FUNdraiser WHAT: For Fun Machine Because a robber snaffled their vault cheddar WHERE: Mcgregor Hall WHEN: Fri Mar 19

Geeze Louise, now this is upsetting. Local delights Fun Machine are not only violently talented, but frightfully hard working as well. Sad to say, a bad guy stole all the earnings from their genius EP More is More and now they are all crying. These guys have done, and are doing beyond fantastic things with the Canberra music scene and deserve a helping hand. Aside from Fun Machine you get performances from Beth Monzo, Lady Grey, Cuddlefish, Jason Recliner, James Fahy Trio and the insanely good Joe Oppenheimer. I blame McDonalds. It’s that Hamburglar. Whose fucking idea was it to have a re-offending convicted criminal as their spokesperson?

WHO: Icarus WHAT: The eel’s hips of experimental electronica WHERE: The Street Theatre WHEN: Fri March 25

Now, I was somewhat surprised whilst reading about Icarus for this tidbit. It seems that quite a few reviews state this UK duo as being the best live act they’ve ‘ever seen’. A huge call in anyone’s books, but I can’t ignore the sheer amount of freakin’ compliments they seem to get. In case you missed the ‘where’ part – it’s at The Street Theatre, a frightfully glorious live music venue. The entrees should add more saliva to your mouth, with HelloSqaure head honcho Shoeb Ahmed playing, along with (ex- Canberra Canon) Reuben Ingall and Luke Penders. Come sit on Gigmund Freud’s couch.

WHO: Strangeways 3D WHAT: That zany troop of DJs – in 3D! WHERE: Transit Bar WHEN: Fri Mar 19

Well this is neat. The Strangeway lads have concocted their next gig around a 3D theme, one that I’m slightly wooed by. 3D projections and still images will pepper the walls, and you can view them with your FREE 3D GLASSES! It’ll be a ‘sidekick to the bully from a ‘50s movie’ convention. It’s so kitsch it makes me want to get a slice of pizza from KC’s (after a round of that migraine-inducing virtual reality game), followed by an awkward fumble for the token to get my bag back from Impact Records and finally a drunken Meatbee gig at The Gypsy. Sigh. At least Transit is holding strong with free gigs like this.

WHO: TNT Karaoke Dynamite competition! WHAT: Yup, Karaoke. WHERE: Transit Bar WHEN: running for 8 weeks!

“A bottle of milk thanks.” “Low fat, no fat, full cream, high calcium, high-protein soy, lite, skim, omega 3, high-calcium with vitamin D and folate or extra dollop?” Ok. How about you shut your wilted noise-hole you horrifying corpse. I’m sorry that science and cultural freedom has allowed us more choices, but if it wasn’t for them you’d be covered in boils in some dirt hole. Evidence that TV sucks, and that you should go outside. Karaoke has been proven by the Guinness Book of Records as the best thing ever – and here’s your ticket kiddo. Stop watching milk ads and go win some clams singing your favourite tune. As a plus, karaoke makes the pain temporarily go away.

WHO: You, beautiful WHAT: DISCO WHERE: Monkey Bar WHEN: EEEEEEEVERY SATURDAY

Gary Glitter has done awful things to the word ‘glitter’. Whilst donning those speckled dots, he made bad music, bad danced and was far too god-awful for my liking. Well hey, his music might have been bad, but I’m sure he’s a good guy. Oh wait right, he nailed some kids. Whoopsie daises I forgot. Once upon a time, Monkey Bar was called Awkward Bar (nice segue that) and was open for around three weeks. Business management people! Either way, Monkey Bar rose from the ashes and is going strong. They have this thing that looks fun. Glitter, glam, retro music and regular live entertainment- – every Saturday night. Get your bad dance on.

ALIVE AND KICKING KATHERINE QUINN “Can you just put Jack White on the phone?” is a question I am not going to ask Dean Fertita of THE DEAD WEATHER (even though I desperately want to). In fact, I have a whole lot of questions I am not going to ask, because frankly you have to keep a tight rein on yourself when you love a band so much you’d name your first born after their drummer. But it’s hard to think of an original topic to raise with a supergroup featuring Jack White of The White Stripes and The Raconteurs, Alison Mosshart from The Kills, Jack Lawrence from The Raconteurs and Dean Fertita from Queens of the Stone Age – with collectively more than 50 years in the music industry, I can’t help but feel they’ve been there, done it all before. In terms of the music, though, this couldn’t be further from the truth. “The exciting thing about The Dead Weather is that we felt like we’re doing something new,” Fertita tells me, on the phone all the way from Detroit, Michigan. “I think there’s inevitable influence from everything we’ve done, but unless we were doing something we felt was new and exciting I don’t think we would have been as interested.”

It’s such an information age – everybody wants to know every detail about everything

The band got together somewhat spontaneously when The Kills were opening for The Raconteurs on their US tour. “I came down to see the last couple of Raconteurs shows,” Fertita explains. “After the show I was going to go stay with Jack [White] for a couple of days, and Alison ended up coming up as well, and little Jack [Lawrence] was in Nashville too, so it ended up becoming a recording session the next day. We thought it was going to be a 45 and it turned into a record, so it was a pretty good day.” A pretty good day turned into a year-long world tour and a second record, which is due out in April. The band is still finalising the details, but Fertita divulges that the first single is likely to be Die By the Drop, and the second entitled Blue Blood Blues. There’s so much mystery surrounding this supergroup that whenever Fertita actually tells me something I feel like he’s just flicked a coin to a beggar (yes, I am the beggar in this scenario). I ask, for example, what inspired the name The Dead Weather, and Fertita replies, “we can’t actually remember! In the recording process names would just show up one day and leave the next, and this one kind of stuck around for a little bit. It just has a mood similar to what we’re doing and seemed to fit.” It certainly does seem to fit, with the band’s first album, Horehound, a menacing mix of swaggering blues riffs, rock drumming and eerie organ melodies delivered through blown-

out speakers. Lines like “I’ve done some bad things/and they get easier to do” delivered in Mosshart’s low, coital growl are enough to make you shiver, and White’s distinctive vocals have the spinechilling timbre of fingernails on a blackboard. Still, I am suspicious of this alleged ‘not remembering,’ since Fertita admits that the band intentionally cultivates an aura of mystery. “It’s such an information age – everybody wants to know every detail about everything,” he says. “I think letting people decide for themselves what the music means to them is a cool thing. I listen to a lot of ‘60s and ‘70s rock music, and during that time there was a lot of mystery surrounding the bands. I remember just looking at album covers and wanting to know things about them that I could never find out. It made you feel more curious; it made you feel driven to be closer to it.” The mythology surrounding The Dead Weather is amplified by the media coverage that invariably follows the band. Jack White is married to flame-haired supermodel Karen Elson (whom he secretly wed in a Brazilian rainforest), and there are rumours of an ongoing feud between Alison Mosshart and Kate Moss, who is dating Mosshart’s bandmate from The Kills, Jamie Hince. I try to dig up a bit of celebrity gossip myself, confessing my ladycrush on Alison Mosshart in what I hope will be a tit-for-tat, caring-and-sharing kind of thing. So, Dean, is there any sexual tension in The Dead Weather? He laughs for a good minute or so and then says, “no, Alison’s a sister to us,” before adding, as if to make me feel better, “but a very beautiful one. I don’t blame anybody for having a huge crush on Alison.” Fertita will admit that there is, however, a different kind of tension in the band. “We push each other and challenge each other so much that it’s kind of a volatile mix, in a good way,” he says. “Everybody tries so hard to give something to this project that we’re really pushing ourselves the whole time, and that creates this weird tension. I think that’s what makes us exciting.” Exciting is the word, and with less than a minute to go, there are so many more questions I want to ask – Is Jack White really a vampire? Where does Alison buy her jeans? Will you be my Facebook friend? – but even if he was willing to answer those questions, I’m not sure I’d really want him to. As Fertita said himself, “that’s the interesting part – not knowing – right?” You’d be mad NOT to catch The Dead Weather at the ANU Bar on Thursday March 25. Tickets through Ticketek.

ALL AGES The prime rib of Australian hardcore, House vs. Hurricane, are once again on tour, this time in support of their debut full length album, Perspectives. At The Warehouse in Fyshwick on Saturday April 3, you can witness what will so far be the best hardcore lineup that our city has seen in 2010, featuring Mary Jane Kelly, Skyway and New Zealand’s Antagonist AD. Tickets cost only $17 (+bf) from Moshtix. The Perspectives tour is House vs. Hurricane’s most anticipated tour yet. If you’re keen I’d hurry up, tickets are on sale now and they will sell fast. Doors open at 5pm, enjoy!

undeniable that almost every human being loves free shit. This event is undisputedly one of the biggest annual free shit extravaganzas in Canberra. Stationery, stickers, glowing things, lollies, stress balls, condoms, you name it! It’s all jolly good fun until you get home and realise that you have a whole bag of pens that don’t work and assorted items that you’ll never use. But one thing you are bound to enjoy on this evening is a free performance from Canberran funky four-piece band AstroChem, live on the Garema Place Stage at 3pm. Everything is free, free, FREE!

Once again National Youth Week is around the corner! Although the festival takes place nation wide from Saturday-Sunday April 10-18, it is Friday April 9 that acts as Canberra’s opening night. It is

Also on Friday April 9, courtesy of the good people at the Woden Youth Centre is a gig in celebration of National Youth Week. Featuring a lineup of rising local bands including Final Lies, Steady the Fall and Fight the Fall. It seems as though the Woden Youth Centre is currently acting as a big fat staple, holding our city’s all ages scene together. Tickets are sold at the door. If you can’t make it to see AstroChem at the National Youth Week Festival, you have another chance. Yet again thanks to our big fat staple they’ll be playing a gig on Thursday April 15 at the Woden Youth Centre with local bands Steady The Fall and No Assumption. Tickets are sold for $5-$10 when the doors open at around 6pm on the night. Now, here is a venue that we don’t hear much about. On Saturday April 17 the Queanbeyan Youth Centre is hosting Queanfest 2. The lineup includes local bands Super Best Friends, Heartbreak Club, Steady The Fall, Atlantis Awaits and apparently there is more to still be announced. Starting at 12.30pm, it sounds like this is going to be a long gig. Ticket prices have not been specified yet, however, I can tell you that they are sold at the door. Ahh… don’t worry my lovelies, you haven’t heard the last of these Youth Centre gigs. If you want to go to Groovin’ The Moo, I’m not joking, you really do have to get your tickets NOW. If you love the atmosphere of outdoor gigs, this phenomenal lineup at the Meadows of the UC is the ultimate. Tickets cost 95.90 (+bf). You don’t want to miss this. NAOMI FROST allagescolumn@gmail.com

Hello there, dear readers!

LOCALITY

It is I, your humble editor. After a whole year in this big black leather throne I finally have my own column, and you can bet your sweet bippy I’m excited. A question: have you ever had a close inspection of the coat of arms up there? I actually only just noticed the icons emblazoned on it when I had a skim over the last ish’s Locality, seeking inspiration for this ditty. The discovery tied in rather well with a chortle I had at The Front the night before, upon overhearing a smartly suited man sum up this city for a few French tourists. “Porn, weed and fireworks,” said he. Bollocks, thought I. You know what I reckon encapsulates Canberra? The collaborations at glorious Corinbank a few weeks back. Where else but the nash cap could you catch an impromptu ten-piece band with the incomparable Beth Monzo at the helm bust out some killer dub, whilst under the moniker Soctor Deuss Rafe Morris and Andrew Walker read Doctor Seuss, and a lithe and nimble circus man pulls off some mighty impressive stunts and a very sexy capoiera roda spar and play the berimbau? Nowhere but Canberra, my friend. Nowhere but here. This is my fourth year in my beloved ‘Berra and damn straight I call her home. I spent my first 18 in Alice Springs, a complex and often confronting place but a spectacularly sumptuous melting pot in the true sense of the term. It may come as a surprise to some, but it’s absolutely chockers with all sorts of artsy types constantly creating an enormous amount of wondrously inimitable works. But the jump from a town of 30,000 to 330,000 sure was exciting, and within a week of my arrival I was writing for this fine rag. I can remember the first time I picked up a copy. Wowsers! I thought. I’m living in a city that has its own streetpress! And there’re posters for gigs plastered all over the place! Canberra’s suburban milk fed malaise is ‘nothing ever happens here/ no one ever comes here’, but I grew up in a town that sees maybe three national tours a year. triple j’s One Night Stand is the biggest contemporary music event Alice has ever seen. The only event that ever came close was the NT government’s annual Bass in the Dust, which was scrapped last year and replaced with a Jimmy Barnes concert. Barnesy, for chrissakes. So, Canberra, wake up, will ya? I’ve lost count of how many festivals are happening this year. And I haven’t even mentioned the bucket load of brilliant local gigs on nightly. As local treasure Chanel Cole proclaimed at the superb Speakeasy Fringe Club at The Street last year (gin and tonic in teapots, suitcases hanging from the ceiling, disgustingly talented musos, now they were some nights to remember!), Canberra is like a sexy librarian. She’s all coy and conservative on the outside, but underneath her pant suit of grey she’s wearing fucking sexy lingerie. Once you woo her, once you get to know her, baby, it’s on. Julz’s hot tip: Electric Lake, Saturday March 27, Commonwealth Park Ampitheatre. Assassins 88, Catcat, Waterford, Old Ace, Ah! Pandita, The Fighting League and Voss. It’s a free all ages local festival and you can read about it on page 21. See you there. JULIA WINTERFLOOD julia@bmamag.com

DANCE THE DROP Like most readers who peruse these pages I love nothing more than going to a gig and being blown away. Until Sunday’s Best Festival I had never seen a DJ use equipment older than me. Okay so the Technics turntable was released circa ‘72, but touring acts (who still cling to vinyl) prefer those that aren’t 38 years old. The UK’s Greg Wilson played Sunday March 7’s event using an original Studer Revox reel-to-reel tape player. I doubt I will ever see that again. Mind unquestionably blown. Canberra’s scene has been craving a new venue for the better part of a year. Hippo has dusted off its evening cocktail reputation and embraced prog to become the latest dance haunt. Reasonable prices and limited capacity have combined to produce an excellent douchefilter, so the crowd is select. After Effigy’s last double-header at the venue the team has upped their ante with a triple headline bet. Robbie Lowe (Beatcode/Proton), Trinity (Pinksilver/Deep House Project) and Dave Stuart (Shrug) join the locals in celebrating Fourthstate’s birthday on Friday March 19. Pang! continues its tremendous Friday night dominance in Kingston the same evening. Hubert has taken a punt on Noob (France) and Matt Walsh (UK) to pull the crowd with eclectic locals Cheese, Bedrock Beats, James Marshall and Dubdecker Buss also on show. The internationals are both signed to Tiga’s Turbo Recordings and if his taste is anything to go by, and it most certainly is, join the revelry. Academy Saturdays presents The Only this Saturday March 20. Pop it in your iPhone and catch Canberra expats Chris Fraser and Jeff Drake busting their originals for the masses. The following Saturday Academy presents the Ministry of Sound Clubber’s Guide to 2010. Unlike past Ministry tours where we Canberrans have been stooged a headliner, both Hook and Sling and Anna Lunoe are promised starters. Anna Lunoe has had the magnanimous task of being the first female to record a mix with Ministry. Check her out to see history in the making. Thursday March 25 welcomes Australia’s Girl Talk, the Yacht Club DJs, to Transit Bar. Blow off uni/work Friday as this event is not to be missed. Guy and Gaz are hot to trot with their crazy track selection – think Roger Ramjet meets Warp – and this event will herald their first in Canberra’s clubs. Their tour includes special guests DZ and Howl, though sadly no locals have been announced as yet. Lastly in the spirit of St Patrick’s Day Lollygag have invited Irish deep house DJ John Daly to Academy’s Candy Bar for an ostensibly Éire evening swilling Guinness… hopefully you’ve picked up this issue on Wednesday March 17, ‘cause it’s tonight! mi favorito… I really enjoy the intimacy of Hippo and I think Effigy will solidify itself as the new ‘it’ night with the success of their Friday March 19 event. ‘Sport that fresh attire, tonight we goin’ out set the town on fire.’ STAKY staceymanson@gmail.com

myspace.com/pangnight

CRZYDNCNG

YOUNG FOLKS

staky

STAKY

I call up Jesse F. Keeler, one half of MSTRKRFT, a few short days after the Canadian men’s ice hockey team take home the coveted gold at the Vancouver Games. With a 3-2 overtime victory against arch rivals the USA, it is hard not to lead with what must be dominating the news in his home country. “As a Canadian I’m kind of obliged to follow the ice hockey,” muses the Toronto native. “So I went to a bar full of homeless people to watch the final. I didn’t get to see any of the Olympics though, but I played a party in Vancouver after the Opening Ceremony.”

KID SISTER catapulted into the limelight in 2008 when her debut single Pro Nails featuring Kanye West peaked on the US charts at 21. Not bad for an MC who only started rapping three years earlier. Now the young Chicagoan (young by name and by nature, Melissa Young to be exact) has production offers rolling in from dance music’s elite. From Sinden to Steve Angello, they are lining up to work with the talented lyricist.

It is apparent Keeler wasn’t the sporting type growing up. His interests lay in music, something that became a career option following the success of his mid-noughties band Death From Above 1979. It was with MSTRKRFT, however, that Keeler found superstardom. He and production partner Al-P describe their initial sound as “darker underground disco,” a far stretch from more recent tracks. “The first record [The Looks] was just where my head was at the time,” says Keeler, preferring to look to the future. “Things evolve and we had the idea for the second record and just did it, simple as that.”

If you tell people what you do, other people copy

It is generally accepted their second album Fist of Gold was far less successful than their first. Yet it was this album that established the sound for which they are now renowned. Unlike many of their contemporaries MSTRKRFT rely primarily on hardware modular synths. “We use a 909 and an MPC because we like the sound,” he says. “Of course we use Waves plug-ins too. My favourite synthesiser cost $25,000. I can’t live without it, it’s like crack ‘cause you can’t stop once you start.” Modcan are the company that made the duo’s synth. With personalised synths also made for the likes of Daft Punk, the pair knew they had found the equivalent of musical gold. “We’re lucky ‘cause they’re down the street from where we live,” beams Keeler. “It depends on how the synth is put together. Once you know how to use it, sky’s the limit. It’s the closest thing to painting in electronics. It’s way better than a computer ‘cause it always sounds different!” Much to my dismay Keeler chooses to remain silent about MSTRKRFT’s upcoming third album. “We are working on a new album, yes,” he says, but still mute on details. “I can’t say much about it. If you tell people what you do, other people copy.” MSTRKRFT return to Australia this May on the heels of their tour late last year. They will be joining the illustrious lineup at the AIS Arena on Saturday May 1 for the Kicks Warehouse Festival. =“Australia has been awesome. They’ve been loyal and interested since like 2005. We try and come out as much as possible!” says Jesse as a final thought. Very good news for us indeed. Catch MSTRKRFT at the Warehouse Festival at the AIS Arena on Saturday May 1. Tickets through Ticketek.

“Steve Angello sent us a cool beat and said ‘why don’t you write on it?’,” explained Kid Sister of her new track Right Hand Hi. “I like gay disco house, so I didn’t really know the Swedish House Mafia, to be honest. I was told they don’t give beats out and that I had to get on it. I’m really glad there are all these accomplished musicians and talented producers in my life now. We are all friends so it makes for a cohesive sound.”

I would say the album is the definitive electronic hiphop album out there right now

It was her signing to A-Trak’s label, Fool’s Gold, which first gave Kid Sister a foothold in the business. She later moved with them to Downtown Records, who already enjoyed a partnership with Dim Mak and Mad Decent, to be distributed by Universal. She was probably destined to work with the Fool’s Gold crew considering she came up with their iconic name. “I actually named the label, not many people know that. We literally opened up the dictionary and started looking up words,” said Young. “Well, to be honest my brother [Josh ‘J2K’ Young, one half of Flosstradamus] and I were taken on these white trash hillbilly vacations when we were kids to places like Nashville, but not as cool. They were on the route out west and there was this place, like a colonial town, where you had to pay to dig for fool’s gold. I was thinking about it with my brother and that is how the label name came to be; a white town trashy activity.” Kid Sister’s debut studio album, Ultraviolet, out on Fool’s Gold, includes collaborations with Estelle and Cee-Lo as well as production by Rusko, Spank Rock and of course A-Trak. The album is an obvious nod to the recent popularity of hip-hop electro fusion. “I’ve grown up with dance music since I was 11 or 12. Chicago is, after all, the house music capital of the world,” said Kid Sister of her foray into dance music. “I would say the album is the definitive electronic hip-hop album out there right now. That style of music has become a massive trend and this album is what this movement is all about.” Kid Sister is touring her new album in Australia this autumn and with live performances renowned for an abundance of energy crowds should brace themselves. “I’m looking forward to ripping Creamfields a new one! The show is fun, fun and more fun. I don’t go to the gym, so this is my exercise.” Kid Sister will also hit Canberra on Saturday May 1 for Warehouse.

all star cast josh brown It’s not often that opportunities arise to pick the brains of a member of one of the groups that defined a musical genre. Trip-hop being said genre and Grant Marshall, aka Daddy G of seminal UK outfit MASSIVE ATTACK, being the man in question. Though he and fellow core contributor Robert ‘3D’ Del Naja led the way (along with fellow Bristolians Portishead) in the early ‘90s in the field of downtempo electronica, Marshall reveals that these days he is quick to distance himself from the term. “We hate being grouped under that term of triphop because it seems like you’ve pigeonholed our activities and how we approach music,” he says. “Music’s a set of numbers – it gets redefined every now and then [but] it’s already set in stone what music really is. People sometimes come up with different definitions of sticking those numbers together and that’s what happened with us to a certain extent. We’re still up for learning lots of stuff in the studio and for a lot more experimentation.”

We hate being grouped under that term of trip-hop

It was in this spirit of experimentation and innovation that the band regrouped after a seven year hiatus and released their highly anticipated album Heligoland. Named after a German archipelago in the North Sea (“It’s something that D read in books,” says Marshall. “He was drawn to it and we liked the sound of the word. There’s no real deep meaning behind it.”), the group’s fifth major studio release is a stark contrast to its predecessor, 100th Window. “100th Window was quite a hard album to digest, really,” he admits. “It’s an album with a lot of little sound effects all over the shop. This is more simple and stripped back and the songs hit you straight and direct.” Heligoland continues Massive Attack’s longstanding tradition of collaborating with a string of amazing guest vocalists. Hope Sandoval (Mazzy Star), Tunde Adebimpe (TV On The Radio), Guy Garvey (Elbow) and Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz) all feature in what could only be described as an all star cast. Of working with such high profile musicians, Marshall says “they’re stars in their own right. With us, it’s really simple; we just go back to when we were DJs and we were playing these people’s records – people like Sinead O’Connor and Elizabeth Fraser. Working with them has been a godsend because we’re big fans and we knocked at their door for help to make the record, to come on board with collaborations and they have.” He notes that a number of the singers the band has been friends with for years aided the ease of the collaboration, adding that “it’s been more of a family occasion, this time around. Intimate’s the word.”

One of the most intimate and haunting tracks from Heligoland is Hope Sandoval’s contribution, Paradise Circus. “That’s a really weird one actually, because that is the only collaboration we’ve had that wasn’t an actual face to face,” says Marshall, discussing how the track came into existence. “That was done through the powers of electronics! We originally had quite an orchestral line but trimmed it right down and sent it to Hope because we love all the stuff that she did with Mazzy Star and she’s got this amazing voice. She added a sentiment to it that we love. Turned out to be something quite beautiful, really.” An important part of the mystique surrounding the band over the years has been the compelling visuals that accompany the music. From the iconic shot in one take Unfinished Sympathy to a singing foetus in the womb in Teardrop, Massive Attack’s videos have always been eye-catching and the most recent Heligoland productions are no exception. The very NSFW Paradise Circus clip showcases an interview with a retired porn star, interspersed with scenes from her glory days, and Splitting The Atom features an incredible journey through a computer generated city frozen in time in a moment of destruction. “We’ve made some amazing videos in the past but they’ve cost millions of pounds to make and those days are gone,” says Marshall. “It was a case of saying to certain producers, ‘listen, we’ll give you literally a tenth of that budget and can you make a video from that?’ and this [the video for Splitting The Atom] is the outcome we get. The less the budget, the more creative the videos are, it seems.” Given that the group have now been in the public domain for close to two decades and have achieved global acclaim and recognition (Teardrop is the theme tune to TV’s House), it’s refreshing to see that fame hasn’t gone to Marshall’s head. “With tunes like Unfinished Sympathy and Teardrop, you kind of know in your mind’s eye that something special is going on,” he muses. “When you work with someone like Liz Fraser [who sings on Teardrop, in addition to a number of other Massive Attack tracks], you think there’s something special going on whatever song she’s on. So we never thought that would have such an impact, no. You put something out into the public domain and you don’t know what impact it’s going to have until you actually let it go.” Given the group’s track record and the calibre of its guest vocalists, anything they decide to “let go” into the world will almost certainly be an instant classic. You’d be a fool not to catch Massive Attack at their show at the Royal Theatre on Friday March 19. Remaining tickets are a bargain at $70 through Ticketek.

TAKE ME TO ELECTRIC AVENUE

ben hermann

flint

Taking their name from Patrick White’s epic novel based on a Prussian explorer and naturalist, Canberra group VOSS are not the literaryinfluenced bohemian-chic wannabes that one might expect from a group with such an eponymous title. Rather, the five local musicians, who describe themselves as being “folk sometimes and sometimes more rock and roll, but mostly something in between,” are merely seeking to explore their personal musical trajectories and inclinations to the greatest degree possible. While their recently released debut LP The Inland Sea – which was recorded locally and engineered by Sam King – dealt deliberately, like their eponym, with themes of travel and landscape, the group are hardly likely to stick to their alt-country formula, regardless of the attention it’s been attracting of late.

Five years ago Mr Smith was just some guy, hanging out, and like most guys I knew at the time, staring at construction cranes. “When I’m an eccentric billionaire, I’m going to put two cranes together in a field and make them fight.” And I looked at him. And he looked at the cranes. And I figured he was a guy to keep an eye on.

I feel like it shouldn’t be happening – it still feel like we’re not a real band

“The album’s definitely good, and we’re really happy with it, but it’s perhaps not as good as we could do now,” says lyricist, vocalist and guitarist Owen Carroll, ahead of the group’s performances at the National Folk Festival and their east coast tour with Brisbane lads Cascadeer. We’re sounding a lot bigger and better at the moment, so we might not necessarily stick with the exact same style, just for the sake of it. But that’s obviously something we’ll all decide on along the way.” The group – consisting of an often varying combination of guitar, bass, drums, banjo and violin – have charmed many fans with their swirling, searing blend of country-folk and rock, which is at times sweet and endearing and at other times harsh and unforgiving. With more recording already in their sights, Carroll suggests that while the group’s sound may change, this is more due to their greater confidence rather than a conscious decision to shift styles. “We know more about what we want to sound like and what we’re comfortable about playing,” says Carroll. “We’re a lot less nervous, and have a better idea about what we want to say. The first album was just a collection of songs, but the music we write from now on will be a little bit stranger and a little less straightforward. Not necessarily experimental, but a little more diverse, and with a little more contrast.” However, this doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be seeing a nine-piece Voss on stage anytime soon. “We’d like to add more instruments, but not in a touring sense; only on the record. It’s hard enough to play shows with five people as it is already.” What’s more exciting for the group than any chamber-folk explorations is their approaching tour with Brisbane group Cascadeer, taking them beyond the ACT borders for the first time. “We’re pretty nervous. I feel like it shouldn’t be happening – it still feels like we’re not a real band,” laughs Carroll. “Cascadeer are awesome though. They’re like us, but better. They have a French horn, accordion, bass and a couple of banjos. The whole kit and caboodle.” Voss play at 3pm on Friday April 2 and at 5pm on Saturday April 3 at the Majestic Fringe Stage of the National Folk Festival. They will also play alongside Cascadeer (Bris) and Epithets (Bris) at Transit Bar on Thursday April 8.

So here’s what I saw: the guy got a guitar, got a taste for whiskey, got asked to sort out arrangements for a touring band and kept on doing it. “Did I plan it? Jesus no.” Birds Love Fighting is the name of his promotion/record label/ facilitation-of-things-happening outfit, and I like it. I’d say it’s good as the bands Birds Love Fighting put on reliably cut the lard out of my arse and put the kick back into my drums. For me it’s about seeing people being damned skilled and that turning into a rock uroborus* of inspiration, but he’s a little more down to earth about what makes a good gig. “People being at the gig, where there’s a lot of people having fun and watching something interesting, it makes a big difference.”

I like seeing music being created and people appreciate it on a simple level of enjoyment

Very pragmatic, Mr Smith, but what about those fighting cranes? What a joy of spectacle it would be! But is a festival by the lake really so different? Well, yes, actually, it’s pretty goddamn different, but the underlying qualities of a reason for excellent people to hang out are there. ELECTRIC LAKE will be the sort of thing that makes living in Canberra… liveable. It’s also presented by Canberra Musican’s Club and the Electric Lake Team. FUCK YES. “I hope the lake show gives some of the kids that can’t get to the over 18 shows a chance to kick back and see some of these bands. It will also solidify the spirit of Birds Love Fighting Records a little more and I hope it also spawns more lake shows.” Look at this lineup. Just look at it: Assassins 88, Catcat, Waterford, Old Ace, Ah! Pandita, The Fighting League and Voss. That’s a damn fine lineup, ranging from dreamy grooves to out and out distilled excitement. The link that’s hitting me right now is that they’re made up of people who deliver a bunch of interesting ideas and a metric shit-tonne of excitement. “I like seeing music being created and people appreciate it on a simple level of enjoyment. Bands like this as well.” Thanks Mr Smith, and thank you, weirdo reader, I’ll see you both by the Electric Lake. I’ll be the guy beating the crap out of some construction equipment. Electric Lake is at the Commonwealth Park Amphitheatre on Saturday March 27 March from midday. It’s free. It’s going to be delightful. *Mythical snake eating its tail, sort of a symbol of unending cycles. No relation to the rock lobster.

PHOTO: Matt Dunstall

THAT’S VOSS

Zareth 2009 by Scott BYCROFT

E X H I B I T I O N I S T Unlike other more established portraiture prizes there is refreshingly little in the way of celebrity here. Even in works that do portray well known faces, including entertainment personalities Chris Lilley, Paul Capsis and Julia Zemiro, we are treated to a far less guarded and manufactured view (Zemiro nearly unrecognisable). These few familiar faces aside, the exhibition acts as a survey of a more realistic Australia, as the forty-three finalists neatly sidestep portraiture stereotypes and the tendency of these occasions to try to depict a nation of heroes (the Aussie battler, the sporting superstar).

PICTURES OF YOU yolande norris National Portrait Gallery Director Andrew Sayers is the first to admit that this year, in its third instalment, the NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAIT PRIZE (NPPP) has really come into its own. Art prizes can take a few years to hit their stride, and now, as interest and profile has increased, the entries into the NPPP have, quite accordingly, exploded in quality. The annual exhibition receives plenty of national attention, not in the least because it comes hand in hand with one of the most generous cash prizes in the country. A whopping great $25,000 is the award up for grabs, courtesy of an ongoing sponsorship from VISA. Portrait prizes, and particularly photographic ones, will always get a running start in the popularity stakes, because people will always love photographs of other people. Human curiosity and our predisposition to voyeurism means that audiences soak up these images with unbridled enthusiasm, regardless of who the subjects are and the reasons for having their portraits taken. This year’s exhibition of NPPP finalists looks to be more popular than ever. What in previous years has been a hit-and-miss, at times cliché heavy affair, is now a consistent and surprisingly revealing exhibition, relentless in its emotional intensity. Curator Christopher Chapman believes many of this year’s finalists “evoke moments of defining self realisation and powerful self awareness”, and upon seeing the show it’s easy to see how he’s drawn this conclusion. Many of the selected works exude either a vulnerability, a defiance or an intriguing mix of both. In stark contrast to the largely forgettable fare in the 2009 exhibition, some images are so striking I find them difficult to shake from my mind even days later. One of these is the commanding, goose-bump inducing Gori, Bougainville by Stuart Miller, the subject staring down the camera as he stands in the ocean under a blackened, storm torn sky. Softer but no less powerful is James, Nicole Marie’s sensitive and understated portrait of a dedicated Dungeons and Dragons player. Simultaneously gritty and ethereal, her sitter’s face is bathed in an otherworldly computer-screen glow.

Instead this is a salon of people living quietly and otherwise unnoticed, going about their business, and caught up in the banality of everyday life. A waitress takes a moment’s break in a downtown Melbourne café, while a migrant family poses proudly in front of their red brick suburban home. Two sisters sunbathe unceremoniously in their backyard, and a young man at boarding school shaves, bathed in golden morning light. Many of the subjects are caught up in difficult circumstances, but the resulting portraits remain dignified and honest, rather than romanticising or overly politicising their situations. Perhaps the most poignant of these, and certainly the closest to home, is the cuttingly titled Master chef by Canberra’s own Andrew Sheargold. The portrait illustrates the reality of life for award-winning apprentice chef John Campbell, forced to live at government housing facility Havelock House in the face of the rental crisis - a world away from the glamorous existence portrayed by dozens of food-focused reality TV shows. Not only are the sitters from all walks of life, but the artists themselves are too. The winner of this year’s prize is Scott Bycroft, a high-school art teacher from Perth and self-taught photographer who has only been experimenting with the medium for a few years. His striking black and white portrait Zareth captures one of the students from the school with what the NPPP judges recognised as an “immediacy and power”. As with many of the subjects in this year’s collection of finalists, Zareth regards the camera with an intense, almost unnerving gaze. Moments like these occur throughout the exhibition – a testament not only to the power of photography to capture these definitive snatches in time, but also to the keen eye of the artist behind the lens. It is, after all, the artist who seeks out these split seconds instances, managing to capture the essence of a personality and identity in a single image. Now, as it comes of age, the National Photographic Portrait Prize is finally succeeding to deliver on the core aims of the National Portrait Gallery: “to increase the understanding of the Australian people – their identity, history, creativity and culture – through portraiture.” By creating portraits of the people around them, both amateur and professional photographers across the country are taking control of this understanding. The exhibition of NPPP finalists is on show at the National Portrait Gallery until May 2 before it begins a tour of regional galleries. Keen snappers should bear in mind that a call for entries in the 2011 National Photographic Portrait Prize will take place from August this year.

BEAT IT julia winterflood “It’s going to be a big year for us,” says Chris Frazer, who plays John Lennon in BEATLEMANIA - ON TOUR. Damn straight. The man’s only tripping around the world as part of a tribute show to the best band in the world. I was recently searching for a birthday present when I happened across a set of coasters cut from 72” records. On the back was a spiel from a guy who was about to have a lady friend over for the first time, and he was stressing about first impressions and which coaster to offer. He settles for The Beatles, saying “I’ve got good taste to acknowledge the greatest band in history”. And there we have it, even on this set of coasters, The Beatles’ status as the best band in the world remains clear. No buts about it. After we’ve finished gushing about our introduction to them (Frazer’s was in primary school when his class sang Octopus’ Garden; mine when I was given their entire collection on mint condition vinyl a few years back), we get to talking about tributes, and whether audiences expect imitation or interpretation. “It’s a funny thing,” muses Frazer. “Tribute can be anything, like a guy with a wig playing to karaoke backing, but what we do is so far removed from that.” It certainly sounds like it. Not only are these fab four all accomplished musicians (with pretty nifty wigs), multimedia is also used to set the various scenes. “We start in Hamburg at The Star Club and it’s all leather and we act a little drunk. It’s a bit volatile and we’ve got Pete Best on drums and basically we have a bit of a fight with him every night.” From here it’s on to Liverpool and The Cabin shows of ’63, and then the BBC tour of the UK and Scotland. “The second half kicks off with The Ed Sullivan Show and we do a bit where it’s like a scene change between live segments and we talk to the audience like they’re the live audience. “Then there’s a section where we skip off to India and then we come back and do the psychadelia and then the Sergeant Pepper’s bit at the end.” Phew. Frazer insists the show kicks along at such a cracking pace the excitement is never lost. But are there screaming girls? “There are occasional times when we get pockets of 17-year-olds girls who know their job and scream in all the right moments. Those nights are amazing but predominantly our audiences are respectful of what we’re doing and erupt when the time comes.” Other authenticities include costumes made by a US Beatles fanatic who owns many of the originals. “He recreates them down to the stitch,” enthuses Frazer. Scott MacFarlane, who plays McCartney, even switched from a right-handed bassist to a leftie, and Michael Brady, who plays Ringo, has watched heaps of Thomas the Tank Engine to perfect his accent. What appears to be most authentic, however, from our garrulous half hour fan gab, is Frazer’s love of The Beatles. “That’s what it’s all about, the absolute joy of their music.” Beatlemania On Tour is at the Canberra Theatre Centre for one night only on Sunday March 21. For bookings call 6275 2700 or head to canberratheatrecentre.org.au .

ARTISTPROFILE: Lainie Hart

What do you do? I’m a playwright, currently working as an Affiliate Writer with the Street Theatre. When did you get into it? I majored in script- and screen-writing as part of a Theatre Studies degree but didn’t really start writing plays until 2003, when I was the recipient of a mentorship funded by the Australia Council for the Arts. Who or what influences you as an artist? My work has tended to focus on international issues, particularly conflicts in places such as Rwanda and Israel/Palestine, and draw on the styles of British writers like David Hare and Howard Brenton. What’s your biggest achievement so far? Getting my work produced overseas (a festival in Northern Israel). What are your plans for the future? I’d love to work and travel abroad, and focus on getting more of my existing work produced in Australia and internationally. What makes you laugh? Watching classic re-runs of Seinfeld. What pisses you off? Ads. What’s your opinion of the local scene? Growing... What are your upcoming performances? The Back of Beyond has been chosen as the Street Theatre’s major commissioned work for 2010. Contact info: aedanwhyatt@gmail.com

UNINHIBITED This week has been a bit of a blow at chez-Uninhibited thanks to a nasty bout with The Dreaded Lurgy. If you’ve never encountered The DL before, well – you are lucky. It causes even the most rational of arts writers to drop their voice to Kathleen Turner levels, curl up in a shivering, lung-hocking ball, erupt with phlegm every two-three minutes, and cry out for bizarre things like lemonade, hot water bottles, and aspirational magazines. The desire to attend opening nights, gigs, and street art performances vanishes to be replaced by the desire to watch the entirety of season one of The Tudors, never mind the terror induced by Jonathan Rhys Meyers’s mannequin skin. Gone is the impetus to review, critique, or even report on arts activity in our sweet autumnal town. A sad thing, considering the amount that has happened thanks to the Canberra Festival – CYT’s Battlefield, exhibitions by Ruth Waller and Jude Rae at CMAG, Flipart, Lights! Canberra! Action!, and the Balloon Spectacular… sniff, sniff. No, that’s not Uninhibited tearing up – it’s just the snot. From the view of bed, there seems to be a heap of stuff on everywhere – for instance, Everyman’s latest, Richard III. One of the bloodier plays in the Bard’s canon, the hunchback Richard has traditionally been a showcase for the finest acting talents in the world (Olivier! McKellen!). Now, Canberra’s own Duncan Ley is taking on the bottled spider, against a cast of the Can’s most hardworkingest actors – Hannah Ley, Jim Adamik, Adrian Flor and the ubiquitous Ian Croker. The winter of our discontent, indeed… The Alliance Française French Film Festival is opening this week with a screening of Micmacs, the latest film from Uninhibited’s favourite frog, Jean-Pierre Jeunet. More to the point, there’s special events galore throughout the festival – including a screening of Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky, with a Q&A with the director Jan Kounen on March 31. Zut! Too bad we’re feeling poorly (or as they would say in France, merde). Then there’s the new exhibition at CCAS Manuka from rising art star TJ Phillipson, There is Fire Down Below. It’s playing ‘til March 21, so Uninhibited probably could go… but we wouldn’t want to risk a relapse. For the same reason, we won’t be attending Stopera’s Autumn concert at Tuggeranong Arts Centre on March 21. Even with the promise of coffee and cake. Nor, for that matter, Wildest Dreams - a photo and video exhibition detailing the nine-week journey from idea to public performance for a group of creative people living with and without disability. It’s playing at the Belconnen Arts Centre from March 19-21 – so if you go, you won’t see us there. No Sirree Bob, Uninhibited has been so shot down with illness it is surprising we can even type. In fact, the only thing Uninhibited desires after twelve rounds with the DL is to snuggle in bed and watch movies with Mr Uninhibited. It cures what ails us. NAOMI MILTHORPE naomi@bmamag.com

“Simple doesn’t mean easy - it can actually be incredibly difficult and complicated. It’s about removing the ‘whiz bang’ which sometimes brings more difficult things to life and there’s a lot more different layers to it,” Holland says. “The type of stuff we do is imagination based. Your imagination is always going to be more elastic and generous than anything we could do on stage so we suggest one part of the costume and let you imagine the rest.” And it seems like this is the perfect approach to tell this fairy tale. After rave reviews in Seattle, across Canada and the US and the Adelaide Fringe, The Snow Queen visits The Street Theatre for two nights only. The story of Gerda and her journey to find her missing friend Kai is told by five actors who play 55 characters, from flowers to birds, to robbers and princesses. Holland says the use of costume is minimal and that most of the character changes are shown through the physicality of the actors.

snow country for old men emma gibson You might remember THE SNOW QUEEN from your childhood. If you do, then prepare to be delighted by theater simple’s enchanting performance of the Hans Christian Andersen classic. If you don’t know the story, this is the perfect way to discover it. Hailing from Seattle, theater simple is an award-winning company founded in 1990 by actors Llysa Holland and Andrew Litzky. Holland says theater simple is about stripping the performance back, and placing an emphasis on the imagination of the actor and audience.

“We all know how to play when we’re kids. There’s something about getting older that makes us shut out our physicality. But in our performance we try to model this physicality,” she says. “We’re all pretty flexible - literally as well as in terms of our acting. We have a lot of fun. I think that’s the biggest thing. We want to do theatre that engages you and makes you want to play with us. It’s been interesting to watch kids watch the show, especially if they’re never seen theatre before and only know TV and video. You can see them watching, trying to figure out what’s going on and what’s going to happen next,” Holland says. The theater simple production of The Snow Queen will sweep parents and children alike away in a magical world. Holland says that children take one play away from it, and adults another. So it really is a show for everybody, whether a child, or a child at heart. “People always think fairytales are for the girls, but we did a show on Friday and the people laughing the hardest were the dads!” The Snow Queen shows for three performances only at The Street Theatre on Wednesday March 31 and Thursday April 1. For tickets and info call 6247 1223.

IN REVIEW

Flatspin By Alan Ayckbourn, directed by Geoffrey Borny Canberra Repertory, Theatre 3 ‘Til March 20 According to Shakespeare, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. In Alan Ayckbourn’s Flatspin, it’s not a rose, but a Rosie, who changes names – and with amusing, if not necessarily surprising, results. In Canberra Repertory’s production directed by Geoffrey Borny, Rosie (Lainie Hart) is having a very bad day. An out-of-work actress, Rosie takes on the job of cleaner and plant-waterer for a trendy Docklands apartment block whose residents are often out of town. Rosie is watering plants in one of the flats when the doorbell rings: enter toothsome neighbour Sam (Ross Walker). Rosie, wishing she were somebody else, pretends to be. She introduces herself as the flat’s owner, Joanna Rupleford. Sam asks ‘Joanna’ to share dinner with him that night, in ‘her’ flat. Oh, as they say, dear. Hart and Walker have great stage presence and the gentle back-andforth between them fizzles along nicely throughout Act 1. Just before they close the deal (and the Act), Maurice (Jerry Hearn) enters, the play gets a lot more complicated, and this reviewer can no longer mention any plot points because that would spoil the whole thing. Borny has directed his players with supreme confidence. Hart is excellent as Rosie, while Walker turns in a fine performance in what is a rather thankless role. The English accents are somewhat patchy - disappointing in an otherwise-solid production. The real

treats, as always, come from the supporting players – Rob de Vries as the testosterone-fuelled Tommy and Steph Roberts as the awful Annette run away with all the best laughs. A simple case of assumed identity is the basis for many a romantic comedy – and the enjoyment comes from the audience’s recognition of a shared impulse. We’ve all wanted to be somebody else, just for a change – more glamorous, more successful, more mysterious. Ayckbourn’s play works like many a rom-com before it – will they get together? Will Rosie give the game away? Why do the saucepans still have their tags on them? It is, as the tagline suggests, very much like Bridget Jones’ Diary (the film. The book, I might say, is a great deal sharper in its comedy and its depiction of relationships). Good, if not exactly ground-breaking stuff. Flatspin won’t change the world – but it offers an enjoyable night out with some good, old-fashioned, English comic writing.

bit PARTS WHO: Frenchies! WHAT: 2010 Alliance Française French Film Festival WHEN: Thursday 18 – Wednesday 31 March WHERE: Greater Union Manuka and the Arc Cinema @ NFSA The Alliance Française French Film Festival turns 21 in 2010, and to celebrate, the festival is bringing 36 tres magnifique films to Canberra, with special events to mark the occasion. The NFSA will host the opening and closing night events at Arc, while Greater Union Manuka will daily screen delicacies from the land of Brie. Opening the fest is the new Jean-Pierre Jeunet film Micmacs (pictured) on March 18, while the AFFFF officially closes on Tuesday March 30 with a screening of the “audacious” debut from graphic novelist Joann Sfar, GAINSBOURG: JE T’AIME… MOI NON PLUS, a biopic about the debonair Serge Gainsbourg. For details and highlights of the festival, head to www.frenchfilmfestival.org and for tickets check out www.greaterunion.com.au .

WHO: You! (if you’re a young and emerging artist, that is) WHAT: CYT’s OPEN HOUSE WHEN: Applications close Friday April 9 WHERE: For info and an application form contact karla@cytc.net or phone 6248 5057 CYT’s OPEN HOUSE program is for young independent theatre artists aged 18-25 seeking to create, rehearse, or develop a theatrical project. OPEN HOUSE invites emerging artists to take theatrical risks and expand their performance horizons through engaging in an artistic residency in C Block for a fortnight. Sez OPEN HOUSE recipient and local lass Cathy Petocz: “OPEN HOUSE was the perfect testing ground: we failed, we succeeded, we discovered new ideas waiting for us.” The June OPEN HOUSE applications close on April 9 and are for ACT artists only. WHO: Sally Blake and Vedanta Nicholson WHAT: Flow and Fusion WHEN: March 17 - 28 WHERE: ANCA Studio, Rosevear Pl Dickson To quote: “Blake and Nicholson share an interest in patterns and processes of the natural world and how these manifest internally and externally. […] Blake wishes to depict the essence of what she sees and feels in the landscape rather than describing pictorial elements, and uses an abstract language of colour bands to describe colour and light transitions in the environment. Nicholson’s prints capture the dance of energies evident throughout the natural environment. They ask us to contemplate the mystery of formation behind a commonality of emergent patterns, the similarities found in phenomena such as atmospheric systems, water flows, flocking birds, shifting sands and the cellular structure within the body.” By the by, the exhibition is free – the best kind. WHO: Seattle’s theater simple WHAT: On the road – on a shoestring – around the world: 20 years of making theater simple WHEN: Tuesday March 30 @ 5pm WHERE: The Street Theatre Internationally-acclaimed, Seattle-based ensemble, theater simple have been producing and touring award-winning productions on a shoestring since 1990, and are right now touring their latest show, The Snow Queen, to The Street. Co-founders and artistic instigators Llysa Holland and Andrew Litzky have guided the company through 20 years and over 40 productions of imagination-based theatre work. In this session, the duo surveys their wide-ranging work in Australia, discusses the nuts and bolts of artistic survival as well as the challenges and rewards of a life in the arts. Street Members and The Snow Queen ticket-holders FREE (others $10/$5) – call the BO on 6247 1223 to reserve your place.

WHO: Daramalan Theatre Company WHAT: Ich Bin Faust WHEN: April 6 - 10 WHERE: Courtyard Studio, CTC To quote from the press release: “In April 2009, a group of students from The Daramalan Theatre Company went to Caloola Farm surrounded by the idyllic mountains south of Canberra. Here they set about relating the texts of Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus and Goethe’s Faust to their own lives and world as they experience it. This led to the writing and presentation of a new theatre production at The Canberra Theatre Centre, Courtyard Studio on the Faust myth from a youth perspective.” Huzzah! Written and directed by Joe Woodward, and with an original soundtrack by Konrad Lenz, this production only has a short season so get in quick.

WHO: Budding writers WHAT: ACT Writers Centre workshops WHEN: April - June WHERE: Workshop room, ACT Writers Centre, Gorman House Arts Centre, Ainslie Ave, Braddon The ACT Writers Centre offers a veritable smorgasbord of workshops and seminars for would-be wordsmiths to hone their craft, practice their skills, and… well, I don’t know, but I’d probably have a third option if I was a better writer. Anyway. The first cab off the rank for the AprilJune series is Imagining History on Saturday April 10, a workshop seminar on writing historical novels from novelist Tom Gilling. Gilling is the author of three novels which have sold widely overseas; Sooterkin and Miles McGinty, both set in 19th-century Australia, were both shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Literary Award. Check out all the details of the Writers Centre program at www.actwriters.org.au or email admin@actwriters.org.au for further info.

JUST KIDDING KATY HALL Talking to Kieran Ryan isn’t the easiest thing to do. As he and cousin Kishore embark on their nationwide tour (“and our first as headliners,” Kieran proudly quips) the Melbourne-based duo are busier than ever. When I manage to find some time he sounds, as my Mum would say, run off his feet. “Yeah, it’s been pretty hectic lately, but it’s been really good,” he agrees. “The last six months in particular have just been huge for us. We’ve been doing it for a few years but up until last year we’d never even played outside of Melbourne. It was only after we made the album that our stuff got picked up and started to get played on the radio and we started doing tours around the place.” The release of their self-titled debut suddenly found a lot of attention and praise being sent their way. The rolling drums of Kishore are met perfectly with the gentle lilt of Kieran’s voice, and tracks like A Landslide Coming Down were instant hits for the radio. Before heading into the studio, Kieran had been working his way around Australia, while Kishore worked on other projects (Seagull, Where Were You At Lunch) and it wasn’t until Kieran’s return that KID SAM really started to exist.

I’ve got to have surgery on my shoulder. I jumped the fence to get into a music festival

“As kids we didn’t really see each other that much growing up. We lived nine hours apart and only saw each other once or twice a year. We only had a couple of jams together growing up but I was living in Melbourne and doing music things and when he moved to Melbourne I just asked him to work with me and here we are. We were just playing a lot of little gigs and eventually we decided we should do an album, even if it was just for ourselves,” Kieran says. “We were making it with all of our own money, really just to make it. But then after making it we didn’t really want to look at it. You become so involved with making an album and there’s so much thought and work that goes into it that it becomes really difficult to remove yourself from that. After making it I just didn’t want to look at it, you know? I was happy for it to lie around for a while.” But looking to the end of the stint, Kieran says with slight relief that there will be a break. “I’ve got to have surgery on my shoulder. I did it ages ago when I was a teenager. I was jumping the fence to get into a music festival actually,” he says with a laugh. “Even though there were no pass outs I managed to get one and walked all the way to the hospital. After I got it fixed up I thought I might as well go back and see the bands. It ended up being a really good show too.” Catch Kid Sam live at the Front Gallery on Sunday March 28, along with Seagull and Deep Sea Arcade. Tickets are $15 on the door.

would definitely work with her again,” Quin laughs. “I have never really thought of doing anything differently, I mean we have been writing music since we were 14 years old and we have stayed true to a certain style since we started.”

We love coming to Australia because it seems like a big holiday

SAINTLY TIM GALVIN Twins. The word not only brings to mind a hilarious ‘80s Hollywood comedic vehicle for the future governor of California, but it is also a genuine adjective to epitomise identical Canadian indie sisters TEGAN AND SARA. Their sixth studio album Sainthood, released at the end of 2009, was inspired by the lyrics from the famous Leonard Cohen song Came So Far For Beauty, as Sara Quin explains. “The songs are about the struggle for love and happiness,” she says. “I mean we never write mean songs; it’s more a collaboration of introspective storytelling with all the elements of love. The songwriting process has changed a lot for me over the years though; these days it feels a lot less accidental. I don’t sit there and think ‘wow I can still write music,’ I believe in myself a lot more and in what I can do.” The songwriting process for this album was a distinct departure from the norm, with the sisters working on most of the lyrics as a duo, rather than independently. “I think it was beneficial in terms of how we write and how we think of each other – it’s been really organic and I

Tegan and Sara are a pristine example of a borderline crossover band; although their roots are firmly entrenched in the world of indie rock, their upcoming sold out tour of Australia also proves that they have abundant commercial appeal, a fact that Sara attributes to their distinctive live show. “In the past it was harder, we were rarely thinking about how our sound would translate into a live performance, but with this album from the moment we started doing new material there was a real focus on how the record would sound live,” she explains. “We are essentially a touring band and even though our popularity and success has grown over the years, compared to other artists we don’t sell a heap of records and so playing live is a big thing for us because that is what we do and who we are.”

Their last trip down under was partially chronicled in a three book set of photography and writing called On, In, At and the sisters are looking forward to seeing more of our country when they return. “We love coming to Australia because even though we are working, the whole thing always seems like a big holiday,” Quin says. “It’s always great to go to the major cities but this time I’m more excited about doing festival shows in smaller, maybe rural areas that are close to the beach or just basically out of the way.” Catch Tegan and Sara at the Groovin’ The Moo Festival on Sunday May 9 at the University of Canberra. Tickets through Moshtix.

THE REALNESS I’m very pleased to report that following my excitement last month, the new records from Statik Selektah (100 Proof), Strong Arm Steady (In Search Of Stoney Jackson) and Freeway + Jake One (The Stimulus Package) are all very dope. All releases are 100% consistent dusty boom-bap and reiterate why Statik, Madlib and Jake One are at the top of the production game. You simply must have all three releases in your collection – in fact Free and Jake’s One Foot In is one of the best hip-hop tunes I’ve heard in the last five years, easy. Get on it. Back home, dudes are getting mad busy at the moment, with the local scene getting peppered with a barrage of releases both free and for purchase. First up, legendary hip-hop duo Brethren have just put out their 20th anniversary release Bastion on Krosswerdz Recordings. Staying true to their old school roots, these two pioneers prove they are still relevant with another versatile release. Guests include Baba Israel, Def Wish Cast, Reason, Deejay Mathmatics and Brotha Black. A release I missed from a little while back is DJ Skae’s Gueslist mix CD which features a who’s who of Sydney emcees (Skeptic & Dseeva, Sandro, Sleeping Monk, Dirtbox Kings, Torcha and Morganics, along with many more). It’s a great release and Skae definitely seems like he’s got his fingers in many pies, including working alongside with Skeptic & Dseeva, a healthy club DJ schedule and a background in graffiti. Check him out at www.myspace.com/djskae .

Former Equills member and current frontman of acclaimed (and very dope) Illzilla crew, Mantra is undoubtedly one of the illest emcees in Australia at the moment and there is much hype surrounding his upcoming debut solo release Power Of The Spoken due out on Obese Records Friday March 26. It’s produced by M-Phazes, Mista Savona and Count Bounce and I can’t wait to hear what Mantra has cooked up. Expect some rapid fire, intelligent, textured and dynamic lyricism. More on this one once I’ve heard it in its entirety. Comprising of MCs Agent Remix and Crisis, Creep Team is the new offspring of Melb group Phonic Division. Their new EP The Creep St is dark headstrong street music, influenced by ‘70s vigilante flicks. It is seven tracks deep and you can check out the video for Fire In The Hole online (crazy!) and the rest of their steez at thecreepteam. bigcartel.com . One of my fave Australian emcees Mdusu has just dropped his new free mixtape The Excess Baggage. After a rough 12 months, Duse has relocated from Tassie to Sunny QLD, jacked a bunch of dope beats and scripted his experiences with heartfelt honesty and a raw sense of humour. You can grab a copy at www.myspace.com/mdusu. He’s also dropping his solo LP Ex-Samples proper later in 2010. Go Duse! Mudd Promotions and Soul’d On Sound present Hell MuthaFuckin’ Yeah at PJ O’Reilly’s Tuggeranong on Saturday March 27 featuring Sceptic & Dseeva, Way Lyrical, 206 Collab, Convict and Dub Seven. $10 on the door. The same night @ Transit Bar Scott Burns will be in town to promote his upcoming new music with Alikeminds, Gabi and LouLou in support. DJs Buick, Bom, LouLou and J-Platnum will be spinning. To hear music from all these releases and more, tune to The Antidote on 2XX 98.3FM every Tues night from 9:30pm. Roshambo roshambizzle@yahoo.com.au

METALISE I thrust my horns in your general direction. Last issue I was able to warn you of an impending boarding by Scottish pirates in the form of the Alestorm tour. Further rumblings from Europe have warned of an impending raid by Finland’s Turisas. Yes, the band named after the ancient Finnish war god are packing their fury underpants and battle axes to raid our shores. Darlings of the European summer metal fests, the show is bound to be a cracker and you can catch it Saturday May 22 at The Factory Theatre in Sydney and the show is all ages. You can find tickets on sale at justsayrock.com.au . The Day Everything Became Nothing are at The Basement on Friday March 26 for a night of world class gore grind. The night after, Saturday March 27, at said Basement is also a huge local bill featuring The Darker Half, Templestowe, Dead Letter Opener and Forgery. No strangers to our shores and equally as berzerk sans the costumes, The Dillinger Escape Plan are coming back. The tour is with Maylene, Sons of Disaster and The Red Shore and I’m still trying to determine if there are two shows on at The Metro in Sydney on the same day or if it’s a typo. I would assume that one show would be all ages and the other an over 18s show, either way, The Metro is the place and the date is Friday May 21 with Dillinger headlining one or both shows. I will do some more digging and let you know in a future Metallise. Nick Oliveri is back for more acoustic shows at The Wall (345 Parramatta Road, Leichhardt) in Sydney on Wednesday March 24 with support from Blackie of The Hard-Ons. Last time I reported that Paul Dianno was coming back, you may have sensed some cynicism in my reportage. Those that attended Dianno last time may have agreed with me after the legendary frontman from Iron Maiden’s first two albums left the stage with the shits that fans didn’t know the words to The Ramones’ Blitzkrieg Bop. Well, colour me impressed, in part, at the tour plans for this visit due to land at The ANU Bar on Sunday June 20. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the release of Iron Maiden’s debut self-titled record, and to celebrate the landmark, Dianno and, I assume, the same band made of Sydney thrashers Killrazor will be back to play a set featuring said self-titled album in full along with a bunch of tracks from Killers as well. 25 bucks at moshtix.com and you can join in the celebration. If you’re a TRUE fan, you can pay for a 100 dollar VIP ticket. That will get you entry to the show, a merch bag, tour poster and a meet and greet with the man himself. For those who prefer their metal a bit more core and tattooed, Confession, Thy Art Is Murder, Wish For Wings and Lovers Grave play the Canberra leg of The Mistake Tour at The Jam Factory for all ages on Sunday May 2. The Jam Factory is at 4/9 Lithgow Street in Fyshwick and is available for bands looking for rehearsal space – call Chris on 0413 476 591 if you need somewhere to make a racket at very reasonable rates. Josh – NP: Frosthammer – Snakes For The Divine – High On Fire JOSH NIXON doomtildeath@hotmail.com

the word

BLACKBOX

on games I’ve come to realise the true virtue of iPhone games; like a tube of Selleys All Clear, they nicely fill the gaps. Now, some of you are probably thinking that the DS and PSP already had this niche covered. But I ask you this; how often do you have your DS on you when you’re shaking hands with uncle Boris (aka using the facilities)? Exactly. Whilst I play an iPhone game at least once a day (maybe even a few more depending on what I ate last night), my impractical PSP remains lost and forgotten.

GTA: Chinatown Wars / Angry Birds Developer: Rockstar Games / Clickgamer Rating: Worth purchasing / Genius, definitely purchase Playing style: Long, mission based story / Quick bursts I’ve played the GTA franchise to death; so much so, I personally think the critically acclaimed GTA 4 is in reality, shithouse. Despite this context, I still found myself enjoying China Town Wars, despite some issues. The first thing that impressed was the opening. Sure, it plays out like the other GTA games, but that’s what I liked about it. For once, I felt like I was playing a proper game on the iPhone, rather than just a glorified flash game. Unfortunately, once I got to the gameplay and realised that most aspects of the game felt watered down compared to the console version, my initial enthusiasm slightly declined. Also, the biggest gripe I have with the game are the controls, which are done through on-screen buttons, inevitably leading to the typical trade off between screen space and practicality. Unfortunately, my fingers must be larger than Rockstar’s game testers, given that I often found myself steering in the wrong direction or breaking when I otherwise didn’t mean to. Throw in a shit load of scenery to obscure the player behind (such as an unnecessary rail system) and you’ve got yourself a potentially frustrating game. That said, given the $15 price tag, this is still one worth picking up. Screw what people tell you about Doodle Jump, Angry Birds is where the addiction really is. The game centres around the idea of catapulting birds into structures that house evil pigs. What’s not to love about that? Once you also consider how many levels there are and the amount of variety on offer (care of the different structure types and bird abilities, such as the black bird which explodes), you soon realise why this game can be so moreish. In fact, the game is so addictive, I didn’t play GTA nearly as much as I planned to, because I always found myself leaning towards this title instead. One of the main reasons for this is because each attempt can be as quick 10 seconds, or last as long as an hour, making it an ideal time filler. When you also consider the fact it only costs a buck, then there’s no reason not to own this immensely enjoyable title. TORBEN SKO

After a year of one-off specials and the like, a brand new series of Dr Who, with a brand new Doctor, hits screens next month. Well, computer screens anyway. Auntie will first screen the series on iView (Fri Apr 6 from 12am) before broadcasting on the telly (ABC1, Sun Apr 18). And it’s within a couple of weeks of the UK debut so you don’t need to worry too much about spoiler alerts. Those who watched The End of Time will know Matt Smith (the younger brother in Party Animals). An odd choice but then David Tennant took a while to settle into the role – and he has proved one of the most popular. And if you need extra incentive, the Daleks again feature heavily this season. From the ‘thank god we’ve got extra digital channels because you would need to strap me down and pry my eyelids open Clockwork Orange style’ box comes The Matty Johns Show (Prime, Thu Mar 25, 7.30pm). It’s not enough that WIN takes up two hours with the kind of ramshackle theatrics on show in Eddie McGuire’s Olympics coverage and their Footy Shows – now we have to have another carbon copy to avoid. The best show ever – James May’s Toy Stories (SBS1, Fri, 7.30pm) airs its best ep Lego (Apr 2). With the help of a lot of volunteers, James builds a full size lego house, replete with a lego toilet, and holds a house warming and then spends the night in it. If only Blackbox could find a way to make money out of fun things to do when you’re five. James May’s Top Gear (WIN, Go! more times a week than anyone can possibly remember) compatriot Richard Hammond takes on real architecture with his Engineering Connections: Guggenheim Bilbao (SBS1, Sat Apr 3, 7.30pm). New shows include Miranda (ABC2, Fri Mar 19, 8pm) – a semiautobiographical sitcom from British comedian Miranda Hart, Whistleblowers (7TWO, Mon, 9.30pm) – a British political thriller, and Place of Execution (ABC1, Fri Apr 2, 9.20pm) – a psychological thriller. Docos not to be missed include Human Journey: Australia (ABC2, Thu Mar 18, 8.30pm) which charts Australia’s part in the spread of homiosapiens, Fire Talker: The Life and Times of Charlie Perkins (ABC2, Thu Mar 18, 9.30pm), Serial Killers (Prime, Tue Mar 23, 10.30pm) – a doco series like Gangs of Oz that predictably starts with the body-in-a-barrel case, Chachapoya (SBS1, Sun Mar 28, 7.30pm) about a lost civilisation found high in the Andes, An Englishman in New York (ABC1, Sun Mar 28, 8.30pm) which follows the life of Quentin Crisp, I. Psychopath (ABC2, Thu Mar 25, 9.25pm) which focuses on a suspected psychopath and becomes a kind of gonzo journalism and Not Quite Hollywood (SBS1, Sat Mar 27, 10pm) which looks at Ozploitation cinema and features interviews with the likes of Quentin Tarantino and Phillip Adams. It’s followed by the most famous of them all – The Adventures of Barry McKenzie (SBS1, Sat Mar 27, 11.45pm). Still no news on a start date for Underbelly – you can enter a competition to attend a preview screening in Sydney on Thursday April 8 (channelnine.ninemsn.com.au/underbelly) so presumably it won’t be until after that. Blackbox Tip: If you’ve never heard of The Young Ones (ABC2, Tue, 8pm), watch it – it’s where the sitcom changed forever (and good research for that uni paper on post-modernism). TRACY HEFFERNAN tracyheffernan@bigpond.com

the word

on albums

album of the week gorillaz plastic beach [emi/PARLOPHONE]

When discussing with my dearest the notion of discovering the sex of a child before it’s born, she was adamantly against it. “It’s one of the only bits of mystery left in life.” This truism switched me onto what I love about Messrs Albarn and Hewlett’s Gorillaz creation; mystery and magic. And so it is with Plastic Beach, their third LP. Albarn’s turned his bulbous brain to consumerism this time around, and each track reads like an exotic dish. A downtempo opener with Snoop Dogg in spoken-word mode, backed by the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble (Welcome to the…)? Check. Traditional Arabic music melding into a charged electro/hip-hop melange with a side of retro game effects (White Flag)? Natch. A bed of melancholy surf guitar with moody Albarn vocal, topped with a veritable reach-for-the-lasers trance experience (Empire Ants)? O’ course. That’s just three of the 16 available. And like a newborn, once the mystery is revealed, the magic remains. They have an amazing ability to sample the world, combine the most unlikely sounds, and make it work. Not just work, make it fantastic. Do enjoy. allan sko

before too long: triple j’s tribute to paul kelly [abc/universal]

birds of tokyo broken strings [mgm]

the dread sky the dread sky [dread sky records]

What a top bloke is Richard Kingsmill. It was he who came up with the idea of gathering together some of Australia’s top musos (Adalita, Bob Evans, Missy Higgins, Jae Laffer, Clare Bowditch, Dan Sultan et al) to honour and celebrate one of our true music greats. Paul Kelly has been in the business for 30 years now, and Before Too Long triple j’s Tribute to Paul Kelly, is a glorious, triumphant and moving testament to an artist who has consistently excelled and inspired.

To perfectly demonstrate the influence of first impressions, by far the biggest let down on this live 18 track, two disc set, is the first track Overture. With messy string work, it immediately sets doubts in one’s mind concerning the band’s ability to compose orchestrated versions of their most highly acclaimed songs. Although, upon listening to the second track, it becomes clear that the first was really just a bad choice of track ordering. Here, the breathtaking and flawless vocals of Ian Kenny set themselves into the equation, singing the songs that are so widely known and loved, this time enhanced with delightful and flowing string work strewn throughout.

The title may remind you of a white knuckle flight through turbulent air, but it’s the self titled album of three-piece The Dread Sky from Newcastle. There are strong aeronautical threads running through this collection, from the lyrics, to the great cover art (with its rivets and vapour trails), to the fact that two of the band members are ex-military pilots. Their overseas travel layovers (they’re now flying commercial jets) enabled them to debut the album in LA. The music harks back to ‘70s style rock with driving chords and brash, punkesque vocals.

You wouldn’t be blamed for thinking Before Too Long’d read like a live version of Songs From the South. Indeed, 15 of the 20 tracks on SFTS appear here, but they only make up half of the live discs (the third contains the originals - a very nice touch as, like SFTS, a Paul Kelly compilation is pure gold). One of many highlights though is more recent gem Meet Me in the Middle of the Air from 2005’s bluegrass record Foggy Highway; beautifully breathed to life a capella by the Jays’ new golden girl Megan Washington. Along with They Thought I Was Asleep, from 2007’s goosebump-inducing Nothing But a Dream, sung tenderly by The Panics’ Jae Laffer, it proves that Kelly is not only an unbridled rocker and exceptionally brilliant balladeer, but a poet, too. It’s no wonder his lyrics are being studied for HSC English. Ever humble, Paul says larrikin-like at the end, “I heard youse all havin’ a party so I thought I’d come down and see if the lights were still on.” They’ll be on for a while yet, I reckon. julia winterflood

Throughout the first disc there are obvious flaws in the string additions, although if one is able to step over these cracks in the floor, the second disc will make up for everything. From the very first song on the second disc one can see that Birds of Tokyo had an idea, a crazy and dangerous idea, which miraculously they managed to achieve. Upon hearing Train Wrecks, the third track on the disc, all of your earlier assumptions are blown completely out of the water. From this point on you can feel the music swimming through your veins. With the help of great production and spectacularly skilled string musicians, Birds of Tokyo have managed in this album to improve songs that we had already thought to be perfect. NAOMI FROST

The Pilot carries a regional vibe and there are strong alternative country and folk influences prowling under the skin of some songs. These guys use intelligent lyrics in their work, with historical references aplenty in the lead track, and an inventive variety of arrangements in the songs. Blind Minister is a caustic political tale, with the opening beat getting faster and faster in its imitation of the frantic electoral roundabout. Maria employs clever theatrics in telling the tale of an endless obsession with a girl. Take My Hand may be the seemingly compulsory comment on climate change, but it puts its message across so well, as in “So I’ll see you down in Kyoto / We’ll take that great group photo”. These guys have a cynical string finger on the pulse of the world and this upbeat album is an impressive debut. rory mccartney

singled out

with Dave Ruby Howe

four tet there is love in you [domino]

joanna newsom have one on me [spunk]

pavement Quarantine the Past [matador/inertia]

There is something achingly delicate about There is Love in You. Nevermind the glitchy samples of oft-female vocals that shiver and soar; never mind the electronics that sound like they were handpicked from an angel’s hand basket. It’s something vague, something that seeps into your pores and gives you a warmth that you can’t describe; a fragility that feels like fire (alliteration ain’t no thang). Opener Angel Echoes unfolds like a sunrise, cut-up vocal samples floating in on fluttery wings and promises of nirvana, whereas there is a hesitant bleep beat on second single Sing (man, I could do this all day).

From the Message Bank of Joanna Newsom

There’s nothing like a dose of top-notch indie rock to make the world a better place, and this 23 track Pavement compilation which coincides with the band’s reunion tour does just the trick. Pavement were the quintessential guitar band of the 1990s, and disrupting influences like the compromises required to achieve chart action on someone else’s terms were ignored in favour of an opened-up approach to songwriting and recording that allowed for a multitude of ideas to come together in any given song. This resulted in a succession of vitally off-kilter tunes attached to free-flowing lyrics that suggested many new possibilities. Early Pavement tracks like Box Elder offered a sardonic world view that seemed to resonate with those disaffected youth like myself who were looking for art that encouraged self-expression, and it was heartening to discover other bands like Nirvana and Built to Spill doing the same kind of things. On this first time compilation, which surveys five album releases and a handful of compilation and EP tracks, Pavement is revealed as a risk taking unit that enjoyed the esoteric post punk experimentation of bands like The Fall while also questioning the mainstream promotion of “attention and fame” that Pavement vocalist and main songwriter Steve Malkmus mentions in the catchy 1993 track Cut Your Hair. This tune happily reminds us that surface appearance doesn’t necessarily deserve admiration – whenever I look into the mirror after a messy night out, I must agree.

Kieran Hebden’s Four Tet project is something to be marvelled at, something at once intelligent and meticulous; but again, it’s something else. Reverberated atmospherics wander aimlessly throughout, hovering above carefully pruned beats and occasional glimpses of robotic humanity, estranged syllables and melodies pieced together like puzzles. I believe this record has its own headspace. It has a life cycle. Like the proverbial circle of life, album closer She Just Likes to Fight starts with a beat resembling that of the opener, a four-to-the-floor bass drum coupled with tinkles of cymbals: but it doesn’t stop there. It then slowly peeks out of its cocoon, with beautiful low-key guitars scattered throughout, shaking off the bass drum’s fading vestiges of authority and dissolving into butterfly synths that leave us to wonder. What I’m saying is that this record breathes. palimah panichit

“Hi Joanna. Its Bill Callaghan. It’s been a while since I last heard from you. I’m just going back over everything that’s happened over the last decade and… Joanna, I want you back. The old days were amazing. Everything was just, well, simple. The way we were was right on for what it should have been. I’m very milk-eyed over this. I just want to mend it back to the way it was. Please return my call. Bye.” “My dear! Van Dyke here. I see you’ve released a new record? My word! Don’t take this as inflammatory however why didn’t you contact me? We were fantastic together! We made a cosmia and this new thing just does not suffice in comparison. It’s paved with good intentions but with little to no provenance. The composition is as soft as chalk, empty almost and far too easy. Have one on me, it’s good but it could have been great. Next time I guess. Just get a release out before I’m 81.” “Babe! Andy Samberg! I totally like just listened to ya new album and WOAAH like amazing. Only listened to the first album but I’m sure the rest is just as sick! Yeah! Love the parts at two minutes thirty and that other song at like six minutes and ten secs. We chucked it on while drinking. Tops background music! Maybe you should do that duet with MGMT!” lachlan shields

dan bigna

Cascada Pyromania [UMA] Bombastic production, cheeseball electronics, dubious ESL sloganeering; yep, Euro-dance is back. I for one welcome our new Euro-schlock overlords, if only for the Vengaboys reunion tour that’s sure to eventuate.

itch-e & scratch-e other planets [hussle] After ten years on the sidelines, Itch-E & Scratch-E have dusted off their rave gear for one hell of a comeback. And naturally they’re up to their old tricks with Other Planets, a bouncy ode to the weird and wonderful fans the duo have developed over the years. Age shall not weary them. Rave on dudes.

justin bieber baby ft. ludacris [uma] I have to ask, who is buying this? Tweens sure, but who else? Because this is such a cheesy slice of mawkish vanilla pop that I seriously feel pity for anyone over the age of 16 that is enjoying this.

kavinsky nightcall ft. lovefoxxx [record makers] Kavinsky is at his best when he’s applying his zombie-synth sounds with his friends and in the case of Nightcall he’s in very good company. Produced with the help of Daft Punk’s goldenhelmeted Guy-Man and with CSS’s Lovefoxxx on vocals, this tune is a quietly thumping electro ballad filled with enough soft synths to make Moroder jealous.

the word

on films

WITH MARK RUSSELL

A chick won the two top prizes, and her film wasn’t even about ponies or nuffink! I can tap into my feminine side well enough to imagine some of the joy 50% of you must feel at Kathryn Bigelow destroying ex-husband James Cameron in front of a huge crowd – especially since he’s such a pompous twat. More power to you sista! A deserving winner and overall a good Oscars ceremony, as far as four-hour ego-massaging marathons go.

quote of the issue “I don’t know who said ‘only the dead have seen the end of war’. I have seen the end of war. The question is: can I live again?” Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) Brothers

alice in wonderland

men who stare at goats

brothers

Where’d you go Tim? Seriously, what the hell happened? I refuse to believe this is the same filmmaker who brought me Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice. If it is, his vision drank a bucket load of Alice’s shrinking potion.

After his wife leaves him for his editor, backwater newspaper journalist Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) decides to prove himself by going to Iraq to cover the invasion. Whilst residing in Kuwait City he meets Lyn “Skip” Cassady (George Clooney) a soldier and product of Project Jedi; a secret division run by Bill Django (Jeff Bridges) to develop non-lethal warfare tactics involving the mystic, the telepathic, and the LSDinspired. Wilton decides this is his story, and learns of the jealous Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey) and his conflicting ideas for Project Jedi.

The first mention I’d heard of this film was in a David Letterman interview with Natalie Portman. Dave assured me it was “The most important film of the last twenty years” or something to that effect. Intrigued by this recommendation, and because I’d happily watch Natalie Portman in a toilet cleaner commercial, I eagerly jumped at the chance to indulge in this cinematic experience.

You know the basic plot, we grew up with it – Alice falls down hole, eats things, drinks things, changes size, trips out, meets whacky characters. But this interpretation just feels like a massive triumph of commercialism over childhood. It’s hard to say anything against Johnny Depp as well, but throwing Burton’s all-time man-crush into a supporting role was always going to lead to bad things. His character ends up getting way more screen time than is justified, often given his own sub-plots irrespective of their place in the overall story. Calling Tim’s traditional black and white spirals and gothic creations warm may sound odd, but that’s what he used to give us through sheer inventiveness and actually building it all. These were real sets and real characters for actors to interact with. As soon as he started modelling the backgrounds for Alice in Wonderland in a computer program, someone should have yanked him up by his increasingly tame hairdo. Look, it’s all watchable. The story follows a (depressingly) linear structure and the 3D in the first half an hour is reasonably inventive and exciting. But no one’s on their top form and we can’t help but feel everything needs an injection of Burton’s old panache – even if it was just some scissorhands in the editing suite.

mark russell

This is a delightful and enjoyable film that however falls short of a knockout punch. Three of the four big names are wonderful - Clooney is effortless cool, Bridges invites acid flashbacks to The Big Lebowski, Spacey is wickedly mischievous. The subject matter – written by British screenwriter Peter Straughan and loosely based on a nonfiction (yes, non-fiction) book by Jon Ronson – is magic. Scenes of Project Jedi “training” are among the film’s best. But something in director Grant Heslov’s execution lacks the necessary bite. The narrative’s purpose meanders in the middle during the desert scenes. While the acting is good, the protagonists often resemble caricatures rather than characters, and the conclusion peters out and is slightly unsatisfying as a result. Still, this has enough laughs from its subject matter and performances to make it worth a fun ‘n’ flaky few hours viewing. allan sko

Brothers is an adaptation of a Danish film of the same name, depicting a young marine (Tobey Maguire) missing, presumed dead, in Afghanistan; and the effect his absence has on his beautiful wife (Portman) and ex-con brother (Jake Gyllenhaal) back in America. The first two-thirds of Brothers is very, very good. The characters are well-drawn and subtly acted, and the drama is punctuated with moments of genuine warmth and comedy. But it didn’t quite justify the extreme levels of praise for me. Then, about half an hour from the end: bang, spec-fucking-tacular. Maguire’s quiet softness, previously unconvincing for a hardened marine, switches to a powerful, brooding intensity. Gyllenhaal’s character undergoes a similarly extreme change and Natalie is, of course, universally brilliant. As the climax tears at your mind, the story elements come together to keep your attention on a razor’s edge. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a real emotional reaction to a film, but Brothers truly left me gasping. See it now, and decide whether Mr Letterman and myself were merely dazzled by the divine Miss P. mark russell

the word on dvds

chuck 2 [warner home video]

whip it [roadshow]

breaking bad SEAson 2 [breaking bad]

Chuck was one of the stand-out debuts of 2007. A sharp, witty and effortlessly fun spy caper, think Burn Notice through the prism of goofy ‘90s workplace slacker comedy or a Gen-X Get Smart. Criminally overlooked, it should have been much bigger than the small blip on the radar it actually was. It has already attracted a degree of cult-dom in the US through a successful ‘Save Chuck’ campaign, but here in Australia it remains a DVD nugget. The first season found Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi) juggling his menial job at the big box electronics store and a career as ‘The Intersect’; the holder of a fountain of government secrets downloaded into his brain by some opportunistic twist of fate. Adam Baldwin stole the show outright as the uptight, lantern-jawed and long suffering NSA agent John Casey and was rewarded with noticeably more screen time as the show progressed.

Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut shows the coming-of-age of Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page), a reluctant beauty pageant contestant turned badass roller derby challenger. Bliss longs to escape from her small Texan town and her domineering mother (Marcia Gay Harden) who just doesn’t seem to understand that Bliss is not the beauty queen type, and would much rather be dying her hair blue. Bliss’ escape presents itself in the circular shape of a roller rink, where she gets to discover herself while whacking other girls in the face. She joins roller derby, an all-girl contact sport on roller skates, where only the toughest survive. Secretly skating for The Hurl Scouts, she quickly helps her team rise through the ranks. Along with the requisite friend drama, boy trouble (with a suitably alternative guitar-playing guy) and family fights, Bliss starts to find her place in the world. But when her home life and Hurl Scouts life clash, she must learn to reconcile the separate worlds of the slingback heel and the skate.

Walter White (Bryan Cranston) faced the harsh consequences of his part-time job as a meth manufacturer in the closing sequence of the first season of Breaking Bad. Facing off against the insane and ultra-paranoid drug kingpin Tuco (Raymond Cruz) who, roasted on ice, beats the living shit out of one of his underlings over some perceived slight, Walt finally saw the reality of his predicament and it’s a manic, violent and irrational reality. He might have the chemistry smarts to cook the purest meth ever seen in New Mexico to pay for his cancer treatment, but the drug trade is some seriously fucked up shit. Keeping secrets from your family is one thing, staying alive at a drug meet in a car junkyard is another altogether. Happily, the second season picks up exactly where this scene left off and it doesn’t take long for pathological drug lord Tuco to ramp up the intensity, setting of a chain of events that culminates in a terrifying trip to an empty house in the desert and an elderly mute ex-gang banger in a wheelchair with a doorbell on the arm rest. Lynch would be proud.

For the return season, Chuck is no longer the confused Kafka-esque ‘man in the middle’ – he wants to be part of the system, he wants to be a full-on spy. But as we all know from Charlie’s Angels, espionage and being pursued by the Russian Mob isn’t for tousle-haired softies. Accordingly, Chuck spends much of his time trying desperately to prove he’s not a total screw up. Unsuccessfully. Some of the quaint charm and sparkle has worn off a little this time around as limitations in the concept begin to creak at the edges and frankly the production design is hardly in the realm of Mad Men. Still, that was never the goal. In reality as an early champion of the show I’m probably being unnecessarily harsh, these are really inconsequential quibbles. Chuck is a strange beast; an instantaneously gratifying, lovable slow burner. justin hook

Whip It features well-shot action scenes, fun musical montage sequences and a lot of heart. While this somewhat typical teen tale is occasionally clichéd, it is more than enjoyable enough to deserve a place on the ‘comingof-age’ home entertainment shelf. And for the film’s target audience – nostalgic young females with an appreciation of punk feminist aesthetics – this film will undoubtedly become somewhat of a cult classic. Unfortunately, the special features on the DVD are lacklustre. While one might expect an interview with Barrymore about her directorial debut, hilarious montage clips of the stars learning to skate and maybe a short featurette about roller derby itself – all the DVD provides is a trailer and a few deleted scenes. Lack of extra material aside, you will probably still end up with more than you bargained for – such as an overwhelming desire to buy a pair of roller skates. melissa wellham

Easily one of the best shows of the rebirth-era of television (cf: Sopranos onwards) Breaking Bad is a show that revels in the consequences of deception. It’s not that Walt and his hapless sidekick Jesse (Aaron Paul) are experts in grand illusions or meticulous planners, they’re just lucky enough to get away with it – for the time being. Cranston proves his back-to-back Best Actor Emmys weren’t sympathy votes, playing Walt with equal parts pity, despair, anger, forthrightness and fear. His shaved skull and wan demeanour are no mere parlour trick, and Cruz’s performance as Tuco is gobsmackingly unnerving. When even the minor roles are worthy of note, something tremendous is happening. JUSTIN HOOK

the word

on gigs

Rob Thomas / Vanessa Amorosi The Royal Theatre Friday February 19 Change is a wonderful thing. Even a jaded cynic of corporate commercialism has the potential to flip-flop on their ideals faster than a ruminative death-bound Darth Vader. Equivalently, just as Anakin Skywalker had become prostrated by the strictures of Jedi life, so too had I been similarly vexed by the uninspiring state of radio rock and the trite mould from which so-called ‘superstar’ performers were being cast. But, when sifting through a generic daytime radio playlist, there is one name which, for me, rises above the lacklustre hum-drum strum of artists like, oh let’s say… Nickelback, and delivers something more meaningful and prolific. I know that there are other easy listening anthems out there that resemble Rob Thomas arias but they just aren’t. People love Rob Thomas. People love Matchbox 20. They have almost defined a new era of sing-along pop rock like Bon Jovi did back in the ‘80s, although Rob Thomas has managed to do something that Jon never really fully accomplished and that is to maintain an on par solo career. This is a persona that sits comfortably with Rob Thomas. He exerts every part the cool of a John Mayer without any of the quirky narcissism. He projects ‘good guy’ vibes just as emphatically as Buble without the effervescent smugness. He is almost the perfect marketing tool and for that, one must admire rather than potentially chastise. A true artist in her own right, Vanessa Amorosi (who Rob Thomas would later refer to on stage as a “genuine Australian bad-ass”) played second fiddle on the bill tonight. Her new blonde-ish locks rounded off a welcome modern image for the starlet, who played to a near full house and warmed the lungs of the audience in fine style with hits like Absolutely Everybody, Shine and Perfect in preparation for the man of the hour. As the interval was nearing an end, the entire floor area in front of the main seating started to flow and expand like an impatient cloud willing a storm. Finally, the main lights disappeared and deafening cheers directed our eyes instantly to the long stage where the band was illuminated in front of a large cinema screen. The rhythmic pounding of a drum announced that it was time for the main event and within seconds the blazer-clad American icon was skipping onto the stage with the first few bars of Give Me the Meltdown. The first few things that became apparent were how clear the sound was, how perfectly balanced his vocals were and how tight a unit he and his touring band seemed to be. With three guitarists, a bass player, drummer, keyboardist and dual backing singers, the harmonies were almost ecclesiastical. After the first few songs, Thomas stopped to thank the audience for choosing to spend their money and more importantly their time with him and to remind them that life is short, that we should appreciate each moment for what it is rather than worrying about what was to come. =The impressive two hour show was an entertaining mixture of well written hits like Her Diamonds, Little Wonders and Lonely No More, new material including Someday and Cradlesong, some extremely decisive band solos and, for me the most impressive part, unplugged versions of Smooth and Something To Be.

He explained later in the show that he did not like to include a lot of Matchbox 20 material in his solo show because it would take away from the experience of playing those particular records with the whole band, something, he says exclusively, Australians can look forward to next year! The show was a special experience and I return now to bookend my original statement by reiterating that people can change, opinions can change and I can say now without fault that I now indeed consider myself to be a Rob Thomas fan. TIM GALVIN

Lupe Fiasco/Koolism/Horrorshow/Katalyst/D’Opus and Roshambo UC Refectory Saturday February 27 As the beads of sweat coating the patrons and walls still shook with the combined power of the final song’s bassline and the crowd chants of “Lou-pay, Lou-pay,” an eerie calm gave me a little perspective to reflect on the night that was.

the word

on gigs

Things had opened very nicely. The lineup was strong, starting off with local flow-masters D’Opus and Roshambo. It was clear that people were on a mission as a large chunk of the soon-to-be 2000 strong crowd had bustled into the UC Refectory for the 7.30 warm up. Ro and D’O delivered, putting in a rousing, stomping performance to get us all fiendin’ for the rest of the night’s entertainment. The pulsations approached some kind of hip-hop critical overload as we built through Katalyst, Horrorshow and Koolism ‘til... it was time. The Fiasco emerged. Lupe came out to a screaming, seething, glistening crowd who were in danger of slipping into some kind of quasi-sexual experience. The diminutive man with the big ideas took to the stage wearing his ‘Superstar’ shades and we... lost... our... friggan... minds. We jived our way through Kick, Push, the song that originally introduced Lupe Fiasco to the world stage in 2006. We floated along as he conducted the orchestral lifts in Daydream. And finally, the debaucherous sexuality shifted to something a little more religious as we united as one, accompanying Shining Down as it burst from the speakers. All of this made for a superb musical encounter, but my personal highlight came during the stadium (or Refectory) shaking response to Little Weapon. “I killed another man today, shot him in his back as he ran away...” The violently spat verses and pah-rum-pum-pumpums of the chorus raised the roof as Lupe belted out his gut-punch anthem for Africa’s child rebel soldiers. It’s a brutal track that speaks to something clearly important to Fiasco, while at the same time admonishes the romanticised violence inherent in so much rap: “Think you’re gangsta, popped a few round? These kids’ll come through and murder a whole town.” This tune embodies everything that this man is about. It’s socially aware, dark, uncompromising, threatening and catchy as all hell; the live performance delivered on this essence in spades. Many hip-hop aficionados would see little need for moshing to someone of Lupe’s ilk. Nevertheless, excitement, steamy temperatures and (let’s face it) copious amounts of alcohol prevailed and a thumping, bumping pit formed towards the front. Perhaps this rare sighting was a reflection of the man’s genrecrossing stylings and rock appeal. As Lupe wound up the show and stepped away from his speakerlined pulpit, the lights flicked on and I looked round at the faces around me. So many (my own included) shone with a combination of sweat and joyous reverie. Our consciences were adequately informed, our bowels were suitably bass-affected, and we were thoroughly entertained. The popularity and support shown for this gig surprised even those of us diehard fans. Did everyone have the same spiritual reaction I did? Probably not, but you can bet your last lyric that there were at least a few beatbaptisms that night. MARK RUSSELL

GIG GUIDE March 17 - March 21 wednesday march 17 Arts Candy Man

An all-singing, all dancing celebration of Sammy Davis Jr. CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Flow and Fusion

Exhibition by Sally Blake and Vedanta Nicholson. ‘Til March 28. ANCA GALLERY, ROSEVEAR PLACE

Arc: The Time That Remains (2009, 18+)

Cannes Film Festival triumph. Limited season ‘til March 28.

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Blaze 4

Blaze is CCAS’s annual emerging artist showcase exhibition. ‘Til April 1.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Canberra Gold

An exhibition that tells the stories of some of Canberra’s longest residents. ‘Til June 20. CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Something Different Trivia

TRANSIT BAR

Jumptown Swing

Lindy hop/swing. No rego or partner required. 6.30pm, $14. jumptown.org . WHITE EAGLE POLISH CLUB

Pedestrian Orchestra

The newest Canberra institution. All welcome! 18 PEDDAR STREET, O’CONNOR

Karaoke

Cash prizes, 2 for 1 basic spirits and tap beer, and free pool. DJ Peter Doree from 11pm. CUBE NIGHTCLUB

St Patrick’s Day Celebrations Enjoy traditional Irish hospitality at King O’s. Irish music, dancing and entertainment. KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

thursday march 18 Arts Here we are, exactly where we were a year ago

friday march 19 Arts Candy Man

An all-singing, all dancing celebration of Sammy Davis Jr. CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Dance Foreplay Fridays

9 ‘til 5 with DJs Pete & Matt. Free entry before 10pm. CUBE NIGHTCLUB

Robbie Lowe, Dave Stuart, Trinity

With Gabe Gilmour, Fourthstate, Beat It and Peekz. HIPPO LOUNGE

Strangeways DJs

They never cease to amaze.

Arc: Australian Cinema, PostImpressions

Vincent (1987, PG). Dutch Australian filmmaker Paul Cox’s doco on Vincent Van Gough. 2pm.

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Arc Cinema: Saturday Night Classic

The Towering Inferno (1974,PG). The granddaddy of ‘70s disaster films. 7pm. ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Dance Fabian Beach Club 30 Year Reunion

Inna Bashment Style with D’Opus & Jemist Dynamite Dancehall, Reggae, Baile Funk, and Miami Bass. KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Candy Cube

Frank Madrid

10 ‘til 5 with DJs Peter Dorree and Matt Chavasse.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Academy Saturdays: The Only

TRANSIT BAR

Friday night madness.

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

REV

Fresh from a killer set at Foreshore 2009.

Presented by Chapman Gallery in association with Ernabella Arts. ‘Til March 25.

6pm, free, ‘til March 19.

Your weekly Big Night Out with DJs playing rock, indie, alternative, punk and dance 9-way late.

Live

A cyberpunk themed club night, featuring guests Requ!em and Opiate from Shallow Nation Sydney.

Partly Cloudy

Alliance Française French Film Festival

36 tres magnifique films. Head to www. frenchfilmfestival.org . ‘Til March 31.

KC & The Sunshine Band

Disco

Candy Man

THE BASEMENT

Recent Paintings

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Exhibition by Canberra based artists about the fluffy vs harrowing nature of clouds. ‘Til March 27. ANU SCHOOL OF ART

There is a Fire Down Below

Exhibition by TJ Philipson. ‘Til March 21.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE - MANUKA

National Photographic Portrait Prize This year’s exhibition includes all 43 finalists and will be on display until May 2. NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

Underwater Love

A spectacular underwater photo, video and ceramics exhibition by two Canberra artists. ‘Til March 19 BELCONNEN COMMUNITY CENTRE

Live Kirk Special

With Waterford and The Dunhill Blues. POT BELLY BAR

Truckstop Honeymoon with Doctor Stovepipe Like your music honest, heartfelt, swampy and great to dance to? 7.30pm, $10. THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Wednesday Lunchtime Live

Lathika Vithanage. A journey through solo baroque violin repertoire. 12.45. WESLEY MUSIC CENTRE

Hippo Live

With The Lethals. HIPPO LOUNGE

ANU SCHOOL OF ART

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Paul Appelkamp

Trucking

Astro Chem, Activate Jetpack and Second Sun

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

A collection of images of huge interstate trucks by Canberra photographer Lorna Sim. ‘Til April 1. HUW DAVIES GALLERY

Massive Attack

Live Mark Wilkinson

Weaving a fresh new sound on the Australian music landscape. 7.30pm, $10. THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY TILLEY’S DIVINE CAFE

king o’malley’s

THE PHOENIX PUB

All sorts of groove.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Live

THE ROYAL theatre

Fun Machine FUNdraiser

The Cool

HELLENIC CLUB

mccgregor hall

Kim Churchill

Something Different

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Superhero Party

His style is explosive. 8pm, $10.

Rubycon EP Launch

With Fun Machine and Architect DJs. Free! TRANSIT BAR

Something Different A Taste of France in an Irish Pub

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

9pm, free.

American all girl string band. 8pm.

The Fuelers

Phil and the boys are back. $33 presold, $40 at the door. With Calling All Cars, DZ and Variodivers.

Grinspoon

Uncle Earl

10pm - 2am.

A whole swag of super talented local folk singing their little hearts out to raise money for Fun Machine, who had all their pennies pinched. Come along and show some lovin’.

POT BELLY BAR

king o’malley’s

POT BELLY BAR

MONKEY BAR

Bluestone

POT BELLY BAR

9pm - 1am.

8pm ‘til late, free entry.

The best from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. Regular live entertianment and bands. 9pm.

Jemist

Open Mic Night

Dos Locos

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

TRANSIT BAR

Tickets through Ticketek. You’d be mad to miss this.

The Dunhill Blues

With Special Patrol Group, 8pm.

Folky and funky. 7.30pm, $5.

[NULL]

Dance

With The Drunk Uncles THE PHOENIX PUB

With Rehab Is For Quitters and Australian Kingswood Factory.

An all-singing, all dancing celebration of Sammy Davis Jr.

Come and enjoy a range of French wines, spirits, beer and champagne, ‘til March 31.

Paddy’s Day

BAR 32

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

9 ‘til 5. Dress in theme for free entry and the chance to win. With DJ Matt a local drag acts. CUBE NIGHTCLUB

saturday march 20

10.30pm - 2.30am. king o’malley’s

Something Different Wellbeing and Spiritual Festival Step into a magical scene, a world of fantasy and dreams! Two day festival. QUEANBEYAN SHOWGROUND

sunday march 21 Arts Candy Man

An all-singing, all dancing celebration of Sammy Davis Jr.

Arts

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Candy Man

Dance

An all-singing, all dancing celebration of Sammy Davis Jr.

Cube Sunday

Arc: New Hollywood

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Targets (1968, 18+). Killer thriller. 4.30pm.

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Party on after the weekend’s over with DJ TJ from 10 ‘til late. Free pool.

Live Tall Tales

Rory O’Donoghue (narrator) with the Sydney Guitar Trio. 8pm. WESLEY MUSIC CENTRE

GIG GUIDE May 24 - May 29

GIG GUIDE March 21 - March 30 All Bach Organ Concert

By Frank Tamsitt, one of Australia’s finest young organists. WESLEY MUSIC CENTRE

A Taste of Honey

Song Canberra’s Season of Song Concert 1 featuring Christina Wilson (mezzo-soprano) and more. WESLEY MUSIC CENTRE

wednesday march 24

Roots, Reggae, Dub and Ska from residents Jayo and HieronymusIX with Mario Gordon and more! THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Something Different World Naked Bike Ride

Peacefully exposing the vulnerability of cyclists, humanity and nature. Bare as you dare! Clothing is optional, helmets are compulsory. Meet at 10.30am for a 12 noon bike ride at Kattabul Place carpark near boat hire on Parkes Way/ Commonwealth Ave. There’ll also be body painting and bike decoration. TO PARLIAMENT HOUSE AND BEYOND!

monday march 22 dance Hospitality Night with UniVibes DJs

TRANSIT BAR

Live Lady Gaga

Be ready for The Fame, you little Monsters... World Tour. Tix though Ticketek. AIS ARENA

Poetry Slam

Arts Rational

Exhibition by Ben Forster. ‘Til April 4.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE - MANUKA

Rock Steady!

thursday march 25 dance

something different TNT Karaoke Dynamite

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Live Travis Marke and Simon Asquith

With Birds and Belles. 7.30pm. THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

The Dead Weather

Jack White’s new fantasmo band heads our way. ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

Icarus (UK)

With Shoeb Ahmad, Reuben Ingall and Luke Penders. 8pm, $10/$15. thestreet.org.au .

Wednesday Gallery Talks: This is who I am

Dr Christopher Chapman Curator NPG explores the National Photographic Portrait Prize. 12.45.

Cash prizes, 2 for 1 basic spirits and tap beer, and free pool. DJ Peter Doree from 11pm. CUBE NIGHTCLUB

friday march 26 dance Foreplay Fridays

9 ‘til 5 with DJs Pete & Matt. Free entry before 10pm.

Trivia/$5 Night TRANSIT BAR

Pedestrian Orchestra

The newest Canberra institution. All welcome! 18 PEDDAR STREET, O’CONNOR

Mother And Father

With Parading (featuring members of Witch Hats and The Stabs) and Cat Cat. THE PHOENIX PUB

Candy Cube

10 ‘til 5 with DJs Peter Dorree and Matt Chavasse.

John Gould (viola) and Anne Stevens (piano) performing works by Schubert, Schumann and more. WESLEY MUSIC CENTRE

monday march 29

Nathan Frost

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

dance

Disco

The best from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. Regular live entertianment and bands. 9pm. MONKEY BAR

Academy Saturdays: Hook N SLing With Anna Lunoe, on the Clubbers Guide to 2010 Tour. ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Live Kieran Glasgow THE PHOENIX PUB

Darker Half

With Dead Letter Opener, Forgery. THE BASEMENT

Hospitality Night with UniVibes DJs

TRANSIT BAR

Live The Wishing Well

Gorgeous gypsy folk and sumptuous get ups from 8pm. Free. THE PHOENIX PUB

tuesday march 30 something different TNT Karaoke Dynamite

Open up your pipes to win big. I said it before and I’ll say it again: Steven Pennington is king. TRANSIT BAR

TRANSIT BAR

Your weekly Big Night Out with DJs playing rock, indie, alternative, punk and dance 9-way late. BAR 32

The Day Everything Became Nothing

Something Different

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Evermore

SOUTHERN CROSS CLUB

Kid Sam

Viola and Piano Recital

Dance

Scott Burns

Live

Dinner and show $73 - 6.30pm. Show only $40 - 8.30. Bookings 6283 7288.

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

POT BELLY BAR

Birds and Belles THE PHOENIX PUB

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

With Deep Sea Arcade and Seagull.

TRANSIT BAR

REV

Party on after the weekend’s over with DJ TJ from 10 ‘til late. Free pool.

Sirens (1994, MA15+). Sam Neill, Hugh Grant and Elle Macpherson get naked. 2pm.

With Loud So Clear.

D’Opus

Cube Sunday

Arc: Australian Cinema, PostImpressions

Cheese

And plenny of it.

dance

Live

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

Live

BAR 32

sunday march 28

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Humanimals

Party music for party people.

With Friend or Enemy, Blind Eyed Gods and Prostitute Gun. 8pm.

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFE

McCabe and Mrs Miller (1971, M). Robert Altman’s Western. 4.30.

Ice cold, chilled for dancing.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

Chud

An accsessable blend of indie pop rock.

MIRRAMU CREATIVE ARTS CENTRE

Something Different

Karaoke

Bent Hen

Moon-lake-walking

THE STREET THEATRE

Night of burlesque featuring Holly Ja’Doll (Syd) and Lauren La Rouge (Syd) and Miss Kitka’s lovely lasses.

P J O’REILLY’S, TUGGERANONG

Arts

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

Le Chat Noir

Calling all hip-hop heads, b-boys, b-girls and MCs. Stand up and support Aussie hip-hop!

Tonight Alright

saturday march 27

Arc: New Hollywood

Turntables and Cocktails.

Hell Mutha F#@kin’ Yeah!!!

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

Lee Buss and J Marshall

TRANSIT BAR

Arts

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

A dance and music event on the bed of Weereewa (Lake George) is indeed a once in a blue moon event.

Yacht Club DJs

Open up your pipes to win big. Steven Pennington is king.

wednesday march 24

$3 (free for poets). Book your slot from 7.30pm on the night. www.traversepoetry.org .

$15.

KREMLIN BAR

tuesday march 23

Something Different

THE BASEMENT

Classic Metal at the Maram

A huge night of metal classics, feat. Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Dio, AC/DC and more. $15, 8pm. THE MARAM, ERINDALE CENTRE

OUT mar 17

national folk festival the vasco era lisa mitchell house vs hurricane …AND MORE

SIDE A: BMA artist profile

James Fahy Trio

Who are your influences, musical or otherwise? Joanna Newsom – I idolise her composition with a teenage heart-fervour. Joe Oppenheimer has done more to develop how I look at performance and songwriting than anyone still living. Nirvana, Jonny Greenwood, Bowie and Jack White. What’s the weirdest experience you’ve had whilst performing? Starting my last set at The Phoenix with a beatboxer and rappers (big ups to Kodak and Gotham). What’s your biggest achievement/proudest moment so far? The album that I recorded last week with Dan Nash. I’m still flying high on how great it sounds – every now and then I fling my limbs around and cry ecstatically. I’m not used to this kind of overwonderjoyedment. What are your plans for the future? To meet local singles online. What makes you laugh? Puns. What pisses you off? Making money by fear. Australian broadsheet journalism – a lot of these guys can’t even spell, and they are posting Telegraph headlines about how many sex offenders are ‘among us’. They have tremendous power and they manage to further damage an already perilously mis-educated 70 percent of the population.

What’s your opinion of the local scene? I couldn’t have a higher opinion of it. It is underpinned by a cast of characters like Nigel McRae and Ben Drysdale, for one thing, and bands are pouring out of it that are hands-down excellent. A shortlist reads like a magic trick: Ah! Pandita, Fun Machine, Joe Oppenheimer, Dub Dub Goose, The Trivs, Rafe Morris, Mr. Fibby, Kasha, Josef Salvat… What are your upcoming gigs?The Fun Machine FUNdraiser! One of Canberra’s best, and all the money they ever made got taken from them in an instant by some jerk thief. I’m putting on a show to try and redress some of their losses and to put up a middle finger to bad luck and jerk thieves. Friday March 19 at MacGregor Hall. Contact info: drop me a line at j.fahy@hotmail.com .

FIRST CONTACT Aaron Peacey Aaron 0410 381 306 Adam Hole Adam 0421 023 226 Afternoon Shift Adam 0402 055 314 After Close Scotty 0412 742 682, afterclose@hotmail.com Alcove Mark 0410 112 522 Alice 0423 100 792 Allies ACT (Oxfam Group) alliesact@hotmail.com/ myspace.com/alliesact Amphibian Sound PA Clare 0410 308 288 Amplif5’d Classic rock covers band Joy 0407 200 428, joybarac-heath@hotmail.com Annie & the Armadillos Annie 6161 1078/0422 076 313 The Ashburys Dan Craddock 0419 626 903 Aria Stone, sax & flute, singer/ songwriter (guitar) Aria 0411 803 343 Australian Songwriters Association (Keiran Roberts) 6231 0433 Arythmia: Ben 0423 408 767/ arythmiamusic@gmail.com Backbeat Drivers Steve 0422 733 974, www.backbeatdrivers.com Big Boss Groove Andrew 0404 455 834, www.bigbossgroove.com.au Birds Love Fighting Gangbusters/DIY shows - bookings@birdslovefighting.com Black Label Photography Kingsley 0438 351 007 Blister Bug Stu 0408 617 791 Bridge Between, The Rachel 0412 598 138, thebridgebetween.com.au Bruce Stage mgr/consultant 6254 9857 Caution Horses Nigel 0417 211 580 Chris Harland Blues Band 0418 490 640 chrisharlandbluesband@yahoo.com.au Clear Vision Films rehearsals/film clips/stunts - 0438 647 281 wcoulton.clearvisionfilms.com Cole Bennetts Photography 0415 087 833/colebennetts@gmail.com Cris Clucas Cris 6262 5652 Crooked Dave 0421 508 467 Danny V Danny 6238 1673/0413 502 428 Dawn Theory Nathan 0402 845 132 D’Opus & Roshambo hifidelitystyles@yahoo.com DJs Madrid and Gordon 0417 433 971 DJ Latino Rogelio 0401 274 208 DJ Moises (RnB/Latin) 0402 497 835 or moises_lopez@hotmail DNA Vic 0408 477 020 Drumassault Kate 0414 236 323 Easy Mode Daz 0404 156 482, easymodeband@gmail.com Entity Chris 0412 027 894 Epic Flagon band@epicflagon.com Fighting Mongooses, The Adam 0402 055 314 Final Warning Brendan 0422 809 552 Fire on the Hill Aaron 0410 381 306/ Lachlan 0400 038 388 4dead Peter 0401 006 551 Freeloaders, The Steve 0412 653 597 Friend or Enemy 6238 0083, www.myspace.com/friendorenemy Funk Shui Dave 0407 974 476 Gareth Hailey DJ & Electronica 0414 215 885 GiLF Kelly 0410 588 747, gilf.mail@gmail.com HalfPast Chris 0412 115 594 Hancock Basement Tom 6257 5375, hancockbasement@hotmail.com Happy Hour Wendy 0406 375 096 Haunted Attics band@hauntedatticsmusic.com Hitherto Paul 0408 425 636 Infra Retina Kyle 0437 137 775/Michael 0425 890 023/www.infra-retina.com In The Flesh Scott 0410 475 703 Inside the Exterior Nathan 0401 072 650 Itchy Triggers Andrew 0401 588 884

Jacqui Seczawa 0428 428 722 JDY Clothing 0405 648 288/ www.jdyclothing.com Jenn Pacor singer/songwriter avail. for originals & covers, 0405 618 630 Jim Boots 0417 211 580 Johnny Roadkill Paulie 0408 287 672, paulie_mcmillan@live.com.au Karismakatz DJ Gosper 0411 065 189/ dj@karismakatz.com Kayo Marbilus myspace.com/kayomarbilus Kurt’s Metalworx (PA) 0417 025 792 Little Smoke Sam 0411 112 075 Los Chavos Andy 0401 572 150 los.chavos@yahoo.com.au Manilla Green Herms 0404 848 462, contactus@manillagreen.com, Mario Brujo Gordon world/latin/ reggae/percussionist and DJ. 0405 820 895 Martin Bailey Audio Engineer 0423 566 093 Mercury Switch Lab Studios mercuryswitch@internode.on.net Missing Zero Hadrian Brand 0424 721 907 hadrian.brand@live.com.au Moots aspwinch@grapevine.com.au Huck 0419 630 721 MuShu Jack 0414 292 567, mushu_band@hotmail.com MyOnus myonusmusic@hotmail.com/ www.myspace.com/myonus No Retreat Simon 0411 155 680 Ocean Moses Nigel 0417 211 580 OneWayFare Chris 0418 496 448 Painted Hearts, The Peter 6248 6027 Phathom Chris 0422 888 700 The Pigs The Colonel 0422 412 752 Polka Pigs Ian 6231 5974 Premier Audio Simon 0412 331 876, premier_audio@hotmail.com Redletter Ben 0421 414 472 Redsun Rehearsal Studio Ralph 0404 178 996/6162 1527 Rhythm Party, The Ross 0416 010 680 Roger Bone Band Andy 0413 483 758 Rob Mac Project, The Melinda 0400 405 537 Rug, The Jol 0417 273 041 Samsara Samahdi 0431 083 776 Sansutra J-Ma 0403 476 350 Simone Penkethman (Simone & The Soothsayers, Singing Teacher) 6230 4828 Soundcity Rehearsal Studio Andrew 0401 588 884 Solid Gold Peter 0421 131 887/ solid.gold@live.com.au Super Best Friends Matt 0438 228 748 Surrender Jordan 0439 907 853 Switch 3 Mick 0410 698 479 System Addict Jamie 0418 398 556 Taboo Bamboo Greg 0439 990 455 The Morning After (covers band) Anthony 0402 500 843/ myspace.com/themorningaftercovers Tiger Bones & The Ferabul-Zers Danny feralbul@aapt.net.au Tim James Lucia 6282 3740, LUCIAMURDOCH@hotmail.com Top Shelf Colin 0408 631 514 Transmission Nowhere Emilie 0421 953 519/myspace.com/ transmissionnowhere Udo 0412 086 158 Undersided, The Baz 0408 468 041 Using Three Words Dan 0416 123 020, usingthreewords@hotmail.com Voodoo Doll Mark 0428 650 549 William Blakely Will 0414 910 014 Zero Degrees and Falling Louis 0423 918 793 Zwish 0411 022 907